From Deseret News archives:
Applaud 5 Utah lawmakers for their courage
A quote attributed to many, among them Ronald Reagan, Bobby Kennedy and most recently Utah state Rep. Phil Riesen, one of five legislators who referred to it when deciding to file a complaint to investigate alleged ethics violations by one of the House members. State Reps. Riesen, Roz McGee, Neil Hansen, Sheryl Allen and Steve Mascaro should be applauded and thanked by Utah residents for fighting to bring back a sense of integrity to our government.
It's a dark time for Utahns when a legislative leader, rather than encouraging openness and debate necessary for making public policy, seems more concerned about wielding and keeping his political power. The speaker gives credence to the perception of how legislative leaders control legislators by punishing and retaliating against them when they dare to speak contrary to leadership positions. They are labeled dissidents and subjected to tactics tantamount to "killing the messenger" by publicly questioning their integrity. Such action by a legislative leader creates a chilling environment that stifles honest debate. It reinforces why the public has a lack of trust in its government. It should not then be surprising to see Utah leads the nation in low primary voter turnout.
Even though the five legislators who signed the complaint were aware of the consequences, they put principle above politics. They wanted to return ethics to government and have its elected leaders live by the rules. It's ironic that it is this Legislature that keeps talking about living by the rules. Hopefully the five legislators, by the courage and leadership they have shown, will have opened the door for other lawmakers to come forward to return ethics to the people's House.
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