Jim Stark doubts that the Utah Legislature would ever vote to create a new permanent Democratic member of Congress by giving Washington, D.C., a seat in the House of Representatives (”Fair play? Huh!” Forum, April 28). Fetch, Utah’s Republican leaders won’t even give Democrats in Salt Lake City a seat in Congress! How dumb is it to link one house in the Avenues on N Street with neighborhoods in Logan and the house directly across the street with neighborhoods in St. George? But House Speaker Dave Clark proposes to perpetuate that undemocratic idiocy just to keep Salt Lakers from electing a Democrat (”Clark: Split county 4 ways,” Tribune , April 19).

For a century, the United States has advocated for the self-determination of peoples — the right for people to determine how they will be governed — but that scoundrel Clark won’t even let the people of Salt Lake pick their own representative. That’s democracy? That’s trust in the people? That’s darn political skullduggery! If Clark were in the South in the 1950s, he’d defend the poll tax as a way to keep blacks from voting. I get that Clark doesn’t like Democrats. I don’t get how he doesn’t like fair democracy.

Andrew Beckett

Snyderville

Rep. Jim Matheson’s self-justifying rationale for voting against health care reform fails before this question: What would have happened had his view prevailed? (”Health reform needs more work,” Opinion, April 4.) There is no evidence that a better bill could have emerged at any time in the next several years. Republicans have stood silent for decades in face of the need for health care reform. They did nothing but obscure and obstruct during the entire past year. Democrats were exhausted by this fight. Had they lost, they would have had neither the energy nor the influence for another try.

Hence, Matheson’s vote essentially said that he preferred to settle for nothing — to return to the status quo for an indeterminate time, each year adding to the disintegration of our health care system and to the burden on American families. He preferred guaranteed increases in insurance costs and family misery to the likelihood that this bill will start us in a more positive direction. No bill of this size and complexity could be perfect, but this one can be adjusted and improved with experience, and it will be far less costly than the do-nothing alternative Matheson evidently preferred.

Douglas Johnstone

Sandy

Sunday’s Letter of the Week, “Sin tax payback” (Forum, March 21), caught my attention. I couldn’t agree more with David Smith’s advice to tax additional items, including soda pop, corn syrup products, and gut-buster mugs and cups. May I be so bold as to add one additional item to his list? Let’s tax diapers.

Greg Bateman

Bountiful

Great idea Mr. Bateman. We should also eliminate the tax on condoms and birth control pills.

(Letter in Salt Lake Tribune, March 19, 2010)

It’s interesting that Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, named his legislative caucus that focuses on state sovereignty and opposes federal programs after Patrick Henry (”Panel OKs bill letting Utah opt out of health reform,” Tribune , Feb. 3). Henry did oppose ratifying the Constitution in the name of states rights, but his views changed, and by the late 1790s he supported the Federalist policies of Presidents George Washington and John Adams.

Henry warned that civil war was (more…)

Letter in SL Tribune, March 19, 2010

In “LDS and equality” (Forum, March 17), Gregory Mitchell informs us that because of the Mormon policy where construction of chapels is “paid for from a common pool, East Benchers subsidize poorer congregations so all have equal facilities.” I hope Mitchell is not suggesting that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a socialist church. From every Republican definition I have heard, taking from the rich and giving to the poor is the very definition of socialism. To avoid the evils of socialism in this capitalist, market-based system, poorer Mormons should pull themselves up with their own boot straps and build their own chapels. And those Mormons who don’t have boots should wait for charity, worship without chapels or convert to a different religion.

Behrouz Motiee

Salt Lake City

(Letter appeared in SL Tribune, Feb. 12, 2010)

Where were Sens. Orrin Hatch’s and Bob Bennett’s concerns for deficits when they voted for tax cuts, two wars and a drug plan without paying for any of them? Where was their concern for the middle class and our broken health care system during the past decade when the Republicans controlled Washington? Where was their concern on their watch (Bennett’s on the Senate Banking Committee) when regulation of banks and the securities trade were deemed unimportant? Where was their concern when they spent the budget surplus and then piled trillions of debt on the taxpayers? Americans don’t deserve taxpayer-funded health care, but Congress does! Earmarks are OK as long as it’s their “good” earmarks, right Rep. Jason Chaffetz? It’s OK now to vote against legislation he previously co-sponsored, right Rep. Rob Bishop?

Our political culture rewards hypocrisy and irresponsibility instead of serious efforts to solve our country’s problems. Winning elections is priority No. 1. We should look in the mirror every morning and recognize the biggest hypocrites of all, we who vote for these guys.

Magda Greene

Bountiful

Letter to Editor in SL Tribune, March 25, 2010Hopefully, most Utahns remember enough about our state’s history to recall that Congress insisted on two conditions that would have to be met before the Utah Territory could attain statehood. First, we’d have to renounce that “relic of barbarism,” polygamy. Second, we’d have to prove that we had a working two-party system where religious leaders weren’t calling all the shots politically.

Now, 114 years later, polygamy is practiced openly, and we have reverted to a one-party state that is heavily influenced by the predominant religion. Therefore, since we have reneged on the original agreement, I propose that Congress initiate proceedings to rescind statehood. That would save Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, and other legislators all the time they currently spend trying to secede.

M.J. Ogden

North Ogden

Regarding the Supreme Court’s recent ruling concerning campaign finance that allows corporations to spend money in political campaigns, just like people can: Why don’t we just carry the radical ruling of this court to its logical conclusion and begin electing corporations directly to public office?

Robert DeBirk

Salt Lake City

Good on Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff for arguing that the pale version of national health care being pushed by sellout politicians is unconstitutional (”Shurtleff may sue to stop health reform,” Tribune , Dec. 29). Plainly, however, no such argument could be made with respect to a single-payer health care program, which differs on no constitutional ground from Social Security.

If the right-wing wackos are now trying to push us into the only reform which will deliver lower costs, better health outcomes and increased public satisfaction, I say, more power to them!

Darrell Prows

Murray

If Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, were truly interested in reducing the number of abortions in Utah he would consider going after the other party involved, the men (”Proposed Utah law would further restrict abortions,” Tribune , Dec. 30). For a first offense, how about chemical castration for a year for the man found responsible for the unwanted pregnancy. For the second offense, two years. After three times, make him a gelding. We could store the offending organ in a display hall where fathers could take their sons and show them the results of bad behavior.

No one wants to deal with the man involved. Could there be a reason for this?

Douglas Reilly

Logan

So Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is against back-room deals to get laws passed (”Shurtleff may sue to stop health reform,” Tribune , Dec. 29). When is he going to sue the Utah Legislature to open all its meetings? The Republicans annually hold closed-door meetings to pressure, cajole and bribe all Republican legislators who do not go along with the basic plan.

If it is wrong on the federal level, then it is just as wrong on the state or local level.

Joe Bycroft

Cottonwood Heights

I have read how Utah is giving the eBay operation in Draper $2.1 million (”eBay accepts third state incentive,” Tribune , Dec. 4), even while the Legislature is working to cut the state budget because it does not have enough revenue to fund state operations. Time and time again, state departments are told to cut their annual budgets because money is tight, but somehow the state always comes up with millions of dollars for big businesses.

Sorry, we were asleep at the switch and didn’t learn that eBay had successfully conned Utah for the third time until this timely letter by Larry Wolfe, for which we are grateful. Corporate beggars (or con men, whatever you prefer) play state governments against each other and citizens of all states get beat up time and again. When will we put a stop to this charade?

Isn’t it great that socialism is alive and well in Utah?

Larry E. Wolfe

Kearns

Clearly, Sen. Bob Bennett has been in office for a very long time. Consider these contributions to his 2010 re-election campaign from corporate and individual special interests (selected from www.opensecrets.org):

oil and gas, $116,650;

waste management (nuclear), $51,900;

securities and investments, $233,850;

commercial banks, $130,725;

finance/credit companies, $61,900;

insurance, $182,700; (more…)

Sen. Orrin Hatch is in front of the camera, again. This time he’s criticizing one-party control of both houses of Congress and the White House (”Hatch on health care reform: ‘It is enough to make you barf,’” Tribune , Dec. 6). Where was his concern during the six years his party controlled both houses and the White House and President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were running the bus into the ditch? Where was his concern when the Bush administration was shredding the Constitution in the name of national security?

Where was his concern when Bush couldn’t find the weapons of mass destruction, even as he searched the Oval Office for them in an attempt at humor. Why doesn’t Hatch express to those who lost family in Iraq how bad he feels now that the facts are irrefutable: Iraq was a war of choice, packaged and sold by individuals who (more…)

Gil Iker can hammer nails at my house. He hits ‘em right on the head.

Right-wing predators in the Utah Legislature are again on the prowl to restore the most regressive tax of all — the sales tax on food, which hits poor people hard but is little noticed by the rich.

A fairer, smarter way to replenish Utah’s recession-impacted bank balance is to increase our severance tax on extractive industries. The theory of severance taxes is that since a state’s mineral wealth is owned by all its citizens, mining companies should pay us for it. Especially since the wealth of metallic ores, oil, gas, coal, gravel and rock is irreplaceable.

Severance taxes are a small percentage of the selling price of the extracted minerals. Utah’s rate is low, and for coal, it’s free — we give coal away untaxed. In 2006, neighbor states Wyoming and New Mexico collected severance taxes of $683 million and $588 million; Utah collected $50 million. Is it a coincidence that our legislators can legally accept unlimited campaign contributions from corporations? Utahns desperately need an ethics law with teeth, but our legislators will never pass one.

We’re in a recession and Utah needs money to operate. The corporations turn a profit on what they sell. Poor people need to eat.

Gil Iker

Salt Lake City

Sen. Stephen Urquhart, R-St. George, says he doesn’t want to “find answers to the state’s problems in citizens’ wallets” (”Lawmaker lining up senators with no-tax pledge,” Tribune , Dec. 5). Of course, he’s saying that the budget shortfalls must be dealt with by slashing spending, but what spending? The programs that help those most in need, as always.

So, citizens will bear the brunt of budget shortfalls no matter what. The question is, which citizens? Well, if we don’t raise more money from those who have it, and we slash assistance to those who don’t, we shift the burden to the least fortunate among us. That hardly seems the right spirit at this time of year, let alone any other time.

It costs money to have the society we all seem to want, and there is enough money out there to make it all work. When times are tough, those who “have” need to pitch in (more…)

The article “Bennett holds up N-waste measure” ( Tribune , Dec. 4) contained several quotes by senators, but the most enlightening was by Sen. Orrin Hatch: “I would be against dangerous nuclear waste coming into Utah. I think anybody would…. But this is low-level stuff…. [It's] not dangerous for Utah.”

My only question is: If it isn’t dangerous, why would Italy go to such expense to get rid of it?

Tom Parrish

Sandy

Salt Lake Tribune Forum Letter

Due to their religious beliefs about the “sanctity” of marriage, many feel that same-sex marriage should not be allowed. That view elevates the establishment of marriage to one above the law, above the reach of the average lay person seeking such a union, and above any deviation from the holiness of this union.

By this logic of “sanctity,” the rules of marriage must be strictly enforced. Divorce and adultery absolutely offend the sanctity of marriage. The next step for those opposed to same-sex marriage is to propose legislation to abolish divorce and to require hard time for engaging (more…)

Updated: 11/06/2009 05:20:41 PM MST

Gov. Gary Herbert threw a bash where business interests “contributed” more than a million dollars to his campaign fund (”Gary’s glitzy gala: Herbert raises $1M in elaborate fundraiser,” Tribune , Oct. 31). Why? Is there any chance he might lose the election?

In politics, money is power. If some legislators balk at some bill a “contributor” wants passed, the governor can give them a few thousand dollars from his fund to help change (more…)

Tribune Public Forum Letter

Updated: 11/06/2009 05:21:07 PM MST

I am sad that voters in Maine repealed the state’s same-sex marriage law. Don’t they see that “equal” in the Constitution’s guarantee of “equal protection of the laws” means equal and not “only if I like it.” Sexual identity is almost as immutable as one’s sex or skin color, so why don’t people tolerate differences and treat gays as political equals, like they do for blacks and women?

Ay, there’s the rub — the treatment of blacks and women. Even after the Civil War (more…)