This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Re: the Tribune editorial ("Over a barrel," March 13), please cut Gov. Herbert some slack. You wrote about how long he's taken to make a decision on Medicaid expansion, how much federal money Utah's people are losing in the delay, and how poorly the proposed block grant would be used - all arguably true, but please remember the conundrum the governor faces.
Due to a law passed a year ago in our Legislature, a majority of the House and Senate need to approve the governor's proposed plan before it can be implemented. The big hurdle is House leadership, who have said they won't take no stinking federal money — except maybe for our current CHIP and Medicaid programs, for airports, water projects, public safety, transportation, military bases, and public education, to name a few.
So my view is that something the governor can get through our recalcitrant Legislature is better than nothing, even as he realizes that the perfect is the unattainable enemy of the good.
Gov. Herbert is doing the best that he can – give him credit, please.
Tom Metcalf
Murray