This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

During the past session, the Utah Legislature overwhelmingly passed House Bill 437 in both the House (55-17-3) and Senate (19-8-2). Also during this session, the Legislature overwhelmingly passed House Bill 287 in the House (54-12-9) and Senate (20-4-5).

With HB437, the state of Utah decided to accept money from the federal government to expand Medicaid in Utah, while HB287 sets aside money to sue the federal government to take back its federal land.

Ultimately, Utah needs to decide if it is a sovereign state or not.

With Medicaid expansion, the federal government is promising to pay 70 percent of the cost, therefore Utah voted to put its hand out to the federal government, thus becoming more dependent on it. Many of our elected representatives were upset that we didn't decide to take more from the federal government.

A 2014 report from the Utah auditor showed that 25 percent of Utah expenditures came from the federal government. In 1984 this percentage was 19 percent; the high was 30 percent in 2010.

Our dependence on the federal government should be concerning to all taxpayers. Our federal government is almost $19 trillion in debt. What happens to our state when the federal government finally gets serious about balancing its budget? The money will dry up from the federal government, and Utah will have to foot the bill.

Unlike the federal government, our Utah Constitution requires our legislative and executive branches to balance the state budget every year (and rightfully so). We will not be able to kick the can down the road, so tax increases or painful benefit cuts to entitlements will occur.

While the money we rely upon is troubling, it is also troubling that we are hurting our own cause for taking our public lands. It is hard to make an argument that we are a sovereign state when we are so reliant upon the federal government.

Just like parents who are able to control their child, in part because that child is financially dependent upon them, Utah is playing the part of the child, wanting to be an adult while asking Mom and Dad for $20 so he can go out with his friends. Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson said, "[N]o State or local government can accept funds from the federal and remain independent in performing its functions, nor can the citizens exercise their rights of self-government under such conditions" (from a speech entitled "The Proper Role of Government").

Utah's elected officials would do well to begin to wean Utah from the federal government. Becoming self-sufficient will allow Utahans, not federal bureaucrats and out of state politicians to make decisions which affect our great state.

Don Guymon and his wife Pamela live with their five children in Bountiful. He is the chairman of GrassRoots (utahgrassroots.org).