Eight things I have learned as a first-time Utah Capitol Hill observer

By Kelli Lundgren


1. With 1,000 bills being presented in this Utah State general legislative session, it astonishes me that some of our politicians accuse our federal government of socialism.

2. Numerous times ideology has trumped sensibility in legislative debate and outcome. Reasonable decisions and compromises are being made, but man, the nonsense that sometimes occurs is entertaining and scary at the same time.

3. Bills get sacrificed. “You give us this. We’ll give you that.” Politician versus politician, party member versus party member, party versus party, spy versus spy. Compromise is good, but leveraging the killing of good bills for the passage of bad, I’m not sure its worth.

4. The media throws polls and facts at the legislature, saying 75% of citizens are in favor of this, 63% of citizens oppose that. Silly media, thinking legislators will listen. (But keep trying! We will too.)

5. Political activists are alive and well, some paid, some volunteer like us. I meet with several in the Senate cafeteria at the liberal table. All the Davids up against the Goliath are pigeon-holed as liberal in this state, so we aptly fill a bulging table. But also, you have the Eagle Forum table, the labor union table, the militia table, and the media table. People wander around carrying a lunch tray anxious they may sit down at the wrong table.

6. Political activists admit they are addicts. “How many years have you been doing this?” I say. “Eight,” he says. “Have you ever swayed legislators to fail or pass a bill?” I say. “No,” he says. In silent response, I stare deep into his eyes knowing I have only peeled the outer surface of this onion.

7. In conversation with anyone on the political spectrum, when you offer a solution or a practical idea, you get a response of “that’s too rational” to pass through this legislature.

8. It’s all about control. If a city proposes and implements an idea, say a vehicle idling ban, or the federal government sends our state money with contingencies, bills fly all over the place in Utah, telling cities what they can and cannot do, telling our nation (after we cash the check) it can take a flying leap.

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Asking a supermajority-led legislature to make it easier for full citizen participation is nearly impossible, we realize. so Represent Me Utah! attends the general session to watch the legislative debate and influence where we can.

Represent Me Utah!’s focus is to lobby citizens, not so much the legislature. We tried to focus on the legislature during redistricting and were unsuccessful. We are only grassroots without much money. Yet the public is where change can happen.

Of all the distorted ideological bills on Utah’s Capitol floor this year, and there are plenty, the one I find most fascinating is the bill that allows Utah to distribute hunting permits to kill wolves. Anywhere from zero to six wolves possibly reside in Utah, reintroduced into Wyoming through a wildlife restoration project. But come on.

Other ideological bills, such as elimination of sex education in public schools, and discrimination against the LGBT community are among several. I can’t believe there is actually a for-and-against debate on discrimination... of anyone, or that it's even a discussion. How embarrassing for our state. These bills do not go into my “fascinating” category. They go into my “ignorance” category.

www.RepresentMeUtah.org