Don Jarvis

2007 Family Reunion at Bear Lake, UT

MITT ROMNEY, NOKIA PHONES, & JUSTICE FOR ALL

Donald K. Jarvis
18 February 2008

Mitt Romney’s campaign attracted a lot of attention here in Utah.  He happens to be a cousin of mine, and I admire the way he went after an entrenched political machine in Massachusetts and gave voters there a good old American two-party choice.  Anytime one party has a stranglehold on state politics, it’s a recipe for disaster. That’s what they had in Massachusetts before Mitt, that’s what we have in Utah now, and that’s why we have multiple disasters looming.  We need to get back to the healthy checks and balances that two viable political parties provide.  

And that’s what I am going to do.  Today I am announcing my candidacy as a socially conservative Democrat for the Utah State Legislature District 63.  I am going to put my own money and my own time into this campaign.  And I ask you to do the same.  Because together, we can win.

Like my friend Paul Thompson, I have several reasons for running, 13 to be exact.  Janelle and I have 22 grandchildren, 13 of whom live here in Provo.  

Some of my friends have wondered about the wisdom of challenging our good neighbor Steven D. Clark, a moderate Republican who has served for the past eight years in the legislature, has run unopposed all four times, and has received $12-18,000 each election even with no opponent!  He has high marks from small businesses and realtors.  The Legislature and the Governor have done well for Utah business, and I salute them.  I am also pro-business but would like to discuss our economy and our well-being more broadly.  

While our economy has grown in the past few years we’ve missed a great opportunity.  That is to fully fund our education system.  The legislature has not done as well for public education as they have for business.  And it is time to correct that.  Some might say that investing in business helps education.  But it works just as much, if not more, the other way around.  I suggest that investment in education greatly benefits society and is the master key to many things in the long run, including keeping Utah’s economy strong.  We will not always have a good society and a strong economy if we neglect our children’s education.     

When I was a young man I served as a missionary in Finland.  It is a small but beautiful little northern country of forests, lakes and rocks and about 5 million people.  But back in the early 1960s it was relatively poor, just recovering from WWII.  Apartments were small and sparsely furnished.  Few people had cars or telephones.  Now, however, the Finnish economy is one of the strongest in Europe, and Finnish Nokia cell phones are everywhere.  

Some years ago I met with the Finnish ambassador to the United States and asked him how he would explain his country’s amazing growth and prosperity. He said there were two factors:  one was the honesty of the Finnish people–every international study of corruption ranks Finland as one of the least corrupt countries for business.  The other was their commitment to educating their children.  They decided right after WWII, when their economy was in shambles, to dig deep into their national budget to make education their top priority.   They determined to invest financial capital into their social capital.

The results are plain to see.  The Finnish education system is world-famous.  Nearly every international study of education places Finland at or near the top.  And how has that affected Finland’s economy?   The Institute for Management Development placed Finland at number six in the world in business competitiveness in 2005. Finland is among the 15 richest countries in the world

If impoverished, post-war Finland could do it, so can Utah. Every year the Legislature and the Governor argue about what to do with our large budget surpluses from our booming economy.  There is a place for tax cuts, especially for those who are struggling to make ends meet.  But Utahns say that if the choice is between cutting taxes or putting it towards education, time and again they choose the latter.  

Education is a main Utah value and always has been.   Soon after the Mormon pioneers’  historic trek across America to the Salt Lake valley, even while their survival was precarious, they established schools in every town they settled.  Reaching for excellence and not just the minimum education, in 1850 they founded what is now the University of Utah.  In 1876 my great-great-grandfather Brigham Young sent my great grand-uncle Karl G. Maeser here to Provo to establish Brigham Young Academy.  Clearly excellence in education is one of Utahans’ oldest values.  

And how are we doing with that legacy?  For the last 20 years our Republican-controlled state government has allowed Utah to stay last in the nation in per-pupil spending, while other traditionally low-spending states like Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas, have invested heavily in public education.    Our spending per $1,000 of personal income for public education has recently fallen significantly to 36th place.  We rank a shameful 45th in the nation in beginning teacher salaries.  However, we rank highest in the nation in one category: average number of students per teacher.  

Problems also extend to higher education. Most college-bound students in Utah County go to UVSC, where I work.   Its name will change to Utah Valley University in July, but it has less money to spend per student than any other unit of higher education in the state.  Departments are struggling to attract and keep faculty to cover their classes.  And this has begun to affect our work force. The Utah Foundation suggests that Utah’s labor force is not as educated as employers would like it to be.  Anecdotal evidence notes that some high-tech Utah employers are having trouble finding qualified employees.  There is no guarantee that our economy will continue strong and that our children will find good jobs if we neglect their education.

Luckily, we have many strong, educated families and some competent, dedicated teachers who keep Utah pupils’ scores slightly above national averages.  But they should do much better, and our teachers’ altruism  is wearing thin.  They  are leaving in droves for greener pastures.  Meanwhile, the number of students studying to become teachers recently decreased 13% in three years. Governor Huntsman reported a shortage of 400 teachers at the beginning of this school year. And the problems will only get worse.

Our Republican legislators have vigorously protected the traditional family and the rights of the unborn.  I salute them for that and fully support my church’s teachings on both issues.  However, we must do a MUCH better job of educating our children after they are born, and the vast majority of Utahans agree.  

Every time you see a Nokia cell phone, remember the Finns and what investing in education did for their economy.

We have a number of other things we need to do for our children and families.  We should be better stewards of our air, water and land.  We can’t discuss all of these issues, but we can mention one: transportation   We must plan better public transport to reduce congestion on our roads and our dangerous levels of air pollution that few are aware of.  There are many other environmental issues, but this is a clearly a priority for our state.  

Lastly, we should say a word about "justice for all."  That is not only part of our Pledge of Allegiance, it is a deep-seated Utah value. We Utahans believe in fairness and want a just society.  Our government must be kept lean and efficient, but we can promote public education, quality health care, affordable housing, and clean air.  These are complex issues, and I will be searching for long-term answers and would love to hear your ideas on these issues as well.  

My friend Steve Baugh, who is also running for the legislature, gave out his cell phone number to improve communication with his constituents.  I will do the same: 318-6274.  

I also want to make a promise to you.  I promise that the first two bills I will propose will be one that improves pay for public school teachers and another that increases funding for Utah Valley University.  

This is will not be easy.  But politics is the art of the possible, requiring diplomacy and compromise.  My many years as an educational administrator, consultant, and innovator required both so I have experience in cooperating to find solutions.

But it is time for all of us to step up to make our state a better place to live and to give our children a brighter future.  I ask for your vote and your support to help make a better tomorrow.  

Remember: When you see a Mitt Romney bumper sticker, think about restoring the two-party system; when you see a Nokia cell phone, think ‘investment in education’; when you repeat the Pledge of Allegiance, think about achieving ‘justice for all.’ Isn’t that what this country is all about?