Paul Mero

Years and years ago, during my first official public speech in Utah, I mentioned, “I don’t envision Utah for anyone.” My remark was a not-so-subtle jab at Envision Utah, perhaps the largest private-sector government-planning group in the state. Back then, in its early stages, it was run by Jon Huntsman Jr.

Today, I am much less suspicious of its objectives than I was 15 years ago. Let’s face it, for a variety of social and economic reasons, Utah’s population will grow dramatically over the next few decades – with limited natural resources, along with the unnatural limits to potential land use placed upon Utah by the federal government, somebody is going to have to figure out future growth and how we entertain perhaps doubling the state population. read more

Just over 20 years ago, the Gingrich revolution swept through Congress. For the first time in 63 years, Republicans became the majority in the 1994 election.

I was a younger man back then having already spent many years on the Hill. Within the first year of the new leadership I became a chief of staff. Hopes were high for my conservative colleagues. We began organizing congressmen into something called CAT, the “Conservative Action Team,” with the hope that a core of 50 members of the House of Representatives could ensure that promised reforms occurred. That group evolved into what is now the House Freedom Caucus. read more

By now you’ve probably heard of Kim Davis, the county clerk from Kentucky who was sent to jail for not issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. And, by now, you, like most Americans, are a little confused about the case. On the one hand, it feels an awful lot like a religious bigot defying justice and acting the martyr. And, on the other hand, it feels an awful lot like political correctness run amok in the life of an otherwise innocent person. I can tell you that it’s probably more the latter than the former but this case is a good example of the legal conflicts to come as America scrambles for cultural equilibrium. read more

Authentic conservatism has a temperament as much as it has its sentiment. One reason we know Donald Trump isn’t a conservative is through his temperament. He often sounds angry and he surely taps into the angst of modern times – a trait of populists not conservatives. Unfortunately, Trump couches his anger in the warm embrace of the thoroughly conservative term “justice.” He demands justice. His followers demand justice. From the brown hoards streaming across our southern border to the rich soaking the poor, the battle cry for many distraught Americans today is justice. read more

Now that libertarian businessman Jonathan Johnson has formally announced his intention to run for governor in 2016, it’s fair to take a look at the candidate, compare him to his competition, match him against mainstream Utah values and address his competency as a political leader.

Johnson is up against a tough act. Governor Gary Herbert is leading this state exceptionally well. Working effectively in tandem with the state Legislature, Governor Herbert has had a prudent hand on the helm of state. The Utah economy continues to boom – meaning, with his leadership, state government has stepped aside and not tried to micromanage businesses. And the people are generally united in spirit and purpose – a very communitarian view of life, society and the role of limited government. read more

We know of the cake maker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. There is a similar case where a cake maker refused to make a cake with an anti-gay message. And we have a recent case where a cake maker refused to make a cake with a Confederate flag on it.

Americans generally agree that laws ought not exist regarding the free exchange of goods, like cakes. While we’re increasingly fuzzy about the freedom of association, generally Americans agree that, when buying a cake, we have the liberty to make that economic exchange, regardless of what that cake looks like or tastes like. read more

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has a problem with Uber. His problem is that Uber is putting the taxicab industry out of business and the cab unions, city contracts and partisan political arrangements are being tested.

If you don’t know what Uber is, it’s a free market alternative to traditional taxicabs. Here’s how it works: Uber is run from an app on your smart phone. You download the app, provide some basic information and a method of payment (either a credit card or a PayPal account). When you need a ride, you open the app on your phone. Through its own GPS navigation system, it knows where you are. You type in your destination and request a car. An Uber driver accepts your request and comes to pick you up. The driver takes you to your destination and you hop out – just like a taxicab. read more

My wife, Sally, and I recently were blessed with our twelfth grandchild. He’s so precious and we love him and the other eleven – and all the others that are sure to follow. Like our own six children, each of these twelve grandchildren is unique. Each is wonderfully different than the next. And I love them all.

But, I have to admit, contrary to common grandparent wisdom, I prefer my original six kids. Yes, the love we receive from our grandchildren is precious and heart-melting. Sally’s heart is big enough for all of them and more. Me? I like the ones I raised. I like their character. I hope our grandchildren follow in their footsteps – they likely will. But it’s not assured. read more

I’ve often wondered how freedom-loving people hold freedom-destroying ideas. Those familiar with my commentaries know I hold progressivism in disdain, both kinds of progressivism – the liberal left kind and the libertarian right kind. As long as I can remember in my profession I have tried to explain the problems with progressivism and how they get freedom all wrong. Perhaps the best explanation I’ve read in a long time comes from a new book titled, Democracy’s Discontent: America in Search of a Public Philosophy. Surprisingly, the author, Michael Sandel, is a Harvard political science professor – see, there’s hope yet. read more

When Catholic Pope Francis issued his latest encyclical titled, Praise Be, the Associated Press wrote, “Francis framed climate change as an urgent moral crisis…blaming global warming on an unfair, fossil-fuel based industrial model that harms the poor the most. The document…was a stinging indictment of big business and climate doubters.”

The encyclical, delivered June 18, contained over 37,000 words. Pope Francis allotted just over 1,300 words for a section titled “Pollution and Climate Change” – just over three percent of his remarks. If we analyzed his priorities in a word cloud, the term “climate change” is absent. That said, Pope Francis did address climate change. He condemned the modern world’s “throwaway culture,” an expression he also used to describe the modern scourge of abortion. read more