Utah Foundation survey shows support for clean air, but not for paying to clean it.
Hits & Misses
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Miss: Paying Up
Utahns are all about health and welfare—as long as it doesn't take money. That is the disconnect shown in a new Utah Foundation survey. "60% of respondents support strengthening environmental regulations in the U.S., and over 75% indicated that protecting the environment should be more important than economic growth." And yet, ask people what they're willing to pay for. How about a 5% improvement in air quality if it means taxes or cost of goods go up 5%? Nope. No surprise, the more conservative someone is, the less likely they'll want to fund their own welfare. Only 37% of Utahns were willing to pay more—almost half were a definite "no." Maybe people just think air is free, but Chinese studies show that people migrate to places with cleaner air, so they are willing to pay indirectly. The problem may be less partisan and more educational. Understanding the downside of dirty air can change minds—and, obviously, health.
Miss: Bump, Set, Spike
Fear of the unknown or misunderstood is perhaps Utah's greatest legislative motivator, and we're still whipping up suspicion and animus. Our sweet, vulnerable volleyball players will not go head-to-head with San Jose State University because—gasp—the team may have a "man." Utah State University joined Southern Utah University, Boise State University and the University of Wyoming in righteous indignation over Blaire Fleming's existence. Never mind that USU has won three of four games against San Jose featuring Fleming, according to Utah Public Radio. As if it isn't enough that government has become an abortion hunter, it is now passing laws to check girls' hormone levels and banning anything transgender. The New York Times calls it "unhinged hysteria": "A recent Pew Research survey found that fewer than 0.6 percent of American adults say they're transgender." Their personal and professional struggles are real. Our lawmakers prefer to think of it as a threatening abomination.
Hit: Virtue Signaling
This year was definitely a different kind of LDS General Conference. Beside the fact that it wasn't rainy and gloomy, a small group of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are calling out Trump voters—and saying "don't." Maybe you don't know all the Mormon scriptures, but here's one they point to, in Doctrine and Covenants 98, a Salt Lake Tribune story says: "Honest men [and women] and wise men [and women] should be sought for diligently, and good men [and women] and wise men [and women] ye should observe to uphold ... I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good." What that means is that Donald Trump is unfit for office, that he fails the character test and that Utah Republicans need to see this as a come-to-Jesus moment. They even have an online petition going—"LDS Opposed to Trump." In about a month, we'll see if Utahns can wrest themselves from the electoral "R."
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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