This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For months now, we have seen on the Opinion pages a steady flow of critical, sarcastic and even demeaning comments about some of our elected Utah political leaders, in particular the current junior senator in Congress and our current and former attorneys general. From the information known, most of this seems well-deserved.
We must realize that selfish, cunning, power-hungry people will always be around, trying to take advantage of an environment of uninformed, uninterested, gullible people. But, is this who we are?
How come we elect these people? It is not that the warning signs weren't there before they were elected. Sen. Mike Lee's opinions, which would make him one of the most obstructive senators in recent history, were known by the time of his election. Several of Attorney General John Swallow's likely serious ethical lapses were known or clearly indicated before he was picked as a candidate.
Are we so ignorant when we go to vote? Or, are we fixed in a lock-step group-think where some authority tells us to vote a party without reflecting?
I don't have the answers, but I'm convinced that I have seen the enemy, and he is us.
Jan Hull
Salt Lake City