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Show Tom Hatch Survey Shows Citizens Want Their Share Of State's Surplus Money PANGUITCH As Rep. Tom Hatch (R-Dist 73), released the results of a recent survey of his constituents, it was obvious that their principal concern was taxes, with more responding to the question of what should be done with the surplus than to any other question on the poll. Of the 261 responding, 22 percent said citizens, should be allowed to keep the money, with a three-way tie at 19 percent to (1) use the surplus for transportation, (2) reduce class size and improve education, and (3) prepare for growth. Twelve percent said to use the surplus to increase funding for crime prevention and 8 percent wanted to use the moneys for human services needs. In responding respon-ding to this question, some prioritized, prio-ritized, assigning importance to different possible responses, thus resulting in a larger total number of answers. Seventy percent of Hatch's 129 constituents who completed the survey think its very important for the legislature to limit the growth of state government, with 25 percent calling it somewhat important and 5 percent, not important. impor-tant. Seventy-five percent of the 128 people responding to the question think that the Wilderness bill before Congress which will designate approximately 2 million acres as Wilderness includes too much land; 14 percent said too little land; and 1 1 percent thought it was unimportant unimpor-tant or "about right." Speed on the state's freeways should be 75 mph (47 percent), 65 mph (42 percent), and 70 mph, 6 percent. Five percent of the 134 voting said the speed should be unlimited. On other roads, 51 percent thought the speed should be set at 65 mph, 40 percent at 55 mph, 7 percent at 60 mph, 1 percent at 70 mph and 1 percent thought the speed should not be limited. One hundred nineteen people responded. Eighty-three percent of Hatch's constituents who responded to his survey (127 votes counted) believe that water is Utah's most important resource. Sixteen percent consider it somewhat important and 1 percent, per-cent, said it is not very important. Of the 130 responding, 67 percent support a bounty on coyotes to help improve deer herds, 28 percent said no and 5 percent had no opinion. Getting tough on criminals with more mandatory sentencing will help best to control the steady increase in crime say 35 percent of the 135 people voting on the survey. Twenty five percent thought more family intervention programs would help, 14 percent want to build more jails, 13 percent would fund more rehabilitation programs", and 12 percent would hire more police officers. In the Gunnison area affected by the proposal, 25 people responded, with 60 percent in favor of funding the next phase of construction at the Gunnison prison. Twenty percent per-cent said no and another 20 percent had no opinion. And the 2002 Olympics don't look all that exciting for the 128 people who voted on the survey. Fifty percent said they didn't think the games would be good for all of Utah, while 35 percent thought the opposite and 15 percent didn't care. |