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Candidates' Blogs
Aggregated blogs of Democratic candidates running in Utah County

  • Deon Turley: Partying (http://deonturley.blogspot.com/2010/08/partying.html)
    Among the most common questions I am asked on the campaign trail is why I am running as a Democrat. In Utah County, we all acknowledge that it is an up-hill struggle. It requires meeting and reassuring a lot of people who never considered voting for a Democrat before.

    One of the strengths of our country is the tradition of checks and balance made possible by a two-party system of politics. However, partisanship across the nation is increasingly bitter. Those who vilify their opposition and stereotype broad swaths of the population damage rather than strengthen our communities. They are seeing the world in two dimensions. All of us are people with varying circumstances and experience and no single political party could define us all. In fact, a single party in power does more to invite corruption and oppression.

    When political party leadership calls for purging its membership, it loses its claim of representation. It may march on with militant energy and special interest funding, but it can only serve its narrowly-defined membership.

    Admittedly, no two parties could define us either. The concept of ?the big tent? is essential for politics to move forward with...

  • Deon Turley: Notes from the Field (http://deonturley.blogspot.com/2010/08/notes-from-field.html)
    This summer is flying past! I am visiting with people in my surrounding neighborhoods to let them know that I am running for the legislature and hoping for their support. It is an adventure knocking on strange doors -- like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.

    Last week I went looking for a particular voter and knocked on what turned out to be her landlady's door. After our conversation, the landlady became as enthusiastic about my campaign as any supporter I have. A serendipitous find!

    Every once in a while I am met with a "brick wall". Many doors have a notice warning solicitors away but I have allowed myself to conclude that I am not "soliciting" but offering voters information about who will be on their ballot this year. Today I had a young woman assert forcefully that I was trespassing, based on their notice.

    I recognize many of the doors I am knocking on from my previous campaign. I stepped back quickly a few days ago, after ringing the bell at the house where, in 2008, a wasp flew out of the wreath on the door...

  • : What's important? (http://www.donjarvis.org/?p=90)
    Our legislature this year spent a lot of time sending message bills on states rights, criticizing the federal government, and preventing illegal immigration. While these issues deserve thoughtful consideration, surveys find that Utah County voters are more interested in improving public education, improving the ethics of elected officials, decreasing pollution, and improving transportation. I [...]

  • Deon Turley: What do YOU say? (http://deonturley.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-do-you-say.html)
    I was interested to hear this morning that the single most respected and approved tool of social media is Wikipedia, an on-line collaborative encyclopedia. This finding made me think about the way we get information and what sorts of information we have come to trust.

    It is increasingly difficult to judge the objectivity of our news. We are surrounded by advertisements and political messages that are backed by commercial or political interests that profit when we act upon their message or advice.

    As I campaign and look forward to the experience of being an elected representative, I see that I as a legislator will have similar information options.

    There are lobbyists on Capitol Hill, paid to "educate" the policy makers, hired by corporations or special interest groups to line up support for their clients. They have a role but I do not forget that they are equivalent to commercial advertising.

    I am more interested in turning to the people of my legislative district to be my "lobbyists". Among the voters here are experts in many fields of public policy, people who are passionate about the environment, public transportation, law enforcement, public health, energy, education, or...

  • Deon Turley: Felling the Tree (http://deonturley.blogspot.com/2010/07/felling-tree.html)
    We decided to replace the fence around our yard and it required removing a very large juniper tree that was growing on the property line. My ambitious husband decided to put the chain saw to good use and enlisted the help of our strapping son.

    They decided that to avoid damage to surrounding trees and structures, the tree should be felled in two or three sections. A rope above the cut helped to guide the top third of the tree and we cheered as it fell down.

    The second section was so much wider, it damaged the attic vent on the side of the neighbor's house as it fell and landed square on the top of my little apricot tree, severing the trunk about a foot from the ground. After a moment of sadness, I acknowledged it as unavoidable collateral damage. After all, "good fences make good neighbors." Right?

    We will help the neighbors repair what looks like a "black eye" on the side of their house but it will take longer to replace the apricot tree.

    I found myself thinking of analogies between the experience with our tree and the recent hoopla...

  • Deon Turley: Happy Independence Day! (http://deonturley.blogspot.com/2010/07/happy-independence-day.html)

    Provo goes all out to celebrate the 4th of July. Even when it ends up on the 3rd or the 5th of July, Independence Day is a lot of fun!

    We joined the Utah County Democratic Party in a parade entry entitled "Families: America's Beacon of Hope".

    My part was to carry a banner with my friend.

    I gave "high five"s to a lot of little people in front of the crowd during the parade and I got a chance to speak to a lot of bigger people at the Freedom Days Fair on Center Street.

    It was great to celebrate the beginning of this fabulous country!


  • : Have a great Fourth of July weekend, and remember to display the flag and other patriotic symbols! And while we are remembering what we owe those who have secured our freedom, let's think what we can do to improve our state for those who will come after us. (http://www.donjarvis.org/?p=78)


  • Deon Turley: More Money Matters (http://deonturley.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-money-matters.html)
    I was recently asked about what I felt would have the best chance of solving the economic crisis we face today. I thought about it a long time because I was thinking of it in terms of what government could do to solve the economic crisis. I am convinced that the steps that were taken at the beginning of this year by Ben Bernanke were needed to avoid a calamity similar to that of 1929. In spite of that, many Americans think that the federal government should do more, and just as many cry that the federal government should be doing less, in order to bring about economic stability.

    I finally decided that the key lies in what the American people do on their own-- and not what the President or any particular level of government does. The causes of the economic problems are many and varied but we can't afford to waste time and resources placing blame. What needs to be done involves everyone looking, not toward Washington, DC, but at themselves.

    The word ?economy? comes from the Greek word for ?household management?. This is appropriate because a healthy economy starts at home.

    The...

  • Deon Turley: Money Matters (http://deonturley.blogspot.com/2010/06/money-matters.html)
    Tuesday was the filing deadline for a campaign finance report to the Lt Governor?s office. I was curious about my opponent?s financial situation in comparison with my own so after the deadline I went to the public search page of the Lt Governor's website.

    On my report I have page after page of small donations from friends, family, and supporters.
    He has a few donations, one from the tobacco industry and one from an entertainment software group and another from a health care PAC. This is not to say he will be running behind me in terms of fundraising. Corporate donations come in the late summer and fall.

    Withdrawals from my campaign account have been for sporadic charges for printing and mailing letters and otherwise publicizing my campaign.
    His most recent expenditures are fitness center dues and a donation to the NRA.

    I welcome public scrutiny of campaign finance. It may help voters decide who will win their votes. It may be as close to campaign finance reform as we can get.


  • Deon Turley: Subversion of Democracy (http://deonturley.blogspot.com/2010/06/subversion-of-democracy.html)
    "All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy."
    ?Al Smith

    A country that strives for government of the people, for the people, and by the people must maintain the strongest safeguards of democratic process. Unfortunately we are seeing increased erosion of democracy.

    The following is a recent example.

    The legislature was not satisfied to allow voters to choose reasonable members of the State School Board or to vote to retain or reject seated board members. Instead they called for a Governor-appointed committee to provide three to five candidates from which the Governor chooses two nominees to appear on the ballot.

    This year the committee chose not to include the seated member of the board, who would need to be reelected to the board, and named instead three other individuals to present to the Governor. One in particular is clearly unqualified for the position. So, it seems, the committee has either saved the Governor the trouble of choosing nominees, since only two of the three would be reasonable choices, or they have given the Governor the option of choosing the new board member himself. He need only place his choice and...

  • Deon Turley: Primary Colors (http://deonturley.blogspot.com/2010/06/primary-colors.html)
    We in Utah are approaching Primary elections in the next couple of weeks. Early voting runs from Tuesday, June 15th through Friday, the 18th. Voters can cast ballots at the various polling location on Election Day, June 22nd. This information was publicized in a news article yesterday and the readers' comments mostly voiced support for one or another candidate involved in the election.

    One comment caused me to shake my head. The commenter announced that he would change his party affiliation in order to vote for the weaker of the two candidates in the other Party's race and encouraged others to do the same. He felt that this would give whatever candidate came out of his own (former) Party primary an edge in the general election.

    When I was young I learned a song called "Our Primary Colors". The beginning went something like this: "Our Primary colors are one, two, three: red, yellow, and blue."
    Applied to Primary elections, if Republicans are red and Democrats are blue, the third category of voter described above, not voting to support a candidate but to subvert democracy, must claim the yellow.

    Our national colors are red, white, and blue;...

  • Deon Turley: A Well-deserved Award (http://deonturley.blogspot.com/2010/05/well-deserved-award.html)
    On Saturday evening I attended a dinner and award ceremony where the Utah County Democratic Party presented their Distinguished Service Award to the former Governor of Utah Olene Walker.

    It was mentioned several times during the evening that it was interesting that, in these times of harsh partisan politics, the Democratic Party would give this award to a Republican public servant. As Governor Walker spoke, however, it became clear why she is such a worthy recipient.

    Her remarks centered on two messages. The first was the need for bipartisanship in legislation and in leadership. She described her experience both campaigning and serving in the legislature and later in the executive offices. She claimed that all people agree on 80% of the issues, but that 20% is driving people apart. She decried those who were more concerned about partisan victory than beneficial public policy. She challenged the candidates and elected officials to work together and to be statesmen, and stateswomen, in the best sense of the word.

    Her second message was equally compelling--the need for adequate support for public education, both K-12 and higher education. She cited not only the statistics that show Utah funding education lower...

  • Deon Turley: Straight Party Voters (http://deonturley.blogspot.com/2010/05/straight-party-voters.html)
    Utah has an unusual, if not unique ballot, in that it asks the voter if they want to vote a "straight party" ballot. After the last election, one voter I spoke to thought the ballot asked him to identify his party affiliation. He said he clicked on Republican and bam! the whole ballot was finished. He returned home disappointed that his study of the candidates had been for nothing.

    The State Conventions have now been held and the Democratic nominees for Governor and Lt. Governor are a bipartisan pair. Peter Corroon chose as his running mate Cheryl Allen, a Republican. If this has happened in Utah politics since the Governor and Lt Governor became tied together as candidates, I don't remember it. Representative Allen has made it clear that although she is running as the partner to the Democratic candidate, she still considers herself a Republican.

    It has, however, got me wondering how the straight party ballot will handle the situation. You cannot vote for more than one person for a specific office but if you decide to vote straight Republican, wouldn't that give Cheryl Allen a vote too? And would a straight Democrat vote go to Peter...

  • Deon Turley: Heat in Arizona (http://deonturley.blogspot.com/2010/05/heat-in-arizona.html)
    The news from Arizona has spread like wildfire across the nation. Their response to the problems they face from illegal immigration has sparked fiery reactions within their state and throughout the country.

    The borders around the United States have been porous over this country's history. The attitudes of Americans, especially in the west, have generally been formed by the wide open spaces. The cowboys sang "Don't fence me in" and the school children sang "This land was made for you and me!" Another characteristic of Americans is the expectation that, unlike many other countries, we do not have to justify our presence with identity cards.

    Once our nation virtually filled the continent, the east and west borders had oceans for boundaries. By and large, our northern neighbors were satisfied with their lives as Canadians so that borderline was uncontentious. It is the southern border that has become a greater problem of late.

    Reports of the lawless conditions in border towns, such as Ciudad Juárez, are frightening. Drug cartels are responsible for kidnappings, extortion, and brutal murders against Mexican law enforcement, competing gangs, and ordinary citizens, in order to keep them in submission. This violence is beginning...

  • : LET'S GO TO WORK! (http://www.donjarvis.org/?p=57)
    In 2008 I ran as a fiscally conservative, pro-life, pro-family Democrat for House District 63. Although I didn't win, with a lot of help we got 45% of the vote in the key precincts 11 and 5, and nearly as well in precinct 36. This year our chances are much better: there will be [...]


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