Taken Hostage
A questionable take on the country's tariff fight, Utah's get-along nature and a possible win for national parks.
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Taken Hostage
Stockholm syndrome: A condition that causes hostages to develop a psychological alliance with their captors as a survival strategy during captivity. Rep. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, might be sorry he ever mentioned it. While defending President Trump's unpopular tariffs, McCay likened tariff opponents to weary and frightened captives. You know, Canada, Brazil, Mexico—they've all been holding us hostage and we've come to like it. At least, that was his take as he sat in his right-wing silo on KCPW 88.3 FM's "Both Sides of the Aisle." But as he thinks Trump is riding to our rescue, just about every other media outlet thinks the president himself has fueled Stockholm syndrome in the nation. The Washington Post says House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell just sit and take the verbal abuse. And then look at Trump's aides whom he "virtually tortures." Even Vanity Fair asks if an entire country can resist its captor. Good question.
The Get-Along State
If you live in Utah, you know we're all about appropriateness. Utah, the get-along state. So the shock and awe wasn't all that surprising when South Salt Lake Councilwoman Sharla Bynum asked an appalling question about the possibility of systemic sexism. Oh, my God, no! came the answer from male councilmembers. It's inappropriate and offensive to call us fine, upstanding citizens bigots. Well, Bynum didn't call them bigots. She asked—rhetorically—is Mayor Cherie Wood being denied raises because she's a woman? It's not a bad question at all. Instead of righteous indignation, the councilmembers should have ticked off their ill-thought reasoning, and dug deep down to ask themselves if the same would be true had Wood been a man. It's a simple question, guys!
Thanks, Anyways!
Well, yeah! Rep. Rob Bishop. You want to fix up those crumbling national parks, the ones whose infrastructure has long been neglected. Bishop and a Democratic colleague have introduced a $5.2-billion bill to fix roads, trails and other things in the parks, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Of course, there's a $12-billion backlog, but it's a start, right? The bill would divert unallocated federal energy development revenue to the cause, though it's a good question what other projects that revenue might have been used for. But as the Trib noted, Trump's budget called for the privatization of these national treasures because, well, our taxes should go to a wall, or something. But thanks to Bishop, anyway, for trying to clean things up before the fire sales—and before we turn the parks into national gated communities.
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.
More by Katharine Biele
-
Deseret News poll shows Donald Trump skating to another victory in Utah.
Hits & Misses
- Apr 17, 2024
-
LDS General Conference dominates local news while stories on diversity and discrimination take a back seat
Hits & Misses
- Apr 10, 2024
-
Utah's GOP Senate candidates try to out-MAGA each other in a race to the bottom.
Hits & Misses
- Apr 3, 2024
- More »
Latest in Hits & Misses
