Really Utah? Seriously?

I heard on Fox 13 News at Nine tonight (Sunday, January 27, 2013) that a new bill is being proposed that will make it illegal for me to smoke with my child, or any minor, in my car. I am not proud of the fact that I smoke nor that I smoke in my vehicle while my teenage child accompanies me. However, I do have the window(s) down while smoking so that the smoke isn’t stuck inside with us. 

Now, I pay property tax on my car. This translates to being a place that is my property where I decide what goes on within or upon my property. Why haven’t they made it illegal to smoke inside a place of residence while a minor is present? The smoke inside a home is much more likely to be inhaled by the minor and in much greater volume. Is it because a law like that couldn’t be enforced without violating other rights? I believe that is a big motivator. After all, federal law supersedes state law. Keep that last sentence in mind as you read further into this article.

Utah is one of many other “red states” who had paranoid thoughts when the killings took place at Sandy Hook. Many of Utah’s government officials and police departments stated that, “We will not enforce federal laws that take away our gun rights.” This was said despite the fact that neither President Obama nor any other democrat in Washington had mentioned taking away the right to bear arms. 

The only thing that was mentioned in D.C. were ideas about how to eliminate venues where guns were sold without following federal laws on background checks, figuring out better ways to conduct background checks by incorporating mental illnesses, and eliminating the sale of automatic weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines.

How can Utah be so offended by the thought of federal legislation that eliminates high capacity clips and automatic weapons, which are designed specifically to kill large numbers of people very rapidly? They are against such federal gun laws for the fact that it takes away their freedom, yet when it comes to the freedom of a smoker (let’s just call it as it is and say the freedom of a “sinner”) it is okay because of the potential harm it could be doing to a child riding in the vehicle. 

The federal legislation Utah is opposing would definitely, not “potentially,” reduce the episodes of mass killings. Remember, most of the mass homicides have taken the lives of minor children. Yet, they turn around and approve legislation that takes away the freedom of anyone who smokes (sins). For those of you reading who have not been exposed to nor know nothing about the LDS faith, “free agency” is the single most important gift given to all humans by God and should never be taken away. Free agency is freedom only worded differently, but not by much difference.

This legislation, that is so obviously born from the religious beliefs of those who make up the majority in the state of Utah, (including its government officials) to take my free agency (under God) and freedom (under the constitution of the United States of America) as an adult citizen is an outrage. Why? Because their reasoning to make this law hides behind the smokescreen of preventing a disease which is not guaranteed to manifest. 

Second hand smoke has not been studied within the parameters in which this law would be applied. In other words, there haven’t been any studies done with the parameters being minors exposed to second hand smoke while traveling inside of a moving vehicle with the window(s) down and without any other exposure to second hand smoke other than within this variable. 

This entire argument is proof, yet again, that being a liberal living in a very, red state is more than just frustrating. I literally (and liberally) wish all the very, red (crazy) states would just secede from the rest of the (sane) union. And, since it is us (the liberals) who don’t mind fair tax rates because we live in reality where churches, families and neighbors don’t or can’t always take care of the poor or disabled, we get to keep all of our troops and national defense. 

Sure, a lot of the greedy, wealthy, tax-evading citizens will naturally choose to live in the red states because of their hatred for the IRS. But, there are many wealthy people who weren’t born into a long, family line of money who remember where they came from and don’t mind giving back to those who made them rich. 

Believe me, if I had my way I’d be living in southern California. Unfortunately, for the past six years, next to nothing that happens with or in my life is up to me. Don’t mistake that statement as one of a “victim” because, although I have been victimized many times in my life, I have and will continue to survive. I will, also, continue to be realistically optimistic. And, because of the insane hypocrisy in the state where I have to live (for now) I will continue to break the law. That is, the state’s law. 

 

As long as Utah continues to reap the financial rewards from those of us who they call “sinners” by having an actual “sin tax” on alcohol and tobacco I think it is only fair that I retain my God-given and United States federal freedoms. 

By the way, the first few paragraphs of this article was an actual email to the governor of this state. I never received a reply nor did I expect anything to, actually, come of it other than it being opened and immediately being deleted. But, I’m a believer that people who don’t vote do not have a right to bitch about politics and people who don’t (at least) try to be part of the solution don’t have the right to bitch about a problem. 

©August 2014 – Tamara Imes-Nicholas