Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: Giving thanks for what we have in LV — and what more we can do

Sunday, Nov. 27, 2005 | 7:08 a.m.

Brian Greenspun is editor of the Las Vegas Sun. His column appears on Sunday and on occasion during the week.

Like most of you, I ate too much, didn't sleep enough and basically, overloaded on all that is good in life during Thanksgiving weekend. It had plenty of family, friends and that feeling that this is the greatest country in the world and that we live in the greatest city in the world. And that what we have in such abundance we should be willing to share with those who don't. I think that is the message of Thanksgiving. Or, at least, it should be.

Many of us at the Las Vegas Sun got a jump on the blessings of Thanksgiving weekend when we participated in the Sun Youth Forum last Tuesday at the Convention Center. There were 1,100 students from Clark County's high schools - every one of them amongst the best and brightest our community has to offer, each of them planning a college life for themselves, and all of them eager to share their opinions with their peers in an environment that encourages freedom to discuss and responsibility to respect the views of their colleagues.

Lest you think the Youth Forum is new, it celebrated its 50th year this past week, and with the Sun's partnership with the Clark County School District, there is no reason to believe that a half century from now, others will be celebrating 100 years of what the American Legion has called the most superior program of its kind for high school students.

I can't take credit for the Youth Forum. It was conceived by my father, Hank Greenspun, and Ruthe Deskin at a time when the youth of Las Vegas could barely be seen let alone heard by an adult population focused on building the next great American City so much that they couldn't hear the voices of their kids. The Youth Forum changed all that and each year since 1955, our students have the opportunity to discuss amongst themselves issues important to them, free of parental influence. The results often astound us, sometimes confound us and always comfort us when we think about what kind and quality of leaders we are producing for tomorrow. We televise and publish their opinions following the Forum so that the adults can hear, read and see what their kids really do think. It is always, as a parent, eye-opening.

I was thinking about the successful public-private partnership that has been the Youth Forum for the past 50 years during the Thanksgiving break and realizing how fortunate the community is to have such a unique program and how much more fortunate my family is to be able to make it happen each year. We are the lucky ones because we are allowed to live the meaning of Thanksgiving.

That's when reality bit, once again, and I realized there is so much more that can be done in this community to make it what it should be and so many more people who need to step up -- not with their time and energy because so many good people do that already. But for those who have been blessed with material success, there is a need for their money and their resources, almost all of which has been acquired since they came to the Las Vegas community.

Nowhere was this point made more clearly than in a recent speech given by University Chancellor Jim Rogers. Jim, like all of us, isn't perfect but he has created what could be the perfect storm of a successful businessman reaching that point in his life where giving back to his community becomes the reason for his existence on the planet. Don't laugh, it happens to a more or lesser degree to most good people who have made their fortunes in the business world and turn to philanthropy to find real meaning in their lives. In Jim's case, he not only is giving most of his money away but he has been willing to work harder than he ever did to pursue his passion which is the state of education in Nevada. I am sure, if you catch him in a completely honest moment, he will admit that it is more fun than anything he has done in a very long time.

He will also admit his frustrations, some of which came out the other night following his speech in which he responded to a question about whither goest Nevada's education. Since his answer is the flip-side of all that is good in Nevada, I am reprinting it as best I can so we can each understand what is at stake. Some people may recognize themselves -- at least I hope they will -- and some of them might wake up and join the ranks of committed Las Vegans who believe that we each play a role in making our community a better place.

Jim's comment, complete with frustration, follows as does a final comment for this Thanksgiving weekend:

"If the private sector does not join in supporting this system (higher education) we just ought to close it and give every student a voucher for $5,000 and send them out of state every year and at least we pay for part of their education.

"We are a new system. UNLV has been here less than 50 years. But it is time that we started to recognize more than we already have the importance of that school and what it means to the community. We have to connect to the private sector. We are fortunate, as I have said many times, that this is a community where the private sector -- not corporations or the Strip companies -- but those individuals who have literally made fortunes out of this community- whether it is the gasoline business or the television business, whatever (we know Jim made his money in television, who might he be talking about in the gasoline business) the money is here and if these people have any pride in their community, they must step forward. And if they don't -- we have no shot.

"Now I said last night to a member of the Clark County School District, we are going to stop apologizing for what we are. I know how hard I work and how hard Carol Harter works and I know how hard the people that are in the system work and I am not ashamed of what I do and I am not going to be ashamed of what I do. We have a system that cannot be compared to any other system in the United States. What other system in a period of 12 years has gone from 30,000 students in higher education to 110,000 students in higher education? Not one.

"What K - 12 system builds a new school and opens it every 35 days? Not one. So when the Review Journal gets on our back about how come our test scores are so bad, how come we don't do better, and they lay out some other system that hasn't built a high school since 1949, and their college system is exactly the same size as it has been the last 30 years, who the hell are they to say we aren't doing our job? (At this point there was a loud applause, presumably because the people in the room knew that the Jim was right and the RJ, as usual, was wrong. Now there's an invitation for Mr. Mitchell to spread a bit of bile next week)!

"I said that I am sick and tired of complainers. I am sick of it and I am not going to respond to it -- other than to say to them if you think you can do a better job -- and maybe they can -- but if you are a company that last year netted over $100 million (is he still talking about the R-J) don't you think that you might give us some of your people over -- let them follow us around for a week and see how hard we work and what we try to do and the problems that we have, many of which we have no control over.

And my guess is that some of the bitching and moaning might slow down a little bit."

No question he was talking about the Review Journal which, instead of sending a person to follow Mr. Rogers around could send enough money by itself to bail out the school district and higher education if it really wanted to do some good. And the R-J isn't alone. There are at least a dozen successful Nevada families who have trouble finding their checkbooks, whose involvement could make a huge difference, not only financially but in helping find answers rather than joining the bitching and moaning brigades of the other morning newspaper.

What is refreshing about Jim Rogers is that he doesn't need this job. He doesn't need the money and he doesn't need the forum. What he does need is a community effort behind him for however long he is willing to step forward and do what he can to fix what needs fixing in Nevada's education system.

We don't need political fixit plans like TABOR and other gimmicks that destroy communities rather than build them. What we need are people willing to stand up and be counted. People who are willing to take the heat from the unknowing and ignorant and lead this vibrant, growing and youthful community toward its proper place at the top of the heap rather than consistently at the bottom.

If it is a time for giving thanks, be thankful we have leaders like Rogers who are willing to fight the battles for us and our children. And be on the lookout for others in our community who would lead us astray for their own sake. They are easy to find because they are never where they should be.

Brian Greenspun is editor of the Las Vegas Sun.

archive