This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Our Legislature acted with care and responsibility in passing HB13, outlawing parents smoking in cars with children ("Ban on smoking in cars with kids headed to Utah governor," Tribune, March 2). Sen. Aaron Osmond, R-South Jordan, rightly put the health of the child first.
That the bill passed narrowly with objections about "individual liberty" is, sadly, typical in Utah, but astounding nonetheless.
Most outrageous was yet another shameful comment from Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, that Utahns don't need "clean air Nazis" poking into their homes. I'm not sure what her problem is with clean air, but I have a problem with her Nazi reference.
While "Nazi" has appallingly taken its place in common language, I expect elected public officials not to loosely use that term. It is offensive. People surely have not forgotten that horror in our history.
Dayton should read "The Holocaust Just Got More Shocking," in the March 3 New York Times, to understand why casual use of "Nazi" is so distasteful and out of place, particularly in the context of a discussion about clean air.
Apology requested.
Vivian Dowsett
Salt Lake City