I’ve had a few thoughts, provoked by Geoff’s link to the obituary of a prominent Utah polygamist in a previous post. I’m guessing that my own take might spark its own discussion, so forgive me for putting up a separate post about it.
Anyway, the obituary of polygamist Owen Allred is not unique in that its writer expresses a growing tolerance for the polygamous lifestyle.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
10:05 pm. The elevator lifts me to ground level. I enter an anteroom of sorts, already half-filled with antsy looking guys in work clothes and a woman of obvious authority.
10:10 pm. Everyone having arrived, she splits us into groups. Our group of fifteen or so follows the lady, through a few hallways and doorways. We step through one of many doors, but suddenly, each of us is quieted by the immensity of the space we’ve stepped into. The main auditorium of the Conference Center is breathtakingly large, even to one who has been here before.
Seriously, what’s the use?
Local control is a good thing. When every policy and practice is dictated by a distant, centralized authority, a local organization can lose its flavor. And the flavor that is not lost will make that small group of people feel alien when word comes in from HQ on how they are to behave. In essence a one-size-fits-all approach to governing a vast, diverse group of people will invariably mute the differences among the individual units that ought to be thriving and making the overall organization stronger.
And that is why I support federalism. Did you think I was talking about something else?
This is one of the most entertaining bills I’ve read. Hat tip, Viva Ned Flanders. (Until we get our linkblog up, this is my only place to post it!)