I frequently hear that Utah is one of the most conservative states in the union. I believe it. After six decades of observation, I would place the average Utahn well to the right of Attila the Hun.

But not all Utahns are so encumbered. There are some of us who label ourselves liberals. There are more of us than you think, and our numbers grow every day.

We are becoming impatient. The experience of watching our state legislature being constantly pushed and pressured into passing oppressive legislation is increasingly burdensome. Whether the malfeasance is arcane liquor laws, underfunded schools filled by big families with 12 children, crumbling infrastructure, or destruction of our remaining wilderness, forests and pristine red-rock deserts, it is wrong. Add to that the poisoning of our air and soil by faceless corporations operating under lax laws and regulations, and we are long past the point at which we should demand change.

I am not a member of any political party. I am a political atheist. I don’t believe in any of them. I don’t believe that the solution to all of this is political. It is cultural. We need a statewide paradigm shift.

We have a collective responsibility to act. If not us, then who? If not now, when?

SCOTT G. MORRIS
West Jordan