1994_04 Insight April 1994

              Page 4
April 13,1994
Out-of-state
visitors praise
local parks
By Eric Alan
StaffWriter
It's easy to forget, amidst academic and work schedules, that
Fresno is just two hours away
from the Sierra Nevada mountain
range and lhe giant Sequoia Redwoods; go play in the park.
Early April marks the beginning of thc park's busy season,
and me service teams are gearing
■m fnr anruhw nnslaiuzbj of summer tourists, according to Ranger
Joseph Connolly, who has worked
with the park service for 11 years.
Most people through thc park
gates are from oul of state or
visiting from another country, according to Connolly. "It's funny
lhat we're in California's back
yard and so few take advantage.
There arc days when we admit
over 200 cars and only fifty or so
will be local."
Mark and Linda Baker, who
visit the park twice a year with
their 3-year-old son Sammy, are
from Casa Grande, Ariz.
"It's a tradition that started almost 5 years ago when Mark and
I were married," said Linda, "We
start out at the Grand Canyon and
make a loop through LakeTahoe,
Yosemite and Sequoia
"That's what we did on our
honeymoon and now wc take our
little mountain man, Sammy, with
us too," Linda said.
Some cross the Atlantic to sec
thc giant redwoods.
"We're on holiday, you sec,"
said Colin Broady of he and his
friend Richard Machin. "There's
noihing like this in all of England."
"We're bolh accountants, and
this majestic scenery is quite a
wclcctnedchangcfrrxn our dreary
little cubicals at home, isn't it?"
said Broady.
"We have the Pennine Hills in
Manchester, but they're only
about 1,200 feet and thc treelinc
stops at 500. It's the weather, you
sec," said Machin."Il'ssobleak."
Sequoia National Park boasts
of thc earths largest living thing,
the General Sherman tree. 11 stands
275 feci tall, and weighs an estimated 1,385 tons. Thc tree is between 2300 and 2,700 years old,
Randy Maher, who works for
Guest Services Inc., the park
corisessicxiaire.gcts tired of people
asking dumb questions.
See PARKS, Page 11
Credit cards: Sky not the limit
By Cynthea Brooks
StaffWriter
S2.000 on hcr Visa and her interest rate
is 19 percent she will pay approximately $31.67 in interest every month.
>r $380 over a year.
Students often use credit cards as a
quick fix to their money problems.
Michele Armbruster. a senior consumer science major, holds six credit
"If a person doesn't pay after 60
days of notification, we report them to
TRW, a credit reporting bureau," said
Paula Smoot of the Fresno Credit Bu-
"I owe $1,800 and my Visa bill is
still climbing," complained Amy
McBride, a 22-ycar-old senior psychology major.
"I'm not going to stay home while
everyone else is having fun so I just    cards and owes S2.200.
charge it," shc said — and that's the        "I mosdy charge clothes and jew-
problcm. elry.butthisyearlalsochargedmostof   don'l realize thatmany jobs require a
Amy is one of hundreds of college    my Christmas presents." Armbruster    credit history print oul," said Duslin
sludents in debt to credit card compa-    said. Chcnauli of Limited Credit Services.
reau.
Businesses use credit reporting bureaus when checking credit history for
car, house or improvement loans.
"Since students are in school they
don't take their credit serious. They
Chan/INSIGHT
Paula Signorelli, 21, got her first credit card when she was 18
and now has five credit cards and one from her parents.
nics.
Free did
snuirt hollies coffee
mugs, hats and chocolate bars arc used to entice students io apply for
convenient, but sometimes troublesome cards.
Students often gel a
credit card with lhc idea
they will use it for emergencies. ^^^^m
Bul once the card is in
hand ihey find it hard to resist using it
"When I want something and don't
have thc money, I think I'll just charge
it," said Paula Signorelli a 21-year-old
business law major.
Signorelli received her first card at
18.
Shc now owns two Visa cards,
Wcinacck's.Goitschalksand May Co.
credit cards.
It's not hard to get into debt, but
sometimes it is hard lo get out.
Charges arc one thing, interest rales
are another.
Students need to be aware of the
interest rate on their cards.
It is easy to pay the minimum every
month but that money is mosUy going
toward the accurcd interest, not the
principal.
For example, if McBride owes
"I think I'll be able to pay off my
Help is available to those who want
togetout from underdebt
Consumer    Credit
"/ think I'll be able to pay
off my cards in five years.
— Michele Armbruster
downtown Fresno is one
place to go.
Services include educating  people  about
credit, counseling and
debt management
The debt management
^^^m       program consists of culling up all your credit
cards, setting upa budget and allowing
CCCS to disburse your credi l card pay-
ments.
They only charge a fee if card hold-
cards in five years."
Sales people and telemarketers say
its a great way to establish credit, but
card holders need to remember when a
payment is late they will also call to ers go into the debt management pro-
remind ihcy want their money. gram.
When payments are missed, credit Thc fee is 6.5 percent of the total
card companies send, polite letters of amount paid monthly to credit compa-
dclinquency. bul if payment still has nics or $20 a month,
not been sent, the company will give CCCS's goal is to get people to pay
lhc delinquent account to a collection creditcardcornpanics wilhinfouryears.
agency. "If a creditor knows you are getting
Thc agencies telephone and send a help often they will back off," said Sara
series of letters by mail notifying thc Gosset, office manager for CCCS.
customer of delinquency. "Students often get inlo trouble by
If payments arc slill noi received, notminkingaboutwhatihcyjustbought
many times the agencies will report the
card holder to a credit bureau.
Once reported, il will show for seven
years lhat your account is delinquent or
was delinquent.
and if they can afford il," she said.
CCCS suggests students keep track
in a notebook of how much ihcy spend
and whal ihcy have bought with their
card.
'3 Strikes' draws fire, fans flames of criticism
By Kathy Maier
StaffWriter
Many people believe throwing offenders in jail will make thc community safer.
However,Gov. Pcic Wilson reported
April 6 that incarcerating repeat offenders will save lhc country S23 bil-
Phil Romero, lhc governor's chief
economist, determined that the '3
Strikes' bill would cosl society less
than allowing thc criminal io continue
committing crime.
Romero estimated lhai '3 Strikes'
candidates would commit about 20
crimcsaycar.cosungsociciy $140,000
in damages due to theft, lost property.
insurance and oUicr costs annually if
not incarcerated.
Critics say that these estimated num
bcrs arc deceptive because all offend
ers do not act the same.
ButRuth Masters,professor of cnnii
nology who specializes in the corrections, said thc bill is noi going lo solve
the crime problem. Shc said historically, there has always been crime and
people will continue lo commit crime
dcspiie lhc law.
"I think lhat it's going to be ex
tremely expensive to enforce," said
Masters, who views lhc law in a financial and practical manner.
Shc thinks the financial issue of Unlaw should be considered.
"Wc haven't really looked at how
much it will cost us."
Thc cost of incarcerating an average
adult offender in a medium security
prison is bet ween S21,000 to $22,000 a
year. Incarcerated youths cosl about
$10,000 more, while adults with menial or psychiatric problemscosian estimated S40.000 to $45,000a year.
The money represents housing, treatment, schooling and rehabilitation costs.
Ii docs not include trial fees, which
could increase thc bill to S85,000a year
tor an offender who drifts in and oul of
ihc court system.
Shc said shc forsecs a rapid increase
in the prison population by September
i f this bill is enforced. "The prisons arc
way over capacity. I don't know where
we arc going lo put ihcm all."
Shc said there will be more institutionalized violence such as riots and
disturbances as a result of lhc over-
populai^ prisons.
In addition to overcrowding in the
prisons. Masters said the bill will burden lhc corrections department due to
siaffcuibacks.
She also said too much money being
spent on lhc prisons.
"There is more money being put into
prisons and less money put into core
services such as education, recreation,
welfare and jobs."
Thc bill should distinguish between
thc different kinds of felonies such as
violeni or property crimes, she said.
Triccurrcnirchabiliiationsysicm for
criminals is not very effective, shc corn-
men led.
"Wilh limited rehabilitation, criminals come out of the institution no better, sometimes they come out even
worse," shc said.
To improve lhc rehabilitation system, shc said thai more money should
be allocated to programs, services, education, counseling, finding jobs and
vocational training. Another improvement would be to refine lhc screening
process for violent repeat offenders.
"Our screening device is very imprecise," shc said. "There should be a
good screening to determine appropriate punishments."
Shc said prevention is an important
See 3 STRIKES, Page 11
Behind the scene
with Sandy Fries
Former staff writer for Star Trek
the Next Generation
April 14
7:00 p.m. in the Satellite
Student Union
Students Free
$2.00 General
Sponsored by USU Productions
Family Fun Night
Comic/Magician Joe Monti
Opens for Musician/Storyteller James Hersch
Any non-student over 13
yrs. old $1.00
Taking place at the Satellite
Student Union
April 20 -
6 p.m.
Sponsored by USU Productions