Jay Evensen

Salt Lake City

I'm the Opinion Editor for the Deseret News @deseret, a journalist with four decades of experience covering politics and social issues.

Featured in: Favicon

deseret.com Favicon

msn.com

yahoo.com (+3) Favicon

wral.com

wickedlocal.com

telegram.com Favicon

cantonrep.com Favicon

providencejournal.com Favicon

pjstar.com Favicon

sj-r.com + 100 more

Articles

Budget bill highlights how Washington lacks a sense of irony

1 week ago | deseret.com | Jay Evensen

I'm old enough to remember when Republican President Ronald Reagan, during his 1988 State of the Union Address, dropped a heavy stack of papers, comprising that year's budgeting megabill, next to the podium. He declared that "Congress shouldn't send another one," because he would not sign it. He got a rare bipartisan standing ovation for that.
Opinion: Budget bill highlights how Washington lacks a sense of irony

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Jay Evensen

I’m old enough to remember when Republican President Ronald Reagan, during his 1988 State of the Union Address, dropped a heavy stack of papers, comprising that year’s budgeting megabill, next to the podium. He declared that “Congress shouldn’t send another one,” because he would not sign it. He got a rare bipartisan standing ovation for that.
Jury duty has not outlived its usefulness

2 weeks ago | deseret.com | Jay Evensen

As I looked at the faces populating my computer screen and listened to a judge and two attorneys ask them the sorts of questions you might encounter at one of those awkward mixers - what sort of books do you read? What are your hobbies? - one question kept popping into my head. If I were on trial, would I want these people to decide my guilt or innocence? To my surprise, I now have an answer to that question because, against all odds, I was chosen for a jury that heard a criminal case.
Opinion: Does the jury system work?

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Jay Evensen

As I looked at the faces populating my computer screen and listened to a judge and two attorneys ask them the sorts of questions you might encounter at one of those awkward mixers — what sort of books do you read? What are your hobbies? — one question kept popping into my head. If I were on trial, would I want these people to decide my guilt or innocence? To my surprise, I now have an answer to that question because, against all odds, I was chosen for a jury that heard a criminal case.
Americans need to understand Washington's fiscal challenges

3 weeks ago | deseret.com | Jay Evensen

A thin majority (52%) of Americans believe it is possible to both balance the federal budget and cut taxes at the same time, while slightly less (48%) believe the budget could be fixed simply by reducing the growth of spending in Washington. An optimist would take comfort that at least a good portion of the public believes fiscal sanity is within reach. Without at least a belief, the nation doesn't stand a chance.
Opinion: America needs real fiscal reform

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Jay Evensen

A thin majority (52%) of Americans believe it is possible to both balance the federal budget and cut taxes at the same time, while slightly less (48%) believe the budget could be fixed simply by reducing the growth of spending in Washington. An optimist would take comfort that at least a good portion of the public believes fiscal sanity is within reach. Without at least a belief, the nation doesn’t stand a chance.
Opinion: Why a 1906 law keeps angering Utahns

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Jay Evensen

Back near the turn of the 20th century, the United States faced a crisis of disappearing Native American artifacts. So-called “pot hunters” were ravaging ancient sites across the West. On July 29, 1903, the New York Times recounted a disturbing observation from the Chicago World’s Fair that had taken place 10 years earlier.
Opinion: How the tariffs stole Christmas

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Jay Evensen

The plot is like any of a dozen or more Christmas movies you may have seen. A villain either steals all the presents or gets in the way of Santa’s routine, and suddenly it appears there will be no gifts under the tree. Only, this time it’s not clear whether any hero can swoop in and save the day.
Opinion: Can Trump create a new baby boom?

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Jay Evensen

If I learned anything during a trip to China a few years ago, it was that anti-family policies can be awfully hard to reverse once they take hold. My wife and I were there with our son’s family, which included three small children. This was not long after China had lifted its one-child-per-family policy, which had been in place 35 years.
Don't destroy the American dream for the world's huddled masses

1 month ago | deseret.com | Jay Evensen

During my long career (approaching 39 years at the Deseret News and 43 years overall in the news business), some of the most inspiring interviews I have conducted have been with refugees. The ones I have met have an unusual grit and determination, and a love of freedom unique to those who have struggled against oppression. It started in the late 1980s when I met Luc Pham, who had worked as a South Vietnamese intelligence officer during the long American conflict there.