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WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, February 22, 20125AOPINIONOUR VIEWSTCU drug arrests aren’t the first such scandalBy DAVE ROGERSAmong the many thingsyou’re bound to learn if youhang around on this planet longenough, is to never — and Imean never ever — say never.Just because you haven’t seenor can’t recall something happeningin your lifetime, doesn’tmean it hasn’t happened. Or will.It’s a good lesson to take awayfrom the shocking news of lastweek, when TCU called a pressconference to announce that aschool-initiated investigation,with a lot of help from the FortWorth Police Department, hadresulted in the arrests of a largenumber of TCU students (22’sthe last count I’ve seen) for thecrime of selling drugs to undercovercops.Four Horned Frog footballplayers were among those arrestedand like the others, wereimmediately booted from school.The gridders’ arrest affidavits,topped by portraits copied fromthe football team’s website,included claims by two playersthat many TCU teammates hadfailed a recent surprise drug test, TCU to a win over Tulane in the60 players in all by one player’s 1985 season opener, Davis wasreckoning, 82 by the other. among the players who cameSports mouths throughoutthe Metroplex laing.The players were outclean during a team meetmentedthe TCU footballof there immediately andprogram suffering a loss ofso was TCU’s dream of ainnocence. “Frogs’ pristineSWC title and trip to theimage stained by arrests,”Cotton Bowl.one headline said. “TheTCU finished 3-8. NCAAclean image is gone,” wrotesanctions — TCU couldROGERScolumnist Randy Galloway.only give 25 new scholarshipsover the nextI guess time flies. Itseems like only yesterday that two years — set the TCU programback about 10 years. TCUI woke to news that TCU coachJim Wacker had kicked off seven wouldn’t have another winningplayers from the football team, season until 1991, Wacker’s lastincluding Heisman Trophy candidateKenneth Davis, after they As was the case last week, thein Fort Worth.admitted to taking cash from immediate reaction was to saluteboosters.the TCU decision makers for facingtheir school’s problems andIt was my second year to coverthe Southwest Conference and dealing with them swiftly in theWacker’s Frogs were coming off open.an 8-4 season that included a Gotta admit it’s not a responsethird-place finish in the SWC you see much these days in aand a trip to the Bluebonnet society that’s conditioned toBowl. Davis, with 1,611 yards “lawyer up” at the first sign ofand 16 touchdowns in 1984, was, trouble.to borrow a phrase coined by TCU players left to endureWacker, un-beee-liev-able. back-to-back 3-8 embarrassmentsBut a few days after he led quickly noted that Metroplexneighbor SMU hadn’t thrown its“bonus babies” out with the bathwater of NCAA investigations —or even probations. The NCAAput SMU on probation five timesbetween 1974 and 1985, takingaway scholarships.I don’t recall any of SMU’s starplayers ever having to abandontheir expensive sports cars, letalone get kicked off the team.The “Polo Ponies” went 41-5-1from 1981-84 and won threeSWC championships.They notched a pair of 6-5 finishesin 1985 and 1986 and, afterillegal slush funds and playerpayrolls came to light, were hitby the “death penalty” in 1987.They subsequently went 25 yearswithout a bowl game appearance.TCU is just one season removedfrom a perfect season anda Rose Bowl win. To lose threeexpected starters and possibly afourth to last week’s busts willmake it tough on coach Gary Pattersonas TCU enters the Big 12Conference.And again, there are plenty ofthose who say TCU went overboardin its reaction. It has beensaid the fact that many of thosearrested — including all fourplayers — were only accusedof small ($200 to $600) sales ofmarijuana should mitigate theirpunishment.Of course, there’s always theinnocent-until-proven-guilty tackthat SMU used with its playersfor so long back in the ’80s. Andthere’s the possibility that a foulupon one of the identificationssworn to by an undercover copmight cause all the cases to betossed, as the same officer sworeto the identity of all the others,too.I admit it. I’ve gone back andforth on this. Like most, I was“Hooray for folks with backbone”at first. Then it was “Hold on,let’s see what develops.” Now,as in 1985, I’m leaning towardthinking TCU might have cut offits nose to spite its face, if anyoneknows what that means.I’m going to give it more timeand see if I change my mindagain. I mean, never say never.■Email Dave at drogers@wcmessenger.com.YOUR VIEWSUnnecessary arrestswaste tax dollarsAlmost five years ago, a new law was passed (law,passed by the Legislature as HB 2391) and many citiessaved their tax payers millions. When are we goingto do the same?“The Sheriff’s Department estimates booking peoplecaught with 4 ounces or less cost more than $1 millionin 2006,” reported KVUE-TV in Austin in 2007.That doesn’t even include thousands of other lowlevel,non-violent misdemeanants who cycle in andout of the county jail. That’s why some law enforcementagencies in Travis County began issuing citationsinstead of arresting pot users starting Sept. 1,2007, under a new statute signed by Gov. Rick Perry.Offenses where citations can be given in lieu of arrestsinclude:■ Marijuana possession, (up to 4 ounces)■ Criminal mischief with less than $500 damage■ Graffiti with less than $500 damage■ Theft by check with less than $500 stolen■ Theft of service with less than $500 stolen■ Driving with an invalid license“This law is good for Texas, because each marijuanaarrest costs Texas taxpayers $2,000, takes a policeofficer off the street for three to four hours and fillsa space in jail that should instead be used to house aviolent criminal,” said Rob Kampia, executive directorof the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.“By citing instead of arresting marijuana users, Texaswill now be safer.”Marijuana possession arrests make up between 6and 7 percent of all Texas arrests. It has been estimatedthat each of the state’s five largest cities could savemore than $1 million per year by taking advantage ofthe law, passed by the Legislature as HB 2391.Rusty WhiteBridgeportAbout LettersThe Wise County Messenger welcomes letters to theeditor.The deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday for publicationthe following Saturday. The deadline is 5 p.m. Fridayfor publication the following Wednesday.Letters are printed on a space-available basis on theeditorial page.All letters must be signed, and writers’ names willnot be withheld. Letters should include a return addressand daytime phone number. Letters should notexceed 400 words.Send letters: To the editor, Wise County Messenger,P.O. Box 149, Decatur, TX 76234, or drop them by 115S. Trinity in Decatur weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5p.m. Letters can also be sent by fax, (940) 627-1004, oremail, news@wcmessenger.com.Email or faxed letters must include a mail addressand daytime phone number.The Messenger is not obligated to run any letter,and letters might be altered to meet space or stylerequirements. Third-party letters will not be accepted,and letters of thanks cannot name businesses. Lettersthat have appeared in other newspapers will not beaccepted.By PHIL KINGI read the Feb. 15 Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial piece: “End-ofcourseexams in Texas schools raise afuror” with dismay. The piece discussesthe impending “end-of-course”exams in Texas public high schools,which will count for 15 percent of thestudent’s final grade.Much controversy surrounds this“latest” iteration of standardizedtesting in public schools. Once again,parents, teachers, school administrators(and many legislators) havevoiced concern and yet, here we goagain. Standardized testing is not inand of itself the problem, but is symptomaticof the real problem: the ideathat state and federal authorities arebetter equipped to manage educationthan our local communities.I wonder, whatever happened tolocal, independent school districts?Every year state and federal authoritiesencroach more into the operationof local schools. The end result ismore often bureaucracy than betterOTHER VIEWSLeave the classroom to parents and localsschools. The Texas Education Agencyitself has a budget of more than $279million.No one disagrees with testingand accountability, but we havegone from well-intended stateand federal assistance to micromanagingthe local classroom.Standards on top of standards,report after report, mandatesupon mandates have done littlemore than dramatically addto our school districts’ cost of doingbusiness. It has forced schools to shiftmoney and focus out of the classroomand into administrative functions.As conservatives, we are supposedto believe in local control. We alsobelieve that over-regulation of theprivate sector hurts business productivity,kills jobs and lowers profits.Why, then, do we believe it is differentfor public schools? Last legislativesession we fought to give localschool districts more control of theclassroom. We must continue the battleto give local school districts moreautonomy next legislative session.After all, who do we really trustwith our children’s education? Centralizedstate and federal agencies,or parents, local teachers andlocally elected school boards?I’ll trust local control over biggovernment every time. It istime we return to the timetestedmodel of independentschool districts and localKINGcontrol.Editor’s note: On Feb. 16, theday we received this column, RobertScott, head of the Texas EducationAgency, announced the state waspostponing for a year the requirementthat results of the STAAR test count15 percent of a student’s final grade incertain subject areas.■State Rep. Phil King serves Parkerand Wise counties in the TexasHouse of Representatives. The Star-Telegram piece referenced in thiseditorial may be found at the followinglink: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/02/15/3738232/end-ofcourse-exams-in-texas-schools.html