Randy,
Thank you for your work on behalf of our public lands. It is the reason why I am taking the very small step of joining the forum to discuss this issue and the recent news out of Utah.
Like Airborne, who is a native Utahn, I too am a lifelong resident of the Beehive State. I love Utah. I left twice for educational pursuits, but always returned to my home. Utah is a tremendous state with an unbelievable variety of landscapes and terrain. As you also know, Utah has some great hunting and a thriving hunting community. In fact, some might say that hunting in Utah is too popular.
Despite my love for Utah, I am keenly aware that Utah's biggest fault, its chief problem, is Utahns. This is exemplified by the clowns we continually elect to office. From Senator Mike Lee to Utah representative Mike Noel, Utah is mostly represented by clowns. I think many Utahn's would tell you there is no need to apologize for highlighting the craziness within our state. We know.
With an estimated price tag of $14 million (optimistically low), and Utah's perennial position at the bottom of the public education funding list, I have doubts that Utah will in fact file a lawsuit against the federal government. However, for reasons stated above, you never know? Regardless of the viability of an actual lawsuit to take control of public lands in Utah, I find the news out of Utah especially troubling.
As an undergraduate I worked in the Utah State Legislature as an intern to an influential state senator. During the legislative session then U.S. Congressman Chris Cannon addressed the state senate and the idea of transferring federal lands to the states was discussed. This was my introduction to the public lands issue in Utah. After Rep. Cannon closed his remarks I approached the senator I was interning for to discuss the issue. Although I did not share the senator's political ideology, I believed he was a sincere and reasonable man. I made the comment that I could not believe that Rep. Cannon had suggested transferring all the federal lands in Utah to the state. The senator chuckled and told me that transferring the lands was only the first step. He then explained his belief that there should be no public lands, except for a handful of national parks, and that "a man's paradise should be his backyard." The conversation made my stomach churn. Yet, complete physical illness did not set in until I learned that other senators shared the same or similar views, i.e. our current public lands should be sold.
The senator I interned for and the other senators who share his views are still in office today. In fact, one of them is a member of Utah's "Commission for the Stewardship of Public Lands" that voted to direct Utah's attorney general to file the lawsuit. As you have stated before, the end goal is not transferring federal lands to the states. The end goal is privatizing our public lands.
A few more points you may find interesting.
1. Rep. Keven Stratton, chair of the Commission for the Stewardship of Public Lands, is a longtime resident of Orem, Utah, which is located about fifty miles south of Provo. In 1966 Rep. Stratton's father leased some land from the City of Orem in order to build a public golf course. According to the terms of the lease the Stratton family would pay $537 per year to lease the land as long as the land was used for a public golf course. The lease had a term of 100 years. Two years ago Rep. Stratton sold land his family owned, and the rights to the land leased from the City of Orem, to a local business owner for tens of millions of dollars. The business owner is using the land as a lot for his home and the homes of several family members and close associates. Rep. Stratton was acting entirely within his rights when he sold the land. I simply find the story uniquely interesting when Rep. Stratton is prominently involved in Utah's attempt to seize control of federal lands.
2. Although I agree with Airborne that one cannot understand Utah's culture and its politics without understanding the influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, i.e. the "mormons," I disagree that the church is involved with this issue. However, I would agree that the culture within the church creates an unhealthy deference to authority, which manifests itself in Utah's political culture.
