Putting Utah First
EQUALITY
The Declaration of Independence states that "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
To me this means that by law, regardless of a person's color, race, religion, or identity, everyone should have the same opportunity. Sadly, there are systemic disadvantages for many of our fellow citizens. We should work to break down barriers to equality, reach out to those that are marginalized, and eliminate systemic oppression anywhere we find it.
ENVIRONMENT
Air quality along the Wasatch front is frequently among the worst in the country. We need to work together to reduce emissions to improve our air quality as well as stop climate change. Our children and grandchildren will suffer if we don't act.
I will work to restore the Great Salt Lake to healthy levels. We need real solutions, not just platitudes. I favor an approach where communities, individuals, farmers, and businesses work together to find creative ways to divert less water away from the lake. We need to send nearly a million acre-feet of additional water every year to the lake. So far, we've only managed a tiny fraction of that. We need to make it a higher priority with strong incentives from the state to promote a reduction of water use from everyone.
EDUCATION
All of society benefits from a well educated population. As the son of a public school teacher, I have seen first hand the heroic lengths our teachers go to to provide a quality education to Utah's students, and the challenges they face to do so. Our already underpaid teachers spend their own money for classroom supplies.
Utah consistently ranks near the bottom in per pupil spending. We can do better. We need to protect our public schools and make sure they have adequate funding while ensuring efficient use of taxpayer money.
HEALTHCARE
Access to affordable health care is essential part of promoting the general welfare in our society.
The Affordable Care Act, along with the expansion of Medicaid, brought us closer to the goal of everyone having that access. Even so, many people still can't afford to see a doctor due to high premiums and deductibles. I will work to bring affordable health care, not just insurance, to all Utahns.
REFERENDUMS
In recent years, there have been several referendums placed on the ballot by groups of citizens that felt that the Utah legislature was not listening to them. After passing these referendums at the ballot box, the legislature still went to the effort to reverse or weaken the laws/programs created by these referendums. Rather than listening to the people, the legislature has since made efforts to make it harder for citizens to put a referendum on the ballot.
Referendums are a symptom of unhealthy representation. We need to eliminate the Republican supermajority and balance out the power in our state government. This will help our elected representatives focus on representing individuals instead of special interests.