Republican state legislators in Utah are confused. What is it they don’t understand about their responsibility to their constituents? Special interest campaign donations shouldn’t poison the democratic process.
Unfortunately, legislators have allowed special interests to have more influence than constituents. A visit to the Capitol reveals an army of lobbyists swarming around legislators while citizens are treated like illegitimate children at a family reunion.
And the results: An inland port. A radioactive dump. Poor public schools. Toxic air. No gun regulations. And no strategy to address climate change. Citizens have been robbed by compromised legislators in bed with special interests that don't actually care about the needs of citizens.
Tax dollars fund legislators’ salaries. Legislators, then, have no right to even consider often paid-for legislation that primarily benefits the NRA, ALEC, Charles Koch or Exxon Mobile.
If a lawyer sold out to a client’s competitor, they could be indicted. Legislators doing the same thing should be removed from office.
We have been slowly conditioned to accept the intolerable.
The election is not far away. Utah needs a governor and legislators who address citizens’ needs exclusively. The return to an authentic representative democracy is imperative. We must reject the present system which is government of, by and for special interests.
Ron Molen, Salt Lake City