A Resolve to Do Better

I need to apologize that I have left off writing on this blog for so long. I have had some intense health, emotional, family, and financial struggles over this past year that, thankfully, seem to be clearing up.

I have recently been appointed and ratified as the new Education Officer for our Republican Party Legislative District 56 (currently the largest in the state). I am also finishing up the last few months of my two-year term on the Utah County Republican Party Constitution & Bylaws Committee and look forward to running again.

It seems like the winds of change are blowing over our county party and I'm grateful to see some of the changes that are coming. Better organization, outreach, education, technology, and empowerment of the central committee (you know, that group that is "supposed" to be the governing body of the party and not just a rubber stamp body) are some things I'm seeing that will make a difference in combatting the negative face our party has received lately in the press and among many party members and instead help us to move forward.

However, in the name of change, it seems that there are always those individuals or factions that try to push their personal, emotionally-driven agendas onto the majority, even though, IMHO, those policies would weaken or harm the majority. I saw this same thing happen in Eagle Mountain City politics not too long ago, and it feels like I'm seeing a similar pattern again in the county party.

Specifically, there are several individuals who, through reasons they feel are justified, seem to come out with knives and swords against "those rotten people in office who just want to hold on to their power." They have come up with an agenda designed to "take away the power" of those in power and "give it back to the people." To their credit, this group is very organized, articulate, and able to mobilize Central Committee members like I've never seen before. On the flip side, it feels like a lot of their arguments are emotionally-driven, citing "principles" and "integrity" but really coming across as vindictive and punitive, unwilling to give "the other side" the benefit of the doubt and unwilling to really listen to all sides to come up with reasonable, fair solutions.

Even worse, some (not all) of the "people in power" that are targets of this grass-roots group seem to react in huffy puffy ways, using their information and positions to "fight back", bringing out a darker side of them that I'm sure isn't in their best nature.

All this has seemed to lead to an increase of contention, polarization, and ill-will among active members of our county party. I have had the opportunity of discussing party issues with several different individuals over the past few months and now my head is so full of ideas and concerns that it almost feels like it could burst.

Soooooo - I am going to rededicate time daily (or almost daily) to this blog so I can stop these ideas from running around in my head, put them in black and white, and actually be able to take action based on them. After all, isn't that what a pensieve is for?