Paul Mero

Upon the announcement nearly two years ago from then-FBI Director James Comey that he would not further pursue the Hillary Clinton email scandal, I shared these thoughts with you:

Perhaps like me, you too watched all or a part of the congressional hearing with FBI Director James Comey. Regardless of his answers and defense of his report to the Justice Department, how did Comey come across to you? How did he make you feel? Did you sense a difference between Comey and Clinton or Trump? Did Comey come across as a liar? Did appear to be just another slick lawyer? Was there anything in Comey’s presentation that made you feel uneasy or that he wasn’t telling the truth as he sees it? read more

Salt Lake Tribune editorial writer, Michelle Quist, has spent her last two columns on equal pay for women. I have applauded both columns. I think equal pay for women is an obvious good, a no-brainer like legalizing the “dreamer” kids. Not many public policies are as easy to address as these two policies.

In fact, equal pay for women is such an easy concept to wrap your head around, it makes me wonder what opponents and even reluctant supporters are worried about? We have heard the many circumstantial excuses why policy makers and some business leaders are unwilling to accept the obvious – women’s lives are different than men, they are in and out of the work force, they cannot give full attention to their jobs because of domestic distractions, etc. read more

Now that the Utah Medical Marijuana Initiative has inched closer to obtaining a spot on the November statewide ballot, it is a good time to get absolutely real about what policies, and their societal effects, are at stake. Supporters of the measure argue that good people are being forced to break the law just to relieve chronic pain. Opponents argue that this initiative is simply the first step in a broader campaign to legalize pot, as in Colorado. So who is right?

Every statewide ballot initiative permits supporters and opponents to offer a few words to argue their case with voters. I would add a new category of ballot explanation titled, “The Truth” and here is what I would argue: read more

Immediately preceding the crucifixion of Jesus, the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, told the accusing crowd of Sanhedrin, “I find no fault in him.” He told them four times, “I find no fault in him.” The Sanhedrin wanted Jesus dead and, under both Jewish and Roman law in this circumstance, only the Roman governor could order the death of Jesus. But Pilate found Jesus innocent of the trumped up charge of sedition.

In the end, Pilate became more concerned with maintaining his position as governor of Judea than with the truth. He capitulated to the irrational but vociferous Sanhedrin and ordered Jesus crucified. Wrought with guilt for condemning an innocent man, Pilate symbolically washed his hands of the blood about to be shed and announced he had nothing to do with it. read more

On my desk in my home office I have several yellow “sticky” notes upon which I write reminders, sometimes for my “to-do” list but mostly with those momentary but deeper reflections I feel I need to capture for later pondering. One of those deeper thoughts constantly before my eyes says, “Good policy requires good character.”

Of course, for those who know me, this theme of personal character has been important to me. Character has been my basis for understanding freedom, supporting the issues I have supported over the years and opposing the many ideologies and ideologues I have opposed. For instance, my opposition to the ideology of libertarianism is about its general lack of intellectual and moral character rather than disagreement over any particular issue. read more

By now, a week after his death, Stephen Hawking has discovered his atheism. He now knows that God exists or he knows nothing because a spiritless, decomposing body is nothing. Hawking is either standing among God’s children (yes, standing) or, as he liked to say, his life has the value of an iPhone dropped in the toilet – no value at all.

Hawking was a dedicated atheist or, rather, he was a dedicated scientist who felt that the latter engineered the former. Here are some quotes from Hawking on God and science: read more

America owes a great debt to the philosophers of the Enlightenment over 300 years ago. Many democratic virtues are the result of liberal ideas formed in the 18^th century leading up to the American Revolution. Unsurprisingly, illiberal ideas sprang from the Enlightenment as well – label these ideas “if a little is good, more is better.” As the ink was drying on our new Constitution and its initial amendments, the French Revolution proved to the world that more is not always better.

Illiberalism was invented through zeal and excess in the Age of Reason. Excesses in the French Revolution included rejecting civil authority while rightly rejecting monarchy; rejecting moral authority while rightly rejecting theocracy; rejecting community while rightly recognizing individualism; and, rejecting intellectual integrity while rightly pursuing democratic equality. In other words, Jacobins easily threw the baby out with the bath and signs of the same are going on today. read more

As I said last week, Mitt Romney has a problem. To repeat myself, “I am concerned Mitt Romney does not understand freedom in its fullest, most transcendent meaning.” I am concerned that Mitt views freedom transactionally, as mere opportunity – the right to hunt, gather and possess. Of course, opportunity is a big part of freedom, but it is not the only part or even the most important part.

Funny thing about our American priorities when tested: We fight and die for quality of life, not quantity of life. When I think of my father fighting at Iwo Jima he was not risking his life simply for the hope to open a business when he returned home. No, he risked all for his family, community and way of life. He was not thinking about how much deli meat he could eventually sell. He imagined a good home in which he could raise a happy family, care for his aged parents and, one day, enjoy grandchildren and great grandchildren. read more

What problem could Mitt Romney possibly have in his new quest for the United States Senate? He is a shoe-in for the office. He is beloved in Utah. His career has been spectacular. In running for president, he was vetted backward and forward. Every closet was opened to find any lurking skeletons and none were found. As far as elected office goes, Mitt Romney is nearly the perfect candidate, especially for Utah. I will vote for him on his character alone. So, when I say Mitt Romney has a problem, you might want to pay attention. read more