Federal Representative Candidates are speaking....

Morgan Philpot is addressing the delegates as is,.,

Neil Walters...

Governor Herbert

The Convention has moved on to the candidates for Govenor. Here is Govenor Herbert

Federal Senate Candidates are speaking.....

More from the Convention floor............

Tim Bridgewater addresses the convention.




Jeremy Friedbaum addressing the delegates.




Mitt Romney introduces Bob Bennett.....



Although a bit blurry, this is Senator Bennett making his plea for delegate votes....



Here is David Chui making his speech.

Although this is no picture of Leonard Fabiano, he reportedly called for the creation of of an organization entitled "Renaissance of America" It's objective would be to teach the constitution to citizens using the 5000 Year Leap.




Merrill Cook speaks to the group....




Mike Lee makes his speech....



Cherilyn Eagar speaks to the crowd...

It's all happening right now.........

State Senate Race

Senator Howard Stephenson received 65% of the vote for the Senate District 11.

Live coverage from the convention....sort of

Our faithful delegates are well on the way to begin restoring our "America" at our State Convention. They are sending photos of the convention even as we speak.

The caption that came with this one was "Bennett on his last day?"



Morgan Philpot patiently awaits the outcome.



Mike rubs shoulders with Sarah Palin......




Dwayne Nielsen at the convention.




Mike after casting his first ballot in the State Senate Race.

Keep watching the blog and facebook for updates today. It is the day we start restoring America.....

State Republican Convention...today

Thank you to everyone who voted in our poll. It appears that Mike Lee, Morgan Philpot, and Dwayne Nielson are the favorites of those who voted. Thank you also to our delegates for being so diligent to research the candidates and sharing thier views with us.

Today is the State Convention where these critical votes will take place. Utah was featured on "Fox and Friends" this morning. They stated that Bob Bennett may be the first casualty of the TARP and Banking Bailouts. They also mentioned Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater by name as the leading candidates who may come out of the convention.

This convention is critical. Thank you all for your interest and thoughts. We look forward to hearing from Rod, Mike, and Terry following the convention.

Best of luck today!

My thoughts currently

My thoughts on the candidates:


US Senate

I have had the opportunity to meet personally with most of the candidates and will most likely be voting for Mike Lee. I respect Mr. Bridgewater but feel that Mr. Lee comes across as well prepared to take on the status-quo. I was never put off by his response to any questions that I put to him, and found his desire to create a shift back to states rights and responsibilities refreshing. Federal spending, immigration and limited federal powers were my main focus in our discussions. I was only sure that I would not vote for Bennett when I pushed him on earmark spending and got the same answer as his mailer that "it is money that is going to be spent any way." No urgency to moving power back to the states where we can have more input.

US House

I am a strong supporter of Morgan Philpot. I researched his Utah legislative background and feel that he has the momentum and backing to give Matheson a serious challenge. Good to hear more stress on serving the citizens of Utah over bowing to national party politics.

Governor

I will be supporting Gov. Herbert, since I have not felt that the other candidates have mounted a very effective campaign

State Senate

I am still undecided and will be attempting on last contact with Mr. Nielson.

I have enjoyed and have tried to take this responsibility seriously, as the consequences of this electoral cycle is critical. Let me know if you have any questions or opinions

Terry Melendez
State Delegate

Current views on candidates

More details on my thoughts on the US Senate and US House races can be found on my earlier posts on these two races. Below are my quick thoughts on each office.

US Senate

I'm planning on voting for Tim Bridgewater. The two other candidates who I would also be able to support are Mike Lee and Cherilyn Eager. As for Senator Bennett, he lost my support when he proposed a federal health care initiative which in my view is not the role of the Federal government. I think he has bought into the notion that Washington is the answer to problems whereas my view is that the accumulation of power by the Federal government and the commensurate loss of power by the states.

I'm very much in favor of primary election for this race which does not include Bennett.

US House

I'm strongly supporting Morgan Philpot for congress. He has a proven track record in state political office and in service to the party. I would hate to see a primary race for this office as I think our money should all go to beating Matheson.

Governor

I'm supporting Gov. Herbert. I don't see that any of the other candidates are particularly compelling and one (Richard Martin) lost my support when he spent 1/3 of the 1st email I got from he talking about the state should invest in gold so that we could benefit from the impending rise in the price of gold.

State Senate

I'm supporting Howard Stephenson. From my research I think he has done a good job representing his constituents and has been effective in office. His stands on taxation, education, and states rights are in line with where I think we ought to be. I've listened to his opponent and think he is a strong candidate and would be good choice as well but I'm support Stephenson but I think he is an effective Senator and would continue to be one.

Summary

These are my current views. Please let me know if you have any thoughts on the candidates. It would be very difficult, if not impossible for me to support Bennett or change my view on the US House race.

My Thoughts.....

Highland Precinct 2:

I thought I'd let you know what I've found as a result of attending meetings, 1 on 1's, receiving mailings, phone calls, etc.

Also, I have not forgot that I asked to be a delegate for two reasons; 1) it is absolutely necessary to remove Jim Matheson from office, and 2) to “…get to the bottom of this Bob Bennett stuff…”. I have spent the majority of my time on these two races. I feel I can look all of you in the eye and tell you I have worked hard and spent a lot of time of this.

By way of perspective, my personal concerns about this country and this state are focused on the security of my family -- both financial security and physical security. This means I have been looking for candidates to express the following as high priorities: 1) a solid assessment of, and a future strategy for fiscal policy, 2) a loyalty to the Constitution and an understanding of states rights, and 3) not just an opinion, but a strategy on immigration (legal and illegal). I do not believe these three areas are mutually exclusive; success in one area and failure on the other two most likely translates to 'We the People' are not getting control of our Federal government.

I have tried to distinguish from “listening to” what the candidates had to say, filtering out rhetoric and campaign talking points, instead “listening for” passion on issues, and career & life experiences which support a candidate's claim of being different. Most certainly I need to understand where each candidate stands on specific issues, but frankly, focusing only on where a candidate stands would be a mistake. It is important to make sure the candidates have proven they can achieve big results, listen for an understanding of preferences vs. principle, and discern motives for running for office.

With 1 week left I support the following candidates (and look for your input)

U.S. Senate
My choice is Tim Bridgewater, Mike Lee as a second choice.
Tim lines up well with me on all 3 high priority items and has a proven track record of self-accomplishment. Tim was also the first candidate I spoke with who took the conversation of immigration serious. (note, after the Arizona law was signed, all candidates were forced to take this conversation serious. Tim simply had this nailed before the Arizona law hit the press.

I hope this race comes down to Tim & Mike going into a primary election. I don’t feel this race should emerge from convention with a 60% winner, as the citizens of this state should decide this one. However, on May 8th if necessary I will swing my support to Mike Lee in order to keep Bob out of a primary fight.

I did meet Bob Bennett and listened to a couple of the Senate debates. Bob did convince me that maybe I was not fully informed on the bank bailout vote and maybe, just maybe he was right. Fair enough. However, that point is moot. Whether or not the bailout was needed, Bob takes too much money the Bank industry. At the very least Bob should have been screaming at the rooftops before the banks failed--he should have been warning the country about Fanny and Freddie. I cannot completely absolve Bob from responsibility in the financial debacle. At some point the citizens need to exercise skepticism and ask if our own candidate has been compromised thru special-interest donations. I think Bob has been.
Merrill Cook, perennial candidate. Thanks for your previous service to our state, good luck to you in the future.

All other candidates did not present a organized campaign which would lead me to believe they are serious about taking this seat.

U.S. House seat (Matheson’s seat)

Morgan Philpot is my choice. Morgan is an attorney with a great educational and work background. Morgan is well positioned in my top 3 issues and most importantly to this race, I believe he is electable.

I have personally met both candidates more than once and attended debates, etc., etc. We are fortunate to have two great Utahn’s running for the Republican seat the time around. In the end analysis however, I believe Morgan is much more electable, more articulate, and has run a more thorough campaign. (note-to beat Matheson, the ability to campaign is extremely important)
I feel strongly that we get Morgan out of convention with 60% as we cannot afford a primary fight. We need to save all funds to beat Matheson.

State Senate seat (Howard Stephenson vs. Dwayne Nielson)
Undecided at this moment -- I have not been able to meet Dwayne Nielson yet. I will get this done in next day or so. Any input from precinct members would be appreciated.

State Rep (John Dougall’s seat)
I am disappointed this seat is running unopposed from the Republican side. I believe an opponent would be a healthy check-and-balance and would result in rigorous conversation.

Governor
Gov. Herbert until otherwise convinced. Interesting, there has been little proactive campaigning to the delegates until recently from all three camps. I will be attending a debate of all three candidates this week. Stay tuned.

Mike Bready, State Delegate

Convention Results....

The Utah County Convention was held today at Mountain View High School. This was the view as the Delegates attempted to enter the building.

After being Credentialed, most Delegates heard from our leaders in the Legislative District. John Dougall was officially made the party Candidate for LD 27. He spoke and took questions during this time.

During the Senate portion of the Convention, Senator Howard Stephenson and the other Candidate for Senate 11 took 5 minutes to talk about why they should be elected. This was not required of Senator Stephenson, but he offered the opportunity to Mr. Dwayne Nielsen. Following their remarks, Senator Stephenson gave a Legislative report on several issues that he felt were of importance this last legislative session.

Then the General Session began.


Representative Jason Chaffetz was awarded the Ronald Regan Award for Distinguished Service.

All the Candidates for County positions were nominated and gave a 3 minute speech to the delegates.



All of our Delegates (including the "inadequate" photographer...the Hi02 Secretary) listened intently.

The First Ballot was cast.

The Delegates were favored to hear from Neil Walter and Morgan Philpot who are challenging Representative Scott Mattheson.

We heard from Governor Herbert who was rushing off, with other elected officials to attend a funeral in Salt Lake City. As he is a former Utah County Commissioner, he was well received. The other candidates for Governor did not speak today.

All of the candidates for US Senate were also heard from.

Prior to the second Ballot, a Straw poll for US Senate was taken. The results are as follows:

Mike Lee: 41%
Cherilyn Eager: 22%
Tim Bridgewater: 18%
Bob Bennett: 15%

In regard to the balloting, the following are the results:

County Commissioner B: Doug Whitney
County Assessor: Kris Poulson
County Recorder: Primary between Rod Campbell and Jeff Smith
County Surveyor: Gary Ratcliff
County Comissioner A: Primary between Gary Anderson and Joel Wright.
County Sheriff: James Tracy

Overall, this convention was attended by over 90% of the Delegates who were elected. This is indeed a very important Election Year.

County Delegates prepare for Convention this Saturday

The HI02 Precinct County Delegates have been very busy attending meetings with candidates. Utah County has arranged "Meet the Candidates" events with the candidates in various locations making it possible for delegates to meet nearly all the candidates in one location. Others Candidates have had individual meetings so that Delegates could ask questions and hear their opinions on specific issues.

All of HI02 Delegates were invited to meet together last evening. In attendance were Rodd Mann (Precinct Chair), Wendy Hart (Vice Chair), Ken Bushman, Rey Johnson, and Carin Hadley (Secretary/Treasurer & County Delegate). (As Howard Seigel was unable to attend the convention, Carin Hadley has been appointed as his replacement). Jess Adamson reportedly could not attend.

The following information comes from the discussion at this meeting.

Here is a summary of the discussion about each position that is up for election:

LD 27 Representative:

John Dougall http://www.jdougall.com/ is running for re-election. Mr. Dougall is running unopposed in the party. You can also join John on Facebook where he often posts his thoughts and opinions for his constituents.

Count Commissioner Seat A:

Gary Anderson (www.ElectGaryAnderson.com): currently is a Commissioner. He states that the Commission has keep costs low and brought in economic development (and does show cost comparisons between Utah County and Salt Lake County). He did vote for the Convention Center. He also is in favor of keeping the current County Commission form of Government. Several Delegates were unhappy with the significant increase in wages for the Commissioners during his recent term, one of which was slated to be in place when he began serving. Also, he has served multiple terms, the feeling of many Delegates is that he has made this his career and many Delegates were not in favor of career County Politicians.

Joel Wright (http://www.electwright.com/) is also running for Seat A. He promotes himself as a fiscal conservative and reports how he has helped manage Cedar Hills and even helped resolve the Golf Course issue. He is in favor of changing the County Commission to a County Council with a County Mayor. He states that he would follow the pattern set in Cache County with only part-time council members and one full-time Mayor. He reports that this will be a less expensive form of government and is more in keeping with the Constitution. The Mayor would not have a vote. The current Commission sets policy and allocates funding. Mr. Wright also states he will not run for a 3rd term. Mr. Wright was reportedly involved in a heated discussion with a delegate during one of the "Meet and Mingle" events and was uninvited by Ms. Housekeeper (see below) to attend any of these future eventshttp://www.deseretnews.com/article/700026491/Utah-County-Commission-candidates-look-to-Facebook.html. She reportedly sponsors these meetings.

Also, James Vein is running. None of the Delegates had met or received any information from Mr. Vein.

All the Delegates had met Mr. Anderson and Mr Wright. This is a fiercely contested race. Mr. Anderson has the endorsement of several Mayors and area leaders. Mr. Wright has had experience in working with Cedar Hills City.

County Commissioner Seat B:

Steve White (http://www.not1redcent.com/): Current Commissioner. States that he works hard not to increase county property taxes. He reported several ways he has eliminated waste in county government and has reportedly never voted to give himself a raise. He states that the only infrastructure that Utah County needs in this downturn are road projects. He demonstrated how many of the current projects were planned years ago and also demonstrated the need for more roads in specific areas to meet the growth as in Sarasota Springs, etc. He stated that he often was the no vote when it came to increasing spending in the past. He has served 2 terms.

Linda Housekeeper and Doug Whitney.

Linda Housekeeper http://linda4liberty.com/ has served as a County Delegate and on the Central Committee, and Legislative District 60 Chair. She states she is for ethical government, fiscal discipline and private property rights. She reportedly has sponsored the "Meet and Mingle" events and has posted her 'side' of the situation with Mr. Wright on her website. When I met her, she was standing by Mr. Whitney. She stated that she wished for us to vote for her or Mr. Whitney, but was not in favor of voting for Mr. White.

Doug Whitney (http://www.dougwitney.com/) is a veteran and a former law officer who states that he feels so strongly about this position that he would come out of retirement to fulfill this position. He is not in favor of a County Council and Mayor system. In his view, there is already a form of a "Council". He states that the Commissioners, assessor, Recorder, Surveyor, and Sheriff are essentially the Council and that no form of government change is needed. He promises to reduce his salary back down to where it was before this current term began. He also stated he wished delegates to vote for him or Ms. Housekeeper, but not Mr. White.

The Delegates felt that these last two candidate's "heart" was not really in this process, and that they were just wishing to unseat Mr. White.

Mr. Leon Frazier http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1600367541&v=wall&ref=ts states that he is a "Libertarian Republican". The delegates stated that they felt he could not get elected as a Libertarian, so he is running as a Republican. He states Ron Paul's example as a Libertarian in the Republican Party. He states that the Utah County Government is grown too big and has employed socialistic ideas to solve problems.

County Assessor:

Steve Hemingway http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000918079368&v=wall&ref=search lists that he is employed at the County Assessor's office on his facebook page. His platform is to reduce waste, enhance public trust and satisfaction. To improve employee morale and discontinuing outsourcing work of this office.

Kris Poulson (http://www.krispoulson.com/) (pictured here with our beloved Vice Chair) is running for a 3rd term. He states that he has twice been selected of "Assessor of the Year" by other county Assessors. He states that Utah County new Construction workload has been the same as SLC. However, this office operates with half the staff and is more efficient.

County Clerk/Auditor:

Bryan E Thompson http://www.bryanethompson.com/ is running unopposed in our party. Please see his website for more information. He is running for re-election.

County Recorder:

Rod Campbell: http://www.rod4recorder.com/ is the current incumbent. He is endorsed by his predecessor. This office reportedly has reportedly become digitized. This is not only true for current records, but most of the records since this office came into being. Ken Bushman stated that property's can become recorded in ~5 minutes after closing where SL County takes up to a day. This office reportedly has been run very efficiently. He has served 32 year in the Recorders office, 13 as Assistant Recorder. (It is important to note that the Recorder and the Surveyors office were combined until recently when it was felt that the statutory responsibilities of the two offices were too different).

Jeff Smith is also running for Recorder. http://vote-jeffsmith.com/. He states that he has worked in the office for 19 years and that he has assisted in digitizing the office. He also states by doing this, it is streamlined the need for additional personnel and that it has kept costs low. The same information stated above by Ken B applies to this candidate as well.

The Delegates unanimously felt that either one of these candidates would serve the county well.

County Surveyor

Gary Ratcliffe (http://www.surveyorgary.com/). This gentleman has been the Deputy County Surveyor for Utah County for 25 years. He is showing 3 different "monuments" that have been used in the state since surveying began. The rock is from pioneer times. He is a careful steward of these current monuments (see the small circular item on the table). He is currently the Deputy County Surveyor for Utah counted . He points out that the Surveyor works at the County legislators in issues regarding Eminent Domain and does not make policy or enforce this issue. He is a big proponent of private property rights. He also points out that Zoning laws and ordinances have their basis in state or local ordinances and that the Surveyor has not input or control in these issues

Scott Peterson He reportedly is trained and endorsed by Francis D Eickbush who is the retired U.S. Surveyor General. He reports that he has been actively endorsed by local City Surveyors and private Surveyors. He has been involved in the Utah Council of Land Surveyors and is currently serving on the Board of Directors

The Delegates unanimously felt that either one of these candidates would serve the county well.

Utah County Sheriff:

This is another hotly contested race.

James O. Tracy (http://www.sherifftracy.com/) is the current Sheriff in Utah County. When asked what the biggest challenge is for the Sheriff, he stated Drug Trafficking and the associated crime that follows it. He states that he would like to serve for one more term and then be "done". He stated that if you come to our jail "you owe us $40.00" to take care of the expenses associated with that individual. (I am not certain if this applies to one day etc). He has several work-related (income producing) projects that he states the inmates perform to keep the cost of housing them down. They reportedly grow a large vegetable garden behind the prison to help feed the prisoners and the inmates work it. The inmates reportedly mow the lawns on city properties to help keep the costs of the County down. He has a program called "Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS). These individuals are trained and then drive around in a colored marked car to help be the eyes and ears for the Sheriff's office. He states that this helps the employed staff be more efficient with their time as they "cannot be everywhere" all the time.


Robin Wall (http://www.robinwall4sheriff.com/) is also running for Sheriff. He reportedly has 17 years of law enforcement experience an has served as a Captain in the Army. Mr. Wall stated that he feels the Sheriff's office is missing opportunities for income and that the office needs to be more fiscally responsible. He had instituted a program to bring Youth, who were beginning to experience trouble with the law, to the jail and let them hear from inmates etc. He stated that this program was discontinued and he was concerned that not enough of these types of deterrents were in place. He also has concerns that the Sheriff's office, that is also reportedly responsible for Emergency Preparedness in the County, is not participating with the Emergency Relief agency activities in Utah. He also states that he would cut the budget.

Dan Burton (http://www.dan4sheriff.com/) is also running for Sheriff. He has a military background and served in the Military Police Corps. He stated that there are programs that could bring additional income into the Sheriff's office and reduce costs. He is very concerned with child's safety and has piloted a program called "My Child Protection Program". He states that he would increase community programs like DARE, would increase volunteerism in our area, would increase protections for elderly and other other vulnerable individuals in our area. He additionally states he will donate $30,000.00 of his salary to help this new programming get started.

The Delegates all felt that those running against Sheriff Tracy were a bit disgruntled employees.

County Attorney:

Jeff Buhman (http://www.campaignsitebuilder.com/templates/displayfiles/tmpl26.asp?SiteID=965&PageID=14638&Trial=false) is the current County Attorney. He also states that Drug trafficking is also a large concern in our county. He helped implement a program to help called Supervised Treatment on Probation or STOP for first-time drug offenders to help give these individuals an opportunity to become successful members of the community. He also is focusing hard on decreasing Recidivism rates in our county. He is running unopposed in the party.

The Convention is this Saturday, April 24th.

Judging the Candidates

Judging which candidate will best serve the public is often quite challenging. One of the things I try to understand is the character of the individual; are they honest and can they put the best interests of the country ahead of their personal interests. How someone stands on any single issue is not necessarily the best means of judging their character. Two paragraphs from Federalist #1 offer a number of interesting, and I feel inspired, thoughts.

Note, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay published a series of articles, beginning in October of 1987, that discussed the merits of the Constitution. These articles were compiled into what is now called "The Federalist Papers". Federalist #1, written by Hamilton, acts as an introduction to the articles and lays out what the authors hope to accomplish. In discussing the source of opposition to the Constitution, Hamilton notes, the following:

"Among the most formidable of the obstacles which the new Constitution will have to encounter may readily be distinguished the obvious interest of a certain class of men in every State to resist all changes which may hazard a diminution of the power, emolument, and consequence of the offices they hold under the State establishments; and the perverted ambition of another class of men, who will either hope to aggrandize themselves by the confusions of their country, or will flatter themselves with fairer prospects of elevation from the subdivision of the empire into several partial confederacies than from its union under one government.

"It is not, however, my design to dwell upon observations of this nature. I am well aware that it would be disingenuous to resolve indiscriminately the opposition of any set of men (merely because their situations might subject them to suspicion) into interested or ambitious views. Candor will oblige us to admit that even such men may be actuated by upright intentions; and it cannot be doubted that much of the opposition which has made its appearance, or may hereafter make its appearance, will spring from sources, blameless at least, if not respectable--the honest errors of minds led astray by preconceived jealousies and fears. So numerous indeed and so powerful are the causes which serve to give a false bias to the judgment, that we, upon many occasions, see wise and good men on the wrong as well as on the right side of questions of the first magnitude to society. This circumstance, if duly attended to, would furnish a lesson of moderation to those who are ever so much persuaded of their being in the right in any controversy. And a further reason for caution, in this respect, might be drawn from the reflection that we are not always sure that those who advocate the truth are influenced by purer principles than their antagonists. Ambition, avarice, personal animosity, party opposition, and many other motives not more laudable than these, are apt to operate as well upon those who support as those who oppose the right side of a question. Were there not even these inducements to moderation, nothing could be more ill-judged than that intolerant spirit which has, at all times, characterized political parties. For in politics, as in religion, it is equally absurd to aim at making proselytes by fire and sword. Heresies in either can rarely be cured by persecution. "

UVU Senate Debate Question 4

What will you do about Health Care Reform now?

Watch here.

UVU Senate Debate Question 3

Does the "necessary and proper clause" combined with the Commerce Clause give the Congress unlimited power? Watch here.

Senate Candidate Review April 10

I have now met with and spoken with each of what I perceive to be the three leading challengers to Bob Bennett. On a position basis I don't have major disagreements with any of them and could support any of them the Republican party nominee. What I also enjoy is that the only public remarks I've heard by these candidates regarding the others have been complimentary.

Below are my observations on each:

Tim Bridgewater

Tim has been actively involved in politics for a number years. From what I can tell he has used the time and money his business success has given him to give back to the community at large. In many instances these efforts have been behind the scenes and not benefited him in a public way. For example, when he saw an issue with public schools, he helped start a charter school. This takes a lot of time and effort and there is not much public glory that goes with it. He could have sent his kids to a private school but chose instead to try and do something that would benefit both his family and the community at large.

Tim seems to me to be a guy who is a problem solver and a hard worker. He doesn't just find problems and complain he works to fix them. If elected he seems willing to stand up and take principled stands without regard to personal cost. I like the idea that he has a history of trying to fix things and in some cases succeeding (sometimes the dragon wins). I also like that he has a long history of involvement in political issues both Republican Party and general policy.

When I asked Tim what he feelings were on the powers given to the Senate to provide Advise and Consent to presidential appointees he stated that he would oppose the appointment of any candidate no matter how qualified on paper that would take the country in a direction away from principles of limited government and free markets found in the Constitution.

Cherilyn Eager

Cherilyn has a lot of passion and drive and a long history of using that to try to and create change in a positive direction. She has done this on public issues and private. What I like about her is that she does not give up put persists. Persistence coupled with great passion is a wonderful trait as long as an individual is willing to make policy (not principle) changes when confronted when new information.

Cherilyn's passion has likely created friction with some people. As far as I can this is a natural side effect of a passionate personality and not an overt attempt to alienate others.

Mike Lee

Mike is articulate and concise in his expressions. His positions are well thought out and grounded in the Constitution, which he knows well. He is an orginalist and wants to see the federal government return to the limited form envisioned by the founders. He has been able to put together a team of young enthusiastic supporters. His experience compared to the others is limited, as a result of his age, so there is less history upon which to base a decision.

When I asked him if he could repeal only one amendment which one that would be and why his response was the 17th because it was the critical factor in reducing the power of the states, which has been a key factor in the problems we face today (e.g. the unfettered growth of the federal government and its powers).

Summary

There are good reasons to support each of these three candidates. The decision as to which one depends on what weight is put on factors such as experience, service, passion, constitutional knowledge, ... . It is a tough decision.

UVU Senate Debate Question2

How important is the Constitution and what role will it play in your decisions? Watch here.

UVU Senate Debate Qu.1

Would you prefer your Senator to bring home $1M to your state or cut $1M from the Federal Deficit? Watch here.

US House Candidates

Neil Walter

On Thursday April 1 I attended a Neil Walter event at the AF Library. After listening to him for about 40 minutes and asking a couple of questions I came to the conclusion that on most issues he and Morgan Philpot are on the same page. Neil is a supporter of the Constitution and thinks that the federal government has overstepped its bounds. He is passionate and articulate. According to Neil the primary differentiator between himself and Morgan is background. Neil has a finance background and was employed as a risk manager at ConocoPhillips on the natural gas and power trading floor for a couple of years. He returned home to help run the family business (real estate) and now teaches at Dixie College as well.

His view is that financial issues are at the heart of the nations problem and he is going back to Washington to help fix them. This point of view generally scares me. Whenever I here someone say that they are going to Washington to help fix things my first thought is oh no, not another federal program. However, when I listened to him talk, the way he feels that things need to be fixed in DC is to reduce federal regulation and control.

Neil mentioned that he has no political experience whatsoever but he feels that his business background gives him insights that will help him be effective in Washington. His view is that he can beat Matheson in a general election because his oil and gas experience plus being raised in Southern Utah can shift enough votes from Matheson from the southern and southeastern counties to win.

Morgan Philpot

I met Morgan list summer and am much more familiar with him on a personal level so I have a bit more information that I can share about him. He was elected to serve in the Utah House of Representative in 2000 at a fairly young age. He got involved in political after doing a White House internship in 1997. He was an anthropology / environmental policy major at the U of U (not something you would think would lead to conservative thinking).

After returning from the White House Morgan was very much disillusioned with the manner in which the federal government operated. He had seen first hand the contempt that bureaucrats and many elected official had for the constitution and the electorate. He knew the magnitude of the problem and upon his return decided to get involved. He called his precinct chair to find out the location of the upcoming caucus meetings and then found that the meeting would be held in his home. He and his wife were elected chair and vice chair respectively on a unanimous vote (his and his wife's -- they were the only attendees).

Later he was asked to run to fill an open seat in his state house district. He won using a grassroots campaign strategy and campaigned on conservative principles. After joining the house he helped form the conservative caucus to help promote sound legislation. One of his major achievements was drafting and passing the Carson Smith scholarship for special needs kids. He did this after one of his constituents called him to share a challenge she had in trying to get a good education for her special needs son. This is a successful voucher program.

He ran for a second term again as a conservative and won in spite of the fact the people told him he couldn't win as a conservative. Then he left Utah to get a law degree from Ave Marie Law School where he was taught by conservative faculty like Judge Robert Bork. He has since clerked for Attorney General Shurtleff and worked as in-house counsel for a local company.

Morgan's view is that the core problem we are facing today in Washington is that we have strayed from the Constitution. Only by returning to the limited government laid out by our founders can we address the problems we face today. I tend to agree that key issue of our time is a federal government whose power has vastly exceeded the bounds set in the Constitution. The financial crisis we are in is a symptom of this disease rather than the core problem.

Morgan has a proven conservative record and has demonstrated an ability to bring people together and pass conservative legislation. While in office he stayed true to his conservative principles and ran for a 2nd term as a staunch conservative when perhaps it would have been easier to back off a bit and run as a moderate. He has also served the Republican party in both at the local and state levels. To me he has the necessary experience to hit the ground running and tackle the tough issues that face us today.

Net/Net

Both candidates express conservative views and support the concept of a limited federal government bound by the constraints of the constitution. Neil would go to Washington and focus on economic issues while Morgan's approach would be one that would seek to restore constitutional limits to the federal government. Neil has an MBA and business background while Morgan has a law degree and a very good understanding of the Constitution. Additionally, Morgan has served in the Utah House of Representative and been involved in Utah Republican politics.

I think you can tell where my support lies. Let me know your views.

Summary of US Senate Candidate Debate @ UVU

I attended the US Senate candidate debate today at UVU. All Republican candidates attended as well as the Constitution Party's nominee (Scott Bradley) and one of two democratic candidates Chris Stout.

The format used in the "debate" was that each candidate was given 2 minutes to introduce themselves. Then each candidate was asked one preselected question and given 2 minutes to respond the other candidates were allowed 1 minute each to "rebut" the response. The debate ended with a 30 second close by each candidate.

The questions ranged from; "What are your thoughts regarding the bill signed by governor Herbert authorizing the use of eminent domain to seize federally controlled land" to "what would you do with respect to the federal health care bill which was just signed into law".

The responses from the republican candidates were generally quite similar so I focused my attention on trying to look past the words and try and discern who really knew what they were talking about, were they passionate, why were they running ... .

Below is a summary of my thoughts with respect to each republican candidate. I think they are all honorable people and my hats off to them for making the effort to run:

• Robert Bennett: Bob seemed a little on the defensive but did show a lot of knowledge of US history when discussing the history of varied interpretations of constitutional issues. When ear marks were discussed he defended them and said that it would be unwise to give up this privilege and defer all such decisions to the executive branch.
  
• Tim Bridgewater: Tim showed passion and drive. His views lined up with the rest of the conservative candidates. He highlighted his business background and his contributions to the party in various party offices. I like the idea that he has a history of contributing on a volunteer basis prior to running for office.
• David Chui: He was one of the younger candidates and used his ethnic background as a differentiator. That is to say because he has grandparents that fought communism in China as well as ancestors that go back to the founding of the country he is in a unique position to take a stand on some issues (immigration, defense of freedom ...). He general spoke slower and with less passion than the others. Personally, I feel like he is the weakest of the candidates in terms of experience and the ability to express ideas well.
• Merrill Cook: He was passionate and frequently discussed his past service and an indicator of what his future performance would be. He served for 4 years in the US House of Representatives and his record shows that he is a strong conservative. He is very much concerned with spending, the federal reserve, and the erosion of our liberties. He did a good job and I think that many would put him in their top 3 list. He showed a good understanding of the US Constitution.
  
• Cherilyn Eagar: She was very passionate and at times it seemed like she was at a rally. She was well informed on the issues and did I say that her responses were passionate. One of her messages is that we need a conservative women in the Senate to neutralize the liberal ones and who can fight for some issues toe to toe with the opposition without having back down because of being a man (e.g. abortion ...). While it is a point a lot of people seemed put off by that. She has a long history of activism on a variety of issues that most conservatives would support and has demonstrated tenacity. Some might find her brash and perhaps a bit pushy. About a month ago I spoke with her in person for about an hour and afterwards I did feel that she was pushy but she did admit that she had made some mistakes in the past, regarding strategies she took in fighting for family related issues in Washington. That showed some humility. She is a hard worker and did spend a number of years as a single mom with kids (that is a hard job even when the former spouse is supportive).
  
• Leonard Fabiano: I really liked him. He was the grandfather of group. A successful business man who wants to give back. If he were to be elected he would not take a salary and would not take advantage of any retirement benefits. He quoted King Benjamin in the regard without mentioning the King Benjamin's name. He showed a good understanding of the issues and was kind to the other candidates, clapping when he agreed with a point.
• Jeremy Friedbaum: I also liked Jeremy. He added humor on occasion and seemed quite comfortable and easy going. He had opinions on all the issues, backed them up and was not shy about saying that one of his priorities if he got into office would be to hold hearings on Obama's eligibility to be president. Not necessarily because of questions surrounding his birth certificate but because of the possibility that he might also have Indonesian citizenship. A public hearing could be a good thing just so the air would get cleared. This is controversial and the fact that he would be open about his thoughts on the matter is a good thing from from my perspective. However, I didn't see what I would call "fire in the belly" which is sometimes required to persist when times get hard. Jeremy also said that he would be a 1 term Senator. He pointed out that up to 70% of a sitting Senators time is spent raising money for reelection. He would not have that problem.
  
• Mike Lee: Mike was also very passionate. He is a very good speaker and can clearly articulate his views on issues. He has a great command of the history surrounding the Constitution. If I had to score the candidates on clarity and conciseness he probably would have been the winner. I spoke with him after the meeting and he was very direct in his responses to questions and pointed out that since an early age he has been interested in the Constitution and concerned about the expanding power of the federal government. He has a young and committed campaign team. A concern I have about him is "life experience" as compared with the other candidates. As I get older I can see the value of certain experiences that come only with age. I'm not sure how big deal this is but nonetheless there it is.
  

Bottom line for me is as follows. I think all of the candidates except David Chui would be good representatives for us. Personally, I've written off Bennett if only because he proposed a health care bill that expanded the role of the federal government. Regardless of details, my view is the that the federal government should have a very limited role in health care (perhaps safety related) if any. There are other issues but for me that was a deal breaker.

My top three in no particular order would be Tim Bridgewater, Cherilyn Eagar and Mike Lee. They were the ones (along with Cook) that had the most passion and drive. As I said the challengers pretty much had the same views on all the major issues. I suspect the ones I named will be the three who get shortlisted at the convention. My understanding of the convention process is that the field will get narrowed down from the current list to 3 candidates and then 2.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on the candidates. Also, let me know what questions you would want me to ask of the candidates.

Publish Post

I'd like to make one final point which I noticed as I was writing this. There seems to be a lack of diversity amongst our candidates and a clear bias against the higher letters of the alphabets. Their last names stop at L. As an M letter person should I be offended? Surely there could have been a Nydegger, Olson or Siegel in the bunch. Maybe next time :)

Rod Mann

Delegate Training

On March 25th, our precinct elected new officers and delegates for the next 2 years. These citizens have pledged to attend meetings and training to represent our Precinct. These volunteers are not paid, but have a desire to represent the views of our area. Here, you see many of them at the a Training Session....one week after being elected.

Please watch our blog for information from your delegates about meetings with candidates.

Highland 02 is up and running!

Utah Senate Race District 11

There are two individuals running for the State Senate position in District 11. On the left is our current State Senator, Howard Stephenson who has served in this position many terms. To find more information on Senator Stephenson, and his platform, please go to http://www.howardstephenson.com/. It is a very comprehensive website and details how he views his role as Senator.

Dwayne Nielson is also running for this senate seat. He is the gentleman on the right in the photo above. I contacted him the day after he filed to run for this position. In an email that I recieved from him he stated the following:

I made my final decision to run against Howard on Friday, the last day of the filing period. I originally thought that my efforts for the first two months would be to visit with the state delegates, but I have quickly learned that I will need to have a website. I was surprised to see how many people and organizations would contact me within hours of my filing.

I consider Howard a friend but believe he has been in office long enough (18 years) and he has become less responsive over the last few years. I heard multiple complaints about him from other delegates and many of them encouraged me to run. They are now telling me that he is already becoming more accessible.

Not wishing to show favoritism, but Mr. Nielson does not have a website. However, he has shared his platform with me and I will be including it below:

Dwayne Nielson Platform

State and County GOP platforms – I support the State, Salt Lake County, and Utah County GOP platforms.

Term Limits – There should not be career politicians. I am in favor of term limits of 12 years for Federal and 8 years for State Elected Officials. Some reasons:There are plenty of honorable, talented people who can serve us. More people should be given the chance to serve and bring new ideas to benefit the citizens. Most citizens can figure out how to operate in the Legislature.
The longer a person remains in office, the less inclined they are to be responsive to their constituents and the more inclined they are to feel a sense of ownership. Public office is a stewardship, not an ownership If the elected official cannot accomplish their agenda within their term limit, either they are not effective or their agenda is not meaningful.

I will self limit my term as an elected official and expect to be held accountable.

Ethics – Legislators must not be lobbyists. Legislators should not financially benefit while serving taxpayers and not serve when they have a conflict of interest. Transparency is as important as gift limits.

Listening and learning from state delegates – I commit to meet with each state delegate in our senate district annually. Your Senator should be dealing with issues that are important to the people and businesses in their district, not representing large corporations.

Less laws, not more – The prevailing notion is that an elected official is judged by the number of new laws they can get passed. I believe they should be judged by how much they can improve government efficiency and by how much common sense they can bring to our laws. “Symbolic” laws are a waste of time and taxpayer money.

Maximize the value of our state trust lands – There is more than one instance of state trust lands being leased or sold to businesses or individuals for a minor amount of money while the new owners become multi-millionaires. With the looming opportunities from natural resources being extracted for energy, I will work for the following requirement:
A royalty interest will be retained for the state education fund from revenues generated by the extraction of oil, natural gas, geothermal energy, coal, and any other ore or minerals, or from any industrial operations on State trust land in addition to the lease or sale price of the land.

The proceeds would be used for education, dollar for dollar lowering property taxes. The royalty could be reduced if the minerals are processed in Utah, which would increase jobs. Royalties of this nature are common in land transactions and should apply to state trust lands as well.

Education – I believe education is a key factor for individual success and having contributing members of society.
I am in favor of charter schools, public education, and state-approved private schools (vouchers). All three have their place, thereby giving families the opportunity to shop for and choose the best school for their children.
I will work with educators to find innovative ways to help our schools become more effective.
We need to encourage, reward and fund innovations in schooling. An example would be online schools and courses.
I recognize not all children have both parents nor have parents who are able to help them in their schooling. We need to help these children achieve their potential.
Education dollars should be allocated fairly to all methods of education.
Laws allowing separation of school districts must be more thorough and detailed. I am critical of the lack of foresight shown by the legislature when they passed current legislation outlining the requirements to separate school districts.

Nuclear Waste – I am opposed to having high level nuclear waste stored in Utah. Having worked in the nuclear remediation industry, I am qualified to make sure that Energy Solutions will adhere to regulations and laws that apply to their operation.

National Health Care – I am opposed to the new National Health care program and will do all in my power to having it revoked.

Role of Government – I agree with the party platforms that clearly lay out that the Federal Government has exceeded its Constitutional authority and will do all I can to correct this.

Senate Candidate Debate on April 2

Utah Valley University is proud to welcome candidates running for the 2010 United States Senate seat that is being contested this election year. Engaging in debate Friday, April 2 at UVU are willing candidates Senator Bob Bennett (R incumbent), Cherylin Eagar (R), Tim Bridgewater (R), Merrill Cook (R), Mike Lee (R) and Sam Granato (D). The Senatorial debate is sponsored by the UVU Student Association (UVUSA).

“This debate is unique because it has been completely student-driven. We are an engaged University and with that comes immense civic responsibility for the students here,” said Christina Lowe, UVUSA chief justice. “Many clubs and organizations have collaborated with UVUSA to host this debate. UVUSA feels that this collaboration of these organizations is key to helping students become more civically engaged.”

The debate will begin at noon in the Lakeview Room, on the fourth floor of UVU’s Library. In addition to UVUSA, other student group sponsors for the debate include UVU College Republicans and Young Americans for Liberty. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend “and to learn the standpoints of all of the candidates before the upcoming elections,” Lowe said.

Delegate Training, April 1, 6pm

Training will be held for all delegates and precinct officers at Ridgeline Elementary at 6pm, Thursday, April 1. All delegates should attend to learn about their roles and responsibilities.

More than 80 people attended our caucus

Thanks to all who attended our precinct caucus. We had more than 80 people there and it was standing room only. We have elected a Chair, Vice-Chair,Secretary/Treasurer, 4 County Delegates and 2 State Delegates.

Our precinct is located in Legislative District 27 (LD27). The stats on our district are: 1836 caucus attendees for LD27: Lehi18 (72), AF (462), Alpine (519), Highland (783).

Way to go Highland!

Also, we will be launching a Facebook page tomorrow. So, please find us on facebook for more interactive updates.

March 23, 2010--Caucus Meetings

GOP Caucus Meeting

Meet at Lone Peak High School at 7:00 pm to nominate and vote on delegates to both the County and the State Convention. The number of delegates we receive next time will be partly influenced by our attendence at this caucus meeting!