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FYI Panguitch



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FYI Panguitch is a weekly Insider column written by Panguitch resident Mack Oetting. Insider

If you stayed up till 11:00 p.m. on Christmas, you were treated to a white Christmas. With all of the wind, it looked like a white out. We were treated to three Christmases this year. My family meets each year for a family reunion and to celebrate the season at my nephew’s place in Palm Springs. I have a small family, and it is always great to see them. They come from all over the country. Then, we went down to San Diego for Christmas with Teah. It was a fun time. We went down to the harbor for the light parade of boats. They come in all sizes, and it is a beautiful event. It was cold, and after an hour, we had to leave to get to a place that was warm. And, of course, the third one was home here in Panguitch, where we know what the celebration is all about. We feel so peaceful here, and it is home. I hope you all had a grand Christmas. It is a season for giving and being kind to all.

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve and the city is again hosting their big bash. I don’t know what will be served, but, usually, it follows a theme. There will be games for the kids and plenty of local talent for entertainment. Bingo is a big game with a lot of prizes. Most of the time, the affair ends about 9:00 p.m. For those of you younger in spirit, Becky Henrie will be hosting another party at the Social Hall, where you and your date can dance the night away. Thank you, Becky. Twenty years ago, Pat and I would have been there. Oh, I forgot I don’t know how to dance.

2021 is gone, and for the rest of the country, they are only glad to see the year end. Here in our small town of Panguitch, it couldn’t have been better. With the year under a new president, we were able to go back to church, we had an Easter Egg hunt, and Memorial Day was celebrated. Big turnouts for the Quilt Walk Festival, with long lines, awaited the Lions Club Breakfast. The annual Quilt Walk play was well attended, and the Chocolate Feast had record crowds. The 4th of July was more of the same, with the day finishing with the best fireworks from the firefighters in so. Utah. There were really big crowds for the Balloon Fest, however, the wind that had been blowing for months cut back on some of the flights. This event has been more of a family reunion time, and all went well. Giant crowds came for the 24th celebration and the big parade. The Fair was also well attended, and our final event, the ATV rally. It went really well with record riders—even though they lost one day to rain, but it really kept the dust down. The tourists have started to come back, good crowds if you consider that none of the other countries in the world were allowed to come because of the COVID. Yes, we have had over 760 cases of COVID and 12 deaths in the county. Many of the folks in our county have had the shots, but most of the new cases come from those that have not been inoculated. Panguitch High School brought home a number of more championships. They are closing in on a hundred banners and may reach that goal this next year. Panguitch is a paradise for those of us who are lucky enough to live here.

For the rest of the country, it started off on January 6th with the first invasion of the National Capitol Building since the war of 1812. These traitors were trying to cause a coup by hanging the vice-president because he refused to overturn the election. One hundred and forty two police officers were injured and a number of them have died, all by a party who claims to “Back the Blue.” This riot went on for three hours with much damage done to the building. The leaders of these treasonous groups are now being sued by the city for damages. And things went downhill from there—Hurricanes, mass shootings, tornados, fires in the west, even the burning of many of the Giant Redwoods. A 20 year drought is affecting the West and causing flooding in the East.

Not all was bad; the president set massive vaccine stations around the country that vaccinated from three to four million a day, and over two hundred million have received all of their shots. A bill was passed in April that gave aid to those that were affected by the virus, by extending unemployment insurance. We are back in the Paris Accord on climate change and with WHO, the World Health Organization, and six million jobs were created, and the unemployment rate came down from over 7% to 4.2%. There was a bipartisan vote to pass a 2 trillion infrastructure bill to repair the roads and bridges and airports. This is the first bill for these problems since 1991 under President Bush, and it was for 163 billion. Unfortunately, the GOP is back to being the party of “No.” The only bill that they have passed since 2012 was the tax cut for corporations and the 1%ers. They’re not paying taxes that cost the country ½ trillion dollars a year. However, what they do to not pay taxes are legal, and they spend a lot of money on legislators to write these bills.

The good news came from Elon Musk, who owns Tesla motors. He thought that the wealthy should pay taxes. His wealth is estimated at 250 billion. He has sold some stock in Tesla, and he is paying 13 billion in taxes to set an example. This is by far the most taxes anyone has paid in history. I own a little stock in Tesla, so check out the electric cars. They are the wave of the future.

2022 is here and offers plenty of opportunities to get involved in the community. If you are retired and young enough to become a volunteer, Tammy Barton is going to hold an EMT class. Women make up much of the EMTs. There is great pleasure in helping save someone’s life, or just helping them out. If you are fit enough, talk to Dave Dodds about the Fire Department. I see in my e-mail that they are looking for help with the fair.

For a New Year’s resolution, make one to get your shot to protect your family and loved ones. But most of all, be kind to your neighbors, and pride and hate has no place in Panguitch. Have a great New Year’s!

Mack O.