Show - — -- --- — - " - - oftgeiwweoKvE"Agktowoeoelo4zomtrkP'Itjo'-bx-atr't'gdmtliA--o-v'oottonr00ntoktioIf'ili''fomo-ook-vmqoaoosi-t-odv-rwpojb-eNoilpobwsvaootpgoosp-oro4tAirvnv5proyo-w-vmwIebr-r 4 4 k I i falit Vic Opinion e(27tibunt Sunday Morning June 10 1990 Tribune Editorials Page 22 Section A t Common Carrier Letters CI 1114 taa A Reasonably Requires Crime-Fre- e Tax-Pai- d Salt Lake City's mayor and council members are agreed on the need for property tax increases to finance city government's next fiscal year budget It seems to be the year for strengthening the muncipality's public safety capacity While the numbers may be all over the lot Mayor Palmer DePaulis and council members concur that a lion's share of revenue raised by higher property taxation should pay for a bigger police force The mayor recommends hiring 46 more cops and in this he is seconded by Councilmen Alan Hardman Tom Godfrey Don Hale and Wayne Horrocks But Councilwoman Roselyn Kirk favors hiring only 42 additional policeman Councilman Ronald Whitehead would approve 50 more and Councilwoman Nancy Pace could support a 65 officer increase Crime control is getting the major attention it no doubt deserves but it is going to cost city taxpayers more If all the fiscal '91 budget proposals tentatively authorized by the mayor and council get formal approval this week Salt Lake City residents will absorb substantial fee and tax increases To finance a recommended $862 million '91 city government budget the council last week signed off on a $250 a month raise in garbage and trash collection fees and a $10 a year jump in business franchise assessments To cover a raise for city library employees the council approved a $459 property tax increase on a home valued at $70000 To cover general fund expenses of the police force expansion council members accepted a $1424 tax hike on that $70000 home Of course as the house value rises so do the tax assessments Municipal costs have been consistently rising in Utah According to the State Auditor's office the total operating budget figure for Utah's 46 largest cities rose by $126 million last fiscal year a 43 percent increase from the previous fiscal period about the infla- tion rate : Much of this was made possible by a reasonably healthy advance in sales and use tax collections According to the Utah Foundation a government anaylsis organization the "local non-prof- it ow4‘0:fte City Policing Fia'70V:' op of alternative teacher certification in Utah portray existing procedures as imperative for proper teaching Their arguments are more defensive rhetoric than realistic analysis The Utah Association for Teacher Educators for one fears for public school quality should people with degrees in disciplines outside education be permitted to assume control of a classroom without prior training "Just as physicians have medical research to guide their clinical decisions" UATE officials said in an opinion column in The Tribune June 3 "so too do teachers have educational research to guide their instructional decisions" Though valuable to a future teacher courses in pedagogy don't guarantee success any more than thorough knowledge of the subject to be taught There's nothing mysterious or magical about the methods and theories taught at teacher colleges Much of the necessary information can be gleaned from study and observation Virtually everyone has attended school long enough themselves to pick up pointers on the learning process Of course everyone isn't adept at applying those lessons Some people whether recipients of regular teaching certificates or not find it difficult if not impossible to communicate clearly and logically with students Those with a shallow knowledge of a subject — those assigned to areas outside their major course of study — put their students in double trouble self-directe- d including high school guidance counselors will be aware that Wellesley College in Massachusetts really does exist no 4 that the prestigious college has been in the news Too many Utahns especially counselors are largely unfamiliar with Wellesley and a number of other colleges and universities around the country As recently as a couple of years ago an astonished Wellesley alumna said she found that many Wasatch Front area counselors and other educators had never heard of Wellesley — a fact that made her job of promoting the sewomen's college to college-bounniors more difficult may Wellesley's recent help Some of its seniors issued a remonstrance against the college's choice of First Lady Barbara Bush as commencement speaker this year The students complained that she was not suitable because they claimed she was essentially a homemaker with little identity of her own — except that accruing to her by virtue of her husband President George B h Butithe students ickly forgot their that Soviet complaint once they First Lady Raisa Gorbachev in the d news-makin- g il 144 vrry :: Ott'a g law-abidi- In any case an alternative certification program could require prospective teachers to study instructional methods and theory during their first year or two on the job Meanwhile those provisional teachers should be supervised by experienced fully certified teachers While UATE officials say this would burden practicing teachers to the detriment of their students those teachers already are "burdened" with the supervision of student teachers pursuing regular certification The difference is that such student teachers receive college credit rather than contracted salaries during the training period For good reason that practice period comprises a major portion of education training There's simply no substitute for some extensive training in education It's true that Utah schools already utilize the community's rich human resources by inviting outside experts in for periodic lectures and even short courses The value of alternative certification is that it might give more professionals — scientists mathematicians creative writers artists — enough incentive to consider a second or third career in education The ultimate result is that many more students could tap that store of knowledge and talent They may be motivated by the new teacher's experience and expertise to study specialized subjects in greater depth than is now possible and to pursue careers that will contribute to a more productive community and country United States on a state visit with her husband Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev would join Mrs Bush in addressing the Wellesley commencement While some of Wellesley's officials and alumnae no doubt felt the commencement flap gave the college negative publicity it will actually be a boon if it increases awareness about the school in places like Utah Wellesley's identity problem in Utah isn't a singular one Several years ago an academically inclined high school senior who had been offered a number of generous college and university scholarships opted to take advantage of one offered by a Utah institution She readily admitted she wasn't too familiar with some of the schools that had offered her scholarships A couple of prestigious liberal arts colleges were among these A lack of awareness about options for promising college-bounhigh school seniors won't likely be reversed as a result of Wellesley's recent international attention but it just might help expand the horizons of enough young Vtahns to make a perceptible positive Impact on their own lives and on their local communities when and if they return out-of-sta- te d zi Si '0434004VertItift f' :z - 4 el '5:''''''''''' ff! tOf 111171 Aigavk-- i Itll ‘ )1 Ii11141110111114110 IP Act1111111 AAA t ci A N ' - 'I 40 I I 0 ti ii 11411 01 i 41 ‘ OkMaLl WK ' : '' ' ''ff'foil 14 '7( lk t kflo 0 Of 1 41V - r Ili 01 001 0 Ult ' i 0 -- )10 elm 110 VPDC 111E e'lliti 4 :tsu 1 i t ill L mc 1- tilt"rl A 4s S11 e' $ ' V ? 1 r k JIA1 ((k Pig - " '4P 114 - E Europe May Provide Lessons 4 t Grass Roots Key to New US Democracy century When we talk now about democracy and its discontents we focus almost entirely on political campaigns and marketing We worry about sound bites and campaign spend- Robert D Putnam Special to the Los Angeles Times Americans have taken justifiable satisfaction from this year's triumphs of democracy worldwide But before hastening to tutor othwe must reckon ers about with Americans' discontent with our own democracy — a "politics of irrelevance of obscurantism" in the words of former Vice President Walter F Mondale a democracy in which "bull permeates everything" according to National Republican Committee Chairman Lee Atwater Revitalizing our democracy should be at the top of our national agenda but to make progress we need to be clearer about what we strive for Our contemporary conception of democracy owes more than most observers recognize to the Austrian economic historian Joseph Schumpeter who emigrated to this country in the 1930s Impatient with idealistic theories about popular rule Schumpeter defined democracy as merely "a competitive struggle for the people's vote" Think of political parties as firms competing for market share he said much as Cheerios and corn flakes vie for a place at our breakfast tables Think of politicians as merchandisers a modern-daSchumpeter might say Think of voters as manipulable consumers uninformed about public issues swayable through jingles and cartoons Think of public policy not as the outcome of a collective deliberation about the public interest but as a byproduct of private interest the mere residue of campaign strategy Schumpeter's interpretation of modern democratic politics turned out to be remarkably prescient He forecast in effect the central trend in American politics of the last half By ing We lament "attack ads" and trivializing press coverage and low voter turnout We propose public financing of campaigns and y journalistic restraint And this debate about political reform follows Schumpeter's lead by mindlessly assuming that the core of democracy is the electoral campaign inside-theBeltwa- Robert D Putnam Is dean of the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University But it need not be so An even earlier European visitor to our shores Alexis de Tocqueville offered a quite different view of "democracy in America" Tocqueville's vision admittedly rooted in the less urban less frenetic America of the early 19th century highlighted the engagement of ordinary citizens in public affairs American democracy according to Tocqueville presumed a widely shared sense of social solidarity and civic obligation The organizational sinews of our democracy were community associations not electoral marketeers Our democracy relied on our readiness to share responsibility for common problems Democratic deliberation a modern Tocqueville would say rests on black churches and Rotary Clubs and Mothers Against Drunk anti-dru- g e crusades Driving and Democracy cannot be subcontracted to campaign strategists and focus groups Responsible consideration of the "big" questions of our time — the twin deficits the future of East-Werelations and so on — must grow y Drop-a-Dim- st It from practical experience in civic discussions of dozens of local issues — school reform homelessness environmental abuses — in thousands of communities across the land It is no accident that recent evidence suggests that the most effective means of combatting the plague of drugs is to engage the active participation of neighborhood groups If the paramount issue in American politics of the 1980s was making markets work better the principal challenge of the 1990s will be to make democracy work better A new era of practical reform is urgently needed But lasting reform must begin at the grass roots with 411 fr " - 1:a 141 11100 41' I il Tocqueville's robust vision rather than Schumpeter's crass and shallow view Our schools and universities our civic business and religious leaders our press — and yes even our politicians — must join in an effort to restore vigor to grass-root- s organizations to reconnect with one another and with the commonweal Campaign reforms may be needed but a reinvigorated emphasis on public engagement and civic solidarity is even more urgent The key to revitalizing American democracy rests not in the hands of campaign strategists or even candidates but in our own We must take responsibility for attacking our problems together rather than just pointing angrily from the sidelines at those who fail to do it for us To the extent that the recent revolutions in initiatives by Eastern Europe are grass-root- s millions of newly unfettered citizens and that their elections are vehicles for debating basic political principles and philosophies these new nations are closer to adopting Toque-vine'- s vision of democracy than Schumpeter's And to that extent we have something to learn about democracy from them as well 1E06 7441 Don't People Read Signs Anymore? Goofballs Plundering National Treasures population has dropped so precipitously that signs are posted everywhere to drive safely By Derrick Z Jackson Boston Globe BOSTON — I must have had it all wrong when I went on vacation I thought when you and to not feed the deer So what do you see? Packs of humans feeding deer Three miles from the deer area was a pond There the rangers have built an overlook so one can safely observe alligators As my family approached we saw that a large group of people lurched over the rail Under them were a large adult gator and a baby went into national parks and wildlife refuges you were supposed to obey the signs You were supposed to treat these preserves like heirlooms Walk softly touch daintily and take nothing home except photographs Most people actually do celebrate the parks with respect The problem is that it takes only a minority of goofballs to lay gradual waste to all these national treasures Let us go down to the Florida Keys where there is the National Key Deer Refuge Only a hardened sourpuss would not be charmed by the little critters They look like miniature white-tailedeer Adults are not even 3 feet tall In key deer were nearly killed off by hunting and development Thanks to government protection their numbers grew from fewer than 50 to more than 400 by the early 1980s The problem now is that people have fallen so in love with the deer they feed them In turn the deer come out begging In turn a lot of deer get hit by cars The deer Derrick Z Jackson is a Boston Globe At first we were excited Then we discovered the reason the gators were so close Three generations of goofballs a grandmother her children and her grandchildren were throwing corn curls into the water Ten feet behind them was a sign that pleaded with visitors not to feed any wildlife The main reason: When animals get used to human food they lose their instinct for the natural foods that truly keep them alive No matter The children laughed with glee as they bopped the heads of the alligators with d mid-centu- the corn curls The baby gator in particular gulped down this junk food Thinking I could appeal to age I asked the grandmother as pleasantly as possible "Ma'am I don't want to interfere with your family's fun but I don't believe you are supposed to feed the alligators" Her face glazed over with goofiness "You have it wrong We were feeding the turtles" We drove to the ranger station Enraged rangers leaped up and burned rubber back to the pond Too late The goofballs were gone All the corn curls had been consumed A week later we were in Great Smoky Mountain National Park In the valleys of the park lie the preserved cabins churches and y barns of mountain people The cabins look pristine from a distance Up close from the fireplaces to the pillars the houses are completely scarred with cars- ings so familiar to anyone who has driven un- derneath a dark dilapidated bridge Who cares if "Bobby Loves Sally or "Tom and Mary are 4ever"? Keep your loves and kisses lever in the back seat of your it 't - 11'' - - 19th-centur- Chevy On the trails of the Smoky Mountains signs are posted that prohibit trail bikes Sure enough as we walked up a path resplendent s with wildflowers two on bikes came flying down Their tires dug deep holes in the dirt I shouted "No trail bikes!" They cussed Finally I was jogging in Rock Creek Park in Washington which is run by the National Park Service Three boys were thrusting a butterfly net into the creek They were trying to capture two tiny ducklings I shouted at them to stop I walked up to one of them and said "Tell me What would you do with the duck even if you had caught it?" The boy no more than 13 replied "I was going to keep it I've kept a duck before" I said "Forget your last duck Who told you these two ducks are your ducks?" "Nobody" he said "Had it ever occurred to you that these ducks are here for everybody?" I asked "And besides what do you feed them that's better than what their mama can show them?" The boy shrugged his shoulders He did not utter a word I left the scene For years I will wonder whether the boy hersrd a single word I said or whether to him I was only a stinger- less mosquito unable to stop the next father of a generation of goofballs teen-ager- - eet'!--- ' - -: 7fel'"ell'i e Zate 14- - - i A11 lro 11' k 4 40 O siiif 417' 0 0114Fv—o Ak t PIN Jed CF - 1s('' ri f- - AL' 'cI t'al t 101 v 0 7NA011TIES5 2 er44 Lieircdim itor aer 1 4i vz - hawt KARA-In ' -- --- 7--- ' "f N-- ' I - c 4 c t 0 coa-- e000 NcAR-CA--D - Ic&- -- - 41:1)1PAIMIX Errldao-wer--ALTt- ti A R11:0 6: slo :00---40- y - iNr 4 resA:147-atis- tJ i:" tIM :Aigi:400:Apowhit cost-of-livi- Mert Students to Options Perhaps more Utahns 0 1 c : - WIPttagaierf$0?!::g4 More Than One Way to Certify Opponents ::14 0 7s- '6c:!':'!:!'--::- 0100 option sales tax has become the largest single revenue producer for most of Utah's largest cities" That source was expected to generate $892 million for municipalities statewide this fiscal year while the property tax accounted for $688 million But if like Salt Lake City a substantial new municipal expenditure is planned the property tax still within principal control of local government is apt to be the revenue generator of choice Four dozen additional policemen can't be acquired cheap They need automobiles equipment training pay insurance retirement allowances and other fringe benefits It's going to contribute substantially to Salt Lake City's budget costs not just next fiscal year but in the years ahead as personnel costs will be obliged to keep pace with adjustments Presumably however it's an mvestment that will pay some dividends A chronic problem for Salt Lake City government finances is a loss of population growth The tax base that might have been available to fund essential municipal services has been shifting to other suburbs and unicorporated areas of Salt Lake and adjoining counties But because Salt Lake City remains the commercial and industrial center of the state the cost of providing basic services such as law enforcement and fire protection does not decline Rather it tends to rise at least with the rate of inflation Municipal government leaders have still not figured out a way to compensate for this squeeze without doing what is proposed for Salt Lake City's next fiscal budget — meet rising costs by increasing taxes A well run properly protected city however is in a position to attract new busiinvestments new nesses even returning residents It's time to make sure metropolitan crime problems can be kept reasonably under mcomecontrol And the earning inhabitants of the city are going to have to pay the bill so they can ultimately reap the economic rewards value-producin- - bli i me 41? 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