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V :’: Sr’-:-- 'a- -': - f: - - f J ' S V f y iAA ’'4 The Herald journal Regional view M4 cheats Too many not enough enforcing chiselers love to portray tax collectors as thugs But according to a recent audit Utah's tax collectors are more like a bunch of Birkenstock-clapacifists And that’s not good The audit showed that the Utah Tax Commission has allowed $38 million in sales and income taxes to slip through its fingers over the past six years Businesses raked in the sales taxes from customers or withheld die income taxes from employees’ earnings But instead of turning those funds over to the state the businesses used them for their own purposes That’s theft The Tax Commission’s Division of Taxpayer Services slapped tax liens on about 13500 offending companies but according to the auditor the tax collectors were not nearly aggressive enough Tax Cheats or bankrupt businesses got off too easily and the rest of the state’s taxpayers — the honest ones — were left holding the bag Utah legislators should not be amused They have struggled during the economic recession to cut state spending by hundreds of millions of dollars because of declining revenues Even a few more million dol- - ' lars in income each year Would have been appreciated by children in crowded schools poor people who lack health insurance or victims of abuse in the foster care system ’ The audit report overflows with from an unnamed citizens’ j the Tu Commission's i were inadequate and flic proceedings against taxpayers too adversarial But the auditor found no evidence to back up these claims some of which he characterized as nonsensical and based on misinterpretations of law Some tax commission employees also had alleged that certain businesses woe getting preferential treatment from commission managers but the audit didn’t turn up evidence of that either What the auditor did find however was a lack of screening for delinquent tax accounts within the Taxpayer Services Division The audit also found the division was too slow in imposing tax liens And the auditor ranted the commission for not gamisheeing funds from tax delinquents before sending die cases to outside collection agencies The auditor was not more specific in the public report arguing that he did qot want to give businesses a road map for evading their responsibilities We would suppose that the number of businesses that would fail to turn over collected taxes to the state would increase in parallel with die rise in bankruptcies during the past recession But as Congress is clamping down on personal bankruptcies it is infuriating to see businesses waltz away with the state’s money scot free because of incompetence or bureaucratic malaise at the Thx Com mission It’s time for this watchdog to grow irony It was prompted by wailing some teeth From The Salt Lake Tribune Tu jack-boot- ed d - Your view -- thoughts on speed limits (Septr24) The speed limit is a law whether it is 25 mph 30 mph or 65 mph All of us should be driving the posted speed limit not five seven or tenimpnove Is there an unwritten message here? Should we be allowed to shoplift five dollars worth of merchandise? If we steal six dollars worth would die officer say “the limit is five dollars I’ll give you a warning for now” What is it? Why are we in such a hurry? I am one of many School bus drivers and we hear many of you out there say “Don’t get behind a school bus they drive too slow” That’s because we drive the speed limit We have precious cargo on board " So slow down take it easy enjoy the beauty around you because you Property rights being eroded To the editor: “Church shouldn’t censor television” was the headline over a letter to the editor of The Herald Journal on Sep 25 The headline accurately ' expressed the letter’s content The writer was incensed that the owners of KSLTV had decided that the station would not broadcast the new television show “Coupling” Upon closer examination it seems to me that what angered the writer was not censorship but the legitimate exercise of ownership rights If the writer had his way the owners of television broadcast stations would be required to broadcast material that are precious cargo too they believed were offensive and degrading to human morals and sociPat Bauer ety By extension if his viewpoint Logan were to prevail owners of any kind -of property could be required to use their property for purposes that they view as inappropriate The fact that the LDS church owns KSLTV is To the editor I fully agree with Mr Wilhelm’s poli-chee- R Gen Wesley Clark vaulted to the top of the pack of Democratic presidential contenders because he has die look of a leader Now he must prove that he’s got the substance and the savvy to merit election On the positive ride he needs a concise message On die negative side he needs to be prepared to answer bit-ing questions Like all candi- dates Gaik willprefer die former to the latter tut both gtf: hand-in-ha- nd Never one of the boys in the military Clark is an intellectual and a visionary who stood apart from his colleagues many of whom resorted his rise through the ranks His nine rivals for die Democratic nomination may well dislike his late entry into the race armed with a resume they cannot match The sniping is already under way yet Clark risks looking petty if he returns fire To survive die hazing from the other candidates and the media Here is a list of addresses and phone numbers for some of Cache Valley's representatives in government: I’ each election v COUNCIL ' -' ’ : I 4 Political correspondent Eleanor Clift contributed to this cotoma 843192436584 North Logan 84321 Dr 84321 7137400 Treasurer Karen A Jeppessen 179 NMain Logan 84321 7166394 ILS -- 524-593- CACHE COUNTY COUNCIL Barrel Lae Gfcbona — representing the north dtetrict— 840 S 1600 West Lewiston 84320 258-52S Brian Chambers —representing ttw northeast dtetrict-- - 654 E 2160 North North Logan 84341 752-057-4 John A Hansen —representing the south dtetrict— 252 Hynim 3 Sea Grrin Hatch Republican — US Senate' Washington DC 20510 (202) 2246251 Utah office: 8402 Federal BuMdtog 125 S State St Salt Lake City UT 84138 (801) 524-4380 UASENATE4DAHO Larry Craig Repubtican — 520 Hart Senate Office Butidlng Washington DC 20510 (202) 224-275-2 Idaho office: 801 E Sherman Room 193 Pocatetio ID 83201(208) 236-681-7 716-717- 7532023 SENATE-UTA- H Sen Robert Bennett Repubtican — US Senate Washington DC 20510 (202) 2246444 Utah office: 4225 Federal Bulking 125 8 State St Salt Lake CHy UT 84138 (801) Executive: Lynn Lemoo120 N 100 1 West Logan 84321 Assessor Kathleen Howel 179 N Main Logan 84321' 716-710-0 ' Attorney: George Daines 11 W 100 North Logan 84321 7136361 Autftor Tamara Stones 179 N 3 Main Logan 84321 Ctertc M Zoiiinger 170 N Main " Logan 84321 716-715-0 Recorder Michael L Gleed 179 N Main Logan 843217137180 Sheriff: Lynn Nelson 50 W 200 716-712- 38 Tbe deadlines give the newspa-per ample time to process and v make room for an anticipated i rush of letters at election time ' centage of cargo coming into the nation’s ports is inspected that it’s chillingly easy to sneak explosives CACHE COUNTY EXECUTIVE BRANCH Randy Whits WON Cedar Heights Oct ? election will be accepted no lata dun 5 pjn Tuesday-- ng 3-1- 84321753-752-9 fV’Pins letters fo? the Tuesday' so-call-ed Paul Cook —representing the southeast dtetrict— 445 Glenwood Circle Providence 84332 752-196-4 Cory Yeetes —representing Logan district No 1— 281 S 100 East Logan 84321 7536027 v Kathy Robison —representing N 400 Logan district No 3-- 335 West Logan 84321 7536109 Craig Petersen —representing E 1220 Logan district No 440 North Logan 84341 7526778 52-13- " mass destruction yet his administration is not doing nearly enough to prevent the spread of radioactive material “loose by buying up the nukes” from the former Soviet Union Environment: Clark has proposed a lOOyear plan that emphasizes sensible management use and preserve- don of our natural resources He is an environmentalist and he will sty so International wiggwiynt- - TV American military is die world’s best war machine Bush proved that in ' Afghanistan and in Iraq But when it and concomes to nation-buildiUJS civil a sokhen structing society are out of their element It would have been like Napoleon using his elite Okl Guard for police work Miters are straggling to understand America’s rale in die world --r?whereit qidi and how much taxpayer money should reasonably go to support foreign ventures Clark can begin a respectful discussion about die division of labor between a superpower and the world community America can fight and win conventional wars Coalitions can pay for them (as occurred in the 1991 Gulf Wkr) and police die regions in die aftermath Americans like clarity which is why Clark has to draw dear lines about what he believes lowmdkors Thomas Kan 35 N 1400 East 1 Logan 84321 Alan Aired 1535 E 1500 North Logan 343417534224 Steve Thompson 37 S 200 West Logan 84321 7536019 Taml Pyfor South PI : rs ihniiM maintain hit dignity nrf find three solid issues he believes in and repeatedly recite diem Based on our knowledge of the man and the priorities of the country the following would contort with his views and resonate with die public: ’ Hues: Clark can set himself apart from the rest of die Democratic field by proposing a cut in the payroll tax the most oqerous levy that working people pay The other candidates want to eliminate imost or all at President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy to pay for health care and otirer domestic needs No one has yet had the courage to recommend reducing the payroll tax because it funds Social Security and Medicare But those social pro-pmw could jmd should be supported by the general fund and shifting tax breaks from the top to the working middle-clas- s would generate more economic activity than cushioning die savings accounts of die rich Security: Clark has the credentials to criticize Bush for not doing enough to protect us at home The Homeland Security Department is underfunded and nfe with bureau- cratic intrigue America’s borders remain porous and such a small per- 752-315- Letters pertaining to the Nov 4 election will be accepted I no later than 5 pia Tuesday Oct Slowdown enjoy the scenery United Feature Syndicate 753-689- candidates and topics related to the upcoming primary and c al elections will be into this country Bush made an issue out of Iraq’s poli-tal- LOGAN-MUNICIP- i Sept 30 Ed Jenson College Ward k Clark needs to refrain from such as “moving the country forsuch as ward” and intended to cause mantras repeated an audience join-i- n Instead he By Jack Andarson and Douglas Colm L0GAN4IAY0R j Doug Thompson 1567 Lynnwood 9 Ave Logan Election Jetted immaterial Many of the conflicts we have today are created because of the erosion of property rights by governmental regulations We need to find ways to better define the property rights of individuals arid organize-tions not to find reasons to weaken them more What Gen Clark must do to win in Michael Crapo Repubtican —111 Russeti Senate Office Bulcing Washington DC 20510 (202) 2246142 Idaho office: 801 E Sherman Pocatello ID 83201 (206) 2366775' " Non Soqultur Herald Journal WSKWBH W4 mocurui Rt&tT&fT - FIVE DIFFERENT lANfrUMCfr el not ba pubWwd of pubic knportmos sndptovids - iseommnsaiwopnoniaiswrnimena awlort EtextalsuntetoshaadnQiOur represent toe view of tie Harm Journal sdtoteManL Mantom of tos adtote board DARRELL EHRUCKItityadNor f CINDY YURTTVtoatorss i M - r tdtor BRUCESMmVpubtohar? 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