Page A6 The Salt LakeTribune OPINION SATURDAY,JULY 3, 1999 OUR VIEW The Salt Lake Tribune’s Editorial Position Sacred Law in Schools ‘The U.S. House of Representatives, havingfailed to pass gun-control legis- lation in the wake of the Columbine High Schooltragedy, adopted a politically desperate and ultimately flawed fall-back position. The lawmakers decided it would be a goodidea to allow public schools to post the Ten Commandments. This bad idea on several grounds. First, such a posting would be uncon- stitutional. Second, it would touch off another ugly political, ideological and legal battle in the schools, creating a newskirmish in the culture wars rather than providing solutions for school violence. Third, it wouldhavelittle practi- cal effect on the morals and behaviorof students, since most probably would ignore postings of the Ten Commandments. Theconstitutional problem with displaying the Ten Commandments in the public schools hat it places government in the position of endorsing particularreligions inviolation of the First Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court has held, correctly, that government . must remain strictly neutral inreligious matters. The Ten Commandmentsaresacred text of the Jewish andChristian faiths. While they embody nearly universal values — honoring parents and prohib- iting killing, adultery, stealing, false witness and covetousness they also commandpurely religious duties for believer's: worshipping the Lord God alone, prohibiting idolatry and using the Lord’s namein vain, observing the Sabbath. While it is possible to defend some of the commandments on purely secular grounds as teaching universal moralprinciples, it is impossible to defend othersin that way. It might be argued thatstrict constitutional neutrality could be maintained if the schools posted a variety of reli- gious codes. For instance, why not display the moral tenets ofall the world’s great religions Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism? Andthrowin the GoldenRule (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you) for good measure. But it would be practically impossible to include examplesfromall of the world’s religions, and the inclusion of somefaiths would undoubtedly cause objections by adherentsof others. Consider how conservative Christians would reactif holy texts from paganism were posted on schoolwalls. Besides,it is doubtful that such postings would contribute much to the moral training of students. Once the dust cleared from the controversy that would inevitably accompany the displays, they would become just another routine part of school wall decor. The most important moral influence on childrenis the daily exampleof their parents. Congress cannot make up for plays of sacred texts on school walls, and it is silly to try. TV as Baby-Sitter Contrary to much common belief, the televisionset is not a baby-sitter. The horror that can result from depending upon the remote control and theidiot box to entertain children while parents do other things came to light recently when a 7-year-old Texas boy tried out a wrestling move he learned from TV on his r-old brother, it necessary to clear up Dean Thornton's misunderstandings about our educators (Forum, June23). Theinjury from the “clothesline” or “lariat” move tried by the older brother the deathanaccident caused by trauma pital personnel originally thought the blow ca t timea child has beenkilled as the result of trying out something youngsters saw onprofes- sional wrestling; sadly it probably will While the medical examiner ruled to the head, police are troubled by the death. “You've got to monitor what your kids see on TV,” said a Dallas police detective. “ Parents are responsible for whattheir kids are seeing on TVwhenit comesright down toit.” Here,here. Cc Where to Write As a Utahpublic schoolteacher,I feel frustrating and challenging. They interrupt; they demandattention and they test patience. But those are parts of the whole ofbeing a parent. And goodparents know that when children arrivein a family, theycut into timethat previ- ously belonged to a husbandand wife alone. on the youngerwassoserious that hos Letters from The Tribune’s readers Teacher’s Work not be thelast Children are time-consuming and causing a severe head injury that killed the younger boy THE PUBLIC FORUM deficiencies in that example with dis- First, “lesson planning” is not frivolous time given to teachers. Since most teachers do not teach the same lessons yearafter year this time is used to prepare newlessons that keep up with new teaching ideas, grade papers, communicate with parents, improve on teaching @ When submittingletters to the electedofficials to run for twooffices at once, or wasit just in Orrin Hatch’s best interest? Utah voters overwhelmingly re-elect Hatch to the Senate every six years, and in 2000 they may get the chanceto vote for him for president. Heis a long shot for president but Utah voters have contributed enough to telephone numbers. Information other than your name andthecity in which youlive are keptconfidential. ™ Keep it short. Concise letters developing a single theme are more likely to be published. 1 Please type and doublespace. '§ Letters are condensed andedited. @ Because of the volume of mail received, not all submissions are our studentsall day long (other than the @ Mail to Public Forum, TheSalt Lake Tribune, P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake Weteach every subject and are with bathroom and return parents’ phone calls.) Most teachers work 50 or more hoursa weekandstill take work home. Second, it is ridiculous to claim that teachers are robots. A robot could not published. City, Utah 84110 @ Ourfax numberis (801) 237-2316. regular teachers mustnowalso meet the extra-special needs of children without stance. Our students are down in ed- Promising Drug Plan When the legislation that created Medicare wasenacted in 1965, doctors depended more on surgery than drugs serious ailments suchas heart disease and cancer. Basic medical for disabled and elderly Americans should include hospital care, yes, and doctor visits, yes. But prescription drugs werenotonthelegislative radar. As President Clinton repeatedly has pointedout, medical care has advanced in ways that Medicare has not. Today, prescription drugs extend life spans by decades, That's why Clinton was right Tuesday to outline a planfor adding a modest drug coverage option to Medi care. The biggest benefit might be not the direct payments but Medicare's monthly$24 premium to get a modest $1,000-a-yearprescription drug benefit by 2008, a beneficiary would pay a monthly premiumof $44 to be covered for upto Medicar $2,500 worth of drugs. With ility t6 bargainfor better prices, that $2,500 could go muchfurther thanit does now. People wouldstill be able to buyprivate “Medi-gap" policies to coverhigher amounts. But the risk of out-of-control spending hoversover this measure asalargerelderly population takes moreprescription medication. Clinton proposes dedicating $45.5 billion of the budget surplus to pay for the drug coverage through2008; someof that and other Medicare spending would be offset by efficiency savings price-bargaining power with drug from Medicare operations, says the makers. White House, That is a song that’s been sung before, and too often the savings do The pharmaceutical industry is al ready planning a $30 million, “Harry and-Louise”-style advertising cam paign to deride the president's plan as big-government price controls. Actually the plan would do the opposite, bringing a breeze of competitive pressure to the nation’s drug market A congressional study of prescrip. tion drugprices in Californialast year found older Americans paying twiceas much on average for retail drugs as managed care companies and other fa vored groupbuyers. » Clinton plan would give Medi recipients the option of paying a not materialize Clinton’s plan will succeed only if it fulfills its promise to spend Medicare's taxpayer dollars more wisely. The most productive step would be to pass a bill by surgeon-turned-senator Bill Frist, R Tenn., to expand fun for the Agency for Health CarePolicy Research, an obscure body of medical researchers that has donean exemplary jobof weighing the costs of medical procedures against their benefits. Clinton's proposal is the right thing, keep spending under control but caution should be the watchword to The Salt Lake Tribune UTAH’S INDEPENDENTVOICE SINCE 1871 PAST PUBLISHERS JohnF. Fitzpatrick (1924-1960) John W, Gallivan (1960-1983) Jerry O'Brien (1983-1994) PUBLISHER Dominic Welch EDITOR James B. Shelledy KEARNS: TRIBUNE CORPORATION, 143.8 MAIN ST, SALT LAKE CITY, MULT 1 Light-Rail Fan back on special education funding and so From The Los Angeles Times ucation becauseofthe social and family issuesthat interfere with their learning, not becauseof poor, “robotic” teaching. Third, many teachers are also on a fixed income andare unableto generate moreincome, especially while teaching at year-roundschools. We increase our payonlythrough years of experienceand bytaking classes that are paid out of our ownpockets. A first-year teacher starts at $23,000 and doesn't break $30,000 until they've worked for nineyears. Sad, con. sidering the impact of our job. Andyet, Mr. Thornton, before teach. ers ask for more payorrecognition, we ask for more moneyto be spent on the childrenin the wayof smallerclass sizes. With smaller teacher-student ratios stu dents can learn and succeed. Listen to what teachers aretruly asking for. I in. vite youto your local school andsee for yourself whatis taking place. With the continued blindness and misinforma: tion, I'mafraid the Utah school children are doomed. PAMELA CROWN Fourth Grade Teacher Midvale a Let Them Move My comments concerningtheplightof the “well heeled” residents of an exclu I didn’t know whetherto laugh or cry as I read Paul Cracroft’s latest tirade against light rail (Forum, June19). In his yearsonstaff at Kingsbury Hall, ofcourse heoffered to pick upvisiting artists from the airport! Courtesy is part ofthe job. Some, hesays, opted for a cab; none took “starter castles” in an area of high po tential of wildfire danger is one thing But to try to blackmail the county (read: thetaxpayer) into building an additional road so that they can escape the conse- quencesoftheir ownactionsis another. If they want another road, let them pay for every foot of it. I shall paraphra some often-repeated Utah wisdom, you don't like it there, you can move WILLIAME, HEWITTJR Salt LakeCity back on another Senateterm if his presidential campaign fails. Evenif that does happen, Utahns maystill lose their beloved senatorto a highercalling if a Republican wins the nominationandoffers Hatch the vice presidency or a Cabinet position. Either way, Hatch counts on the blind-faith support he has garnered in Utah to pursue his ownpolitical ambitions andstill hold onto his Senate seat if things do not workout Although voters have yet to demand a consolation prize shows little respect for his Utah constituency. If , going to run for the presidenc should have enough courageto leave the Senateto do so. If not, Utahvoters ought to find enough courage to vote for some oneelse. SON YOCOM alt LakeCity the bus. He managed somehow to make it soundlike onceeast-west light rail is in place, all other forms of transportation will vanish. Never again could you pick upa friend, grab a cab,or ride the bus. In Mr. Cracroft’s experience,he tells us, no top artist or prominent athlete would deign to travel by light rail. Maybe so. But how about the other 500,000 of us whoare neither of those things, those of us whoactually live here? Myhouse is by the University of Utah andI'mreally looking forwardto hopping light rail to go downtown and (evenbetter) get to the airport. No more finding a placeto park, no more roping in friends too earlyor too latein the day to get meto andfromthe plane. And think of the ings on ga: Not being a “world-rank athlete” or a “top-flight art. ist,” I actually need to worryabout stuff likethat. Andas for the Olympics, maybe Mr. acroft will offer once again to goto the airport this time to pick upour 20,000 expected visitors and all membersof the press corps. MICHELE MARGETTS Salt Lake City Qa sive Emigration Canyonhousing subdi vision: Poor babies, It seems fitting that those who seek to escape the “teeming unwashed” masses of the city are now having second thoughts about their “splendidisolation.” Building expensive his arrogancethathethinks hecanfall morefrom Hatch,treating the Senateas possibly meet the daily needs of 28 chil- dren, each with different learning styles and personalities. Recently the state cut ANOTHER VIEW for the Legislatureto passa bill allowing Public Forum, please include your full name,signature, address and daytime methods, create schoolwide programs and still plan their students’ days. Elementary teachers do not have “extra time” during the day for thesethings. 40 minutes we eat out lunch, use the ptible Law Wasit in thebestinterestofthe state Beats Light Rail T have a planto save $400 million by using an alternate system for east-west masstransit for approximately $80 mil. lion, Wecould provide stagecoaches and covered wagons, Wild mustangs can be acquired to pull the coaches and wagons. Zealot Logic Hypocrites are ever busy. Just ponder the recent actions of Utah's Alcohol Pol icy Coalition. Agitated by a rather amorphoussuggestion from those asso ciated with Salt Lake City’s hosting of the 2002 Winter Olympics that state laws governing liquor availability be slightly liberalized, coalition spokesmen warned the Utah Alcohol Beverage Control Commission that no easing of alcohol consumption statutes and policies should be tolerated simply because the Olympics are coming to town. But then what didthese drummersforprohibition do next? Well, they urged the commission's sponsorship for lowering Utah's legal blood alcohollevel from .08 percent to .04 percent because the 2002 Winter Olym. ics are coming to town. If reasoning justifies tightening Utah's liquor con sumption laws to anticipate the 2002 Winter Olympics, thenit, as a matterof logic andfairness, also supports consid erationof loosening thosestrictures, If the Utah Alcohol PolicyCoalitionis contentto belabor the liquor industry by claiming thestate's alcohol consumption laws deserve norelaxation to accommo: date Olympic spectators and partici pants, then ethically it ought not be using the Olympics as a handy excuseforfos: tering its own established agenda, which includes fundamentalrevisions in those Since the Utah Transit Authority has chosen rails from the early 1900s and very samelaws. torn up streets and bankrupted many reason and fairness the guiding princi But then, how oftenare consistency, businesses, this plan wouldprovide the service at a lower price and when the Olympics are over, we can simply return thehorses to the wilderness. of contradiction, logic and hypocrisy? GLENN JOHNSON HARRY E. FULLER JR Salt LakeCity ples of zealotry? And who cansay legis lation and government policy develop: ment pays close attentionto the shadow Salt Lake City /