I always appreciate Rebecca Walsh’s writing skills [“Rich Mitt,” Aug. 30, City Weekly].
It is not unusual for us (Americans) to vote for rich politicians. However, I think the bigger issue here has to do with the Mormon church, which Walsh has so accurately pointed out through the differences between Mitt Romney and Harry Reid. So, the problem is that Mormons are taught at an early age to separate everything in the world from their religion: “Be in the world but not of the world.” But the larger picture shows us that a course of avoidance of everyone else will not work. Now, it becomes very tricky in the world of politics to be a Mormon without “tasting the wine,” which can come in many ways: money, sex and alcohol—and did I mention money?
But the church is the problem in this case. Reid is a Democrat, which in almost every way is diametrically opposed to church doctrine, and Mitt is wealthy, which is also in opposition to “real” church doctrine.
The Mormon church’s “stone tablets” brought down from the mountain make the rules of Moses pale in comparison. Jesus was supposed to have “fulfilled” the law and the prophets, but instead, all of Christianity (well, maybe not all) as well as Mormons, Christian Scientist, etc., have just continued to pile on the rules and regulations for thousands of years, with no end in sight.
Mitt would probably do a better job at turning the country around financially, but the bigger question is, will the money brokers let him?
What makes Mitt so stiff or even like the Tin Man is he is constantly on guard not to interfere with his sense of “avoiding the appearance of evil.” While doing his avoiding, he comes across as unlikeable and unloveable. Like you say, Rebecca, it goes without saying that practicing Mormons will, in fact, vote for Mr. Romney.
But my point here is that the Mormon church deserves to start the process of deleting much of their dogma so people can actually learn how to love each other, and especially the rest of humankind.
SYLVAN L. CROFTS
Round Rock, Texas