Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Sutherland Institute and Salt Lake City Skate Ramps


[Noise Pollution] The Salt Lake City miniramp controversy is gaining momentum as it's been featured in this weeks paper and also in the trib. Owners of backyard half pipes and ramps were outraged to find that unbeknownst to them, the Salt Lake Valley Health Department has classified their private ramps as noise pollution and that by merely owning one, individuals could be liable for civil charges.

Skateboarders, bikers and others have cried discrimination considering that their personal ramps have been banned outright without decisionmakers having sought their input, while other backyard recreations from barbecues to trampolines, only have curfews applied to them.

City Weekly sought out a perhaps unusual voice of support for skate ramp enthusiasts, from Paul Mero of the Sutherland Institute, the conservative thinktank known for making policy recommendations to legislators and other government agenda setters.

Mero's take on Salt Lake Valley Health's skate ramp ban:

"I think its an intrusion into the private lives of people," Mero says. "It's so funny in lawmaking how we tend to just project our own preference onto society. Not based on substantial rule of law or a sense of common decency--its just more like 'you know what, I hate those guys, so lets pass this law against them.'"

Mero imagines the skating culture has the perceived negative element of counter culture probably working against it in government matters such as this.

"That could be part of why people are treating this differently," Mero says adding "But all things being equal-- it's private property, those are private lives, let the parents deal with the children. If it’s a noise or nuisance, then this sort of regulation should mirror any other noise regulation."

Next week the county will be allowing those who agree or disagree the chance to make their voices heard as the ramp issue will be discussed publicly on Oct. 2 at 7:30 am, Room 2003 of the north building of the County Government Center, 2001 S. State. (Eric S. Peterson)

5 comments:

  1. Wow. Correct me if I am wrong. The Sutherland Institute was one of the organizations pushing the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Did he really just say, and I quote the quote...'It's so funny in lawmaking how we tend to just project our own preference onto society. Not based on substantial rule of law or a sense of common decency--its just more like 'you know what, I hate those guys, so lets pass this law against them.'?
    I almost flunked English Lit, but please somebody tell me... is that an example of irony?

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  2. Is Paul Mero real? I always thought he was a composite computer face, like Max Headroom from the time of St. Ronnie of the Ray-guns.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Headroom

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  3. To Bob the Painter Man...your English Lit professor called me and, yes, you narrowly passed the class...but did remind me that you did fail Rhetoric 101 and teetered on your Logic class as well.

    The "preference" in the gay marriage debate is being gay itself...the "principle" is protecting the institution of legal marriage.

    Now, I will admit that I am willing to withdraw my criticism for a hefty discount to paint my home. :)

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  4. Thank you much for the response Paul. Now please enlighten me as to the point where the 'preference' violates a substantial rule of law other than it goes against the 'principle' which in this case is YOUR preference for how marriage should be interpreted.

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  5. I'll refer you to two publications. First, a "gay dialogue" on our Sutherland web site. It's a Part 1, 2, and 3 series.

    http://www.sutherlandinstitute.org/uploads/gayrightsdialoguepartI.pdf

    http://www.sutherlandinstitute.org/uploads/gayrightsdialoguepartII.pdf

    http://www.sutherlandinstitute.org/uploads/gayrightsdialoguepartIII.pdf

    And then my book...The Natural Family: A Manifesto...on Amazon:

    http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Family-Allan-Carlson-Paul/dp/1890626708/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222393968&sr=1-1

    Admittedly, you'll have to read on your own and think on your own and conclude on your own...and probably go "huh?" but that's all I can help you with.

    Happy hunting.

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