Monthly Archives: November 2015

On the heels of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ new policy regarding the children of same-sex married couples, a state judge ruled that a gay married couple were not fit parents because of their same-sex status. Ruling on the three-month old child’s foster care status, Seventh District Juvenile Court Judge Scott Johansen cited research indicating that children are worse off in the care of same-sex couples than in the care of heterosexual couples.

Of course the ruling has ignited a wildfire of protests across the nation. While this is a complicated issue, Judge Johansen is correct in his findings, even if politically incorrect in his ruling. But this problem is not Judge Johansen’s alone. The brunt of this problem sits at the feet of the Utah Legislature and the LDS Church. read more

The election of Paul Ryan as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives should be a case study for the Utah Republican Party. Ryan is a principled and effective conservative leader who gained the wrath of the crazies in his own party. And that reminds me of Utah Republican politics!

What more could conservative activists ask for than a principled and effective conservative leader? Someone more conservative? Someone more principled? In Paul Ryan’s case, is there really someone in the House Freedom Caucus more conservative, more principled and more effective than Paul Ryan? But I could ask the same question about Governor Gary Herbert – Is there any Republican in the state more conservative, more principled and more effective than Gary Herbert? The short answer is no. read more