Western states must outlaw fireworks as the region fights heat and drought
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In a normal rain year, allowing people to set off fireworks in the middle of a Utah summer is, to put it charitably, asking for trouble.
But this is no normal year. Utah and other Western states are facing a record drought. The heat has come early. Setting off fireworks under these conditions would be, to put it in start terms, stupid. Click here for more |
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We love college sports, but do we really need to subsidize it?
A newly released audit shows Utah subsidized college sports by $56 million in fiscal 2014, a figure that seems to grow each year. It's time for a frank talk about whether this is appropriate.
Click to read more Should it be illegal to work on your own car?
Smart cars, when they become available, will be complicated machines. If people work on them in their home garages, they're liable to screw them up and pose hazards to other drivers.
At least, that's the argument being made in an effort to make home tinkering illegal. Click to read more How many new laws do we really need, and why are so many states failing?
Utah lawmakers passed 528 new laws this year. Many begin taking effect this week. Can you think of 528 anything that you really need at the moment (with the exception of dollars)?
Read about this and other thoughts on current events. Click to read more Face it, Salt Lake, panhandlers will always be with you
Things are going well in Salt Lake City. It's at the top of many lists for the best place to do business. It's got Google Fiber.
But it also has panhandlers, and a lot of them. They may be a permanent fixture. Click to read more 
Tame the West's water shortage with market-based solutions Utah, and much of the American West, is in the throes of what could be a long-term drought. California has dealt with this by "drought shaming" those who use too much water. A better solution would be to find pricing structures that incentivize people to use water wisely.
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This is the Web site where you'll find everything written and published by Jay Evensen, as well as links to interesting things. Look around. If you have comments, drop me an email at even@desnews.com
The Author
Jay Evensen is the Senior Editorial Columnist of the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has 34 years experience as a reporter, editor and editorial writer in Oklahoma, New York City, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. He also has been an adjunct professor of journalism at Brigham Young and Weber State universities.
Ha! Ha! Ha!
Everyone likes to laugh, or to occasionally groan from a painful pun. On Second Thought is a feature published every Monday in the Deseret News. Go to the Second Thoughts page and read the lighter side of current events. Then submit your own. They might end up in print.
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