OCR Text |
Show TCJD 1OP07LUGE37 by Uoyd Mullican LETTERS TO THE EDITOR , What is your opinion? This newspaper welcomes opinions from its readers concerning any subject pertinent to southern Utah. While there is no restriction in length, we request good judgment and letters which are to the point. Anything of a libelous nature or defamation of character will not be considered for publication. Letters must be signed with the writers name and address, which must be published along with the letter. Deadlines for letters tp the editor is 4 p.m. on Fridav. Thursday, May 26, Praises Hatch Gam for Defense Stands Editor, Sun On behalf of more than 60,000 United States Defense Committee members in Utah and nationwide, I would like to publicly express appreciation to Senators Jake Gam and ting any county money, for 1982-8- 3 Opin Hatch. is $67,000. $41,000 of this is for the ;Senator Gam in cooperation with insurance program. Then they receSenator Hatch, has sponsored S.J. ive county money on top of this Resolution 74, advancing the goal of of the one making them probably through a propstability strategic finest Fire Departments in the balanced force of osed program state. survivabincreased modernization, We know Salina cant provide as nuclear of systems, weapons ility much as Richfield, but we know on and insistence inspection they could or should provide more, in any arms negotiation. or at least make plans to rectify this I think that Utah and the nation problem. are greatly benefited through the Again, we ask for everyones of Senators Hatch and Gam service support to make Salina s Fire Dept, looked beyond the freewho have a well equipped fire station. ze hysteria and have chosen instOne more thing, take a look at the ead to focus on the facts. fire station and see what kind of an A close look at the facts demonstimpression were making to out of rates that a nuclear freeze at this town people traveling through. It is time, when we are vulnerable to a an eye sore for a city building, and Soviet first strike, is suicide and as of this date, no plans are being that Senator Gams proposal offers made to do anything about it. a sensible alternative initiative for Nuclear Arms Control. Sincerely, .' History has shown that the SovRusty Albrecht iets sign only two kinds of treaties; Chief, Salina F.D. those that clearly give them an advantage and those that they break. Senator Gams proposal recognizes that a nuclear freeze would CAN make a difference. lock key elements of the United States strategic forces into place, The Guilds officers, committee which could result in a destabilizing chairmen, and publicity people have imbalance and increase the likelimade a difference for me this year. hood of nuclear war. A special thank-yo- u goes to Dr. S.J. Res. 74 also recognizes that Wayne Chisholm, who is stepping the strategic and theater nuclear down after three years as Guild weapons of the United States are ICBMs president. Neal Busk has been aging and our land-base- d selected to take his place, and in doing so, Neal is also expressing his deep commitment to the arts. Editor, Sun: Our area is getting a reputation As our county begins preparatiamong performing artists as THE ons for the coming county fair this place to perform, and our wonderful summer, I have been asked to assist that. for audiences can take credit in promoting exhibits. I wish first to congratulate those Specifically, there has always been exhibitors of the past fairs and ask a substantial contingency in the and encourage them to exhibit audience from Salina, which I appragain. This year I have noticed that eciate. That kind of support is the our communities do little or nothing encouragement the advisory board to encourage county wide participneeds to feel that it is doing ation and I wish to make a plea or something meaningful. Please keep challenge to each community to take it up. the opportunity to use the fair exhibit booths to promote the high Those who havent tried Guild qualities of their respective town by membership yet will find it a word, and crafts from each wonderful way to broaden horizons town. pictures and make new discoveries. I would This challenge is made to the like to suggest that you could do community officials or chambers of something really nice for yourself commerce or any other group. Music tyjs fall by joining " vFir more Information cohtact Guild. ... jaeik Robinson, County Zoning Coordinators, Ray Blackham or Je-n- y Pam Williams, Coordinator Pickett, Exhibit Committe. Music Guild sRay Blackham Fire Chief Decries Lack of Funding Editor, Sun; The members of the Salma Fire pept. would like to inform the , citizens of the area in regards to your fire protection. Since 1976, all major departments in the Salina City budget have risen drastically except for the Fire Dept. As an example, General Government has gone from $41,047.47 to $124,818.20, Police, $39,473.61 to to $112,000, Streets, $22,103.09 $113,473, Fire Dept., $8,721.62 to $12,500. (Note: In 1976 budget, the Fire Dept, building was covered by . the city. It is not in the 1983 budget.) Because of the lack of finances, the Fire Dept, is underequipped in both fire trucks and equipment to cover Salina alone, yet to cover the area from Sigurd to the north to the east county line, up line. county Because of this, everyones insurance rates could go up to a minimum of 22.3 percent per premium, or possibly 51.6 percent per premium depending on the town class rate we go to. As a fireman, captain or chief, it is hard to pick what men should go into a burning building when we know how inadequately we are equipped. Example; we should have at a minimum one air pack for every two men. With our 22 men department, that means 11 air packs. W e have 5. When we roll out of town, 4 of the air packs go with those trucks, leaving 1 air pack and 1 unequipped truck to protect all of Salina and outer areas. We, as a department, have tried to inform the city council of the situation, but their feelings are that the Fire Dept, is a place that they they can cut or whatever is necessary to control spending. Because of this, that is why the Fire Dept, has fallen behind so badly. People, public safety is not a good area to cut. Everyone is in need of and deserves a well prepared and even more importantly, well equipped Fire Dept., if only to keep insurance rates down. We are trying to upgrade the building to make room for new trucks, but out of our budget of $12,500, $10,500 has to go to utilities, gas for the trucks, and cleaning of our building, leaving $2000 to purchase equipment.' This-- , is enough money to purchase only a few minor items which we need and doesnt even touch the personal losses of a fireman such as shoes, clothing, etc. From our budget of $12,500 the city receives from Sevier County for providing fire protection, $9,377. The city then is only contributing $3,000. FYom past budgets, we feel that their amount has been trivial, needless to say. ' As your Fire Dept., we are asking for your help in correcting this matter. Write letters to the newspaper or call the city fathers, but let them know your feelings about having a well equipped. Fire Dept. The officers of the department are willing to meet to inform people about the department and its activities. We have tried to raise money with raffles, dances, and a carnival. . The jails are full, the prisons are full and the courts have back-log- s for months to come. What has caused this problem and what is the solution? The death penalty has been in most states and yet there are over 1,000 people on death row across our nation, why? If I could answer that I would be famous, but logic tells us that most of the problem lies with our Jididal system. If a person commits a murder, rape or kidnapping, this is a capital offense and warrants the death sentence. Yet, very few felons convicted of such crimes are given the death sentence. Here, the judicial system is certainly to blame. To save time, money and for various other reasons, there is what is called plea bargaining. The criminal is allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge. They excape the death penalty and the state saves the expense and time consuming effort of a trial, even if a person is tried and convicted of a capital offense, it will be many years before the sentence is carried out if ever. All these years this person is kept on death row at our expense. There are many avenues of legal appeals left open to the convicted person and each appeal to the various levels of higher courts take from one to three years, all at the expense of the state. The constitution was written to be a safeguard for our rights, but there have been so many higher court decisions handed down concerning those rights that the true and speedy course of justice has all but been stopped. There are those who do not believe executions will deter crime. Perhaps not, but I believe if these murderers, rapists and child abusers were speedily tried and executed, it would make a lot of them stop and think. Justice in most cases today ia a mockery. A killer can get out on bail and be free to kill again. It has happened. A good example of justice today is the case of the so Hi-called killers.'' For years they have used every legal trick available and today they are still alive and doing well. What is the solution? It cannot be cut and dried. Perhaps if people accused of capital crimes were denied bail, perhaps if there was no plea bargaining and no commutation of such sentences by governors and perhaps if condemned killers were not allowed to use public money to defend themselves, it would help. I realize this is not 1883, but I believe the judges and courts of the old west may have had the right idea. Try a killer today and hang him at dawn tomorrow. Something must be done. Crime and criminals continue at a headlong pace, just as the lemmings rush forward to the sea, driven by some inward death wish, to drown themselves. Will we turn into human lemmings or will we rise up and punish the ones who kill us? Give your graduate the advantages you never had. Starting with an AppleIIe Personal Computer. ; The new lie really has what it takes to help them easier-to-us- e, more religet ahead after school. An able design. A 64K standard memory. And the ability to run more software programs than any other personal computer. Just call on an authorized Apple dealer for ' . a demonstration. . And pick up an Apple lie for AdIikiwiI IVAt ; the graduate most likely to succeed OcippIC t Southern Utah Computer Svstekis .. p.o. Box 628 South Main Richfield, Utah Phone (801) 896 9292 25 . 0 1983 Apple Computer Inc. 84701 , v , But these things only brings in a few hundred doiiare, for houre of hard work donated by the wives of the firemen. This is still not enough to purchase the things we need. We, as a volunteer Fire Dept, donate approximately 3,974 hours a year to the public in services such as; watching the local farmers, bum' ditches, controlled bums around peoples yards, washing large parking lots at 'churches and schools, burning the hill and washing blea4 th of chers for the July activities, assisting the EMTs during accidents, checking fire hydrants and building inspections, just to name a few. For these services we receive one meal a month prepared by firemen at the firehouse. If this seems too much to pay, Richfield Fire Dept, receives this plus a total insurance policy on each man and his family. Their budget from Richfield City alone, not coun-- on-si- te Retrospective Editor, Sun: My first season as coordinator of Music Guild is over, and before I get too deeply into preparations for the next, a brief retrospective is perhaps appropriate. ty One important thing Fve learned this past season is that Fm no the I always thought I SuperWoman was; but motivating others, creating enthusiasm, and getting the job done has been easier because of so many willing helpers, and in fact, they made me look like Super Woman even when I wasnt. , In particular, I appreciate the acceptance and friendship that have been offered me, even though Tm still the new kid on the block in many ways. Many personal rewards come from the kind of family association available through Guild participation. A strong foundation was laid by Chuck and Thelma Compton, and their experience and wisdom continue to be one of the most valuable assets I have in my position. To all those whose hearts, hands, heads and muscles have contributed in any way to the Guilds success this past season, please accept my sincere thanks ( Dependable people are ''community's, most valuable resource, and ultimately, thats what makes the Guild work so smoothly. It is really true that one person Exhibits Needed ty ty The Salina Sun 1983 are becoming more vulnerable, res- ulting in an overall strategic instability which can only be corrected by periodic modernization and replacement with more survivable weapons systems. furthermore, the Gam proposal calls for the United States to put particular emphasis on methods of e inspverification, including of in negotiatections, any pursuit ions in nuclear arms reductions. Any move by the U.S. on arms not end -control must start e with agreement on foolproof inspection. While I doubt that the Soviets will e ever agree to unlimited inspection, any discussion of other areas is meaningless without it. For forty years we were able to deter aggression against America for one reason. We had clear military superiority over all our adversaries. But now America has lost that margin of safety. Twenty years ago America was able to face down the Russians when we discovered they had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, because we had overwhelming military superiority over them. Today, due to two decades of defense cutbacks, the situation is reversed. Throughout the 1970s, the U.S. didnt deploy a single new ICBM e bomber or ballmissile, submarine. missile istic firing Meanwhile, the Soviets developed at least ten different varieties of four new ICBMs, built sixty new subs, turned over 250 modem Backfire bombers and placed over 300 theater nuclear missiles aimed at our European allies. As a result the Soviets now e in overall surpass us nuclear strength. And as the Soviets have surpassed us in military power, theyve gotten increasingly bold in realizing their expansionist aims. Theyve felt free to invade Afghanistan, crush freedom in Poland, wars throuignite Marxist-terroriW and foment Third the orld, ghout revolutions right under our noses in Central America and the Caribbean. S.J.' Resolution 74 provides a balanced program recognizing the need for modernization which brings us closer to achieving a more stable nuclear environment, a goal shared by all Americans. Sincerely, Lt. General Daniel O. Graham U.S. Army Retired ' President United States Defense Committee P.S. If you want further information, please call the U.S.D.C. office on-sit- - on-sit- on-sit- long-rang- two-to-on- st at (703) 281-551- 7. |