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Show ENTERPRISE! 9 PRAGMATIC DOGMATICS The State Insurance Fund boondoggle by Kent Shearer i Few, if any, Utahns would endorse legislation to distribute each year over $100,000 in tax funds to insurance agents designated by the governors henchmen if those agents had done nothing to earn the money. Many, therefore, will be shocked to learn that, in effect, that situation now obtains. 5 In a fine piece of investigative journalism, Deseret News reporters Dale Van Atta and LaVarr Webb have uncovered and documented Last year, 127 insurance the boondoggle. I i 1 agents received from the State approximately $110,000 in unearned money. Not surprisingly, the most generous donations went to agents who contributed to the governors Democratic party. Now this system is, as the News noted, outmoded at best. Undoubtedly it should be (but dont bet on it) cancelled by this January's legislative budget session. A review of its $ I j ii 1 history may, however, enlighten as to how this particular arrangement came to be. The State owns a number of structures and, obviously, needs to insure against loss by fire or other casualty. Until 1961, that insurance was secured through agents who were political friends of whomever happened to be governor. In that any governor has (or thinks he has) oodles of agent supporters, there tended to be a multiplicity of policies purchased. The inevitable consequence, in fact experienced. of numerous small policies was duplication and waste. In 1961 , among other reforms instituted by the GOP Clyde Administration, insurance procurement was centralized. Thenceforth, it was obtained by many fewer agents, eventually a single one. But what of the Republican agents whose policies were terminated? Wouldnt they, in retribution, cause political trouble? Not so! Ingeniously, the Clyde troops ordered that h of the the agent of record keep only s to policy commission with the other go not to the State treasury but rather to one-fift- four-fifth- those agents who had been severed. The result was that, while greater efficiency was achieved, it was done at the cost of the creation of a political grab-ba- g. Calvin L. Rampton succcdcd Governor Clyde. With the insurance as with other boondoggles he inherited, Rampton did not halt the practice. Instead, he converted it to his own use. The freebies continued, although they then went primarily to Democrats in lieu of Republicans. Scott Matheson, the current Democrat in the Capitol, for eleven months demonstrated no more susceptibility to ending the grab-bathan did Rampton. That may change in the wake of the News revelation. Because both parties share the blame for the creation and continuation of this indefensible squandering of tax money, one would hope that legislators of those parties would join to bring it to a halt. But, as before cautioned, dont wager on the prospect. Utahns would prefer to talk about reform than to vote for it, or so it sometimes seems. In January, kick-back- 1965, s, g j 1 j j V 3 i ; J t I f 4 J ' P4T- - f IlfVJMMM. VAJftCMr ,TT 1 I ' 1 ii c j J Ti t z I- i k .c i s i 5 CL CC LU r V t V fN O O Showdown at the Bar-- X (Part I) by Parker M. Nielson The victims of the two armed robberies, nine burglaries in (one involving over $3,000 in guns which might be used further crimes), three thefts and two assaults reported to Salt Lake City Police on Oct. 10,1977 may feel they did not get the attention they deserved. If so, it may be because the police had more important things to do. A substantial number of them were at the Bar-- taking a suspect into custody for the heinous crime of spitting on the street. Steven Strasser, enroute from a workout at the YMCA, was riding his bike to an anticipated evening of viewing Monday Bar-for his customary Night Football. He stopped by the Seven minutes later he returned to the street cool one. where his bike was parked and found, to his dismay, it was who said it was not being impounded by Officer Warner, properly registered. Officer Warner and Strasser are well known to one another because of what Warner characterized as prior difficulties. had to do with his (Strasser explained that the difficulties offering constructive criticism over previous incidents). Strasser produced his drivers license and, in his own Warner might issue special way with words, opined that Officer a citation in lieu of impound. Warner declined and saw that the bike was removed to the impound lot where Strasser was no citation or required to pay a fee to retrieve it. Interestingly, formal charge of improper registration was ever lodged. As Strasser approached Officer Warners patrol car, and X X i before a single word was exchanged between them, Warner Other patrol cars either four or radioed for a backup. five quickly arrived, a virtual division of the police force was now on the scene. There was no claim that Strasser threatened anyone, and Officer Warner (who testified to this version of the facts) affirmed that he was never fearful of Strasser. Why so many cops were needed remains a mystery. Officer Warner has never claimed that Strasser interferred with his work as a nolice officer, or offered to do so. It may be assumed that Strasser was not altogether diplomatic in the way he expressed his view of the incident and Warner claims that he mouthed four letter expletives (three, to be exact) expressing his dismay at being deprived of his mode of transportation. At that Strasser found himself rudely spread eagle against the patrol car, handcuffed, and transported to the jail where he was booked for spitting in public. 7 does make it unlawful to spit or City ordinance throw cigar butts on the floor of any street railway car or other public conveyance, or public building, or upon any paved but Strasser denies that a street sidewalk or paved crosswalk railway car was even in sight. He concedes, however, that he may have expectorated in the gutter for the incident left a foul taste in his mouth. (No one claimed that this act was directed to the police officer. Another officer who was present could not recall the incident at all). The annual FBI report on major crime in America is bound to include a new category this year. Along with the thousands of murders, rapes, burglaries and white collar crimes, there it will be recorded: ' spitting 1 . ' 32-1-2- |