There were a number of noteworthy discussions and a few heated questions from the audience. Two in particular came from Ann Daniels, who took offense at my support for Medicaid expansion and the discussion between Kraig Powell and me on laws pertaining to marriage and how they are affected by the recent court rulings. She challenged me to give her one example of anything the government ever did right to positively affect the economy. When I indicated to her that insuring millions of additional Americans under the ACA was a positive to the country as a whole, by reducing the threat of severe illness, bankruptcy and/or death from these millions, she was demonstrably unconvinced.

If time had allowed, I could have added several other government initiatives that resulted in positive outcomes such as the interstate highway system, solar panels, GPS, Satellite TV and radio transmissions, Social Security and Medicare.

Kraig Powell and I had a brief but detailed discussion concerning his bill file to clean up various family-related issues such as adoption and surrogacy. I suggested to him that he should pledge to write such laws so that same sex partners would have equal rights in adoption and surrogacy to opposite sex partners. This he refused to do and affirmed his belief that there are indeed now two classes of marriage and that the same-sex variety has rights that are different and less substantial. I believe that several very negative consequences follow from this reasoning.

The LGBT community will rightly sue to get equal parenting rights and based on the recent decisions on marriage are certain to prevail. Wasting millions on a legal process is the least destructive consequence. Others that are more consequential are:

• The continued disruption of the families affected.
• Creation of a second class of marriage creates the aura of government sanctioned discrimination.

Locally, should this legislation advance and be challenged in the courts, Park City would be branded as the community represented by the author of the legislation.

I believe that this mid set in Representative Powell should disqualify him from further representation of this district.

Lastly, Ms. Daniels comments about me, as a paramecium and a high horse were in error. My one experience with a horse, circa 1985, left me no desire to ever mount one again.

The post Guest Editorial: Powell’s stance on LGBT issues should be disqualifying appeared first on Park Record.

Full Medicaid expansion now would provide 140,000 of the poorest Utahns with health coverage, bring $400,000,000 annually onto the state and create thousands of new healthcare sector jobs. Much of the $400M is Utah tax money that will instead go elsewhere (Jerry Brown thanks the Utah Legislature). One hundred percent of the costs of Medicaid expansion are covered by federal funds for the first 3 years, decreasing to 90 percent by 2020.

Of the 140,000 that would be helped by the expansion, 66 percent are working in low-paying jobs, 16 percent are unemployed and the rest are disabled, students, and non-working moms. Many of these 140,000 live in House District 54, perhaps close to 2,000. Statewide, some of these people will die from lack of medical care each year. The longer the Legislature delays action, the more likely that one or more will be our neighbors.

There are some in the Legislature who argue that we can not afford to cover the incremental 10 percent in the out years. Do the math. That comes to $40M per year or $14.29 per year per Utah resident. Is that too much?

Now the governor is proposing a half baked (some would say half something else) "Utah" solution. A "solution" that takes a fraction of the federal money, funnels it through local insurance companies (who skim off 20 percent), and charges the poor increased co-pays, all to pacify the extreme right wing of his party. "Shockingly," the governor's advisers on this subject largely come from the local health insurance industry, which will profit from this program.

Is "Healthy Utah(?)" better than nothing? Yes, but we can do better. There was a time when our political leaders thought that providing for the general welfare of the population was an obligation of our society. It seems now that our Utah leaders are part of the "Me" generation, who think only of their own bottom line and the welfare of their political benefactors and fear the loudest extreme voices.

It is time to send the Utah legislature a message. Do the right thing for the people of Utah. In November, throw out those who won't and replace them with those who will.

The post Guest Editorial: Governor needs to stop pandering to the right wing appeared first on Park Record.