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Show comment Review - Wednesday, Oct. 12, 1988 - Page 2 Now is time to register for Nov. 8 general election Despite a pretty lackluster performance in the recent pri-mary election, Utah voters can be expected to turn out in substantial numbers for the coming presidential election Nov. 8. But while Utah always boasts a high voter turnout, the fact is if you haven't registered, you can't vote. The coming election features a number of factors that will help get the vote out. In the first place, any presidential election generates a lot of interest. True, this yearns presidential campaigns have been lackluster and marked more by slurs than attention to pro-grams and policies. But most voters find one of the major candidates repugnant enough to draw them to the polls, if only to vote against Mr. Dukakis or Mr. Bush. Utah also features a gubernatorial campaign that is attract-ing a lot of attention - due in a large degree to voter dissatisfac-tion with Gov. Bangerter's performance over the past four years. As Candidates Wilson and Bangerter line up on the same side on major issues, we could expect interest in the election to wane. Merrill Cook, however, has spiced up the election by offering a strong contrast to the Republican and Democratic candidates. Many Utah voters are interested in getting rid of the legisla-tors who gave us Utah's largest tax increase in history two years ago again a plus for a large voter turnout. And, speaking of taxes, the three initiatives on this year's ballot are generating as much controversy and emotion as any issue on Utah's ballot in recent history. The tax initiatives and their implications have stirred up voters, both for and against, to such a degree that many people who haven't darkened a voting booth in years may be expected to show up at the polls on Nov. 8. That's why now is the time to register for the election, if you need to do so. You need to register ifyou haven't voted since before the last presidential election, ifyou've moved out of y our previou 1 district since the last time you voted, or if you will turn 18 (' the election and haven't voted before. e'0re Voter registration is simple. It can be done at the County Elections Office (in the new Utah County Build; University Avenue and Center in Provo) by Oct. 18. 'ngn X Also, neighborhood registration agents will take rem tions Nov. 1, 2 and 3 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in their homes addresses oflocal agents will be published in this newspap t ' r he ' last week in October. Voter registration is the first step towards exercising right and obligation to take part in the selection of the pT and policies who will run our nation and state over the nextftj years. v If you're not registered in your current voting district m v sure you do so now, before it is too late. e Then on Nov. 8, don't forget to vote. Are tax initiatives harmful to health? the editor's column By MARC HADDOCK Grumble leaned back in his chair and sipped his Coke through large chunks of ice. He let out a low moan something like an animal that had been caught in a trap for a few hours and was just getting mentally prepared to start gnaw-ing off its leg to get free. What on earth is the matter? I asked. I hadn't seen Grumble so despondent in months. "It's these tax initiatives," he said. "They are going to pass, aren't they." The comment was a state-ment, not a question. Looks like it, I said. The opinion polls say the popularity of the ini-tiatives is waning, but not enough to turn things around before elec-tion day. "But can't people see how the health of our state will be affected if they pass Initiative B. It has me worried to death." Well, that's certainly not healthy. But why do you see this as a health issue? "Haven't read the initiatives. If Initiative B is passed, it will reduce the cigarette tax by 1 1 cents a pack. That can't do anything but encour-age people to smoke. "I just can't figure out why these tax people are so anxious to make it that much easier for people to af-ford those 'coffin nails,' anyway." But you don't understand, Grumble. It's not the cigarettes that have been targeted, it's the taxes. "You say that, but that's not the way it works. If we approve Initia-tive B, all we'll be doing is making every week. Higher gas prices keep people off the roads, and that bene-fits everyone, doesn't it? "Not only that, but fewer people driving cars means less air pollu-tion. Anything we can do to delay the consequences of the green-house effect will benefit mankind. "When you think about how unhealthy all these changes will be, you just can't help but wonder if we should be increasing taxes on cigarettes and gas, instead of roll-ing them back to when we were driving and smoking too much, nonchalantly flippingour ashes out the window as we rolled down the highway. "Besides, doesn't it seem odd that the decrease on the gas tax will take away the funds to repair roads while encouraging more of us to spend our free time joy riding?" I could see Grumble was out of control, so I tried to slow him down a little bit. But it isn't just cigarette and gas tax, I protested, Initiative B will also reduce sales tax and income tax. The theory is that if people have more money to spend, it will spark our economy and improve things all around -- - increasing tax revenues because of an improved business climate. "Well, that's unhealthy, too," Grumble raved. "We already spend ; too much money in this state on ' candy and soda pop -- - highest per ' capita expenditure in the world and the universe, if I remember right. Why do we want to give people more money to buy things that are clearly unhealthy?" He took another sip of his Coke. "As for income tax, we already have too high a standard of living in this country. It makes us greedy and soft and lazy. "The way I see it, that tax in-crease two years ago was a bless-ing. It helped us realize that we are better off with fewer material pos-sessions" When did you become such a minimalist? I asked. As far as I remembered, Grumble had always been pretty satisfied with all his stuff. "Since 1987 just like the rest of Utah. About that time I gave up smoking, sold my car and got rid of all my property because I couldn't afford any of those things anymore. But I'm used to it now. The way I see it, the tax initia-tives are a step back to a more selfish time. We experience per-sonal growth in adversity so the tax initiatives are anti-person- al growth, the way I see it. "Besides, if they roll back those taxes now, there won't be anything in it for me." Well, that seems like a pretty selfish reason to oppose cutting our taxes, I said. "Maybe, but after all, selfish-ness is a good part of what these tax initiatives are all about." And without giving me a chance to talk back, Grumble putrhis empty glass on the counter and headed out the door to begin the long walk to the refrigerator box he now calls home. it easier for people to get a smoke. That starts a vicious circle. Older people will smoke more. More younger kids will start be-cause cigarettes will be cheaper. "And it affects us all, since we have to breathe the air that smok-ers pollute." But Grumble, I said, people don't go in for that kind of activity any more. We are smoking less and enjoying health more. "Just because it's cheaper than tobacco. But mark my word, if they lower the price, they will increase the use." That's a pretty narrow view-point. And besides, they aren't just lowering the cigarette tax. Gas will cost 5 cents-a-gallo- n less as well. Won't that be nice? "Absolutely not. You think driv-ing is so healthy? Look at how many people get killed on the highways 1 j People, Politics & Policy Believe, conceive, achieve I By E. MARK BEZZANT Those who have lived any length of time in Pleasant Grove know well the Fugal name. Everywhere you go in the community you run into someone who either is a Fugal, married a Fugal, or is related in some way to a Fugal. They are lovely people. They are stalwarts in the community. They are a humble modest people. John Paul Fugal is no exception. John Paul Fugal married his sweetheart from Hooper, Utah on June8, 1949. They were introduced at BYU by Miss America Colleen Hutchings. This coming June they will have been married 40 years. Prior to joining the BYU faculty in 1967, John taught seminary here in Pleasant Grove. His ability to teach the gospel and care for the young people went beyond the commonplace. His gentle manner made many feel a sense of love and warmth. It was not uncommon to see his wife substitute teach for absent brethren. Elma was herself a graduate of BYU and had a solid understanding of the teachings of the LDS church as well as a keen sense of humor. . ' John got into the seminary busi-ness as a result of the address he delivered upon returning home from his mission in California. Brother Smith was impressed with the returningmissionary and John got a job teaching seminary part time. John and Elma's life cannot be measured by years spent in the mission field, from which they just returned. The entirety of their lives has been a mission. The young people they have touched for the good must reach into the thou-sands. Their home has been a ref-uge for many a soul needing a lis-tening ear, a good meal, a helping hand or just a few moments rest. Their home, once owned by Boyd K. Packer, has in a way been a refuge, a place of learning and a home for six children, three boys and three girls. All of them have graduated from BYU. These chil-dren have been led by example. John and Elma had their values in just the right place. They have spent their lives, thus far, on things that will outlast it. John suffered a heart attack in 1961. At there the tjr was serious concern for continued good health. AW his work for the LDS seraia c system he ran a good sized fan,' Much to our community's benefit John has prospered andforftaU, T have all been ennobled and e. t riched. Maybe a little plaque on the! front door sums it up best. "Mine; :j the sort of place where friendsfe like they can drop in any time' John and Elma, thank you foul :e the great good you have done ar.d i will continue to do. . Ifyouhavenotheardyouneedtt ': be watching for news about BE! I Gillman from Lindon. This yoanE si man is doing some greatthingsjf a was just made the chairman of i s group of businessmen and educi- a tors who advise Utah Valley Con. a munity College. Bill says John a Gourley was a great influence ffl him. J Parents might be interestedina i few thoughts from Jesse Jackson! a know Jessecouldn'tgetelecteddtj f catcher in Pleasant Grove but Is lin some interesting thoughts on th cation. "Parents you must keep st your children at home every ni$ w from7to9tostudyandgetthemli I bed by 10 . . . Every morningforaii m half hour we will close offonebW w in every neighborhood for exer- it cise." m Jessehashis audiences ofyoung iikl people repeat these words: 'I at I somebody. I am somebody. II) i)st mind is a pearl. I can learn any- tro thing." He tells them, 'If youcn conceive it, ifyou can believe it, y; can achieve it." To parents he saj; I "Parents have something m all fundamental to offer: motivate a love, care, discipline, and so asf times chastisement. Chilte Si must be taught that they have i ji. responsibility to learn . " Jei" says we should put hoperhpp children's brains not dope in tte :or veins. He also has some wordsfe p the media, ". . . We wantthebfc oriented media to find ways publicly reward achievers, m want the black disc jockeys, c reach more black kids than r school principals, to inform as well as entertain. Kip , on Jesse and keep hope-alive- , Big celebration follows big win By MARCELLA WALKER p.g. blab - You'd have thought Pleasant Grove High School had just won the state championship by the wild celebration that followed our foot-ball team's win over undefeated and first-ranke- d Provo last Friday night in Provo. The game had been a defensive struggle from beginning to end. Pleasant Grove was first to score and to the many cheering fans in attendance, it was just the prelude of things to come. However, that first score did not come until there was only about five minutes left in the third quar-ter. Up until then, Provo would make a little yardage and then Pleasant Grove would make a little yardage and it just went back and forth like that for the entire first half and beginning of the second half. J ust as it looked like one team or the other was going to score, some-thing would happen, such as a fumble or interception or fourth down and long yardage. The elated PGHS fans were a little bit subdued after Provo tied the score at 7-- 7 but the Vikings dug in and played good defense for the last seven minutes of the game. Just when everybody figured the game would be going into over-time, and memories of that seven overtime game with Provo a few years ago were strong, Marc San-derson intercepted a Provo pass and ran it down to the 11 yard line. The Vikes called two plays in the huddle and the seconds were tick-ing by as they scrambled to get the two plays off before time ran out. A disheartened bunch of PG fans looked to the :00 on the score-board after the second play and overtime was looming pretty big. of the buses and and students waved and cheered and the bus drivers were having the time of their lives. The team bus rocked with very tired but joyous players who sat in their gray with smiles on their faces and continually gave high fives to each other. When the buses and car caravan following them reached Pleasant Grove, the bus drivers took a spin down Main Street with the horns going full tilt. We arrived at the top of the high school drag strip and a huge crowd of students and some parents, like us, roared a welcome home to the team who had their own special celebration and then headed for the locker room. Someone said it was too bad that a post-gam- e dance had not been scheduled so that the students and team could really savor the win and enjoy some time together. The students probably cele-brated anyway by meeting at some of the eating establishments in the area. It was absolutely one of the most exciting games I have ever seen in my life. I was keyed up as high as the teenagers and I loved every minute of it. It brought back rich memories of my own high school days at Ogden High School and our trips to so many fun football games including the state playoffs. Our football coach was Chris Apostol. His son Kip now lives in Lindon with his family. Those were the days of the Little Brown Jug Games, the snake dances down Washington Blvd. following a vic-tory, Chinese noodles at Kay's Noodle Parlor and all kinds of good fun. Yes, for a couple of hours on Friday night, I certainly felt like a teenager once again, and it was nice. But it pooped me out. All that jumping around and hollering is much harder on the body now than it was then. Even though I am not a graduate of Pleasant Grove High School, my husband is. And I am as devoted a fan as if I had been one, though. The entire community should , come on out and watch our Vikings play ball. Now that they have lights for night games it is more conven-ient for everyone to be able to come and it is lots of fun. Just to prove to you how much fun it is, the Pleasant Grove Booster Club is asking everyone in the whole town to come to the foot-ball game in Viking Stadium on Oct. 20 when the team will be play-ing Timpview. The Booster Club would like to establish a record for attendance at a Region Eight regular home foot-ball game. They'd like to have at least 2,000 people to the game. The Boosters will sponsor a barbecue from 5 p.m. tO 7 p.m. in Battlecreek Park prior to the game. The menu will include hamburgers with all the fixins, salads, brown-ies, drinks, etc. They will pay tribute to a long-standing Viking fan during the game. The band will be on hand to provide cheering music, along with the cheerleaders, drill team, mas-cot, etc. Don't miss this opportunity to establish an attendance record and enjoy a great game at the same time. Ill see you there on Oct. 20. In the meantime, don't miss the non-leagu- e game tonight, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the stadium as the team plays Pineview. But then, the referee ordered another second put back on the clock because PG had called time out before the time expired. I don't think anyone in the stands even breathed as Jeff S wen-so- n booted that ball towards the goalposts and then as it sailed through the uprights, there was the loudest cheeringyou haveevery heard. Time was definitely expired then and a dejected Provo team shook hands with our players and walked from the field. It is just as well, there was no room left for them on the field anyway. All the rest of the PG team, all the fans, all the cheerleaders, eve-ryone, was out on that field holler-ing and screaming and passers-b- y probably thought we had just won the state championship. The coaches and heroes of the game were hefted up onto shoul-ders for a parade around the field, fans hugged and jumped up and down and age was no detriment. My throat was hoarse from cheering and I know everyone else's was also. After a long time, we went out to the car and the school buses from PG were sounding their horns, students with cars were leaning heavily on their horns, and so did we. The windows were down in some j , ; , ,;: V & , , ; k , s" 1 - x s I'-'- - : 1 " ( : I; I f ' 1 I - x x y. Debbie Hansen races to a fourth place finish in City Marathon. She was one of about 3 1 ,000 run of them women. ' .A. 8 : Senior Citizens' centers may reduce hours if initiatives pass The aging services advisory council of the Mountainland Association of Governments on Thursday decided that if the tax reduction iniatives are passed by the voters in November, the senior citizen centers in Utah County will have to be closed one day each week to accomodate the loss in revenue. The advisory council acuun followed its examination of a Slate Department of Social Services assessment of the impact of the tax initiatives. The assessment in-dicated a loss of approximately $:i0,000 to the Mountainland counties in funds granted by the Division of Aging, and another approximately $6,500 in prevention funds originating with the Division of Substance Abuse Prevention. Over $10,000 used to support the foster grandparent program and the retired senior volunteer program would also be eliminated from the council's budget, according to the state report. Council members were divided at first on how they should meet the reduced tax revenues. After ex-tensive debate, however, Charles J. Dearing of the foster grandparent program made the motion to plan on closing the centers one day each week for a savings of ap-proximately $40,000 per year. The motion was seconded by La Rue Jarvis, director of the Santaquin senior citizens center, and the motion passed by unanimous vote of the members present. |