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Show T T Page 2 June 2. 1998 -- : Editorial Uintah Basin Standard L The Consumer Wins by Tom Thacker, Board President, Moon Lake Electric Assn., Inc. and other mediaregularly report storiesabout high telephone charges and cable TV bills. Airline prices are up for many passengers, and many communities continue to see a decline in service altogether. Some reports even talkabout the broken promises of deregulation. As time goes by, the pressure to change the electric utility industry will only become more intense. Despite setbacks, because of your obj ections, you can count on big power companies to stay in the fight. They will keep trying to laws like the Public Utility repeal Holding Company Act, which would allow big power companies to create even bigger monopolies, putting the interests of consumers at For a year or more, a few big corporations have been burning the midnightoil, trying to get Congress to change the laws governing electric utility companies. Behind the scenes theyve been pushing a scheme that would end up costing all of us a lot of money. So far, their efforts have failed, meaning that typical consumers like me and you have won. Our victory is due in no small measure to electric coopera-tiveconsume- rs. Just last month, more than 3,000 ofthese electric cooperative consumers, from across the country, gathered in Washington, D.C.,to talk with their elected representatives in Congress. They came to deliver a message: er Ifyou re risk. So, while Congress has apparently been listening to us, we cant let up on the pressure. We must keep sending messages to those who are every chance we get That s the only way we can make sure that when Congress does act, we 11 make sure they get it right for everyone. going to change the rules that govern the electric utility industry, 'Do it right or dontdo itatall. Consumers have good reason to be worried. In the past. Congress has passed laws deregulating airlines, the banking industiy.cable television are! long distance telephone service. What do we have to showfor it? Newspapers EDITOR'S NOTE: The Uintah Basin Standard welcomes and encourages opinions from readers int he form of letters to the editor. Letters may be utilized to express opinions or comments, to highlight outstanding service ofan individual or organization. or any other worthwhile purpose. Letters may not be used to replace Cards of Thanks, or to list sponsors, participants or contributors to a particular event or purpose. LETTERS MUST CONTAIN 400 WORDS OR LESS. BE TYPED OR WRITTEN pro-consu- We have the potential, we have great leaden in the Indian Nation and great leaden in the White Nation. (We need to be one nation). I know with the right attitude, we can live in harmony and peace. We're all children of our Heavenly Father. Sincerely Lee Wilcken Electric deregulation will benefit small users Dear Editor, Moon Lake Electric is working hard to convince the public that competition in their industry is bad for the general public. Their arguLEGIBLY, SIGNED, AND INCLUDE of elecment is that NAME. ADDRESS AND PHONE tricity supply is being pushed by NUMBER OF THE AUTHOR. Letters large industrial companies and will be published unless they contain therefore will be structured to benlibelous or defamatory statements. We efit only those companies. reserve the right to withould a name by I agree with MLE that large inthe letter is the nature if of request dustrial companies are pushing for positive, and to edit letters. Letters may be submitted to the Standard office at Large companies can 268 S 200 E. Roosevelt, Utah. 84066 afford to hire in house energy manby the published deadline (normally agers who are in touch with the Thursdays at 5:00 p.m.) All letters costs of competitive power. Their become property of the Uintah Basin job is to reduce energy costs and Standard. thus increase profits. Small energy users such as home owners typically do not have the resources or Indians & Whites knowledge to determine iftheir power supply is priced to compete with alternatives. We home owners have no alternatives, the power bill arDear Friends, Then is talk everywhere. Whites rives and we must pay it or the putting down the Indiana, Indians power will be disconnected. Lower putting down whites. Why cant we, rates can be negotiated by large when we read the standard, read companies, but not by individual about something both are doing to- home owners. I disagree with the MLE position gether, something good? will only benefit Why cant we work together, be that one happy family. Why cant we get large customers. I will even venture along, why cant we join in unity, to predict that small power users put the past behind us. Let us live in will benefit more from competition peace and harmony, let us be broth- in electricity supply than large users and sisters. Let us make where ers. Many large customers have alwe live the beat that it can be. ready used their clout to negotiate In Castle Dale, UT they have a rates lower than those available to spiritual pageant which draws a lot small customers. Why should a comof people and a lot of good talk. pany pay 5 cents per KWH when Vernal has Butch Cassidy days, they can generate it themselves for where everybody worked together. 3.5 cents? I know this to be true because it Why cant we do the same, be United, have a council made up of aix has been a large part of my job since Indians and six Whites, to work 1985. 1 personally pay a relatively together to make this a place where high rate of 7 cents per KWH at home while my employer pays less everybody would like to come too. should work together Uintah Basin Standard Inc. 71,8 646-900Periodical postsfe paid al Roosevelt and Duchesne, Utah ) Published weekly at 268 S. 200 E., RooaeveU, Utah 84066-310- 9 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Uintah Basin Sundaid at 268 S. 200 E., Roosevelt, Utah 84066-310- 9 OFFICE HOURS: 8:00 am. to 1 :00 p.m. Monday, 9:00 am. to 5:00 thru Friday. pm Tuesday Phunc Fax: 722-41DEADLINES: For all News, Legal Notices. Classifieds A Advertising, the Deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. PUBLISHER: Craig Ashby EDITOR: Lezlee E. Whiting ADVERTISING: Michelle Roberts OFFICE MANACER: Tracy Womack PRODUCTION: Writers: Aldon Rachele, Cheryl Mecham, Dixie Brown and Sarah Colton Production ; Colette Ashby. Bowie Parish, Kaelyn Meyers and Kim Ames CORRESPONDENTS: ROOSEVELT - Tkesa Hatmston 722-2- 5 1 8; ALTAMONT -- ; BLUEBELL - Shana Lee Loertscher HANNA - Tracy Roberts 848-341LAPOINT- - Marlene McClure MONTWELL - Nob Nelson 4; MYTON -- ; TRIDELL - Loma McKee 0; NEOLA - Zoh Spencer 8; 4; WHITEROCKS Virginia Ferguson DUCHESNE - Orinda Gee 4. (USPS Subscription Rates: Clip and Send to: I Uintah Basin Standard I 268 S. 200 E. Roosevelt, Utah 84066-310- 9 1 In the Uintah Basin 2 Yr. $22 Yr. $34 I Out of the Uintah Basin I 1 Yr. $36 2 Yr. $56 1 - I Name. I Address I City. 2ip4. Cash or Check only. Sorry No Charges mm' J than 4 cents. Dont be buffaloed, competition among electrical energy generators will benefit small customers as well as large ones if the competitive market is properly developed. Another argument used by some utilities against competitive power is that previous in the airline, telecommunication, and cable TV industries has left us worse off. In the case of airlines and telecom, I must disagree. Air travel is now on time more often and is much cheaper than when it was regulated. Telecom competition has motivated AT&T to offer 10 cent per minute long distance rates. Incredible innovation in telecom technology has occurred since deregulation. Competition in the generation of electricity will be good for all consumers, large and small. Prices will be lower, sources will be cleaner, and reliability will be equal or better. This will happen if competition is allowed in generation with an appropriate level of regulation in the dispatching, transmission, and distribution domains. Here in Colorado and Utah, we have the luxury of relatively low priced electricity when compared with many other parts of the nation. This means that we do not have to rush blindly into the new competitive market We can observe the successes and failures of competition in the high price states and then craft our policies accordingly. Keith Eilers Rangely CO Nebraska boy thanks those who sent information Dear Readers: I am a 5th grade student at Northeast Elementary in Kearney, Nebraska. I wrote your newspaper asking the editor to print a letter requesting information on Utah. I received letters, postcards, mape, pictures, calendar, newspaper, and a book about Utah. Some of the projects I did far our "States Fair were a aalt dough map, a state A to Z all about Utah, a game, a report, a state flag and then I displayed everything at our "States Fair' held May 13, 1998. I want to say thanks to the newspaper and everybody that helped. If we had another state fair I would pick Utah again. Sincerely, Lance Kwiatkowaki Northeast Elementary 910 Eaat 34th Street Kearney, NE 68847 Extending the school day isnt a good idea Dear Editor, This letter haa been sent to the state superintendent with 3 signatures of parent council members. We were told that ifwe wanted to be heard, we needed to get the parents of our community to back us up. If you agree with this letter,, please go to IGA, Stewarts, or Alco and sign the petitions. They will be there from June 2 - June 9. Your support would be very valuable. Thank You. Dear Superintendent Scott Bean and State School Board Members; A couple of weeks ago we saw Superintendent Bean on the channel 5 News and heard his ideaa for bettering our childrens education. Apparently, he doesnt visit any of the schools or talk to parents and children before coming up with these ideas. You claim that these changes will help our children learn mare. We beg to differ. The first idea we want to address is extending the school day by one hour. The principle of our Jr. High waa over the Neola school when they reduced the day by one hour. The productivity rose and the children worked right up to the end of school. He said that the teachers stopped going to the media center to get videos to fill up time. The time we have now ia not being used. A lot of children spend time reading or goofing off waiting for others to finish and to receive further instructions. An aide at this school reports, also, that the fights among the students have diminished because they are less stressed. In our high schools, the students have band, sport activities, religious classes, and college classes that fill up their time before and after school. One more hour of school would leave very little time for homework, their families or just to relax. In our middle schoolthey have a haa all but eliminated j program that recess there.fjitbft.end of school, they are burned out. Adding another hour to their day will not help them learn more. These children dont need more time', it just needs to be filled with quality teaching and take out the government programs that waste time. The next idea ia that of extending the school year by 20 to 45 days. Right now we still have about 2 weeks left in the school year and many teachers have claimed that the students minds have been shut down for quite some time now. What kind of productivity will we see at file end of 20 or 45 more days? The last idea we would like to address to having students learn two foreign languages. Our children are struggling with learning English, let alone a foreign language. We read articles and hear reports on how poor our children apeak and write. Many students graduate from high school illiterate and unable to write. Don't you think we need to put the horse before the cart and teach them proper reading, writing, and speaking skills in English before requiring them to learn two languages. Please don't get us wrong, learning a foreignlanguage can help one learn English, but learning two at this time can prove counter productive. It should be an elective not a requirement. We, the Parent Advisory Council of Roosevelt Jr. High, who have children in all levels of this school system, strongly ask you to reconsider these ideaa and spend some time in our schools to see what our children really need. Parent Advisory Council of Roosevelt Jr. High Mohea Sprouse Maureen Kjjek DeAnn Draper Information veterans need to know by Cheryl Mecham "Oh noF I howled. Every eye was on me. My kid's heads turned in my direction. "I forgot to go to the public affairs meeting, Ive known about it for weeks! I cant believe it! What ia wrong with me? Each mouth opened eager to respond, but I just took a breath and continued on with conversation with my the only one who continued to listen self-direct- me. "An hour later, when aleep wont cone, and my outburst keeps rollin my mind, I ing like a bad n sputter "UNCLE!" my husband responds, "Humph?" re-ru- Im getting a day planner." "Hummmmm. "Goodnight" Case closed. Ive given up. After all these years of detesting the very site of a day planner - and rolling my eyes whenever I see one cracked open - the time has come. This abhorrence for date hooka began several days after a motivational Franklin Day Timer seminar I attended over ten years ago with my friend, Linda. I waa pumped with enthusiasm, knowing then and there that my life would be changed forever once I began scheduling, transferring tasks, and checking off goals! Oh, my whole being vibrated with anticipation! Things changed all right, and right away. With pen in hand I became the Adolf Hitler of organization and task management. So what if people avoided mel I waa getting filings done! Two weeks after the seminar I remember came the break-dowsitting on the edge of the couch shredding the dated pages, the task lists ... everything. I swore over my trash can "never again. After all these years have passed by I have learned two things: life can be managed without a day planner and old age cannot be managed without a day planner, and I am old. Just ask my son, Derek who asked me a few days ago if care had been invented when I was a kid. I assured him cars had been invented long before I waa born, but quietly told him microwaves and cell phones hadn't. The explanation didnt help. He still looked at me.- -' wide-eyeand couldnt believe I waa "that old! n. . I d Utah Reach enhances rural redevelopment efforts Utah Reach ia an answer, in a web baaed electronic format, to the question, How can we link Utahs Rural redevelopment effort? Utah Reach ia part of a 21st Century Communities Initiative sponsored by Utah Governor Mike Leavitts Rural Partnership Office. Thia project assists in the redevelopment ofrural Utah and ties Utahs counties and communities together in a statewide electronic network. Information for the web site ia being gathered from every county, according to Jim Beilis ton, site coordinator and computer specialist with Utah State University Extension. Information iff interest to visitors includes: local history, demographics, businesses, government, schools and libraries, cities and town, available news sources, and the USU Extension Office. "Thia web site will always be under construction," says Belliaton, "but we dont anticipate any difficulties like you might experience on along fiie Wasatch Front. Thia ia an educational site, simple and easy to navigate and we intend to keep it that way." Utah Reach ia at http: utahreach.usu.edu. Counties currently online include Box Elder, Cache, Emery, Juab, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, and Uintah. "We welcome local participation because we want the information to reflect local culture and interests, Belliston saya. He encourages users to send ideas and information via to utahreachext.usu.edu, or contact your local County Exten Thia cornea from Tom Todd at US ' West Veta Association. They recomDear Editor, If you are a veteran, have a fam- mended that everyone eligible for ily member who is a Veteran, or benefits come by their office and blow somebody who ia, this news sign up prior to the October 1, deadmay be of some interest to you or line regardless ofwhether they have them. Please feel free to pass this received treatment at a VA hospital since 1 0196. This way, no one will along. lip through the cracks. You will President Clinton haa recently signed into a law a bill that affects need to bring your DD214 to your all Veterans. This law states, in local VA office and it will only take effect, that if a Veteran haa not about five (5) minutes to complete registered at a VA hospital since the form. Thia will maintain your October 1, 1996, then on October 1, Veterans benefits. If you cannot locate your DD214, go to the VA office 1998 he or die will lose all VA medical benefits for life. To make it and they can helpyou obtaip a copy. Many thanks to Bobbi Hartmann worse, the VA cannot notify Veterans about it That information must forgetting this information to us so be disseminated via word of mouth. that we can get it out to everyone We called the local VA office and who needs to know. Arlene Gardner found out this information ia true. sion Office. "The site also provides convenient rural access to a treasure chest of information and resources to support communities participating in the 2 1st Century Community Pro- gram, Belliaton said. Leavitt and the Governors Rural Partnership Office have extended air invitation and a challenge to rural cities, towns, counties, Indian tribes and other community entities to become involved in the planning and development processes that will lead to designation as a 21st Century Community. The challenge includes a call for rural leaders to look to the future and begin to develop a game plan for community prosperity and success. It is a call to evaluate the forces of change that are shaping the future, to assess community needs and opportunities, to improve leadership skills and knowledge, and to develop strategies to resolve problems and achieve community goals. Principal partners in the Rural Partnership Office are: The Governor's Office; Utah Center for Rural Life at Southern Utah University, Utah State University Extension at USU; Utah Rural Development Council at SUU, and the Department of Community and Economic Development, Salt Lake City. if HNVn'fih Last week in a story naming Union graduates Jennifer Murray waa not included in the list, as well in an article which listed names of Roosevelt Junior High School honor students Catherine Murray waa inadvertently left off. The Standard regrets the errors. Buckle Up and Save A Life! Public Service Aaaeuceawat by the Ulitab Basis Stiadard POORC |