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Show Volume XIX Issue XXIII The Ogden Valley news Page 3 January 1, 2012 Guest Commentaries In Defense of Marriage Please Sign up for Critical CERT Training Dear Ogden Valley Residents, The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) has had an article in the last few papers, explaining how you can take the opportunity to sign up to obtain some excellent emergency training. Members of our local fire department would love to teach you some great skills that could help you and your family in the event of an emergency, and also provide you with skills that could provide information and help when there is an emergency situation in our valley—or in any other community you may be in at the time of an emergency event. During an emergency, we all need to know the same basic emergency skills and response information—both individually and as a community. CERT now needs 15 people to sign up for this critical emergency training, which will begin in January. In order to proceed with this training session, 12 additional individuals are needed to fill the minimum enrollment thresh- old. So far, only three people have signed up. Please, now is the time to take advantage of this valuable training opportunity. Now is a good time, with things slowing down after a busy holiday season. Please, don’t put it off any longer. We need you and your support so this important class can begin! The first class session will be held Tuesday, January 17 at 6:00 p.m. at the Ogden Valley Library in Huntsville. Classes will continue for seven Tuesdays. The cost is $30, which pays for your safety equipment. Please sign up now by calling me at 801745-2365, or call Wayne Hillstead at 801-7451561. To sign up, you can also email him at <whillstead@msn.com> Thank you for signing up. The life you may someday save using the skills you learn may be your own, or that of a family member or close friend or neighbor. Darla Weston, Huntsville I’m Thankful for Rural Life By Chuck Hassebrook, chuckh@cfra.org Center for Rural Affairs During this past cold, Christmas season, I have reflected on what makes me thankful. I am thankful for rural life—where I run into friends who tease me, tell me jokes, or lend a friendly smile at the store or at my son’s basketball game. I am thankful for a sense of place, that I am firmly rooted in the American Heartland. I am thankful for being raised on the land and having all around me its subtle beauty. I am thankful for being a part of a family that embraces our responsibilities to each other. I am grateful for being raised in a way that taught me to make, fix and grow things, as well as to understand, speak and write about things. We face stern challenges in America. CONSERVATION cont. from page 1 through its state and local offices,” said Traci Bruckner, Assistant Director of Rural Policy at the Center for Rural Affairs. “We hope that this will be enough time for NRCS and partners to reach out to producers.” CSP is one of the most popular conservation programs. In 2010 alone, nearly 21,000 applicants enrolled in CSP, putting additional conservation on 25.2 million acres, about the size of the state of Kentucky. Farmers and ranchers interested in applying should contact their local NRCS office as soon as possible to meet the deadline. To sign up, producers should visit their NRCS local service center. For more information, visit <http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/ locator/app?agency=nrcs> Bruckner is encouraging farmers, ranchers, and others to call the Center for Rural Affairs’ Farm Bill Helpline with questions about the application process and to share their experiences, both positive and negative. “We know the previous sign-ups have yielded some great success stories for farmers and ranchers, but also some disappointments and frustrations.” “We want this program to work for all farmers and ranchers employing conservationbased farming systems, and firmly believe the CSP is a step in the right direction for policy to financially reward historical commitments to conservation, as well as encourage further adoption,” Bruckner continued. “This is a far better approach than paying to clean-up problems.” Wealth is concentrating and the middle class is shrinking, as more families face unemployment and insecure retirements. Rural communities are struggling to survive. And government has become dysfunctional and unable to respond effectively. But we have the capacity to address each of these challenges. In America, we have the opportunity to right the wrongs and take control of our destiny through the democratic process. It is up to us to use it. Nothing ever got better by sitting around complaining. Things get better when ordinary citizens embrace their responsibility to make things better, by the actions they take in their personal lives, communities, organizations and government. I am thankful for every American who embraces that responsibility. As 2012 nears, it’s not been a good year for marriage. Barely half of all adults are married, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. It’s part of a consistent trend downward for U.S. adults being married. In 1960, 72 percent of all adults were married. New marriages in the United States have seen a sharp decline—5 percent—in the past two years. Cohabitation, single-person households, and single-parent households are all increasing. If these trends continue, it won’t be long before fewer than half of all adults are married. And that decrease in marriages will cause many problems down the road. For the most part, a family with two parents reduces social dysfunctions. The overwhelming number of black households run by a single mother, with the father absent, has caused over generations, increased public assistance, considerable poverty, wayward teens, and criminal activity. One advantage of marriage—and a key reason that it needs to be defended and promoted—is that it civilizes men. The responsibilities of being a father, loving a spouse, contributing to a family’s wellbeing, have the advantage of creating men and women who can deal with adversity and put needs of others ahead of themselves. That’s one key to civilized behavior—caring about your spouse and children more than yourself. We are not criticizing individuals who choose not to marry or find themselves—due to circumstances—raising a family alone. Our concern is with the declining rate of marriages and results of this statistical downturn. The social dysfunctions of the past 50 years that arrived as a result of the eradication of marriage and two-parent homes is clear evidence that the more marriages in a community, the better the sense of family and community. That provides a better chance for children to succeed, marry, and provide a good home for another generation. WEBER READS cont. from page 1 All meetings are free and open to the public. For more information, contact WSU project director, Kathryn MacKay, at 801-626-6782 or <kmackay@weber.edu > The Weber County Library project leader is Lynnda Wangsgard, Director, Weber County Library System. She can be reached at 801337-2618 or <lwangsgard@weberpl.lib.ut.us> political thought. As the United States is gearing up for another national election, reading the original documents that have guided our nation gives valuable understanding of how we have arrived where we are. Why take someone else’s word for the origins of the United States? Read and discuss “The Founders” and see for yourself! Calendar of Events 2012 Weber State University – Hetzel-Hoellein Room, Stewart Library, 12:30 p.m. Note: This “Our View” editorial was printed in the Standard-Examiner on December 23, 2011, and is being reprinted by permission. IMPORTANT TAX NOTICE The State of Utah will NOT be providing paper versions of 2011 income tax booklets English Ideas on Governance Steven Francis this year. Due to the high volume of e-filing, January 25: The French Declaration of the the Tax Commission will follow the IRS and Rights of Man - Brady Brower not mail Utah income tax booklets. All Utah February 7: Slavery and the Constitution forms and instructions can be found online Adrienne Gillespie February 21: The Godless Constitution at <tax.utah.gov/forms/flyer.pdf> Bruckner commented that it would be Susan Matt most useful for producers to have specific March 6: Women and the Revolution information available when they call, includIf you need assistance in locating Utah State Leah Murray ing a complete copy of their application mate- March 27: Readers Theatre/Department of Tax materials, the Ogden Valley Branch rials, and more specifically the Conservation Performing Arts: Theatre and Library will be happy to assist you. Please Measurement Tool responses and ranking the American Revolution call 801-337-2660 for more information. information for their state or ranking area. April 10: Universal Declaration of Human The NRCS office will provide only a sumRights - Nancy Haanstad mary, unless specifically asked for a complete print out that includes their ranking information, the highest scores in their state or area, and how far down the ranking list NRCS was able to provide contracts before the money ran out for the last sign-up period. “One of the main goals for our Farm Bill Helpline is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of programs such as the CSP,” said Bruckner. “It is only with that informaHours tion that we are able to push for any needed Tuesday-Saturday: changes and improvements.” Producers can also receive guidance for 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. applying for other conservation programs. Sunday Brunch: “Through our helpline you will speak to someone who is knowledgeable about the program (all you can eat) rules to help you understand how to participate 10:00am-2:00pm in the program,” Bruckner added. Producers can call 402-687-2100 and ask for the Farm Bill Sunday Dinner: Helpline or send an email to <tracib@cfra.org> 3:00pm-8:00pm January 11: Come Join Us for New Year’s Eve Note: Established in 1973, the Center for Rural Affairs is a private, non-profit organization working to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities through action oriented programs addressing social, economic, and environmental issues. 508 Ogden Canyon www.grayclifflodge.com (801) 392-6775 We Have Dinner Waiting For You |