Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 28

Editorial B8 FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 22, 2002 Tire Arizona REPimic Qi The opinion of The Arizona Republic GAMING PACT FALLS A LITTLE SHORT OF ALL ACES ARIZONA PREVENTION CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED It's a simple message: Do drugs, be a loser Hull and tribes deal fair hand Gov. Jane Hull and Arizona's Indian tribes have nearly come up with a winning hand. Their deal on reservation gambling, worked out over two years, has all the right cards: The state gets a cut of revenues from tribal casinos; rural tribes can profit by selling unused gaming rights; and the number and locations of casinos are limited. The tribes get a limited expan- sion of gaming, including the green light to offer blackjack.

A casino could have twice as many slot machines as currently allowed 998 vs. 500 but the overall number of slots in the state would still top out at 14,675. This not a wild leap into widespread wagering. It's negotiated containment, keeping gaming where we want it to be. As prevention goes, Drug Free AZ has great promise for getting relevant information to the exact people who need it which is just about everyone.

Its lively Web site, drugfreeaz.com, has specific pages for young kids, teens, parents, teachers and businesses. Bookmark it. But a push to rid society of the ravages of drug abuse is not complete without a strong component of treatment services. Arizona falls short on that front, and has for a long time. The best chances for treatment in Arizona, a state with poor mental health services, are in the criminal justice system.

That's a sad commentary in itself. If you're poor, pregnant and addicted, you boost your chances of getting treatment help from the government. If you have employer-sponsored insurance, you might get some coverage for treatment, but usually not enough to push you or your dependents far along in the lifelong process that is recovery. Prevention, obviously, is key to fighting drug abuse. If only the solution to a wicked problem were just that simple.

It's the simple things that count. Even in a highly visible, multipronged campaign against a problem as pervasive and devastating as substance abuse. Do drugs, damage your brain. Do drugs, lose your job. Do drugs, break hearts filled with love for you.

Do drugs, destroy dreams. These simple truths are the basis for a drug abuse prevention campaign launched this month by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office in partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the national drug czar's office and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. The Drug Free AZ campaign targets young people, for simple reasons. Keep children drug-free through the teen years and chances are great they won't abuse drugs in adulthood. Prevent young people from drug abuse today and the number of Americans with serious substance abuse problems should eventually fall below the current dreadful estimate of 5 million people.

Fewer drug addicts leads to less crime, greater productivity, healthier families. It's that simple. The Phoenix metro area would be limited to seven casinos, the number currently in operation. Overall, Arizona could have no more than 29 casinos. While casinos would likely be a lot bigger, that's less important than keeping the number and location under control.

Some gambling would still be off-limits: roulette, sports betting and craps. The public has shown no desire to extend gaming beyond a few selected sites on the reservations. And let's not forget why: to let tribes develop a new economic engine. One flaw in the vision has always been that casinos are mostly profitable for tribes in urban areas. A plus of this agreement is that rural tribes would have the opportunity to sell their slot-machine allotments to tribes that can use them.

That's why Arizona racetracks don't fit into the picture, either for slot machines or other types of gambling exclusive to reservations. The gambling option for reservations is much like special incentives in certain zones, like inner cities, that need help with economic development. Racetrack owners do not fall into that The Arizona Republic State government will get a cut of tribal casino profits in the deal completed this week. On two points, however, Hull and the tribes could tune up their agreement. The state's cut of gambling profits is set on a sliding scale.

But the state's tax rate on that scale seems low. Another troubling issue is public disclosure of gross revenues for each casino. This deal foresees disclosing only the overall proceeds for all tribal casinos. Tribal sovereignty notwithstanding, the state is granting the tribes a franchise a monopoly, really. In exchange for that monopoly, the public deserves to know more.

Overall, though, this is a winning bet. In polls and voting, Ari-zonans have said they wanted a limited amount of gaming, and this is where they want it. The Legislature should listen. How to be heard To let state lawmakers know your stand on tribal gaming, or to discuss your position regarding the proposed compact agreements, call: In the Valley: (602) 542-4900 Elsewhere in Arizona: 1-800-352-8404 Or contact lawmakers through this Web site: www.azleg.state.az.usmembers members.htm LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Higher education more than money I i I j. mi limn, My cellphone: state-licensed.

The radio station I listen to: state-licensed. Fast-food lunch: state-licensed. My car: state-licensed. My haircut: state-licensed. My doctor, CPA, attorney: state-licensed.

Massage, manicure: state-licensed. TV that I watch tonight: state-licensed. This e-mail: state-licensed. Gosh, what a daring move by the Legislature: license the "youth camps." I don't need a license to: Wake up and go to work. Cook my meals.

Pay my bills. Gary Bortolotti Scottsdale Hall among top 10 Overall, I was OK with your The articles on our apparently underfunded universities education: Losing ground" seem to come back to one question: Is bigger better? When comparing funding per student at state universities, the size of the student body is a critical issue. Arizona State University has about 54,000 students and many of its peer institutions are substantially smaller (UCLA and the University of Colorado have about half that number, for example). Wouldn't a reduction in numbers, through the acceptance of more-qualified applicants, improve many of the terrible statistics SAT scores, retention rate, class size, graduation rate, funding per student? In any event, it seems unlikely that levels of funding affect graduation rates. The Honors College at ASU appears to be doing quite well with what I assume is the same funding as the rest of the university.

It's the aptitude and drive of the.student, not some money number, that leads to graduation. Gerard R. Cleere Scottsdale do THEIR kids go? Regarding your series about university funding: It would be interesting to know which legislators have children or grandchildren who attend out-of-state institutions of higher education. Max Jerrell Flagstaff Facilities suffering at ASU As a graduate student working on a second master's degree from Arizona State University, I can say from personal experience that the university is not receiving enough financial support from the state, if the upkeep and maintenance of the buildings is any indication. All one has to do is look at the Language and Literature building.

It's dirty on the outside, pigeons live in its filthy windows and the restrooms are exactly the same as The Arizona Republic A student examines a microchip in the Center for Solid State Electronics Research's clean room at ASU. they were in 1992. Fixing broken stall-door locks and putting trash receptacles where needed would be greatly appreciated. I agree that ASU's low tuition prices and its central location are attractive to those of us attending graduate school on limited comes, but upgraded and clean restrooms would make attending night school a little more pleasant. L.L Clancy Mesa It's really the money, stupid Regarding Sunday's article, "Support is slipping for state universities" and the phenomenon of fleeing faculty: I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees from Arizona State University.

Many of my elective courses were in behavioral psychology. When the topic of employee motivation would arise, the liberal professor would arrogantly debate that salary is not a motivator in job satisfaction. I was usually the sole dissenter. So now I'm to believe that there is a so-called "brain-drain" of talent at our state universities because they are being lured away by better pay and benefits? Where is this "dedication" to the student that educa- -tors like to talk about? These elitists eagerly deceive their students about enlightenment and altruism when really it's the money, stupid. Tony Bode Scottsdale teach children the real motto of the United States: In the Almighty Dollar We Trust.

Capitalism gave us NAFTA; which was supposedly designed to benefit the United States and Mexico, but in reality benefits only wealthy Americans, leaving both American and Mexican workers holding the short end of the dollar. Capitalism also gave us the World Bank and WTO, which mandate draconian measures of Third World loan recipients, such as the original requirement in South Africa that the government jail all union organizers, or laws that prevent countries from growing certain crops so that they are forced to import them at exorbitant rates, and Enron (no explanation needed). Until the average American realizes that capitalism damages her livelihood while augmenting the livelihoods of the wealthy, the Almighty Dollar will continue to rule. It certainly is not ruling in our favor. Kyrsten Sinema Phoenix The writer plans to run for a seat in the state House of Representatives from District 15.

Give employee a ride It is a strange world. The article last Friday, "45 years on the Luke fuel line" (West Valley Community edition) is about a man who has fueled aircraft at Luke Air Force Base for 45 years and would like to have a ride in an F-16 before he retires, which will never happen. But in another story "Flight in F-16 gives Counsell another high," a ballplayer who happened to be on the winning World Series team can get a ride in an F-16. Who says that life is fair? H.A. Brown Sun City Licensing needed The electricity that powered my alarm clock: state-licensed.

The bacon and eggs that I ate for breakfast: state-licensed. The gas in my car to go to work: state-licensed. My childrens' school: state-licensed. My ability to drive to work: state-licensed. My employer's ability to operate a business: state-licensed.

My telephone: Death penalty errors shocking I was shocked to learn in Carol Sowers' article "Death penalty errors cited," that not only does Arizona rank among the top 10 states in making critical mistakes in death penalty cases, but that there is such a high error rate at all. It is truly upsetting to know that the lives of innocent people are taken due to apathy, biases, and sloth. I was equally shocked to learn that up until last year the mentally handicapped were eligible for a sentence of death. I support the death penalty to some extent, however, I do not believe that it should be thoughtlessly distributed. Sheera Gilboa Scottsdale Cloning dog a waste Regarding the article Saturday, "Valley tycoon's dog may be cloned John Sperling should get over the loss of his beloyed dog and spend his money on truly worthwhile causes, like, rebuilding the Maricopa County animal shelters.

Both buildings are old, crumbling and in dire need of replacement. Throwing millions of dollars to clone his dog is a pathetic waste of money. Think of all the homeless dogs and cats that could be saved with that money. While I sympathize with the pain of losing a pet (I've gone through it three times), I cannot justify cloning to ease the pain. Try a pet loss group instead.

Sperling should visit one of the many animal sheltersrescue groups in Maricopa County and bring home another loving pet. Sheriff Joe Arpaio has unwanted dogs in need of a home, too. Let Missy rest in peace. Debra J. White Phoenix The writer is a volunteer at Maricopa County Animal Care and Control: Capitalism damaging Sharon Girardin says posting a blown-up dollar bill in classrooms is a good way to teach students the nation's motto founders' beliefs," Letter, Friday).

She's right. A huge dollar bill is the most accurate way to selections in Viewpoints for the 10 most important people in Arizona history. But I think Sharlot Hall should have made the list. According to the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, early on in our history there was a congressional measure to bring New Mexico and Arizona into "the Union" as one state. Sharlot Hall and others worked hard to keep this from happening.

In other words, there might not even be an Arizona today without someone like Sharlot! Along with that she devoted her life to preserving Arizona's territorial and early-statehood history. Dawn Leonard Tripp Tempe Presidents Day is style Please publish a feature article explaining which spelling is correct: 1. Presidents Day. 2. President's Day.

3. Presidents' Day. It seems that articles and advertisements can't agree. Jack Mortimer Surprise Editor's note: The Arizona Republic style is Presidents Day. A fallen leader For many years we have been at war, here at home.

It is an unsung battle of good vs. evil. Of cops and robbers. The good guy wins, mostly. We read of the daily battles in the paper and see it on the evening news.

Stories of bad things happening to your friends and neighbors, and of the men and women of your police departments who go into harm's way to help. I spent 22 years in uniform, helping in the battle. I have been to funerals of those who have fallen. Many of you have stood along the routes of these processions, expressing your grief. Until now, those have been for warriors of other departments.

Now one of Scottsdale's finest has fallen. Tom Hontz, who was killed Wednesday in a SWAT training exercise, was my boss, a leader in a time when management seems to be the rule. He was spected by those who worked for him, and those to whom he answered. Never one to give up when the job got dirty, Tom worked long hours to help make our community safer. Tom died in his tireless training to be better at protecting the community.

Tom was my SWAT sergeant befqre I retired. He served the people of Arizona and Scottsdale for almost 25 years. I had known him since 1979. I will profoundly miss him. Matt Bucko Scottsdale The writer is a retired Scotts- dale police officer.

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