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Show Lakeside Review, Tuesday, July 17, 1990 Lakeside Ope Fireworks ban would not work cyx ni--- o-rf'- - .,? fuA JS 4pMk. '?' Tjpf? vu U" i r ''Xx4i ,Wi & 3 t &'. V)Wl0lX.yW! w W :'.?; j; There are only two things that excite a boy more than fireworks an autograph of Michael Jordan and seeing his best friend's older sister in a biki- M: 4 iff ni. There is something about the blast of a firecracker that interests adolescent bovs. It was no different when I was that 'v?;5 j Rick Sweeten Helen Cramer Debbie Bybee James Wilkinson Colleen Nordberg Would fireworks ban set off a bang? Numerous fires caused by fireworks over the 4th of July holiday kept Davis County firefighters busier than they would have liked to have been. Also area residents had to deal with thousands of dollars worth in damages caused by errant fireworks. Those facts caused a few fire chiefs in the county to say they would like to see a ban on all fireworks except the annual controlled public displays cities put on. The idea of legalizing all fireworks and diverting the extra revenue into fire department budgets has also come up before, but no action has been taken either way. County fire chiefs can only imagine I Helen Cramer, Clearfield think they should leave them alone. I like it the way it is. The restrictions are Street talk what it will be like for Pioneer Days July 24. The Lakeside Review asked several area residents in random interviews if a ban or more restrictions on fireworks sales and use would work. I dont, Debbie Bybee, Roy think they should ban them all, but they should control the illegal ones a little better. We had bottle rockets hit our house and it was scary. I dont think a ban of all fireworks would work, but they should enforce the restrictions more strictly. OK. I think people are responsible for themselves. I dont like the bottle rockets, but we havent had any problems. Rick Sweeten, Roy They should ban everything and just run a public 0 minutes. They show for a good should only have a good controlled public display. James Wilkinson, West Point Im not for kids setting fire to my roof with fireworks. Im for cities having fireworks controlled. Where I live there are fields and if one of those fireworks 20-3- . Viewpoint Andy Howell gets on my roof the whole thing goes. Im not for a total ban because Im on anything, but fireworks not lock-jain those dry fields can be very dangerous. Davis County editor age. No matter what kind of reputation a kid had, if he' had a package of fireworks, he was the most popular kid on the block (at least until they were all blown off). I grew up where fireworks of almost any kind were outlawed. But being from a border state, firecrackers were routinely smuggled in from Mexico into our w Colleen Nordberg, Sunset Id like to say it should be banned, but I think it is sad that everybody should have to pay for a few negligent people. My kids enjoy them like everyone else. I would hate to see them banned altogether. I think tighter enforcement of the restrictions on them right now would work, but if it doesnt then I guess to ban them would be all that is left. I just hate to see responsible kids penalized. neighborhood to be used to demolish ant hills and blow the arms off G.I. Joes. Fireworks are popular with adolescent boys because they are an acceptable form of rebellion. They make noise and enough people object to them to add to the excitement. But on the same token, fireworks are used to celebrate the birth of our nation; and most parents look the other way when their child purchases a pack of firecrackers where they are legal and then stuffs them in their pants to get them to where they are illegal. While in college I worked as a counselor for travel camps that toured the Intermountain region. When we crossed over into Wyoming, the morale of the soared, boys packed into the not in anticipation of visiting Yellowstone, but because of the number of roadside fireworks stands we passed by. When the boys did get an opportunity to purchase some fireworks, which were against camp regulations, they were confiscated by the counselors, who' in turn stashed them away until their night off. But we were never very diligent in enforcing the ban on fireworks, so the boys often were able to sneak away from camp to light off a few. If it became a problem, then the counselors would seize the contraband. But in all the times I actually took fireworks away from any campers, it had more to do with them fighting over possession than misusing mini-bus- es them. A ban on fireworks in Utah would have as much effect as the ban we had in travel camp. Authorities wouldnt enforce it unless there was blatant misuse, and parents wouldnt consider it wrong for their kids to possess them. Of course, I also dont believe fireworks should be available to the public year-roun- d. Some feel we are giving mixed messages to our youth by using fireworks on the Fourth of July and July 24, and then telling them they cant be used the rest of the year. Actually, the fact that the fireworks arent available adds to the significance of the holidays in which they are used to celebrate. Because fireworks are only available at this time, people are more aware of them. Parents may supervise their use a little more. If they were available all the time, we might become desensitized to their use, which could increase the chances of a major accident. Also, people who are bothered by fireworks can accept the fact that the nuisance will only be temporary. The main drawback to fireworks being available to kids is the fire danger. Lets face it, kids and gunpowder can be a volatile situation. As for the destructive natures of the blast from a firecracker, I have to say Ive seen more mailboxes bombs than cherry blown up by dry-ic- e year-roun- Government directory South Weber City Council Layton City Council Kaysville City Council Mayor Rex Bouchard Reid Stark 6 Home Mayor Brit Howard 7 Home 546-306- Douglas G. Stanger Home Mayor James Layton Home Jerry Stevenson Joe Craig Taylor Home Kent Dee Smith 2 Home Lyndia Graham 3 Home Ferrin Calder Jeff Monroe 544-326- 1 Home Home LeGrande Simmons Home Bill Petty Home Hill Home Cheri Goodliffe 6 Home 544-95- 544-32- 08 77 771-557- Beck Sheffield Home 544-433- 544-39- 771-12- Bob Stevenson Home 91 544-853- 5 Home, 544-517- 2 544-442- 544-45- 17 Home 479-903- 0 479-462- 479-447- 5 479-521- 3 Verg Glismann Home 479-398- 5 479-659- 6 d, bombs. No, the way Utah handles fireworks with certain ones outlawed and the others only being available a week before the July holidays is probably the best. Letters Governor using scare tactics on food tax issue I would like to write an open letter to Governor Bangerter and the Board of d Regents over the various I the noticed and universities colleges. Board of Regents came out against the removal of sales tax on food. As soon as it was announced that the sales tax issue would be on the ballot. state-owne- Governor Bangerter immediately made his usual threats to cut funds to other programs. So, now he is refusing to help the Utah citizens, who are in the greatest need of help. What both the Governor and the that Board of Regents are ignoring is a Session 1990 Legislative during the which was passed resolution law or formula. changed the sales tax While the sales tax rate did not is change at the cash register, the state each cent than less of they now keeping -- previously did. and giving that much, .more to the cities and counties. So. the Board of Regents should back off of the stand they have taken. They and the universities and colleges get their money from the.state and not the counties and cities. So, the state is not going to get hurt that much.. Besides the removal of sales tax from food wont take effect until July 1, 1991, if it does pass. So. the Governor is just making a .bunch of idle threats, in hopes of scaring the people to vote against the removal, to get his own way. Actually by the end of 1990. the state is still going to end up with a huge surplus like they have for the past few years. If the state does need more money, they should stop giving tax breaks (from sales tax) to the ski resorts. They should also sunset all of the laws and resolutions that give tax breaks to many other large businesses and industries, which remove. Miss Pearl Wend el ; they-nev- er Wolves wreaking havoc on livestock population While the advocates have made much ado about Minnesota and the wolves there, lets look at reality. Wolf predation on livestoclchas been the worst on record for the last two years. In 1989, $43,664 was paid out in compensation (dont forget theres a $400 limit per animal). That figure doesnt include the $120,000 spent by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in their Animal Damage Control Program to put trappers in the field catching problem wolves. This year, figures are way ahead of last year in numbers of reported losses, problem wolves trapped, and expenditures. In fact, the compensation fund went broke in February. This is not the first lime the fund went under, but it is the earliest. Animal Damage Control is in a similar fix. Unless emergency funds are alloBountiful.'. cated. the control officers will have to pro-wo- lf pull their traps and cease field operations due to depleted funds. And July. August and September are the worst months for livestock losses to wolves, meaning ADC will be out of funds when they are needed the most. But livestock loss is only a small portion of the impacts wolves can have in a This way fire departments and parents can always plan ahead and be wary of the problems, and the children can look forward to having a blast on the holidays. region. Western states rely heavily on hunting. Based on my years in wolf research, I believe wolves will have a much greater negative impact on hunting than agriculture. In the wolf recovery plan, there is NO provision to maintain healthy wild game herds period! Much less to say in viable numbers for hunting. Contact the Jackson Hole Guide and ask for a copy of the June 20, 1990 edi- - ,i tion which details problems in Minneso- - r ta. Or write US at CMI,, Box ,729.;,; Gillette. WY 82717 and w'e'll send you a free photocopy of the above article.'", 7 " Troy RiMadcr President Common Man Institute . ' . Lakeside letter policy outlined The Lakeside Review encourages readers to submit letters to the editor. . Long letters will be subject to edit- -, ing at the discretion of Lakeside' Re'11 .'.AX view editorial staff."' 'si ,j ii.p ;,t Libelous material will be delated.,!, With few exceptions, .letters .must .be ! . X ; acppmpanied. by the 'writers nameu whep published.:- - .iruJ1(b iU;, Send all letters to the Lakesideu Review, 2146 N. Mam, Layton, Ut., 84041. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |