We shake our heads in disbelief and disgust when we read of Esau selling his birthright for a mess of pottage (Genesis 25:29-34). “What a shortsighted fool”, we think. But Orem residents and leaders will make a decision of a similar magnitude when they vote in this election.

Esau was blinded by his predicament. He had an unmet need (hunger), and he saw a way to meet it (sell the birthright).  He even conducted his own feasibility study: “I am at the point to die… what profit shall this birthright do to me?” (v. 32).  But he didn’t see the longterm cost of that one meal.

What escapes our attention followed immediately after the tragic transaction: “And there was a famine in the land” (Genesis 26:1).  Could this haunting result be ours in terms of our children’s education?  The mess of pottage could be just that.

Alpine School District provides a large tax base (14 municipalities) which helps cover the cost of its programs, technology, infrastructure, personnel, etc.  In an Orem-only school district, the weight of the local portion of expenses (exclusive of state/federal funding) would land on Orem alone.

It’s like insurance. You pay a monthly premium that goes into a large pool of funds for those who need it.  Mostly, that’s not you. But if you need to make a claim you can because of what everyone else has contributed.  Going to an Orem-only district would be like going uninsured, the subsidizing effect of the strength of ASD having dried up.

In the end, Esau’s decision truly was feasible. It just wasn’t wise. And that’s how he went down in history.  Not to mention the effect his decision had upon his posterity forever more.

Will Orem have the same fate? You help decide.

Randy Evans, Orem

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