Utah and Obama | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

There is a growing apprehension about the possible designation of 1.4 million acres of the greater Canyonlands area as a national monument on the order of the 1.9 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument ("Proposal for Canyonlands monument draws fire," Tribune, Nov. 14).

When President Bill Clinton made the Grand Staircase a monument in 1996 without consulting Utah's politicians, it is well to remember he had come in third in Utah behind Ross Perot in the 1992 presidential election, which would not incline him to think too kindly about Utah folks.

By the same token, President Barack Obama just received only 25 per cent of the Utah vote, so he might not feel too warm toward Utahns either.

For the people and leaders of Utah to so roundly reject the current president, and then expect him to show us any special favors, is a bit of a stretch. That our governor and Legislature are suing the federal government to obtain all federal lands in our state just brings further angst to the situation.

David G. Klemm

Murray