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Show page A4 Tuesday, December 31, 1 996 Davis County Clipper in our Opinion Reporters look to 1997, list stories theyd like to write It's New Year. It's time to reflect on the passing year and look forward to the future w ith anticipation. Here in the newsroom ue'xe compiled a list of the stories we'd most like to write during 1997. These are stories we believe would make all of our lives just a little brighter and just a little better. We hope you agree. If you have a story you'd like to see in 1997, wed love to hear from you. Utah driv ers learn the meaning of courtesy on the road. UTA spends its light rail funds on a new homeless shelter UDOT finds a solution to the nightmare we all face with the construction The school board has no new boundaries and no new bus routes There were no new gang related crimes reported in 1997 Teens are applauded for their generosity and selflessness All animal shelters are closed dow n as there were no stray animals found Callers dial a number at a business and the call is answered by a live person Parents teach children what they should or should not watch on telev ision instead of waiting for the government to do it. Salt Lake County Commissioners and attorney learn to play nice Fire districts and departments hire enough firefighters to do the job safely Foil Union wins its battle to become part of Midvale Congress passes freshman Congressman Cook's bill to eliminate tax on food Child, spouse and elderly abuse statistics tumble A common sense gene is discovered and transplanted in everyone Credit card debt plummets due to common sense gene Those good, old days werent that great I find irony in the fact that only five days before the future (the new year) I heard several people grumble about the present. It was an old status. But, in fact, we've come a long way, baby and the past isn't all its cracked up to be. A few exam- ples: Its common to hear folks fondly remember their early vehicles by transplants The Utes win an NCAA title The Ja win the NBA title BYU's football team gets the Alliance Bowl bid it deserves An honest politician is elected in Washington hidden-agend- a All politicians resign from office (you know who you are) One full week where the weather forecast is accurate A cure for cancer is found at the new Huntsman Cancer Clinic, (or anywhere else) Newspaper editor wins Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes All journalists get a raise (Sorry, but this Homeless shelters are boarded up, there is our list) is no need for ser-- v ices Dozens of new churches are built to accommodate .over- flow crowds Clinton signs into law a Hat tax bill Scientists find a way to remove calories from chocolate and all pastries The last smoker joins a support group and is cured All remaining tobacco products are burned on the White House lawn in celebration of the liberation of American smokers There were no acts of terrorism reported in 1997 There were no hostages taken in 1997 Scientists discover a cure for Alheimer's Disease No weather related deaths are reported And the last story we'd like to write for 1997 would have this headline: Extra, Extra, People All Over World Kept New Years refrain: things were sure a whole lot better in previous decades. A woman told me I should write a column about the horrible service" at department stores. ("Everything is so impersonal nowadays, not like in the past.)... A store owner mentioned that it was difficult" for him selling his product since "it isn't nearly as good as it used to be... .A somewhat elderly woman complained that Christmas wasn't as satisfying, adding but then nothing else is either." I suppose it's only human nature to erase the bad portions of the past and elevate the nice times to classic saying, Boy, they dont make cars and trucks like they used to. The statistics tell a much different story. Research shows that today's vehicles are vastly more fuel efficient and safer than their counterparts manufactured in the good old days" and, on average, todays vehicle will last more than twice as long as one built in the 1950's and 1960's. One also hears people claim that it's harder today to make a living. Again, its not true. In 1950, for instance, the average non-far- monthly wage in Utah was $236 which, adjusted for inflation, equates to $1,491 per month today. In comparison, today's average wage in Utah is $1,936, almost $450 more than the inflation-adjusted pay of the good old non-far- days. Yes, people earn more today and in most cases, thanks to the dreaded labor unions and government regulation, working condi Its a conspiracy. I finally figured it out. The makers of junk food them. One manufacturer has finally had the nerve to call its product ridiculously large. Its The Beast! That candy bar is bigger than the large Hershey bars you used to think would feed a family. Not anymore. The Beast is unabashedly offered for just one person. No mention of family or friends is seen on the wrapper. No! This baby is all for you. quickly scanned the package to see if by chance the manufacturer was or the same as the manufacturer of the new diet But the proof sensation Phen-fewasn't there. But my theory has to be true. How else can we explain the Big Gulp, the Super Gulp or the Double Big Gulp? Do any of you remember 1 Published semi weekly by Slipper ADMINISTRATION R Gail Stable Clipper Publishing Co., Inc. 1370 South 500 West Bountiful, Utah P.O. Box 267 84011-026- Publisher EDITORIAL A friend of mine complains that nothing good musically has come out since the 1960's. I strongly disagree. My very favorite album the g Grammy Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris was released only two years ago, and acts like REM, Counting Crows, Award-winnin- Tori Amos and Chris Isaak are churning out the most inventive and soulful music in 25 years. The same goes for other forms of entertainment. Film technology is immensely superior to that of Hollywood's Golden Age, and can anyone keep a straight face and deny that Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks or Meryl Streep have less acting talent than the matinee idols of the 1940s and 950's. Can any1 one honestly believe that Lucille Ball was more comedic than Robin Williams? Granted, entertainment is more edgy" than in the past, but I find Home Improvement, Ellen and Frazier as witty as I did The Honeymooners, All In the Family or The Mary Tyler Moore Show. One can bemoan the loss of the doctor's house calls, but medicine is another area where the present is immeasurably improved. Eye surgery that used to entail week-lon- g discomfort and an extended and hospital stay is now pain-fre- e outpatient completed on a one-hobasis. On a grander scale, cancer survival rates continue to improve steadily. Between 1960 and 1991, survival rates of all the five-yea- r white cancer victims rose from less than 40 percent to nearly 60 percents. The survival rate is especially high for cancers of the breast (84 percent), prostate (87 percent), urinary bladder (82 percent), thyroid (95 percent) and Hodgkins Disease (81 percent) and the survival rate for leukemia has nearly tripled in 30 years. The list could go on and on, from computers to window glass to crop yields. One shouldnt forget the past but it's not healthy to bask in it and refuse to enter the comforts of the future. And on that note, welcome to 1997. Junk food , diet pills made by same mfg. Resolutions! It could happen. Happy New Year! I tions have improved. Not a day goes by that I don't hear someone complain about the state of the entertainment industry. and diet pills are in cahoots. Theres no other way to explain what I just saw in the grocery store. There on the shelf in the candy aisle it loomed bigger than life. The Beast! Butterfmger is going its competition one better. No more bigger. improved. or just giant sized for Nutri-Syste- n. when a family bought a quart of pop and served it to the family for dinner? Not a quart for each person. A quart for the entire family! When did we all get so thirsty? Have our kidneys grown? No wonder we all feel so pressed for time. We're spending several more hours a day in the bathroom. Why is it that we all now need our own quart, or in the case of the Double Big Gulp, or own half gallon of pop? We might as well just hook a pail on a cart behind us and keep a straw in our mouths at all times. What would they call it? The marketing geniuses are running out of superlatives. Maybe we could call it by its function. The Kidney Buster, has a nice ring to it. And while were at it, why dont we rename some of the other foods d with monikers and tell it feel-goo- like it is? The buffet might be a good place to start. And the gulp is too nice a name. The Swill might work, or the Guzzle. Follow that with new names for large candy bars. Why not the Glutton for one and the Engorge for another? I'd continue but I have to go to lunch now and have one of those fast-foo- d restaurant super deals. You know, the one where for just two dollars more you get a triple burger, five pounds of French fries and a gallon of pop. Then tonight I can walk 25 miles before dinner to take off those calories. What a deal! In Your Opinion Resident has Hope for parents of kids on drugs Editor, in Davis County, there are many, many and think that there is no help in sight. Today Subscription bate: 50C per copy $25 00 per year Mailed $35 00 per year on Publication No (USPS published Tuesday and Friday except the wepk of Christmas and New Years at Bountiful, Utah. Periodical postage paid at Bountiful, Utah Address all correspondence to P. ISSN. 1061-122- O Box 267, Bountiful, Utah 8401 149-180- ) semi-weekl- people that are suffering They are suffering because they are the mothers, dads, brothers and sisters, husbands, wives, children and loved ones of people addicted to drugs and alcohol. Along with the addict, we all suffer and are ourselves sick also. We, as well as the addicts, need help and answers. Could we have done something a better way? we all ask ourselves. If I had done this, or that, or I should have done more of this, would they still be an addict? We have suffered for five years with our beautiful daughter, a top student, drill team member, great athlete at a local high school. It has been five years of hell that no family can conceive if they haven't been there. Trust us, no family in happy valley is immune from this happening to you. We recently had the great fortune to come across a place with the answers and the training which is free of charge. No, it is not a church or a cult or anything like that. It is just a great class taught every Saturday night at Davis Place in Clearfield at 836 South, State Street at 6:00 p.m. by a wonderful teacher named Karen. If you have had enough pain and are ready for some education and relief, please just walk in and sit down. You will be most welcome and treated great. Please, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even here in Davis County. Trust me, the pain will only grow and never go away without this. You owe it to yourselves to do this. Those seeking help call 296-551- 1. Name withheld dog-not-go- ne problem Editor. I have a concern about the residential pet control responsibility in my neighborhood. I build a home in what I consider a up scale area of Centerville (north east bench) and moved here from Ogden three and a half-yeaago. We love the area and the people are good people in general. I take pride in our yard as the majority of my neighbors do. There is, however, a problem with the responsibility of dog owners woefully lacking. My yard is not the field next door or an enormous fire hydrant. To keep these dogs from using my yard as a community rest stop I have spent over $100 in the past year on all kinds of repellents which has a very short effective life because of the need for normal watering and weather. I have politely talked to my neighbors about their pets and they are very apologetic. They try to explain Little muffey is such a good pet and has to go and occasionally sneaks out without their supervision. I have tried to be the good neighbor and as you can see have done my part without calling animal control with formal complains. I do not feel it is my responsibly to barricades my entire yard including my curb and drivemess I object to, but at times I way from this abuse. It is not only the have had up to 15 bum stops the size of cup saucers in my front yard alone that last for several months. I still want to be a good neighbors but I've had it. Would you please publish this andor make some sort of appeal to all the citizens to take some responsibility for their pets and become a little better neighbors themselves. rs Wayne Donoviel Centerville i |