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Show Page Utah Farm Bureau News 2 WHY NOT PUNISH CRIMINALS? Someone is going to ask one of these days why criminals are not punished? It has always been assumed that they should be. And maybe the public still thinks they are. But consider the punishment in relation to the crime! Prison terms don't rehabilitate criminals the public is told, it only "hardens" them. The whole prison systems need reform. Punishment doesn't detere a would-b- e criminal. In the case of air piracy, each incident inspires another to improve the technique and hijacking continues. Recently a comparison was made of the punishment associated with murder and other serious crimes in California now that the high courts there have ruled that the death penalty is "severe and unusual" punishment. The contention is that several offenses may receive life sentences for punishment, including murder. Reportedly life termers are generally eligible for parole in seven years. This being the case, the death penalty having been done away with, is there any reason why a criminal, making his get away would not purposely kill any witnesses to make good his escape? His getaway chances are improved, but the sentence remains the same should he be apprehended. It has been said how terrible the conditions are in prisons and how poorly prisoners are treated. Prisoner rights have been neglected. They should have more freedom, more opportunity for rehabilitation. The wire fences should be taken down - let families visit more freely. Just last week one prisoner was allowed to go home for a weekend visit. Later he was apprehended in Kansas City. -- With respect to the criminal there has been a great out-cr- y that punishment doesn't help. The principle is bad. Every person's rights are to be protected (especially the accused). Having been convinced that severe methods are not appropriate for criminals, and legislative action should seek "more Meaningful" approaches, consider what kind of treatment average citizens receive. The average citizens pay taxes to do what the Constitution allows, "justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity . . ." Reassessment Act Implemented In connection with the new assessed valuations that will be in effect this year in some counties, it will be important for county leaders to become familiar with the law. When the Farm Land Assessment Act was made law the Reassessment Act was implemented with funds that required property to be reassessed every five years. Counties that will be affected this year include Daggett, Duchesne, Garfield, Kane, Rich, Summit, Wasatch, Wayne and Morgan. The Legislature recognized that some counties have not updated the assessments for many years. A law was therefore passed that simply means that the mill levies for the county, local, schools will have to be reduced accordingly or taxes will be increased excessively and will not conform to the provisions of the law and taxpayers will be paying more than necessary to run these units of government. Such tax increases could cause a burden to the property owners. Counties affected should pay particular attention and attend meetings where levies are set. Contact should be made to insure meetings are not overlooked by failure to meet the meeting time. The reassessing of property in many counties will make school recognized significant this year. Plans should be made to attend and be familiar with the budgets and the necessary changes to conform to the new provisions of the law allowing levies to be reduced. The following is a list of School districts meeting in June: Alpine, June 19, 8:30 a.m.; Cache, June 6 evening; Carbon, 6th, eve: Grand, 26 evening; Granite, 20th 8:00 p.m.; Jordan 27, 7:00 p.m.; Millard, 28th, 10:00 a.m.; Nebo, 27th, evening; Piute, 8th, 8:00 p.m.; Tooele, 13th 8:00 p.m.; Wasatch, 14th, 8:00 p.m.; Weber, 7lh, 5:00 p.m.; Murray, 14th, 7:30 p.m.; Ogden, 26th, eve; Provo 13th, 7:30 p.m.; SLC June date un- assessed that valuations might even double in some areas and would therefore double the tax burden. To prevent this, county, city, town, and special purpose districts excluding state, anticipated tax yield from tax levy shall not exceed 106 percent of the property tax revenues of the taxing district for the previous fiscal year for operating and maintenance purposes. School districts come under a little different arrangement but, briefly stated, the annual increase after the new assessments go into effect will rally be able to increase expected revenue by 25 percent of the difference between what the old levy would bring and the new. A similar procedure is followed until after four years the levy will be returned to the former level. This THE FARM BUREAU board meetings particularly decided. These are the approximate dates and should be verified locally to insure meeting can be attended. Md POLITICS ATFD agents of the Internal Revenue Service use force and scare tactics to take guns out of the hands of citizens' control! Severe penalties have been imposed for supposed violatons developed by "setup" situations by ATFD agents. The importance of reporting income for tax purposes on time and accurately has been greatly emphasized lately. Reports in the news media suggest as many as 95 percent of the returns prepared for customers have been fraudulently or incompletely filed. Fines, prison terms, penalties is the byword for income tax "evasion". What is the chance that an honest citizen can defend himself against an accusation that his return is in error. Who is it that has to prove his innocence. In what "court" does a taxpayer plea for justice? Who pays the expenses for accounting, for defense, for business interuption, for public and customer distrust from I RS investigations? How many people file tax returns simply because fear of being caught predominates? How many file returns because of loyalty and support for government activities? quietly passed recently and instructions that followed "ordered every check you write to be photographed and held for the government in microfilm", according to a San Francisco paper. The IRS has requested cooperation from people commercially preparing tax returns by furnishing IRS with names addresses, social security numbers of all clients, or making available to I RS agents the records of clients. A. law, Credibility is the word that comes to mind, or is it "incredible"? Can citizens have their "castles" broken into and contents removed without proper warrents, police in "disguise" to insure success of the "invassion" in private lives? The question now before the nation and the people is when is punishment of criminals going to return to its rightful place in the process of law and order? UTAH FARM BUREAUlTttNEWS Published each month by the Utah Farm Bureau Federation at 5 alt Lake EditorUl Ind Business Office, 629 Esst Fourth South, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84102. Subscription price of twenty-fiv- e cents per year to members is included in membership fee. Second Class postage paid at Salt Lake City, Utah UTAH FARM BUREAU FEDERATION Elmo W. Hamilton, Riverton S. Jay Child, Clearfield . . V. Allen Olson Neil O. Sumsion G re rftsv il leRSF Aurwe Ar'inn d Ogden' . illf- . . President . . . Vice President Executive Secretory Editor S"tMield; William Holmes, Ogden; Jack Brown, sr' Spr.,n9v,l,e' Kenneth Brasher. Huntington; Jerold Johnson, Mrs. Willis Whitbeck, Bennion, Stanley Jackson, ' HoH.ma.n' V - OFFICIALS ' |