Start your July 4th Holiday off right!-Updated 6/29/10

Start your July 4th weekend by learning about the founding of our country as well as learning how to keep it on track!!!!!

Vote Today!

The Primary Election is today....PLEASE PLAN TO GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!

The Founding Fathers and the Lords hand in the establishment of our Nation

Dear Precinct Members:

We have an opportunity to bring a guest speaker for a "fireside" in early July.

Senatorial Debate hosted by HI02 and Novell

For those of you who missed this spectacular opportunity to hear Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater debate this past evening....all is not lost. Thanks to the generosity of Novell, you can view it in the comfort of your own home.

Also, our thanks to Mike Bready for arranging this event with Novell. He deserves our thanks, and it would be appropriate to let him know personally!

Utah County Policy Regarding Early Voting

I recently heard a rumor that early votes are only counted if races have less than a 2% margin. Below is the reply I recieved from the county clerk to the email I sent about this.

Debate between Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater on June 9th!

The Highland 2nd Precinct is proud to announce that it will be hosting (along with the LD 27) a debate between the Republican Candidates for the U.S. Senate seat on June 9th.

Early Voting begins soon

With the June 22nd Primary Election coming soon, it is important to know that you can begin voting early if you wish. You may vote beginning June 8, 2010.

In our area, you can vote at the American Fork Library. You may vote Tuesday through -Thursday from 3-7 pm. On Friday, voting can take place between 1-5 pm.

Be sure to take a picture ID with you.

No matter what.....get out and vote!

Our Utah Sons return.....the 4th LAR

Yesterday, the Charlie Company of Marines returned home to Camp Williams. They have been serving in Afghanistan for the past 7 months. You can see pictures and information about their return at the following link: The 4th LAR.

During this Memorial Day, take the time to thank those who have served our country either in the past or present.

US Senate Candidates - Why I'm Supporting Tim Bridgewater

As a state delegate I had a chance to interact with all of the candidates for the US Senate. I spent the most time with Cherilyn Eager, Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater. Each of these candidates were ones I could have supported because of their similar views on the role of governement and the US Constitution. I decided to support Tim for the following reasons:

• He is a doer: I saw in Tim someone who is a problem solver. I could see in his past a person who when he see's a problem works hard to create a solution.  I saw many examples of this in all aspects of his life (started a charter school to help his children and the community at large, worked to reduce the impact of No Child Left Behind on Utah ...). This attribute is most likely a large contributor to his success in business.
• He serves others: Tim has spent a significant amount of time on a "volunteer basis" helping to better our community and state. From coaching little league to working on education issues for the state for a year he has used the time and money his business success has provided him in positive ways.
• He is positive: He is always positive and upbeat. I have not heard him make derogatory remarks about any of his opponents. This showed in his convention speeches,  especially the 2nd and 3rd round speeches (YouTube links: round 1, round 2, round 3).

I'm proud to be a Tim supporter and would be delighted to share additional thoughts on Tim with my fellow precinct members (ir anyone else) at any time.

Rod Mann
tel: 801-847-2051
email: mannrw@gmail

"Present in Protest"....."Favor Factory"

(Image courtesy of www.advocate.com)

This morning, Representative Jason Chaffetz was featured on Fox and Friends . The title of the story was "Congressman Boycotting House Resolutions.....'they are a waste of time and money' ". Congressman Chaffetz stated that honoring sports teams on the floor of the house takes up valuable time on the floor of the house. He stated that on average it takes 20 minutes to debate and pass a resolution to honor sport teams.

Several teams named that had recently been recognized were the University of Texas Diving team, Phil Mickelson, and the University of Maryland.....before the March Madness tournament began. (This latter team was eliminated in the 2nd round.) He commented on the University of Maryland's recognition was "just a favor factory" and that they were not due this time or honor.

When asked if there was a better way to honor teams, he stated "Put it on your letterhead, go down to the shop there.........frame it .....and give it to the Mayor."

(Before we get to the point of the interview, let it be know that Congressman Chaffetz does not begrudge organized sports. He played for Brigham Young University, his father owned a semi-professional team, and he personally came to my house to recruit my son to play for his soccer team).

His objection was stated as follows: "To take so much time in the House of Representatives when we have real issues out there like what's going on in the gulf, the economy, the debt....and "Don't Ask Don't Tell. We get 300 seconds, it wasn't even debated in the committee....we get 300 seconds on a big issue like that and yet we take 20 minutes on these sports resolutions".

He also said "I don't think these people (sports figures/teams) even care, and yet that is what we are spending all our time and resources doing". Thus, he votes "Present in Protest" when these resolutions are brought to the floor.

It is issues like this that hopefully prompt us to be vocal and active in the election cycle to refocus our elected leadership on the important topics of the day, not the "favor factory" Congressman Chaffetz referred to.

Plan to support your candidate of choice, plan to be active, and plan to help get out the vote!

Moments of Clarity

My brother, a paramedic with the Seattle Fire Department, recently gave a speech at a Lincoln Day Dinner sponsored by the King County GOP. He makes a couple of very interesting points, which I think you will all enjoy.

MOMENTS OF CLARITY
Miki Mann, Paramedic, Seattle Fire Department
2010 King County GOP, Lincoln Day Dinner

It was a cold and overcast day in November of 2006 when Nathan exhibited the kind of bravery only seen in an intoxicated twenty-six year-old trying to impress his girlfriend. In preparation for the deed, Nathan had consumed a large amount of alcohol and a sampling of the club drug ecstasy (A drug used to dancing and intended to improve the vertical performance of a horizontal desire). While walking along the waterfront, Nathan had decided to demonstrate his virility by removing his shoes and diving into the frigid waters of the Puget Sound with the stated goal of swimming nearly two miles to Alki beach.

Despite his overarching enthusiasm Nathan’s pace began to slow at 50 yards and, finally, at 75 yards he simply stopped and began treading water while shouting lines from Bravehart to his audience on the pier.

The fireboat dingy arrived quickly and assisted the young stallion to safety. Still brimming with bravado Nathan was placed into the back of our Medic Unit where we replaced his cold, wet clothing with warm blankets and began the process of examination. With every vital signs Nathan would emphasize how GREAT he felt; “Heart rate 90, ” we advised….”see, I’m fine;” “Blood pressure 132/84”…..”Strong as an ox!” This is the way it went all the way to the hospital.

Arriving in the emergency room at Harborview Nathan continued to bathe in the glory of attention as a whole new series of validating vital signs were verbalized. Heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, lung sounds. In a concluding gesture, the examining nurse announced his temperature of 37 degrees to the charting nurse on the other side of the room.

A look of sobriety descended upon Nathan as he fingered me over to his bed side. As you may have guessed, Nathan had not made the intellectual leap between Celsius and Fahrenheit when he politely asked for some more warm blankets and whispered with a great deal of concern:

"isn’t it supposed to be 90-something?"

I am a Republican because I believe that we are at war. Not at war with fundamentalist Islam, not with the Democrats, not with illegal immigrants, and not with the present administration. These simply confuse the effect with its cause. They are merely fronts on a greater war; A war which represents an existential threat to our country. The enemy, I believe, is ignorance.

In Orwellian fashion, a large portion of this generation has fallen for the lullaby of progressive propaganda. Like Odysseus they are mesmerized by the song of the Sirens yet unlike Odysseus they have failed to tie themselves to the mast.

In a world in which the government is our mother, people become immune to the hard lessons learned by the strenuous life. No longer grounded in material reality, they believe that:

• Food comes from government stamps not the soil
• Socio-economic status and not credit worthiness entitles you to a loan
  
• That we have more to fear from our own solders more than any terrorists
  

One of the least enjoyable parts of our job is when we have to inform a family member that a loved one has died. Amidst the mayhem associated with crisis, these words provide a moment of clarity. History gives us other examples such moments:

• When Regan was asked about his strategy for the cold war he simply replied: "we win, they loose" 
• Or signaling the end of the cold war, he stood before the Brandenburg gate, the very symbol of the iron curtain and said: “Mr. Gorbachev, open these gates, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”
  
• Or when Martin Luther King described in one sentence what took John Locke an entire book when he demanded to “be judged not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character.”  What a beautiful definition of liberty!
  

Events as well as speeches provide moments of clarity, remember: 

• Two passenger jets crashing into the World Trade Center
• An amateur video inside an ACORN office
  
• The deafening silence in response to Andrew’s offer to pay $100,000 for anyone providing video evidence of racist remarks at the tea-party rally.
  
• An exposed exchange of emails at East-Anglia University about the manipulation of climate change data
• The election of Scott Brown
  

Yes, I am proud to be member of the Republican Party.

The party that invited the first black man (Booker T. Washington) into the White House!

The party of Fredrick Douglas (who attended the founding meeting of the party in 1854)!

The party of Martin Luther King (who registered as a republican 100 years later, in 1956)!

Democrats like to claim that they are the protectors of minorities of every stripe but it is the Republican Party which defends the rights of the smallest minority group; the one minority which has been the exclusive victim of bigotry throughout human history … the individual.

In 1835, when he was only 2 years older than Nathan, Lincoln addressed the Young Men’s Lyceum in Springfield, Illinois and said

“All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the world in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”

I believe the tool of this destruction mentioned by Abraham Lincoln, is ignorance. But, like Nathan, we can awake the stuporous with moments of clarity. If we continue, like Andrew, John, and Kirby, to educate ourselves and challenge ignorance wherever it arises, we can continue to win in this struggle to secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and, perhaps, we can inspire our posterity to fight for it in their time; which they will, indeed, have to do.

Morgan Philpot.....

We were fortunate enough to hear from Morgan Philpot, who is running for the 2nd Congressional Representative. This is a position currently held by Jim Matheson. Mr. Philpot is originally from a small town in Oregon. He served in the Utah Congress for several years, and then left to attend Law School. The following are some of the topics discussed and his answers:

• Check and balance within the Republican Party. We need to be dedicated to the principal of the party. He stated that there are 2 focuses of Republican party: elect and serve our platform. We have moved to ensuring we are electing individuals at all costs. He states that we need to elect individuals who will be dedicated to the principals not only of the party, but also of the Constitution.

He has "The 3 pillars" of his campaign.

• Tackle taxation: The Federal Government collects too much money that goes directly to Washington and comes back to the states with strings attached. His answer: Cut taxes. Alternative Min tax, Capital gains, Corporate tax, etc·


• Cut programs.
  


• He feels that Utah needs to control it’s own destiny. We need access to and control of our own lands. Currently, 67% are under the control of the federal government. He cited the example of the Obama Administration revoking Leases for oil exploration.
  


• 


• Congress needs to respect the rule of law. We now have a congress who does what they want and a Supreme Court who will not challenge it. We need to put the Fed Gov in a place as they should be bound by the Constitution.


• How do you deal with the massive bills in WA and jammed through? I almost always refuse to vote for them. If I couldn’t understand that bill or anybody could not, did not vote for it.


• How would you deal with the recent Health care bill that was 'passed'? Heath care has to be defunded until 2012. It won’t be repealed until there is a an Administration change (President). He believes in the Free-market and and individual's sovereignty.


• What is the first thing you would do if you are elected: He stated that he would make a Bee-line for Paul Ryan. Mr Ryan has spent his time tackling the congressional budget and is the Senior Republican on the Ways and Means Committee. Mr Ryan focuses on the American Idea (we respect the founding fathers for their genius and inspiration for greatest document the world has even known …..freedom, free market, pursue the dream). He tackles how the government is spending our money. It is currently unsustainable. Output exceeded input….this year which wasn’t supposed to happen in 2017. Deficit spending in 1 month was 85 billion.





• What would you do about the Federal Land issue: The Federal Government will not be quick to relinquish power. Mr. Philpot stated that he will sponsor the same bill over and over to return land or tackle policies to determine whether we can keep leases that have already been granted. No power should be able to determine whether these leases can be revoked or not when changing from one administration to another.


• How can we help support your campaign? Donate to $20.10 (or more) to · http://www.philpotforcongress.com/. Mr. Matheson receives 90% of his funding from out of state and 80% of that is from PAC’s. Secondly, Mike Olsen and Mike Bready will be the captains for Mr. Philpot's campaign in our precinct. We need to recruit as many volunteers as possible for signage, calling, and other needed services. Finally, vote early, so that you will be available election day to help finish the campaign.

There were other topics that were discussed as well. This is a short summary of the meeting. We want to thank Mr. Philpot for taking time to speak with our constituents.

Meet Joel Wright......

We recieved this notice from R. Lisonbee and are passing it on to our Constituents:

Dear neighbors, friends and fellow Republicans:

This coming Tuesday, May 25th at 7 PM, Lorie and I will be hosting a meet the candidate reception at our home for Joel Wright, a Cedar Hills resident and republican party candidate for the Utah County Commission. Given the growth and challenges facing our North Utah County communities, I see great value in securing solid North County representation and leadership on our County Commission, and would therefore like to invite you to come and meet Joel. He will be with us to share his views and plans for Utah County, and will be available to answer questions and hear your concerns.

Please feel free to join us at our home at 5101 W. Oak Grove Lane (about 10400 North),

Registering to Vote for the upcoming Primary...ASAP

Hi all:

This message comes from Utah Republican Party:

This year's Primary Election (June 22) is one your neighbors won't want to
miss--so make sure they are registered to vote. Deadlines are just around the
corner:

Deadline for Mail-in Registration: Monday, May 24, 2010

Deadline for In-Person Registration: June 7, 2010 (Utah County Elections Office in Provo).

If you have moved since the last election, you need to re-register.

To register, complete a voter registration form and mail it to the Utah County Clerk's office. You can check on your registration status or download a registration form at the Lt. Gov's website: elections.utah.gov.

Meet Morgan Philpot...Thursday May 20th

We are excited to announce an evening with Morgan Philpot on Thursday, May 20, at 7:00 pm at Highland City Hall (multipurpose room just to the left of the library entrance).

Morgan is the Republican candidate for Congress, District 2, currently held by Congressman Jim Matheson. As members of the Republican Party, we would like you to have a chance to meet Morgan, discuss your issues with him, and find out how you can support his campaign to unseat Congressman Matheson.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Note, we have flyers which we would like to distribute in your neighborhood announcing this event. Please contact us if you would be willing to help and we'll get you copies to deliver.

Facebook hits last week....

Thank you to all of our constituents who followed the convention Saturday via Facebook. Facebook reports 126 hits for our page last week compared with 26 the week before. We hope you have found this venue helpful and encourage you to keep watching as we try to bring you more information as we have it.

Thoughts on State Convention

Wow, what a day. Here are some of my thoughts on the day:

1. The best speeches were given by Cherilyn Eagar and Niel Walters. Both Cherilyn and Niel were passionate but not overbearing. Niel had a 10 year old boy introduce him by saying that I'm saddled with $40,000 of debt are you (the delegates) going to take responsibility for this or are you going to leave this to me. Here's someone (Niel) who will take responsibility for it.
   
2. Classiest act. This was a tie between the speeches by Tim Bridgewater before the 2nd and 3rd ballots and Mrs. Lee (Mike's mom). Tim was gracious and kind to both Senator Bennett and Cherilyn Eagar. Mrs Lee came and sat near us after Mike waved at her. Her husband was President of BYU when Mike attended and he wanted to thank her for what they did. She stayed with us and chatted for 5+ minutes even though everyone around us including Mike and I were wearing Bridgewater t-shirts.
3. The most telling responses; the polite but muted applause given to Mitt Romney who introduced Senator Bennett and the same reception given to Senator Hatch when he addressed the convention.
4. Most surprising result. Bridgewater 57.3% Lee 42.7%. Earlier polls had indicated that Lee would be the winner by a significant margin.
5. The "ah ha" moment. Senate Candidate Leonard J. Fabiano's speech. He was giving away copies of the 5,000 Year Leap away at his booth along with pocket Constitutions and copies of H. Verlan Andersen's book "Many are Called, But Few are Chosen". During his speech he announced the formation of a organization American Renaissance who's primary mission would be to encourage us to teach each other the principles associated with the founding of our nation using the 5,000 Year Leap. Running for office gave him opportunity to launch this initiative at the convention. He did not accept any donations for his campaign and really never really had a chance but what a great way to launch a good idea. By the way if you haven't read this book you really should. It is an easy read unlike some politically oriented books. My hat is off to Mr. Fabiano for investing his time and money (he gave away cases of the books which aren't free).

I was impressed by the civil atmosphere at the convention (I heard nary a boo) and the respectfulness shown by the candidates to each other.

A huge thank you to Carin for updating our blog and Facebook pages during the course of the day. Another thanks to everyone who has provided input to delegates whether in person, via e-mail, through participation in the polls, or comments on our Facebook and blog. Your continued participation is important, especially in the fall when we'll have an opportunity to replace Congressman Matheson (who is going to have a primary fight before the general election).

Feel free to contact any of the state delegates (Mike Bready, Terry Melendez, and myself) if you want to know more about how we arrived at our choice of a Senate candidate. We all spent a number of hours meeting with the candidates and reviewing their positions.

The next election cycle will also be interesting. With Senator Hatch up for re-election and another presidential race in the offing it could even be more exciting.

Thanks for giving all of us the opportunity to serve as your representatives. We'll continue to use the blog and Facebook pages to keep you informed on activities

US Representative results.......

US Representative results:

Morgan Philpot 60.13% (To become the nominee, the candidate needs to receive 60% or more of the delegate votes).

Democratic Rep Mattheson is in a primary for the Democratic Party!

Results of the 3rd Ballot for US Senate Race

Results for the 3rd Ballot of the US Senate Race are:

Tim Bridgewater 57.28%
Mike Lee 42.72%

Primary will be held June 22, 2010.


Senator Bob Bennett has been eliminated

More Balloting

There has been a 3rd vote on the US Senate Race and another vote on the US Representative Race. The results should be coming soon.

Govenor Race and US Representative Race...

Governor's Race:
Governor Herbert 70.8%

US Representative Race:
Niel Walter. 42.08%
Morgan Philpot 56.37%

Second Ballot for US Senator results....

Mike Lee 35.99
Tim Bridgewater 37.42
Bob Bennett 26.5

Information from I-Caucus

I just got this information in an email from I-Caucus:

In Utah, incumbents must get at least 40% of the party delegate votes in order to retain any chance at all for the party's nomination and to appear on the ballot.

If the incumbent does not secure at least 40% of the delegate votes they are done...as in stick a fork in them. They would have NO chance to appear on the Republican Primary ballot and NO chance to appear on the general election ballot in November.

That's no chance as in zero, zip, nada, and "none at all."

Plus, by Utah law, the incumbent has no chance of appearing on the ballot as an independent candidate.

First Ballot results for Federal Senator...

Here are the results of the first Ballot:

Bennett: 25%
Bridgewater: 26%
Eager: 15%
Lee: 28.5%

Federal Representative Candidates are speaking....

Morgan Philpot is addressing the delegates as is,.,

Neil Walters...