Letter: Recent Utah news shows a life not elevated

The conditions in Utah lately seem to mock "Life elevated." We make it hard to be elderly or care for the elderly. We don't want to expand Medicaid. We tenaciously hold onto our last-place ranking in per capita education spending while gleefully wasting public monies fighting marriage equality. We grossly underpay those who care for and try to educate our children. Religious institutions excommunicate and try to silence women wanting to discuss ordination/gender equality. We have a one-party system and struggle to maintain an independent newspaper or to clean the air, and those who rush to praise the Supreme Court Hobby Lobby decision to allow employers to deny contraception coverage to women are seemingly unconcerned about this open use of the state to reinforce and legislate religious beliefs.

Life in Utah, where the government is not representative, and denial rather than democracy rules, hardly seems elevated.

In the context of extreme, fanatical partisanship being modeled nationally, could we try to model something better here in Utah? Think inclusive, community-based, open approaches to solving the problems we all face. Then maybe we can "elevate" life for all.

Christina Gringeri

Salt Lake City