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Show DAILY THE THE CHRONICLE'S UTAH CHRONICLE VIEW PI aying Favorites Creates Inequalities Elisabeth Wilkinson lost her appeals officer for of Utah Park- cel the ticket It's just good ness practice with someone in that position." Yet Parking Services must have known what a morally shaky move it was to change the rules for donors because! in punishment for contacting The Daily Utah Chronicle about the incident, Wilkinson was allegedly fired. Allrcd gave "no comment" when Wilkinson was rehired for apparently the same reason she was fired: Because of a story in The Chronicle. That Parking Services would consider putting' donors above the law is ridiculous. Donors cannot be treated like first-clacitizens unless the rest of us are willing to relegate ourselves to second-clas- s status. That the organization fired an employee for disagreeing with its actions is preposterous. Firing someone for contrary opinions is V' y-y W mt mk. j busi- ing Services in early December. Such an event would not normally warrant newsworthincss except that Wilkinson said she was fired unfairly for talking to the news media about a "corrupt" incident that happened at Parking Services. Wilkiason said a man, who happened to be the son of a prominent U donor, came into Parking 'Services fuming because his girlfriend's car got booted. The girlfriend was using an A Pass left over from when she worked at the university, even though she was no longer a U employee. The man threatened, Wilkinson said, to withdraw his family's funds if the boot wasn't taken off and ail his girlfriend's fines forgiven. Not only did Parking Services agree to his demands, but Director Alma Allrcd, despite finding the pardon of a donor's son's girlfriend "very inappropriate," said, "If Jon Huntsman's wife said her car was impounded, we'd break a leg trying to fix the situation...Not only would I look the other way. Yd can ss the 'recourse of totalitarian regimes, not universities, the supposed breeding places of democracy. Whenever a person is given special privileges because of social status, we have all been demeaned in the process. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily Utah Chronicle Editorial Board. Editorial columns and letters to the editor are strictly the opinions of the author. The forum created on the Opinion Page is one based on vigorous debate, while at the same time demanding tolerance and respect. Material defamatory to an individual or group because of race, ethnic background, gender, appearance or sexual ori- entation tthiji will be edited or will not be published. 7" Bigger classes are OK as long as we have these discussion sections. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Utah Heritage Boasts Expansive Roots Editor: I was amused and yet disturbed by the Jan. 4 letter to the editor in The Daily Utah Chronicle, "Mormon Influences Rooted in Heritage," written by Bart Gatrell. Gatrell begins his campaign with a cry for understanding, stating that we are inaccurate when we make sors and employers? Then, in his infinite wisdom, he contradicts his own initial argument that there is no influence and states that "Mormonism is a part of Utah's Heritage, deal with claims that there is not an overabundance of Mormon influence here at the University of Utah. He attempts to support this claim by offering personal tcstimony.that none of his professors, employers, or even roommates are Mormon. This type of argument would lead one to believe that Mormons are perhaps a minority and thus have no influence here. I pause at this preposterous claim. Where else in this country does a person go around inquiring as to the religious affiliation of their profes only a part. Your arrogance has blurred your ability to comprehend your own stateme'nt and provide any credence to your claim.. This is not Mormon. The name of this state is Utah, originating from Native Americans. The territory illegally entered by the Mormon pioneers was part of Mexico. Utah was rich in its Native American and Mexican it" Well, Mr. Gatrell, I will grant you that it is a part, but see HERITAGE, page 11 M ay or Navigates Local Airline Security Turbulence JOHN MORLEY Chronicle Opinion Columnist ' !jv: Call mo a a never-done-along-haire- . n traitor. Call me bleeding-heart- , a bum. Call pot-smokin- g, ho nest-da- y no good liberal. -- like Rocky Anderson. When the Salt Lake City mayor first won election in 1999, my moderate democrat's heart sank. Kocky's antics, I thought, would surely spell disaster for the Utah Democratic g idealism Party. His high profile I cal step toward ensuring the safety of Olympic travelers. But the very next day, Anderson was on the front page again, hissing and spitting at the very same officials he had praised just a few hours before. Anderson argued the termination of undocumented immigrants was unfair and inconsistent with the lax regulation imposed on most businesses in the United States hiring similar workers. He also condemned law enforcement officials for detaining many of those immigrants in jails without letting them contact their families If left-win- would alienate centrist voters and leave political moderation in ruins. But now, I'm a believer. The mayor's sincerity and willingness to speak his mind have transformed me from Rocky foe to friend. This mighty change of heart resulted from what many consider the mayor's worst p disaster yet: his over the Dec. 11 firing of several hundred employees from Salt Lake City International Airpublic-rel- ations flip-flo- port. When federal and state law enforcement officials announced the firing or arrest of some 271 employees at the airport, Anderson appeared on the front page of the Salt Lake Tribune standing in line with them. He called Salt Lake City's airport "the safest... in the country." He praised the move as a criti CHRONICLE Continuum Magazine Article: "The Philosopher-- Mayor" http:www.alumni.utah.educontinuumfallOOmavor.htm Jim Lehrer NewsHour Interview with Rocky Anderson http:www.pbs.orgnewshourbbeconomyjuly-decOVmayors12-7.htm- l RadioWest Debate Regarding Rocky Anderson http:www.kuer.orgkuernewsrw052301.php The Salt Lake City Mayor's Office http:www.ci.slc.ut.usmayor. Visions of the 21st Century http:www.time.comtimereportsv21healthmeat.html or even explaining why they were being held. To many, Anderson's seemingly sudden reversal was classic Rocky: act on an impulse in favor of some ridiculous, crusade instead of doing the politically sensible thing. In reality, however, the mayor's decision to change his earlier position and support the fired workers was a remarkable act of honesty and strength. Regardless of the importance or necessity of the airport crackdown, Anderson's willingness to speak out in favor of its unfortunate victims deserves respect. When the mayor first appeared at the news conference, he was under immense pressure to support the action. How could the mayor of a city that will become a major target for terrorism in just a few short months argue against increased security? Furthermore, with federal money pouring into Salt Lake almost by the trainload, what grounds did the mayor have for slamming the U.S. Attorney General's Office? The sudden and unannounced nature of the crackdown also gave Anderson little time to think about the consequences and plan a reasonable response. Unlike the governor, who was notified by Utah Public Safety Commissioner Robert Flowers more than a week before the crackdown, the mayor didn't find out until the day before. Like nearly every politician in a similar situation would have done, Anderson did the easy thing and supported the crackdown. When the ugly consequences of the bust became apparent less than a day later, however, Anderson did the unthinkable: He threw politics to the wind and went with his conscience. high-mind- ed Dramatically repudiating his statement from less than 24 hours before, the mayor appeared on CNN blasting U.S. Attorney Paul Warner and others for not giving eco- - Salt Lake City has a mayor with remarkable spunk, courage and honesty. post-crackdo- OPINION EDITOR LAURA D. WEISS LWEISSCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU nomic migrants a chance to change jobs or leave before getting busted. In a Dec. 29 Descret News article, Anderson argued that, though the firings were necessary to improve security, they "could have been handled more humanely...we could have solved this problem seven weeks earlier, with the savings of a lot of taxpayer dollars and of immense human suffering." Law enforcement officials could have solved the problem, Anderson said, by simply advising illegal immigrants to "get out of the secure areas." The mayor's action displayed a truly impressive amount of political courage. How many politicians would have done the same? What other elected officials, realizing they had made a mistake, would publicly own up to it? Imagine Orrin Hatch, the consummate smooth talker and emperor of Utah politics, see TURBULENCE, page 581-704- 1 11 |
