Think of the Children
The Sutherland Institute is now two-for-two with Paul Mero’s latest post on “the Gay Mind.” This follows a much-disputed editorial on what Mero calls “the Secular Mind,” which provoked all manner of hostile responses via the media. Now, he takes on Peg McEntee of The Salt Lake Tribune, who did wail a bit over the top against LDS bigwig Dallin H. Oaks. But Oaks did kind of ask for it by stating categorically that children are disadvantaged by cohabitating or homosexual couples. McEntee’s article was a simple treatise on love; Mero’s was a long and convoluted dissertation on public policy in which he questioned sodomy as an expression of love. He says, “Homosexuality is the selfish love, perhaps even narcissism, among people struggling with a peculiar sin (as Elder Oaks has identified elsewhere).”
Behind the Times
Just when you thought Utah was ready to handle the expansion of Medicaid, the powerful Utah Hospital Association tosses in the wet blanket. The association doesn’t want to support full expansion now, mainly because of “adverse impacts on the commercial insurance market.” Utah is already moving ahead to point Medicaid recipients toward accountable care organizations, but uncertainty
seems to be holding things up. The American Hospital Association is behind expansion, but Utah isn’t like the rest of America, is it? Studies show that most opposition to Obamacare is rooted in its complexity. Maybe the American Hospital Association can help simplify things, and it says it does want to find $37 million in state funding to cover 48,500 un-enrolled and Medicaid-eligible Utahns.
Winners & Losers
It’s an open secret in Utah that high school sports are just as politically charged as the big leagues. Now, we have an audit that shows financial problems that likely extend throughout the state. The audit found booster clubs keeping
funds that should have gone to the schools, and donations for athletic facilities being used improperly. Some schools didn’t go through competitive
bidding, giving rise to allegations of preferential treatment. While it all sounds bad, the fact is that the state auditor highlights recommendations for change. Schools, like any public entity, need to be transparent in their financial dealings. We’ll see what kind of audits we get next year when newly elected nonaccountant John Dougall takes over. He was the legislator who tried to restrict access to public records through the failed House Bill 477.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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