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Show Cyan Magenta Yellow Black A4 Sanpete Messenger / Sanpete Messenger-Gunnison Valley Edition IN OUR OPINION ... TO Retain Sanpete representation in Legislature The field of candidates seeking to replace Leonard Blackham in the Utah State Senate and Michael Styler in the Utah House of Representatives includes a wealth of qualified people. We believe Sanpete delegates should weigh the qualifications and political perspectives of the various candidates. But we hope they will also consider the importance of retaining Sanpete County representation in the Legislature. Senate District 24 includes Juab, Sanpete, Sevier, Piute and Garfield County, and a sliver of Tooele County. Sanpete County has the largest population of any county or county segment in the district. In fact, population-wise, Sanpete County is the largest county in Utah south of U.S. 6 except Washington and Iron counties. Because of its size and significance, our county deserves representation. Sen. Blackham is a sterling example of why having a local resident on Capitol Hill is so helpful to Sanpete County. While rising to statewide leadership, Blackham has looked out for the county’s interests on issues ranging from special assistance that helped prop up our turkey industry at a time when it was in serious danger, to support for Snow College, to redefining county classifications (first-class county, second-class county, etc.) to prevent Sanpete County from being forced to take on various state-mandated duties and costs. From the local perspective, the ideal scenario would be retaining Sanpete control of Blackham’s Senate seat. Both Eddie Cox and John Keeler are highly regarded leaders but we believe Cox is the stronger contender. Besides his track record as a business leader, he has 12 years of recent experience on the county commission where he became versed on local concerns. Cox has been an unfailingly generous supporter of all manner of charitable and community causes. He is fiscally conservative and politically pragmatic. House District 68, Styler’s district, covers Millard County, the sparsely populated western part of Juab and the central part of Sanpete County, including Manti and Ephraim. Styler has held the seat for many years. While the House seat is not as rosy a plum as the Senate seat, Sanpete deserves its turn at the District 68 post, too. Both Bob Bessey and Richard Wheeler are able candidates who deserve consideration from Sanpete Republican delegates. The bottom line: The special caucus at Snow College Saturday at 10 a.m. is critically important. We look for 100 percent attendance by Sanpete’s 39 Republican state delegates and urge them to support local contenders. ROGER HUFFMAN FLOORS SALE 25% Of Offf 1-800-391-4723 Most Items until Feb. 1st 50 S. State, Ftn. Green 445-3225 Antiques & Stuff “Yourlocalfloorist!” Carpet, Vinyl & Laminate • Sales and Installation Young Family Dental • • • • Emergency Same-Day Service IV Sedation Available Missionary Discounts Insurance and Medicaid TOLL-FREE 1-800-794-0245 MEDICAID ACCEPTED FOR ALL AGES • Root Canals • General Dentistry • Wisdom Teeth • Children’s Dentistry • Extractions and Dentures 1834 S. State, Orem 12/1-1/22GM Are .com YOU On-line? 436-8650 - Moroni Wednesday, January 12, 2005 THE EDITOR... LETTERS TO THE EDITOR RULES: The Sanpete Messenger invites letters to the editor from our readers. Letters must be in good taste, and submitted with the author’s name, hometown and phone number. The telephone number will not be published. Occasionally, we will withhold the author’s name from publication, so long as the author reveals his or her name to the newspaper. Letters are limited to 500 words. We will publish a maximum of one letter per person every four weeks. We ask that writers limit themselves to an issue, or aspect of an issue, that they have not addressed before. We reserve the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and taste. Opinions in the letters to the editor section do not reflect the opinions of the newspaper or its staff. Importance of historic preservation of buildings I was very glad to see the timely editorial on the value of preserving Sanpete County’s most distinguishing asset, its historic architecture. The suggestions put forth by the editorial staff, if implemented, would go a long way toward protecting these buildings and encouraging restoration. I for one—and I think there are many others who feel this way—believe a historic-preservation program with real teeth in it is absolutely vital if Sanpete is to retain the historic character that so dramatically sets it apart. And, yes, I too hope the word “historic” will be broadly interpreted so that not only the most elegant buildings but the simpler ones too will be protected, as they are all needed to tell the story of Sanpete. Sometimes an individual voice doesn’t make much of an impression, whereas a newspaper editorial might be far more persuasive. Hopefully, in this case it will be, because this really is an important issue that I think needs immediate attention. I am under the impression that certain newly elected county officials have a strong appreciation for Sanpete’s architectural heritage, and I am hoping they will do some wonderful things for our county in this area. Also, there is something I personally need to straighten out. In a letter to the editor that I wrote a while back I said the red brick Victorian house torn down by the LDS Church last fall had been built by Canute Peterson around 1896. I have since found out I was mistaken about that. The abstract of title in the County Recorder’s office showed Canute Peterson deeded the property over to his wife Sarah in 1896, and I assumed he had built the house. I didn’t check things out thoroughly enough at the time, and I later checked Sanbom Insurance maps for the years 1898 and 1908 and found the house did not exist in 1898 but did in 1908. Therefore, the house was built somewhere in that ten-year period, and Doris Larsen of Ephraim told me her grandfather built the house, not Canute Peterson. My apologies to Doris and her family and my sympathies, too, for having to witness the destruction of that beautiful family home. My husband and I, too, had to helplessly watch as his great-grandparents’ home was razed for a new apartment house near Snow College. With growing interest in historic preservation, dare we hope that better times are ahead for these buildings that so many of us hold dear. Sherron Andreasen Ephraim Congress should withdraw U.S. from WTO Congress placed our nation in the World Trade Organization in 1994. Prior to the vote, thenSpeaker of the House Newt Gingrich openly stated that passage of the measure would accomplish “transferring from the United States at a practical level significant authority to a new organization.” He nevertheless favored passage, even calling the move “a very big transfer of power.” But the U.S. Constitution does not permit such a “transfer of power.” According to its care- fully written articles, only Congress has the power to “regulate commerce with foreign nations.” And Congress was never given power to delegate its authority to any other division of our government or to any foreign entity such as the WTO. Because of membership in this foreign-based trade organization, our nation has been forced to accept WTO rulings dealing with our tax laws, steel tariffs, oil importation, cotton subsidies, even the purchase of bananas. The major consequence of WTO membership actually has much more to do with our nation’s ability to act independently than with trade matters. Congress should restore lost independence by voting to withdraw America from the WTO. Please write your Congressman on this important matter and ask him to vote to withdraw us from the WTO. It must be done this year. Kenneth Davies Spring City Correct misconceptions about foster youth I feel the need to respond to some worrisome comments made by Mr. and Mrs. Nichol, regarding “Troubled Youth being dumped in Utah”. I understand the couple’s concerns regarding the over-use of rural areas for group homes and boarding schools for troubled youth. However, I must contest their inclusion of “foster homes” in the troubled youth category. Foster families are screened and well trained to be able to care for children and youth who have been abused, neglected or left dependent. These are not “troubled kids” living in the foster homes. Rather they are children who’ve been hurt or neglected. In most cases, the kids in foster care in your county are children FROM your county, and they need nurturing and well trained families to care for them until it is safe to return home again. Is it fair to say these kids have some issues? Yes, certainly, but to lump them in with kids who are seriously involved in youth corrections is to suggest they are the perpetrators rather than the victims. Let us care for our own and not exclude kids in foster care from the opportunity to stay in family settings so they and their families can heal and hopefully be reunited. I welcome your comments or concerns. I can be reached at debbie@utahfostercare.org. Debbie Hofhines, SSW Foster Adoptive Representative Utah Foster Care Foundation 1-877-656-8065 Express your Opinions Submit Letters to the Editor! FARM SERVICE AGENCY FARM FOR SALE (16.47 acre, former dairy farm - includes 3-bedroom home, corrals and outbuildings, two culinary wells and 6 shares Piute Canal water. Priced at $120,000). The property is being offered for sale to those individuals Farm Service Agency (FSA) considers to be qualified beginning farmers or ranchers, and all prevailing claimants in the civil action Pigford vs. Veneman. Qualified beginning farmers or ranchers who are prevailing claimants will be given first priority consideration in the purchase of this property. If more than one beginning farmer or rancher who is a prevailing claimant submits an application, priority within this group will be determined by lottery. Qualified beginning farmers or ranchers must be in need of FSA credit assurance either in the form of direct FSA financing or an FSA guaranteed loan. For other requirements and information on how to qualify as the beginning farmer or rancher, you may contact your local FSA office. The property is subject to any existing easements and rights of way for county roads, canals, etc. Financing may be available subject to the availability of funds. If financing is not available at the time of the sale, the selected applicant will be given the opportunity to lease the property for up to 18 months or until such time that Agency funds become available, whichever comes first. Applications can be picked up at the Sevier FSA Office. Applications must be completed and received by Jan. 26, 2005. The government reserves the right to cancel the sale at any time, and the right to reject any or all applications. For additional information contact FSA at 340 North 600 East, Richfield, Utah 84701. Phone 435-896-5489, ext. 5. 1/5,12.19GM Caring couple honored with award Matt and Molly Anderson, from Mt. Pleasant, received the Community Caring Award presented by the Central Utah Counseling Center. The Andersons spend a giant portion of their time running the Towne and the South Towne Theater, yet they seem to always have time to help others. “They have been so good with the kids and have helped out in such a kind and patient way,” said Melba Hill. Each year the award is given to someone in the community who has been accommodating and kind to the clients of the mental health community. |
