2020 Hits and Misses

2020 Hits and Misses

Here’s My Take On Some of My More Controversial Columns of 2020.

CALIFORNIA’S LOSS IS UTAH’S GAIN

Quality of life continues to deteriorate in California in large part due to the state’s continuing experiment with the so-called progressive government. After listing a number of the state’s woes, I pointed out that as a result, many more people are leaving the state than are moving in.

Southern Utah is attractive to increasing numbers of ex-Californians but I asked that they leave their politics and their tolerance of suburban sprawl behind.

IT’S TIME TO START GETTING UTAH BACK TO WORK

I took a lot of heat for this one but my recommendations were right on target. When this column came out in early April, it was clear that COVID-19 was a serious threat primarily to older people, especially those over age 65. For younger people – those under 40 – it was less deadly than the 2009 H1N1 flu.

The upshot: stop the indiscriminate lockdown of all businesses championed by the liberal media; instead take serious steps to protect older Americans. This recommendation has proven to be right on target with what we know today.

SOCIAL DISTANCING, NOT BUSINESS LOCK-DOWNS, SAVES LIVES

Still thumping the tub to relax stringent business lockdowns, I pointed out a variety of data showing that those lockdowns did not result in lower COVID-19 infection rates per se. Instead, six-foot social distancing and wearing masks were the keys.

That has been borne out this fall as pandemic fatigue and winter weather have driven people inside where social interaction and reluctance to wear masks have resulted in new heights of infection.

POLICE RESTRUCTURING THAT MAKES SENSE

Riots and looting followed the unfortunate deaths of several African-Americans in police custody. Police should be held to a zero-tolerance standard; nonetheless, the resulting chaos was all out of proportion and ultimately self-defeating for those seeking positive change.

Calls for defunding the police made no sense; were at odds with minority communities’ recognition of the need for more, not less, police protection; and ultimately were a factor in electoral defeat for many federal and state Democratic candidates who advocated it. I argued instead for specially-trained, unarmed social workers to defuse the domestic situations that armed police officers are expected to handle today.

WILL YOU REFUSE A COVID-19 VACCINE DEVELOPED BY WHITE MALES?

With today’s stream of new COVID-19 vaccines coming online, this July column’s topic was on target. But its purpose was to poke holes in the liberal preoccupation with race, gender and sexual orientation.

For too many institutions, diversity is a code word for unconstitutional affirmative action. These folks are more interested in inclusiveness than competence. Fixating on equal results rather than equal opportunity leads to discrimination against competent members of unfavored groups.

UTAH’S DIXIE: HISTORY TO SOME, RACIST TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY

I struck a raw nerve on this one, at least with those who treasure Southern Utah’s early settlement by immigrants from southern states. The title of this column said it all.

While I doubt that my column entered into the Dixie State University Board of Trustees’ discussion, just this month the trustees recommended eliminating the word “Dixie” from the university’s name.

NORTHERN CORRIDOR HIGHWAY: EATING OUR CAKE AND HAVING IT TOO

I’m a longtime supporter of the need for a so-called Northern Corridor Highway providing a high-speed parkway north of central St. George connecting the northwest portion of the metro area with I-15. While my focus was on traffic and cost, I found myself aligned with environmentalists whose focus was on preservation and the desert tortoise.

We all strongly preferred modifying the existing Red Hills Parkway and providing a flyover from 1000 East to I-15. I preferred its superior traffic flow, lower cost, and lack of lawsuits. Sadly, politics won out over common sense: the BLM joined local politicians in favoring a route through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. Let years of legal wrangling begin while traffic worsens.

UTAH’S COVID-19 RECOVERY BEST IN THE U.S.

This column documented Utah’s best-in-the-nation economic recovery from pandemic-inspired business lockdowns and added to a long list of Utah accomplishments. No longer a punching bag for jokes about backwardness, Utah can be pleased with its growing national reputation for good government, for a thriving economy, and as a great place to live.

NEW ST. GEORGE WATER RATES: A BABY STEP TOWARD CONSERVATION

The St. George City Council risked the wrath of the city’s heavy water users with a modest increase in their water rates while leaving rates about the same for most users. The step was long overdue.

This column pointed out the dramatically lower water use per capita in cities like Tucson, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, and Grand Junction where the cost per gallon rises steeply with increasing use. If St. George water were priced like those cities, we wouldn’t need the $2 billion Lake Powell Pipeline.

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