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Show & $ 1 9 7,; REVIEW ,7 f';yr - t - if 1 rrnitfim 1 t '; 1998 Letters to the Editor ;; j Bankruptcy has become a scam There are abuses to the bankruptcy system that need to be stopped. I see patterns of people running up their debts, filing bankruptcy, walking away from their incurred debts, then turning around years later only to repeat the pattern. Bankruptcy was initially created to help those who truly needed some relief. Bankruptcy, as it now exists, is almost perceived as a scam. There are those who abuse the system, planning to file again and again. And the current laws let them get away with it. This has to be stopped! When people abuse the bankruptcy system as a way out of their debts, the average middle class person gets stuck paying for the bulk of these debtors debts. HOW? 1. Increased costs of goods and services. Retailers, small businesses, professional services have to pass along the losses they. ; take in unpaid bills to the con- sumer. this is one way they absorb the losses. 2. Court costs and lawyer fees J are charged to the average citizen ; in the form of taxes. There are many hidden but real costs that ' the average person has to pay to , make up for those walking away from their bills. Enough is enough! Lets stop 2 the abuses and make it harder to file for bankruptcy. Helen Duggar Layton ; Community service can be done anonymously Much has been written in the public forum in defense of Mor- mon missionaries operating in the public schools. Altruism aside, what Mormon missionaries are allowed to do in Third World countries, on Native American reservations, and in private enterprises has absolutely no relevance to what is allowed in public schools on U.S. soil. Roy Hunt and others who believe that the U.S. Constitution and the First Amendment can only be violated by the federal government, need to do their homework. That argument was laid to rest by the Fourteenth Amendment and the Supreme Court ( Cantwell v. Connecti-cut,194and reaffirmed in numerous cases since. Arguments such as these are untenable and immaterial. 0) Assume young Mormon gentlemen were to. volunteer in the public schools devoid of their church affiliation (ie no uniforms, name tags, or title). Schools would better fulfill their obliga- - . tion to educate children..'.' Teachers would receive the assistance they desperately lack. Children would have the tutors arid' role models they need. Parentar. opposition and concerns would" be eased. Even Mormon mission- - . aries would still fulfill their . church obligated four hours of weekly community service. The only individual or agency the above scenario that., wouldnt meet its objective is the J in Mormon Church, and therein lies the rub. ' Without the accouterments to affiliate the missionaries with the h Mormon Church, there is return on investment to... render community service worthwhile. If these missionaries were required to serve anonymously as'.. many other do, in all likelihoodthey wouldnt return. That has- - . not-enoug- shelter in Kaysville is a major step in the right direction. But cities still need to recognize the need for services that aid the victims of domestic violence so we can avoid the tragedy that occurred in Layton as much as possible. The drive-b- y shooting is a symptom of the growing drug problem in the county. Meth labs are popping up everywhere in Davis County because operators like to locate in quiet neighborhoods. Layton Police Chief Doyle Talbot, who is head of the Davis County Metro Narcotics Strike Force, says the smaller cities need to recognize the problems and come up with more funding for the strike force. Fruit Heights has agreed, but some other cities are stalling. The strike force is the kind of cooperative law enforcement effort that is strongly needed in the county. Drug use and manufacturing is not just a Salt Lake, Ogden or even a Layton problem. Its everyones problem. The Syracuse standoff is, of course, an isolated incident that doesnt warrant a knee-jer- k reaction, like metal detectors or increased security in the schools. But across the country the problem has become more commonplace, especially in rural areas or the suburbs. These types of things dont seem to hap elsewhere. happened Thats where the fear comes in. 451-32- Commissioner Dannie McConkie (R) Davis County Courthouse 28 E. State Farmington, Utah 84025 0 Office Commissioner Carol R. Page (R) Davis County Courthouse 28 E. State Farmington, Utah 84025 0 Office 451-320- 451-320- 2 Home Harold Shaffer 295-609- s ' - Layton t pen in Chicago or New York. They happen in Iowa, Mississippi or Utah. The culprits are usually troubled teens, and trying to find a cause can be difficult. Holding fellow students hostage or even randomly shooting them is an irrational act, and you cant rationalize that. But states like Utah, which has a high teen suicide rate, are going to be locations where these things happen. Communities in these areas need to take a proactive approach to mental health issues. Schools need to have counseling services available and fellow students need to notify authorities when students are depressed and talk of killing themselves. Also school districts need to have policies in place that allow them to communicate problems to each other w'hcn a student transfers. Also families with teenagers should make sure guns are not easily accessible. This is not a gun safety issue. Saying that your children have all been properly trained in the use of firearms is not the issue. This is an access issue. Mental health officials say suicidal tendencies for teens can come up pretty suddenly, so the easier the access to a gun, the easier it is for them to act on those feelings. We Davis residents need to be aware that these problems exist. That is the first step to solving them or preventing reoccurrences. Andy Ho ell is an assistant managing editor and a member of the for the 'standard-Examineditorial board. He can be reached newspeqh weekdays at I i l I ( ( 1 1 Ve love phone orders! Coll Today! 1580 t t 779-919- 2 State Street, Clearfield Open 6 to 6 Mon. Thru Sat. S. 1 1 I 1 t a r t t t i 776-495- 1. SATURDAY ig, r j 9 Home Barbara Holt 9 Home Sam Fowler Home Alan Johnson 0 Home Stewart Knowlton 9 Home 295-533- 295-544- . 295-502- 295-630- 231-491- Centerville City Council Clearfield City Council May or Thomas Waggoner 1 Home Ivan D. Anderson 0 Home Diane Layton 5 Home James W. Barlow 3 Home Curtis Oda 6 Home Carr L. Roundy 9 Home 825-565- 825-695- Mayor Frank W. Ilirschi 8 Home Michael Barton 6 Home Francine Luczak 4 Home William Nelson 0 Home Rick Bangerter 4 Home Ron Russell 5 Home 295-918- 292-427- 292-993- 298-019- 295-374- 5 Home Merlin Mitchell Home 773-195- Mayor Gregory S. Beil Clinton City Council Mavor De.Mar Mitchell 1 Home Dennis Simonscn Home 825-84Arverd Taylor 3 Home Joanne Hansen 9 Home Home 451-50- 3 Home David J. Dixon 451-245- 773-583- 776-086- 773-420- c3 TO 7u5. OFF Saturday Only Home Gary E. Elliott Home David M. Connors 451-77- 1 Home Larry W, Haugen c IS 451-72- Pat Achter i t 2 773-828- t v ITEKCMY ISTH 825-689- 825-784- 773-563- norm ay Richard Lee Farmington City Council 773-979- 292-262- Bountiful City Council Mayor John Cushing i . Glen R. Schlotterbeck Government Directory Commissioner Gayle Stevenson (R) Davis County Courthouse 28 E. State Farmington, Utah 84025 Office , - Crime wave hits Davis County o far 1 998 has been a pretty violent year in Davis County. And weve only gotten through the first month. Theres been a murdersuicide and fatal accidental shooting in Layton; a random drive-b-y shooting that could be drug related in Fruit Heights; and the hostagestandoff drama at Syracuse Junior High School. The drive-b- y shooting was a first for Fruit Heights. And the Syracuse hostage incident was a first for the Davis School District If the trend continues, the next 1 1 months could mean a lot of violent firsts for the quiet communities of Davis County. At the recent North Davis Chamber of Commerce kickoff dinner, Ogden comedian shootCraig Bielik joked about the drive-b- y drive-b- y ing in Fruit Heights, saying shouting used to be a felony in Davis Countys most upscale community. Thats funny, but the recent incidents are no laughing matter for those of us who live here. These incidents, though, shouldnt be a surprise. Many people have wondered out loud how such things could happen in Davis County. Well, these are the kinds of things that do happen in the suburbs. Davis Countys rapid growth just means there are now more such problems and in worse degrees. The murdersuicide involved a husband shooting and killing his wife before turning the gun on himself. Domestic violence has been on the increase in the county. Fortunately. the community has taken action. The opening last year of the domestic violence - : Any One FABRIC 140 Off c 33. TOW OFF Saturday Only J . Any One aSn!! 30 Off:: Reg. Pnce " B f j Monday Only i a Any One 10 Additional Savings t i : r J f S r S 1 r 451-283- Home 451-735- 6 i j1 c POOR O |