This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I was horrified to see The Tribune's front page this morning (March 6) with these two headlines: "Senate OKs prison move" and "Bill to expand preschool for at-risk children dies."
So we ignore the needs of these preschool-age, at-risk children, wait for many of them to fail and falter, and build prisons to contain them.
Meanwhile, the prison may be turned over to private management, a step that has invoked serious and worrisome criticism. Developers like Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, rake in profits (no conflict of interest or potential benefit indeed!).
Then we find excuses and false arguments to support our refusal to invest in helping young, at-risk children prepare for school. The denial of support for these preschool programs is not only a bad educational decision for our children — all of them, rich and poor — but it is in conflict with both ethical standards and fiscal benefits for our community.
Are these Utah values?
Joan S. Wolf
Salt Lake City