This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The story "Utah ranks in bottom half of country for high school grad rate" (Tribune, Nov. 27) just broke my heart. Since Utahns just overwhelmingly re-elected the same jerks who have been putting the state's education in the toilet for decades, I can only conclude that most Utahns don't care enough about their children.
Or rather, they care about lower taxes more than they care about their children. They're more willing to pay to upgrade their interstate freeways more than they are to educate their offspring. Incredible.
Where is the shame? The embarrassment? The outrage? The leadership?
Gov. Gary Herbert says education is his No. 1 priority. Courage for him means nudging the Legislature to appropriate just enough more money to maintain the status quo. That's nothing to boast about.
Mormons and their leaders can't talk enough about families and children. Talk is cheap. They put more energy into preventing out-of-state non-Mormon gays from marrying than in seeing that their own children have an excellent education. Well, the three Rs are a greater moral issue than gay marriage.
Wake up, Utahns. Do something more than dream of your mansions above. Put your shoulders to the wheel.
George Andrus
Salt Lake City