This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
"Every day when we get up and look ourselves in the mirror, we used to say there's a big bull's-eye on us, and now it's on our back as well. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when more of us are charged with some sort of felony for standing up and protecting the health and safety and welfare of our county."
— Beaver County Commissioner Mark Whitney addressing a legislative committee Wednesday.
In a word, bull.
Has there ever been federal law enforcement overreach? Certainly. The 2009 San Juan County antiquities raids come to mind. But to claim that county officials live under constant threat of federal charges is simply not true. The one county official who has been charged (and convicted), San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman, had to go out of his way to provoke a confrontation, and his protest ride offered nothing for the health, safety or welfare of his county.
Nevertheless, legislators bought the argument from Whitney and others that the state needs to send $250,000 in tax money to a non-profit called the Rural Utah Alliance, which will use the money to further the idea that federal law enforcement is a Utah menace. Some of the funds may even go to pay legal costs for Lyman's incitement of an illegal ATV ride through Recapture Canyon two years ago.
The surprising thing about this is the extent to which 15 percent of the state seems to wag the other 85 percent. Whatever constituency there is for challenging federal law enforcement, it's not in the mainstream along the Wasatch Front. Sure, we're a red state that likes fewer federal regulations and taxes, but we're also a patriotic people who are proud of our public lands and want to preserve them for our children and grandchildren. When most of us see a ranger, we tip our hats.
Rural Utah's economy is changing. Global economics set the prices for Utah beef, lumber and energy, and there is no federal deregulation that is going to make a Utah cow worth more or make a Utah tree worth sending to a lumber mill. County commissioners do not serve their constituents when they blame the change on federal workers, many of whom are also their constituents.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz jumped into this game last week, promising legislation to step down the firepower of federal law enforcement in the West, a worthwhile goal for law enforcement in general.
"They need to be more like Andy Griffith and less like Rambo," Chaffetz said.
But for that to work, the Bundys must act more like Otis the town drunk, locking themselves in jail after a hard night of ignoring grazing laws.
Could the state/federal law-enforcement relationship be improved? Of course, but that only happens when people on both sides are genuine. Statements like Whitney's show that one side isn't.