The Mayor's Travel Ban
Apparently, there are people who believe that Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski is discriminating along the lines of the bigots who would refuse service to LGBT customers because the law lets them. "The contradiction here is impossible to overlook. If a baker cannot withhold his services because of his conscience, why should the mayor be allowed to withhold hers for the same reason?" asks a letter to the editor in The Salt Lake Tribune. Biskupski issued an order restricting city employees from city-sponsored travel to Mississippi or North Carolina. It's a long-standing tradition in the United States, dating back to the 1790s in Britain, and famously was used during the U.S. civil rights movement. It's usually a short-term, one-time deal to correct a wrong. Not so for the laws in Mississippi and North Carolina, which legalize discrimination.
Sucking Up
Thanks to KUER 90.1 FM for pointing out how the citizens of Utah have been deceived about the intentions of polluting leviathan Stericycle. Oh, and woe is Tooele, whose motto has become "the place to put everything no one else wants." Stericycle agreed to move its incinerator from North Salt Lake to minimize a $2.3 million fine. No one really mentioned that, once in Tooele, it intended to double its capacity of belching smoke. And just moving airborne pollution does little to resolve the health risks. Longtime critic Dr. Brian Moench said his group felt betrayed by Stericycle, which just held a public hearing on questions. Make no mistake, there are no plans to change direction and Tooele will likely have to suck it up—literally and figuratively.
Pooling Resources
Everyone knows that the west side of Salt Lake City gets no respect—at least in terms of resources. Now, a nonprofit has approached the county with an idea to collaborate on building a competition swimming pool next to the Northwest Recreation Center, according to a Salt Lake Tribune report. The county would need to agree to donate the land and handle ongoing operations once the pool is built. But some Republicans worry about unknown future costs, and (oh, dear) the what-ifs of running a community facility that also could offer a hot-water pool for people with disabilities. They talk about building specs, so wouldn't this be an opportunity for solar? Sure, look at the finances, but don't snub a well-intentioned gift to the community.
