Opinions and Religion

My sister and I went up to my mother's house today to decorate her house for Christmas.  Why on earth my dad can't do it....I don't know.  Oh yeah.  He would hang some tinsel from the dear antlers and call it decorated.  Or at least that's what my mother's version of the story would be.  (Hi, Mom!)  She reads my blog now.

While decorating, my sister and I were once again divvying up her stuff.  My dad once told my sister that the day after she dies we'd better high tail it up to their house and get stuff before he's hauls it down to the Deseret Industries or D. I. for those of us in the area.  For those not, it's a LDS run thrift store.  It's craptacular.  Then my sister and I started making plans for what we were getting rid of and what was going to come to our houses.  I said that we were going to make a spectacle of ourselves hauling out all that crap to the sidewalk the day after we plant her.  I suggested it would be a yard sale and my sister said, "No.  An "estate" sale."  Because we all know how important and useful an old lady's stuff is.  I said, "We will hang a banner that states, "Well, she ain't gettin' any deader!""  There's a lot of sentiment in our family.  My only request to her death is that it be in the summer, when it's warm.

Anywho..

My beef of the day is this:  The Government and Conservative Leanings of the State of Utah.

There was once a day when the State of Utah was close to 90% LDS.  Those days are gone.  In Salt Lake County the Mormon to non-Mormon ratio is about 1:3.  In Utah County (Provo) where I live the ratio is higher maybe 4:5.  In Weber County (Ogden) and Davis County (Bountiful) it's probably somewhere in the middle.  In the less populated counties (Cache, Morgan, Summit, Juab, San Juan, Kane, etc) it's probably higher.  Then in Washington County (St George) it's probably quite low.  All in all the Mormon to non-Mormon ratio in the State of Utah is lower than 50%.  I saw or heard a recent guess on the percentage of Mormons in the State of Utah in the next 10-15 years will be 30%.

Utah Representatives and Senators you need to start representing people of all beliefs and non-beliefs.  The State of Utah can no longer be run like an extension of the LDS Church.  It's called separation of Church and State for a reason. 

Since moving back to Utah 15 years ago, working in the PTA for 13 years and working for a school district for 7 years I cannot in good conscience call myself a Republican any longer.  (I'm not a registered Democrat, Mom!  Don't freak.)  I vote Democrat on the state and local level because we need to have some equality of thinking in this State.  If I lived in Colorado or California or New York I'd still consider myself a Republican.  But not in Utah. 

We have had a particular Representative and Senator for our area serving for several years.  I want to throw up every time I hear either one of their names because they or so biased and so unfair. 

The laws and regulations that come up on capitol hill are ridiculous.  It's the same in small government as it is in large--let's make it possible for the rich to stay rich.  Not that I'm against being rich---bring it on.  But the State of Utah is so bent on taking public moneys, public school moneys and putting it all towards programs that are so STUPID.  Like taking money out of public school hands to pay tuition to private schools.  95% of Utah students go to public school. HELLO!  And by damn, if you didn't go along with that ridiculousness then your association is battered and beaten up every way you turn.  That's just a small representation.

Not everyone is a Mormon in this state.  Not everyone is in a white, heterosexual, two-parent household.  It's time for the State of Utah to start thinking outside of their narrow minded box.

Disclaimer:  These are my thoughts.   I am LDS.  I am very active in the Church.  I have served a mission.  I have held multiple callings over my lifetime.  I read my scriptures and pray every day.  I have Family Home Evening every week.  I go to Church every Sunday.  I have a testimony of Jesus Christ as my Savior.  I am not a Republican. This is not the thought of all members of the LDS Church.  But I have met several wherein it is.