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Show Serving Pleasant Grove, Lindon, and Manila i (3 nf w( fl ff itl111 Vol.3 No. 2 1) Thursday, Jan. 8, 1981 20 cents single copy Briefly: r Relieve It or Not Company Requests Rate Drop Turning on the lights may be less pensive in the next few months if "ah Power and Light Company gets llrmission to reduce the rates by 030,000. fThe power company has filed for e rate reduction with Utah's Public rvice Commission and doesn't Jjpect any resistance over the Hquest. 'It's like getting a pat on the back," says American Fork's Customer Service representative Ray Walker. "You don't say too much, but if you get a kick, you yell loudly ' ' Walker explained the reduction is possible only because UP&L pur-chased excess hydro-powe- r from the Northwest and thus avoided an-ticipated fuel cost increases. "Operating conditions were such that we've been able to buy the hydro- - power, and haven't had to purchase coal and other fuels as much as we expected. So our fuel costs have been down," he said. Walker also mentioned that since UP&L was able to get rale increases through the commission without going through public hearings, they could be getting ready for possible escalating costs. "The agreement is with the Public Service Commission that if fuel costs don'l go lo what we anticipated, then we would adjust our rates ac-cordingly. That is what we're doing here." Walker said that the rate change may go past March 1981 - the date set for the requested change to stay in effect. The decrease is expected to amount to 45 cents less a month to the average Utah resident starting in January 1981. "It means a reduction in the rates, until our fuel costs go up," said Walker. "We can largely thank the weather; the mild winter has been a factor but the biggest thing is being able to buy the amount of excess power we've needed," he concluded. State Legislator Plans Meeting A constituents meeting is scheduled for next Thursday, Jan 15 by Rep. Paul Rogers. It will be held at Pleasant Grove Jr. High School, 810 North 100 East, Pleasant Grove at 7:30 p.m. "I really take these meetings seriously," said Rogers, adding that the input he receives from citizens greatly influences his actions as a representative. The purpose of the meeting, said Rogers, is to, "relate some of the more important subjects," facing the legislature and, "gather constructive input," from citizens on subjects ranging from tax policy to public education. "I even call for a vote from time to time," he said. "My votes as a representative are often based on that citizen vote." Council Reviews Property Bonds Ja myriad of problems caused by jceptance of property bonds as mpletion bonds in the cities has used the city council to take a Jcond look at the present ordinance 'id suggest that a new one be drawn -- for consideration. Tuesday's meeting, the council !In withheld an occupancy permit, revenues to date, discussed jssible cost of living increase for employees, approved a business !:y fee schedule, set a bid announced a city employees rty and expressed appreciation to "asatch Bank for service to Senior Uizens. I A recent title search which showed )at land held in a property bond for --mpletion of improvements in a .bdivision apparently did not even jjlong to the developer, has brought 'l a head a decision to look into anging the law. 'Pleasant Grove City Council ambers said that one problem after other over the past several months jth property bonds has led them to ggest that a new ordinance be awn up which would allow only sh bonds over which the city would ,jye control. Councilman Glenn Smith said that Airely too much of the tax payer's Wy and too much time of the until is being used battling oblems related to completion nds. because a developer had not in-cited the improvements in a sub-visio- n, even after being granted an pension of time to do it, council cently decided to sell the property the bond to get the money to finish s improvements. A title search on is property showed that apparently 's developer did not own the operty named in the bond. Since the improvements are not in city cannot grant an occupancy rmit to the family whose home has en completed in the subdivision rich puts the family in a serious id, they stated. City ordinance will not allow an jcupancy permit to be granted when e improvements have not been stalled. rhe city attorney was instructed to aft an ordinance change which mid alter the method of bonding for mpletions. A public hearing will ed to be held before any change can be adopted, it was explained. A review of city revenues to date shows that most estimates are where they should be for the half year, it was reported by City Recorder Mark Johnson. He said that court fines are running under the estimated income and may come up short by a few thousand dollars. It was announced that an audit report will be given Jan. 13 and the review of expenses incurred by the city departments to date will be presented at the next council meeting. In connection with this the council will make a determination after the expenses are reviewed as to whether the city will be able to offer a cost of living increase to full time city em-ployees. The council approved a method of establishing a fair business license fee structure for the city. Fees will be collected based on gross receipts for the past year. Using a graduated fee structure from $30 for businesses with gross receipts of $30,000 or less the schedule will go up to $250 for gross receipts of $750,000 and over. Some businessmen on the council felt the fee schedule should be equal, with a set rate. They claimed that the margin of profit should be considered since inflation, wages, property taxes, etc. take their toll. The council agreed to take another look at the fee schedule in June when the next budget is being considered to see if a better method of licensing can be found. The city employees will be treated to a party on Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. at Mutual Dell, it was announced. The council expressed appreciation to Wasatch Bank for catering a luncheon for Senior Citizens on Dec. 31. The dinner was lovely in every way, it was reported by Coun-cilwoma- n Donna Brock. A bid opening for installation of a drainage ditch pipe on the LaMont Blackhurst property west of State Road 89, will be held Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. Runoff water created by con-struction in Pleasant Grove and Lindon has caused flooding on the property and will need to be contained and diverted to a pasture for the present time, it was noted. Editor's Note: If you're like many people you probably feel a sense of disgust when, after wat-ching a presidential news conference on television, a network commentator proceeds to tell you again what you just heard. That interpretive element has been creeping slowly into the media for years, presumably, because people have neither the time nor the inclination to interpret the news for them-selves. Interpretive reporting is evident in newspapers as well as on television, and it is one reason why the media are often accused of bias and unfair reporting. The interpretations of reporters are often an insult to the intelligence of thoughtful readers who have the ability to organize facts and ascertain meaning on their own. For this reason, the Citizen, Free Press, and Review are introducing a new feature column, "Primary Source," which will present the unedited words of influential speakers and writers on subjects of personal, local or national interest. "Primary Source" will be published as frequently as material merits; suggestions are welcome. So read, ponder - then make up your own mind. Primary Source: William e. Simon U.S. on Road to Bankruptcy consequences of deficits. But we all know what they are. We all know that neither man nor business nor government can spend more than is taken in for very long. If it continues, the result must be bankruptcy. In the case of the federal government, we can print money to pay for our folley for a time. But we will just continue to debase our currency, and then we'll have financial collapse. That is the road we are on today. That is the direction in which the 'humanitarians' are leading us. But there is nothing 'humanitarian' about the. collapse-o- f a great industrial civilization. There is nothing 'humanitarian' about the panic, the chaos, the riots, the starvation, the deaths that will ensue. There is nothing 'humanitarian' about the dic-tatorship that will inevitably take over-a- s terrified mm Former Treasury Secretary William E. Simon is a firm believer in free-mark- economics and a - vocal critic of wasteful and irresponsible govern-ment financial practices. In a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearing April 30, 1976, "Simon made the following statement describing his belief that the present economic path of the United States will lead to loss of liberty for Americans and the eventual collapse of our society. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice at 9 a.m., the Honorable Richard H. Ichord, chairman, presiding. Mr. Ichord: The meeting will come to order. We have balanced the budget only once in the last 16 years. The national debt limit was raised to about $713 billion yesterday on the floor of the House. Interest on the national debt is estimated, for fiscal year 1977, to be in the area of $41 billion a year. We have been exploring the relationship between deficits and inflation, between deficits and jobs, between deficits and housing, between deficits and the stock market, between deficits and interest rates. And I don't think it would be possible to complete such a study without hearing from our distinguished Secretary of the Treasury. May I welcome you to the committee, Mr. Secretary. You are recognized to proceed as you wish. Mr. Simon : Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen. Unfortunately, all the rhetoric about deficits and balanced budgets obscures the real danger that confronts us: the gradual disintegration of our free society. You know, these last three and one-ha- lf years, the years that I've been in Washington - they've been like a bad dream. But it's not a dream. It's reality. This country is in desperate danger. The danger is obscured when we talk about deficits of $40 billion or of $70 billion or about whether we should balance the budget. The real issue is the government's share of the Gross National Product -- - of the earnings of every productive citizen in this land. That is the issue on which we should concentrate. What does it mean for the American dream? What does it mean for our way of life? What does it mean for our free en-terprise system? What is our free enterprise system? Isn't free enterprise related to human freedom, to political and social freedom? Our forefathers understood that. The millions of im-migrants who came to participate in the American dream understood it. When we see this monstrous growth of goverment, we must realize that it is not a matter of narrow economic issues. What is at stake is the fundamental freedom in one of the last, and greatest, democracies in the world. Just look at what has happened in other countries today - whether it be Italy or the United Kingdom or Argentina or Uraguay or Ceylon. Look at what has happened there when the 'humanitarians' try to create 'great societies' by taxing and promising and spending. When the government absorbs the GNP to the levels that we have seen in all of these countries - to the levels we are now seeing in this country - there is a tendency toward social instability, toward minority govern-ment. The very cohesion of civilized society is destroyed. And more than that. Freedom itself must disappear. You asked, Mr. Chairman, about the WILLIAM E.SIMON people cry for leadership. There is nothing 'humanitarian' about the loss of freedom. That is why we must be concerned about the cancerous growth of government and its steady devouring of our citizens' productive energies. That is why we must be concerned about deficits and balancing the budget. The issue is not bookkeeping. It is not accounting. The issue is the liberty of the American people. Forgive me, Mr. Chairman. I have not been ad-dressing your specific questions. I just wanted to put the real issue in focus. I can speak to the technicalities, and I will do so. But they obscure the real issue that faces us in this country today. The problems of deficits, budget balancing, capital markets -- - all these are important. But it is more important, I think, to understand that these are just early warning symptoms of a disease that threatens the very life of our body politic. And if we continue to move down this same path, that diseasi will be irreversible, and our liberty will be lost. I speak of this so insistently because I hear no one discussing this danger. Congress does not discuss it. The press does not discuss it. Look around us - the press isn't even here! The people do not discuss it - they are unaware of it. No coun-terforc- e in America is being mobilized to fight this danger. The battle is being lost, and not a shot is being fired. That, Mr. Chairman, is why for me the last few years in office have been like a bad dream. I am leaving Washington next January. I am going to go home to New Jersey a very frightened man. MX Draft Is Available Citizens who want to read for themselves the controversial Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) recently released by the department of the Air Force, simply need stop by the American Fork Library and read a copy. In compliance with the President's Council on Environmental Quality, the statement is now being forwarded to all government, public and academic reference libraries. The DEIS will be kept in library reference banks, but individuals wishing to read and study the statement may do so freely. In fact, reading and comments are encouraged from the public. Citizens can submit their ideas to Ballistic Missile Office, ATTN: AFRCE-MX-DE-Box EIS; Norton Air Force Base, California 92409. Merchants Name Prize Winners LuAnne Holden was the winner of the color television set which was given in the final drawing of the Christmas promotion held in Pleasant Grove by city merchants. Other winners listed below, should contact Craig Johnson at Christen-sen'- s to claim their prize by Friday, January 9. Delores Rhone, ticket 049865, record and book from RadmaH's Hardware; Betty Eyre, 053455, $10 in remnants from Peterson Interiors; Roger Smith, 049858, Justin ladies handbag from Smith Drug; Jennifer Carter, 049864, $10 gift certificate from Smith Market; Carol Walton, 048767, gift from Ted's Hair Stylist; 034579, $10 gift certificate from Smith Market; John Phelon, 039543, $20 gift certificate from Christensen's; 027698, Sharp calculator from Smith Drug; 005996, $10 gift certificate from Story Pharmacy; Paul Swan, 053411, Jovan fingernail kit from Smith Drug. lospital Needs Donors tor Low Blood Bank Hie Utah Valley Hospital Blood ink has immediate need of blood jnors and encourages healthy in the community to take ne out to make a blood donation, shelley Shepherd, Donor Coor-iato- r at the Blood Bank, said that lile the blood supply is not yet itically low, the situation is serious. "We are especially in need of type O Positive," said Mrs. Shepherd. "This is the most common type and has been in great demand during the holiday season due to the many emergencies." "Many people are out of town during the holiday season and others are simply loo busy lo give." Ambulance Crew Earns Praise Dear Editor: We would like to express our sin-cere thanks to the Pleasant Grove Fire Department and Ambulance crew for their promptness and emergency treatment. They are to be complimented for the manner in which they responded to a call for the fire which we had and the way in which they handled the situation. As citizens of Pleasant Grove we would like to thank you for the many hours you spend in our behalf. We would also like to thank Sherry and Glen Smith for their hospitality in their home after the fire and for all their help to us and for all the others, Wes Walker, Dee and Norma Freeman, and all our neighbors and ward members for their concern and help afterward. Keith and Helen Hatch ' I Newspapers Want Feedback Do you like the changes in the newspaper? The editors would like to get some feedback from our readers so that we can continue to improve. If you have a comment, good or bad, write to the Managing Editor, 59 W. Main, American Fork, 84003. Also, the Citizen, Free Press and Review now accept freelance features on any subjects of broad local interest. Articles should be typewritten, double spaced and be 0 words in length. Single-phot- o features with captions are also ac-ceptable. All articles will be accepted on speculation, and they will be paid for on publication at the regular stringer rate (30 cents per column inch; $4 for 5x7 black and white prints). If you want your article returned, en-close a stamped envelope. Rockathon! A Rockathon will be held Jan. 9th and 10th at the high school. The Pleasant Grove High School band will start rocking Friday evening at 6 p.m. and continue rocking til 6 p.m. Saturday. This is a fun way to raise money for their trip to California Music Festival. We hope you will support members of the band. Police Recover Stolen Cars Pleasant Grove Police report that two of three cars stolen in Pleasant Grove have been recovered in Lindon. It was reported that a 1966 white Chev pickup owned by Orvil Wadley of Pleasant Grove has not been returned. Other vehicles taken and recovered include a 1977 Datsun owned by Steve Turner which was found in Lindon and a Blazer owned by a Pleasant Grove man was also recovered in Lindon. No arrests have been made in the thefts at press time. |