Good Legislators vs. Not So Good Legislators

I remember my first day as in intern at the Utah State Legislature. I felt intimidated by rubbing shoulders with those I had voted for, those I had seen on tv, those I had read about in the paper. I immediately felt small, and when I listened to many discuss issues I realized how little I knew about policy. But, soon the facade was lifted.


I sat outside a committee room waiting for my Representative to arrive. I was alone, except for the Sargeant of Arms doing his crossword, and another woman pacing up and down the hall. Soon another Representative appeared, obviously who the unidentified woman was waiting for. She rushed over and in a quiet but easily overheard voice handed him a copy of the committee's agenda. She then proceeded to tell him how he was voting on every bill that was to be presented in that meeting, and a very brief reason why. She gave him a copy of the agenda on which she had written her notes then sent him in to the meeting. As I sat through the meeting that morning in awe, this woman's wishes were carried out to a tee. (And no, the woman was not Gayle Ruzika and the Representative was actually a Democrat)


I learned a lot that day. After that I came to see the Utah Legislature more as it really was. It is a citizen legislature. I found that the majority of the legislators serving really were there because they were trying to help their constituents and to make the state be a better place. That they make mistakes, that they rely on others for information, that they are not always eloquent. Most had their egos in check and worked hard to understand the issues. But, as with every group, there were a few that stood out as rotten. Some just for their obvious political ambition, others for their personal agendas that bordered on extreme.


As I read about the controversy surrounding the comments made by Sen. Buttars this week, I felt like many, no surprise. The part I find most ashaming is not even the comment itself, which is clearly disturbing, but the reaction of our citizen Legislature. I would like to think that in this respect they don't represent us. That we, as Utahns, would not stay silent. West Jordan will get a chance this November to decide if Sen. Buttars gets to keep his job. Let's hope a worthy candidate will step up and run against Sen. Buttars and give West Jordan the representation that they deserve.