Parents to blame | The Salt Lake Tribune

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In "Family friendly?" (Forum, Jan. 11), Jack Mitchell chides all Utahns for being "reluctant to raise everyone's taxes to educate their own children." He then questions the "love of their children." All of this is under "family friendly."

It would be more accurate to chide only the parents of school-age children for their dereliction and pillaging of funding for the education system.

As a taxpayer with no children in public school, I pay 47 percent of my property tax to my school district. I have no displeasure with paying my share, but to expect me to pick up even more of the unfunded liability for other parents is getting old.

Public taxation is not the only means of funding education. Parents of Utah's large families are not pulling their own weight. The problem is then exacerbated by the $2,850-per-dependent tax write-off that our negligent legislators give.

It is time that the cause of the problem is addressed: irresponsible parents.

If Mitchell wants to address funding under the premise of "family" or "their" children," then he should address students' parents, not the public as a whole.

Michael J. Cooper

South Jordan