Ballard to Lege: Be Kind
When Elder M. Russell Ballard, member of the LDS Council of the Twelve Apostles, takes a public stand in urging compassion from the state Legislature, will its members listen? Is his point of view enough to open hardened minds — clouded or closed entirely by political gamesmanship?
Ballard, along with Catholic, Protestant, business and political leaders who comprise the Alliance for Unity, sent a statement opposing HB224 to the Mormon-dominated Legislature shortly before it hit the full House for a vote yesterday. The bill would repeal a 2002 law allowing Utah children of undocumented immigrants to attend state colleges and universities on in-state tuition — provided they have attended a Utah high school for at least three years and have graduated.
A tie vote (37-37) killed the bill, as per legislative rules. But as your read this, legislators are scrambling to line up votes on both sides and reintroduce it in the House today.
I’ve always thought LDS leaders do their finest work when they rally members to act with love, kindness, charity and gratitude. It’s an even stronger message when the leadership can apply that sermon to specifics in the real world — relationships with spouses, neighbors, and anyone else who looks, acts, believes differently than the rest of “us.”
I suppose the most rigid legislators on this issue could argue this isn’t an official statement from the church’s First Presidency. It’s Ballard’s opinion, just one man, just one thought.
But he is a decent man. He is a man church members look to for guidance and authority, especially in matters of confusion or debate.
Donnelson and his supporters stand on a platform that all laws must be obeyed and upheld. The 2002 law was drafted specifically to permit the exception for undocumented students with their high school diploma. It IS the law. And this miniscule group — kids who deserve a resident-tuition funded education — has been following it exactly as written.
HB224 has been sliced and diced on every media cutting board. According to state higher education numbers, the tuition break covers 180 students. It would help educate a sliver of the population that most likely isn’t leaving the state any time soon. I guess the Lege can dig in and decide to pass this ugly bill, choosing instead to support those who might benefit through government programs like Medicaid and CHIPS. Or lawmakers can give a leg-up in this small, benevolent way to a hard-working and deserving group of people.
January 31st, 2007 at 10:31 am
Well stated.
If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. I don’t know who said it first but I thank them for it.
January 31st, 2007 at 3:51 pm
As a Latter Day Saint, I often think about how much better we would be served as Utah citizens if the many LDS legislators who compose a majority there would follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I cannot believe He would inspire the mean spirited kinds of laws that are often proposed by Mormons. Elder Ballard, as a member of the Council of the Twelve is worthy of as much respect as the First Presidency would be in urging kindness. When men like Donnelson and Buttars parade their racism and homophobia it makes all Mormons, as I am sure they profess to be, look bad. I am ashamed to claim the same religious belief as they do.
February 1st, 2007 at 3:57 pm
I agree with what you’ve written. I’ve pondered a little bit more about it at Simple Utah Mormon Politics.
February 4th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
The shame is that many of these college kids have grown up in our country, and would become U.S. citizens in a minute if there was any way. The legislature should draft legislation demanding that the U.S. Government provide a avenue for these “kids” to become full pledge U.S. Citizens. What if Utah granted them Utah citizenship? Now there is a battle I’d like to see Utah undertake with the Federal government! (But of course, our white male Mormon Legislature, only believes in people created in their own image.)
February 8th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Cooper is quite right. The legislature is making political footballs out of these kids.
Over the years I have worked on several political campaigns including those of some Republican candidates. What I see in the Republican party is an attempt to be “more conservative than thou”. That means they have to find some conservative cause beyond the usual issues that everyone in the party agrees on like abortion, gun rights, the Death Penalty, etc.
To set themselves apart they have to come up with causes like the “Parent’s Rights Cause”, the “We’re Being Overrun by Immigrants” cause, the “Gays are Using High School Clubs to Recruit New Sinners” cause, the “War Against Christmas” cause.
The end result is that a lot of innocent people get hurt.
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