No one likes to be told what to do, especially by a bully. When the federal government creates and mandates new regulations, and then blackmails us into compliance, we get upset.

“Federal Overreach” is often a soundbite, a short phrase used to deride federal regulations. It’s often deserved, and often undeserved.

One example in Utah of deserved regulation is clean air requirements on motor vehicles. There have been, over the years, improvements in the air quality in Utah. These improvements are almost entirely the result of federal restrictions on vehicle emissions. Our state legislators have done very little to address our air quality problem. They continue to give large polluting industries a ‘pass’ and complain about federal overreach when new pollution restrictions are imposed.

Federal land policy is an example where federal overreach complaints are justified. Having bureaucrats back east tell us how we should manage local land is a bit presumptuous.

Educational policy is another area when the federal government gets too involved. I realize that not every state has an education system as good as we do in Utah, and that creates the motivation for the federal government to get involved. But there needs to be a balance and too often the heavy hand of the feds becomes burdensome and not helpful.

This is where local congressional representation is critical. We need a strong voice in congress to represent the wisdom of Utah. Working together we’ll keep the federal government in its place.