Eyes on the park » Pioneer Park is no longer a favorite hangout of drug dealers. The Salt Lake City Police Department installed four surveillance cameras in the park in February, and they're having the desired effect. Only two arrests, both for alcohol-related offenses, not drug transactions, have occurred since. And that's a relief to folks who live in nearby renovated condos or work at The Gateway or other neighborhood businesses. Take a stroll around the park at midday and you'll see people playing tennis, throwing a ball in the dog enclosure or jogging on the sandy track that encircles the park. The homeless are still there, but they were never the park's biggest problem. Drug deals and the violence they spawn had people scared. And, while it seems a bit Big Brother-ish to be videotaped walking in the park, it's better than fearing for your life.

Eyes on the road » It doesn't take a computer scientist to observe that sending and reading text messages while driving a car is a sure way to increase the risk of an accident. But it happens that a recent study at Virginia Tech put a number to that increased risk factor: 23. A University of Utah study concludes much the same thing. Fortunately, the Utah Legislature outlawed texting and e-mailing behind the wheel this year, and police officers have begun to enforce the new law. What was missing, until now, was an education program to inform drivers, especially young ones, of the law and the risk. But now that void is being filled by an educational video produced by the Utah departments of Transportation and Public Safety. It shows the emotional suffering wrought by an accident caused by a texting driver that killed two people.

Eyes on reality » Critics worry that the Democrats' health care reform proposals in Congress will bankrupt the nation. But the only thing that has been bankrupted so far is the political debate. The public discussion is turning on an issue that isn't even legitimate: the so-called death panels. For the record, there is no proposal in any bill to create committees to condemn old people to death. There is a proposal to allow payment to doctors for optional consultations on hospice care and other end-of-life issues. With all the real issues at stake in health reform, from coverage mandates to tax increases to the public option, there are dozens of genuine policies to argue about. But instead, we're screaming at each other over imaginary questions like socialized medicine and death panels. It makes you want to reach for a bottle of antidepressants.