Lawmakers ignored what voters wanted

"It's mind over matter. I don't mind and you don't matter."

Those were the words of the late Republican "political philosopher" Alex Hurtado, as he always ended our political arguments. And that seems to sum up the just-adjourned Utah legislative session. They didn't mind "the will of the people," because it didn't matter.

Polls showed voters wanted legislators to bring back civility and ethics to government. It didn't matter. Some legislators had more important business to take care of — their contributors. Voters told them they should stop taking gifts, stop using campaign money for personal use and that lobbyists had too much influence over them. It didn't matter. Some vehemently blamed the press for reporting on their actions and how the voters saw them.

And when responsible legislators tried to introduce legislation to eliminate or limit gift giving, they were quickly silenced by parliamentary maneuvering; had it not been reported by the media, their voters back home would never know who voted for and who against. Yet, at campaign time, those voting against will likely mail fliers telling their voters they fight for honesty, integrity and less government — code words voters want to believe because they are too busy worrying about their vanishing pensions, jobs, affordable health care, mortgages, baby-sitters, the need to balance two jobs, back-to-school nights and whether they will ever be able to help their children go to college. Yet, some legislators thought nothing of wanting to raise college tuition, while making sure their contributors got a soccer stadium at taxpayers' expense.

There is something wrong when we have some legislators who show little compassion, if not outright vindictiveness, for the poor and the disabled. Though those groups made an impassioned plea for medical, dental and vision programs, they were scolded for demonstrating and told it would only hurt their cause. The poor, of course, had no money to add to the $432,000 "drop" PACs and corporations made to legislators this year.

There is something wrong when minority advocates are not allowed equal access to education committee hearings that affect their lives. There is something wrong when disabled people who struggle to get to the capital to advocate for the poor are made to feel unwelcome. As one woman explained, one senator looked at them with some disdain for being in the legislative halls advocating for the disabled. He told her that he did not support their issues, and when handed their literature, he quickly tossed it and walked away. Something is terribly wrong when their colleagues allow such uncivil behavior in the people's house. Is it any wonder we have bullying in schools?