The Indy Top Ten of 2015: Opinion

If I had to decide what the best opinion pieces of the year were, I’d be paralyzed with indecision. But our readers were clearly moved by photo editor Dallas Hyland’s sentiments about both the loss of a friend in a rappelling accident as well as the loss of lives in the Keyhole Canyon floods. And our managing editor, Paul Dail, seemed to strike a chord that resonated strongly with the public when he wrote about peaceful coexistence between Mormons and non-Mormons.

Jack Ferm’s two-part series on the BLM’s egregious behavior in regard to our wild horses went over well and was even republished by other media outlets. Michael Dillman wrote a scathing indictment of the LDS Church’s acceptance of an environmental award that it clearly didn’t earn, and Dan Mabbutt explained why the Tour of Utah pisses off Sprindale residents so much. I wrote a piece about the heroes who were treated like garbage at a protest at Lagoon Park — where animals are treated like garbage — and another piece about … uh … how vegan ladies are hot. Because let’s face it: they are!

But holy cow, Michael Dillman’s piece on how Millennials are ditching religion exploded all over the Internet on Christmas Day, receiving thousands and thousands of views and rocketing to the number one spot in only a few days. Here are our top ten opinion pieces from 2015 in order of views from most to fewest.

Just in time for Christmas, Millennials are ditching religion

Michael Dillman–

12 25 15 – 7:05 am

1

This is all atop the devastating news about comprehensive retention rates in the Mormon church: In the 1970s–2000s, the retention rate among children who were raised Mormon was 92.6 percent. Now, the retention rate is closer to 60 percent.

Louis Johnson was my friend

Dallas Hyland–

10 04 15 – 4:50 am

10

Sadly, this is the second time for me in the span of a few weeks that I am writing about the park in such a light, only this time it is so much closer to home. Louis was my friend.

It’s possible to be non-Mormon in Utah without being anti-Mormon

Paul Dail–

09 12 15 – 8:00 am

7

If you can’t respect people for their differences and can’t communicate without getting angry or offended or wanting to fight, then maybe it’s time you moved and left this beautiful state to those of us who just want to get along.

Let’s face it: vegan ladies are hot

Jason Gottfried–

10 05 15 – 6:03 am

3

Let’s face it: from top to bottom, inside and out, vegan ladies are simply superior than your average run-of-the-mill lady in so many ways; they’re the Teslas of the human race.

The BLM wild horse roundup continues: follow the money

Jack Ferm–

12 10 15 – 6:10 am

20

The sense of frustration that we as a nation feel with government is at an all-time high. Maybe we should look to Thomas Jefferson and examine how he would have dealt with a government that is so out of control. The BLM wild horse roundups may be that catalyst.

Why is the BLM killing wild horses?

Jack Ferm–

12 01 15 – 7:00 am

67

Our wild horses are now going to slaughterhouses where their throats are cut like the way chickens are slaughtered. And the BLM is fully aware of their slaughter: In fact, they knowingly aid and abet this unlawful treatment of these very intelligent animals.

The Lagoon Park protest: Apparently, Utah is the police state of milk and honey

Jason Gottfried–

08 31 15 – 6:40 am

3

[The protesters’] treatment sets a precedent of abuse on the part of the state that, unchecked, will result in a (more) dystopian, corporate, plutocratic police state. For those whose family trees are deeply rooted in Utah … if that’s what your ancestors struggled and died for … well, better to just spit in your grandfather’s face.

Keyhole Canyon tragedy: Sometimes the limits push back

Dallas Hyland–

09 20 15 – 4:50 am

4



I do not believe this group to have been foolhardy or reckless but rather a group who rolled the dice somewhat and died horrifically tragic deaths.

The Tour of Utah and why Springdale is mad as hell

Dan Mabbutt–

11 16 15 – 6:58 am

1

We’re mad because the town we love is being run right into the ground by too much commercialism, too little investment in the infrastructure needed for over three million  visitors a year, and too little concern for preserving the good things about Springdale, like wildlife and the environment.

LDS Church wins environmental award?

Michael Dillman–

10 17 15 – 1:49 pm

2

Succinctly put, the LDS Church has abused its status as a religious organization. Through corporate greed, bizarrely legal tax evasion, and senseless energy hogging, the organization is robbing American tax payers of millions of dollars while simultaneously displaying a blatant disregard for environmental conservation.