What Utah Is Really Like.

[cedar]

Originally posted by Taoist_Saint@Feb 18 2004, 03:25 PM

Bad drivers. Lots of bad drivers.

I think it is because you have people from all 50 states driving in the same area. They all have their idea on how the correct way to drive is.

[cedar]

Originally posted by elinz@Feb 18 2004, 05:28 PM

Since I'm originally from California if even 50% of the

population is LDS that's fine with me.

In the area I lived the percentage was less than 1%.

(which is discouraging in itself)

Why is less than 1% discouraging. At least you kow who the bad guys are. In Utah, the bad guys could be the kids in your own Ward!

[cedar]

Originally posted by elinz@Feb 19 2004, 08:48 AM

The overall cost of living index for utah is about average, so the

taxes might seem high, but the core price is good. (try buying

gas in California )

Income is low because you have about the lowest average age

of any state. (something like 23 years old) Kids don't tend to

have high paying jobs.

Bankruptcy is often a result of immature spending behavior.

People go crazy with the credit card. Not a good thing to be

addicted to, but being a shop-a-holic is just another of the

many sins you can fall into. I wonder what the average age

of bankruptcy filings is?

The antidepressant addiction is a problem. This seems to me to

be a Word of Wisdom issue that the Church needs to address.

Just because you've avoided all the other addictions doesn't

mean you can't get hooked on another. Drug are drugs.

Salt Lake City has the highest percentage of Non-Mormons in

the state and also the highest percentage of Mexicans. So as

a consequence the crime rate is very high. But the overall state

statistics are still good. If you study it you will see that as the

percentage of Mormon density increases the crime goes down.

(Note: My car was nearly stolen by an Russian organized crime

ring running out of Salt Lake City. Fortunately they were so

dumb I could hear them talking so I managed to get away

before they pulled it off)

The job picture will begin to pick up over the next few years.

The bubble of the late 1990's was so big that it takes a while

for things to recover after it popped. It's just the business

cycle.

The bigger they are they are harder they fall!

No cost of living is awful compared to wages.

Actually income is low among college grads and masters/doctorate grads. Utah has a huge concentration of these folks and no jobs to help these folks.

Bankruptcy happens at all ages in Utah. Not just young couples, couples in their 40's. Utah is like Tempe (a bunch of rich people who don't know what to do with their money so they try to recreate CA int he middle of a desert) except these people have no money

The zoloft problem should be adressed. So should the Ben and Jerry's problem. How many Ice Cream shops can you name in Provo?

Granny's, Cold Stone, Rocky Mountain Drive Thru, Oh that place next to BYU and the new Panda Express...

Actually, property crime is the real reason Utah has high crime. You think out lamanite brethren our guilty of property crime? You have to be rich to commit white collar crime you know.

Things won'yt get better in Utah jobwise. I think your analysis is accruate for the USA, but not Utah.

One thing I would like to add. No insurance company will cover a pregnancy. Am I wrong on this one? Someone dish out some info if I am wrong, but I couldn't find a health insruance that covered the bill to have a baby born.

[Guest lt]

The zoloft problem should be adressed

I resent this statement... Where do you get your # 's on this one? I know allot of people here......and out of all the people I know 3 use it, two only after pregnancy because of hormones.......

Another thing ,, have you checked other states on the use of anti depresents

[Guest Starsky]

Originally posted by LaurelTree@Feb 23 2004, 11:17 PM

The zoloft problem should be adressed

I resent this statement... Where do you get your # 's on this one? I know allot of people here......and out of all the people I know 3 use it, two only after pregnancy because of hormones.......

Another thing ,, have you checked other states on the use of anti depresents

The only one I know of is a little old sister we take care of as a friend. She was given the stuff by her doctor...and after a year of having the most horrid side effects, she ended up in the hospital and was diagnosed with an ulcered pancreas.

I wonder if she wasn't misdiagnosed in the first place and if many doctors in this valley don't just throw the stuff out to people for everything complaint.

She is now home and off all the medicines...just a healthy diet and exercise program.

[cedar]

Most doctors prescribe it too much. That is somehting that happens nationwide. But it is too bad that most doctors in Utah are Mormon and act no different than the national average.

[Guest Starsky]

Originally posted by cedar@Feb 24 2004, 10:42 AM

Most doctors prescribe it too much. That is somehting that happens nationwide. But it is too bad that most doctors in Utah are Mormon and act no different than the national average.

I don't know that most doctors are LDS....Every one except our pediatritian has been some other religion.

[cedar]

When I was there I was always seeing doctors who were LDS. I would have loved to have one that wasn't. I saw an LDS doctor who was a real jerk. I noticed he was wearing a Philmont belt buckle. So I said, " Hey did you go to Philmont with the bot scouts?" He looked offended and said, "No I went for a meeting with 'other' members of Stake Presidencies in our region." I was just trying to be nice and he was just jerky.

[Guest Starsky]

Originally posted by cedar@Feb 28 2004, 09:03 AM

When I was there I was always seeing doctors who were LDS.  I would have loved to have one that wasn't.  I saw an LDS doctor who was a real jerk.  I noticed he was wearing a Philmont belt buckle.  So I said, " Hey did you go to Philmont with the bot scouts?"  He looked offended and said, "No I went for a meeting with 'other' members of Stake Presidencies in our region."  I was just trying to be nice and he was just jerky.

Pride is a big problem here. Whenever we have stake conference...the main body of our stake presidents talks is all about how he was rubbing elbows with the GAs...

That means little to me...I used to have dinner with the 12 and the prophet every year. Had at least 45 minutes to hob knob with them each time....they are just guys with a calling. No big deal.

[cedar]

Plus I have a thoery that most docotrs (mormon ones) have God-Complexes. They think that they are an expert in not just medicine, but economics, business, political science, law...

"Actually the word is spelled this way... after all I am a doctor!"

[Guest Starsky]

Originally posted by cedar@Feb 28 2004, 10:02 AM

Plus I have a thoery that most docotrs (mormon ones) have God-Complexes. They think that they are an expert in not just medicine, but economics, business, political science, law...

"Actually the word is spelled this way... after all I am a doctor!"

LOL....I agree, but all the doctors I know, even the non lds ones think they know it all and rule the earth! LOL...even dentists...or maybe especially dentists.

I had one dentist tell me he couldn't take out all of my son's teeth which were totally eaten away with bottle rot...because then his adult teeth wouldn't know where to come in.

LOL!

Well darn...I wonder how the baby teeth ever found their way in the right place...and so even and pertty tooo! LOL

[john doe]

Hi, I've been lurking for a little while before posting, checking which way the winds blow here. I probably won't be a prolific writer because many topics here either don't interest me enough to say anything or I can see that my counterpoints will likely fall on deaf ears. But I did see this topic and decided to pop up momentarily.

One thing I would like to add. No insurance company will cover a pregnancy. Am I wrong on this one? Someone dish out some info if I am wrong, but I couldn't find a health insruance that covered the bill to have a baby born.

I have had all my kids' births covered under my health insurance through my work. We had IHC, which covered the normal pregnancy 100% and we paid 20% of the bills for C-section surgeries. My first child was in NICU for 5 days and we paid $2000 total for the pregnancy, birth, hospital and doctor bills. Besides that, the Baby Your Baby program would get you the services free or nearly free if you didn't have insurance. We now have Altius, which is probably not as good insurance as IHC, but it is still decent coverage when it is needed. The bad thing about Altius is that there is a $250 deductible per person ($100 family) before the coverage kicks in. But if you have an accident-prone child you hit that pretty quick.

[Rodney]

Originally posted by john doe@Feb 28 2004, 09:26 PM

... or I can see that my counterpoints will likely fall on deaf ears.

Yeah, that thought often discourages me too. I just can't understand why the world doesn't jump every time my superior brain offers up another perfect solution.

[Guest Starsky]

Originally posted by Rodney+Feb 29 2004, 04:33 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Rodney @ Feb 29 2004, 04:33 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--john doe@Feb 28 2004, 09:26 PM

... or I can see that my counterpoints will likely fall on deaf ears.

Yeah, that thought often discourages me too. I just can't understand why the world doesn't jump every time my superior brain offers up another perfect solution.

You are starting to sound like Snow. LOL

[Rodney]

Originally posted by Peace+Feb 29 2004, 05:44 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Peace @ Feb 29 2004, 05:44 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by -Rodney@Feb 29 2004, 04:33 PM

<!--QuoteBegin--john doe@Feb 28 2004, 09:26 PM

... or I can see that my counterpoints will likely fall on deaf ears.

Yeah, that thought often discourages me too. I just can't understand why the world doesn't jump every time my superior brain offers up another perfect solution.

You are starting to sound like Snow. LOL

Not surprising. He is my hero, afterall.

[Guest Starsky]

Originally posted by Rodney+Feb 29 2004, 04:48 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Rodney @ Feb 29 2004, 04:48 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by -Peace@Feb 29 2004, 05:44 PM

Originally posted by -Rodney@Feb 29 2004, 04:33 PM

<!--QuoteBegin--john doe@Feb 28 2004, 09:26 PM

... or I can see that my counterpoints will likely fall on deaf ears.

Yeah, that thought often discourages me too. I just can't understand why the world doesn't jump every time my superior brain offers up another perfect solution.

You are starting to sound like Snow. LOL

Not surprising. He is my hero, afterall.

alter-ego?

[Helen Mar Kimball]

Originally posted by Peace@Feb 19 2004, 09:43 AM

I have to agree with the problem of Mexicans here. Not only are the mostly the ones flashed out on the news for committing crimes, but they take all the teens jobs in the fast food and grocery stores. It leaves the teens with nothing constructive to do and no money.

If you have a problem with Mexicans, you might want to ask why the LDS church opposed Utah House Bill 109.

Currently, Utah allows illegal aliens to obtain drivers' licenses with a Matricula Consular. A Matricula Consular is a document that the very corrupt Mexican government issues to its citizens who are in this country illegally.

A bill before the Utah state assembly would have restricted licenses to those who are in the country legally, but the LDS church opposed it & needless to say, the bill died.

(Source: the local Radio Unica affilate's afternoon show)

Also, you might want to ask if the 12th Article Of Faith has gone the way of polygamy & no blacks in the priesthood. The LDS Church issued a statement saying that illegals should not be denied a Temple Recommend if they otherwise qualify for it. If you are here illegally, you are not "being subject to kings, magistrates or other authorities"; you are violating the law.

(Source, the SL Tribune but I am pretty sure that the Des News also carried an article about it.)

So what other laws could I violate & still receive a Temple Recommend?

Can I smoke a bowl of Acapulco Gold & still go to the Temple? Kewl, dewd.

[Guest Starsky]

It all becomes subjective....

[StrawberryFields]

Originally posted by LaurelTree@Feb 24 2004, 12:17 AM

The zoloft problem should be adressed

I resent this statement... Where do you get your # 's on this one? I know allot of people here......and out of all the people I know 3 use it, two only after pregnancy because of hormones.......

Another thing ,, have you checked other states on the use of anti depresents

Anti-depressants are a really interesting thing.... People don't really advertise that they are taking them.

I think that they are so overused in Utah because of the high standards that are placed on Mormon women. They need to BE perfect, have the perfect family, keep the perfect home, and give the perfect lesson in church.

I have a friend who needed to be tested for heart problems after being on the Phen-Fen diet. When she went in for the test she explained to the technician that she had breast implants that might interfere with the test. The tech said that she had become very skilled in working around the implants because since she had been in Utah for four months already about 1/3 of the woman who needed the test done also had implants. She further told her that Utah is number one for anti-depressants and in the top 3 for plastic surgery and diet pills.

It isn't easy being a Mormon woman living in Utah. You feel as if others are always judging you for every aspect of your life and the life that your family leads. I think that that is why doctors are so willing to give you "happy pills" it makes life easier on everyone including the doctor. I think that the women need a different kind of "medication", one for the reality of life.

This is the lesson:

1. Bring up your children in righteousness but it is not your fault if they make wrong choices.

2. Have a neighborhood fire drill at 9:30 in the morning and see that not everyone is beautiful and dressed as nice as they are on Sunday.

3. Go to the neighbors house to the left unannounced and see if they don't have dishes in the sink and dust on their tables.

4. Listen to your neighbors to the right as they are getting ready for 9:00 sac. Meeting and see if they don't have a little disorder in their homes too.

What really bugs me about living in Utah is that we can witness each other every day but when we go to church we put on a completely different face. The face that I am referring to is the Sunday Face, the one that say’s that everything IS perfect IN MY WORLD. Right across the street from me lives a family who has had their share of family struggles. A few years back the father was in the bishopric as a councilor. At church he was just as nice and friendly as he could be but when we would see him in his yard we would barely speak to us. At the time my husband was the exec. Sec. and our bishop called his clerks and the members of the bishopric together along with their spouses and asked what we could do to bring our ward closer. I said that we needed to serve each other and not be so prideful that we didn't let others into our lives and see our heartaches. This councilor spoke up and said that just because we live close to one another and that we are in a "Ward" together that we didn't necessarily need to be friends. He went on the further explain that when we buy a home in Utah we are also buying a ward in which we don't have much control of. I thought that to be quite ODD of him to say but it explain his view. The bishop asked me if what I meant by my comment is that we don't let each other see our "warts" and I said yes. I do believe this to be true especially here in the ward in which I have lived for the last 8 years. There are alot of prideful people who live in this area. I often have real dreams of moving back into our home in Layton. It was small but the people there were wonderful. When you went to church you went also to see your friends. Here you go to see if your neighbors are there.

[Guest TheProudDuck]

I sometimes wonder if Utah's high rate of antidepressant use has something to do with the amount of Scandinavian heritage in the gene pool. With the exception of the Danes, the descendants of the Vikings are a depressive bunch.

[Guest Starsky]

Hey I have Danish in my heinz-57 mix.

Strawberry...you discribed our ward so well...I wonder if we are in the same one LOL

...Except for one thing...I know alot of people who are in that kind of ward who aren't in my ward.

Thanks.

It seems we are heading towards the fulfillment of BofM times...found in the 3rd and 4th Nephi's.

[Faerie]

I grew up in the south, Atlanta GA. I was 1 of 7 LDS kids in my high school. I think out of those 7, maybe 2 were "ideal." I had my fair share of teenage angst and rebellion, but got accepted into BYU anyways thanks to a glowing letter of recomendation from my Stake YW Pres.

Let me tell you, coming from Atlanta to Provo was a pure case of culture and shell shock!! I came with visions of everyone being my friend because we all go to the same church!! I came with visions of the men respecting their priesthood and having faithful VT.

Oy veh!!

Within my first week there, I was involved sexually w/ a RM. I smoked my first bowl at the Y monument 2 months later. No one on campus would look me in the eye cuz I had a shaved head. I tried to strike up conversations w/ people in class, and I would be ignored. I ended up getting my navel and my tongue pierced, hair dyed turquoise and I couldn't wait to get back to Atlanta. I felt like I hadn't moved, but the land around me had. I was so naive about what life would be like, that I fell back into my old patterns verrrrrry easily. And when the aforementioned RM met his "eternal companion" and took her to the temple 6 weeks later and I asked him if he had cleared things up w/ his bishop and he told me that you don't need to clear those things up if you stop doing them...I left the church...

Now, quite a few years later I can look back on the experience and see my own shortcomings and faults. I would love to live in Utah again, but only for the mountains and weather!! I don't envy the ward situations or the lifestyle expectancies!!

Now I live outside of Chattanooga, in the largest ward in our stake. Every stake calling seems to come from our ward. I run into fellow ward members every once in a while out in public, and wouldn't ya know..they're normal people just like me!! I saw a counselor in our bishopric last night at Walmart. I yelled out his name and he waved and that was it. I guess even Mormons can be too busy for each other.

As far as anti's...Like I said in my intro, I suffer from a couple of infertility diseases..one of which causes extreme depression..so let's see, I've been on Sarafem, Prozac and lastly Zoloft. I finally took myself OFF the medication because it took away my sex drive..kind of counterproductive when you're trying to make a baby eh?

But those who are living healthy, and busy lives....putting their families first, not society or church programs....don't need the drugs and can and do control their spending...

I disagree. My husband comes first and foremost, but depression is depression and we shouldn't judge people because they're on anti-depressants. Unless you know the situations and backgrounds of all these perfect Mormon women in Utah who are taking them, I think it's unfair to make a big deal out of how many people are on them.

Mormon women are expected to reproduce, reproduction causes hormones to get horribly out of control, out of control hormones causes depression, Zoloft fixes depression, Mormon woman can enjoy her life now...

the only reason I think there is such a magnifying glass on what life is like in UTah is because there ARE so many people in utah...like someone said, take the church out of it and utah is just like every other state in this country...

ok..i'm rambling..making no sense!! guess i better hit the hay!!

[Guest Starsky]

Wow interesting life Faerie. :)

[Cal]

Sorry to hear you had such a "lovely" experience at BYU. I've heard multitudes of similar stories. Sounds like BYU is an ideal place to lose your testimony.

[Guest Starsky]

Originally posted by Cal@Mar 14 2004, 10:31 AM

Sorry to hear you had such a "lovely" experience at BYU. I've heard multitudes of similar stories. Sounds like BYU is an ideal place to lose your testimony.

I'm afraid it is true....My husband went there and worked there for two years...it was hard for him to see his dream of 'perfection' destroyed...but in someways it made him stronger....on the spiritual side...

He found he had to rely more on God and less on men.