Get Involved!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beyond being a Soldier and voting, I have never really thought much about being involved in the political process until now. I think what it is, is that now that I am no longer a Soldier I feel I need to find another way to be involved in democracy.
So I think that the fact that HB 187 came along at the end of my military experience is quite the coincidence, because I it is something I have become involved in.

HB 187 - Recreational Use of Public Waters, would effectively shut down all access or severely limit recreational use of Utah's beautiful rivers and streams, which includes fishing and boating.
In the past two weeks or so, I have written letters to several of Utah's newspaper's, so far two have been published, written all of my area's senators and many others and have even attended the committee meeting that bill is part of.

As I see it, if this bill is passed in the current form it could have a tremendous impact on Utah's economy. I feel that if HB 187 is passed it could have a severe impact on Utah's fishing shops, boating industry as well as tourism, which brings in millions of dollars into Utah's economy.

Here's my letter that was published in the Salt Lake Tribune on 15 February 2009:

More than a year ago I began fly fishing in northern Utah, and I have fallen in love with fishing in the streams and rivers along the Wasatch Front. I picked up the sport because I thought it could be a lifelong pursuit. With House Bill 187, my fishing experience could be short-lived ("Access to streams, riverbeds threatened." Tribune , Feb. 12).

As I read it, HB187 prohibits fishing from most public rivers and streams. This bill is a hasty reaction to the Utah Supreme Court decision, Conatser v. Johnson in 2008, which allows the public the right to touch the privately owned streambeds below the public waters.

This bill could have serious implications for the businesses that support angling. Fly-fishing shops, for example, would suffer if public use of Utah's streams is prohibited. Additionally, this bill would decrease the number of fishing licenses purchased in the state, which in 2008 brought in some $10 million.

I beseech our legislators to vote against HB187. It prohibits people from enjoying the austere wilderness that draws people to the region

Tomorrow, 24 February 2009m HB 187 will go before the Utah State senate to be voted on.


So I urge you to find a way to get involved in the political process and democracy beyond voting, it's your right but it's also a privilege that few other countries have. So get out there and be heard!