So as you have probably noticed, it's been a while since my last blog post. I wasn't quite sure what to blog about, so I figure I'll post about my capstone paper. Most of you have probably never heard of the Legacy Highway unless you grew up in Utah, or are familiar with the commute from Davis County into Salt Lake City. It was initially proposed by Mike Leavitt, former governor of Utah, and was to run parallel to I-15 from Brigham City to Nephi to alleviate traffic from I-15. The problem, though, was that a section of the project was meant to go through wetlands and near wildlife preserves off the shores of the Great Salt Lake. Environmental groups and Rocky Anderson brought a lawsuit against the state of Utah seeking an alternative route with a lessened environmental impact, which greatly delayed the project and cost the state millions of dollars. While I understand the argument that the monetary costs should have pushed the project forward, my paper focused on the benefit of having a system like ours where individuals can check government action through legal action. Sure, it causes inefficiencies and incurs costs that would have otherwise been avoided, but I believe that it helps maintain legitimacy and trust in government. The Legacy Highway was rerouted somewhat and there were environmental concessions made by the state, and research for mass transit options was also put into motion. The Legacy Highway may never be completed totally, but the lessons learned from this extensive delay taught the state important policy lessons for the future. So, while I often disagree with Rocky Anderson and the ACLU, I am glad for their existence as they are able to protect the rights of individuals who would not otherwise have a voice. Leave comments if you disagree, or would like to read my paper in its entirety. It's pretty normative (meaning I describe the way things ought to be ideally), so hopefully it doesn't bore you to death. Let me know what you think.
1 comment:
Well said. Sometimes my hatred for the ACLU and their backword thinking blinds me from the good that they do (along with other organizations). I often forget that the government serves the public's desires and not my own. Thank goodness for long political processes that enables the best decisions for the public"s interest. I think that many people are too short sided like our political representatives. Slow going political decisions usually benefit everyone in the long run. Here in GA we have a big problem with short sighted politicians and Republicans who know that their party will stay in power. Our party has done some really stupid things in the last few years. I will probably vote Democrat until one wins.
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