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.

I grew up watching 1776 and was particularly moved by “Is Anybody There?” While there’s plenty of literary license in it, I always appreciated John Adams’ well-documented vision of an America where all Americans are free. It was a lofty goal, one that we're arguably still working toward but we're undeniably closer to. His commitment, shared and treasured across generations of Americans, has allowed us to come as close as we have to realizing that vision.

Mark Echo Hawk, a tribal attorney based in St. George and a member of the United Utah Party, speaks at the 2021 State Convention. Recorded on Zoom, April 24, 2021.

Catherine Eslinger, 2020 United Utah candidate for state house district 60 and well-known activist for ethical government in Utah, speaks at the 2021 State Convention. Recorded on Zoom, April 24, 2020.

Richard Davis, founding member of the United Utah Party and former chair, speaks at the 2021 State Convention. Recorded on Zoom, April 24, 2021.

Over these last two weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a Uniter. I’ve also thought a lot about what it means to be the leader of a political party—to be a partisan—in a time when hyper-partisanship is poisoning our nation. One of my conclusions is that the paradigm shift we bring to politics is very much needed. We are needed, now more than ever.

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. 

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. 

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"!

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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."

While celebrating Independence Day with my family, I have a patriotic playlist we listen to. It’s pretty eclectic—from Aaron Copeland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” to “Is Anybody There?” and from the soundtrack of the Broadway play 1776 to Katy Perry’s “Firework.”

But one song was particularly striking to me this year. It speaks of our nation being on a “long, hard ride” with “a ways to go” as we seek “better days.” It lauds the fact that “we’re not the same, but that’s what makes us strong.” And most importantly, it repeatedly affirms “this is still the place that we all call home.”

The song is Dierks Bentley's "Home." Ironically, it was written in 2012, a year that seems almost idyllic in retrospect. Eight years later, we’re facing a global pandemic, staggering unemployment, and nationwide protests against racial inequality. We are truly on a long, hard ride with a ways to go. 

All eyes are on the government.

We are waiting.

For a change, or a promise, or anything that might signal movement.

It’s been two and a half weeks since the death of George Floyd. Two and a half weeks of daily protests. Gov. Gary Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox met with members of Utah’s black community to listen to their stories, and the Governor said that he wanted to see change. 

Ed Phillips, who served as one of Utah’s longest-serving sheriffs, is now the United Utah Party candidate for the Millard County Commission. He will be holding a Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, June 17th, at 7:00 PM. 

In last weeks blog post, we spoke about the death of George Floyd and what we could do to push for meaningful change towards better policing and to reduce the suffering of blacks and other people of color in America. Since that time, we have seen little movement for change from our government, either here in Utah or in our country. We’ve seen some politicians show some empathy, but many have shown precious little. We’d like to see our elected political leaders, both local and national, act more like some of these Utah community leaders, who have shown great abilities to work across political and cultural divides, and help where they can.

The United Utah Party is saddened by the events of the past week commencing with the tragic and wrongful death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer last Monday, but also including the reaction of some that included burning, looting, and vandalizing in a large number of cities across the nation.  We support those who exercised their American right to protest, including marching and demonstrating, in opposition to racism.  We oppose those who took advantage of those protests to cause destruction and hurt the cause of protests against racism.