This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Recently, I watched about a dozen Utah politicians oppose any move by President Barack Obama to create a Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah.
Most of them recited nearly identical messages, squarely facing the camera and saying, "Mr. President, 'Don't do this!'" I guess they fear something most Utahns favor. While they quoted a Utah Policy poll that found only 17 percent of Utahns favor the monument, they almost surely knew that poll exploited Utahns' dislike of Obama to hit such a low level. The more objective Pew poll showed that 55 percent of Utahns favor the monument.
None pointed out that when first created as monuments, Zion, Arches and Capitol Reef were opposed by Utah politicians, but that during the 2013 government shutdown they scrambled to find state money to keep Utah parks open in order to avoid the approximately $100 million monthly loss to the state's economy. Also, none pointed out that when first created, Grand Staircase Escalante Monument was opposed, but now, 20 years later, by a two to one margin, most Utahns favor it.
These guys are running for their next election, not protecting the future of Utah. They took no questions.
Lee Badger
Ogden