Utah County Political Shtick

Russian Thistle I sent my letters off to Payson City Council candidates last week and have, so far, gotten only one response. (Update: Got another response. See: Interview with Scott Phillips ) I could only find two email addresses out of the four candidates. This seems to be par for the course in Payson. The responding candidate was Taresa Hiatt . My letter was as follows: I am a blogger looking to find out more about the candidates for the available City Council seats in Payson, so I am emailing all of the candidates to find out more about them. What inspires you to seek a seat on the City Council of Payson? How would you describe the job of a City Councillor? What responsibility do you see individual citizens as having in promoting their own welfare, and the welfare of society, and what kinds of limitations you see to that responsibility? If you are elected, how might you be able to act as a check against abuses perpetrated by other government officers?     Sean

Watermelon in a Garden This past week I've undertaken to do a review of the remaining candidates for Payson's city council. I'm hoping to follow this up with a letter to the candidates. (Unfortunately, not all of the candidates provide suitable contact information.) Larry Skinner Larry Skinner is retired and a former City Councilman for Payson. His record and interests are unclear, but based on his performance in the primary , he seems to be very popular. His expense filing is modest, but seems, oddly enough, to lack any mention of the $50 filing fee that other candidates noted. (Maybe it's not due at filing?) Based on the expenses that are noted, he seems to be focusing his efforts on fliers and in-person events. So, while his campaign may seem non-existent to people like me, he's shaking a lot of hands and winning the support of those he meets. Though, he is probably also gaining some of the incumbent advantage from having campaigned as a former coun

Russian Olives I have generally been a fan of Mike Lee. He is one of the few elected officials who seems to care about the Constitution and be able to apply it rationally to the problem of governing. A story out this week is that Mike Lee is siding with a Colorado baker and a Washington florist who refused to provide their services for same-sex couples' weddings. This has been one of those areas where thinking tends to get extremely muddled, and I'm rather pleased with Mike Lee's willingness to take a stand here. All kinds of opinions about whether or not they "should" have refused service exist, but when we start thinking that the government has the right to tell us to do something simply because we "should" do something, we go down a dangerous path. We effectively grant the government a blank check to control our lives, and our freedom becomes a fantasy. The fact of the matter is that in the cases at hand, neither the baker nor the florist violate