This week I want to offer some personal wishes for the New Year. I have so many hopes for Utah in 2010.
First, I hope the vast majority of Utahns go to the polls this year and vote. The 2010 elections will include the vote for governor along with the entire State House of Representatives and many State Senators – and it’s pathetic that voter turnout is now lower than Obama’s disappearing approval ratings.
Second, before Utahns go the polls and elect their representatives, I hope they actually take a hard look at who they’re voting for. We should study the candidates. We should study the issues and talk about them thoroughly with friends and family. And then maybe we won’t just vote the party line.
Third, this is the year that Utah businesses will recover. I don’t mean just economically, but also recover their senses and quit running to government for all sorts of bailouts. I think this is the year, for instance, that we see that Utah’s thriving tourism business doesn’t need taxpayers to help them attract tourists, or that high-tech companies don’t need taxpayers to bankroll their risky projects, or even that cities and towns don’t need taxpayers to subsidize local entertainment at golf courses, recreation centers, or soccer stadiums.
Fourth, I hope 2010 is the year that Utah Republicans learn the true meaning of conservatism and that Utah Democrats overcome the political handicap of abortion and gay rights. Too many Utah Republicans have little idea of what an authentic conservative stands for and too many Utah Democrats remain delusional about how most Utahns associate being a Democrat with being baby-killers and oddballs.
Fifth, I hope that 2010 will be the year that Utah’s cities and towns will finally remember that they’re “political subdivisions” of the state and not independent fiefdoms and laboratories for Big Government. Over the years, Utah municipalities have behaved like local government means doing whatever they want to do regardless of state law, fiduciary responsibilities, and common sense. Maybe this is the year that they remember that they exist because the State of Utah, and its Constitution, allows them to exist.
Sixth, I’m pretty sure that 2010 will be the year that Utah begins a serious discussion about passing a constitutional spending limitation. The downturn in the economy, along with a subsequent downturn in our tax revenues, is a wonderful opportunity for a course correction in the size and scope of government. Gratefully, Utah has in its Constitution a requirement to balance the budget each year. What it doesn’t have is a requirement to limit spending.
Seventh, likewise 2010 is a great time to begin a serious discussion about getting rid of “no-fault” divorce in Utah. For a state that says it’s concerned about protecting marriage and family, our “no-fault” divorce laws belie that sentiment. If marriage and family are important to Utahns, then divorce shouldn’t be as easy as returning a Christmas gift at Wal-Mart.
Eighth, I hope 2010 is the year that we finally get serious about helping public school students and teachers. Specifically, I hope next year is the time when the State Legislature gets serious about expanding online educational opportunities and restructuring teacher pay – Utah’s public schools are dinosaurs in a modern age and online education can help bring it into the 21st century and great teachers ought to be recognized as such and be rewarded accordingly.
Ninth, I hope 2010 is the year for a renewed sense of federalism. As the federal government seeks to expand its control over states, I hope Utah will resist it at every turn. I hope we turn down federal education assistance and all the strings attached and I hope we shut the door on its attempt to control our health care. Just because the federal government lures us in with money, doesn’t mean we have to take it.
And tenth, I hope 2010 is a wonderful year for each of you personally. I hope the year brings you closer together with your family, your friends, and your community.
I’m Paul Mero. Thanks for listening.
