Utah, like many “red” states, has seen an influx of out-of-state refugees in the last few years. Some have fled California Governor Gavin Newsom’s nuclear progressive policies, while others have come here because companies like Facebook and Google have relocated here. Some say that these companies are moving here to flood the region with blue voters. I suspect that the actual reason is that for many years Utah has been known as very business-friendly state and has attracted many tech companies. Hence the term “Silicon Slopes.” The fact that companies like Facebook and Google come to a place once known for values they despise to take advantage of the economic policies illustrates the scavenger mentality of progressivism.
From personal observation, the biggest things I have noticed about the arrival of people from other states is the increase in crime, traffic (including accidents), housing prices, and, notably, smog. Add to those problems the continued blight on the landscape as builders scramble to build homes. The lights from new houses continue to creep higher up the mountainsides as out-of-staters flush with cash buy their own slice of heaven. Funny how the progressives are in fact acting as a catalyst for an irreversible effect on the environment when I thought they were against that very thing. Maybe they will reclaim the mountainsides when and if they finally go home.
Of course, there is the possibility that Utah will turn from red to purple to blue. But that drift has been occurring for years, and the most that the influx of outlanders will do will be to hasten it, at best.
While much of Utah is conservative, Salt Lake City has long been a bastion of left-wing politics, so this op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune came as no surprise to me, although the second-to-last paragraph did make me raise my eyebrows–though not quite as high as those of the current speaker of the House:
“ Were Utah a truly civilized place, the governor’s next move would be to find a way to mandate the kind of mass vaccination campaign we should have launched a year ago, going as far as to deploy the National Guard to ensure that people without proof of vaccination would not be allowed, well, anywhere.”
And there it is. The advocacy of policy by force.
Let me be clear: I have had three vaccinations. I have very specific reasons for that and I believe that to be the right choice for me. It may not be the best choice for my neighbors or for you, but it was the right choice for me. That’s for you and your doctor to work out. And at times, the protestations of the antivaxxers grow just as tiresome as the panic-mongers. Particularly the meme declaring that in the future, doctors and nurses will be rounded up and tried for war crimes.
From time to time, I wonder if I am more of a classical liberal than anything else. After all, I went from hard left to hard right in a very short amount of time. But when I see statements such as the one above, I know I could never go back to being a leftist. The desire to drown out any all conversation and enforce one’s favorite policy with the implicit threat of violence is not only Orwellian, it is following in the steps of Pol Pot, Mao and, in particular, Stalin, whose crimes against humanity are largely whitewashed because of his political alignment. And it also follows in the train of Hitler. Yes, that Hitler. The one with the swastika that progressives are so fond of using as a brand for anyone who disagrees with them, or who may want to present information about COVID that is not state media-approved. There can only be one opinion and one policy. And if you disagree, if marginalizing you does not work, it looks as if they would have no problem with you staring down the barrel of a gun.
In the end, despite the repeated claims of being marginalized and victimized, the left seems to have no problem with the idea of wielding an iron fist when it suits its needs. Despite claiming to value love, freedom, etc., what the left actually seems to love more than anything else is power. And a love of power has been shown throughout history to be disastrous. And those responsible for the disastrous results often achieved power for a “greater good.” Evil is evil no matter from what side of the proverbial aisle it comes.
Source: PJ Media
