This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
My wife and I and another couple recently returned from a trip to the national parks in Utah. We were disappointed the first three days because of the government shutdown.
When the parks reopened we were able to appreciate the natural beauty in your state. I had the opportunity to speak with some business people and hear how devastating the shutdown was to the local economies.
I find it difficult to believe that Sen. Mike Lee was foolish enough to agree to a government shutdown when he had to know the effect it would have on the Utah economy.
It is difficult to believe that if Lee, Ted Cruz, and the other tea party members had been in Congress many years ago Utah would have the economic benefits of the parks. Would they have approved the WPA that provided the labor to build the infrastructure within the parks? Would they have approved funding of the Hoover Dam? Would they have approved of the Rural Electrification Administration that brought power to communities such as Boulder?
Lee and his group have their own narrow agenda which is not in the best interest of Utah or the country.
Stan Tetenman
Poland, Maine