UUP Says Inland Port Authority Bonds Too Expensive

Party calls for increased responsibility, accountability with taxpayers' money

The United Utah Party is concerned by the enormous price tag on the Utah Inland Port Authority’s new bond approval. “This is not what fiscal responsibility looks like,” says UUP Chair Hillary Stirling. “The $150 million is far too high a cost to Utah taxpayers without a guarantee of accountability in construction of the public infrastructure district.”

The United Utah Party encourages Governor Cox and state legislators to find and present a legislative solution to the issue of the expansion of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monuments before suing the federal government. These monuments need the stability of a bipartisan agreement so that they and the communities around them are not pulled back and forth by partisan decisions.

County Convention season is here! When it’s an “off year” for partisan elections, we hold our county conventions in the fall. This is so we can select county leaders, greet old friends, meet new ones, and gear up for the coming elections. We’ll be sending postcard invitations to our known Uniters a week or two before your convention, but if you’d like to save the date now, you can find a complete list of our county conventions at unitedutah.org/calendar.

Regarding the recent letter from the Department of Education, the United Utah Party agrees with Governor Cox in the belief that the federal government is too far removed to effectively administer mask mandates. However, with that belief, we also believe that state legislatures are too far removed to make those decisions as well. "Their plan to allow county commissioners and councils to declare mask mandates warps issues of public health and children’s safety into an unfortunate game of political maneuvering,"; says UUP Chair Hillary Stirling.

The United Utah Party is deeply saddened by the tragic events in Afghanistan. Our hearts go out to those suffering. We support Utah's efforts to welcome the Afghans who will likely become refugees, especially those who are in danger because of their cooperation with US military and civilian operations in the country. “As a nation, we have a responsibility to help these Afghans
who have risked their lives to assist us,” says UUP Chair Hillary Stirling.

Checking the headlines lately has left me feeling saddened and even frustrated. Yes, we are in extraordinary times, but on the other hand, there has always been bad news. What matters is how we respond to it.

The United Utah Party supports a balanced approach to America’s infrastructure crisis. The $3.5
trillion infrastructure bill pushed by some Congressional Democrats is problematic, given our
country’s budget deficit and ballooning national debt. Maintaining our physical infrastructure
and implementing broadband are essential for modernizing the American economy. However,
the social programs included in this bill are not something that all Americans agree that we can
afford right now.

The United Utah Party is calling for the repeal of HB1007, the law which prohibits face covering mandates in higher education. HB1007 also prohibits the state school board or districts from imposing mask mandates, instead reserving that ability for the governor and county elected officials in conjunction with local health departments.

A friend recently asked me what makes the United Utah Party different from other political parties. I explained how we are the only political party in the state giving a voice and a vote to the “moderate middle.” My friend wasn’t as interested in our ideology, though. He wanted to know if we operated in the same way as other parties, and I was pleased to be able to tell him about an aspect of the UUP that is often less talked about.