Re:How Utah Keeps the American Dream Alive
by innocentoldguy on Sunday April 02, 2017 @10:09PM
(#14020170)
Isn't that the case anywhere in the U.S. though? Don't local politics always reflect the cultures and opinions of those doing the voting? Isn't that by intentional design?
60% of the population being of one religion in an entire state is unique in the US.
Re:How Utah Keeps the American Dream Alive
by innocentoldguy on Sunday April 02, 2017 @11:12PM
(#14020367)
Perhaps, but having 60% of the local populace embracing the same ideology isn't.
Part of it is that Mormon influence. As you mention, there are a lot of positive things they bring to the table. Like any other church, though, it's not all positive.
Because they are a dominant proportion of the state (~60% of the population), their religious views leak into politics, public schools, law, business relationships, media, and so forth.
If your values match theirs, it's terrific. If not, you'll run into issues. The Mormon view on LGBT rights isn't terribly progressive, for example. They also didn't allow black males to "hold the priesthood" until the very late 70's. Note that almost all adult males in the religion "hold the priesthood". Not quite enough time has passed for that stigma to have cleared away.