(Editor's note: The following column has been authored by a non-clinician, and does not constitute a medcial opinion on the part of Newsmax.)
Although Utah has long been a destination for skiers, those selling what amounts to snake oil like it here as well.
As a state full of good-natured, honest people, apparently we make "easy pickings" for thowse engaged in what could be regarded as questionable business practices.
One of the Mormon Twins in "Ocean's 11" even jokes to the Carl Reiner con-man character, "I think you'd dig Provo. You could do well there."
In recent years, we've seen scams for utilities, nail salons, legal services, and even Valentine's Day.
And . . . the same thing has happened in our governor's mansion.
GOP Gov. Spencer Cox is a politician of a rather different sort.
In 2020, then-Lt. Gov. Cox beat former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. by 1.2 percent in a four-way primary with no runoff. Cox is up for reelection next year, and many of us are afraid if he is reelected, it will mean Utahns will have been somehow duped.
Cox has a history of high-profile wokeness, which we've talked about before.
It's so bad that Tucker Carlson called him a "cut-rate Gavin Newsom imitator."
Cox created a state office of "diversity, equity, and inclusion" to discriminate against the descendants of the pioneers who created the Beehive State.
Later, he voiced support for the Utah Jazz's policy of not admitting white children into its scholarship program.
When race hustlers attacked a special-needs student at a Brigham Young University (BYU) game last year, Cox eagerly joined the mob, calling the youth — sight unseen — a "racist a**hole."
Cox pushed the scientifically baseless mask mandates — telling Utahns to "wear their damn masks!" — then posted pictures of himself without one. He gushes over disgraced Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — for some reason — and his Lt. Gov., Deidre Henderson, participated in a pro-abortion walkout.
Clearly evidencing some contempt for his own culture, Cox hired the editor of the far-left, anti-Mormon, taxpayer-funded Salt Lake Tribune to be his communications director.
While promoting the Latter Day Saints Church's own charitable-giving program last Christmas, Cox refused to mention the church's name in a social media post about it!
On the highly controversial subject of transgender "rights," Cox is on the side of the for-profit industry that has been proven to foment violent extremism.
He encourages gender dysphoria, wants male athletes to destroy girls in sports, and even uses crocodile tears to support the "give us what we want or people die" demand.
In a video call last year with Utah's youth, Cox went out of his way to "share his pronouns" in a very creepy tone of voice.
His timing on this is weird, given that public approval for alphabet issues is dropping, even among sexual minorities themselves.
But timing is foremost on his mind these days, as his high-profile run to the right coincides with the election next year.
In the recent legislative session, he led the charge on school choice (which is good) and protecting kids on social media (which has no substance).
And he's sitting on top of a 64% approval rating from Utah voters.
Remember how some consider us "easy pickings"?
But even when faking conservatism, Cox struggles to stick to the script.
On Cox's watch, Utah has become the 45th worst state for housing affordability, credited mainly to the blue-flight of Californians.
So he made a stink recently about not wanting anymore Californians . . . then he he wrote that 100,000 immigrants should move here instead because it's (groan) "good for the economy."
Meanwhile in Idaho, GOP Gov. Brad Little is protecting girls sports, deploying state troopers to protect the border, and re-authorizing firing squads!
There is absolutely no reason for Utah to tolerate such wishy-washy leadership.
Jon Huntsman, Jr. could beat Cox in a rematch.
Either Sen. Mike Lee or former Rep. Jason Chaffetz could humiliate him, in a political contest. State Treasurer Marlo Oaks is crusading against wokeness in our financial system, while Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs is doing the same for our schools. (Though he has announced he wants Mitt Romney's Senate seat!)
Other great candidates would be County Councilman David Alvord, police veteran Eric Moutsos, former state GOP party chair Carson Jorgensen, Cottonwood Heights Mayor Mike Weichers, Attorney General Sean Reyes, state school board member Christina Boggess, Army veteran/voting integrity activist Goud Maragani, and on and on.
For years and years, heritage Utahns didn't need to fight to protect our community, and we're so good-natured we didn't really want to.
This has not worked.
Salt Lake City has been "fundamentally transformed" into one of the most dangerous cities in the country, and we need a leader, not someone who seems like he's cosplaying the dean from "Community."
Unless that changes, things will only get worse.
And I will probably have to move to Idaho — I think I could do well there.
Jared Whitley is a longtime politico who has worked in the U.S. Congress, White House and defense industry. He is an award-winning writer, having won best blogger in the state from the Utah Society of Professional Journalists (2018) and best columnist from Best of the West (2016). He earned his MBA from Hult International Business School in Dubai. Read Jared Whitley's reports — More Here.