The West Mixing Business And Faith

Most states are struggling with economic hard times, but Utah -- and the Mormons -- are riding high

If religion, as Karl Marx once wrote, is "the opium of the people," in Utah it is the amphetamine. Thanks largely to the influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- the Mormons -- Utah has become the envy of its neighbors. Other states are bogged down in recession, but Utah's economy is racing. Other states around the country are raising taxes and cutting services to balance their budgets, but Utah is enjoying a third straight budget surplus. Other states are having trouble attracting job- creating businesses, but in Utah they are flocking in from all over. What...

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