Why should lobbyist for special interest groups that don't pay any of the suprplus taxes, get the surpluses? It should be going to the taxpayers who were forced in to these excessive and surplus taxes to begin with. We tax payers deserve and merit the return of the excess, we paid it. This is misuse and abuse of taxes and taxation. How does the taxpayers fight this corruption and excessive taxation? We don't have any representation to fight the battle for us, they are already corrupted beyond the hope of tax payer relief and representation. How can a tax payer fight a corrupt government and representation that is corrupted? What kind of representation must the taxpayers invoke to get representation on taxation, and excessive taxation? Are we just supposed to Baaaaaaaa on grass, seeds, and the trash like good little sheep? Is every man, woman, and child required to pay an excess tax of $244 per person ($996 per family) per year every year? Lock out the lobbyist and return it to those in need, the taxpayer who was over charged for services of the state. The state is obligated by constitutional law that they cannot over tax citizens.

Now I have a novel thought. It's what everyone else does in situations where they've overspent. THEY STOP SPENDING!! You boys on Capital Hill need to stop supporting your pet projects and start supporting the NEW Utah poor...that would be "Joe Slob" taxpayer that's been supporting your hairbrained schemes for a long time. You need to dig into your OWN pockets, boys, but this time you need to bring out all that money to give it back to the taxpayer. This used to be a state where excess was not a problem. Tax Queen Hillary Clinton would be proud of how you're taking more and more of what the people of Utah earn until soon everyone be working solely to pay for your 'Pork' projects.

Bob G.

Give me some concrete examples of the above accusations and I might take you seriously.

GOOD! I DON'T WANT A TAX CUT. I JUST WANT THE TEACHERS OF MY BOYS TO STICK AROUND IN THE PROFESSION LONGER THAN 3 YEARS. PLEASE GIVE THEM A RAISE!

Gotta love the higher property taxes. Wonderful news for those struggling to hold on to what little the leaders allow us. Maybe a big fat cut in their wages. Novel idea - how about they forgo a fat pay raise next year. How about a cut in their benefits. I mean - geeeeez - they are making enough from what the lobbyists pay them.

So the state has garnered less in overtaxation than they anticipated. Aaaahhhh, poor babies. Now they're only left with a couple of hundred million more than they anticipated in revenues. My heart breaks.

The billions of tax dollars in unanticipated tax revenues generated over the past several years apparently has blinded legislators as to how to budget efficiently, effectively, and wisely.

Is the air up on the "hill" too thin for legislators to be able to think critically?

Our Utah State Gov. works just as the Fed Gov. To little to late. No need to do today what you can do tomorrow.

More money for an institution that gets worse every year, no thanks. If they're good teachers, I'm down with paying them more, but no more of my tax money to a failing public school system. How about more money towards Charter schools and adding vouchers. How many of us would buy a product that was advertised as being worse than the previous model and more expensive. Yet we should for the education racket, which continues to get worse and cost more. Please give me back more of my money so I can do something useful with it, my government will just flush it away.

In the print edition of the D-News, this story is right at the top of the front page. Directly underneath it is a large picture of a crying child (also online under caption "A Sad Sendoff").

If you look below the fold, you see that the child is crying because a parent is leaving for military service. But if you just look at the top half of the page, it gives the impression that he is crying because his family won't be getting a tax cut.

Maybe I'm easily amused . . . .

Do you ever ask why it is failing? Do you even have proof that is failing? I sure don't. In fact, my data suggests that, despite our low funding (what are we? 49th in the nation?) we have excellent national scores.

Why do you say we are failing? Is it because a number of illegals' kids are failing? Well, no duh! They don't speak Engrish and yet I'm expected to teach them to par of your kids.

I've reached the end of my sanity with teaching. I'd rather work somewhere that respects me, that treats me as a valuable commodity, not as a burden. I used to be in the private sector and keep longing for a job that I can leave at work. I'm tired of working all the time for YOUR kids and getting zero respect and nothing but complaints because your kids are so spoiled.

You want better education? Start at home. Teach your kids to be respectful and stop giving them every single thing under the sun, just because the neighbors have it.

If you want your money back, move somewhere that doesn't require your taxes to go toward education. Can you think of a place?

I'm baffled at why the Utah legislator is removing part of the senate bill that would prohibit children of illegal aliens from receiving in-state tuition. With less tax revenues coming in, we cannot afford to subsidize the cost of higher education for the children of illegal immigrants.

Hey science teacher , here's the answer. Let teachers detain and transfer to deportation any illegal alien student. Pay a teacher $1000.00 for every sucessful deportation. I'm guessing you could make an extra $200,000.00 per year and it would still be cheaper than supporting illegals in our society. An extra bonus; the illegal parents would follow their children willingly.

Respect Issues are coming from all races and socio-economic groups. That is a sign something went wrong somewhere. Perhaps it was parenting. Perhaps it was the teacher. It is for certain that a segment of the population is just as degrading to the profession even though they are adults. Some have even become abusive to the point that teachers and administrators fear parents. That is the root of the problem.

The fix is simple. We need more men in education who are unafraid of children and parents. We need people who are willing to stand up for what is right, not the timid ones (or the mean ones) that give educators a bad rep.