This week students will return to classes at Utah Valley University.  Since UVU was created as a technical school, it has served an important role in educating the county's children.  As that school grew to a college and now a university, it has played an increasingly critical role in Utah County's economic development.  Not only does it educate thousands of Utah County college students, but it also now draws students from across the state and even the world.   

I personally understand the importance of UVU in our community.  One of our children graduated from UVU and another is currently a student.  My wife and I are grateful there is a public higher education institution in Utah Valley available for our children to attend.

Utah Valley University is a jewel of Utah County.  However, that isn't thanks to our state legislators.  As students return to classes, once again the university will be bursting at the seams.  According to UVU president Matthew Holland, UVU student enrollment has grown 20 percent over the past two years.  At the same time, the state legislature has severely cut UVU's budget.

As our candidates campaign, they are hearing a new line by Utah County Republicans:  Our candidates are switching parties so they can win.  

It is hard to keep from laughing over that.  It is an uphill battle to win as a Democrat in Utah County.  We're working hard to change that.  But to suggest that in a county where registered Republicans far outnumber registered Democrats and no Democrat has won an election since 1994 a Republican would switch parties to become a Democrat in order to win is absurd.

What they are really trying to say is that those candidates who were Republicans are insincere in their switch to Democrat or Independent.  Yet, party switching is a long tradition in American politics and some of the most popular individuals in American political history have done it.  Abraham Lincoln was a Whig before he joined the Republican Party.  In the past few years, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg switched from Democrat to Republican and now Independent.  Ronald Reagan was a self-described liberal Democrat before he became a Republican.

I saw a national poll recently showing that over 90 percent of Republicans were anxious to vote in this November's elections while less than 70 percent of Democrats were. Republicans tend to vote in higher numbers anyway, which means that, if that poll is accurate, the vast majority of Republicans will show up to vote, and will vote for their candidates, while many Democrats will ignore the election and help the Republicans win.

Yes, that's right. By not caring deeply about the results of this midterm election, Democrats help Republicans win.

That is particularly a problem in the state of Utah and Utah County in particular. Republicans have been in charge of the legislature for 30 years and they have been in the governor's mansion for 26. And they've brought us alot of problems we can't afford to continue. Not caring about this election will mean a continuation of poor representatives and bad policy.

What's at stake in this election includes the following:

Today the Salt Lake Tribune featured a story about Representative Jason Chaffetz taking $26,000 from postal unions for his re-election campaign this year.  Of course, the angle of the story is that it is unusual for an extreme right wing Republican to be given money from unions.  It also implies that unions are somehow more powerful in financial contributions than corporations.  The opposite is true.  Corporate political action committees give far more to their favored candidates than unions to their favored ones.

But the real problem is pointed out by Karen Hyer, our Democratic candidate opposing Chaffetz this year.  And that is the ugly nexus of political campaigns, money and lobbying.  Interest groups give money to incumbents who control legislation related to them and, in turn, expect access and favorable legislation from that incumbent.  

We all know that electoral campaigns cost money.  And those costs have risen dramatically in recent years.  I've made several pitches on this blog for financial support and our candidates are doing so as well in various ways.

However, the individual who gives $10, $25, or $100 to a campaign or a party typically isn't getting anything in return except the satisfaction of knowing that they've helped their party or candidate to succeed.  That isn't the same story with an interest group, particularly one whose livelihood is directly affected by members of Congress or state legislators.