This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I am appalled by Gov. Herbert's comparison of the legal battles over same-sex marriage to a game. "It's like stopping a game in the middle of the contest. ... You can't stop in the middle. You've got to play to the final buzzer" ("Utah will take fight to U.S. high court," June 26).
I have played sports all my life, my family has, and I have coached school sports for years. Win or lose, I went home after a game or contest or race, and my life did not change one iota.
Being able to marry or not marry and the legal implication's of each situation is life-changing for same-sex couples. Playing to the end of a game does not cost a penny extra. Gov. Herbert's pursuit of a lost cause costs us, the taxpayers, hundreds of thousands of dollars when we can't properly fund education or health care for the poor, to name just two of our pressing state needs. This is not a game, Gov. Herbert. Please stop wasting our tax dollars.
Donald J. Ries
Salt Lake City