MISS: Impeachment Dodge
Oh, the hand wringing as representatives try to remember what mother told them about consequences. Gee whiz, they're just not sure that Donald Trump actually sat down in a room with the insurrectionists to plot the end of democracy. Maybe he was, as he always is, just blathering on in his unhinged and narcissistic "presidential" manner. It was harder yet to hear Rep. John Curtis twisting his rationale like a pretzel because "we don't have any chance to think this through," he told NPR. Same for Blake Moore, the new kid on the block. Have they not heard the president calling for insurrection over the past year? Then, in his most patriarchal voice, the Deseret News' Jay Evensen calls on Joe Biden to pardon Donald Trump. No, Jay, we weren't "angered" by the president; we were terrified of his call and continued influence to end this country. Now is not the time for unity; it's the time for accountability.
MISS: A Parliament of Saints
There were two stories that stuck out this week about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: One noted the declining church membership in the state—except in Utah County, the state's Brighamville. But the LDS still sit at a hefty 60 percent of the state's population. The second report noted that, unsurprisingly, the Legislature continues to be dominated and overrepresented by Mormons—and that's an understatement. Former state Rep. Patrice Arent, D-Millcreek, was way too euphemistic. saying "People who are looking at running sometimes have this idea that they have to be part of the predominant culture or they're not going to win." Sometimes? There are 89 Mormons and 14 non-LDS members of the Legislature. Just try to get a job outside of the "network." Numbers count.
HIT: Homeless Solutions
Taylor Stevens of The Salt Lake Tribune did something legislators are loath to do—she actually went to a homeless encampment and interviewed "100 unsheltered residents." Camp Last Hope, growing along the railway lines, is a loosely organized attempt at gathering those who might otherwise stake their tents in neighborhoods. It's far from perfect, and advocates still want them to seek help, something many are unwilling or unable to do. And plans to replace what the Road Home offered have been lacking. The idea here is promising—to create a "tiny home village." That, however, would require funds, land and a more visionary commitment from government and landowners. And it needs to happen before the health department "cleans up" the area and pushes out the campers.
