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Show lc V iv-V- .' )t Balt fa kr Sriinmc Section Friday Morning, September 18, 1977 fty' William Bloom Beckons Page 22 Understanding Senate Panel Prudently Rejects Houses Electric Rate Plan be uished, and certainly not noble. But hes the only one I'd feel comfortable having over for dinner at my home probably bemuse hes the only one I understand. I certainly do not understand Jimmy Carter who, snarled in his own moralistic rhetoric, found himself unable either to fish or to cut bait. Ills Bert, Im proud of you was to rank among the infelicitous and inexplicable remarks. I do not understand Sen. Abraham Ribicoff, who was asking such tough questions of Bloom this week but who, a few weeks back, was falling all over himself to put the best possible face on Lance's dealings with correspondent banks in Chicago and New York. Bloom, acting comptroller of the currency at the time Lance was nominated and confirmed as the director of the federal budget, was on the Ribicoff carpet this week because he had said nice things about Lance. mother states. Junking of the Administrations rate setting plan happily suggests the Senate is going to take some very hard, long and, perhaps, constructive, looks at the House Energy Bill. Such scrutiny ought to result in a more comprehensive approach to the nations energy needs, rather than the punitive, tax laden, almost exclusively conservation oriented effort of the House. single-minde- off-pea- time-fof-da- so-call- ed The Washington Post Of all the characters in the Bert Lance morality play, Robert Bloom conies off as the most sympathetic. Not attractive, not distingWASHINGTON These costs would some how have to passed onto consumers, rich and poor alike. Federal rate regulation would necessitate creation of one more layer of bureaucracy with no practical experience at rate making. It is highly questionable whether this neophyte agency could do any better job than the states are doing. And it isnt as though the states havent given considerable thought to fashioning electrical rates to encourage conservation. So far 31 states have concluded studies, or are in the process of studying, such rate structures. Another federal bureau would needlessly duplicate those efforts, as well as any that might be forthcoming The U.S. Senate has been called the worlds greatest deliberative body. If the action taken Wednesday by the Senate Energy Committee rejection of the Carter Administrations planned infusion of the federal government into the electrical retail is criteria rate regulation function for judgement then the accolade is well applied. For the most part, and with very few expections, the regulatory agencies of the states have done a commendable job of keeping electrical rates within reasonable bounds and simultaneously making certain private utilities continue as economically viable businesses. The reputed objective of the Administration for putting the federal government into the rate setting business is to conserve energy by requiring utilities to alter their rate structures by ending discounts for large industrial users. The provisions the Energy Committee rejected, part of the House-passe- d omnibus energy bill, would also have required the offering of lower rates for electricity k consumed during the hours, y rates. the Forcing the entire electrical utility y rate industry to go to schedules would cost at least $8 to $9 billion to install new meters the system requires, according to estimates from the Edison Electric Institute. Utah Power and Light Co. y meter has estimated its costs between $60 and $70 million. Twelve billion overdrawn? Bert says take it out of savings! d, What Congress must produce is a d national energy policy; one that encourages conservation but, also, provides the means and incentives for expanding conventional energy supplies while pioneering the development of new energy alternatives. time-of-da- Perhaps it has always been a human trait, but there seems to be something pointless in assessing the. actions of the past by the moral standards of today. Essentially, such judgments tend to ignore the attitudes of former times. The debate over ratification of the Panama Canal treaty is an example of judging the past by todays moral standards. Sen. S. I. Hayakawa, illustrates this when he of the canal zone, We stole it says, fair and square. Perhaps by todays standards the United States stole the zone, but not necessarily by those of the early 20th Century. In those days it was Americas manifest destiny to secure the canal zone and build the canal. And the means used to gain control of the zone and build the canal were, for the majority of Americans, acceptable, morally, legally and practi- News accounts indicate Mr. Bernstein centers a considerable portion of his investigation on the 1950s. And many of the figures identified as CIA confederates have their names preceded by the late, like the late Arthur Hays Sulzberger, the late Henry Luce, the late Philip Graham and the late James Copley. important conflict of interest concern is involved if American journalists are or have actively worked hand in hand with the CIA. The mandatory independence of a journalist in the free world is in jeopardy he or she attempts to serve two masters. An f., At the time, when the Cold War was in hill cry, American attitudes toward communism were far different than today. In that context anything that might help stem the spread of communism was correct conduct; even journalists clandestinely helping the CIA. Today efforts to cope with communism are far more restrained. cally. Another example is the controversy simmering for some time now over the possible involvement of American journalists in activities of the Central Intelligence Agency. The latest chapter is an article in Rolling Stone written by Carl Bernstein, of Watergate fame, in which he discloses that some rather influential figures in Reflecting too greatly on the mistakes and moral errors of the past is not necessarily the correct foundation for todays decisions. It could conceivably lead to the wrong ones, decisions detrimental to the future of American journalism were active this country. There is such a thing as cooperators with the CIA. being too sorry. Editor, Tribune: Cheryl Archdecon (Forum. Sept. 5) deplores the behavior of security guards at the rock concert at the Salt Palace have to have witnessed the incident to evaluate the right and wrong, but to me only an immature person would ignore the problems the guards have in controlling a rock concert audience. Possibly the situation was handled because the guard made a show of strength at the first sign of difficulties. Such an incident would not have been pleasant, necessary or not. But far worse is the spectacle of these thousands of young people feeding their minds and spirits on junk food culture. Didnt John Paul Jones captain his own ship at age 14? What are these young people doing paying huge sums to get high on a lot of macho mindless noise that forms Forum Rules Public Forum letters must be submitted exclusively to The Tribune and bear writers full name, signature and address. Names must be printed on political letters but may be withheld for good reasons on others. Writers are limited to one letter every 10 days. I reference will be given to short, typewritten (double spaced) letters permitting use of the writers true name. All letters are subject to condensation. Mail to the Public Forum, The Salt Lake Tribune, Box 867, Salt Lake City, Ltah. 84110. attitudes without defining reason or purpose? Older people need their young strength and alert minds and endurance; young people need their wisdom and know how. But this rock stuff seems to make them feel as if all they have to do is demand. There are men who are desperately and heroically striving to preserve a decent society and government for these young people; the money spent on that rock concert would have been a godsend to these men. It is no time for youngsters to be led by a pied piper to a cloud cuckoo land and turned into swine. CHARLOTTE M. HOWE Tidy Up the Well Editor, Tribune: On Aug. 15, The Tribune a small feature article on the City Well at 8th South and 5.h East, accompanied by a photo of the well's faithful. From as far as Magna and Bountiful people come regularly to carried Panama Canal Treaty a Bummer All Around New York Times Special Features As predicted here, the Panama Canal Treaty has begun to rupture the Republican Party. Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina has depicted minority leader Howard Baker of Tennessee as squirming like a worm on a hot brick over the issue. If we continue to put pressure on the weak sisters in the Senate," says Helms, in uncustomary commentary for a Republican senator to Mr. Buchanan make about his colleagues, we can win this thing Statistics suggest Helms is right. U.S. News has found 31 senators in opposition and 31 on the fence. If the opposition holds, and only n of the straddlers comes down against, the treaty will be as dead as Bert Lances ambition to be chairman of the Federal Reserve. Which brings us back to Howard Baker. Should the minority leader cast his lot with the Republican right, his opposition almost certainly would be decisive. Political benefit, and historic blame for killing the canal treaty, would belong to the son in law of Everett McKinley Dirksen. Wherefore, it is understandable to hear Sen. Baker announce, I have decided not to decide on that issue lor the moment because it is too important for a snap judgment. Politically, that may be the appropriate posture. But it is not a position Baker can long maintain and still claim to be lead spokesman for the loyal opposition. And being seated, with arms folded, on a high fence is not necessarily the safest place to be when the sticks anil stones begin to fly. Intuition tells me Bakers presidential ambitions could not survive his becoming along with the Joint Chiefs, Ford and Kissinger show pony in President another Carters stable of docile Republicans. In the last four congresses, Howard Baker has maintained a perfect voting record on national defense, even by the exacting standards of the American Security Council Nevertheless, there remains a residue of suspicion that among Sen. Bakers qualities is a certain Nixonian flexibility on the issues which is not regarded as public virtue on the Republican right. Besides, the practical arguments seem all against the treaty. Proponents suggest we are rectifying some ancient injustice. Nonsense, without the U.S. there would be no Panama, no canal, just a malaria-infeste- d province of Colombia which would never have enjoyed, as it does today, the highest per capita income in Central America well-groom- one-in-te- A Simple Endeavor The Canal Zone is indefensible, it is argued. But holding that terrain against Torrijos National Guard seems a simpler endeavor than holding West Berlin against the Red Army The canal, in our hands, remains vulnerable fki te to the saboteur. Well, so, too, is New York City to the mad bomber who lobs one into the mens room at a Con Ed plant. And why should this Marxist regime wish to close down the g asset which alone keeps Panama out of the international bankruptcy court? income-producin- Under the Bunker-Linowit- z treaty, we retain the right to intervene. Baloney. A U.S. which would surrender a vital canal to which it held clear title is not going to send Marines slogging into some Central American jungle to a waterway wmch some Panamanian dictator has decided to close to traffic for Haifa and Cape Town. Giving up the canal will not enhance respect for the United Stales. The Latins respond to strength. Fidel Castro has a following in the hemisphere for the single reason that he has shown the macho to defy the United States. What this treaty represents is an extraordinarily expensive payoff by the United States which will bail a Marxist dictator out of an economic mess in exchange for which he will let the U.S. walk to the nearest exit with some measure of dignity, rather than being run out with our tails dragging between our legs. Last World Demand? Does anyone seriously behove the Canal Zone is the last territorial demand world opinion nas to make upon the United States? Next on the menu is the Guantanamo Naval Base, Puerto Rico and the Trust Territories in the Pacific. The place to dig m our heels is at the Panama Canal. re-op- (Copyright) their jugs with this delicious, pure water. Legend and fact form the wells history. One legend is that the well existed as a natural fill Led to Cuckoo Land Patrick J. Buchanan WASHINGTON : The Public Forum Aug. 10. One would Dubious Judgment Base It goes without saying that I do not understand Bert Lance. Whether Carter, federal investigators or the White House staff knew of Lances questionable dealings or not, Lance knew. And he must have known that sfswwt aWokaa Ikof of CHtr hOWS VUHtlVV mv wk some of the stuff would get out. In Washington, being a personal friend of the President is not enough to stop it. Heck, being the President isnt enough to stop it. So why did Lance take the stupid chance of coming to Washington to take such a job, thereby risking exposure, when he could have been a happy and rich man back in Georgia? I dont understand him. But I do understand Robert Bloom. Bloom admits that he some potentially damaging information about Lance and neglected to pass along other negative stuff. Blooms Boss But as he explained to the committee members who were browbeating him, Lance was not only the Presidents long-tim- e personal friend and first important nominee; he was also slated to become Blooms own boss Now if Bloom had information that would disqualify Lance in the eyes of the President, thats one thing. But if he had information that would only damage Lance but not abort the nomination, what could he have been expected high-profi- dual-lane- time-of-da- Raplrn spring when the pioneers arrived, and a pipe was added. The state engineer has no record of a drilling date, but one regular visitor (since he decades past) recounts that his was a toddler father stopped at a trough there to water his oxen when hauling granite for the temple. Whatever its origins, the water from the well was claimed for the people of Salt Lake City on March 14, 1936 (Claim 7216). This action followed legislation that made all water surface, underground, and above the land property of the people of Utah, available for special claims by individuals or corporations. Thus, while the real estate is owned privately, the water is owned publicly. April last, Mayor Wilson informed the Central City Neighborhood Council that funds had been allocated for purchasing, cleaning, and landscaping the lot, a project discussed, but neglected, for years beyond memory. Inasmuch as those funds are earmarked in the present budget, we believe the purchase as designated, should be made. Any other use would seem to us to be questionable. We who live in the vicinity of the well are sensitive to the unpleasant aspect of the lot, the hazards of the wet sidewalk, and the trafficparking problems. The Board of Health checks the water regularly for purity, and their task of monitoring conditions at the lot would be eased if repairs and landscaping were completed. Furthermore, the runoff water which now goes unused to Great Salt Lake could be used at the lot to water trees and other flora (with winter diversion). We trust the City Well lot will soon be beautified for the pleasure of local residents and water users. City-Count- y' ALAN SOKOLOW, M.D. Chairperson, Central City Neighborhood Council Parks Committee Um Play God? Editor, Tribune: As a lifelong supporter of the Humane Society and an animal lover and respector of all forms of life, I am deeply troubled because of recent happenings at the society. I feel it needs to be expressed. My son has been employed there until the past week and I have reason to believe that all is not as open as it should be. A number of pigeons injured or ill, were permitted io be taken by my son, for instance, to his brother who is adept at healing these birds. He has many show pigeons of his own and has mended the injured ones broken wings etc. until they were back into flight again and living out their life span. Now my question is "who states exactly who or what lives and who dieo?.The nature of the society invites public support involvement and suggestions, and this certainly should include an employe who loves animals and is learning the intricacies of the Humane Society functioning. A pigeon was put to sleep and permission refused my son to bring it home. He was told it was too far gone to be saved so why bother. Even though other pigeons had been given to my son and were flying around in good shape af'er being declared beyond repair. It bothers me that one person (or several) can dictate thumbs up or down to the life of a bird or animal. soft-pedal- to do? Its easy enough for the Ribicoffs and the Pereys and the Roths to wax noble (albeit very late in the day after charging the press with . smearing Lance). They had their own constituencies. Bloom had no such thing. He has a career civil servant whose career prospects would have been zilch if he had unloaded on the man who was to become his boss. Unless, of course, he was able to force Lance out altogether. Youre asking me to shoot to kill, he told Roth, in language that was instantly understandable. Because if I shoot and miss, Id better go back to private enterprise. Isnt High Principle That isnt high principle, and it isnt the sort of thinking Id urge on my children. But it is refreshing candor in a theater in which posturing is the order of the day. Boooms situation makes another point: We are quick to criticize the appointment of rich people to high office, on the ground that their very health involves them in a conflict of interest. It may be so. But what is equally true, as Bloom makes clear, being dependent on your government salary doesnt make it easy to stand on principle. If Bloom had been a rich banker doing temporary government service, he could have spilled the whole works on Lance, knowing that if worse came to worst, he could go back to his yacht to think things over. But, being just a guy trying to make a living in the government. Bloom did what he thought he had to do. That doesn't make him admirable, but it certainly makes him understandable. (Copyright) Orbiting Paragraphs Americans spend $10 billion a year to fight obesity. Unhappily, for most of them its a losing battle. Movies are getting even more explicit. These days a family film is likely to show you how to start one. Although Mayor Beame is a CPA, he may have forgotten one of the more complex rules of accounting: The debit column is on the left side. Hie Grant Cartoon BONNIE E. LORENC Thank Frinii Corn Edi'or, Tribune: On behalf of the Drum and Bugle Corps of Utah, Inc., may we express our deep gratitude to many people who made the recent stay of over 300 guests drum and bugle corps from Washington and California a success. More than 300 corps members were camped here for a weekend on their way to compete with 100 other corps at the Drum Corps International championship in Denver. While these corps are on tour their bed is any floor that is available to them. We earnestly hope that iu the near future Salt Lake City will perhaps even next year have a drum and bugle corps competition. CARL L. WILLIAMS President Drum and Bugle Corps of Utah, Inc. Uip Stick & |
