This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Brigham Young's dream of a "Promised Land" has been forgotten. Gerrymandering legislators, paid generously by out-of-state special interests, are indifferent to Young's hope for an ideal community.
What would it be like living in a promised land with affordable health care for everyone, clean air resulting from reasonable regulations and driving electric cars, where no civilian carries a gun openly or concealed? A land where no children go to school hungry, where schools are well funded, class size is never over 20 and highly trained teachers are well paid and honored by their community? Included is a way of living that does not threaten the survival of the planet. This is a reality in many advanced nations.
Now, think of current Utah where coal and oil, payday lenders, gun manufacturers, the NRA, ALEC, utilities, pharmaceuticals, the Koch brothers and dim politicians who reject global warming are the major players in a game that places profits before people and pollution before clean air. It's their community, not ours.
Utahns must abandon the Republican Party and its ugly cabal, and demand government based on reason, science and common decency. Only then can the exciting possibilities of an enlightened community be enjoyed by all.
Norman Lowe
Salt Lake City