Legislative blessings

In "Legislative session a boon to Utah economy" (Opinion, March 24), Ray Pickup has only praise for our "successful" legislative session.

He praised Utah legislators for deciding to have 90 percent of Utah's elementary school children proficient in reading and math by 2020. Achieving that goal would require reducing class sizes in the critical grades K-3 and providing preschool for many children.

Pickup failed to mention that the legislators also decided not to fund the additional teachers required to accomplish this noble goal, effectively deciding not to accomplish it.

Pickup praised the legislators for making it easier for families to utilize premium subsidies to purchase private insurance — not to help people who need insurance, but because it would "strengthen the commercial insurance market." Would those be federal subsidies, provided by Obamacare, which all Republicans hate? No problem, apparently, if local businessmen get a cut.

Pickup also praised a plan to convert buses and state vehicles to compressed natural gas. It appears this will be funded largely by Questar, which will raise our gas rates to pay for it — a new tax in all but name, covertly enacted by our tax-shy Legislature.

What wonderful legislators we have!

Brooke Jennings

Salt Lake City