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Show i 0 2 November UTAH FARM BUREAU Sharing The Cost Of Government. i i' ' 1971 In recent weeks county Farm Bureaus have been holding meetings to recommend policy for consideration by the voting delegates at the Utah Counties also will make at Farm Bureau Convention November this same time policies that will guide the county Farm Bureau. About the need for policy to direct an organization, there can be no doubt. How an organization goes about getting that policy is significant. It will vary in relation to the type of organization that it is. An organization that is in operation for the purpose of making a profit wUl have policies that are profitable. That policy is developed and changed by the owners or the board of directors elected by the owners to decisions. These boards dont hold meetings of the members make to see what should be done on every occasion. Boards make the policy, the manager carries them out. If the manager fails to make a profit he is called on to give an accounting. If he continues the unprofitable course he loses. Companies cannot afford unprofitable experiences. Boards are elected to insure that profits occur. Board members who are contributing to the profitless position are generally unelected at the next election. What does this have to do with Farm Bureau? It serves as a comparison between profit and nonprofit organizations. Farm Bureau is a nonprofit organization. Nonprofit organizations usually get their direction and support from people who contribute financially to its growth and development. For it this purpose successful organizations hold annual meetings with their contributing members to insure that the intended purposes are being followed. Each year policy statements are prepared for all who are interested to read in advance. This action avoids criticism and gives purpose and direction to the organization. It is easy thereafter to determine if the president of such speaks for himself or for his organization. When he speaks for his organization he will conform to the policy outline. Farm Bureau leaders are sensitive to such ideas and therefore hold annual meetings as before mentioned to establish policy. Procedures are established to insure that every possible area of interest that may reasonably be expected to be an issue during the coming year is considered. County Farm Bureaus have always been the backbone and strength of the organization. Without counties, there would be no state Farm Bureau. Each county can be effective, or. not so, judged by the process used for developing policy. Some counties hold extensive meetings throughout the county so as to allow the most indepth and broadest discussion of issues possible. Every member is invited to express himself. Old ideas are replaced with new ones. Some counties do a better job than others of getting a valid expression of issues that represent the majority of members. Others for various reasons are not as successful. Larger counties have a larger choice of people who are willing to give assistance. A greater number of commodity interests are represented in some counties. More interests mean more people must contribute. Except in cases of rare leadership ability it is often dificult to get busy people to leave a farm or business operation for a meeting unless he sees a pressing need. For example, if half of the 80 acres of grain is about watered and the canal goes dry, a meeting to discuss getting the water in the canal again would be very attractive, (hi the other hand if it was reported that in six weeks the water would be turned out and one more week will finish the season the need for a meeting just isnt quite as important. County presidents have a great responsibility and most often an unappreciated job. Yet civic responsibility, the challenge to do something about industry improvement, the desire to help other people with similar interests solve problems, or whatever, still motivates men and women to lead the way. For over fifty years Utah agriculture has been served well by the efforts of volunteer leaders. The future will be enjoyed and economically rewarding for farm and ranch people only as long as men and women are willing to take time to work together to bring about progress. The theme for the 1971 Utah Farm Bureau convention is an appropriate one, The Future of the American Farm. With all of the forces that seem to reduce the importance of agriculture in our society, it is still the hope of the future. Even though the numbers are few the significance of agriculture has a greater relationship to American economic success and prosperity than most realize. Can we afford the chance that failure to solve farm problems together would bring about a reversion to agriculture as it is in other countries? If another country must be selected to supply this nation with food and give assistance to the rest of the world to increase the supply of food in the warld-whi- ch country would you have it be? 16-1- 9. It is the time of the year that every property owner has to make his tax payments or lose his property. That may sound harsh but that is exactly the way it is. After November 30th taxes become delinquent and subject to recovery by the government by means of a "Sheriffs sale". Notices of such wiil appear in the papers as the taxes on property remain unpaid. One of the major functions of government in earlier times was to insure that every person got an education. Thus public schools came into being. Public schools became a major purpose for spending funds and equitable tax rules were sought. Taxes on property formed the basis for financial aid. Most everyone owned property-mo- st people farmed since such was the only source of food in those days. Thus it was felt that property taxes were equitable and fair for all. As time passed property ownership changed. Today only 5 percent of the nations people remain to farm the land that supplies the nation with food. The land has not been increased in size. Factories, cities, highways and the like have been added however and increased the value of the land. Ownership has changed until today fewer people own property. The cost of schools and similar functions falls to larger extent on those people who own property connection with their occupation. A new look was necessary to see if better tax laws could spread the cost of government more equitably. Attempts have been made to tax others for schools and other government services. In fact so many taxes have been established that it is almost humanly impossible to assess the total tax a person pays. Even "hidden" taxes are collected. Occassionally it is significant that the tax payer review his records and see just how much government costs. Making tax payments by withholding from monthly paychecks makes taxes almost painless, especially when a refund is due at the end of the year. When such is due the recipient appears to appreciate the "gift" from government. When a tally is made it will be found as reported in the Buckeye Farm News that it cost about $3 per day per capita during 1971 to support all levels of government. Taxpayers should bear in mind that a large deficite is left each year unpaid in spite of the large amount paid. Local governments have increased expenditures 2Vi times in ten years while the federal government has only doubled. At the turn of the century federal, state and local governments averaged a take of $17 per each American. Now it amounts to $1,175. The real increases came after 1940, when per capita costs were at $96. By 1950 the average had increased to $337 and to $628 by 1960. In 1940 only $2 billion were realized from income taxes. The fiscal year that ended in 1970 collected $48 billion and the nation will experience a 16 percent increase this year when an estimated $56 billion will be collected. In spite of all the cost there seems to be no end to the growth. It is said by most politicians that the public "demands" the increased services and it is felt to be the job of elected officials to "provide." Thus it is that local and state governments look to new and broader means to increase income. Municipalities are looking at the nonproperty sources, sales tax, income tax and others to finance the local expansions. In many cases local governments have expanded well beyond their ability to pay. It would appear that Salt Lake City has done just this. Each session of the Utah Legislature their is a demand upon the legislators to do "something" for the city. When the tax burden is considered in perspective and it is realized that it takes the average working man until about May of each year to pay his obligations to government and he can only work for himself thereafter, a change in policy might well be in order. A family must live within the budget or face bankruptcy. As evidenced this-th- us by many such cases it appears that many have failed to do failure is in store. Is there any reason that government shouldn't be expected to live within its budget? Aren't elected public officials so charged to manage the public funds successfully and avoid failure. Bankruptcy is economic failure. For the honest citizens, who try to balance budgets, is it too much to ask that those who are entrusted with money belonging to the public do likewise? NDS m . -- non-prof- UTAH BVRM BUreAU(mNE Published each month by the Utah Farm Bureau Federation at ak Lake City, Utah. Editorial and Business Office, 629 East Fourth South, Salt Lake cents per year to memCity, Utah, 84102. Subscription price of twenty-fiv-e bers Is included in membership fee. Second Class postage paid at Salt Lake City, Utah UTAH FARM BUREAU FEDERATION Elmo W. Hamilton, Riverton S. Joy Child, Clearfield V. Allen Olsen Neil O. Sumsion DIRECTORS: A. Alton OFFICIALS . . . . President Vice President Executive ; Secretory Editor Hoffman, Smithfiald; William Holmes, Ogden; Jack Brown, Grantsville; Edward Boyer, Spring ville, Kenneth Brasher, Huntington; Jerold Johnson, Aurora; Arlond Hawkins; Hurricane; Mrs. Willis Whilbeck, Berinior Stuort Johnson, Aurora. |