Opinion - The Salt Lake Tribune

A federal ‘shield’ for reporters

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:01:05 MDT

A federal ‘shield’ for reporters

by Xxxxxx The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 01:01AM MDT

President Obama may be engaging in political damage control in proposing that Congress resurrect legislation to protect the confidentiality of journalists’ sources. But his call for action on a federal shield law is welcome even if it is inspired by a desire to deflect criticism of the Justice Department’s seizure of the phone records of The Associated Press. Although described as a “reporter’s privilege,” protection for confidential news sources actually benefits the public by making it easier...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Water at risk

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:01:04 MDT

Water at risk

Published May 21, 2013 01:01AM MDT

With a proposed new set of rules, the federal Bureau of Land Management took a step toward better regulation of energy industries that use fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, to extract fossil fuels on public lands and Native American tribal lands. But the regulations are too lax to give much comfort to those who fear fracking is permanently poisoning land and water supplies, endangering wildlife and the public. Each well uses between 2 million and 5 million gallons of fresh water that is perma...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

GOP overplays its hand

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:01:04 MDT

GOP overplays its hand

by Dana Milbank

Published May 21, 2013 01:01AM MDT

WASHINGTON — By the end of a truly dismal week in his presidency, President Obama remained lucky in one crucial category: his opposition. It has been only a matter of days since two scandals — the IRS harassment of conservative groups and the administration’s seizing of AP reporters’ phone records — have dropped into the Republicans’ lap. But instead of playing the public outrage to their advantage, Republicans have already begun overreaching, turning legitimate areas of inquiry into just some ...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Obamacare, Part 2

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:01:04 MDT

Obamacare, Part 2

by Xxxxxx The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 01:01AM MDT

The following editorial appeared in Monday’s Washington Post: Thought you had seen the last of the fighting over the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare? Since its passage in 2010, after all, it has survived Supreme Court review, innumerable challenges from House Republicans and Mitt Romney’s unsuccessful campaign to evict its author from the White House. Nonetheless, with the heart of the reform set to take effect next year, its most contentious days may lie ahead. The law will affect...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Worrisome typo

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:01:04 MDT

Worrisome typo

Published May 21, 2013 01:01AM MDT

A humorous typo in “After streetcar sprint, time for a plaza pause” (Tribune, May 15) reported that the Salt Lake City Council “unanimously agreed more pubic outreach is necessary for the plaza proposal.” Perhaps after outcry over the 1100 East streetcar line, council members are considering more personal and lascivious tactics to promote their agenda. Hopefully, they won’t be going door to door. Hazel Roehrig Salt Lake City

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pushy liberals

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:01:04 MDT

Pushy liberals

Published May 21, 2013 01:01AM MDT

Supporters of gay marriage would get much further if they were not so pushy. If someone prefers not to perform a same-sex wedding — or provide for its flowers, cakes, limos, venues, etc. — why not find someone else who wants the business, instead of threatening lawsuits against those who feel gay marriage is wrong? Advocates of gay marriage have many supporters, but no one needs to agree with everything someone else believes in. These days it is OK to bash Jesus and Christianity, but leave the ...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Use birth control

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:01:04 MDT

Use birth control

by Xxxxxx The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 01:01AM MDT

The grisly murders of babies by abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell is enough to make us all sick. Why are the mothers of these murdered babies never mentioned? Are they not complicit in this? Did none of them know their babies were born alive? With a late-term pregnancy, these women knew full well that their baby was alive inside them. Some probably heard their babies cry when they were torn out by Gosnell. No first-degree murder charge for the mothers? If you do not want children, but you do wan...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Weed out anger

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:01:03 MDT

Weed out anger

Published May 21, 2013 01:01AM MDT

I see that therapy dogs are now being used in hospitals, schools, disaster areas and airports to calm people who are stressed. In light of recent events, perhaps we now need the dogs at sporting events. To help relieve stress, why not give your child a musical instrument and instruction? Then maybe they wouldn’t pick up a gun or use their fists. We need to weed out the anger that infects the human heart and causes so much pain. Dolores Chapman Murray

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Live and let love

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:01:03 MDT

Live and let love

Published May 21, 2013 01:01AM MDT

A major issue being discussed is gay rights. As a mere high school student, I hear people tell me that I don’t understand the issue and haven’t “matured” enough to fully grasp the subject. That is a load of horse manure. Every day, teenagers proclaim they are “in love.” Some just happen to be in love with the same gender, and they shouldn’t be judged for that. Walking down the halls at Bingham High School, I lose count of all of the “public displays of affection.” That is perfectly normal. But ...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Booze no, guns yes

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:01:03 MDT

Booze no, guns yes

Published May 21, 2013 01:01AM MDT

The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that states reduce the allowable alcohol concentration for automobile drivers by more than a third, to 0.05 percent from 0.08 percent (“Safety board considers lowering of legal limit for drunken driving,” Tribune, May 15). There are about 10,000 alcohol-related traffic deaths in the United States each year. Meanwhile, the annual number of firearm-related deaths in the U.S. is around 30,000. There’s an appetite for keeping me from having m...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Streetcar apathy

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:01:03 MDT

Streetcar apathy

Published May 21, 2013 01:01AM MDT

In “The public and SLC projects” (Opinion, May 14), Salt Lake City Councilman Charlie Luke says the city government’s failure to engage the public caused the outcry about the streetcar proposal. That is incorrect. For almost two years, Salt Lake City and its consultants diligently sought public comment on the streetcar route. But, paraphrasing Yogi Berra, if the people don’t want to participate, nobody’s gonna stop ’em. Limited participation was not government’s fault; it was the public’s choice...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Bagley cartoon: Press Here

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:46:31 MDT

Bagley cartoon: Press Here

the Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 20, 2013 05:46PM MDT

This Pat Bagley editorial cartoon will appear in The Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Want more? Become a fan of Bagley on Facebook at www.facebook.com/notrobertkirby.

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

No solution

Sun, 19 May 2013 22:26:02 MDT

No solution

Published May 19, 2013 10:26PM MDT

“Non sequitur: when a train of thought proceeds from A to B and back again to Q.” — Bill Griffith’s comic strip, “Zippy the Pinhead” There are many words one could use to describe state Sen. Todd Weiler’s idea for addressing the scandal swirling around Attorney General John Swallow. Two such words are “counterintuitive” and “déjà vu.” Weiler’s proposal to make the state attorney general an appointed rather than an elected office closely resembles others cooked up on Capitol Hill that purpor...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Obama is no Nixon, but misdeeds not trivial

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:36:02 MDT

Obama is no Nixon, but misdeeds not trivial

by Xxxxxx The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 19, 2013 05:36PM MDT

Standing before reporters Thursday, President Obama declined an invitation to compare the recent scandals weighing down his administration with those that forced President Nixon to resign in 1974. So allow us to do the work for him: There is no comparison. Nixon, in a series of crimes that collectively came to be known as Watergate, directed from the White House and Justice Department a concerted campaign against those he perceived as political enemies, in the process subverting the FBI, the IRS...

Chaffetz and the I-word

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:27:02 MDT

Chaffetz and the I-word

Published May 19, 2013 05:27PM MDT

Re “Chaffetz: Obama impeachment ‘possible’ over Benghazi attack” (Tribune, May 14): I accept Rep. Jason Chattetz’s blowhard grandstanding on almost every issue. His smug pronouncements don’t help solve problems, but they appeal to his political base. They add a lot more heat than light. That’s politics. But mentioning the political nuclear weapon of impeachment for what may be incompetence but probably is just impotence is totally irresponsible. It shows how unfit Chattetz is for the big tent. W...

Needing Medicaid

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:27:02 MDT

Needing Medicaid

Published May 19, 2013 05:27PM MDT

Medicaid provides health care for families and individuals with low income and resources. Many across the country wouldn’t otherwise have health care. Yet some say they don’t want to pay for others’ health care because people are too lazy to pay for it themselves. But Medicaid actually goes to those who really need it. When he was a year old, my little brother was adopted by my parents through Utah Foster Care. He came with many drug-related problems due to his birth mother’s addiction. In his ...

Pesticides unregulated

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:27:02 MDT

Pesticides unregulated

Published May 19, 2013 05:27PM MDT

In “Utah pesticide use not dangerous” (Opinion, May 11), Leonard Blackham, Utah’s state commissioner of agriculture and food, wrote about “safe, regulated pesticides.” Our family’s home was a neighbor to one of these “safe, regulated” businesses. “Safe” chemicals were stored in a “safe,” unmarked, unlocked, propped-open shed. What didn’t fit inside was “safely” left sitting outside. It was common practice for employees to empty and rinse tanks into the ground. We kept our windows shut because of...

Abuse of power

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:27:02 MDT

Abuse of power

Published May 19, 2013 05:27PM MDT

I totally agree with Rep. Jason Chaffetz that whoever is found guilty of abusing their power at the Internal Revenue Service should be prosecuted and sentenced to prison (“IRS officials should be jailed for tea party scandal, Chaffetz said,” Tribune, May 14). I suggest that Chaffetz begin legal proceedings against former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for war crimes, lying to the American people and starting a needless war that has cost our country and the world untold...

The right media

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:26:03 MDT

The right media

Published May 19, 2013 05:26PM MDT

In “Telling it like it isn’t” (Forum, May 16), Sandy Thackeray laments that “the news media take the responsibility of making our decisions for us” and only “tell us one side of the story.” She asks, “Does the truth even matter any more?” In order to get legitimate sources of unbiased and truthful media reporting, Thackeray needs to quit reading, viewing and listening to the ultra-liberal, lamestream media and start tuning in the legitimate sources of unbiased and truthful media reporting, for e...

Technology overdose

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:26:03 MDT

Technology overdose

Published May 19, 2013 05:26PM MDT

As a high school student, I understand how hard it is to put down the cellphone, with Internet, email, social media, music and games available on smartphones. The average teen spends seven-and-a-half hours a day using electronic devices — smartphone, computer, television. At a restaurant, I saw a 14-year-old girl on her phone the whole time: before the food came, after it came — even while she ate! Parents need to convince their teens that there is more to life than technology. They need to set...