May 8, 1975 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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The banks are getting smarter.
Several years ago when the management of Lockheed ran
the business into the swamp, a clutch of banks was left
holding a $250 million bag.
Tile moneylenders took their problem to Richard Nixon
and the Congress of the United States. These representatives
of the people arranged a $250 million loan to Lockheed
which saved both the banks and the mismanaged corporation
from their own bad judgment.
But the Lockheed welfare bill barely passed, which
caused much sweat on the brows of the bankers and their
kept officeholders. Thanks to a 1974 amendment to the
Public Works and Economic Development Act, the banks
need do no more after-the-fact sweating. They may now loan
money to mismanaged companies with a government
guarantee provided in advance.
A news release from Senator Warren G. Magnuson reveals
that Todd Shipyard Corporation, "which runs a shipyard in
Seattle." will receive a government-guaranteed $22.5 million
working capital loan that will enable it to "continue in
operation arid save the jobs of 10,000 workers."
The Senator is telling you that he has just saved 10,000
jobs.
"[he five-year loan to Todd is being made by a
consortium of 13 banks headed by Chase Manhattan Bank of
New York." Magnuson said. "The loan will be at a rate of
three percent over the New York prime and will be secured
by substantial Todd assets.
In non-l flitician talk, "substantial Todd assets" means
no assets on which banks will loan money.
"A series of unfortunate, unpredictable and
uncontrollable events converged in late 1973 and early 1974
to cause Todd Shipyards unprecedented problems and a
serious drain in its working capital," Magnuson continued•
'"lhe embargo by oil exporting nations, combined with the
accelerating costs of construction, had an adverse financial
effect upon Todd's cash flow."
Translation: Todd Shipyards can't compete in today's
marketplace.
What Senator Magnuson's news release reveals is that
your government has arranged for 13 banks to divvy up a
high interest rate on a no-risk $22.5 million loan with a
failing business as middleman.
This is Senator Magnuson's idea of a dandy way to save
jobs and is one more reason why he and his colleagues are
now working on a $70-billion budget deficit.
It's another rip-off of the first magnusonitude.
Dermis Kelley of Shelton thinks a raise in the sales tax
would be the most equitable solution to the problem of
financing the schools. "When kids buy candy and soft drinks
they will pay the sales tax, thus assuming their share of the
cost of their education," he says. "What could be fairer?"
With tongue planted not half as far in cheek as Kelley's,
we suggest a similar proposition: a tax on hot air so that
legislators can agsume their fair share of the cost of their
protracted stay in Olympia at $55,000 per day. What could
be fairer?
~~~~~i~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~m~~~~~~~~~~~~~~m~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~l
Mack McGinnis'
~u~H~i~H~~u~H~~~
My wife says she knows how to move all those unsold cars. Have a
garage sale.
(Herin Albright in Chicago Tribune)
A man wrote the Wall Street Journal: "My wife tells me the definition
of a true gentleman is one who knows how to play the bagpipe, but
doesn't."
(Herin Albright in Perry Township Weekly)
It seems the big idea is to take all the lead out of the gasoline and
replace it with taxes.
(Clyde Moore in Columbus Dispatch)
From Harriet Shull: "Congressmen do not spend money like drunken
sailors. Saiims spend their own money."
(Bob Goddard in St. Louis Globe Democrat)
Leo Aikman of the Atlanta Constitution says a farmer was trying to sell
a coon dog. The dog started out hot on the trail, barking constantly in
his excitement. Then came a sudden silence from the dog. The
prospective buyer almost lost interest. But moments later the dog
started barking again. "He was just going through some posted land,"
the farmer-owner explained.
(Troy Gordon in Tulsa World)
Ed Seguin heard someone say that inflation has us behind the iO-ball.
(Robert J. Herguth in Chicago Daily News)
Mailing Address: Box 430, Shelton, Wa. 98584
Phone 426-44 12
Published at 227 West Cota Street, 5helton Mason County,
Washington 98584, weekly.
Second-class postage paid at Shelton, Washington.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $6.00 per year in Mason County,
in advance -Outside Mason County $7.50
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER ...................... Henry G. Gay
Page 4 - Shetton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, May 8, 1975
..... •
moneuverlnq
envlronmel
By ROBERT C. CUMMINGS
Two measures modifying
e xisting environmental-related
legislation made progress through
the Legislature this week. If
enacted into law, they could
throw sizeable monkey wrenches
into the machinery to repeal two
existing laws.
A bill to modify the shoreline
management act, SubSB 2734,
was reported out of the Senate
State Government Committee on
a "do pass" recommendation with
only one dissenting vote.
..... Sidetracking Derailed
An attempt to sidetrack it by
referring it to the Senate Ecology
Committee failed when the
motion could muster only 17
votes in its favor. Meanwhile the
House passed SubHB 1078 to
modify the forest practices act.
The Senate previously had passed
a bill repealing the entire act, but
an attempt to amend the House
bill to do the same thing was
beaten down by an overwhelming
margin.
Negotiations between House
Natural Resources Committee
chairman John Martinis, Everett,
and his Senate counterpart,
Lowell Peterson, Concrete, are
expected to result in enactment
of a modification measure similar
to that passed by the House.
Initiatives to repeal both the
shorelines management and forest
practices act are now on file with
the Secretary of State, but efforts
to put them on the ballot could
be seriously frustrated by
enactment of the two bills to
modify the acts.
Water On The Shelf
Governor Dan Evans' bill to
limit water rights permits to 50
years for users of large volumes of
water, and to impose fees for the
permits, has been put on the shelf
until January. With Governor
Evans' consent, the issue will be
studied by legislative committees
during the interim.
But also during the interim, a
moratorium will be declared on
permits for water rights involving
2,000 or more gallons. The
Department of Ecology already
had been withholding action on
applications for permits involving
in excess of 5,000 gallons.
Some 20 applications now
pending will be affected by the
moratorium, which is being
imposed by joint resolution of the
House and Senate.
Breathing Time For Aerosol
Consumerites and ecologists
who seek to ban the use of
aerosol products will have to wait
a little longer. There is a bill in
the House Commerce Committee,
HB 1055, which would prohibit
the sale or manufacture~ of any
aerosol spray-type product in this
state after January l, 1977.
It is sponsored by Georgette
Valle, Seattle; Donn Charnley,
Seattle; Edward P. Smith,
Aberdeen; John R. Hawkins,
Tacoma; Pat Cochrane, Richland;
William J. S. May, Spokane;
Marion Kyle Sherman, Maple
Valley; Charles Moon,
Snohomish; Charles D. Kilbury,
Pasco; and John Eng, Seattle.
But the measure is being held
in committee in favor of another
bill, HB 1081, sponsored by
Edward T. Luders, Spokane, and
Charnley, which is in the House
Ecology Committee. It would
create a special task force within
the Department of Ecology to
compile and analyze data on
aerosols and, their chemical
propellants, and monitor their
effects on the e~nvironment,
public health and welfare.
The task force would be
directed to present an interim
report and recommendations to
the Governor and the Legislature
by January 10, 1977.
Austerity For The Arts
The uncertain-state of the
economy appears to be spelling
austerity for the State Arts
Commission. Governor Evans had
requested a budget of more than
$2.35 million for the Arts
Commission, of which more than
$1.5 million would be state
Editor, The Journal:
The Pioneer School levy has
been an issue of much concern,
debate and misunderstanding.
We are active citizens who
love our community and our
school and who were somewhat
skeptical about theneed for a
special levy at Pioneer, so we
attended the meetings in which
the budget was carefully
scrutinized for possible cutbacks.
The committee made considerable
reductions in the budget and the
Editor, The Journal:
As a teacher for District 309,
1 feel professionally obligated to
take exception to the comment in
your letter column in your May 1
issue that teachers do not provide
proper instruction on
assignments. I say the help is
there.
Many teachers do provide
time for youngsters to ask
questions in class, and many of us
Editor, The Journal:
Regarding the letter: "Fund
Gets Low and Here Comes the
Narcs," we would certainly like
the people of Sheiton to know
that the J. Westlund who wrote
that article WAS NOT Jerry
Westlund; it was written by Jay
Westlund. We've had a lot of
comments concerning that article
given to us. They should be going
to her: We by no means want to
be associated with this article.
Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Westlund
Shelton
Editor, The Journal:
1 would like to inake it clear
that J Westlund, authoress of last
week's anti-hare letter, is not to
be confused with Jerry Westlund,
who is a different person with
different thoughts.
J Westlund
Shelton
welcome questions which
students have in that part of the
"period which we set aside for
study. Sometimes, however, a
young person will fail to take
advantage of this provided time,
will not have needed materials,
and, therefore, not get launched
into the work until class is over.
He will therefore lose the time
when he could be taking his
problems to us.
The school law is also very
definite in stating that teachers
should be available in their
classrooms half an hour before
school starts and half an hour
after it ends, Fridays excepted. If
a student really has a problem,
what better time could he come
in than in the morning when the
mind is alert and able to better
cope with problems from the day
before?
If a parent is really concerned
about a son or daughter's
problems, a conference can be
slated at any time. It is as close as
your telephone! Regular
conference days are slated in
November, and many fruitful
discussions have occurred during
these days. Strangely, we do not
see everyone we wish, but the
days still are worthwhile.
We teachers are also required
to set up goals; we say, for
example, that we expect 70% of
our students to learn at least 7
out of 10 parts of speech, long
division problems or do 20
sit-ups. 'If we do not reach that
goal, 'we reteach. We teachers
learn a lot about ourselves and
our methods this way, too. How
can we not do our jobs?
Dell Abelein
Shelton
Editor, The Journal:
In Pioneer School District 402
a second special levy election is to
be held on May 20 for a surrbof
money that has not as yet been
officially announced by the
school officials, but which is
believed will be about $96,000.
Thanks to the efforts of a
Citizens Advisory Group which
outlined reductions totaling
$29,435 in expenditures, this levy
is less than that proposed the first
time. One might think acceptance
by the school officials of these
reductions was a real concession.
However, they had set the
advisory group to work on
expenditures which totaled 27%
higher than this year's expenses.
After much labor the total was
reduced to a figure which is still
higher by 16% than this year's
expenditures.
There was no effort by the
school officials nor by the
advisory group to build a budget
on" the revenues which will be
available to the district. Their
own estimates indicate that their
revennes next year will be only
about 6% lower than the revenues
they estimate for this year. Many
of us feel that the quality of
education at Pioneer School
money from the general fund.
This compares with a budget
of $1.1.4 million for the present
biennium, which includes only
$343,570 in state money.
The Senate Ways and Means
Committee is cutting the
proposed budget substantially
closer to that for the present
biennium, as far as state money is
concerned.
As for the commission's
proposed capital budget, it calls
for an appropriation totaling $10
million in two equal portions of
$5 million to be expended in each
year of the biennium.
would not suffer at all if the
school officials were to bring
expenditures into line with
revenues.
Then if the Shelton School
levy proposals pass, Pioneer
School's payment to Shelton for
its junior and senior high school
students would- increase by a
known amount. There would be
taxpayer support for a special
lev~ fcr a real need
y was the
election scheduled
Shelton's rather
there another
here? l say let's
control once
voting no on the
special levy.
R0ULe
Editor, The Journal:
Why is Pioneer faced with a levy? Because of the
equalization law, Pioneer lost approximately
previously received. Even before that, Pioneer was
per-pupil support was just at the statewide average. But
Pioneer to operate without a levy.
The Pioneer School levy committee did make
budget in three meetings open to everyone. Every
was scrutinized rigorously! The adjusted budget for
(75/76) is less than it is for this school year (74/75).
how deeply the programs at Pioneer were cut by the levY~
TABLE I
Budgeted Expenditures ............................
Anticipated Revenue .........................
Total Projected Deficit*l ........................... '!
Levy Committee Cuts:
Title I & Office Aides ...................... '" "~
Sweeper, P.E., Tests ...........................
Heat System .................................
V2 Music & Band*2 ............................
All After School Sports*3 ......................
TOTAL BUDGET CUTS ............ .............
Maximum Projected Deficit ($86,473-29,435) =
Shelton Levy Contingency ..................... ""
Minimum Projected Deficit ........................ '!
Required Levy- "1, *5
a - $1.60/$1000 Assessed Evaluation ($96,000)
b - $0.90/$1000 Assessed Evaluation ($54,000)
"1 - Includes a $13,000 cash balance which ~he
to as a minimum amount to cover unforeseen expenseS.
*2 - These are shared teachers through the Intermedi
and they volunteered to cut their time and salaries in
*3 - All after-school sports were eliminated,
championship football team and undefeated bas
*4 - The Shelton Contingency is included in ant
passing a levy. If they do, Pioneer, as a non-high
additional payment for our junior and high sc
Pioneer School Board has promised that if the
whole or in part), they will certify to the
Monday in October, 1975, the lesser amount,
$32,038 ($0.90/$1000) should no levy pass in S
this, by law!
*5 - Because the school year and tax year are six
Pioneer must ask for an amount which will fu
$57,038 or $32,038 level, whichever is needed. : .. ~"'~
TABLE II ~'
Comparison of 1974/75 vs. ]975/76 Pioneer
."~
Reduced Budget Expenditures ..................
Less Shelton Levy Contingency ...................
Less Shelton High Requirement ................... ,
Equivalent 1975/76 Budget ....................
Compared to 1974/75 Budget ......
............ ,, .,!
NET BUDGET DECREASE .....................
levy amount and only after some
very thorough explanations at
public meetings of several
questionable items did we realize
how essential it is to support the
second levy.
The extent of changes
brought about by the equalization
formula and other factors became
increasingly clear and we realized
that the only way to keep our
school and pay least taxes is to
support the levy.
We urge our fellow voters in
the district to really study the
facts, comparing costs and
alternatives, and vote yes May 20
to maintain our school. A yes
vote will benefit all of us.
Saadra Yeager
Codg Brooks
Alice Raymond
Edwin Montoya
Ann Nelson
Carmen Yates
Boyd O. Yeager
The Pioneer budget went up because of the new
that payments to Shelton for high and junior high
come out of our budget. Formerly these were
shown as income or outgo. Had' this been
school budget, it would have been about $272,400,
$257,400 quoted in an earlier letter to the Journal.
Apart from this change, over which we
is lower despite 12% inflation over the past year.
gasoline, heating oil and food affect schools as
individual households. Teacher raises are not large:
same range as Social Security increases (8-12%)-
below the rate of inflation.
Do we really want to close or emasculate the
school in the state and consolidate with Shelton? Do
lose local control of Pioneer and a vital focus for
Is $0.90 to $1.60/$1000 of assessed valuation
once so we can hold out until the massive levy
elsewhere force the "marble zoo" (to quote
adequately fund the educational needs of our
levies? Do we want to run the risk of paying a
we fail, be forced to consolidate, and Shelton
levies? Do we really want our children, especially
and Agate, to spend more hours per day on scla
already do? 1 don't!
Our budget isn't fat, it is lean! We are asking
previous levy. If we fail, we forfeit a tremendoUS
Please consider!
Editor, The Journal:
In reply to the negative letter
which appeared April 24 from
Mrs. Bunnell I would say, let us
all concentrate our efforts on the
real culprits responsible for the
financial dilemma we find
ourselves in, the do-nothing
legislators whom we re-elect over
and over!
They have stated they are
unable (unwilling) to take speedy
action on this "sudden" crisis.
(This is indeed something new to
school finance. The M&O levy has
only been a problem for 15 or 20
years.)
Let us all concentrate on
positive action to help our kids
now.
1 will vote yes tO our children,
our future now.
I will work hard on the
problems which are causing this
crisis statewide, but in the
meantime, please don't make the
children pay the price for our lack
of action in the past.
Join those of us who believe
in positive action! Vote yes.
All levy committee meetings
are open to the public. We cannot
issue invitations to each person in
the district, but we do want very
much for you to come. Please
come, Monday, 8 p.m. We
welcome all your suggestions and
are glad to hear anything you
have to say. Please don't allow
yourself to be influenced to vote
against our future by what has
happened in the past, but rather
look forward to the future our
children can have with a high
quality education. Let's show the
kids we really care about them.
The only vote we can afford is
yes!
Join us in positive action ....
vote yes, then let's all work like
the holy bejebers to eliminate the
need and expense for making this
an annual event. Please urge your
relatives and friends everywhere
to~.~vrite their legislators. If our
representatives won't represent
us, then don't vote for them
again. Carla Meacham
Rt. 2, Shelton
P.S. - I~ ~
Bunnell's clUeS
can't just cut
$4,000 from
answer is we.
expenditureS
approxirnat
Shelton. The
amount. It
contributiOn"
within last ye~
we would h"
not $4,000.
do it if all
would take a
then theY W
food stamps
of them as is
employee
I
solutioll
problemS.
employee
recently
about
to bring
somewhere