Politics and academics often not in agreement

Politics and academic studies often go together about as well as science and some religions. Copernicus was a threat to religious leaders in his day because his work challenged the notion that the universe revolved around them. Today, economists and other academicians can be threats to the way the planets revolve around other universes.

Two recent examples come to mind.

The first concerns tuition tax credits. This is a plan that would give a credit, worth a couple of thousand dollars, to Utah parents who decide to pull their child out of a public school and place him in a private one. This idea has washed steadily ashore like a slow-moving tide over the years, but it has never succeeded in taking hold. The education establishment has built a firm retaining wall to stop it, repeating again and again the mantra that tax credits would rob Utah's public schools of money and would provide a benefit only for the kids of rich people (ignoring, of course, that rich people already can afford private schools, while the poor are trapped).

They stood firm despite a report from the Legislative Fiscal Analyst's Office a few years back that showed the credits would actually save the state money. They were aided by two governors, Mike Leavitt and Olene Walker, who gave strong indications they would veto any tuition credit that came their way.

Now, the wall may be crumbling in the face of some convincing evidence from Utah State University. An economics professor and an associate professor of political science there authored a study, released last week, that said tuition tax credits could save Utah taxpayers as much as $1.3 billion over 13 years if private school enrollment grows by only 3 percent.

In a state where education funding has been as tight lately as the average American's belt buckle, this ought to be like discovering a big pot of gold. But the education establishment is unmoved. Naturally, the study threatens the power structure and would force public school officials to make drastic changes to compete. My guess is they soon will label the study as heresy, questioning its methods and the independence of the scholars involved.

This time, however, there will be a governor in place who is sympathetic to the idea of competition in education. Expect a battle.

The second example has to do with the way politicians view professional sports. This newspaper carried stories again this week about the jockeying to see which city will get to host a new soccer stadium for Real Salt Lake, the state's new franchise in Major League Soccer. The battle has narrowed to Salt Lake City, which is studying several undisclosed sites, and Murray, which has picked out a spot near I-15 and 4500 South.