Voters in November directed justifiable anger toward a multitude of failed programs that have been sapping our freedoms and mortgaging our futures. But most of all, they reacted with revulsion to the unconditional support Democratic legislators have given the programs of the radical environmentalists.
Over the past 30 years, those groups have worked hard to lure gullible lawmakers into passing laws that seemed reasonable and compassionate. Who could argue against saving our national symbol, the eagle, from extinction? Who would speak in favor of toxic dumps oozing poisonous chemicals into the water table? Who would want to bulldoze a beautiful estuary to build a parking lot? And so they all voted for laws that felt good and seemed harmless without paying much attention to the fine print.But we soon found that the fine print came with some big teeth that have been voraciously chewing at the belly of the prized American dream. Individual freedoms, property rights and economic sanity were quickly sacrificed at the altar of the environmental juggernaut. Swarms of bureaucrats and lawyers were dispatched to invade every aspect of private and economic life to ensure compliance with the tens of thousands of directives coming from Washington.
After years of blatant abuse, people have finally gotten wise to the game. Do we need to spend millions for weeds and shrimp? Do we need to strangle towns for turtles? Do we need to spend billions on lawyers and bureaucrats? Must we kick everybody but backpackers off the public lands? On Nov. 8 the people, quite loudly, said `No!'
Rainer Huck
Utah Trail Machine Association