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Kudos to the Utah Democratic Party for dropping the name of the unabashedly racist Andrew Jackson from its annual Jefferson-Jackson Day fundraiser ("No more Andrew Jackson for Utah Democrats," Tribune, June 17), and for dropping Thomas Jefferson's name, too.
Jackson was notorious for his hatred of Native Americans, and Jefferson is equally negatively associated in the public mind for his embarrassing ownership of slaves, one of whom bore him children.
The Dems have renamed the day for two stellar Utah Democrats. That's nice, but might it not have been a better idea to celebrate principles rather than people?
Human beings are products of their time, and times change. Principles, however, have much greater longevity. I wish Utah's Dems had used the opportunity rename it to Democratic Principles Day.
Al Forsyth
River Heights