Letter: Hoping Obama doesn't stop at Bears Ears

The debate over the proposed Bears Ears National monument may not be over yet, but the fact that there is a great deal of local debate refutes Gov. Herbert's contention that "Utahns do not want a new national monument."

It is my sincere hope as a Utah citizen that President Obama not only create the Bears Ears National Monument but that it be so large as to encompass every inch of federally owned U.S. public lands found within the boundaries of the state of Utah.

It would be a fitting and appropriate piece of political payback for the eight years in which the Utah GOP delegation stifled, blocked and refused to cooperate with the Obama administration in addressing the many legitimate issues affecting U.S. citizens. The Utah GOP delegation's embarrassing refusal to consider Obama's nomination to the Supreme Court vacancy is the most recent and insulting example.

Obama has carried himself with the grace, intelligence and poise of a visionary from the beginning of his first term. Though I have not always agreed with his policies, I will never get to see what his legacy might have looked like. This is largely due to the obstructionism of the Republicans.

I would like to see the Obama legacy in the new national monument in Utah if for no other reason than to see justice served. I fear that Obama is a true statesman and simply too big of a person to give the Utah GOP what they so richly deserve.

Al Snyder

Salt Lake City