The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently announced that a new function of the church will be added to the existing three-fold mission. That mission currently is redeeming the dead, perfecting the saints, and proclaiming the Gospel. The new fourth function is care for the poor and needy.
Caring for the most vulnerable in society is something the Church has always been concerned about. But placing that task in this overall mission statement of the church gives that responsibility added emphasis. LDS members will become more aware of the need for caring the poor and needy in society. This is particularly timely at the Christmas season.
The Utah County Democratic Party shares that emphasis. The second paragraph of our platform states that Utah County Democrats "stand for policies and programs that benefit all Utahns. We believe a community is no stronger than its weakest members." Interestingly, the Utah County Republican Party's platform makes no such statement.
The vast majority of the acts of care performed in a society are now, and will continue to be, private acts undertaken by various charitable institutions and, even more importantly, individuals. That includes performing small acts of kindness for those who face difficult circumstances - a new baby in the home, serious illness, unemployment, a death in the family, etc.
Beginning January 2010, the Utah County Democratic Party office, located at 48 N University Avenue will be open from 10 AM to 2 PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, except holidays. Drop by to obtain information or to volunteer.
Come clean with the voters, Representative Frank
Written by Richard Davis
Monday, 14 December 2009
Recently, Representative Craig Frank, Republican of Pleasant Grove, wrote on his blog that the sponsors of the ethics reform initiative were hypocritical because they did nothing about ethics reform while they served in the state legislature. Frank wrote that former legislators David Irvine, Kim Burningham, Jordan Tanner, and Karl Snow "had ample opportunity and motivation to enact meaningful legislation while they took contributions without limits..." He also pointed out that Carole Peterson, who also is a sponsor of the ethics initiative, served as chief clerk of the House of Representatives and as a member of the staff for the legislature and "in her position of influence ... did nothing."
For the record, Jordan Tanner was known as "Mr. Ethics" while he was in the state legislature. He repeatedly introduced ethics legislation that went nowhere thanks to a Republican party leadership who blocked bill after bill. Representative Frank should know that, even if he wasn't a state legislator in the 1990s.
Also, a legislative staff member, even a chief clerk, doesn't have the power to push any legislation through the state legislature. In fact, that isn't the job of staff and Representative Frank knows it.
The Utah County Democratic Party is seeking to hire a paid part-time executive director to assist the County Party’s Executive Committee. The executive director would be responsible for assisting with the Party organization, supervising volunteers, administering the Party office, and generally aiding the Party leadership with other duties. The job would require 20 hours per week, with additional hours negotiable.
Preference will be given to an individual with previous campaign experience, who can work cooperatively with the Party's executive committee. Interested persons should send a cover letter and resumé to Deon Turley at
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no later than December 23, 2009.
Several of our Utah County GOP legislators claim to be supporters of a totally unregulated free market with only the barest minimal government. This stand is usually labeled libertarianism. Much of the intellectual base of this ideology comes from the writings of Ayn Rand, whom the Provo Daily Herald editors recently praised, saying that they are useful for "understanding the underlying political tectonics of 2009."
Actually, Ayn Rand's ideas are as dangerous as those on which Communism is based, but Rand's ideology of no-holds-barred capitalism and minimal government has attracted many American followers, including former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. Since the recession of 2007, however, Greenspan has admitted that the market was much less able do the right thing than Rand had predicted, and his confidence in the Mother of Libertarianism has been badly shaken. But many others still remain true and parrot the "less government, more market" slogans as though they were a panacea for our time.
Ayn Rand's popularity in church-going America and Mormon Utah is odd. Like her philosophical rival Karl Marx, Rand hated and ridiculed religion. She taught a fiercely anti-Christian philosophy of "Rational Egoism" and wrote a book entitled The Virtue of Selfishness.
Don't let Republican legislators gut ethics reform
Written by Richard Davis
Monday, 30 November 2009
Utah's Republican legislators have finally seen the light, at least that's what they want us to believe. Now they're talking about how important ethics reform is. They're even working on legislation to create an ethics commission. They say they really do support ethics reform. They just don't like the ethics initiative. So they're writing their own legislation that will fix the state's ethics problems.
Excuse me for not being convinced. These are the same people who have blocked ethics reform legislation repeatedly. The proposals they're now considering have been in bills they rejected year after year after year. The legislature never voted on them because the Republican leadership never let them come to a vote.
Now they want us to believe they're converted to the idea of ethics reform. Don't buy it. They don't mean it. And they're going to do their best to block serious ethics reform measures.
The fact is they're trying to pass a bill that will keep serious ethics reform at bay. They have no intention of enacting ethics reform that will limit their behavior. Instead, they want to pass a bill that they can gut once the heat is off.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently announced that a new function of the church will be added to the existing three-fold mission. That mission currently is redeeming the dead, perfecting the saints, and proclaiming the Gospel. The new fourth function is care for the poor and needy.
Several of our Utah County GOP legislators claim to be supporters of a totally unregulated free market with only the barest minimal government. This stand is usually labeled libertarianism. Much of the intellectual base of this ideology comes from the writings of Ayn Rand, whom the Provo Daily Herald editors recently praised, saying that they are useful for "understanding the underlying political tectonics of 2009."
