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Show Viewpoints The A-11 Park Record. Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, November 14-17, 2020 editorial Voters showed up in force. Now carry that enthusiasm forward. F guest editorial Few WWII veterans are still with us. Here’s the story of one. DAVID C. LUDEMA Park City My father’s brother, my uncle Joe Ludema, will celebrate his 101st birthday Nov. 17. He served as a combat medic in the third infantry division, seventh army under General George S. Patton. It is estimated that 348 World War II veterans die each day. Joe Ludema, one of the few that remain, enlisted in the army Jan. 26, 1942, at the age of 22. By November of the same year with the third, he landed in French Morocco, North Africa, where the Allies freed Tunisia from German occupation. This landing was the first of three contested amphibious landings he and the third would endure over the next three years. As a combat medic, Mr. Ludema experienced some of the worst combat of the European theater. The third infantry division, nicknamed “Rock of the Marne,” has the distinction of fighting the Axis powers in North Africa and on all European fronts, the only division to do so. In July 1943, Joe experienced his second contested amphibious landing with the third in Sicily under the command of General Patton. After taking Palermo and Messina, Sicily, from the Axis in the Sicilian campaign, medic Ludema with the third next fought the battle of Monte Cassino on the Italian mainland. In this battle the Allies suffered 55,000 casualties. After a brief rest from Monte Cassino, the third infantry division accepted its next assignment in January of 1944 with its third and most famous contested amphibious landing at Anzio, also on the Italian mainland. Here they met an entrenched German army where the Allies were kept from going inland, enduring four months of bombardment and fighting. Mr. Ludema tells of an incident where 16 American soldiers were assigned to a night infiltration of the German lines to gather information. He states “that not one returned.” During four months at Anzio one of his duties was to drive ambulances out on the battlefield under cover of darkness to pick up dead and wounded. In March of 1944 at Anzio, the third division alone suffered 900 casualties in one day, the most of any American division in World War II. It wasn’t until May of 1944 that they were able to break out of the beachhead, moving inland with the allied army to free Rome. Aug. 15, 1944, saw the division invading Southern France as part of code named “Operation Dragoon.” Moving north through occupied France with continuous fighting, the third attacked the German Siegfried Line in January 1945. During one period, April 17-20, 1945, in a fierce urban battle, the third experienced block by block fighting to take Nuremberg. When the war ended in May of 1945 it was the seventh army and Joe with the third infantry division under Patton that captured Hitler’s mountain retreat of Berchtesgaden. From his enlistment in the army in 1942 to his discharge Sept. 18, 1945, Mr. Ludema experienced 531 days of combat, covering two continents, the most of any division in World War II. He received the following awards: The French Fourragere shoulder cord; Unit Presidential Citation; Combat Medic Badge; African, European, Middle East Medal; three Copper Arrowhead Devices (for three amphibious landings); and the Good Conduct Medal. Mr. Ludema presently lives in West Michigan. letters to the editor Mask goes over the nose A big issue in our society today is COVID-19. People on our streets are not wearing masks all the time and lots of people are not wearing their masks over their nose. Coronavirus numbers are rising rapidly in Utah, and if people do not wear their masks properly, the numbers will continue to skyrocket. Schools and businesses will then have shut down again, and more lives will be lost. It is imperative that people of all ages in our community wear masks over their noses. Finley Kelley Snyderville Basin The world is watching The American people have decided, but Trump doesn’t accept the election outcome. Typical for a wannabe autocrat. His present actions are damaging our democracy and our foes are having a hayday. We, the people, voted and won. Trump hinders Biden in every way, while Biden is desperately trying to help the American people. Biden has empa- The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER ....................... Andy Bernhard Editor ................................... Bubba Brown Staff Writers ......................Jay Hamburger Scott Iwasaki Alexander Cramer Contributing ............................. Tom Clyde Writers Teri Orr Amy Roberts Tom Kelly Joe Lair Engagement Editor............. Jeff Dempsey Photographer .........................Tanzi Propst Circulation Manager ............. Lacy Brundy Distribution........................... Henry Knight ADVERTISING Advertising Director ........... Valerie Spung Advertising Assistant ...... Jessica Burlacu Advertising Sales ................... Jodi Hecker Lindsay Lane Joe Siemon Director of Digital Marketing .. Tina Wismer Digital Sales Executive ............... Erik Jones Production Director ..................Ben Olson Production ......................... Louise Mohorn thy, a word foreign to Trump. We are in a crisis that can bring us to our knees, ruin our economy and kill our people while Trump and the Senate do nothing. Trump, a defeated, corrupt president has turned his back on the American people for power. For our country’s sake I just pray Trump goes quietly, without force. He is a dangerous and hateful man. Enough of chaos and hate. Let’s start healing together as a country and grow strong again. The world is watching. Maria Roberts Jeremy Ranch or the third straight even-year election, Summit County voters showed up in force. According to the Summit County Clerk’s Office, approximately 90% of registered voters cast a ballot this fall. That level of turnout, prompted both by the contentious presidential race at the top of the ticket and the ease of Utah’s vote-by-mail system, is truly something to be proud of. It shows that we were engaged in the political process in this election like seldom before. It shows that we understood that the stakes, from the top of the ballot to the bottom, were too important to sit on the sidelines. It shows that we were not content to let others make the decisions for us. With the mid-term election two years from now already shaping up to be crucial for the control of Congress, there’s little reason to think we won’t continue to turn out in 2022 and beyond, even if the charged rhetoric of the current political climate — which has pushed people to the polls all across the nation in recent cycles — begins to subside. But the strong turnout also raises an important question: If we can rush to the polls — or our mailboxes — in such numbers every two years, where does that enthusiasm go during off-year elections? guest editorial A worthy challenger has emerged to take on Mike Lee, Utah’s sycophantic senator CHRISTOPHER SMART Salt Lake City Hey Steve Schmidt, go for it. What I’m referring to, of course, is the notion that the one-time senior campaign strategist for John McCain and co-founder of the Lincoln Project — who is now a Parkite — might run against Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee. Schmidt and other like-minded Republicans ditched their affiliation with the GOP after watching the party throw off any pretense of conservatism to embrace Trumpism — an angry movement without philosophy dedicated to the whims of a would-be king. Schmidt, along with a cadre of one-time Republican loyalists, created the Lincoln Project with the sole purpose of defeating Donald Trump and went so far as to endorse Joe Biden for president. “We’ve never seen a level of incompetence, a level of ineptitude so staggering on a daily basis by anybody in the history of the country whose ever been charged with substantial responsibilities,” Schmidt said of Trump. Enter sycophant Mike Lee, an early Trump critic who has become one of his biggest fans and boosters, calling Trump “a gift” and comparing him to a hero from the gospels of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka the Mormons. Lee apparently likes the fact that Trump politicized the Department of Justice and the EPA, made a global laughing stock of the State Department, threw the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security into confusion and pandemonium. (I won’t even get into babies in cages.) The ultra-conservative senior senator from Utah pos- I have been a ski instructor for Vail Resorts/Park City Mountain Resort for 25 seasons and am sharing my experience of how they deal with COVID-19. I loved teaching skiing, worked up the certification ranks and was generally well treated by both organizations. My risk with COVID is high because I am 75. My wife, Kay, is 80 and has a history of severe pneumonia, which places her at very high risk. It would be extremely foolish for me to return to work this year, particularly with the spike in Utah cases, but Vail Resorts didn’t see it that way. Vail Resorts has a policy to award lifetime passes to employees with 25 years of service and I applied for the pass. The HR department rejected my request, saying that I needed to show up and work my 26th season to reach 25 full years of employment and qualify for the pass. This was a surprise because Vail Resorts has gone to great lengths to promote the idea that they are a values-driven organization. I have heard over and over that “your health and well being is our number one priority.” I contacted my boss, expecting him to agree that I should not show up this season and that I should get the pass. Again, the answer was no. The hypocrisy in my case is crystal clear. With respect to decisions that Vail Resorts will make on the mountain this year, will they just “talk the talk” about safety? My advice is to look at what they do, not what they say. It was a sad way to end 25 years. Don Simon St. George tures as though he is very intelligent, but some of the things he says makes you wonder. “The word ‘democracy’ appears nowhere in the Constitution, perhaps because our form of government is not a democracy,” Lee tweeted. He also said this: “The far right does not merely view progressive taxation, regulation and the welfare state as impediment to growth, but as fundamentally oppressive.” Who is Lee really representing? Is he in Congress serving the best interest of wage earners who are struggling? Is he fighting so that every American has access to affordable health care? Is he on board for clean air and water? Does he care about our relationships with allies? Or is he just another political hack marching to the beat of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who always puts party interests ahead of the health of the democracy and the well-being of the nation. So here’s the deal, Mr. Schmidt: Running against Lee as a Republican is a waste of time because he’s got the Utah party locked up. However if you chose to run as an Independent, in the general election you could undress him as the extreme right-winger he really is who has never had to explain his wacko positions to Utah voters. Frankly, Steve, there is no Utah Democrat who can forcefully articulate, as you can, what is at stake as we move into an era of enormous challenges that require nation building here at home and a return to global partnerships. At the very least, you could awaken the slumbering Utah electorate to consider matters beyond abortion and gun control. And here’s your guarantee: You have nothing to lose. And think of the fun. Along with your friends at the Lincoln Project this would be better than an ‘E’ ticket at Disneyland. So hey, go for it, man. perspectiVe Neighboring Wyoming needs to bite the bullet NATE MARTIN Writers on the Range A sad end at PCMR The question, of course, is somewhat rhetorical. Higher turnout in even-year elections is common throughout the country. The national importance of presidential, congressional and statewide races, and the media attention they justifiably generate, are strong motivators to cast a ballot. By comparison, off-year elections, when we elect city council members and mayors, can seem inconsequential. But the reality is that municipal elections often influence our daily lives even more than the outcome of presidential races or congressional contests. The people we elect are the ones charting the course for our communities. Yet only 51% of registered voters in Summit County’s municipalities participated in the 2019 election. In Park City, the turnout was even worse. That’s not the way it should be. We can do better. The enthusiasm voters showed this fall was remarkable, illustrating our collective desire to have a say in the direction of our state and country. Rather than letting that fervor wane, voters must remain engaged. When election season comes next year, we won’t be picking a president or members of Congress. But with crucial local races slated to be on the ballot, there will be no excuse for apathy and indifference. Faced with COVID-19 and the collapse of Wyoming’s coal industry, Republican Gov. Mark Gordon said recently that the state might have to start abandoning small towns because there’s not enough money to maintain their sewers and streets. Sundance, Wyoming, is considering axing its entire police force because they can’t pay for it. I have a nearby neighbor who’s a die-hard, Trump-loving veteran, and we’ve been going back and forth about the mess Wyoming faces as extractive industries dry up. But then he made a surprising statement: “It’s stupid that we don’t pay state income tax here.” The Wyoming Legislature passed its first severance tax on mining in 1974, and ever since, our tax system has leaned more and more heavily on coal, oil and gas companies. As a result, generations have come of age in Wyoming with no experience paying state taxes like most of our fellow Americans. Wyoming is one of nine states without an income tax. Places like Texas and Florida that lack income tax tend to have ultra-high property and sales tax rates instead. Alaska does not, only because it’s likewise dependent on mineral taxes. Along with having no personal or corporate state income tax, Wyoming also has the third lowest property tax rate in the nation and the sixth lowest sales tax rate. All of this may make residents feel special, but it means everyone depends on fossil fuels to stay healthy. In one of his last interviews before he died in 2005, former Wyoming Republican Gov. Stan Hathaway told journalist Sam Western: “I passed the first severance tax. I got the Permanent Mineral Trust Fund, and they’ve carried Wyoming’s expenses very well.” But, he added, it bothered him that most people in Wyoming believed the were getting “a free ride.” Hathaway did not intend to give Wyomingites a free ride: “The truth is,” he said, “we all should pay our share of government costs.” In the late 1960s, Wyoming’s economy depended on another industry — agriculture — that was rapidly going downhill. When Hathaway checked the balance in the state’s general fund and found there was only $80, he knew he had to act before the state went flat broke. Wyoming legislators at the time, including future Gov. Ed Herschler and future U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson, initially opposed the governor’s severance tax proposal. But when Hathaway challenged them to figure out an alternative, they admitted they couldn’t come up with one. They passed the tax. All this might sound familiar today, though Wyoming currently has considerably more than $80 in the bank. Our “Rainy Day Fund” is among the richest in the nation, with roughly $1.7 billion. But the state is projected to lose $1.5 billion in revenue over the next two years, which would nearly erase it. Here’s the reality: Coal isn’t coming back, gas can’t pay the bills, oil continues to struggle and we’re looking to be flat broke — again. But today’s situation is different, First, there does not appear to be a single revenue generator like Hathaway’s severance tax that can replace our disappearing fossil fuel revenues. Taxing wind won’t do it, though the state goes after wind with punitive taxes, and neither will taxing tourism. We are going to need a variety of revenue sources to make up for what we’re losing — including -- gasp -- taxing ourselves. Second, there are few state lawmakers today willing to accept tough answers to Wyoming’s budget problems. When a Republican legislator proposed a corporate income tax last year — Wyoming is one of only two states in the nation with no mechanism to tax corporate profits— it wasn’t even brought up for debate. Politicians here tend to talk about cutting spending instead of replacing lost revenues, and few offer actual solutions. Maybe it is hard to blame them. Wyoming is filled with people who have either lived their entire lives here never having to pay state taxes, or who came here specifically because they saw a big neon sign that said “free ride.” But, of course, the ride was never really free, and the mining companies that have carried the state for 50 years are now asking for their own tax breaks. Wyoming, like everywhere else, needs schools, roads, hospitals, firefighters and other basic public services. And like my neighbor Nick said, believing we can have these things without paying taxes is just stupid. Nate Martin is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, a nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively discussion about the West. He is the executive director of Better Wyoming. |