Legislation affects our communities and should reflect the values we have. These include neighborly kindness, individual responsibility, ethical behavior, the importance of education, good health, and care for our environment.
My high priority topics of public policy:
While there are many issues facing our state, decisions on how to handle them must be based on the values we have as a community. We must be thinking of families. We must be thinking of the future. We must foster good will in community life and ethics in government. I want to represent you in promoting these values as the basis of Utah State government.
The following is a description of my high priority topics of public policy:
As a legislator, I will focus on the concerns of families because this is what determines the strength of our communities. Protecting the weakest among us is both compassionate and beneficial to our neighborhoods.[top]
Since my decision to run for the State Legislature at the beginning of 2008, we have experienced and continue to be pounded by the effects of national financial turmoil. First the credit crunch and the mortgage melt-down, bringing about the banking fiasco. The State of Utah has a great challenge ahead of it. We will be in better shape than many states but the problems in the stock market and banking industries will have repercussions here as well as everywhere else. The decisions that will be made as budgets are cut and appropriations examined will be extremely important and will require prioritizing needs. Everyone will be wanting a larger slice of an ever-smaller pie. As I have walked from house to house in my legislative district, I have discussed with many people the needs of individuals and families. The incentives to business must take a backseat in times like these. Lobbyists may holler but the voices of hundreds of my neighbors have my ear.[top]
Democracy is dependent upon having educated citizens. Utah is unique in the country in that families are relatively large and the population is young. This is an advantage, as it offers a secure future. But it brings with it a challenge to educate these children. The vast majority of our families rely upon public schools. It is a mistake to shortchange the rising generation and our own future by neglecting to fund quality public education. We need to keep competent, creative and energetic teaching professionals in the state. Reducing class size is a first priority.[top]
Government should lead the way in promoting energy efficient practices. These include building and landscape design, opportunities for recycling materials, and public transportation.[top]
Utah has natural resources that can be developed, but I advocate long-range planning. The key to security is having a variety of sources that are interconnected. Abundant sunshine, geothermal features and wind will be more productive as technology advances. Development in these areas should be promoted. We must mitigate the environmental impacts of proposed nuclear energy plants and existing coal burning. We must shift to the cleaner, renewable sources as soon as possible.[top]
There is a push to begin harvesting fuel oil from oil shale and tar sands. This may seem more cost-effective as the price of foreign oil and domestic exploration continues to climb; however, sludge ponds and strip mining leave great scars on the land. I would need to be convinced that it can be done in a responsible way before I would back this sort of exploitation.
Utah is a state with natural beauty and four wonderful seasons, and yet, three of the fifteen cities ranked worst nationally for air quality are in Utah. For the sake of public health, I will actively seek ways of reducing dangerous emissions into the air.[top]
Water resources must be protected, not only for aesthetic reasons but for survival in this dry climate. Growth that is celebrated for its economic benefits must be balanced with our ability to supply water. We will need to adopt more conservative practices and protect ground water from pollutants that affect household water.
Legislators are receiving thousands of dollars from the nuclear waste disposal industry wishing to import nuclear waste from foreign countries for disposal in Utah. My vote for this cannot be bought. For public health as well as environmental health, I oppose the dumping of foreign nuclear waste in Utah.
I will work to implement healthcare reform that reduces costs, focuses on prevention education and wellness, and gives individuals choices based on competitive private insurance policies. Reforms must allow employers to provide insurance premium benefits on policies that employees will be able to take with them from job to job. The Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce has created a proposal for health care reform that will help both individuals and small businesses. I support this type of reform, which is long over-due.[top]
The failure of federal government to manage immigration has created divisive problems. The federal government must come up with immigration reform that addresses the need for workers and secure borders. The U S State Department must have workable visa regulations and entry requirements. States must not let them off the hook. State laws that create a scapegoat for their social or economic problems are not the answer. Differences in language and skin color shouldn't be grounds for mistrust. We should deal with the problems of crime and exploitation, and work to assimilate otherwise law abiding immigrants.[top]
Our legislators should be held accountable with well-defined ethical guidelines. A lack of rigorous ethics policies protects those who abuse their office and casts doubt over those who are circumspect.[top]
Officials currently benefit by gifts of entertainment, extravagant meals, or vacation travel on the basis of their position in the legislature. It is the job of lobbyists to influence lawmakers in favor of their clients. They routinely spend thousands of dollars on gifts. To believe that these gifts do not influence legislation is to think that lobbyists don't know their business. They do and they do. Federal employees are forbidden to accept gifts from entities with whom they do business. There should be similar safeguards on state legislators.
In addition, when a candidate’s campaign is financed by special interests (PAC’s), commercial businesses, or party leaders, he or she is likely to represent these interests in legislative votes. Otherwise they would not be making this investment. I encourage voters to check the public records to see who is financing the political campaigns of all their candidates. Follow this link to the State of Utah Reports, enter a candidate and navigate to the "detailed contributions report".
[top]As a candidate for the Utah State Legislature, I appreciate the independence that the Utah Democratic Party allows elected officials, to vote according to their conscience and to represent their constituency. I reject the attempts by opposing parties to "pigeon-hole" a candidate by stereotypes of party affiliation. Aspects of the national parties may or may not apply to an individual's stand.
For example, I oppose abortion for convenience. I support the policy of the LDS church in regard to abortion, which is in line with the Utah County Democratic Party platform.
Similarly, gay marriage is not a defining issue for democratic candidates. I am not an advocate for gay marriage. I also will not support legislation motivated by hate for groups of people. I believe I represent the values of my neighbors in upholding human dignity and compassion.