The first part would eliminate the short-term $30 million deficit the district is facing and could be accomplished in 10 months or less. It occurred to me, while watching the massive reconstruction effort of downtown Salt Lake City, that the Lord’s construction and merger/ acquisition apparatus seems to function very well. So may I propose that some of those funds instead be diverted toward the education of the Lord’s other “works” projects: the children? This short-term financing could have a gradation, where the more families participating lessens the amount each family is diverting from tithing for the Lord’s construction projects (30,000 families = $100/ month; 60,000 families = $50/month, etc.). After 10 months, full funds would then be returned to the Lord.

The second part of the strategy would fund our education system for the long term and could be used for the entire Utah education system, not just the Jordan District. This part requires the State of Utah to ask for just 1 percent of the federal budget currently going to the defense department. This would amount to approximately $7 billion. This money should not be considered an entitlement, earmark, pork or welfare—let’s think of it in market terms, as a “consultation” fee.

Now what is the state going to advise the feds about to earn the fee? It would advise the federal government to think of the $7 billion as an investment in the children who have to deal with the turmoil, pain and costs of our country’s transition from a producing economy to a service economy.

If the feds and defense contractors do not like the idea of allocating just 1 percent of the defense budget to invest in our future, may I suggest the state then consult them on their options of fundraising to fill their budget gap? These include having a bake sale, selling cookie dough or “Happenings” books door-to-door, selling advertising space on the sides of tanks and having “Channel One” provide military equipment in exchange for allowing “junk” food advertisers to market directly to the troops.

Ryan Greenwell
South Jordan