In support of Dan S.'s attempt to elevate the discussion in a lower thread, let me offer the following three items:
The first, more good ink for Ogden in this morning's Standard-Examiner. And if any one doubts the importance of having good education opportunities available right here in Ogden as a lure for residents and businesses, I can give you examples of business moves that were canceled at the last minute in another state because the company managers learned that their skill people "will not move there because of the poor schools and lack of higher education opportunities close by." It matters.
The second item is yet another example of the arrogance of power evident in our elected officials. It's from Paul Rolly's column in today's Salt Lake Tribune. Here's the gist of it:
Elsewhere the Salt Lake Tribune reports that supporters of the referendum on the voucher plan collected 30K more names than they needed to trigger a referendum.Rolly: Legislators - Free speech? What's that?
By Paul Rolly
Tribune Columnist
Top officials of the state Office of Education were summoned to Star Chamber-type meetings with Utah legislators last month to defend their support of a referendum drive to repeal the voucher bill.
How dare they exercise their First Amendment right to free speech? Don't they know this is Utah?
One meeting was called by Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, and included Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, Senate Majority Leader Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, and Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper.
Dayton, in an e-mail I obtained through a government open-records request, told the senators she wanted state Schools Superintendent Patti Harrington to bring the Office of Education's attorney, Carol Lear, to the meeting to explain "her perspective in trying to undermine the Legislature."
"Patti reminded me that what Carol does on her own time is her own business as a citizen," Dayton wrote.
What a radical concept.
Harrington and State School Board Chairman Kim Burningham were summoned
to another meeting with House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy. In an e-mail to fellow board members, Burningham reported that Curtis implied he would have fired Lear. He also said Curtis hinted that the referendum movement would hurt the state Office of Education's future relationship with the Legislature.
Regardless of where you stand on the voucher plan, the attempt by elected officials to intimidate state employees from on their own time working to support a referendum drive [as is their right under Utah law] is, I think, reprehensible. Who do these legislators think they are? The Mayor of Ogden?
Update 4/11/07 7:48 a.m. MT: Don't miss this morning's followup Salt Lake Tribune editorial on the voucher referendum topic.
We exerpt an astute observation appearing at the bottom of the article:
In fact, vouchers and tuition tax credits have been defeated in every state where they have made it to the ballot in the past 30 years.Will arrogant legislative leadership continue to undermine the common sense and popular will of the people of Utah?
That's probably why pro-voucher groups, including Utah legislators, worked so hard to undermine the referendum petition drive, claiming it would be a waste of time even if it succeeded.
