Jay Evensen - Opinions

Voting by mail will change democracy, but how?

10/17/2018

Election Day is here, or not.

It may be tomorrow, or the day after that. It might have been last week. It’s up to you, really.

Actually, the word “day” is obsolete in this context. “Voting season” might be a better way to put it, and it’s changing democracy. Exactly how remains a mystery, however.

Yes, Election Day officially is Nov. 6, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. But that’s now more a deadline than an event.

Utah's lax tuition controls add to nationwide problem

10/16/2018

Audits seldom harbor literary gems or pearls of wisdom, but when it comes to cutting to the heart of a matter, you could do worse than this sentence, buried on page 17 of a Legislative Auditor General’s report on the performance of the state Board of Regents, which governs higher education in Utah:

“Comparatively low tuition does not absolve the Board of Regents of its oversight responsibilities.”

It ain’t Shakespeare, but it sounds like poetic justice.

How do we get politics out of religious freedom debate?

10/10/2018

It shouldn’t sound as difficult as it does.

During his recent visit to Provo to speak to the International Law and Religious Symposium at Brigham Young University, Sam Brownback seemed to wonder why the plight of people being persecuted, tortured and killed worldwide for their beliefs hasn’t generated more outrage in the United States.

Human trafficking, after all, has developed a grass-roots synergy in recent years that raised awareness, changed laws and put a spotlight on problems worldwide.

But religious freedom?

Utahns may soon get to vote for more than one candidate

10/9/2018

Utahns may not get to vote both early and often, the way Chicago’s election hucksters once urged, but beginning with next year’s municipal elections they could get to vote early and for more than one candidate.

No kidding. Ranked-choice voting could be coming to a race near you.

This would be an attempt to answer the age-old question of American democracy:

Don't close the Road Home shelter quite yet

10/2/2018

If you live in Salt Lake City, you probably don’t think homelessness is being solved.

A new poll commissioned by Utahpolicy.com found that 45 percent say homelessness and panhandling are about the same today as when a coalition of state, county and city leaders began a concerted crackdown a little more than a year ago.

Another 24 percent said the problem has gotten worse. That’s a combined 69 percent of city residents who say, regardless of what official crime figures might indicate, the plan isn’t working.

Deron Williams, forgiveness and a world that shames

9/19/2018

Consider a few recent news stories. Then ask yourself how each one made you feel.

The first is a Utahjazz.com report about former Jazz guard Deron Williams, who met with former coach Jerry Sloan at Sloan’s house during the summer and apologized for the way he acted when he was with the team.

Sloan retired from coaching suddenly back in 2011 after a simmering feud between the two men climaxed during halftime of a game. He left the next day, and the team traded Williams a few days later.

Release of kidnapper raises questions about mental illness

9/18/2018

Sometime today the prison doors will open, and Wanda Barzee, the woman who supported her husband, Brian David Mitchell, as he kidnapped and repeatedly, cruelly abused a then-teenaged Elizabeth Smart, will walk free.

This was supposed to happen about six years from now, which would have seemed too soon, but Barzee has completed her federal prison sentence, and the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole said it mistakenly didn’t give her credit for time served in federal prison or the fact her federal and state sentences (she pleaded guilty and mentally ill to kidnapping in state court) were supposed to run concurrently. All of that shortened her date of release from state prison to Sept. 19 of this year.

You probably thought the days of big tobacco were over

9/13/2018

If you thought outrageous cigarette ads were left inside your grandparents’ Zenith when it hit the scrap heap, you haven’t been paying attention to the e-cigarette industry.

Take, for example, one video on Youtube. A young man appears at wit’s end while typing on a computer. He slaps his palms on the desk, obviously distracted and devoid of ideas, or maybe unable to find just the right word for that important report.

It's hot and dry outside; here's how to urge conservation

9/11/2018

This week in 1982, President Ronald Reagan visited Utah. He toured Welfare Square, run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Then he spoke in Hooper, where thousands of people turned out despite cold temperatures and lots of rain.

The Weber County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse gave him a badge, which, he joked, would help him, “stop some of the highway robbery that’s going on in Washington.” He ended the speech on a serious note, calling for a spiritual renewal nationwide.

Did you catch that? It was cold and raining — this exact time of year.

Look outside. See anything like that now? I thought so.

Will Utah lawmakers alter marijuana initiative if it passes?

9/6/2018

If voters pass Proposition 2, legalizing medical marijuana in Utah, would the Legislature dare to alter the law after the fact?

That’s an interesting, difficult-to-answer question, considering both the House and Senate will be electing new leadership before the next session.

But there are indications some lawmakers would give it a try.

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