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Davis Journal

CYCLOPS: Cyclops weighs in on this year’s Legislature

 This year’s session of the Utah Legislature is particularly calm, mostly devoid of “hot button” culture and morality bills conservative legislators often use to fundraise and build up name recognition. One reader asked how I felt about this year’s session, so I offer scattered opinions about some of the proposals.

The NAME CHANGE for Dixie State University.  This stalled briefly when some legislators noted that a majority of Utahns opposed the name change. My answer is simple…I don’t care what an electrician in Davis County thinks about the issue any more than we should care about what a land developer in Utah County thinks. The University’s Board of Trustees voted in favor of the name change after students claimed the reference to Dixie harmed their employment prospects and devalued their degrees, especially with out-of-state employers. The students and former graduates are the ones we should be concerned with, not a legislator with no cards in the game and with little connection to the institution.

Allowing CONCEALED WEAPONS without a permit.  I’m not a gun owner, but I generally support the right of Utahns to own weapons unless there is a serious reason to deny them the right.  Therefore, I initially supported the bill since, even if a bad guy is denied a permit, it is not difficult to obtain one illegally.  However, I then heard a concerned father explain on KSL radio that of his two sons, one of them “lacks the maturity and level-headed thinking” to have access to a firearm.  Without the training the permit requires, he was afraid for the safety of his son and others.  It made me think, so today I’m not sure where I stand on the bill.

Establishing a deadline for investigation of POLICE MISCONDUCT.  This makes sense. A police officer and his victim should not have to wait an extraordinary amount of time to receive vindication. It’s not fair to either the cop or the person he or she shot or hurt.

Barring TRANSGENDER students from athletic competition. While the first draft appealed to the “morality police,” Gov. Cox asked for a re-write.  But the second draft was even worse, comically stating transgendered students could be on the team but not play in a game!  The sponsor of the bill framed it as a fairness issue, saying female athletes should not have to compete against a male who later transitioned to a female.  While that may seem sensible, physicians responded that the hormone treatment in such cases dramatically reduced the edge a trans athlete would have.  Passage would also cost taxpayer money in a predictable lawsuit, money which one legislator noted could be better spent on public education or COVID-related issues. At this writing, the bill is bottled up, a position I support.

Reducing the Governor’s powers in an EMERGENCY. This is simply jealousy on the part of lawmakers.  In an emergency, we need a fast decision, not a multi-voiced partisan assembly, so I oppose this bill.

And finally, creating a new STATE FLAG.  Hey, 99% of Utahns can’t tell you what the current flag looks like, so why is this an issue?  Stop wasting our time!