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Show The Paper Thai Dares To Take A Stand August 26, 1976 The Utah Independent Page 3 BALLOT METROPOLITAN AREA PROBLEMS TITLES By Thomas O. Breitling The first thing I want to do this week is to correct an error in my August 19 article. I made the error. It was not made by the typesetter. I said that Senate Bill a. 84" became UCA It was not SB 84. The correct number was - 17-35- SB 184. CRY FOR CONSOLIDATION The constant cry for consolidation of Salt Lake Gty and County governments or Moab Gty and Grand County governments is supposedly related to metropolitan area problems. Those who advocate metropolitan or Metro government define the metropolitan area problem as a series of annoying inconveniences and dissatisfactions, which may include high taxes, inadequate streets and highways, crowded schools, impersonal government, poor police and fire protection, juvenile delinquency, and many more." (Utah Foundation: State and Local Government in Utah ) The Utah Foundation ah"' says, In addition to these complaints of the public, persons close to government point to other aspects of the problem, such as overlapping and duplication of effort, lack of unified governmental control, and gross inequities in the distribution of the tax burden for government services. PROBLEMS WITH METRO ADVOCATES SOLUTIONS It is perfectly legitimate that a divergent analysis of metropolitan area problems from that offered by Metro advocates should be provided. That is, our viewpoint remains that Metro advocate solutions create problems. METRO VIEWPOINT The Metro viewpoint can be summarized in a single phrase; unified, areawide, monopolistic control. The viewpoint is exec-plifiby the Metro desire for statewide equalized taxes, common services to all parts of an area, whether needed or desired or not, consolidation of governments in even such low population areas as Grand County with Moab, and the General Power.Grant. The General Power Grant, which is common to all Metro charters, says essentially that the power of the city or county or consolidated city county government is not limited to the powers enumerated in the charter. Thus, it attempts to destroy the reserved ed powers of the people. Thomas O. Breitling not like to let any of its taxable By units escape. In addition, under Metro, the governing entity actively seeks more duties to carry out. Such duties are not concerned with protective governmental functions, but with providing services. Continued from page 1 beginning with the fiscal year 1977-197- 8 with a corresponding that the receipt of federal revenues be completely phased out by the fiscal year 1982- 83, and 2. To provide that any budget surpluses be applied to the retirement of state indebtedness and thereafter a tax reduction schedule be adopted. Every election the politicians promise us economy in government. Every year they run wild with their spending schemes and proceed to raise taxes here and there to the point where the tax take in the US today on all levels has reached 43. The state executives wont hold down the budget, and the legislature proceeds to spend your money for you with something for everyone in each of their budgets. The only way to stop the drain on your finances is for the people to speak out and vote YES on this act. ON COURSEi HOORAY FOR BISCHOFF Captain Joe H. Ferguson All of the facts and details of the incident in this article are not known to the author. And most of those facts presented herein came second hand from a television report to my wife to me. Consequently, there is certainly room for some error. Nevertheless, the story is interesting enough to relate even with the risk of some innocent mis- takes. At the Republican National Convention in Kansas City, there arose a ruckus. Well, there might have-beelots of ruckuses, but this one was of particularinterest. It seems that a Reagan supporter was parading a Reagan sign past the New York delegation. One delegate from New York, obviously devoid of manners and a sense of decency, grabbed the Reagan sign from the delegate. The New Yorker refused to return it, threw it on the floor and stomped on it. At that point, the leader of the Utah delegation, state Senator Douglas Bischoff, came to attempt to retrieve the sign. The New Yorker refused to comply with common rules of decency. Senator Bischoff, as the story goes, then ripped the telephone out of the wall that was being used by the New York delegation, leaving them completely n POLITICAL PROBLEMS In Salt Lake County as now constituted there are nine and the county municipalities government. This is as it should be. As President Ezra Taft Benson said in an article in The Utah Independent on July 15, The smaller the governmental unit and C. THE UTAH RECALL the closer it is to the people, the AND ADVISORY RECALL easier it is to guide it, to correct it, ACT. to keep it solvent, and to keep our Should a law be adopted, the without communications. freedom. purpose of which shall be: If some person or group Oh yes the name of the New Yorker was Nelson A. 1. To authorize the recall of wished to have total control of Salt nt of the United States, and Rockefeller, the any public officer whether elected Lake County politics that group or ultra-liberal the darling of the appointed, for any reason whatwing of the Republican would have to provide election soever, including political reasons, party. The only thing I can say, Nelson, is that you are funds for 61 people. Total expenelecdad-burnthe the of voters registered by lucky that Doug Bischoff didn't make you eat diture to try to insure election of toral district from which said ofthat Reagan sign wooden stake and all. this many people in the county ficer is elected or appointed, and would cost $200,000 in election 2. To authorize a special fund donations. tion to replace any officer as a However, if consolidation oc- result of a recall petition signed by Continued from page 2 curs and the single executive form registered voters of at least 10 for of government is adopted, a total state officers, 12 for county ofThe author wants to, bring about a new economic of $20,000 would provide a ma- ficers, and 15 for local officers. order based on fair shares for all, and redistribute wealth jority of the funds needed to elect on a practical, equitable basis. The author obviously All public officers should be that individual, and control of the is recommending socialism or communism. - These sysentire county would lie in the hands responsible for their actions while tems have been tried for nearly sixty years but have of that one person and those who they are in office. always resulted in scarcity, a low standard of living, The Recall Act holds them accontrol him. black marketing, unhappiness, and what amounts to countable for their actions as they slavery. Who wants that system for America? serve the people. This is sorely FINANCIAL PROBLEMS ANSWER: Stop paying the lions share of the cost If consolidation of Salt Lake needed in this state. Vote YES. of the United Nations, withdraw from that organization County City occurs and a Metro and expel it from the United States. charter is adopted the county city It may be hard for a rich will become a first class city and man to enter the Kingdom Economics Department will be able to incur three times the of Heaven, but its easy for NORTHWOOD INSTITUTE bonded indebtedness now allowed him to get on the board of for a county by the Utah trustees of his church. Constitution. Not only that, but the multimillion dollar properties I of Kennecott, now in the county, If he Pity the cop. woyld also be evaluated in shoots first, hes a brute or a Utahs Largest and Fastest-Growin- g Subscription Weekly determining the total maximum coward; if he doesnt hes a allowable bonded debt. And bond Salt Lake Gty . Utah 84115 57 Oil k land Avenue dumb cluck or a corpse. -- Free Press, Detroit. selling is a part of the Metro game. from take tax the By increasing I residents government decreases the proper organization of the 25C each I their freedom of choice on how county suggests that all urban, th-athey will spend their own money. unincorporated areas should be in2 12 for $2.75 ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS corporated into new towns or cities or annexed to existing towns or The first suggested alternative 12 for $1.00 cities. 4. is to amend or repeal UCA 25 for $5.00 Doing this would accomplish To amend or repeal 4 cannot be justified by an appeal that the following: 1 . Reduce numbers of county double taxation is morally right. 50 for $9.00 Subscriptions: staff is government required; However, it justified by the fact USA $10.00 per year 2. Reduce need for as much that this law has forced county of100 for $17.50 Foreign $15.00 per year ficials to form county service dis- county government income; 3. Provide broader revenue tricts or charge direct service in unin- base for incorporated areas; charges to people 4. Focus county government corporated areas of the county for street lighting, planning and on overall county functions; 5. It would have Sait Lake zoning, and garbage collection. Without requiring any proof what- County organized in a soever that double taxation ac- Constitutional and logical manner; Name 1 (Last) (M'ddie) (First) tually exists, this law has allowed and 6. It would eliminate the point the Utah Supreme Court to order Address of contention about double (Number And Street) the County to do what UCA 4 taxation, which is always used as supposedly only permits. the focal point by those advocating (Zip Code) 4 However, even if UCA (Slew (City) consolidation. cannot be amended or repealed, ever-increasi- ng vice-preside- ed MARXIST PROPAGANDA . l The l . mm Independent Assorted copies older n months ANOTHER PROBLEM Another practical problem with Metro is its central government concept. As things are now, for example, a person living in Riverton, Utah who does not like the town government or its taxes, may move into an unincorporated area, or if he and others bouny live near the the out of dary they can petition town. Under Metro, unless you left the county, this would be imThe entire county is possible. under a central government, and this is necessary, because under Metro many capital improvements bonarc done through long-tern locks-ihigh fixed ding, which Metro does costs of government. town-count- m 17-3- 17-3- I i The UTAH INDEPENDENT 17-3- 17-3- |