What is the URA?

I first heard about the Utah Republican Assembly (URA) from my friend on Facebook. And I became interested in what it was.

As David Pyne is describing right now, the URA’s main purpose it so elect conservative Republicans in the state of Utah. It a part of the larger National Federation of Republican Assemblies.

1:25pm

Opened with Pray and Pledge of allegiance.

1:30pm

Reading of the Rules for this convention.
They were adopted.

1:35pm – Don Ruzicka, founding URA President on the “History & Purpose of URA”

Politics is a struggle of power.  We fight battle to maintain power.

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.  When asked what kind of government have you givein us, Benjamin Franklin said: We have given you a Republic.  If you can keep it.

“If you can keep it” means that we cannot become complacent.  If all we do is complain out our leaders and don’t do anything about it, then we can’t succeed.

The Republican Assembly was started  because of the modertation of the Utah Republican Party.  They followed models from Arizona, California, and Nevada.

At the time the Republican party was on the wrong course, as it is today.  And it was doing everything it could to destroy it’s success.  The only way to change it was to change the people who lead it.

We are to become a shadow organization to parrellel the party to help change it.  We have been successful.  To the point of having almost total control of the party.  And we made sure things got done.

Politics are the same now as they were then.  And orginazation like the assembly has the job to get people organized to move the party back to it’s conservative roots.  Many people have been disaffected by what the party has done.  And we have a chance to unify the party and bring back the disaffected.

Aggressive activism with smart and aggressive planning can help us to achieve our goal.

From the originaly URA Brochure:

“Government is not reason, it’s not about eloquence.  It is force, like fire it is a dangerous servance and master” – George Washington.

“A moderate is a politically dangerous person who rationalizes that compromise is more important than principle” – Don Ruzicka.

Join us, if you share our commitment and concern to steer the Republican Party back to it core principles.  We are not interested in talk, we are interested in action and results.

1:50pm -  Elections of Officers

…

Sorry I had to leave for a few minutes, so I missed the speeches from David Pyne (out going URA President) and Mike Thompson (in coming URA President.

…

2:15pm – Senator Margaret Dayton – “The Future of Conservatism in Utah”

We blessed to live in the great state.

“The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time.” – Thomas Jefferson.

The people who oppose torture also speak about partial birth abortion as important for our society, and it is something that I (Sen. Dayton) don’t understand.

Since it is Mother’s day Sen. Dayton shares a picture of her mother when she graduated from college.  Then shares a story about her mother as planes through over head as they folder a flag from her father’s coffin, and presented it to her mother.  This was a defining moment in Dayton’s mother’s wife.  Then she shares a picture of her father.

The best thing that we can do it take on the things that our parents taught us and pass them on to the next generation.  We need to be advocates for the things we care about and that matter to us.  All legislatures swear an oath to the constitution.  We are not to take our oaths lightly, because we will be held accountable for those oaths.

We need to know the constitution and align ourselves with like minded people.  Some groups are the Patrick Henry Caucus, the Tea Parties that are going on and the NRA.

Dayton has been fighting against the battle for the federal government to control our lives.  The current administration is seek to control more through amendments to the No Child Left Behind Act.

We must use talk radio, education, and our own passionate commitment to our conservative principles to move our principles forward.

Dayton and her husband have been reading about the American Revolutionary War, and has been inspired by it.  Washington seemed to have everything against him before crossing the river for a surprise attack on Christmas.  The important thing to note is that there were a lot of people living in the Colonies who did not support the war, but it was the right thing to do.

To quote Don Ruzicka, Politics is war, it is not a social club or an art, and we need to proceed like General Washington.

She concludes by sharing a post card that said that said, “freedom comes at a tremendous cost” with a picture of Arlington Cemetery, then the words “Don’t worry, a friend has picked up the tab for you.”

2:40pm – Steve Harmsen, former S. L. County Council President – “What I Hope to Accomplish if I am Elected State Republican Chairman.”

I have not left the Republican Party, the Republican Party has left me.  I am the only candidate for State Chair that can bring the Party back.

I want to make this a bottom up party, instead of a top down party.  I want to make delegates 365-day a year delegates, instead of 6-hour (during the convention) delegates.  I want to strengthen the neighborhood caucuses.

Money has compromised our party principles and the preservation of power.  Hermes posulated the things come in cycles.  We are in a cycle, but that does not mean that we need to become moderates to succeed. Rather we need leaders who will represent the conservative principles of the party.

Here is what I would put on the talbe to allow delegates to assume their position of power.  All of the assets would be made available to all delegates.  I would emphasize the Internet; we need to use the Internet to get out the message of the Party.

I am running to represent the delegates who represent the views of the people who elected them to run.  Other candidates are representing the people who “tapped” them for this position. (Not Harmsen’s exact words, but definitely implied).

I have the managerial competence to do this job.  I will maintain a fair a flat playing feild for all Republicans, and put the delegates in their rightful place at the head of this party.

3:00pm – Morgan Philpot (former State Representative) – “Why I am Running for State Vice Chairman”

Form – These are the issues (like the Constitution, Declaration of Independence).

Ideology – This is what drive the forms.  These are the beliefs and ideas that lead us in creating these forms.

Spirit of Liberty – Is the ideology that we should use to guide our ideologies.

Quote for the Declaration of Independence, then declares that he is here to win so that he can lead the cause of the Spirit of Liberty.  In having the spirit of liberty, we will win the battle.  We are not called to lose, but to have the faith to win.

Quotes Oliver Cromwell, who fought for the good old cause over the pompous leaders of his generation.

3:10pm – Congressman Merrill Cook – “The Abuses of the Federal Reserve, Fannie and Freddi Seen up Close from the Vantage of the U.S. House Banking Committee”

Cook served 4 years on the House Banking Committee, so he has had a chance to see the Federal Reserve up close and personally.

Liberty is important when it comes to economic endeavors.  It plays an important role in capitolism.

There is no constitutional basis for the economic system we have, where the congress is in control of our money.  The Federal Reserve is not a vital part of our economy.  There are alternatives to the Federal Reserve and restore freedom and have a strong economy.

Bernake has admitted that we are printing money out of thin air.  The only reason that inflation isn’t going crazy right now, is because the productive capacity is greater than the economic activity is.  When demand meets the capacity, we will see up to 30% inflation in under 1 year (possibly a month).

It’s not a bad idea to put the constitution back in charge, and allow banks to fail, and to put congress back in its place.  The President isn’t asking the congress any more to even print more money, because we have the Federal Reserve.

3:25pm – Representative Greg Hughes

When I was elected, it was an economic down turn, and there were many bills calling for increased fees and taxes.  And many of these were passing despite the “conservative” members of congress.  So, we decided to have a conservative caucus with an open door, where people could work together to increase conservative values being represented in Congress.  This caucus started to drive policy leading to more conservative use of taxpayers money.

We helped pass school reform in vouchers.  We also passed State spending limitations, allowing the government only to increase it spending in a more conservative way.  We have fought several other caucuses in keeping taxes lower than many were proposing.

The Future of the Republican Party.

The Tea Party’s were an organic movement of the people speaking out against the direction of government.  We need this kind of statement.

I was disappoint with the Republican’s when they had control of the Congress and the White House, and they didn’t represent our values.  It is the democrats and the media that are saying that the Republican Party need to come more to the left.

There is a lot of angst at Sen Arlen Spector’s switching of parties.  I know this from my experience in politics in Pennsylvania.  Spector moved over, because he knew that he was going to struggle in the next election if he kept his alignment with the Republican Party.

The Senate now only knows one note: “Me, Me, Me, Me, Me.”  We have gone so far astray from Reagan’s big tent.

The tent as I remember wasn’t, if you love small government and big government then come on in.  Reagan Republicans were working men and women who agreed with his principles of self-determination and self-governance.

We have the party that will captivate Americans and Utahns that will direct this country.

The social conservative isn’t what has ruined our party.  Think about the social liberal.  Where is the cry against the social liberals and the direction that they are taking this country.  We are playing defense on this issue, and the other side gets a pass.  We need to get more direct in what our party is about.

3:40pm – Representative Chris Herrod – “The Importance of the 2010 Election Cycle”

When I was 16, I went on a BYU semester abroad to Europe, and I saw the barbed wire into hungary, and I say the berlin wall, and walked across the Charlie Checkpoint, and I was grateful for the country that I lived in.

A second experience was in 1992, I had finished my Master’s at BYU, and I went to the Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union.  I asked my class, while there what they thought about their freedom.  The 19 women answered that until I can own my home, I am not free.  She understood the importance of property rights.

The final reason this election cycle is important was when I saw a police officer harrassing some children who were trying to sell biscuits.  They hadn’t paid their “protection money.”  I tried to help these kids, and I was arrested. (This was in Russia.)  When they saw my American passport they finally let me go.

Government is starting to take over free enterprise.  And this is our fight, and we need to put our life and our livelihood on the line to protect the freedoms that we have.

We are losing freedom as our banks are being nationalized.  You control an economic system if you control the banks.  I have begun to fear for my family and my livelihood as this control is changing.

The 2010 cycle may be the last chance we have to restore these freedoms.  In the conservative movement we are too concerned with our petty difference.  We need to over look that to make a difference in the 2010 cycle.

3:55pm – Representative Craig Frank

The NFRA’s elephant is in an attacking mode.  I like that better than the “sleepy” elephant the the RNC currently uses.

My mother used to put sayings like: “Do Nothing, Say Nothing, Be Nothing” at children’s eye hieight.  And that lead me to be the type of representative I wanted to be.

When I first arrived in the legislature, I saw several who kept voting no.  And I saw myself being drawn to them.  From this we have created the conservative caucus to help lead the conservative principles in the house.

In the front of my Pocket Constitution there is a quote: “The power under the constitution will always be in the people.  It will be entrusted to representative of their own chosing…” If they don’t represent then it is the power of the people to recall their representatives. – George Washinton

I am on facebook to reach a segment of the population under 30.  We need to reach this group.  Pres. Obama won because of this population.  He reached out the them through facebook, twitter, and blogging.  We need to take an offensive position, and take on the fight like this elephant.  We are missing 12 years of Republican here.

4:10pm -Thomas Wright, Salt Lake County GOP Chair (impromptu invitation to speak).

I am excited to getting out and working to get our values more represented in our precinct meetings. It’s my hope that recommit ourselves to the grassroots efforts to getting our message out.

Larry Meyers, Immediate Past President – “What Conservatives Need to Do to Win the 2010 Election”

We need to stay inspired and stay within the fight.  It is easy to get inspired.

I think of Patrick Henry, he was a lot like us.  He was just a little guy.  He didn’t have a lot of money, just a regular country lawyer.  But most of all he stood up for what he believes in, and he went up against the establishment in the House of Burgesses.

He was able to do a lot to represent his people.  We are each Patrick Henry’s.  Don’t be afraid to stand up for freedoms.

4:20pm – Mike Thompson, Closing Remarks

We are challenged to bring someone into the URA.  This is important to us with elections coming up.  We want to see Morgan elected as Vice Chair of the State Party.  Morgan is the type of leader that can bring the party back to where it needs to be.

At the beginning of December my boss asked me to join him in the Head Manager’s Office. While worry always comes to mind in such situations, I knew that this couldn’t be anything bad. At least I hoped.

They wanted to talk to me to offer me a different position in the office.

If you have followed me on Twitter, you know that I have often complained about our IT Guy. I have often felt that I knew more about computers than he. Well, now is my time to prove it.

They asked me to spend the next few month training on the various systems, and then I will take over the bulk of the IT work. This has me a little nervous, because while I am fairly handy at computers, I have very little experience with network administration. But I am also equally excited for the chance to learn.

The few people that I have talked to about it at work (I was told not to, but some people already knew), have shown a lot of confidence in me. While that is reassuring, I hope that I don’t fail them.

This couldn’t have come at a better time. I like my job and I really like the company that I work for, but I am getting tired of the same old story every day. I have been wanting a change in my career for several months now. So, this seems to be a great fit for me.

One problem I see with this, is that it may interfere with the project that I started several months back. Honestly, while I have done some work on it. I haven’t done a lot. And now that things are changing at work, I will probably have less time to work on it. Which might mean that I will start blogging again. However, no promises. I am going to see how everything works out.

Anyway, I hope this new year is good for you, and I am sure that it will be an exciting one like this one appears to be for me.

I am of course a little upset about the Obama win. However, the people have spoken, and now we must live with the “change” that is coming our way. I personally am bracing for impact, but praying that it won’t be as hard as I imagine it.

Now on to the reason for this post. About six months ago, I started a project right in the middle of all this campaigning that I had volunteered to do. Thinking back, it wasn’t really the smartest timing for starting a new project. With family, work, church, and campaigning, I had no time to work on anything else. Further, I got myself rather involved in several online “social networks.” I have generally enjoyed interacting with others on these sites, but it has consumed a lot of time.

However, I have realized that this has consumed a lot of my time. Perhaps even more than television had once occupied.

So, the big news for today and the reason I am writing is to let you know that I am leaving the online world (sort of). I will be discontinuing much online presence for a while. I am not going completely off-line, and I am not deleting any accounts. I am just taking a 6-month break.

Here is the rough break down of what exactly is happening:

This blog (and others)
I will discontinue all blog activity. I have no plans or intentions of commenting here for the next 6 months. No stories about my life, no political commentary, and no more dutch oven recipes. If anything significant happens during the Utah legislative session, I might jump on here briefly, but I really am not planning on much. I strongly recommend you follow me through RSS or the Utah Bloghive. Both of these should let you know when I have started posting again. Otherwise, you can just wait until May.

Twitter
I pretty much plan on abandoning this for the next 6 months. I am for sure not going to be reading others’ posts. And I don’t expect that I am going to make any comments there as well. I might on a rare occasion give an update on the progress of my project, but I won’t be following what is going on in others’ lives.

Facebook
This may be the one place that I stay with. I won’t follow it as closely, but I am thinking that I will post a few pictures and videos. This will be mostly to keep in touch with family. Sure I will interact with friends, but for the most part, I will not be following people’s status reports or pictures.

RSS Reader
I have greatly reduce the number of feeds that I am following. Don’t worry, I have saved a back up of all the RSS feeds that I have been following. But I have reduced my current feeds from 129 to less then a third of that. I was hoping to do more, but there are a few forums, people, and news items that I still want to keep up with. However, I did remove some of the most active feeds. I expect that I will have only about 10% of the amount of reading as I have come to expect.

You might be wondering what project could be so important that I would change my life so much. However, I am not telling, and only a select few know. Most of you probably won’t be interested in the project. Most of you will find it a complete waste of time. However, there are a few of you that might find it a worthwhile project. I am choosing to keep it under the cover for now, and I promise that by May 15 2009 I will tell you what the project is. However, I will drop a wee little hint for you.

During my time away, I hope all fares well for each of you. In the unlikely event you want to contact me, there is a contact tab at the top of this page, go ahead and use that. Or you can try t r g r a n t -at- b y u -dot- n e t.

Thanks for your readership, both in good times and bad. I hope that this project is a success, and that I am able to publish a positive announcement is 6 months. Good-bye for now.

The Nationwide Fast is effort to encourage every citizen of this great country to fast on November 2nd. We are fast as a petition to God to get our nation on track with his will.

If you haven’t taken the time to commit yourself to this nationwide effort, please do so now. You can show your commitment in several ways, but the best ways are either on the website or on facebook.

I voted today. And it seemed to go really well. There were two main things I like about early voting.

The first, and perhaps the most obscure to some readers, is that I got to show my ID. Yep, photo ID is required to vote in you early vote. I with that it was required to vote any time. So, it was my great honor to show my ugly driver’s license photo to the friendly poll workers.

The second thing I liked about early voting was that the lines were short. The prediction is that this is going to be one of the biggest turn out for voting in recent history. So, the polling places are going too be packed. I was in an out of my polling place in just under 30 minutes.

There are also some other incidental nice things about early voting. The people in line seemed in a better mood. Perhaps, it’s because they got to choose when they were there, and not forced into a time frame mandated by others. The volunteers were ver pleasant. Usually, the seemed rushed and unhappy. Today, they were very nice and glad to see me. Perhaps, I just got lucky. It is also nice to know that my vote is cast.

If you are interested, here were my votes:

President: Chuck Baldwin
3rd District Represenative: Jason Chaffetz
Governor: Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Attorney General: Mark Shurtleff
State Treasurer: Richard Ellis
County Mayor: Mike Renkert
County Council: Steve DeBry
County Council: Michael Jensen

State Constitution Amendment A: Yes
State Constitution Amendment B: Yes
State Constitution Amendment C: Yes
State Constitution Amendment D: Yes
State Constitution Amendment E: Yes

Proposition #1: No
Proposition #2: No

Anyway, I encourage you to get out and vote early. I would guess that the lines are going to get longer day by day. So, get out soon, for your own sanity.

So, let me offer an apology to them. Perhaps I should have talked to them first before I called them out publicly. Thanks for your response, and posting of my dissenting opinion at the blog.

Now, just one more request. Can you start posting on Twitter again?

I became very unpopular. Not that I was popular before.

I was accused of being a hypocrite because I attended the company summer picnic at the zoo, when I don’t support the zoo. I quickly correct those who accused me of such, and said that I support the zoo. I have supported the zoo in the best way I know how. I have purchased annual memberships at the zoo. I have had 3 separate annual memberships.

My problem is not with the zoo. It is with taxes and debt. We are entering into some financially trying times. And we need to cut back on services. We shouldn’t be increasing our state’s debt and thus increasing the tax burden on our citizens.

Like others, I will be voting no on Proposition 2. And I still love the zoo. Hmm… It’s probalby time to signup for another annual memberships again.

Did you know that the Utah Republican Party has a blog.  It’s called Leadership that Deliverers and it is generally fairly informative and fun to read.  I commend them in their efforts to reach out their party members and the public through blogging.

However, about a week ago, the party bloggers posted their support for Hatch and Bennett’s votes on the bail out bill. Immediately after reading the post, I commented that I disagreed with them.

Then I watched waiting for my comment to be published. It never was. At first, I thought that it was because of my dissenting opinion. But it doesn’t go that far. Because they currently have one comment that disagrees with them.

So, they aren’t that thin skinned. But they are sensitive about their politicians. Because the only reason that I can think why they wouldn’t publish the comment was that I specifically stated that I would not be voting for Bennett or Hatch their next election time.

I would provide the full comment, but I wasn’t smart enough to keep a copy of the comment somewhere. I just assumed that they were open-minded enough to let my post get through. I now know better.

It’s amazing how weak kneed the party is. Come on guys. We can’t a little decent in the party? It’s almost enough to make we want to leave. But I won’t because the Utah Republican Party is the closest major party to my opinion, and I can’t have influence without their strength.

Apparently, I CAN‘t choose to vote against a Republican candidate and express it on their blog.

It is just further eveidence as to why the 110th congress needs to be removed from duty.  I share the email in its entirety.  But of course, I have to pause for comment. (Just for clarification, the italicized and indented portion is the letter from Hatch, the rest are my thoughts.)

From: Correspondence_Reply@hatch.senate.gov
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 11:54 AM
To: My Friend Whose Name Has Been Removed
Subject: Response to your inquiry to Senator Orrin Hatch

Thank you for contacting me to express your view that the Congress must act to address the current crisis in our financial markets and the state of the economy. I appreciate hearing from you.

As you well know, our financial markets have become increasingly volatile over the past weeks. The collapse of major financial institutions and a giant insurance company sent a clear signal that we were on the brink of a major financial catastrophe. Something had to be done in order to prevent the problems of our financial markets from leaking into other sectors of our economy. Secretary Paulson and President Bush offered the first solution to the exacerbating economic decline as an attempt to get the dialogue flowing. However, many, including myself, believed that this plan was not sufficient. The House amended the original plan in an attempt to protect taxpayer’s interest, prevent exuberant executive packages for participating entities, and provide more oversight. Even with these additions, the plan failed to pass the House, and that day the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 778 points, the biggest single-day point loss in history.

Politics of fear.  If you want people to believe that they should give more power to the government just make them afraid.  Create enough fear in them and they will bend over to let you have more power.

As you, I am deeply troubled by the financial situation we are facing. We did not get here because of any one decision or policy – these problems were years in the making. For example, in the late 1990s, the Clinton Administration began pressuring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase loans to subprime borrowers. We are seeing the consequences of a long series of policy errors, both in private and public sectors, which have combined to create a “perfect storm” of financial problems. In my view, one thing was for certain, inaction was not an option. We had to provide relief quickly because the consequences of inaction far outweighed the cost of the provisions in the legislation.

Just a minute here.  We are blaming the Clinton Administration here?  Let us not for gets that is the congress that has more control over the economy than the President.  And let us also not forget that Hatch and Bennet were both Senators during the Clinton Administration.  He is right that “these problems were years in the making.”  And Hatch is part of those years.

If we had not addressed this problem, we would be ignoring a much greater danger. For everyone who has a savings account, retirement savings, or a job, inaction placed these lifelines in jeopardy. For anyone who needs a mortgage loan, to borrow for a car, or to finance an education, the prospects had significantly worsened. With business expansion and job creation, there is a need for credit in order to make our economy work.

Wow, this isn’t what President Bush said.  Bush said that it was all about credit.  So, who is right?  Simply put, the real solution here is to manage our money.  To keep debt to a minimum, or eliminate it all together.

The Senate version of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, HR.1424, which ultimately passed the Senate and the House and was signed into law on October 3^rd, broadened the ability of the federal government to revitalize our economy. The legislation is designed to help secure retirement savings, help small-business owners meet payroll and help restore the American people’s confidence in their own financial well being. Furthermore, the Senate added specific provisions to curtail the jobless rate and promote investment. Among the added provisions was a set of extensions to expired and expiring tax provisions, including the research tax credit and the Alternative Minimum tax (AMT). While it is estimated that 70 percent research tax credit dollars are used for wages of R&D employees, the AMT relief will free 23 million Americans, including hundreds of thousands of Utahns from having to pay the unfair AMT.

Thank you Uncle Sugar. I knew that you would come and save the day.  What would we do with out.  Sarcasm over.  The real solution is that we need to be willing to sacrifice.  By sacrifice, I mean to suffer the pains of an indutry that got greedy, and the consumers who were just as equally greedy.  We shouldn’t be placing this burden on someone else shoulders (our children) by getting in to debt.  The worst way to get out of debt is by incurring more debt, it makes no sense.

This legislation, while not perfect, will have a greater impact beyond Wall Street into Main Street. I believe that one reason why the financial rescue legislation failed to pass in the House the first time was because the American people were not convinced that the bill would help them personally.  Along with this, I believe that many Americans failed to see the connection with the current crisis with our financial markets and their own future economic well being.

Oh, I get it, Main street is too stupid to realize that they will be affected by Wall Street. This is just further proof that Hatch is an elitist.  He thinks he knows better than us.  We do realize that these companies failures will hurt us.  But, that doesn’t make it the right thing to do.  Government intervention is never the solution.

While the Economic Stabilization Act may hold off an impending economic meltdown, it must now be followed up with decisive action on our part. Foremost, we need to change the way the financial sector works. The Federal Reserve needs to rethink its definition of good monetary policy and determine whether its existing policy tools — such as reserve requirements, oversight capabilities, and reporting rules — are adequate. In addition, Congress must reconsider what it has charged the Federal Reserve to do. The Fed has been charged with two goals: 1) providing a sound currency with stable purchasing power, and 2) maintaining steady economic growth with low unemployment. At this point, it is obvious that an aggressive, excessively easy monetary policy in pursuit of short-term growth is self-destructive in the long-run. It leads only to inflation and speculative excesses in the credit markets that harm the economy. Only by focusing on a stable currency can the Federal Reserve achieve both its objectives.

Can you please explain to me how printing more money will help to stabilize our currency?  And further, increased regulation will not fix this problem.  Isn’t government involvement in the banking industry what got us here in the first place.  Keep your dirty hand off of the private sector.

We also need to completely rethink Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. As we’ve heard countless times over the last few weeks, in creating these two government-sponsored enterprises, we have made sure that the benefits of their investments are private while all the risks are public. Put simply, this is bad policy, with considerable moral hazard. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac together represent an immense government-created and government-coddled duopoly. In the years since their creation, they have focused mainly on their own expansion, recklessly urged on by many in Congress who believed this was a way to make home ownership more affordable for lower income families. However, as a recent Fed study has demonstrated, most of the benefit of the previously implicit – now explicit — federal guarantee of their debt has gone to their shareholders as higher earnings, not to reducing costs for new homeowners. In their efforts to expand, Fannie and Freddie took too many unwarranted risks. They needed an ever-expanding supply of new mortgages to package and resell and to hold for income. Others fed this expansion effort with unsound lending. The recent Federal rescue package of these institutions requires an immediate step: Congressional oversight. It is a little late in coming, but, as of right now, it is essential.

Yep, I was right.  It was the government meddling in the private sector that caused it.  Thanks for helping me to understand how WRONG you are.

The regulatory and rating agencies also need to be reviewed. We need to ask whether they have enough resources for adequate supervision and whether they’ve failed to recognize the evolutionary changes in the credit markets and the new business arrangements that reduced transparency in financing. These and other questions will have to be explored as we move forward.

Yep, that’s right.  The problem has been that these federal programs don’t have enough money.  Why don’t we just print some more money and give it to these regulatory agencies.  When are you going to get it through your thick head, that government and money are the only solutions to every problem.  The solution in this case has to be self-regulation.

I believe that we clearly need to reform our financial markets and refine the powers of the Federal Reserve in order to ensure crises like this don’t happen again. And, though I hesitated to support the idea, it is not unreasonable to conclude that government intervention can provide immediate relief and prevent any more catastrophic losses in the near future and give the financial market time to sort out the mess. But, if we don’t adopt policies that are pro-growth, pro-business, and pro-job creation, we won’t be able to ensure long-term economic security for our country, no matter how many bad mortgages we purchase with taxpayers’ money.

Government involvement hasn’t been working so far.  Why would it work now?  Come on.  I am tired of this.

In order to address these concerns, Congress must be very careful as we work to solve this crisis. We must meet the demands of taxpayers and restore confidence in our financial markets.

Again, thanks for writing.

Sincerely,
Orrin G. Hatch
United States Senator

I have posted in several places (twitter, facebook, Newspapers, personal emails, etc.) that I will not be supporting Hatch or Bennet for reelection.  This email has solidified by reasons for such a move.  Hatch believes that government is the solution to all our problems.  When in reality it is usually the cause of it.

So, please take a minute to check it out.

Oh, and don’t expect much politics over there.  She doesn’t find it as interesting as I do.  But you will probably learn more about us through her blog, then you will through mine.

The octogenarian lived to be 82 year of age, and he served all he came in contact with well.  First, he served his country during WWII as a simple galley man on a U.S. Naval ship.  He wasn’t a gunner, he wasn’t a captain, he wasn’t fighter pilot.  Instead, he was your simple every man working in the kitchen.  The video that I wanted to share was a discription of what he did during the war.

After the War, he came home and served his community as a volunteer fire fighter.  It was wonderful to see two men stand at attention by the casket during the viewings.  The represented his service to the city he spent most of his adult life in.

He served his family, through his excellent example of work.  Except for the last few years of his life when his health prevented it, when ever you went to Grandpa’s house he was either in the shed, garage, or garden working.  He always kept himself busy with one project or another.  This would often translate into something for one of his sons, or grandchildren helping harvesting the garden.

He served his church by serving his neighbors. Even though some consider the task of home teaching a menial.  This octogenarian understood the value of service to those who home taught.  If he home taught a widowed sister, you can garauntee that she were taken care of.  A family in need was also someone who Grandpa took care of.

This octogenarian lived a good life, and service was a part of who he was.  His 82 years of service in this world has left the world a better place.

When I picked up the mail today, I saw me second mailer this campaign season from Wimmer’s opponent, Dave Hogue.  However, I was deceived.  While it appears to have come from Hogue’s campaign, the small print reveals that the ad came from the Utah State Democratic Party.  I almost had to get out a magnifying glass to see it.

But that isn’t the point.  The point is that this ad is full of half truths.  While, I could discuss that half truths the add tells about Wimmer’s vote on CHIP and the Jordan School District Split.  I would like to focus on the most erroneous the half truths.

The ad states, “Now education funding is a mess, and Wimmer wants to shift the burden by INCREASING THE SALES TAX BY 2.25% to fix the district split” (emphasis theirs).

Talk about picking and choosing what you talk about.  The Democratic Party forgot to mention that Carl’s Tax Plan will completely remove the school district based property tax.  Wimmer’s purpose is to create a way for school funding to be more proportionate to population and not to property value.

The current system has several flaws.  In places where properties have high values, the school receive more money then those were property taxes are lower.  Also, it creates a system where some pay less than their share of taxes because they have larger families, or they have multiple families living in a home.

Wimmer’s plan will change that buy, taking the money to areas where people live.  For example, I have a large family.  There are eight of us.  However, I pay a rate of taxes based on the value of my home.  Granted I live in a larger home, but I know people who live in homes almost twice the size of mine, but they only have three people living in that home.  Because I have eight people to care for, I will pay a fairer share of my burden to educate my children through Wimmer’s program.

Don’t let the half truth’s of the Utah Democratic Party fool you.  Wimmer is working to lower taxes.  Wimmer cares about our children and he is fighting for our children’s education.  Wimmer is the right choice for District 52.

World Net Dailey is reporting the same thing I did on Monday.  That Sarah Palin is helping out NBC, SNL, and Tina Fey.  I am impressed that my news has such a far reach.

So, now we know that this is important that we help out the struggling network, this struggling show, and this struggling comedian. Americans everywhere do you duty.  We must help McCain and Palin to win.

Just another reminder, I won’t be voting for McCain.  I can’t do it after the bailout.  It was the wrong thing to do, so voting for anyone who voted for the bill is the wrong thing to do.

There are $700 billion reasons I will not be voting for McCain next month.  I can’t support anyone who wants to turn this country into a socialist state.  I am so serious about this non-McCain vote that I have sign the 110Amen Pledge.  And I hope that you will to.

That said, I must state that I feel it is an imperative that John McCain and Sarah Palin with the election.  And it is for one simple reason.  We need comedy in hard times.  We need to laugh as times get rough.  And since we can’t seem to control congress, we need something to keep our minds off of the demise of our constitutional freedoms.

Think about it.  How many Barack Obama jokes can Dave Letterman and Jay Leno do.  Honestly, I think that they are done.  Joe Biden just isn’t funny.  There really isn’t anything about him that makes you want to laugh.

However, Sarah Palin is great fodder for the comedians.  People we need to do this for Tina Fey.  She is a struggling comedian whose fame has be greatly increased thanks to Palin’s nomination.

McCain won’t provide as much fodder, but we can have more fun with him than we can have with Obama.

We need to do this for America.  I know that I am encouraging you to do that which I won’t but people, this is important for America.  We need this.

Vote for good Comedy.  Vote for laughs.  Don’t vote for Obama/Biden.

America needs a good laugh.

Last year my wife made a delicious Chicken Corn Chowder.  And this year, I thought that it would be a good excuse to use the Dutch Ovens one last time.  So, I pulled them out of storage.

For this recipe, I decided that we would try one of our families favorite oven recipes in the oven.  It’s pretty simple.

4 chicken breast halves
4 Tbsp of butter
1 Tbsp of basil
1 Package of Chicken Flavor Rice and Past Mix
2 Cups water
1 Medium Tomato (sliced)
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown the chicken with in the butter.  Coat the chicken with Basil.

Saute the rice pasta mix in the the remaining fat until the pasta is brown.  Then add chicken and water.

Cook in 350 degree dutch oven until rice is tender (approx. 1 hour).  I recommend that more heat is on the bottom for this recipe.  Then add sliced tomatoes and shredded cheese to the top of mix until cheese is melted (approx. 5 minutes).

For this time cooking it we used Zatarans Chick Flavored rice for this recipe, and it tasted different than usual.  I think it was because the rice is different than the brand that we usually use (store brand).

Also, the chicken started out partly frozen, so it ended up being very dry.  However, it was delicious, and I can’t wait to try it in a dutch oven again, when I have a little more time.

Listening to President Bush’s explanation, I was struck with something.  This is all about credit.

Am I the only person here who believes that we can have economic stability without credit?  As I have mentioned before, I am Debt Free.  I have managed to get along quite well in my life without racking up much debt.  It’s actually quite refreshing that I have few financial obligations to another person.

Some might argue that it isn’t feasible to run a business without debt.  But the fact is I know of several organizations from small to big that have run debt free operations.  Some examples are Expeditors International, The Kid’s know it Network (h/t: Hiram), and the Jason for Congress Campaign.  I am sure there are others, but these are one’s that I have personal knowledge of.  Each of these have also run very successfully.

I have said it before, we are operating under a false economy.  And while I was too timid then to call it, I almost wanted to predict the failure of our economy when I wrote that.  However, I have felt for a long time that this was coming.

It’s just maddening that this whole bailout is about credit.  This makes me even more adement that we must not pass this bill.  So mad that I call my Senators.  Unfortunately, none of our congress men have made a decision on the issue.  You have got to be kidding me.  In a nation where a clear majority of the citizen are opposed to a bail out.  You can’t make a decision.  This is just another example of the elitism in D.C.  It must stop.

It appears from everything I can see that America is willing to take the lumps on this one.  We don’t care how much it hurts.  Let us pay the price and have our economy struggle for a while.  Better to pay the price now then to pay for it later.

It drives me crazy to think that this socialist concept is going to happen.  We need to do everything we can to stop with bail out.  Please write, call, email, scream at your Senators and Congressmen to put a stop to this.  If they don’t then, the simple action is to vote against them the next chance that you get.  I know that I will.

After the 2nd week of the One Hundred Push Ups program, you are supposed to test yourself.  While it is priimarily to see where you belong during week three, I used it to psyche myself up and help me to see that I am improving.

I didn’t want to psyche myself out by counting them.  So, I had my wife count for me.  I was afraid that by knowing that I was past my 15 mark, that I would just give up too early.

25.

I did 25 pushups.  That is 10 more than I idid two weeks ago.  While it isn’t the improvement that I would like to see so that I can complete this program in six weeks.  It is an improvement.  I am excited to see more improvement as I go through the program.

I think that part of my problem was that I didn’t (couldn’t) complete the final set of all but one of the days’ workouts.  Usually, I would fall on my knees with one to three more pushups to do.  I would rest for a few seconds, then complete the set.

Perhaps, I should repeat week 2, but twenty-five push ups are enough for me to go to week 3 if I move to the second column.  So, that’s what I am going to do.  I have been thinking through these past two weeks that it would probably be a better fit for me.

So, tonight, I will be doing 83 or more pushups.  Wow, that sounds crazy.  But I know that I can do it.

The talks again were wonderful.  Even those talks that were given by the young man and young woman were inspired.  Perhaps it was the spirit that President Eyring brought with him to the meeting.  Regardless, this was perhaps the best General Session of Stake Conference I can ever remember attending.

For his last talk to us, President Eyring discussed prayer.  He shared the important message of remembering that the Lord helps those who help themselves.

He shared a story about when he was a young boy his adult teeth had grown in crooked.  And as kids are often likely to do, he was teased by his peers for it.  So, he offered a prayer of faith for God to turn his teeth so that they wouldn’t be crooked.

He knew that when he woke up in the morning that his teeth were going to be straight.  His faith was so strong that when he woke up he didn’t dare feel to see if they had turned for fear that it would show lack of faith.  Instead he got up with a smile knowing that his teeth were fixed.

Until he saw his reflection in the mirror.  They were still crooked.  After more thought and prayer on the matter, he realized that the Lord had provided him with the tools to straighten his teeth.  So after several years when his body was old enough he had them fixed by an orthodontist.

Thus, we see an example of how the Lord blessed him as a young man.  He didn’t need his teeth miraculously healed by the Lord overnight.  Rather he needed to know that the Lord cared for him.

It was a great session.  I feel very privileged to have had this chance to sit and learn at the hand of a prophet of God.  I thank the Lord for providing me this opportunity.

My testimony has been strengthened this weekend.  I know more assuredly, that President Monson is a prophet of God and that he leads Christ Church this day.  I know more fully that Jesus is the Christ, and that he atoned for our sins.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Originally, I was planning on giving a complete run down of the things that I learned today. However, after the conference I feel that it would be more appropriate to share just a couple of quotes, and then my thoughts and impressions.

The first meeting was the Priesthood Leadership Meeting. As our church is guided by a lay-clergy, we need training and instruction in our duties. This meeting is a time for us to receive such guidance and council.

In this meeting President Eyring shared with us what he learned in this meeting today. He reminded us that everyone has the Spirit of Christ in them. They know that wickedness never was happiness. The world may have obscured the truth, but they still know it. Then he counseled us to that we should share the truth with these individuals because they don’t know where to find it.

After a short rest to come home and enjoy dinner with the family, we concluded the evening with the adult session of Stake Conference. In this meeting all adult members of the Stake are invited to learn. This is perhaps the part of conference I enjoy the most because I get to sit with my wife, and I can learn without the distraction of my children.

Here President Eyring talked about preparing to enter the Temple. His focus was on both our own re-entering the temple as well as preparing our children to one day enter the temple. The quote (as best as I could write it down) that I wish to share with you is this.

“One thing I could prepare my children to feel before they make temple covenants, It would be to love making commitments to God and keeping them.” (Emphasis mine)

This was and interesting statement. Am I preparing my children to attend the temple by preparing them to love making and keeping commitments to God? Do I love making and keeping commitments to God?  I think that I do, but I don’t know that I am a good example to my children in that aspect.

The other talks were great.  I was greatly moved by the talks give in the Preisthood Leaderhip meeting. I am more motivated in my efforts to work as a missionary because of the talks given by a recently returned missionary and a Ward Mission Leader.  They really were great talks and the Spirit was strong.

Before I end I must comment on how strong the Spirit was in the chapel as I listened to everyone.  It truly testified to me of the divine calling the President Eyring holds.  He is a servant of God, and we are blessed in our day to be directed today under him.  I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I have to admit that while on occasion I do pray for my leaders, I don’t do it regularly.  Ever since then I have made an effort to pray for our leaders.  I have tried to mention the President, my Federal Representatives, the Governor of Utah, and my state legislators, and my city leaders by name.  But I also include a collective petition for all of the representatives on a national and local level.

As I started to do this, I have thought that I should fast when it gets closer to the election. I should fast that this nation will choose leaders who will lead this nation in a direction that the Lord wants.

As I further pondered on that idea, I have felt a need to expand this to those I know.  So, I have started a site to help promote the idea of a nationwide fast before our election.

I am officially inviting you to join me on Sunday, November 2nd in a fast for our nations leaders.  Regardless of your political persuasion or your religious beliefs.  Please join me in petitioning God for a better United States of America.

P.S., I would like some help with the site.  So if you are interested in help in this effort please let me know.

Re

Twenty issues huh?  Well, that’s and interesting question, and would be a long list, but let me try.

First of all, not many of my answers will address technical issues.  I think that this is primarily because most blogs are pretty easy to use.  Not much different than and email program.  But it could be that I am more technically savvy than most people, and I just don’t get too bothered by technical problems.

1 – Getting people to read it
If you are going to blog, you obviously want people to read it.  The best way to get people to read your blog is to comment on other’s blogs.  Be sure to leave your blog address when you do, and I am sure you will get a few readers.

2 – Finding time to post regularly
This is more closely related to the first one than many may realize.  But if you aren’t writing regularly then readers aren’t going to come.

3 – Which host site to use
While there are several free hosting sites.  The two biggest are blogger.com (or blogspot.com) and wordpress.com.  I personally recommend wordpress.com.  It seems that there is a lot more available to the user.  However, blogspot is amazingly simple.  And thus easier to use.  But you lose out on a lot of features.  I would take the harder to learn over the easier to learn just so that when you learn the ropes, you will have all the features you might like.

You can also have a blog at your own site (i.e,. www.readmythoughts.com).  This is far more complicated to opperate, but people with some Internet publishing skills can usually figure it out.  Again, I reccommend the blog freely available at www.wordpress.org (note that it ends in .org and not .com).

4 – Dealing with mean comments
I would often just stop posting when people were belligerent.  But now, I have a better understanding of what works for me.  No real advise here, I think this is different for everyone.

5 – Spelling and grammar errors
While most programs offer spell check of some sort, it will miss something.  And they all miss grammatical problems.  So, you are going to have to reread your post again and again.  I don’t do that.  Hence, all the errors.

6 – What to write about
Some of this is personal preference, but I struggled with how much politics, how much personal, and how much misc.  I have gotten over it mostly.  And I have a very eclectic blog.  But I like it that way.  Some blogs are very specific.  For example, they talk only Utah Politics, or the LDS Religion.  Some are strictly personal, almost like a journal (the original concept behind blogging).  And some are eclectic like mine.

7 – Whether to tell friends and family
This may be more of my issue.  But for me there are probably only 4 or 5 of my family members (actually they are all my wife’s family) who know about my blog.  But for me, I really don’t care to share it with them.  At first, my wife didn’t know about it, but eventually I told her, and now she reads every post.  I know, because she always corrects my grammar.

8 – How to follow stats
There are several stats counters out there.  I use statcounter.com, but there are others.  Which one is the best, I really don’t know.  I just want some data, and statcounter.com provides me with what I want, so I never really looked at anything else.  With WordPress you have stats provided to you, so you may not want a separate counter.

9 – Putting too much emphasis on stats
Some people worry too much that there stats are too low.  Then they use this as a reason to stop writing.  But it isn’t a popularity contest.

10 – Protecting family
With young children in the home, I try to keep my kids IDs somewhat hidden.  For example, they all have nicknames (PandaMae, Miss Jo, BO, Miss Kay, Capt. Z, and Flash).  Also, I try to avoid saying much more than I live in Riverton, UT.  But I slip up sometimes.

11 – Learning how to promote the site
You don’t have to pay anybody to promote your site.  Just link to a lot of stuff, and encourage people to link back to your.  This is the number 1 way to get your site listed higher in the search engines.

12 – Understanding trackbacks
This is a feature available in WordPress and some other blogging programs (not blogger/blogspot).  If more people understood this, they would use it.  It’s a way to comment on another’s blog while posting on your own blog.  This way people who are interested in that topic, will follow a link to get you take on the same topic.

13 – Learning the software
As with all software there can be a learning curve.  I will repeat that blogspot is pretty easy to learn, and wordpress harder.  But the features come to play.

14 – Understanding etiquette
If you have a private conversation with someone, keep it private.  The Web is the public.  Watch what you say about others.  There are other ettiquette rules, But you can search for them.

15 – Writing for writings sake and not fame
A lot of first time bloggers write hoping to make a lot of money and become famous.  It probably won’t happen.  So forget about it.  Enjoy the process of writing and you will have fun blogging.

Well, that’s 15.  I know that there was at least one more.  But I am drawing a blank on it.  Hope this helps.  If you are asking because you are considering blogging.  Let me know about your site, and I will link to it.

Since I sent that email to him I remember the other item.  That was read other’s blog.  Basically that give you ideas of what to write about.  Also it can be a great place to promote you blog.

Anyway, these are just what I came up with.  Are there any more that you could add to the list.

Because when he was done talking about his service for our country, he started to get into it.  He hit hard on many issues.  Talking about issues the way that I want him to.  Tough on immigration, open on energy, and limiting the control of government.

However, to be honest with you, looking at McCain’s past, I find it hard to believe.  Palin as his righ-hand woman makes me want to believe him.  However, I am afraid, that this is just talk.

I believe that he is a Maverick.  I believe that he is going to take on the “good old boys” in the Republican Party.  But I am not sure that he will fight in the direction that I want him to.

Right now, I am still leaning McCain.  I will probably still vote for him in November.  But he has two month to prove himself.

I appreciated that McCain’s speech was less Obama focused than the others that I heard.  It shows that he isn’t focused as much of fighting Obama, but about winning the race.  This really speaks volumes about the character the Fred Thompson showed us he had.

I will be watching these next couple of months, and I will be making and informed vote.  Whether it is for McCain or for someone else.  We know that it won’t be for Obama.

Rudy hit home on many important points, and his speech was as good as Fred Thompson’s speech yesterday.  I was rather impressed.  He liken Sarah Palin to himself.  Both of them haven’t served as mayors.  This probably brought a few Giuliani votes over to the McCain-Palin ticket.

The house stopper though was the “keynote” speaker, Sarah Palin.  As she walked out on the stage.  I thought to myself, she better not freak out.  I know that I would.  The applause was deafening.  And I could see in her eyes that she was truly humbled by it.  I think that I almost saw a tear, but she controlled it.

As she started speaking, I thought that she wasn’t doing very well.  She spoke well, she got her message across well.  But there wasn’t much power or focus in her discussion.

However, as she progressed, she hit more home runs than Alex Rodriguez does in an entire season.  Trenton over at the Conservative Front as a great collection of some of her great quotes.  So, I won’t repeat them here.  But she sold me.  I am about 95% sure that I will vote for McCain-Palin in November

The thing that intriques me is that the comparisons here are between the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and the Democratic Presidential Candidate.  I would be bothered by these comparisons, because it doesn’t seem natural.  However, since the Democratic Candidates started the conversation, we are simply rebutting.  So strange comparison is simply a response to the questions asked by the opponent.

Overall, I was very impressed by last night.  I am not sure that McCain can offer up as good a speech tonight.  But I would gather he will do good enough to keep the momentum going, and win this election.

But for some strange reason, I find myself with no DVDs and extra time to watch the Repbulican National Convention.  So, last night I listened th President Bush, Fred Thompson, and Joe Lieberman.

President Bush was mediocre.  He really isn’t a great speaker.  And I can’t remember much about what he said.  I actually remember more from Laura Bushes interview on NBC that I do from President Bush’s speech.

However, the real heart of last night’s speeches were the talks by Fred Thompson and Joe Lieberman.  If it were a competition for best speech my award would be given to Fred Thompson.  He very respectfully told the story of John McCain’s service to our country and set up his character.

The best line from Thompson talk, and for the whole televised evening was this: “Now, being a POW certainly doesn’t qualify anyone to be president, but it does reveal character. My friends — (cheers, applause) — this is the kind of character that civilizations from the beginning of our history have sought in their leaders — (cheers, applause) — strength, courage, humility, wisdom, duty, honor.”

While I am somewhat bothered by what appears to be the over emphasis on McCain’s POW experience, Thompson set it up in a way of reverence and respect, that I couldn’t help but open up and try and understand who McCain is.  While I couldn’t help but look at Thompson and wish that he were the nominee because of his eloquence and his political ideals, he sold the McCain bill very well.

Lieberman was a great follow up.  He talked about how the best vote isn’t down party lines, but for what is right for America.  This poses a great question, and something that we need to ask ourselves every election.  I wonder what we would say if it were the other side saying it about our nominee.

I don’t agree with a lot of the political views of Lieberman, but I enjoyed his speech very much.  He didn’t do a great job at convincing me that McCain is my president, but I feel that he might have done a good job for the independent voter who hasn’t made up her mind.

Overall, it was a good night.  I am glad that I had the time to watch it.  I am excited to here Sarah Palin’s talk tonight.  I have seen her speak when she was selected as McCain running mate, and I was very impressed.  I suspect that she will do likewise today.

Anyway, yesterday was the first day.  I put it off for the first half of the day.  My original plan was to do it right after my morning run on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  But  After putting some thought into it, I decided that I would need the rest, and thus I would do it in the evenings just before my downtime in front of the TV.

However, seeing that I didn’t have to work yesterday, I decided to do it earlier.  So, just before lunch and after working on a few chores, I settled in and started.

The first 10 pushups from week 1, day 1 were pretty easy.  I was thinking this shouldn’t be a problem.  However, each set got harder and harder.  When I started set 5, I wasn’t sure I would be able to complete it.  And as self-fulfilling prophecy would have it.  I didn’t do it.  I had to take a short 2 second rest on my knees before I did the 7th pushup.

My pectorals are sore now.  But the good thing is that my shoulder soreness from a volleyball game a week ago is gone.  I don’t know if it’s because new pain is worse than the old pain.  But I would like to believe that it has more to so with the stretching and tightening of the muscles.

For those of you who are joining me in this adventure, I have made an easier-to-read 6-week chart (PDF) to help you prepare for each days exercise.  I suspect that none of you are joining because none have told me you are.  But, I thought that I would share this anyway.

Also, since I won’t be writing about my adventures on a regular basis, you can follow my progress on-line.  I have a spreadsheet that will have my workout reports on them.  You can check this out at google.

The best part of doing this yesterday was that I got most of my family involved.  I kept teasing, goading, prodding, and having fun with my older kids and wife that they were going to join me.  By the end of the day everyone in our family over the age of 8 had done some portion of the program.  We’ll see if we can get them to complete it with me.

Let me first of all apologize to Carl Wimmer for giving him second billing on my review of Tuesday night’s meeting.  But I figured that most of my readers are more interested in Chaffetz and don’t know who Wimmer is.

However, I have appreciated Wimmer’s work at the State Capitol for longer than I even knew that Chaffetz was in politics.  So, I appreciated meeting with him two days ago.

Wimmer is an absolute fiscal and social conservative.  It is very hard to find something that we disagree on.  Actually, while sitting at the convention in May I was suprised to see that there was one vote that he made that was opposite of mine.  But it’s good to see that we aren’t 100% on every issue.

In the meeting Wimmer stated that he asks himself one question before voting on every bill.  He asks himself, “Is this the proper role of government?”

In the past two years I have known Wimmer, he has reference The Law, by Federic Bastiat.  Upon his first reference to the book, I printed out the online book and read it.  I have meant to post about it for a while, but there is so much to discuss, I haven’t taken the time to put it all on paper, and I would have to reread it at this point.

Wimmer’s refernecing this book is just further evidence of Wimmer’s conservativism.  His record is also evidence as well.

The first time I heard of Carl Wimmer was about 2 years ago, when I was considering who to vote for in the State House of Representatives.  I am afraid, that my vote then was rather uninformed, but well made.  I am glad that I have help to elect Wimmer once, and I am honored to work with him and get him elected again.

Yesterday I help Wimmer to set up a facebook page for people to show their support.  If you want to support a true conservative, then help us through by supporting him on the facebook page.

I have worked on only three campaigns in my entire life.  Okay, I am still relatively young, and three is probably more than most people work on.  However, my point is that I won’t campaign for a candidate unless I believe that candidate has the same principles as I do.

That’s why I am working on the Chaffetz campaign.  He speaks to the things that are important to me.

Jason Chaffetz is a fiscal conservative.  He backs it up by the way he has run his campaign.  Debt free.

Jason Chaffetz is principled in his approach to serving Utah.  He told us how he was approached by an unnamed legislator who offered him a seat on a prominent (my words not Chaffetz’s) committee if he was able to raise a large sum of money for the Republican Party.  While the carrot dangled in front of him, Chaffetz simply knew that he wouldn’t bite.  He wasn’t willing to buy his way in politics.

This is huge to me.  Chaffetz isn’t afraid to go against the flow.  It has been known for a long time that things need to change in Washington.  Finally, we have a nominee who will fight for that change.

Jason Chaffetz will fight for a diverse energy policy.  This includes drilling for oil in the United States, developing energy technologies, and creating safe nuclear power.  It’s refreshing to hear that from a candidate.

Jason Chaffetz will protect our nation.  He will provide our soldiers with better benefits to help the best to keep up the fight.  He will protect our borders by fixing legal immigration and keeping those with out permission out of our land.

I am sure that many of you have heard this before about Chaffetz.  And I really don’t want to repeat myself too much.  However, I am reinvigorated in my support for Chaffetz, that I want you to take the time to find out for yourself.

If what I have said hasn’t helped you then check out the campaign website.  But more importantly, take some time to meet with Jason Chaffetz the next time he is in your area.

I will try to report in a few times over the next couple of weeks and let you know how it goes.

My estimation is that I am at a level 3 based on the intial test, but that was from push ups that I used to do 6 months ago.  I haven’t been doing them lately, so I might not do it quite as well.

Being at level three, this means that I would have to do the more rigourous training program, but I think that I could do it.  If the muscle development happens like they say it will.

I have been running/walking three times a week for the past few months (almost every week since the beginning of the year.  So, hopefully, this will be a nice addition to exercise program.

I would live to have you join me.  If so, let me know, and we can keep tabs on each other.  But not in a competative way.  Just as a help to one another.

HT: Sonny

While on our Camp last week, we tried something that we haven’t ever had. We haven’t even had this done in a modern oven. But they sounded good.

Before I share the recipe, I should let you know that we got the recipe from Rhodes Bake-N-Serv. They offer great recipes for those who buy their product. But my wife and I are too cheap to pay their price, so we just use her Fridge Dough recipe that I shared with you earlier.

Then we followed the recipe modified for the dutch oven:

12 Dinner Rolls, thawed by still cold (we divided 1 loaf worth of fridge dough)
1 Orange rind, grated
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Citrus glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3 tablespoons orange juice (we just used the juice from the orange that we rinded).
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix grated orange rind with sugar. Roll each roll into a 9-inch rope. Tie in a loose knot. Roll each knot in melted butter (was melted in the dutch oven) and then in rind/sugar mixture. Place in dutch oven with remaining melted butter. Cover and let rise until double in size. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. Poor citrus glaze on rolls before serving.

They were good. The only reason we had any left over was because I was full already, and I could imagine stuffing myself any more. But there were gone early the next day.

I am still trying to figure out how to keep breads from getting over done on the bottom, and how to brown the tops. This time we tried flipping th rolls. This worked, but it was difficult and messy. I think that I am going to try putting more coals on top, and less on the bottom next time.