facebook-pixel

Letter: Utah government should at least pretend to care about all the people

(Rick Bowmer | AP file photo) The backlog of untested rape kits is growing even after state lawmakers passed a law in 2017 to address the issue, in part because the legislature didn't provide enough money to hire the necessary technicians for the state crime lab, KUTV reports.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert plans to ask for a tax reduction due to a surplus in the state’s coffers. A few weeks ago, The Salt Lake Tribune had an article regarding the backlog of rape kits which could not be tested due to the lack of trained technicians to process them.

It is always difficult to set a budget based on what one thinks will happen the next year. Who could have guessed the cost of the opioid crisis? But when there is a known compete failure of the state to take responsibility for the protection of its citizens, perhaps investigations into where the money could be wisely invested would be a better first option.

I realize the morally bankrupt conservative leadership of the state is more interested in putting more cash back into the hands of its upper-class (how else to justify a sales tax on food) than in seeking justice for victims of criminal violence. But sometimes it is a good idea to at least put up an appearance that government is operated for all the people — not just some.

Douglas D. Reilly, Logan

Submit a letter to the editor