Utah needs to protect state and local authority, decentralize government

Our Founding Fathers understood the dangers of a massive and intrusive federal government.

That's why they gave us the U.S. Constitution — establishing a very limited, decentralized government to provide for national defense and little else. Because local politicians are closest to the people they represent, the states were to be the ones handling most of the problems and issues facing the people.

Sadly, today we have an out-of-control federal government that's overstepped its proper constitutional functions and is involved in seemingly every aspect of our daily lives. From the education of our children to critical decisions about our health care, there are not very many areas untouched by direct federal intervention.

In fact, as Utah's citizens recently learned firsthand — when Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar recommended that three massive areas in Utah should be designated as "wilderness areas" — the federal government's reach is always expanding.

Should the decision go through and ultimately pass Congress, it would be nothing more than Washington, D.C., bureaucrats and politicians telling private individuals and local governments how they can and can't use their land — including virtually everything from building roads and bridges to even digging a well or burying a cable underground.

And as can always be expected when the federal government gets involved in areas where it has no business being, unintended, sometimes harmful consequences occur.

Recognizing these dangers, the one thing virtually all from Utah agree on is that the handling of land issues should be decided by local people and government officials — not out-of-touch federal nannies far away in Washington, D.C.

And I couldn't agree more.

My Plan to Restore America will cut $1 trillion in federal spending during the first year of my presidency, in large part due to its elimination of five federal agencies — one of them being the Department of the Interior.

Since the Bureau of Land Management is under the Department of the Interior, my plan would remove the federal obstacles blocking individuals and state and local officials from deciding on their own how best to handle issues such as land management.

Despite arrogant bureaucrats' claims to the contrary, no amount of central planning from Washington, D.C., will resolve the complex land issues facing these areas as effectively as local folks can address them.

As President, I wouldn't have — nor would I want — the authority under the U.S. Constitution to carry on such unnecessary interference.

I hope I'll have your support in this election so I can get the federal government out of your way to allow you and your neighbors the freedom to create and enact the solutions to the challenges facing your state.

Dr. Ron Paul is a Republican presidential candidate.