Back In Utah Again
I've been been in Utah for the last few weeks. Every summer I come back for a month or three for work and various other reasons. I don't ever get much writing done here -- way too busy.
The weather is always the first thing I need to get used to. Where SF has been swinging wildly between 68 - 72 degrees for most of the summer, where I am now keeps a nice constant mid to upper nineties. After the original shock I grow to quite like it. The days are a bit much, but it's nice to stroll about after dark with nothing but a tee shirt. Not advisable in the Bay Area.
It's an easy place to live -- every doctor and dentist has a free parking lot in front of the business. Rush hour is busy, not insane. People are friendly, and it actually possible to buy a house without winning the lottery.
Diversity, however, which is the hallmark of SF is here hard to find. Actually, that's changing, but slowly. It used to be 99% white, at least where I live, but now there are at least a few people of color showing up. Utahns are taking the change with a shrug -- it's a very conservative state, but also quite tolerent and fair minded in my experience.
As in many red states, they've instituted Voter ID laws -- driver's license, state ID, that whole thing.
Except, unlike some other states, they seem to want people to vote. So in addition to the standard IDs, the following are also acceptable:
TWO forms of identification that bear the name of the voter and provide evidence that the voter resides in the voting precinct, which may include:
A current utility bill or copy thereof dated within 90 days before the election;
A bank or other financial account statement, or legible copy thereof;
A certified birth certificate;
A valid Social Security card;
A check issued by the state or federal government or legible copy thereof;
A paycheck from the voter’s employer, or legible copy thereof
A currently valid Utah hunting or fishing license;
A currently valid U.S. military ID card;
Certified naturalization documents (NOT a green card);
A certified copy of court records showing the voter’s adoption or name change;
A Bureau of Indian Affairs card;
A tribal treaty card;
A valid Medicaid or Medicare or Electronic Benefits Transfer card;
A currently valid ID card issued by a local government within the state;
A currently valid ID card issued by an employer;
A currently valid ID card issued by a college, university, technical school or professional school within the state; or
A current Utah vehicle registration.
Pretty reasonable, I'd say.
The weather is always the first thing I need to get used to. Where SF has been swinging wildly between 68 - 72 degrees for most of the summer, where I am now keeps a nice constant mid to upper nineties. After the original shock I grow to quite like it. The days are a bit much, but it's nice to stroll about after dark with nothing but a tee shirt. Not advisable in the Bay Area.
It's an easy place to live -- every doctor and dentist has a free parking lot in front of the business. Rush hour is busy, not insane. People are friendly, and it actually possible to buy a house without winning the lottery.
Diversity, however, which is the hallmark of SF is here hard to find. Actually, that's changing, but slowly. It used to be 99% white, at least where I live, but now there are at least a few people of color showing up. Utahns are taking the change with a shrug -- it's a very conservative state, but also quite tolerent and fair minded in my experience.
As in many red states, they've instituted Voter ID laws -- driver's license, state ID, that whole thing.
Except, unlike some other states, they seem to want people to vote. So in addition to the standard IDs, the following are also acceptable:
TWO forms of identification that bear the name of the voter and provide evidence that the voter resides in the voting precinct, which may include:
A current utility bill or copy thereof dated within 90 days before the election;
A bank or other financial account statement, or legible copy thereof;
A certified birth certificate;
A valid Social Security card;
A check issued by the state or federal government or legible copy thereof;
A paycheck from the voter’s employer, or legible copy thereof
A currently valid Utah hunting or fishing license;
A currently valid U.S. military ID card;
Certified naturalization documents (NOT a green card);
A certified copy of court records showing the voter’s adoption or name change;
A Bureau of Indian Affairs card;
A tribal treaty card;
A valid Medicaid or Medicare or Electronic Benefits Transfer card;
A currently valid ID card issued by a local government within the state;
A currently valid ID card issued by an employer;
A currently valid ID card issued by a college, university, technical school or professional school within the state; or
A current Utah vehicle registration.
Pretty reasonable, I'd say.