Dear Utah Lawmaker: Listen to me too, ok?

My wife got a constituent survey in the mail from our local representative, Dixon Pitcher.  She filled it out, but I wanted to play too so I sent him an email with my answers to his questions.

They're good questions and I have to go on the assumption he's honestly wants my answers. 

Lawmakers have tough jobs, and so I tried to make my answers clear. The screamers in Eagle Forum and others are making a lot of racket down there, it is up to us to give lawmakers the ammunition to answer their screams, or at least the comfort that intelligent people have different answers than Gayle Ruzika.

So, find your lawmaker's email address if he/she hasn't sent you a survey yet. You can find them all at 

http://www.le.utah.gov/house2/representatives.jsp.

Don't copy my answers, write your own.

Be polite, be clear, and be large in number.

Here's mine:

Dear Rep. Pitcher,

My wife got a legislative survey from you in the mail and has filled it out. Since you didn't send me one, here's my answers, and I thank you for your consideration:

1. On the gay marriage amendment -- as I recall, I voted against it in 2004.  I would do so again, if for no other reason than the US Constitution is pretty clear on the issue of equal rights, recent Supreme Court decisions are pretty clear on gay rights being equal, and I don't feel that anyone's constitution gives voters the ability to take away the rights of anyone else, however small their minority.

Considering the history of the minority Mormon Church's rights to religious freedom being ignored by majorities in Illinois and Missouri in recent history, I was astonished the amendment was approved. I feel strongly Utah shouldn't spend a dime defending it.

I'm especially offended that Utah has seen fit to hire outside counsel that has clear conflict of interest with the Sutherland Institute. Utah is not a subsidiary of the Sutherland Institute and anything even hinting at such a linkage should be shunned. 

The Sutherland Institute advocates for the LDS Church, and I hope you are aware that not all of your constituents are members of that church. Our voices count too, you know.

2. No, individual states should not be in the business of defining marriage. Doing so violates the equal rights provisions of the US Constitution (see recent Supreme Court decisions). 

Government is supposed to do what people want, not the other way around, and since a majority of the people cannot get together and deny rights to minorities, this is one area that states don't have power. States issue marriage licenses to help keep the legalities of couples taxes, inheritance, finances and other things straight, but it stops there.

3. Raise tobacco age to 21?  If they're old enough to vote, join the army and fight and die in Afghanistan, they're old enough to buy tobacco. I don't think they should, but that's their decision as adults, not mine.

4. Wood burning stoves?  Not only should they not be used on no-burn days, but I'd like to see much stronger efforts to keep the air clean on what I reluctantly call "burn" or "green" days. Why wait until it's bad to keep it from getting worse? 

But this should not be left only to wood burning stoves. Strict enforcement of cars idling, stronger emphasis on mass transit and stricter regulation on industry are also called for. Our children are paying a horrible price, and pharmaceutical companies are getting rich selling asthma medications to us.

5. The AG should stay elected.

6. The gasoline tax needs to be adjusted for inflation AND to reflect the rising price of gasoline and increased mileage of cars. A car that gets 25 mpg and weighs a ton causes just as much damage to the roads as one that gets 12 mpg. 

7. I support the full Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. A study of this by the state showed it would actually make Utah money. To refuse the expansion and lose that money, not to mention denying medical care to 110,000 Utahns, simply because Utah's Tea Party and others don't like President Obama, isn't just silly, it's mean.

Utahns are not mean. We take care of people, and expanding Medicaid is a good way to do it.

8. Budget "surplus": Any increase in revenue should go to the areas that have been so brutally cut in recent years: Education and human services.  

Under no circumstances should any taxes be cut. Yes, there are always cries for relief, but a cut of $100 million in tax revenue only gives each Utahn $33.33 -- yes, 33 dollars -- which isn't enough to buy dinner for two, let alone help out anyone's annual budget.

That same $100 million can make a huge difference if it's used to buy school supplies, or boost pay for folks who haven't had a raise in years.

9. Liquor laws -- I'd love to see Utah get out of the liquor business entirely. OK, that's not going to happen, but at least get rid of those silly "Zion Curtains."  Who do you think you're kidding? Certainly not children.

10. Other items:  

-- Approve the non-discrimination in housing ordinance now being proposed. Scare stories from the Eagle Forum are just that: Scare stories, completely untrue. Saying non-discrimination laws against gays mean their religious beliefs are being violated is tantamount to asking for state-supported bigotry. 

Jesus said to treat others the way we want to be treated, and I don't want to be discriminated against because of my sexual orientation. Do you?

-- Much more work on air pollution, especially including more mass transit. It should be clear that more highways don't improve transportation as a whole, they just encourage suburban sprawl and subdivisions that make it worse. The gains in capacity made by all the construction before the Olympic games, for example, were gone before the games were over.

Thanks for your consideration, Rep. Pitcher. Have a good session, and try to stay sane.

Charles Trentelman