Relatively Harmless Death Threats

James L. Davis

My daughter is afraid that I might one day try to kill her.

I discovered this fact while driving her around town to complete her paper route. We deliver her newspapers before she goes to school in the morning and for an hour or so we are together, father and daughter, talking about school and what we would like to do on summer vacation, bonding and enjoying each other’s company. At least that is what I thought we were doing, but that was before I realized that my daughter thought I meant her physical harm.

As we stopped in front of one of the homes she delivers to she had to walk in front of the truck as she took the newspaper to the front door and when she climbed back into the truck she shivered and said “I hate walking in front of the truck.”

I put the truck into gear and continued down the road and almost let her statement float in one ear and out the other, but for one reason or another what she said and how she said it struck me as odd. “You’re afraid I might put the truck in gear, aren’t you?”

She looked at me and grinned and laughed, but the grin seemed a little forced and the laugh a little nervous. “Hee hee haah…nooooo.”

“You do! You think your old dad might just snap and run you over, don’t you?”

“Hee hee, no…well, I worry that one of these days I might push you too far and you’ll like, snap or something.”

“And yet you continue to push.”

“Well, I’m 14, it’s my job.” She took another paper and went to the next house, this time walking behind the truck.

While she delivered the newspaper I considered the fact that it was her job to push me almost to the point of insanity and it was my job to keep her in nervous anticipation that the next push just might be the one to tip me over the edge. So when she walked behind the truck to climb back in, I put the truck in reverse long enough for the backup lights to come on, just to keep her on her toes.

We continued with the rest of her paper route in relative silence. She was smiling because she was driving me crazy, but the trip wasn’t quite over yet and I was smiling because she didn’t know exactly how much longer the trip might be. It felt oddly invigorating to know that my youngest daughter worried that I might snap and run her over one day. It was invigorating because I had long ago assumed that my children no longer found me to be any threat whatsoever.

I assumed that because I had desensitized them to the possibility of me actually doing them any physical harm. I did this by not understanding the basic principal in parenting, which is if you are going to threaten your children with a punishment it has to be something that might actually occur. I have a tendency to exaggerate, so my children do not take me seriously.

While my wife would tell the children that if they did not straighten up their behavior she would ground them, or put them in time out, or assign them additional chores or paddle their behinds, I always found those threats of punishment to be, well, a little too tame for my liking.

So when my children would act out I came up with my own threats of punishment. “If you don’t stop doing that I will lock you in the closet with a rabid gerbil,” was one of my early favorites and I do believe my son actually took me seriously for a moment until he realized I did not own a rabid gerbil. That threat was followed by “One more time and I will feed your fingers to the dog,” or “I am going to mail you to Zimbabwe if you keep this up,” and my absolute personal favorite “That’s it, I’ve heard enough, I am going to cut your head off and put it on a stake in the front yard as a warning to all other children.”

My wife warned me that if I didn’t make my threats of punishment realistic I would lose all credibility with my children and for a while I worried that she might be right. My children started rolling their eyes when I made my threats of punishment, followed by a “Right, Dad,” and my wife of course would not allow me to buy a rabid gerbil, feed my children’s fingers to the dog, mail them to Zimbabwe or even put their head on a stake. Since she would not allow me to do so, I considered my credibility completely shot, just as she had warned.

But now as I watched my daughter cross warily in front of my pickup on her way to deliver her last newspaper, I smiled perhaps a little maniacally as I realized that while my children might say “yeah right” when I told them I was going to trade them in for two trained monkeys and a squirrel, but somewhere in their mind a little voice whispered, “What if he’s serious?”

Balance is a good thing.

Last Summer’s Wildfires Serve as Wake-up Call

Representative Kay McIff

Agriculture
Last summer’s wild fires serve as a wakeup call that we need to address the unchecked buildup of natural fuels not only in the high country, but in the valleys. Six hundred thousand acres of burned land is a sobering statistic. Cheatgrass was a major culprit.

The ever increasing presence of cheatgrass (well-named) has compromised range land and greatly increased fire risk and severity. A bill currently before the legislature would help fund partnering of federal agencies and the agricultural community in a war on cheatgrass and other invasive species.
Education
Everyone seems committed to treat education generously, but the hard numbers remain to be determined. An interim committee was appointed to consider equalizing revenue for capital improvements, but a line appears to have been drawn between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” The latter need more funds to address pressing needs, but the former want to retain what they have. That’s not a good formula for equalization. Some less-affluent districts, particularly in rural Utah, will find it increasingly difficult to replace older school buildings.

Budgets
We have spent a lot of time in committee hearings prioritizing planned expenditures. Our efforts now await anticipated revenue numbers which should be out next week. By the time you read this, we should have a better idea how many dollars will be available. We design to be conservative and responsible while meeting the reasonable needs of our citizens.

Our economy remains strong in spite of national troubles. Utah is generally recognized as the best-managed state in the union. We want to keep it that way.

Thanks for your emails and other input. If I am slow in responding,
please know that the days are quite full. You can reach me on the
internet at kaymciff@utah.gov.

Public Forum

Concerns About Residential
Treatment Center

I would like to express my concerns about the possibility of having a residential treatment center for youth in Ferron. In all of the meetings I have attended regarding this issue the terms “foster care” and “residential treatment center” are interchanged as if they are the same thing. They are not. “Foster care” takes place within a home where a mother, a father, and potentially other children are present, creating a family environment.

The youth who are placed in a foster setting are then given positive role models to learn from and hopefully emulate. I applaud foster parents who are actively trying to make a difference and helping youth.

A “residential treatment center” is a institutionalized business where several troubled youth are placed together under supervision by individuals who’ve passed a background check and are 18 years of age or older. Of course the youth do receive counseling and have other professionals help in managing them but these professionals are not always onsite and available for every crisis when it occurs. There are no credentials required to start a RTC. The business does have to be licensed with the State and have received clearance from the local governing body by receiving a business license. I am concerned with this type of business coming to Ferron because I do not see the benefits to the youth in RTC’s or to the citizens of Ferron.

It was stated the public should have gotten involved earlier instead of waiting until now to oppose. My question is how? We didn’t know about this potential business until we received a letter from Ferron City stating there was a Planning and Zoning meeting on December 13, 2007 and if we had concerns or questions regarding this potential business to attend the meeting. In the letter it stated, “unfortunately the city doesn’t have much information to give you at this time.” As a result several neighbors who received this letter came to the meeting.

The night of the meeting there was not a quorum in planning and zoning so no business could be conducted. But instead of letting this item rest or be tabled on the evening of December 13, 2007, the business application was brought before the city council. It was passed pending recommendation from the planning and zoning with one council member voting against it which was me. Ferron City had not received any written information regarding this business. I asked what is the rush? If the council members are elected by the people and for the people what is the harm in taking time to get educated? When policies and procedures are not followed; feelings of discontentment and frustration arise creating suspicion against local government. Is there a hidden agenda or ulterior motives?

Another concern in Ferron City’s Master Plan was also approved the night of December 13, 2007. This master plan required extensive time and research as well as several individuals input and help. Ferron’s Master Plan does not include this type of business on a highway commercial zone. Why should we change zoning to fit the needs of a few individuals? Why not uphold the laws and ordinances already in place instead of creating variances and conditional use permits?

I am also concerned that Ferron City has no fee structure in place to monitor this type of business. I know the citizens of Ferron have stated several times that Ferron City needs to hire additional full-time help to maintain Ferron City. Is the city going to add additional responsibilities to those who already have more than enough to accomplish? There are also several discrepancies between verbal statements and what is written in the business plan for this business. I would hope that Ferron City Planning and Zoning as well as the Ferron City Council members would take time to become informed and make an educated decision that will benefit everyon in Ferron.

Ferron City is seeking written comments from the public until Feb. 15.

- Melinda Meccariello
Ferron

Get the Facts on Youth Center

In regards to the situation brewing over the proposed youth care facility in Ferron, and the extreme reaction from the uninformed and misinformed public; the proposed facility is intended to house and help at risk youth, not felons, not murderers, or as some have compared “nuclear waste.” These are children who need a little help and a safe place to stay. These children are the same children that are already in our neighborhoods, as foster children in the many foster homes in our community.

The facility that Mrs. Williams is proposing would be a safe and monitored environment, with 24-7 supervision. Studies have shown that the crime rate among foster children is lower than the standard population. In this fear driven world we live in now some people are quick to jump the gun and are convinced by letting a center like this come to the area that Ferron will become some sort of high crime rate area.
If people were to contact Mrs. Williams and actually look at her business plan they would realize the real scope of the project. She doesn’t have government grants to fund this, she has personal loans and personal equity involved in this project. Before you make up your mind on this situation, actually look into the facts, not just what you think you know, or what you have been told. Nothing is worse than an uninformed person spouting off random falsehoods and questioning the integrity of Mrs. Williams and her intentions. What is nobler than trying to help the children of our state?

And if Ferron City feels that this is such a bad idea, then they should not have let it get this far. Mrs. Williams has put the financial future of her family at stake and now because Ferron City changes its mind they put her project on indefinite hold. Ferron City, you need to get on track and make sure your committee’s know how to do their job, not back track on decisions months later.

- James Liin
Price

Facility Meant
to Help Youth

In response to some of the letters published in the newspaper regarding the residential facility I want to open in Ferron, I would like people to know that I am not just someone walking off the street to open this business. I have been in this line of work for several years, with several years of experience, training and education.

I have held a structured foster care license, supportive residential treatment license and currently hold a residential treatment license. I feel I am qualified to decide what type of youth is suitable for a program of this kind. I also have mental health professionals that have and will help make those decisions. This program is not just a place to send youth to be “babysat.” They will be held accountable every second, every minute, they are in the program. They have to complete a five level program to be able to return home, in which they learn a wide variety of skills, such as self-accountability, independent living, behavioral control, social skills, communication, and problem solving, just to mention a few. The youth will need to make choices and be held accountable for them and learn to make the correct choices.

The youth will participate in a daily routine and activities in a family-like setting (not institutionalized), but with more than two parents. I have employees that are highly qualified who will be employed at the facility, so if a crisis does occur we will be there to handle the situation. I have dealt with a very wide variety of different situations and know how to handle them correctly and safely. I know the possible risks and situations that can occur and I have taken this into great consideration. I have never put the community in danger from the few situations that have happened over the years. I have great respect for the community and the citizens that live in the community, I would not put them in harms way.

My planned facility has been compared to another facility in Wayne County a few times and in all fairness the only thing we have in common is the type of license. The facility in Wayne County also holds four residential treatment licenses and one outdoor wilderness license, for a total of 278 females and males they can accept. I am asking for 16 female placements. I have not stated in my business plan that I would take adjudicated youth. Adjudicated youth include all juvenile justice services youth with court involvement, criminally convicted youth and DCFS youth. I stated that I would consider youth from the state as a second choice of placements.

My business plan does not state that I have to have state youth to receive the funding I received. I would suggest that if you’re going to question someone’s honesty or integrity of how they are going to run their business, to have all the facts before making such assumptions.

The funding I have received is not a grant or free money, but a business loan that I took out in my name which has no baring on whether or not I will take state youth placements. Nothing has been hidden, or covered up to push this through. I have provided all the information requested by the city. I have answered every question they have asked. I have offered to answer questions for anyone several times. I have nothing to hide. This is not a scary business or a threat to the community. It is to help our youth become successful adults. If you have questions please ask. I would encourage everyone to write to Ferron City for both concerns and support.

- Charlotte Williams
Orangeville