Utah will easily survive exit of outdoor retailers

Goodbye. So long. Don’t let the door smack you on the butt on your way out.

I just hope you take your retail outlets and products with you. You wouldn’t want to sell your stuff in such a backward, public lands-hating state.

Utah will do just fine without the outdoor retailers’ big trade show. Our economy is the strongest in the nation. Other conventions will come. The only folks hurt will be those running the mostly small businesses –restaurants, hotels, cabbies, etc. – that cater to the convention industry. That’s unfortunate.

But the governor won’t be hurt. The Legislature won’t be hurt. The congressional delegation won’t be hurt.

In fact, they’ll be liberated. No longer will they have to tiptoe around, worrying about offending these tender souls who can’t win politically or in the court of public opinion, so they resort to boycotts and economic intimidation – that ultimately will not work.

Public policy should never be made in response to boycotts and threats, especially when it won’t have any real impact.

Utah will still have a strong outdoor economy. Tourists will still come. We’ll have a stronger energy economy. We will protect Bears Ears. We are protecting and will continue to protect Utah’s iconic land and landscapes. We will continue to collaborate with the federal government, which certainly has a role in public land management.

The outdoor retailers say they are leaving Utah because we don’t care about our public lands. Here is a list of items put together by the Governor’s Office outlining Utah’s commitment to public lands: