Paul Mero

The morning after election night I found myself whistling “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow.” And it did. And it was beautiful. I was reminded of the words from conservative godfather Russell Kirk, “Politics is not the whole of life.” Indeed, it’s not even the most important part of life.

Of course, I was as shocked as any person watching Donald Trump’s victory unfold late into the night. Frankly, it was unbelievable. But true nonetheless. Watching Fox News, as soon as they announced that Hillary had conceded to Trump, the Trump supporters outside the studio began chanting, “Lock her up!” – the same chant heard throughout the Republican National Convention that nominated Trump. I thought of all of the good (i.e. not crazy) people who voted for Trump. Is that what they were thinking, “Lock her up”? read more

Now that the circus we call the 2016 presidential election is coming to a close, the biggest election year story has to be the Mormon vote. The Republican nominee calls it the “Mormon problem.” The Democratic nominee campaigns in deeply red Utah like she actually has a chance to win. And a third party candidate, a Mormon, looks as if he might actually win Utah.

It’s a proud moment for me. All throughout my professional career I’ve expounded the idea of Mormon exceptionalism. Many times I’ve been deeply disappointed in the Mormon vote. A few times I have been gratefully surprised. Mostly I’ve been concerned at the ongoing indifference expressed civically by members of my faith. I’ve applauded the Mormon stand for family and marriage, not to mention expressions of human dignity and reasonableness that surfaced in the state immigration debate. I shake my head in disbelief over our lack of insight and foresight pertaining to issues such as gay rights and the legalization of pot. read more

Today, the 178th anniversary of the Mormon extermination order in Missouri, is as good a day as any to remind Utahns for Trump why Latter-day Saints have deep concerns about his candidacy.

Well settled in the memories and histories of Latter-day Saints is Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs’ executive order to his state militia to remove Mormons, by deadly force if necessary, from the state. Mormon “crimes” included practicing a different religion and believing that slaves should be freed. Of course, the biggest crime for the Latter-day Saints was that they were different and they began to congregate in one place. read more

I felt a great sense of loss after separating from Sutherland Institute just over two years ago. A lot of work had been put into building its conservative brand and reputation. Furthermore, an impetuous and unceremonious firing only heightened my feelings of loss. It was stunning and it hurt. But, as with most of life’s trials, there was a silver lining, a liberation of sorts that perhaps many conservatives and Republicans should experience.

Shortly after separating I received a call from the Governor’s office inviting me to stand with Governor Herbert at his press conference introducing the Healthy Utah plan. Sutherland was opposing the governor’s plan. I accepted the personal invitation nonetheless. In fact, I went on to defend the plan rather aggressively. It was the right thing for Utah – and, as it turned out, it was the conservative thing. Opponents of extending eligibility for Medicaid ended up supporting “expanding” it anyway covering fewer people for more money. read more

Nobody could accuse me of being a lackey for public education. Not only did Sally and I home school our six children, K-12, but professionally I have pushed for parental rights, local control and self-reliance in education throughout Utah. I supported school vouchers and tax credits before that. I’m infamous for authoring a lengthy essay titled Saving Education & Ourselves: The Moral Case for Self-Reliance in Education.

In that essay I wrote, “government schooling does indeed have a proper role in society, but it is a limited and welfare role,” and I concluded the essay with the following recommendations: read more

Over my lifetime, like all of you, I’ve had the chance to work with great colleagues who have become dear friends. One of these friends of mine is Janice Shaw Crouse – a beautiful lady, inside and out. Janice has her Ph.D., was a presidential speechwriter for Bush senior, an appointee by Bush junior as an official US delegate to the United Nation’s Children’s Summit and the Commission on the Status of Women. Janice was a longtime senior executive for Concerned Women of America and she’s a very accomplished author and speaker. I trust her judgment and her heart. read more

When I was growing up, I knew very little about races and racism. I was born and spent the first nine years of my life in the Bay Area, the east Bay Area, the Oakland side – the real Bay Area. Dad owned several delicatessens at the time and they all served very working class people of all races. While we lived in a very white neighborhood our churches and schools were a racial mix of Asians, especially Japanese, blacks, Hispanics and us.

I suppose racial sensitivity was high living so close to Oakland in the 1950s and 60’s. Maybe that’s why everyone seemed to get along where I lived. But I have to think as well that we got along because we didn’t have class distinctions, even if racial tensions were high inside the big cities. read more

As if it matters at all, the Clinton campaign has created a new support group in Utah: Mormons for Hillary. The initial group is comprised of over 100 Latter-day Saints who say they are voting for Hillary – 120 founding members to be exact.

At the forefront of this new group are self-identified Republicans, such as attorney David Irvine. I say “self-identified” because typically Republicans, such as Irvine, are rarely viewed by others as Republican – mostly they are called RINOs, Republican in name only. But even that doesn’t matter. read more

For a good five or six years over the past decade I have encouraged the state Legislature to reign in the power of the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA). Recently, and surprisingly, the State Board of Education had the same thought. The State Board proposed to end the control UHSAA has over school athletics by controlling the transfer process.

UHSAA has purview over all extracurricular activities in Utah schools – music, science, vocational programs and, of course, high school sports. For every other extracurricular activity a student is free to transfer to any other school to pursue those activities. But not if the student is an athlete. In fact, state law rules that any student can transfer to any school for no reason if the transfer school has space. But not if the student is an athlete. read more