Reflections on the Past Four Years

About four years ago, a small group of people began talking about the possibility of forming a new party. We held several meetings in early 2017 in various parts of the state to involve more and more people. Eventually, we formed a political action committee and then, in late spring, filed to become a political party.  

The past four years have been quite a ride. We have gone from nothing to a political party with thousands of registered members and even more supporters who vote for our candidates.

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Time to Vote

As many of you know, ballots should be arriving soon for Utah residents. For some it will be as soon as this week. For others, it will be later this month. But for each of us, we should make sure to properly fill out the ballots and mail them in as soon as possible. 

As you know, the United Utah Party has many great candidates to vote for. If you are tired of the duopoly we have here in Utah, if you would like to see real change happen, then you should vote for the United Utah candidates. They will bring some badly needed accountability to our government. 

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UNITED UTAH PARTY CANDIDATES ANNOUNCE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

The United Utah Party has eighteen candidates running for the Utah State Legislature, which is the largest slate of candidates of any party other than the Democrats or Republicans. The UUP candidates have drafted a statement that explains their legislative priorities as a caucus for the 2021 legislative session.
 
"Our UUP candidates want to hit the ground running in bringing about much needed reform to our state government - campaign finance limits, term limits, and ranked-choice voting,” said Richard Davis, United Utah Party Chair. "But they also want to find solutions to pressing problems such as homelessness and education finance.”
 
Davis noted that the UUP offers voters an opportunity to choose a candidate without partisan baggage.  
 
"Electing all of these candidates will mean Utah voters will have a group that seeks practical solutions rather than pushing extreme ideological agendas,” David said. “They reflect the broad consensus of Utah voters who don’t feel at home with either of the two major parties.” 
 
The UUP legislative agenda statement is as follows:
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It’s time for some new leadership

It doesn’t take too much time looking at the news to realize that there are a lot of problems in the world. With all of the fires, the protests, riots, disease, and anger, do we really want more of the same leadership come this fall? 

 

The fundamental problem is this: Republicans blame the left, and Democrats blame the right, but they both refuse to put their heads together to find any solutions. In this era of hyper partisan politics, it seems everyone is pointing fingers. But what good does pointing fingers do? Blaming the other side does little good to improve our country’s outlook. What we need more than anything are politicians who want to fix this mess and are willing to do so. 

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We Need Political CPR

If you are losing heart over the attitudes of many legislators and with local and national partisan divisions, perhaps it’s time for some "CPR"!

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United Utah has emphasized the need for more cooperation, collaboration, and compromise. These are the C's of our CPR. It means worrying more about good policy solutions than glib partisan rhetoric. Compromising to find common ground has resulted in some noteworthy legislation, but these bipartisan efforts are too few and too far between.

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The Goldilocks Solution for Police Violence

With the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha Wisconsin, it is clear that we need to find a solution. The protests and riots are not likely to go away on their own. So what should the solution be? 

 

In the children’s fairy tale, Goldilocks goes through bowls of porridge, chairs, and beds, and discovers that moderation is a good thing. In our scenario, we have one side that wants to bring in troops to try and force people to go home, while the other side has struggled to make adjustments to the police force that are both significant enough to make a difference, and not so repressive that the police force quits. Like Goldilocks, we need moderation here. 

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Power Corrupts

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That quote is attributed to a British politician—Lord Acton. It is still as applicable today as it was when he lived in the 19th century. And it is also just as true in Utah as at the federal level. 

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The Problem With Cancel Culture

We all have disagreements with each other. There are no two people who are identical in their beliefs and thoughts. However, as we gather into liberal and conservative groups, and shut each other down, what do we gain? 

 

The excellent book “Crucial Conversations” by Al Switzler, Joseph Grenny, and Ron McMillan would ask what our goals are. If our goals are to persuade people to join our side of the fight, and to win votes, are we doing so by stepping into Cancel Culture or what the book calls “silence or violence”? If we wish to bring voters over to our side, Cancel Culture does not help us. 

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Reopening Schools At Teachers' Expense

Despite warnings from medical professionals, Utah is pushing forward with reopening schools this fall. Teachers are, yet again, going to bear the brunt of the burden. 

 

Utah’s spending per student is the lowest in the Union, and well below the national average for per student spending on schools. This means that teacher salaries are low, and materials and supplies are in short supply. This becomes particularly concerning at times like now when teachers are being asked to go the extra mile for our students.

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Taking the Political High Road

I noted an anniversary a few days ago that relatively few people would remember. It was on August 9, 1974 that Richard Nixon resigned as president of the United States as a result of the Watergate scandal.

That scandal was a tumultuous moment for our country. A president had been accused of breaking the law—obstructing justice by attempting to cover up a crime. A recording of conversation in the Oval Office uncovered that he had, indeed, broken the law. After a two year investigation by the press, the Senate Watergate Committee, and the House Judiciary Committee, (and a Supreme Court decision), President Nixon finally resigned. President Gerald Ford was correct when he said at his inauguration that day that "our long national nightmare is finally over."

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