Soap Box: July 27-Aug. 2 

Cover story, July 27, "Monumental Disaster"
Why is the Antiquities Act not the "best mechanism for protecting the antiquities"? The Wilderness Act would do the job, too, if our politicians were not opposed to wilderness designations. The national monument designation could result in better management of the Bears Ears area and its irreplaceable prehistoric sites.
Richard Warnick
Via cityweekly.net

Our legislators suck. Can't see the forest for the trees—big mistake. We want to go down in history as the last holdout for coal on the planet and some of the most unbreathable air in our country. They hold their heads high and we keep electing them.
Janet Vigil
Via Facebook

Love the photo of the (smiling) Governor Herbert—LOL! So much shame.
Jim Wheeler
Via Facebook

News, July 27, "The Diversity Issue"
Well, maybe we should quit having elections and have a diversity czar. WTF.
@jthurm2
Via Twitter

The Ocho, July 27, "Eight critical analyses of Utah's 3rd Congressional District candidates running to replace Jason Chaffetz"
My beard and I have an arrangement. I will break the machine and save America, and the beard will tame itself. It's a harmonious and beautiful agreement.
Sean Whalen
Via cityweekly.net

I have heard Sean's beard smells of freedom and eagle talon.
Kolby Kay
Via cityweekly.net

The Straight Dope, July 27, "How have most human beings died throughout history?"
I am going with my first guess of diarrhea. With a smaller population and less urbanization, I don't think that viral illness that lead lower respiratory illness would be as prevalent.
Becky Robb
Via Facebook

Great journalism!
Tim Glass
Via cityweekly.net

A&E, July 27, "Fringe Kiss"
Thanks, City Weekly, for supporting local art in SLC.
@SackersonCo
Via Twitter

Free Will Astrology, July 27, "Panache and Ingenuity"
Where is the "lame" button?
Nika Jones
Via Facebook

New material
I think Mr. Trump is totally justified convening the Presidential Advisory Commission on election integrity; six million illegal comedians needed work.
@SackersonCo
Via Twitter

Give them shelter?
I'm here in Salt Lake City for the BMW Rally at the fairgrounds. In the course of looking for Caputo's Market, I ran across the "streets of Calcutta"-like scene around The Road Home. I looked up Stephen Dark's excellent article "Shelter War" [cover story, June 29] to read about it.

We don't have a zoo-like scene in Colorado Springs where I live, but there is an ongoing discussion about helping the homeless.

I can't help but notice, both here in Salt Lake and in my hometown, there is a total absence of talking about helping vs. enabling. Other than a couple of [consultant] Robert Marbut's comments, there seems to be the same lack of looking at what enabling does to promote a problem you are trying to minimize. Things like a very small work requirement before availing oneself of the community's largesse, talking to a case manager to receive the handouts, and attaching consequences to bad behavior (à la Mr. Marbut).

We won't leave you out in the cold but you will sleep on cement if you present drunk. When you start behaving like a healthy family does toward its errant adult children and cut out the enabling, you might discover that there are fewer of those folks than you have now.

Of course, by now you have a large cadre of CEOs, vice-presidents, directors and supervisors—all pulling in decent salaries in homeless dollars. Think there might be somewhat of an investment in the status quo? Does the CEO of The Road Home really pull in $108,000 a year?

Good luck, SLC!
Matthew Parkhouse,
Colorado Springs, Colo.