The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has posed a host of problems for state officials in Arizona, Utah and west Texas. As discussed in a prior posting, the group practices polygamy and is suspected of sexual exploitation, domestic violence, and welfare and tax fraud. An editorial in today's Arizona Republic points out that the Arizona legislature has recently dealt with one aspect of the FLDS problem. It enacted House Bill 2417 which permits the state to place the Colorado City school district into receivership for insolvency or for gross financial mismanagement. The school district, largely controlled by Church officials, owes $1.5 million to the Arizona School Risk Retention Trust. As pointed out in the earlier posting, authorities claim that school payrolls have been padded with jobs for Church members. Also the district purchased an airplane even though it was unable to meet obligations for teachers' salaries.
The editorial calls for additional action against FLDS, calling it "a cult [that] uses the trappings of religion to exercise complete control over its followers."
