Thanks for a great column! TRUTH!

The biggest problem is the public will always vote for 'ice cream' over 'medicine'.

Who let John Florez have a column anyway? His column is pandering plablum from a nattering nabob of negativism.

The problem is this: to win in politics one must demonstrate one has money. A black and white copy outlining one's views on the issues won't cut it. The materials have to be flashy and look expensive. A candidate has to sell his or her soul to special interests to win.

AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!

Mr. Florez's column is a month too late. The candidates have already filed, and most of the challengers were recruited by the teachers union, the state's most powerful special interest group that opposes the radical public school reforms that Mr. Florez advocates for.

Come on Dave, if the teachers' union was the most powerful special interest group in the state do you really think Utah would rank last (Yes, that is 51 out of 51.) in spendingn on education? Would we hover in the lower ranks of teacher pay? Would our Utah class sizes be among the largest in the nation? Would legislators who oppose propsals made by parents, teachers and boards of education often have their way defeating those proposals? Would we have passed an omnibus education bill that includes bills defeated in floor votes during the session?

What radical reforms are advocated by Mr. Florez which this all powerful union opposes?

How does he know that most of the challengers to incumbents were recruited by this union?

Mr. Hansen needs to stop drinking the 'kool aid' as teachers and their 'union' want what is best for all students. They work for programs designed to educate all Utah children. They sacrifice much to teach the children of this state. Would Mr. Hansen want that job? Perhaps if he taught for even one month his perspective would change.

Education and teachers deserve more respect and rresoursing from our legislature. They've earned it!

MadMax, when comparing salaries of Utah teachers to those of other states you must also take into consideration a few other items. Commuting time, cost of living, quality of life, and retirement are just a few exceptions.

Class sizes are larger in Utah, THUS, the per-student spending is down. However, can you equate higher spending in the classroom with higher SAT scores, more Advanced Placement credits, etc?

The fact is, you can't. When factoring in cost of living expenses, commute time, and other issues, Utah teachers fare better than teachers in California, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii and Arizona, just to name a few. The fact is Utah students do better as a whole on SAT scores and AP credits earned.

No college student has been forced to become a teacher in Utah. They know full well what their pay rates will be. If not, they haven't done their homework. Kind of like your attack on the issue.

Corny
Have you done the research on your own questions?
What is your basis for declaring that Utah teachers fare better than teachers from the other states you mention? (Talk to real teachers in these states and you'll get different answers than what you postulate. I don't see lines of teachers from these other states seeking Utah teaching jobs.)
Have you checked on the cost of living in Utah lately compared to our neighboring states? (Many items cost the same in Utah as they do in other areas.)
As for higher test scores and improved AP results - Utah performance is an indicator of the dedication and commitment of Utah teachers more than anything else.
If you have paid attention recently you would know that we face a teacher shsortage here. With many of our graduates opting for out of state jobs where will we get the teachers we need? Apparently Utah college graduates have done their homework and many have chosen to go out of state.
It appears you have studied the wrong material . . . Or were you purposefully deceptive?
The truth is that unless we pay teachers better we will face shortages in Utah.

"Just don't expect to change government with most of the same people in office"

It seems so obvious. Why are we so nervous to make a change? We complain and then vote in the same old group of elitist pro-developers. There are many good, decent and honest people that could easily do this job. Why not give them a chance??? What are we worried about??

What will it take?? Just twenty votes?