State control of land- Letters to the Editor

By Paula Wellnitz Orangeville

Dear Editor:
I heard and read Rep. Ken Ivory’s proposal that Utah should take over federally cared for land in Utah. I find it very distressing.
Europeans spread out over this continent taking it over as they went, grabbing the resources they recognized at the time, destroying much that was good in what they found. At first this was looked upon as a good thing.
Then at the end of the 19th Century and mostly in the 20th Century people began to recognize that we were destroying much in land, in creatures, etc. that benefited other aspects of ourselves as human beings. It was recognized that we would be much poorer humans if it was allowed to go on.
Therefore, ways to protect the land and its creatures were gradually set up. Sections of land were set aside to be protected, their use to be regulated. It’s not perfect, but we keep at it.
If Rep. Ivory has any idea of so caring for these lands as the federal government does, only better, which I sincerely doubt, has he figured out how to pay for it? He would probably say by selling off much of it for the oil , gas, and coal it has in it. This, of course would mean more destruction, however much it is declared it would be done carefully. It would go against the stated purpose of setting these lands aside to benefit other aspects of our humanity.
I would also wonder how much he might expect to benefit from having set this up so that these corporations could carry on their destructive work.
Paula Wellnitz
Orangeville