By pat bagley and val lambson

| The Salt Lake Tribune

Welcome to Behind the Lines, a weekly conversation with Salt Lake Tribune cartoonist Pat Bagley and BYU economist Val Lambson.

This week’s BTL guest contributor is Holly Richardson. Richardson recently resigned from the Utah Legislature to run Dan Liljenquist’s run for Orrin Hatch’s Senate seat.

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BAGLEY: I’m a fan of your "Holly on the Hill" blog: a serious conservative take on governing and politics without the talk radio rants. http://hollyonthehill.wordpress.com/ I’m sorry to see the Legislature lose your perspective. I’ve always wondered, what do our representatives up on the Hill think of my depiction of them as intelligent, handsome, civic-minded public servants?

RICHARDSON: First of all, you are very kind. Thank you. It was an honor to serve on the Hill, and it’s certainly been fun to blog. To your question, though: we LOVE your representation of the Utah Legislature. At least those of us with a sense of humor. I do think we tend to take ourselves just a bit too seriously.

BAGLEY: "Legislatorman" has saved me hours of work. Because the pudgy, fish-lipped man in a blue suit is immediately recognizable, I am freed up from having to laboriously spell out "Utah Legislature" each time I conjure a Utah lawmaker. And trying to cram all that lettering onto a one-and-a-half inch Mr. Mac suit is a headache.

RICHARDSON: OK, I’ll admit, the Legislature can be a bit vanilla, but let’s be honest — we have some great women up there too and most of them aren’t wearing Mr Mac. Seriously, though, there are a number of legislators who are determined to 1: not run "time-and-money-wasting resolutions," and 2: not vote for them either. I was one who kept voting "no" on bills like that last year. There are a growing number who realize that in a very short 45-day session, there is real work to be done. And while the messages might be good, it’s a matter of choosing what is MOST important. You know — like focusing on hair braiding.

BAGLEY: My father was mayor of a California town and I learned from him that 95 percent of governing is things like getting the garbage picked up. Yes, there are some very good and diligent legislators from both parties, but if I find myself in need of a good giggle I watch this video from the Patrick Henry Caucus. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5legitZhpo I wish legislators would concentrate on the boring slog of governing and leave off trying to rescue our Compound Constitutional Republic from socialist boogeymen.

RICHARDSON: Your dad was right. Most of it isn’t sexy or exciting and it doesn’t make the news. In spite of my concern with "meaningless resolutions," though, there is a reason the Utah Legislature spends so much time on bills about the federal government — as a state, we have been hamstrung. Certainly, we as a state have been complicit — we went with our hands out and came back with them tied, but there comes a point where you just have to say enough is enough. I think we’re there.

BAGLEY: An example? I don’t doubt there are several: I am truly interested in the take up on the Hill about what constitutes federal overreach. By the way, here on the ground we feel the state government imposing itself in our lives more directly than the feds, i.e., tried to get your license renewed lately? There’s also this very funny youtube clip about our liquor laws. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa4TFZWQTpQ