A Radical Solution to Utah's "Plumbing Problem"
Reading the December 10th Salt Lake Tribune report on plans to reduce general education requirements at Utah institutions of higher education by “cutting inefficient programs” and the December 5th Deseret News account of a meeting with Governor Cox during which he claimed that “higher ed has lost their way,” I started thinking about my plumber. Last week our boiler was heating the house, but there was only cold water in the taps and shower. We called our plumber. He usually sends one of his journeymen or even an apprentice, depending on the specific problem. But yesterday he did the work himself. A pump feeding the domestic use system is inoperative, he reported. The replacement pump cost $400 and he charged us $200 for his labor. Now we can take warm showers again. What if the plumber had diagnosed a faulty pump in the Governor’s mansion or the state capitol? I wondered. The discussion might have gone this way: Governor (speaking for legislative leaders as well): What we...
