No More Slacking
Utah's 45-year-old "boy wonder" of a governor is proving to be more of a partisan hack than an independent thinker. Take his stance on ending federal unemployment benefits, for instance. It's not unlike that trickle-down economics trope. It sounds good, but it really doesn't work. You know those slackers who'd rather stay home and play video games than work for $7.25 an hour? They're getting an extra $300 on top of their state benefits. That amounts to about $688 a week. "The disappointing jobs report makes it clear that paying people not to work is dampening what should be a stronger jobs market," Neil Bradley of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told The Washington Post. Almost no study supports that, and a census bureau report shows that many on unemployment still can't cover their routine expenses. But the governor has bought into the message that these people are just the freeloading poor.
Tax $$ at Work
Ever since the Sagebrush Rebellion, federal lands have been a sore point for rural Utah. Now, according to a Salt Lake Tribune report, we find that Kane County has forked out about half a million dollars to a Texas "consulting group" to help with land management. "The spending comes on top of the millions it has spent litigating legal claims based on 'R.S. 2477,' a frontier-era law that allowed counties to own roads built across public land," the Trib wrote. That's a lot of money for a county with a median household income of $47,044 and somewhere around 8,000 people. American Stewards of Liberty is purportedly a nonprofit but is engaging in possibly disallowed lobbying activities, and is working to defeat President Biden's "30-by-30" campaign with model legislation. That's where Kane citizens' tax dollars are going.
Not Buying the Big Lie
Without getting into the love or hate of Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney's removal from GOP House leadership, there's at least a spark of hope from one in our congressional delegation who didn't buy into the "big lie." Utah has to endure the blind Trumpism of Reps. Chris Stewart and Burgess Owens, both of whom voted against certifying Pennsylvania's electoral votes—even after the insurrection. Still, there's Blake Moore, representing Utah's 1st Congressional District, who voted to sustain election integrity and stands behind the election of Biden, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Meanwhile, Sen. Mike Lee continues his strange rants against HR-1, the "For the People" act, stunningly saying the bill was "written in hell by the devil himself." The Trib's Sunday edition followed up by carrying an exhaustive piece on how HR-1 compares favorably to Utah voting laws. But for some minor differences, Utah could have been the model for that legislation.
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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