Victims of crimes include families and friends</h1> <article> <h1>Victims of crimes include families and friends</h1> <p>sskordos — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:54:54 +0000</p> <p></p><p>Editor,</p><p>“Victims of crime” are just that; persons who are victimized, hurt and sometimes killed. Yes, everyone suffers the consequences of some crime. Even the perpetrator has innocent family and friends. Everyone happens to be a victim of all crimes, whether the person who committed the crime is, or was a nice man or nice woman.</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/23/victims-crimes-include-families-and-friends" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=FsfSSUEyaQc:YhlHYapVXLY:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=FsfSSUEyaQc:YhlHYapVXLY:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=FsfSSUEyaQc:YhlHYapVXLY:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=FsfSSUEyaQc:YhlHYapVXLY:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=FsfSSUEyaQc:YhlHYapVXLY:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=FsfSSUEyaQc:YhlHYapVXLY:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=FsfSSUEyaQc:YhlHYapVXLY:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=FsfSSUEyaQc:YhlHYapVXLY:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Weber School District leaders appreciated</h1> <p>sskordos — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:18:57 +0000</p> <p></p><p>Editor,</p><p>As a former teacher and parent in the Weber School District, I am writing this letter to express my thanks to the great men who have led the Weber School District </p><p>over the last several years. Our family is grateful to the men who have led our school district and have influenced the happiness of our children and who have been wonderful men to work for. </p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/23/weber-school-district-leaders-appreciated" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=w0meCSWgoCg:qGfuW4vBTiA:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=w0meCSWgoCg:qGfuW4vBTiA:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=w0meCSWgoCg:qGfuW4vBTiA:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=w0meCSWgoCg:qGfuW4vBTiA:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=w0meCSWgoCg:qGfuW4vBTiA:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=w0meCSWgoCg:qGfuW4vBTiA:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=w0meCSWgoCg:qGfuW4vBTiA:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=w0meCSWgoCg:qGfuW4vBTiA:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Superintendent values achievement over popularity</h1> <p>sskordos — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:03:20 +0000</p> <p></p><p>Editor,</p><p>Ogden teachers are the finest in the business. They face challenges that most school teachers in Utah can’t even begin to imagine. They work hard and the recent dramatic rise in test scores and graduation rates is clear evidence this hard work is paying off. For years we have heard people say that Ogden schools are failing. Now we have a superintendent who is less concerned with his own popularity by making necessary tough decisions and more concerned about turning our schools around. </p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/23/superintendent-values-achievement-over-popularity" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=JZivQGND9t8:p-3tKRBS5hM:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=JZivQGND9t8:p-3tKRBS5hM:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=JZivQGND9t8:p-3tKRBS5hM:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=JZivQGND9t8:p-3tKRBS5hM:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=JZivQGND9t8:p-3tKRBS5hM:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=JZivQGND9t8:p-3tKRBS5hM:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=JZivQGND9t8:p-3tKRBS5hM:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=JZivQGND9t8:p-3tKRBS5hM:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>The IRS does as good a job chasing tax cheats as we let it</h1> <p>dgibson — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:23:15 +0000</p> <p>NEW HAVEN, Conn. — As Apple CEO Tim Cook deftly parried attacks on his company for avoiding paying billions in taxes before Congress Tuesday, we could be forgiven for heaving a collective sigh, part resignation and part resentment. Of course the big fish get away with tax shenanigans that the rest of us don’t. It’s one more reason to hate the IRS, after the agency’s targeting of Tea Party groups for intrusive questioning.</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/23/irs-does-good-job-chasing-tax-cheats-we-let-it" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=qHYjGvqcgCo:2jhKXjXKNU8:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=qHYjGvqcgCo:2jhKXjXKNU8:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=qHYjGvqcgCo:2jhKXjXKNU8:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=qHYjGvqcgCo:2jhKXjXKNU8:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=qHYjGvqcgCo:2jhKXjXKNU8:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=qHYjGvqcgCo:2jhKXjXKNU8:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=qHYjGvqcgCo:2jhKXjXKNU8:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=qHYjGvqcgCo:2jhKXjXKNU8:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>District contract deal lacked rep for librarians</h1> <p>sskordos — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:07:36 +0000</p> <p></p><p>Editor,</p><p>Monday, May 20, Ogden’s local school board members approved next year’s teacher contract and were reported to be encouraged with the collaborative bargaining efforts helped by a UniServ representative assisting Ogden teacher (May 22, "Ogden board approves teachers' contract"). The UniServ rep was not in attendance two years ago when teachers were told to sign or be fired. </p><p>“Everyone” didn’t come to the table this year to attempt to negotiate a fair agreement! It’s too bad that little was learned from 2011’s negotiations, which resulted in an ultimatum that teachers sign or be fired. Clearly, education in Ogden took a step backwards. And those librarians, certified teachers, from three high schools, three junior high schools and 14 elementary schools were not fairly represented by their Ogden Education Association at the bargaining table. And the students, as well as the librarians, lost a great deal at the close of Monday night’s contract negotiations that failed to represent all of Ogden’s certified employees. </p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/23/district-contract-deal-lacked-rep-librarians" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=yKj23icr9gc:5vtcxa1xJyE:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=yKj23icr9gc:5vtcxa1xJyE:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=yKj23icr9gc:5vtcxa1xJyE:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=yKj23icr9gc:5vtcxa1xJyE:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=yKj23icr9gc:5vtcxa1xJyE:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=yKj23icr9gc:5vtcxa1xJyE:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=yKj23icr9gc:5vtcxa1xJyE:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=yKj23icr9gc:5vtcxa1xJyE:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Saturday Satire for May 25, 2013</h1> <p>dgibson — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:41:44 +0000</p> <a href="http://www.standard.net/slideshows/2013/05/23/saturday-satire-may-25-2013"></a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=dWJguOm6h70:5Ao4ctl73CM:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=dWJguOm6h70:5Ao4ctl73CM:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=dWJguOm6h70:5Ao4ctl73CM:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=dWJguOm6h70:5Ao4ctl73CM:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=dWJguOm6h70:5Ao4ctl73CM:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=dWJguOm6h70:5Ao4ctl73CM:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=dWJguOm6h70:5Ao4ctl73CM:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=dWJguOm6h70:5Ao4ctl73CM:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Could Chelsea hurt Hillary?</h1> <p>dgibson — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:52:28 +0000</p> <p>By all accounts the 2016 presidential election is Hillary Clinton’s to lose.</p><p>It should be. After all, it is arguable whether there has ever been a more qualified candidate in terms of experience, since she has served in the Senate, the Cabinet and the White House -- for two terms, no less -- albeit in a slightly different capacity than commander in chief. (Disclosure: I once interned for Secretary Clinton’s Senate campaign.) While conservatives try desperately to stop Clinton’s seemingly unstoppable momentum by making Benghazi, Libya, a permanent, tragic albatross around her neck, there is one more obstacle to her White House hopes emerging: her daughter.</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/23/could-chelsea-hurt-hillary" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=IXHh7UEfY28:C5SZpcnV-ys:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=IXHh7UEfY28:C5SZpcnV-ys:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=IXHh7UEfY28:C5SZpcnV-ys:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=IXHh7UEfY28:C5SZpcnV-ys:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=IXHh7UEfY28:C5SZpcnV-ys:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=IXHh7UEfY28:C5SZpcnV-ys:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=IXHh7UEfY28:C5SZpcnV-ys:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=IXHh7UEfY28:C5SZpcnV-ys:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Our View: Seeking positives from tragedy</h1> <p>dgibson — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:52:11 +0000</p> <a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/23/our-view-seeking-positives-tragedy"></a><p>We praise the good examples of Alissa and Robbie Parker — as well as several other parents who lost children to the Newtown school shooter Adam Lanza — for initiating an effort that will focus on improving security in schools.</p><p>The Parkers, and the other parents, are excellent spokespersons for the Safe and Sound at Sandy Hook Initiative, which will focus on assisting communities to improve safety plans at their schools. The Parker’s 6-year-old daughter, Emilie, was one of 20 first-graders murdered by Lanza on Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Both Alissa and Robbie are graduates of Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/23/our-view-seeking-positives-tragedy" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=mgX1ZHoklwU:lMzLFvLTZBc:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=mgX1ZHoklwU:lMzLFvLTZBc:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=mgX1ZHoklwU:lMzLFvLTZBc:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=mgX1ZHoklwU:lMzLFvLTZBc:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=mgX1ZHoklwU:lMzLFvLTZBc:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=mgX1ZHoklwU:lMzLFvLTZBc:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=mgX1ZHoklwU:lMzLFvLTZBc:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=mgX1ZHoklwU:lMzLFvLTZBc:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Truth floats despite tyranny on the Potomac</h1> <p>dgibson — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:26:06 +0000</p> <p></p><p>Progressivism thrives best when truth is suppressed, but suppressed truth is still truth. You can try to sink it, shred it, cover it and destroy it, but truth eventually rises to the surface. Truth floats. Always.</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/23/truth-floats-despite-tyranny-potomac" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=2gPTLB_lviU:VJGjztq0-L0:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=2gPTLB_lviU:VJGjztq0-L0:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=2gPTLB_lviU:VJGjztq0-L0:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=2gPTLB_lviU:VJGjztq0-L0:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=2gPTLB_lviU:VJGjztq0-L0:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=2gPTLB_lviU:VJGjztq0-L0:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=2gPTLB_lviU:VJGjztq0-L0:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=2gPTLB_lviU:VJGjztq0-L0:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Immigration reform, intact</h1> <p>dgibson — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:21:41 +0000</p> <p></p><p>The most far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s immigration system in a generation has emerged mostly unscathed from the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill’s bipartisan sponsors showed that, even in Washington, the center can sometimes hold. Though the legislation, all 800-odd pages of it, contains provisions that pained Democrat and Republican backers alike, they gritted their teeth and voted it out of committee and onto the Senate floor.</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/23/immigration-reform-intact" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=MmYEgMIioiY:xKIXgKjet-M:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=MmYEgMIioiY:xKIXgKjet-M:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=MmYEgMIioiY:xKIXgKjet-M:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=MmYEgMIioiY:xKIXgKjet-M:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=MmYEgMIioiY:xKIXgKjet-M:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=MmYEgMIioiY:xKIXgKjet-M:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=MmYEgMIioiY:xKIXgKjet-M:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=MmYEgMIioiY:xKIXgKjet-M:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>People ignore Ogden district's budget shortfall</h1> <p>sskordos — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:06:32 +0000</p> <p></p><p>Editor,</p><p>Superintendent Smith is not an educator. He is able to see the big picture. Not one of the objections on the various cuts has mentioned the budget. How else are we to balance the budget?</p><p>Nationally, we are borrowing dangerously to live, without repaying the $ 17 trillion we own.</p><p>The librarian cut is wise and can make the students and parents responsible for reading habits. Teachers should teach students how to use the system and stop assuming students are incapable. Parents, take your children to the library each week, point them to good books, including the masterpieces. Guide them toward collage and good marks and let them dream. They are not stupid; don’t treat them as incompetents.</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/22/people-ignore-ogden-districts-budget-shortfall" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=8eHr1wxaTqk:deACulyxVgk:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=8eHr1wxaTqk:deACulyxVgk:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=8eHr1wxaTqk:deACulyxVgk:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=8eHr1wxaTqk:deACulyxVgk:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=8eHr1wxaTqk:deACulyxVgk:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=8eHr1wxaTqk:deACulyxVgk:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=8eHr1wxaTqk:deACulyxVgk:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=8eHr1wxaTqk:deACulyxVgk:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Watch the high stakes political and media credibility game</h1> <p>dgibson — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:46:33 +0000</p> <p></p><p>Forget the political “blame game.” The biggest game in town now is the credibility game — a high -stakes exercise that will end with America’s political middle deciding who is trustworthy and who isn’t. Some key players:</p><p>President Barack Obama: In the case of the Benghazi emails, government snooping on the Associated Press and Fox News, and the IRS, the issue is now whether Obama is more ruthless than he publicly showed or is a hapless, out-to-lunch manager. The media and political class take his seeming delay in acting on their criticisms as a flaw. But could it be this is how Obama works?</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/22/watch-high-stakes-political-and-media-credibility-game" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=fZ4xdR6x8zY:Oafj1mrjrlo:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=fZ4xdR6x8zY:Oafj1mrjrlo:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=fZ4xdR6x8zY:Oafj1mrjrlo:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=fZ4xdR6x8zY:Oafj1mrjrlo:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=fZ4xdR6x8zY:Oafj1mrjrlo:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=fZ4xdR6x8zY:Oafj1mrjrlo:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=fZ4xdR6x8zY:Oafj1mrjrlo:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=fZ4xdR6x8zY:Oafj1mrjrlo:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Of Benghazi, black swans and icebergs</h1> <p>dgibson — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:45:03 +0000</p> <p></p><p>‘‘Humans are great at self-delusion,” the polymath philosopher Nassim Nicholas Taleb has observed. I’m confident he’d agree that the humans who populate the foreign policy community are no exception.</p><p>Two years ago this month, Osama bin Laden was killed on President Barack Obama’s orders -- a very good thing. Before long, however, sophisticated analysts were declaring that this was not just a battle won -- it was a war ended.</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/22/benghazi-black-swans-and-icebergs" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=BqFCCV7Jh9g:eO1Oeykx_6o:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=BqFCCV7Jh9g:eO1Oeykx_6o:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=BqFCCV7Jh9g:eO1Oeykx_6o:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=BqFCCV7Jh9g:eO1Oeykx_6o:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=BqFCCV7Jh9g:eO1Oeykx_6o:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=BqFCCV7Jh9g:eO1Oeykx_6o:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=BqFCCV7Jh9g:eO1Oeykx_6o:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=BqFCCV7Jh9g:eO1Oeykx_6o:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Public shouldn't pick up costs for school pools</h1> <p>sskordos — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:44:21 +0000</p> <p></p><p>Editor,</p><p>I believe it’s necessary to close the pools at Ben Lomond and Ogden High School. If the Ogden District School Board thinks it necessary to close the pools because of the cost, why should the public pick up that cost? I believe our young people already think money grows on trees and that they are entitled to the best of everything. Two thoughts come to mind. First, whose going to make sure the pools are going to be profitable, which they won’t. Now, the schools will have a no care attitude since the public is paying for it. The second thought is that many families, including seniors, are already having a tough time making ends meet, why should we and others have this financial burden through our taxes to pay for something we don’t use for the luxury of a few.</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/22/public-shouldnt-pick-costs-school-pools" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=rAUIqrY5PrE:3F3VxoUoV0s:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=rAUIqrY5PrE:3F3VxoUoV0s:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=rAUIqrY5PrE:3F3VxoUoV0s:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=rAUIqrY5PrE:3F3VxoUoV0s:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=rAUIqrY5PrE:3F3VxoUoV0s:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=rAUIqrY5PrE:3F3VxoUoV0s:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=rAUIqrY5PrE:3F3VxoUoV0s:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=rAUIqrY5PrE:3F3VxoUoV0s:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Superintendent should make cuts at district office</h1> <p>sskordos — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:31:58 +0000</p> <p></p><p>Editor,</p><p>Kudos to Superintendent Smith and the school board for their efforts to trim the Ogden School District budget. I doubt they anticipated the passionate outcry from those who love and appreciate their librarians. Budget cuts are usually unpopular. Initiating cuts takes courage.</p><p>In one of his responses to the criticism, Smith referred to face time with students, positing that librarians spend less of this than do instructional coaches. This piqued my interest. I have always believed that the heart and soul of education is what happens in the classrooms; students and teachers face to face. But as education has evolved in this country, the burgeoning number of educators who seldom or never face children seems to be out of control. Our district is a poster child for this. </p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/22/superintendent-should-make-cuts-district-office" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=jCBjzQoF9UU:zGtVJto18o8:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=jCBjzQoF9UU:zGtVJto18o8:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=jCBjzQoF9UU:zGtVJto18o8:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=jCBjzQoF9UU:zGtVJto18o8:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=jCBjzQoF9UU:zGtVJto18o8:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=jCBjzQoF9UU:zGtVJto18o8:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=jCBjzQoF9UU:zGtVJto18o8:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=jCBjzQoF9UU:zGtVJto18o8:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Workers 'busting butts' to fix Pineview water leaks</h1> <p>sskordos — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:53:09 +0000</p> <p></p><p>Editor,</p><p>Regarding the letter of May 19, “Problems with Pineview leaves users dry,” every spring when water is turned on there are hundreds of leaks to fix. There are six guys that are working their butts off to repair these leaks. <span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5;">They all have families that they don’t get to spend time with because they are working long hours and weekends. </span></p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/22/workers-busting-butts-fix-pineview-water-leaks" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=us8Tb2InlO4:TjDab70y1kQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=us8Tb2InlO4:TjDab70y1kQ:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=us8Tb2InlO4:TjDab70y1kQ:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=us8Tb2InlO4:TjDab70y1kQ:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=us8Tb2InlO4:TjDab70y1kQ:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=us8Tb2InlO4:TjDab70y1kQ:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=us8Tb2InlO4:TjDab70y1kQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=us8Tb2InlO4:TjDab70y1kQ:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Our View: School fees need to be paid</h1> <p>dgibson — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:04:12 +0000</p> <a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/22/our-view-school-fees-need-be-paid"></a><p><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5;">The Ogden School District is within its rights to bill students for “attendance credit loss” and “U-grade policy” fees before a graduating senior can participate in official graduation ceremonies. As long as notice is provided that the fees have to be paid, parents and students need to comply.</span></p><p>The Utah Constitution clearly states that fees in public secondary schools can be authorized. According to Carol Lear, Utah State Office of Education attorney, charging fees has been going on for at least 20 years.</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/22/our-view-school-fees-need-be-paid" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=LZizkIrk1AM:M0IBLBifmjo:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=LZizkIrk1AM:M0IBLBifmjo:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=LZizkIrk1AM:M0IBLBifmjo:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=LZizkIrk1AM:M0IBLBifmjo:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=LZizkIrk1AM:M0IBLBifmjo:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=LZizkIrk1AM:M0IBLBifmjo:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=LZizkIrk1AM:M0IBLBifmjo:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=LZizkIrk1AM:M0IBLBifmjo:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Punt, pass or kick on gay marriage?</h1> <p>dgibson — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:01:07 +0000</p> <p></p><p>Punt, pass or kick? That’s a decision that collectively the U.S. Supreme Court has to wrestle with relative to same-sex marriage. There are indications they may “kick the can” down the road; justices have asked questions about whether or not this is a constitutional issue.</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/21/punt-pass-or-kick-gay-marriage" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=zwwWu3B6dqM:gJR9SpdxsWg:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=zwwWu3B6dqM:gJR9SpdxsWg:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=zwwWu3B6dqM:gJR9SpdxsWg:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=zwwWu3B6dqM:gJR9SpdxsWg:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=zwwWu3B6dqM:gJR9SpdxsWg:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=zwwWu3B6dqM:gJR9SpdxsWg:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=zwwWu3B6dqM:gJR9SpdxsWg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=zwwWu3B6dqM:gJR9SpdxsWg:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Obama’s scandals are more like Harding’s than Nixon’s</h1> <p>dgibson — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:58:02 +0000</p> <p></p><p>During President Barack Obama’s May 16 news conference, reporter Jeff Mason asked as part of his question: “And, more broadly, how do you feel about comparisons by some of your critics of this week’s scandals to those that happened under the Nixon administration?” The president responded, “I’ll let you guys engage in those comparisons, and you can go ahead and read the history, I think, and draw your own conclusions.”</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/21/obama-s-scandals-are-more-harding-s-nixon-s" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=5yJC8w5CdmM:IxOgkpl7ANY:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=5yJC8w5CdmM:IxOgkpl7ANY:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=5yJC8w5CdmM:IxOgkpl7ANY:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=5yJC8w5CdmM:IxOgkpl7ANY:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=5yJC8w5CdmM:IxOgkpl7ANY:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=5yJC8w5CdmM:IxOgkpl7ANY:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=5yJC8w5CdmM:IxOgkpl7ANY:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=5yJC8w5CdmM:IxOgkpl7ANY:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Tasteless gadgets stealing kids' creativity</h1> <p>sskordos — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:48:47 +0000</p> <p></p><p>Editor,</p><p>In between the two great wars, the topic of “the coming peril” was brandied about and all sorts of people addressed it. After the Second World War, the subject narrowed considerably as it became the sole property of Senator Joseph McCarthy and his band of terrible men. But it its heyday, the topic was wide as the world that fretted over it.</p><p>One man who addressed the subject was G.K. Chesterton, whose wit and wisdom highlighted his pugnacious Catholicism. The coming crisis, he told listeners in Toronto, was “the intellectual, educational, psychological, artistic overproduction which, equally with economic overproduction, threatened the wellbeing of civilization. People were inundated, blinded, deafened, and mentally paralyzed by a flood of vulgar and tasteless externals, leaving them with no time for leisure, thought, or creation from within themselves.”</p><p><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/21/tasteless-gadgets-stealing-kids-creativity" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=oRKCJuvWR-o:Upq305m7fVU:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=oRKCJuvWR-o:Upq305m7fVU:F7zBnMyn0Lo"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=oRKCJuvWR-o:Upq305m7fVU:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=oRKCJuvWR-o:Upq305m7fVU:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=oRKCJuvWR-o:Upq305m7fVU:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=oRKCJuvWR-o:Upq305m7fVU:KwTdNBX3Jqk"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=oRKCJuvWR-o:Upq305m7fVU:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/standard/opinion?a=oRKCJuvWR-o:Upq305m7fVU:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> </div> </article> </main></body></html>