I was struck with an interesting, and admittedly nerdy, thought a few weeks back when I saw an article in the Salt Lake Tribune which discussed the fact that newly elected Speaker of the House, Becky Lockhart, shifted the power balance away from Salt Lake County and into Utah County.

So, I began to wonder, what does the county by county structure of power actually look like? Well some results are more interesting than others.

First off, I determined the county each legislator lives in. This is easy enough as the city they live in is listed on the Utah State Legislatures website. From there I looked at various factors to determine the “level of power” each legislator has.  I based this on factors such as party affiliation,  success in passing bills, seniority, committee membership, and leadership positions. For a more detailed breakdown. From there, I threw all my calculations into a spreadsheet and came out with some interesting results.

When everything was said and done, a total of 711 “power points” were up for grabs (as determined by the various factors I used). On the surface, things looked rather normal. The most powerful county is Salt Lake (265 points), followed by Utah (149), Weber (92), and Davis (61).  Other counties checked in with less than 25 “points,” and can be seen on the following map:

You may have noticed that no less than 12 counties have no power at all, meaning that no state representative hails from these counties. You may also note that most of these counties are rural and it may not be reasonable to expect a representative from every county (Daggett, for example, has less than a thousand residents total). So, instead, we should look at an adjusted map – one that takes into account population as a measure of power.

But when you take these 771 power points and divide them up by population, you get some very interesting results.

An ideal county power score would be 0, meaning that, if your counties population is 10% of the state, it should have 10% of the power, a score above this means that your county has more power than it is proportionally due, and if it is below 0, it has less power than it should from a purely democratic standpoint. Because it is impossible, I allowed for a little wiggle room, if a county scored between 2 and -2, I felt that it was about where it should be in regards to power.  The following results are somewhat surprising:

The biggest winner, by far, is Weber county, with 33 more “power points” than it should have if all things were even.  This is followed by Box Elder (12 points), Uintah and Utah (10 each), Millard (7), and Sevier and Kane (5 each). On the flip side the biggest looser was Davis County with 17 “power points” less than it should have, followed by Tooele and Washington at 12 points and Cache not far behind at 11. Sanpete (7), Wasatch(6), Duchesne and San Juan (4), Grand, Morgan, and Salt Lake (2 each) round out the remaining losers.

Based on this, you can make all sorts of inferences as to why this is – but the simple fact remains, we do not have a fair power structure at the legislature. Some may say that this is a good and natural thing, others may disagree, but the data shows that some people in this state do not have the power they deserve.

Finally, as a side note, you may be wondering who the most powerful legislator is in my little calculation. Well the most powerful House member is Wayne Harper (R-West Jordan), due in large part to his powerful committee positions. Becky Lockhart (R-Provo) did come in a close second but lost out due to the fact that, as speaker, she does not sit on any committees. On the Senate side, Margaret Dayton (R-Orem) is the most powerful member due to powerful committee placement, success in passing bills, and popularity within her district. I should also note that the most powerful Democrat in the house is Jackie Biskupski (Salt Lake); in the Senate, it is Karen Mayne (Salt Lake).

Come one, come all!

The majority of the people in the room were stunned to hear Michael Otterson issue an official statement from the LDS Church stating that, officially, the Church had no objection to the Nondiscrimination ordinance being discussed that eventing. To be sure, this statement represented a policy shift within the Church.

It soon became clear that the discussions that took place prior to the announcement were a direct result of both the backlash created by the LDS Church’s stance on Proposition 8 and the public relations nightmare resulting from the Main Street Kiss. Both sides, despite living in the same city, had no idea how the other side felt about the issues surrounding these contentious issues; both sides felt that they had the high road; both sides refused to budge.

Now, being the filthy non-Mormon, liberal Democrat that I am, I naturally felt that the Church should be willing to bend more – but that is exactly the same thought pattern that caused these tensions in the first place.  As I discussed in an earlier post, the LDS Church and the GLBT community needed to use the heated debate surrounding these issues to talk rather than shut down, and I am happy to see that both sides did just that.

But don’t get too excited GLBT community.  The Church made it all too clear that they still feel that marriage should be between a man and a woman and that they will fight to keep the sanctity of marriage in tact.  Furthermore, they acknowledged that the issues being discussed (fair housing and equal employment) are basic rights, but they still remain silent on issues such as hospital visitation, adoption, and the grand-daddy of them all, civil unions.

Tuesday was also marked with a very vocal (and very small) minority of people opposed to the ordinance. Rich Piatt of KSL accurately noted that objections focused more on the concept of homosexuals and homosexual conduct when discussing the law, and not legal ramifications of the ordinance.  This truth echos a growing trend around the nation that either consciously or unconsciously knows that it can no longer fight laws such as the Nondiscrimination ordinance through legal means and must, therefore, appeal to peoples fears.  Though this is not new, the idea that one avenue has been closed means forces opponents to use less civilized ways to get their point across.  In short, things are going to get ugly, and I can’t discount more extreme as well.  As members of the GLBT community rightfully become recognized as a class that needs protection from hate speech and action, the more they are going to need it from hatemongers.

But please don’t become too depressed from this post. The fact that as dominant of a power as the LDS Church not only changed their views marks a huge step both locally and nationally.  Keep in mind that the Church did not have to say anything if they didn’t want to; their choice to speak shows that they are willing to focus the flock on the teachings set forth in the New Testament, rather than one line in Leviticus, when it comes to discussing homosexuality – for this, I applaud them.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not discuss the political ramifications from Tuesdays landmark passage.  Already Park City and Salt Lake County are considering passage of similar measures.  Moderate legislators on Utah’s Capitol Hill who may personally want to vote for equal rights measures but can’t politically now have more legitimacy when reporting to their constituents while more conservative members have lost the smoke screen excuses the LDS Church used to provide.  Finally, and perhaps more importantly, large numbers of individuals within the LDS Church now have an official statement to discuss openly and honestly with other members – by removing some ambiguity on this issue, many people within this state may be more tolerant towards their fellow man.

Hit F5 to receive updates – Please note that quotes are not accurate as I don’t have a playback option, however all quotes are in the spirit of what the speaker wished to say.

7:00 – Council members greet the near packed chamber building.  All the big wigs of the GLBT community are ready to speak on the issue. Hopes are high amongst supporters.

7:05 – Meeting called into order, Soren Simonson is chairing the meeting and welcomes the large crowd.

7:08 – LDS Church weighs in “the ordinance…concern important questions for this community… The Church agrees with Mayor Becker.” These ordinance are fair and reasonable and don’t do violence to the institution of marriage.  The Church still intends to continue fighting for these rights, but this ordinance is in line with Jesus’ teachings.

7:12 – Sen. McCoy “I fully support and expect the council to fully support the ordinance…you have approached this topic with respect and zeal…Salt Like has as sizable GLBT population and that, unfortunately, they face discrimination on housing based sole on their GLBT status.  This fact, unfortunately, does not make Salt Lake unique…having discovered this truth, the Mayor and Council is trying to reverse this error…Salt Lake City is a great American City.”

7:15 – First opposition to the ordinance. Main point is that this is a sexual issue and that if people don’t want to associate with someones sexual conduct, they should not have it forced upon them by the government.  “If you look at what homosexualism is, you can’t dissociated it with sex.” Homosexuals are not “like the blacks or women who can’t vote.”

7:18 – “The GLBT community wishes to overhaul America and creating a ‘Bible’ for homosexuals…Television should be used to change the minds of the people.” The GLBT community has tried to overhaul the laws by changing peoples minds and that a lot of the people in the room are victims of this.  The chamber is officially standing room only.

7:21 – “God will remove his hand from this nation (if we support this ordinace)…If you pass this law, if they have functions for Christmas and they bring their partners, what will the children in that room think?”

7:24 – Deeda Seed is “delighted to stand with the LDS Church on this issue.”

7:29 – “As a result of what you have done, the world will see us differently, and more favorably.  I urge you to pass this ordinance.”

7:30 – “It is not about discrimination, it is about respect.”

7:31 – “This ordiniance represents good policy” Gordon Storrs.

7:37 – Very somber retelling of a mans personal story of his love of another man in the Church.  “Don’t do this for me, do it for him.  May God bless you.” Very powerful. The camber has a very respectful and somber tone, however spirits continue to remain high.

7:41 – “We must move foward in fighting in justice for all.”

7:43 – “These ordinances do not create special rights or create special statuses…they give the same protections to all Utahans – you can’t be fired because you are strait or gay, you should be judged on your ability.”

7:45 – (personal note) The intolerance appears to be dripping from the Rodriguez family.  They seem to fear anything that they don’t understand… They are speaking in a way that creates the problems that this ordinance wishes to solve in the first place. They are why people are disrespected in this way.  Furthermore we have come across someone who just about whipped out the “It’s not Adam and Steve” argument.

7:54 – Gail Turpin “There have been things that have be said that hurt my heart.” We must try to come together.

7:59 – “The Bible has been used to allow all sorts of discrimination in the past.  Thankfully we don’t look at the Bible, we look to the Constitution.”

8:08 – Rep. Johnson – “I would like to publicly thank the Church Of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints…It sends a clear message that it shows that we are members of humanity.  I find it interesting that we have not heard from one single Salt Lake City employer against this bill… not one that says that they don’t want to hire people because they are gay. Only one family has objected because they are afraid that people are acting gay; let me tell you right now, before this chamber, that I am ‘acting gay’…Let me remind you that support of this bill is not supporting homosexuality, it is supporting equality.”  Also, someone in the back said “not true” to that final statement in a true Joe Wilson moment.

8:14 – “Hopefully this is the first honest step in opening a dialogue between the LDS Church and the GLBT community.”

8:16 – Public input is closed on the issue. Remington Love moves to enact the two codes, Jergensen seconds motion. Remington Love “There are rarely clear cut issues, this is not one of those issues.  We recommit tonight that Salt Lake City is committed to equality. We are a stronger, better, city because of this…I am proud to serve on a City Council where this isn’t even a contentious issue.” Jergensen – “There is specific and emperical data that shows that the GLBT community has been discriminated against in housing and employment…Someone mentioned that to pass this law was ‘morally wrong,’ someone said that the bible speaks against homosexuality.  We may disagree on what the Bible says, but nowhere in the Bible have I read that discrimination is acceptable against another person.”

8:26 – Councilman Turner – “We want to make sure everyone here is treated fairly. We all have skills and education that we can all use to make our lives and society better…We need to be fair on these things, it is the just way to be.”

8:30 – Councilman Christensen – “I am delighted to support this ordinance, and should be used to bring us together.”

8:33 – Councilman Martin – “We come from families, we have businesses, we have neighbors, and that is who we are. I think that people think that, once we are elected, something happens to us – that we become different people and forget who we are; I can tell you that that  is not the case.  What does change is that we learn, listen, and study…it is part of the job…we do come to learn that we have compassion and respect. We can not make decisions out of ignorance…Equality is the right thing.”

8:39 – Councilman Simonson – “I hope that this is an indicator that other local governments and the State may follow suit that there is a tremendous need for this sort of legislation…and that there is something we can do about to fix it.”

8:40 – Council passes the two ordinances unanimously – they receive a standing ovation.

ANALYSIS COMING SOON.

Oh, it is times like this that I am proud to be a Ute.

Photo stolen from Eric Ethington’s Facebook…

Waiting to hear from a friend after getting off work, I decided to stop into one of my favorite local coffee shops, Mestizo, to pick up a cup of joe.  After putting in my customary two cream and two sugar, a woman in her mid-forties asked me if I knew of any place close by that had computers for her to use.  Honestly not knowing, I told her no.  Looking disappointed, I asked what she needed it for; “checking my email,” she replied. Me, being a good Samaritan, had no particular problem with her using my computer for a few minutes.

This made her drop her jaw in amazement and bewilderment.

“You are going to help me out?” She asked, befuddled. “Sure, why not?” I replied.

As I was planning on writing about something on this blog anyway, I had my computer faithfully by my side and whipped it out without hesitation and logged in for her. It was about this time that she said something that made me pause:

“But you are white.”

Me, somewhat stunned, did not quite know how to respond – she filled in the rest:

“I can’t believe a white man would help out a black woman. What is making you do this? Is it Obama? I never would have expected this in Utah.”

Still not quite knowing what to say I simply replied that I had no reason not to let her use my computer, just so long as she didn’t screw anything up on it (as far as I can tell she didn’t).

Naturally this got me thinking about race in America.  I am saddened that we live in a world where this woman was genuinely surprised that a white man would help her out, and I am equally hopeful that we live in one where a white man has no problem helping a black woman out.

Perhaps this is why I am a liberal – There is no need for us to live in the world that is in that woman’s mind, but I do see the need to fight for a world where a random act of kindness does not take on added meaning. This mindset carries over to other evil liberal agendas such as equality, environmental protection, health care, civil rights, a woman’s right to choose, and education just to name a few, where I choose to stand up for the rights of the individual, not the “traditional” way things should be done.