This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Why turn to the comics when I can get both thoughtful views and my laughs for the day in The Public Forum?
The latest example of the latter I found in the letter by Robert L. Larsen titled "Sad to see SLC" in the Sept. 28 Salt Lake Tribune.
He saw "weird-looking people in downtown" like those in Times Square and Venice Beach — two of the top must-see locations for foreign travelers and many U.S. citizens.
He saw "a panhandler on almost every corner." According to local journalists, many panhandlers are making a fine living this way. For the people truly in need, there are many excellent resources in Salt Lake City.
Another sad finding for him was "the area around the This is the Place Monument looks like it has gone back to nature; the weeds are higher than an elephant's eye."
I say, "Yay for nature, and 'round here we call that native grasses." That is probably how it looked when Brigham Young declared it to be the "right place."
Reminds me of a favorite Robert Owen quote. "All the world art queer save thee and me, and even thou art a little queer."
Rebecca Yih
Park City