A CALL TO ACTION!
Starting today 4/5/06 I am planning on writing a column about current issues, letters and editorials which occur in the Herald Journal and anything else that seems of interests to me. I hope you all will enjoy and comment about this column and anything else you think I should address or even if you disagree with me.
So here goes
I first off want to talk about an article written by Joe Dulin (the winner of the contest for a new liberal voice for the HJ; as if they needed one). He seems to have a real problem with the State Legislature. Unfortunately, the concept that they are elected by the citizens of this great state seem irrelevant to him. He compares Brigham Young and his followers entering the laceName w:st="on">SaltlaceName> laceType w:st="on">LakelaceType> valley as equivalent to the current illegal immigration crisis. Now, in my mind that is a stretch. First, with the exception of a few Native Americans, who only used the area part time, there were no other people here. They did not violate any law, that I am aware of, and were not dependent on anyone else for anything. Whatever they didn’t bring with them, they either made it or did without. Then of course, he brings up the old tired phrase about Republicans cutting taxes for the rich and eliminating programs for the poor. First of all less than 10% of Americans pay over 90% of the income taxes of this country. So naturally if you cut taxes the rich benefit the most. What he seems to miss is that this concept often referred to as supply sided economics has repeatedly worked. The American economy, despite a major market fall (which started under Clinton), 9/11, two wars and a couple of major hurricanes is extremely strong, and revenues are up markedly. Secondly, he also seems to have missed that spending on such programs has grown tremendously under Bush. This is one of many complaints I have with the current administration. We as a country need to insist on programs which get people out of poverty, instead of institutionalizing them. Remember how many criticized the “back to work” program for welfares recipients and how well it has worked.
One of the Major Medias tricks is to call, reductions in the increased amount that is slated to be spent on any given program a “cut”. This of course is highly deceptive and typical of leftist politics today.
Then he starts out condemning the new HBO series “Big Love” for the harm that it is doing to Utah’s image. Well, gee who is responsible for this? Could it be Hollywood, the greatest enclave of liberals, on the planet? Then he complains about Larry Millers decision to not show “laceName w:st="on">BrokebacklaceName> laceType w:st="on">MountainlaceType>.” My answer to him is this. One will never be “popular” for engaging in highly moral behavior. We should be supporting more theatre owners from showing violent and highly sexualized movies. Personally could care less what the rest of America thinks about Utah and its citizens. If they are so shallow as to judge an entire state by a TV series or what a owner of a movie theatre does then I do not want them, living next to me!
And as for his comment, about a previous letter writer calling him “mean spirited’, I say if you didn’t know it was true to would not have bothered you. You condemn whole groups of people for following their conscious and showing backbone simply because they do not share your values. Utahans are unlikely to change their behavior very much. If this causes you such great concern I suggest you either gain more tolerance or leave. Regardless quit whining.
John Wangsgaard
Logan |