Salt Lake Tribune | 2003-08-06 | Page 14

Al4 PINION Che Halt Lake Tribune WEDNESDAY Auaust 6, 2003 WWWSLTRIB.COM Our VIEW NEWS TTEM: Education 101 here’s apparently only one question remaining when it comes to paying for education in Utah: Whichstudents do weleavebe- We've been doing that for years and it’s ceased to work. A system that leaves nostudent behind will require either a general hind? end to Utah's tax exemption for Think aboutit. Consistently flimsy funding has made top- dependentchildren. TaN J ea \\ EVERY \AC VES TWO EBs COUR HOURS: tax increase or, more logically, an SS S islature this year to come up with a comprehensive plan for a competency-based system. The centageof the brainiest kids and oh, the money we'll save! let the rest go right into washing dishes or cleaning apartments, Don't like that idea? Apart from the unfairness andillegality of it? Thenit’s time to get serious and admit that it will be very costly to ensurethat every public school student in Utah learns to read, write and think. And we need to find a way to meetthat expense, Thereis no realistic alternative. In their latest report, state school officials say upgrading academic testing and monitoring for all students will add anesti- mated $86 million to the current “highly qualified educators” is expected to cost $5.3 million more, and an additional $111 million is proposed for tutoring, goodresults on a shoestring, failed this year to approve a tax higher. Yet, there is no waytoreform our overburdened education system without much more tax revenue, though somelegislators wish it wasn’t so. “Reallocating, redesigning and streamlining,” is how Sen. HowardStephensonrefers to making do without additional funds. increase to fund improvements, instead asking for a specific plan from schoolofficials. The 2004 Legislature will have that plan, but likely will resist the impulse to pay for it in an election year. Concerned parents should let their legislators know we no longercan get by on the cheap. The good cop f the Bush administration is going to play Good Cop/Bad Copin its dealings with the rest of the world, it needs someone credible to play the Good Cap. political and moral weight. The Washington Post reported Monday, and Powell denied Tues- day, that he has already told the That’s been the role of Secretary of State Colin Powell. Rumors that Powell has already decided to step aside in 2005, even if George W. Bushis re-elected, are thus rightly concerning those who care about American foreign policy. Ever since Powell declared that he would not run for president himself, the former Army general becamethe shadow secretary of state for whichever Republican next occupied the White House. There’s little doubt that that helped George W. Bush, whose foreign policy credentials werelacking,get elected. A career soldier who had seen combat, Powell was much more reluctant to commit American troops to battle, especially forilldefined reasons, than were the White House that he would be returning to private life in January of 2005, whether there wasa second Bush administration or not. Thedenied rumorhadit that a promise to his wife and a desire to work on domestic issues such as improving educationfor minority children, not policy disagreements within the administration, were the reasons for his decision. That’s possible. It is also likely that Powell, good soldier and diplomatthat he is, would see it as common courtesyto let the ad- Rick Majerus doesn’tget it. After compromising the integrity of not just the athletic department, but also of the hard-won research and academic reputation of the University of Utah with his flippant regard to NCAA rules, he showsup at a press conference in his trademarkT-shirt and insteadof showing even the slightest remorse, proceeds to publicly mock the NCAA’s sanctions, chuckling about how these new restrictions won't really affect his program. Shame on you, Rick Majerus. Shame on you for the reckless way in which you have impugnedthe reputation of the university. Shame on you for the damage your double standards and blistering temper have caused. How many boorish, rambling lectures have we endured on Coach Majerus’ radio show (back whenhe used to show up on a regular basis) about character, integrity and ethical behavior, only to then hear example after example about him running roughshod overplayers, coaches, administrators, NCAA rules and anyone else he deemsto be in his way. I don’t care if the scale of the infraction was a hamburger or a steak. The fact is he broke the rules, repeatedly, and | am appalled that he doesn’t even have the decorum orsensibility to offer an apology to the university and the community. MicHakL A. DUNN Salt Lake City Clear theair Vice President Cheney cameto Salt Lake City on Mondaytoraise funds for President Bush’s re-election campaign. This was the perfect time for him to address pressing issues right here in Utah. vanceif it was going to have such supporters of the “Clear Skies Initiative,” which would drastically increase the amountof air pollution from coalburning powerplants, especially here in Utah. This pollution is particularly harmful to children and the elderly. Mercury, a neurotoxin, is one of the main contaminants. It causesbirth defects and brain dysfunctions. And some 30,000 people die of air-pollution-related asthma attacks every year. The administration must stand up Nowit would be the proper thing to do if Powell, and Bush, wouldlet the world know who will befilling Powell’s shoes in a second Bush administration. Af- Maybethat would be bad. But the fact that he bothered to ask, and presented the most detailed case American people should all know, and soon enough forvoters to decide if they care. for public health, not the polluters, on this issue by supporting enforcement of the Clean Air Act. If they want our money and our votes, Cheney and our other elected representatives must promote the interests of the general public, not just their corporate contributors. Jenomy CARPENTER Roy Billboard blight Uran’s INDEPENDENTVOICE SINCE 1871 Che Salt LakeTribune Past Publishers Publisher Joun F. Prrzparaick (1924-1960) Joun W. Gauiivan (1960-1983) Wii.iaM DEAN SINGLETON Edi Jevnay O'Brien (1983-1994) Nancy Conway Dominic Weicn (1994-2002) Editorial Page Editor Vern ANDERSON The Salt Lake Tribune Managing Editor 143 Main St., Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 Tim Frrzrarrick q Get serious How to reach us a key positiontofill. the end, he didn’t getit. But the for war yet heard, carried lot of Majerusdoesn’tget it ministration know well in ad- Council, for United Nations support for the invasionofIraq. In have run the Pentagon during this administration. Powell stood by those principles in arguing, inside the administration andinside the Security THE PUBLIC FORUM Oneof the biggest problems,I think, is the Bush administration’s policy on air pollution. Polluted air led to ozone dangeralerts along the Wasatch Front nearly every day in July. Cheneyis one of the mostinfluential ter all, a StateDepartment headed by, say, Assistant Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, wouldgive the entire administration a different feel domestically, andthe entire nation a different image abroad. Maybe that would be good. inexperienced neo-cons who \*s aS a Sees. 2 tSSoa " > Se as ten. Teachertrainingis a vital component; students underthis by teachers who have produced Those figures are estimates. The actual costs could go even ae they don’t drop behind; tests and Utah educators have been hamperedin the past by their own success. Legislators, long spoiled grams. eet Sb.bheee bee ae. bb assessments would be given of- morechallenged students slipbehindearly andstay there. counseling and remedial pro- rR goal is to move from focusing on mere “seat time” for students to higher graduation requirements and tests that require students to show they’ve mastered core subjects. To accomplishthat goal, the boardsays students will need to be monitored from first grade through high school to make sure system will need educators who can meet a wide rangeof needs. The largest item in the proposed budgetis for tutors, specialists andextraclasses to help the students who need moreattention. The current system is geared toward the middle so the public schools budget. Providing wrt o Pe The State Board of Education was given a mandate by the Leg- quality public education forall our manychildren a virtual pipe dream. Solet’s pick a modestper- ; I was discouraged to read about the city of Ogden purchasing advertising space on roadside billboards to promote itself. | would like to propose a better way for the fine city of Ogden to demonstrate its sophistication. Instead of advertising on an ugly billboard, buy the billboard, tear it Our environmentis being killed off, Phone Number: 801-257-8888 and those presently in power are not doing anything about it. We must be Tribune Fax: [phone] ashamed of what we are passing on to E-mail: [e-mail] the next generation. Everyone can see (Please send text only, attachments will not it, everyone knowsthatbig changes are be opened) happening, but The Salt Lake Tribune Mail: Public Forum, The Salt Lake Tribune, seemstobelittleit. In a front-page article Aug. 1, The P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110 Letter Guidelines: The Tribune welcomes letters of up to 250 words on topics of general interest. Letters must includefull name, home address and day and evening phone numbers. Only the name andcity of residence are published. Letters may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy. Dueto volume,not all submissions are published, Tribune reported about the searing temperatures as if they were Olympic victories. Writer Greg Lavine quoted Jim Steenburgh of the University of Utah’s meteorology department as say- ing that the high temperatures have nothing to do with global warming. If two record hot years in a row were the only evidence, that would, of course, not be sufficient proof of global warming. But Lavine neglected to mention that the current heat wave is only a small part of an overwhelming body of worldwide evidence that global Unintended racism For some time the “Public Enemy No. 1” program has been giving the impression that nearly all important criminals in Utah are non-whites. Seeing the 2003 lineup in the Salt Lake Tribune pages reinforces that view since only 1 of 27 pictured is apparently Caucasian. They do soundlike unsavory characters who should be off the streets, but the name “Public Enemy No. 1” gives the impression these are the most important criminals in Utah, and that they are mostly minorities. Perhaps gangs are more of a minority phenomenon,butcrimeis not. I cringe every time I see a Hispanic, African-American or Polynesian on this list and think how many young minority kids must think this is their future, particularly since that is virtually all they ever see. It is time to broaden this list to all criminals and not just gangs, and do little equal opportunity focusing by bringing the white criminals in on this too. This may be unintended racism, but nevertheless it has the sameeffect. STEPHEN HOLBROOK Salt Lake City Marriageas contract In the United States and other dem- ocratic countries where “separation of church and state” are key words in most moral decisions, the verdict on same-sex marriages needs to stand by these words. Marriage has two sides, the legal and the religious. As most popular Christian religions around the world would agree, the sacred union of marriage is between a man and a woman.It would be expected for them to oppose legalizing same-sex marriages. Separating the church (religious) from the state (legal) aspect of marriage, we have to rememberthatthis is just a license bought for less than $50 that brings a lot of legal and financial warming exists, and that it is happening faster than many warning voices initially thought. Perhaps our leaders think that we can go on destroying the environment because the projected climate changes will leave the United States better off than many other countries. Do ordinary people share these business calculations? I wish the mainstream press would start addressing the real issues. Hans G. EHRBAR Salt Lake City Tell us more Tread with concern the Rolly &Wells column (Tribune, Aug. 1) regarding Patricia MeCullough’s difficulty getting a message to CampSteiner in the High Uintas. Two of my sons are on staff at Steiner. The campoffers unique experiencesin a pristine setting. There is no electricity, phone lines or cell phonereception in the Uintas. They do haveaccess to a satellite phone for such emergencies as calling ambulances or Life Flight. Another of my sons happened to be at one of the camps on the East Fork of the Bear River on the Tuesday that Mrs. McCullough attempted to reach her husband at Steiner. That day he suffered a severe laceration and required first aid and transport to Evanston and then to Primary Children’s Medical Center. Perhaps he was the reason someone was “too busy” to be helpful to Mrs. McCullough. The Boy Scouts of America are responsible for hundreds of Scouts and staff members in these areas. I would like to hear their side of the issue. I have made that 200-mile round trip — and the hike — to Camp Steiner many times, and I understand how frustrat- ing it must have been for Mrs. McCullough. I am disappointed that she was not helped more, especially by the BSA. I do know that the staff members at those camps work hard and care about the Scouts they serve. There must be more to the story than was presented. security to a family; it shouldn’t matter if there are two females or two males Kaypon BE. Lusty listed when the legal document is signed. Legalizing same-sex marriages would allow people to be covered by their partner’s insurance; it would allow children without parents to be adopted into loving homes; nontraditional families would be given the protection that a legal marriage offers. downto the ground, and set an example of how to removethis urban blight from the entire Wasatch Front. I would cheer Ogdenforthat. simply come down to whom weelect as our governmentofficials. Ron Joserx BRENDA BURRUP Salt Lake City West Valley City Whether this ever happens will < Taylorsville Butt out The Rev. Tom Goldsmith and his Unitarian congregation need to realize that the LDS Church bought the block of Main Street now known as “Main Street plaza.” Nowit is time to be true to their cardinal Unitarian teaching: Live andlet live! Or to put it in mylingo, mind your own business. Jon R. Perry West Valley City jg ‘POORCO!