This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For weeks I have read about huge tax and other incentives being offered to Facebook to build in West Jordan. What if we citizens, together with our school board officials, ask Facebook to join our community effort to upgrade Utah schools, in kind? What if Facebook were invited by taxpayers to Utah to enhance our community to donate all benefits offered to their very wealthy corporation back to Utah schools? Perhaps they could give high-tech computer equipment to improve school resources, scholarships for promising students and return tax benefits offered directly to the needs of Utah schools.
What if we recognize Facebook for the abundance they have to share, and ask them how such a move might benefit all concerned? Facebook has plenty to give to our community to make the transfer of funds come back from the 1 percent to the 99 percent. Maybe both sides are finally ready to act for the wellbeing of all of us, not just the 1 percent. Might Rocky Mountain Power also shift any preferential treatment for Facebook back to the schools as well? (At Facebook's request, of course, as it would be unthinkable for public policy people to consider the taxpayer needs for educational funding support with taxpayer money they routinely use to bribe the rich.)
Thank you Ben McAdams for questioning the flow of public funds to the 1 percent, and away from our public schools.
Sue Click
Salt Lake City