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Show UTAH ON THE VERGE OF THE MORMON MILLENNIUM The ti of Those Who Shall Be Shorn By Steve Russell I can still remember the reaction of family and friends when I set off for Utah in 1976. “Utah?! Why it's nothing but a backwards backwater, populated by religious fanatics and weird cults.” What I found in Salt Lake was a clean, safe, uncrowded and friendly place surrounded bya State of unlimited outdoor opportunities and unparalleled beauty. A little different, sure, but in a good way. The City of Salt felt like a small town. Even a non-LDS newcomer could get to know Utah and its people easily and well. I could imagine no better place to live. There was, of course, the church-its influence pervasive, yet for the most part, benign. Politically, the legislature was humorously bizarre, and the Honorables Hansen and Hatch were just beginning their lifetime appointments. But we had some good politicians too, like Scott Matheson, and others who were willing and able to lead. My friends and family were right about one thing though, Utah was off the fast track. It didn’t have much national influence. It was culturally behind the curve, not at all hip and almost too good to be true. There was a time when a trip to Park City (we called it “Sin City” back then) was like going on vacation, a little adventure. I can remember when Utah had the best liquor laws of any state in the nation-'tis true. Lift tickets in Big Cottonwood mud out of Riverton basements. LDS Inc. organizes public relations to take credit for that work. The Church teaches. LDS Inc. preaches. The duality makes for interesting contrasts. For example, it is an equally amusing and disconcerting spectacle to see LDS Inc. purposefully deconstructing and disavowing the LDS religion with nary a peep from the Church. The premise of the article is simple: It is clear that the fault for the decline in the quality of life in Utah lies squarely at the feet of LDS Inc., its leaders and its agents who purchase or otherwise hold political office. There it is. Anyone unwilling to stop pretending that LDS Inc. does not virtually run the State of Utah might as well stop reading. It does. LDS politicians are expected to act accordingly. Doing the bidding of LDS Inc. is the path to power, wealth and prestige. NonLDS politicians and Democrats either cower, or, in the case of demons like Frau Dee-Dee, jump on the band-wagon for whatever goodies may be bestowed. There are exceptions, of course, and they tend to cry out in vain for a brief period before quitting in frustration or losing the next election against a candidate duly anointed by LDS Inc. for that position. What we end up with is people in positions of serious power like Michael O. Leavitt, the Anyone unwilling to stop pretending that LDS Inc. does not virtually run the State of Utah might as well stop reading. It does. Doing the bidding of LDS Inc. is the path to power, wealth and prestige. tees wy New LDS Assembly Building in Salt Lake City. d the nearly unlimited back-country opportunities in an undeveloped Wasatch Range. I can remember vast areas of open space in the Salt Lake Valley and the absolute lack of hassle to get anywhere. Utah 1976-1985, R.I.P. and loving memory. As the 20" Century ends, Utah (like everywhere else) stands at the precipice of a new Millennium and the cusp of its future. It's high time to ponder--What are we doing? Where are we going? What is to be the legacy of those present in Utah at the dawn of the 3" Millennium? From this perspective, Utah has veered radically in the wrong direction. Something is very definitely wrong. Despite a booming economy, tremendous growth and “progress” all over the map, many of the common folk look around bewildered, wondering what it is that's missing, while the pundits, prophets and politicians brag that these are our halcyon days. Or are they? Consider the opinion of Tom Wharton, a sage and even-keeled outdoor columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune. He is a keen observer, a fine writer, and quite obviously most powerful person in the State. But unless I missed the Michael O. Leavitt highlight film, it would appear that the former insurance agent's qualifications for office are that he is white, male, good Mormon stock, conservative and extremely unlikely to deviate from the directives of LDS Inc. A leader he is not. Whatever vision he may have is limited to what Mike can see standing in an eight lane expressway surrounded by concrete noise barriers. Though his legacy will be little more than the destruction of Utah's unique qualities, capped off by a two-week international power orgy and three-ring circus, his approval rating remains stratospheric. Why? He is the chosen one of LDS Inc., which has the power to both manipulate and maintain public opinion. Mr. Leavitt was pushed up the path of power, wealth and prestige, and he did not question. If you are troubled by the direction of the State of Utah, you need look no further than the COB corporate offices of LDS Inc. The root cause of Utah's self-destructive path is a rather typical corporate sense of insecurity (though grossly enlarged in the case of LDS Inc.), coupled with an unquenchable thirst for power. The insecurity is equal parts cultural and public relations. The cultural aspect stems from historical persecution, the flight to Zion, loves Utah. In a piece that appeared April 13, 1999, Tom lamented: invasion by federal forces, statehood at the cost of one of the central tenants of LDS faith I wonder what all this “progress” has meant for the average family looking to enjoy a hassle-free inexpensive outdoor experience or a tiny piece of urban open space that is quickly being gobbled up. More and more, I worry that my home state's best days are behind it. And I despair because I do has caused LDS Inc. to actively camouflage and dismiss the quaint little idiosyncrasies of the LDS faith. It's a systemic hypocrisy that LDS Inc. deals with, ironically, by requiring the not know what to do to reverse the trend. What happened? Utah found its way on to the map. The big-time ski industry and promoted itself extensively. The word on Southern Utah got out. Big cities nation became increasingly unlivable. Generous incentives were offered to America. The Utah Jazz turned into a real professional basketball team. took hold across the corporate Mormons continued to breed young and often as an act of faith. Yes, sure~maybe growth was and remains inevitable. Utah was too good to be true. But growth and progress do not have to be, should not be, at the expense of everything that made Utah a premier place to live. What follows will trouble some of you and anger others—but try to hear it out. I sincerely believe the Mormon people to be kind, generous, helpful, of good sound values and so forth. On one hand you could say that the Mormons are, after all, largely responsible for making Utah what it was in 1976. On the other hand you could say that the Mormon .influence is only now, after 150 years of dominance, beginning to manifest itself in a significant way. In either case, religious dogma aside, I don't believe the Mormon people are any better or any worse than anyone else. LDS: Church v. Inc. The hypothesis of this article is clear: there are two highly related but separate entities working simultaneously to shape the State of Utah as we will come to know it. Those entities are the LDS Church and its alter-ego, which I will call LDS Inc. The Church is embodied in the ward houses. LDS Inc. is Temple Square and the corporate headquarters in the Church Office Building. The Church is home teaching and Deseret Industries. LDS Inc. is conference weekend and the 2002 Olympics. ES The Church is ward members shoveling ce + (polygamy), and so forth. The public relations aspect is image. Concern with public image saints to unquestioningly adopt the corporate line on blind faith. In fairness, it must be noted that LDS Inc. is no different in this regard than any other major corporate power. Image is everything. The Con man who conned the Pros... One clue to solving the riddle of how the LDS Inc. corporate mind works is found in the bizarre case of ace con man and mad bomber Mark Hoffman. Hoffman was a Mormon history scholar who was able to finagle access to the highest echelons of the LDS Inc. power structure. Understanding the “image is everything” mentality of LDS Inc., Hoffman was able to sell forged documents at incredible prices secure in the knowledge that LDS Inc's Board of Directors would make every effort to assure that the forgeries would never see the light of day. Hoffman understood the controlling directive from LDS Inc. to the (shareholders) members of the Church. “Pay no attention to the facts and history of the LDS Church. Instead, believe that we embody the clean and wholesome image projected from Temple Square. Do not question. Have faith. We will tell you what is best for you.” In short, LDS, Inc. creates its own reality to suit its own corporate purposes. Thus, when LDS, Inc. elevates and enthusiastically supports a Michael O. Leavitt, he is elected and revered even as he smashes the Ship of State against the rocks of progress. The tremendous success of LDS Inc. is due in large part to the fact that it operates with tremendous advantages. Your average for-profit business should have it so good. Fortune 500 companies would do well to study its methods. LDS Inc. takes good care of its employees and shareholders--not shareholders really, more like contributors. Why sell stock when millions will contribute billions, just because they are told to? Why have Board meetings when God has written the by-laws? Why pay real estate and income tax if you cc gaa |