This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Utah is a lousy state to be poor in. While nobody wants to see people suffering in poverty, some states are worse than others. Unfortunately, Utah's lack of compassion for this population makes it one of the worst. Consider the following:
While many states have moved to increase the minimum wage, Utah isn't even in the discussion. How can anyone live on the federal minimum wage? I can't and neither could you. Fortunately, a significant number of states are no longer waiting for the federal government to act, but are phasing in increases in their own minimum wage, some going as high as $15 per hour. Not Utah. It isn't even on the radar screen.
Under the ACA, Utah could have joined 32 other states in extending Medicaid benefits to its poorest citizens. Imagine the impact those dollars might have had on Utah's working poor. According to some estimates, Utah has left upwards of a billion dollars on the table by not extending Medicaid to its citizenry.
The plight of Utah's homeless is a disgrace. At first blush, if you've watched the rancorous debate among our elected leaders about where and what to do about the homeless, you might have concluded there is real compassion here, and among some, there probably is. However, at the heart of the homeless crisis in Utah is one overriding consideration: economic development drives most things in Utah. This is no exception. In the end, we're going to have several smaller homeless shelters scattered around with fewer total beds than we have now. Go figure.
Utah is also well behind many states when it comes to providing sufficient numbers of low income housing projects. Perhaps the financial incentives just aren't there for developers.
Each of these issues is serious in and of itself. However, when taken together, they present a less than flattering picture of Utah, and our concern for the well-being of our most vulnerable citizens.
Michael Norman
Cottonwood Heights