Copyright Salt Lake Tribune
Welcome to Inside Voices, a weekly newsletter that features a collection of ideas, perspectives and solutions from across Utah — without any of the vitriol or yelling that’s become all too common on other platforms. Subscribe here. Where do you go to talk with people who vote differently than you? With rare exceptions, our neighborhoods, workplaces — even our favorite coffee shops — tend to cluster like-minded folk. However, a group at SLC’s Anderson-Foothill Library has been attempting to correct that dynamic. Noah Baskett and Jeff Ouellette from the Salt Lake City Public Library say their “Foothill Forum” has uncovered something surprising: Americans don’t actually like their ideological silos. “American tribalism and division is not necessarily a political crisis,” they write, “but simply a lack of opportunities for genuine human connection across differences.” In that vein, the “Foothill Forum” has become a place for mutual understanding. It’s not therapy. It’s not a debate club. It’s just people talking about hard things in the same room — and discovering they can disagree without becoming enemies. Read how libraries are quietly rebuilding the public square. And let me know: Where do you go to have conversations with people who think differently than you? — Sam Morse, Newsletter Editor Last week’s Q: What are your thoughts on Utah’s redistricting saga? “Government is for the people by the people!! The people are the government. It’s the constitutional law. What the GOP led state government is doing is despicable.” — Holly De Vries “These efforts ... are simply ways for a few Republicans backed by disgruntled citizens and high-level Republicans (Trump, Lee and others) to throw kinks in the works and clog up our election process.” — Lisa Rutherford “We the people of this great state should have the say, not the people we elect to govern.” — Scott Dee “Should voters or the Legislature have the final say on redistricting? … It should be the voters because they are the ones arguing for a non-partisan solution. The Legislature’s solution is extraordinarily partisan and disenfranchises voters.” — Robin Tracy Utah Voices Who really cares about the state of the union? “The Founding Fathers were adamant about “No Kings” and they wrote the Constitution with checks and balances along with separation of powers in order to make government a representative organization of the people,” writes Don Hiddleson, of Millcreek. “The people are restless about what is happening under the Trumpian regime. As Hakeem Jeffries said, “Showing up to express dissent against an out-of-control administration, that’s about as American as motherhood, baseball and apple pie.” I would rather go hungry today than live under a law that abandons families tomorrow “A nation can endure hunger for a season,” Alexis Wolze-LeFevre, of Enoch. “It cannot survive the starvation of generations. The future will record which leaders protected children and which leaders demanded their sacrifice. If courage costs us comfort, then pay it. Do not bend.” The goal of raising the Great Salt Lake to 4,198 feet is achievable, but only if everyone participates “The governor’s goal of raising the lake to 4,198 feet is achievable, but only if everyone participates,” writes Cassidy Levert, of Salt Lake City. “We need stronger conservation laws, better public transit, and cleaner traffic patterns that cut emissions throughout the valley to get there. If Utah succeeds, the world can come to ski and witness the effects of a community uniting to save its environment.” It’s time for Utah’s representatives to address their constituents’ health care needs “During Trump’s first term, Republicans tried to eliminate the ACA, a now popular program, but couldn’t,” writes Ed Henkels, of Murray. “Now they’re trying to do it again — and again without a replacement. The need to make health care affordable is urgent, which is why the ACA was passed in the first place. Yet the party in power has no solutions on this. Meanwhile our representatives sit around and blame the Democrats for not voting for a “clean” Continuing Resolution bill. There is either an absence of good problem-solving skills or a lack of courage to use them.” Share Your Perspective As mentioned above, libraries are fundamental community institutions in a whole bunch of ways. But they’re often among the first line items to get cut when municipal budgets need trimming. Case in point: The rural residents of Cache Valley are currently at risk of losing their county library as local officials look to trim costs. There’s been an outpouring of support, but the fate of the Cache County Library remains uncertain. All that said, what does your local library mean to you — and should it be protected? From Bagley’s Desk Drop Us a Note
