Because Utahns basically live by the rules, respect their leaders and dislike conflict, they have given opportunistic politicians the illusion that voters are not too bright. They then exploit those values. Utahns must face the fact that our state government, more often than not, does not represent the people's interest, and the incumbents have created laws and regulations that insulate them from criticism and secure their position in perpetuity. Some don't seem to bother to campaign and simply wait for the special interest groups' lobbyists to drop off the money to keep them in office. As reported in the Deseret Morning News (Dec. 3, 2006), "For every $100 in donations raised by incoming Utah legislators in their latest races, $95.70 of it came from special interests or members' own pockets."

But don't blame the politicians who ignore the public's concerns and sell our government to the lobbyists. It's the public's apathy that has allowed state leaders to use the government as their sandbox to play in. When only one-third of the public knows their legislator, it says much about apathy and complacency. Those in power have created so many barriers that they have discouraged citizens from having a say in their government. "My voice doesn't count anyway." And it's true.

And don't expect those now in office to change our government. Nothing will change until people say enough is enough. And don't expect the "usual leaders" to come forth. They have been the beneficiaries of the current system. Complacency won't change anything. Change always starts with one person.

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Utah native John Florez has founded several Hispanic civil rights organizations and has served on the staff of Sen. Orrin Hatch and on more than 45 state, local and volunteer boards. He also has been deputy assistant secretary of labor. E-mail: jdflorez@comcast.net