It's Weber County's turn to get bossed around by the Utah Inland Port Authority
Hits & Misses
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Port in a Storm
Weber County residents are being told to sit down, shut up and listen to their superiors. So what's new? The Legislature, which always knows what's best, created the monster before you. It's the Utah Inland Port Authority—emphasis on "authority"—which was born in 2019. Apparently it's not enough that the Inland Port has already encroached on the Great Salt Lake wetlands with its massive import-export hub. UIPA is now banking on mini-hubs from places like Tremonton, Spanish Fork, Tooele and now Weber, where the county commission is all agog over the jobs that could be coming. The Weber project has already grown from 900 to about 9,000 acres near the lake and the Weber River. Residents have sent a petition of 250 names, and another from out of the county with 1,639. Notices and public comment have been quick and slick. "We have now learned that the format this Thursday will be more like, 'citizens can ask questions and then we get to listen to propaganda by the Port Authority,'" said Hooper resident Rhonda Lauritzen. This week they rally at the Capitol. But hey, the thinking's been done.
Uni-vision
Well, tell us it ain't so. Surely, none of our representatives are collaborating with the enemy. By enemy, of course, we mean those socialistic liberals bent on destroying the nation through the guise of a bicameral democracy. But if you ever listen to Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, you'll know it's happening—the "uniparty," where "Democrats and Republicans are working together and against the interests of the American people." Sen. Mike Lee told the Deseret News he uses the uniparty insult often, mostly on spending bills. Greene used it to smear her House speaker when she called for his ouster. Lee likes to say he's fighting for the people against those Washington, D.C. insiders, because we all know voters no longer trust the bureaucracy that has worked for them for hundreds of years. Apparently, Republicans can still unite—just not with Democrats.
Imaginary Voters
If you think the uniparty "unicorn" is silly, then how about all those illegal aliens voting in elections? Indeed, Mike Lee (again) has been raising the issue like it's something real. Even House Speaker Mike Johnson just knows it's happening. "We all know, intuitively, that a lot of illegals are voting in federal elections. But it's not been something that is easily provable," Johnson said at a news conference. It isn't? "This is complete nonsense and is a misconception that comes when people don't understand the actual process," former Utah County Clerk Josh Daniels told The Salt Lake Tribune. The Brennan Center for Justice calls illegal immigrant voting "vanishingly rare." And of course, it's a crime.
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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