The views expressed in this column are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily those of the ownership or management of this newspaper.

I’m sure that I’ll be called a Grinch – and others will label me something much worse – but I don’t feel all sappy and warm-hearted that a Utah high school band successfully begged for money to play in a national competition.

OK, start throwing stones. I’ll dodge as many as I can.

For most Utahns, it was an emotionally-driven story. Earlier last month, one of the band’s music instructors was killed when the band’s bus crashed on the way home from an Idaho competition. The American Fork High School band – one of the most accomplished in the state – dedicated its season to their teacher and subsequently won state and regional competitions. Then the teens were invited to compete in the Grand Nationals in Indianapolis. In two days, the band members would have to come up with $250,000 in travel and hotel expenses.

The beg-a-thon began, covering the cost of the musicians whose parent’s couldn’t afford the bill. The effort received widespread coverage on KSL-Radio. The money rolled in.

I can’t criticize those who donated. We all have the freedom to donate to a growing list of charities and causes. Obviously, a lot of people thought the band effort was The Great Cause.

I just hope they feel the same way when they pass the jars at the 7-11 collecting dimes and nickels for children who need bone marrow transplants. I hope the donors open up their wallets to the Salvation Army and similar groups scrambling to find coats and shoes and heated rooms for the growing number of homeless families.

About one in six Utahns is without health insurance. The number of people turning to food pantries has doubled and tripled. Utah’s foreclosure rate is one of the highest in the nation, spurred by job lay-offs. Charities throughout the state are reporting a drop in contributions, and the value of charitable stock portfolios is still weak.

Yes, a huge number of men and women and children need a lot of help – and to my mind, it’s more important to buy a pair of shoes for an impoverished child or help a woman pay for cancer treatments than to give money to a tuba player so he can fly to Indianapolis for a music concert.

Maybe I’m being callous. But I feel similarly whenever I hear of a high school principal using school funds to buy steak-and-shrimp dinners for the football team. Education has great needs – and that’s not one of them.

American Fork High School fell short of reaching the Final 12 Bands of America. I’m sure the band members still had an enjoyable time. I support these activities and the experiences that come with them.

But in the overall scheme of things, their “worthy cause” was not worth writing the check.