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Show page A4 Tuesday, January 21 1997 Davis County Clippei , in our opinion Word to legislators, dont hide, dont forget who we are Wnh a rap of the gaud. a prayer and a few speeches, the Utah Legislature was hack in session Monday, passing laws and resolutions which will affect ever) L'lahn for years to come. The state, its residents and their very lives are in the hands of the 29 senators and 75 representatives meeting for the next 45 days at the Capitol. How much money you have to spend, where you can spend it, where vou can drive, how many days your kids will go to school next vear, w here vou can take your gun and a host of other issues are up for gtahs this vear. The Legislators' decisions will affect ever)- aspect of every Utahns life. Its not a responsibility to be taken lightly by the either the Legislature or Utah residents. Theie are more than 7(X) bills and resolutions for the Legislature to ponder this year. Many are trivial, some are mundane, some are boring and a few are controversial. Transportation is probably the most important issue facing Utah. This Legislature, partially due to a lack of action by past Legislatures, is faced with the tough issue of deciding how to pay for needed construction on Utah's highways. Should there be a higher gas tax? Should the money come from sales tax? What about bonds? Who are the taxes going to affect and how? Another hot topic is the states concealed weapons law. Where should we be able to take our guns? To school? To work? To church? Should the state even decide the issue, or should it be left up to individual businesses and churches? What about townships? Do we need to start over? Should a township vote be decided by a simple majority or super majority? What takes priority, a township or an annexation? These are all important issues. Last year's Legislature acted at times as if they didn't recognize the importance of their role in our lives. They actually entertained a bill teuuiring Utah to secede from the Union if the national debt climbed ovei a certain level. At the very last minute, they shoved through a makeshift tow n.liip law' that has everyone in Utah guessing as to what 17 Whos firing American workers? Guess III. a ,s It I ant often asked how I decide the topic of this column. The answer is that I'm usually spurred by something I've read. Like the news report published Mi's' ..lpon.intly. they forgot who they work for and held a meeting discussing the public's business behind closed doors. Hopei ully. w ith so much on the line, this year will be different. Triv ial bills should get all the attention they deserve none. Issues as hot as concealed weapons and townships should be carefully debated, not crammed in at the last minute. Legislators must remember who they work for and conduct the publics business in public, with absolutely no exceptions. There is no issue too hot or too secret to be debated in public. Most of all. the legislators must keep in mind that every action they take will affect Utah residents in some way. The legislators responsibilities cannot be overstated, and must not be ignored. And the Legislature must not be ignored by residents. We routinely gripe and complain about what our lawmakers do, but how many of us have ever called our representative and let them know how we feel? How many of us have ever visited the Capitol and a legislative session? If we don't care about the issues, how can we expect our representatives to take them seriously? Tike the time to call. If you can. take the time to visit. But make your opinion lie.tid. loud and clear. When that last speech is made, when the last bill is past, and when that last gavel falls, Utah can and will be a better place if residents and lawmakers never forget the importance of the next 45 days. last week. It was only a small love die Well, doeslove the fresh air. n't everyone. the pristine woodlands and even I the sal terra-cott- In- v le.o e And h I bonds deserts. When I 'he great unknown. ied world behind. Ktde myself Irom the y at ion that repress iv to I ol s my tine nuiamed nature. Well, m some pseudo dreamlike world that's why I go. but in reali- carry more of my home with me than Steinbeck's farmers leav ty I 1 wild stag, need no one. These thoughts enliven me as pull into the campground that I share with 150 other campeis. Needling me in the bask ol my head, a quiet voice tells me that prisons are less 1 crowded, but, hey. I see a pine tree. So I scan the campsites for place that's absolutely level. After all. I may be in the mountains, that doesn't mean 1 but want to park on the side of one. Of course like any true woodsman, I will only eat what the land provides: smoores and Since I don't eat them at home, they must be true mountain food. Just like pancakes and sausage in hot-dog- s. the morning And is theic anything that feels so good on your skin as bug spray? There's nothing that can make me feel a part of the natural world as a can of aerosol spray and the smell of noxious vapors in my lungs. But I know that a true woodsman isn't content with RV's and groomed campsites. No, rugged cent of its garments in Los Angeles where it is based, down from 75 percent five months earlier. The chairman and of the company announced that his company "could save $1.50 to $2 per garment by sending fabric to be sewn in Mexico. Peru and I suppose the chairman of Guess? Inc. is congratulating himself for making a sound business graph story tucked away in a back page of my morning newspaper's business section. It was the type of story one could easily overlook. But to my mind it spoke much about a disturbing aspect of American culture. The story explained that next month Guess? Inc., the well-know- n clothing manufacturer, minimalism beckons. And the backpacking shop is just dow n the street. Trouble is. backpacking without technology is like high diving without water: a monster pain in the neck. Nowadays back packers wouldn't make it halfway up the trail if it wasn't for NASA. explore the nether regions of our land on foot quite often. You can find more applied technology in a back packers camp than you can find at MIT. You can also spend the summer in Europe for less money than it takes to buy all your gear. But of all the modem amenities we bring to the great outdoors, there is one article that crowns them all: toilet paper. Don't leave home without it. I know people would move the bulk of its manufacturing jobs out of the United States. According to the article. decision. He's probably awaiting congratulatory pats on the back by his board of directors and hes probably extended his membership in the Beverly Hills Country Club. But in my mind, this guy is a d walking example of American greed. This is not to bash foreign countries or their workers. I personally prefer to drive foreign automobiles since I'm convinced that they contain superior manufacturing. But in moving the labor out of the U. S., Guess? Inc. is not focusing on workmanship. It is simply trying to squeeze more short-sighte- profit out of an already overpriced label. Guess? is not the only culprit, of course. Iomega did the same thing to its manufacturing employees last month with its announcement that the jobs would be shipped to the Far East. How wonderful that Iomega will soon be welcomed into the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce! But leaving American workers in the lurch comes at a price. A country cannot exist solely on service industry employment. Our Utah-base- labor force d cannot contain 200,000,000 travel agents. Strong economies are created through manufacturing. A great patent enriches one individual, but a manufacturing or assembly plant helps thousands. As the $10-1- 5 per hour manufacturing job disappear, how will the average American worker afford Iomega's zip drives? How can laid-o- ff workers pay $45 for a piece of $3 cotton affixed with a fancy Guess label? American corporate encounters could take a lesson from the successful publisher and businessman Marshall Field. In reviewing the importance of profit to his company, he said, There is no happiness in mere dollars. After they are acquired, one can use but a very moderate amount. It is given a man to eat just so much, to wear so much, and to have so much shelter. More than that he cannot use. When money has supplied these needs, the mission of money is fulfilled and the man must look still further and higher." Field would never fit in at Iomega or Guess? Inc. Theyd probably find him too stuffy, too philosophical. ..and, horror of horrors, too much of a man. But we are not totally helpless. The next time you are in a department store and considering the purchase of a Guess? Inc. clothing items, remember that the company is saving a whole $1.50 by firing American workers. Yes, think about it. You might save even more than $ .50 by purchasing a different brand. 1 in Your Opinion 1 who would rather go without food, ing the dust bowl. Mostly as I'm tooling down the road in an exhaust belching RV, I wonder if I'm really experiencing the outdoors. or have I just transformed myself into an elaborate sanitation w orker? But don't let that detour me for the untamed land beckons. A solitary world where I. like the three-par- a the company will sew only 35 per- Chile." High tech wilderness I ascionE wCCU even air, than this saving grace of modern civilization. It really is the single greatest invention of the twentieth century. After all, what would you rather go without for three days, electricity or toilet paper? But if we love the rustic woodlands so much, why do we hate being dirty? Upon reentry into civilization the wilderness seems to become a filthy, disgusting, muck pool in the minds of those who've just been there. Like drug addicts we storm to the shower for a quick soap fix. In the end we don't live the wilderness lifestyle permanently because we hate it. Our ancestors did also, that's why they made all those nifty inventions to get out of it. So why do we pretend that we belong there? In reality our forays into the outdoors are like trying to swim in ice water, it might be invigorating, but its also agony. Maybe its due to the fact that in life if something tastes rotten, makes you tired or isn't fun it's probably good for you. If that's the case then the next time I go camping. I'll have none of that technological stuff. Just a gunny sack, a crust of bread and some old leather boots for me. I'll discover the outdoors like they were meant to be discovered. Just so long as I go with my friend with all his stuff from MIT. Sports pages forgot area softball season spring sports teams or MVP's. It is my opinion that recognition be fair, honest and free of politics. If some are recognized, all should be recognized. May the year 1997 bring us all to a higher level of awareness. Editor The article Best Team Performances for 1996" which appeared in the Clipper's January 3rd issue was interesting. Congratulations to all athletes who w orked so hard to achiev e such successes in 96! Some deserving high school teams such as swimming, hockey, softball, and perhaps others, however, were forgotten. In making this point I will refer specifically to the one sport with which I am most familiar. The 1996 softball season was a very successful one for south Davis County high schools. The Bountiful High softball team, working together, placed first in their region, and Viewmont High took a close sec- ond. Davis High also competed well. Viewmont gave a valiant effort in their playoff game against Bonneville for their chance to play in the State Tournament, but lost. Bountiful won their playoff game against Weber, resulting in a firsttime birth in the 5A State Tournament. In 4A competition. Woods Cross High placed in the upper half of a large and competi- tive region. They competed well in their playoff game against powerhouse Pleasant Grove. Looking forward, the 1997 season promises to be an exciting year for high school softball. Hopefully, the forgotten sports" will regain the recognition they so well deserve. Also, in looking back at all of the 1996 spring high school sports, many of the athletes who competed so well and with such dedication were sorely disappointed that there was no recognition for er Meredith L. Sorensen the D.I. but just haven't had the time to go. This way they would just have to put the things in their car when they go grocery shopping, and drop them off there. The cities would need people to come and empty the bins every once in a while, so they could hire some of the needy people to drive to these places. This would provide a little more needed money for the people. Thank you for your time and all the work that you do to inform the county about what is going on around them. Andrea Nelson Farmington Homelessness is growing problem Editor, am in Mrs. Hutcheson's Honors English class at Farmington Junior High and was asked to write a letter to you about a social issue. I have chosen to write to you about my opinion on unemployed and homeless people in our community. I believe that this is a growing problem. There are more and more people moving in and the costs of living are rising quickly. My family and I were involved in the Christmas party for the I homeless and needy at the Frodsham ranch. This was a great experience for me and many others that dont have this problem to face in life. I saw many little kids that are being raised in shelters without an education. Some of them came without coats, socks or long pants. The General Store" there was full of clothes and winter gear that was free to these people. You can see their eyes light up as they saw all of these clothes. I think that if people in our commu- nity have extra clothes, toys, or anything that they think someone else could enjoy laying around their homes, they should bring it to the shelters or the Deseret Industries. Another idea that I had was to gather money and have some bins made and put in grocery store parking lots where people could come and put all the extras laying around. I wonder how many people have wanted to contribute to shelters or I |