Politics and Pizza

Beginnings of being a Precinct Delegate

The morning after becoming a delegate for the Manti Unincorporated Precinct, the voice on my cell phone asks, “Do you want to meet with Congressman Chris Stewart at Roys Pizza?”

Well . . .  let me think . . . um, Yeah!

Here is a great man I have respected and admired and supported long before I knew I would get to shake his hand, and thank him in person over pizza.

  

Troy Shelley and Connie Smith.  The Smiths and Chris Stewart.  We Olsens and Chris Stewart.

And what a privilege to sit next to Troy Shelley and his friendly wife.  He is our leader to whom I will look to for knowledge, clarity and valued opinions.  He reinforced my understanding of the role of a delegate, which isn’t to poll each member’s  wishes on how to vote, and then try to vote the way the majority wants – it is to vote for the candidate I understand is best from my knowledge and research of the issues, being informed, and passing on what I have learned in any friendly, open manner to anyone who wants to know. . .  And learn about other’s reasoning and feelings who want me to know about issues and why and how they have come to their stand. . .  And count other’s as a critical part of my own education on everything that matters.  

 

On the other side of me sits Jennie Peterson, my friend, neighbor, mother of 7 terrific-ific chilrens, sweetheart/wife of one of our finest soldiers and professional plumber . . .  Her love of God, Country and Family is unquestionable and her example of ‘civil, civic service’ is exemplary too!  

 

I think this is our County Commissioner Scott Bartholemew talking with Chris Stewart. Jim Bob Pipes, Connie Smith, Sheriff Brian Neilson.

Besides meeting Chris Stewart, we met some of his staff; Connie and Dale Smith (Dale is Utah Chief of Staff, Connie helps with the campaign), Brian Steed who is Chief of Staff in Washington,

Congressman Chris Stewart and Sheriff Brian Neilson

 

Some things I heard about that I need to learn more about:  PILT - Payment in lieu of taxes (Since yesterday I have learned that our Senator Mike Lee did not vote for the Farm Bill because PILT was attached to it, and he felt it is important enough to be on its own.  The media made it sound like he is against PILT which, of course, is not true at all. 75% of Utah is federally owned.)     -   learning about this led to learning about . . .

SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (renamed from Food Stamps and includes school lunches) SNAP takes the lion’s share of the Farm Bill. Obama cut it 8.7 billion over 10 years which amounts to about 1% of it. These kinds of numbers are just about lost on me.

Yay! for my first experience as a precinct delegate.

 

Same day – another alert that there is yet another candidate to meet.  This time at the Ephraim Firehouse at 6:00 (it is 5:55) and we’re having Roy’s Pizza (it was just as delicious this time).  Bob Fuehr and his staff were also genuine and friendly.  He has tossed his competent, experienced and personable ‘hat’ into the ring in the race for U.S. Congress for the 4th District.  The 4th District.  Jennie and Matt and I didn’t notice that it was for the 4th District until long into the evening (we are 2nd District voters).  It was an unnecessarily l – o – n – g evening as I witnessed first-hand and first-time what a delegate should not be like.  The meeting was dominated by a (one) delegate with supposed superior political and moral wisdom than the candidate has.   I never want to forget that meeting candidates and hearing and asking questions is a privilege, not a forum in which to toss civility, good will and respect aside.  It is never acceptable to speak condescendingly to anybody.  I don’t ever want to feel that politics excuses people from decorum and propriety.  Self-righteous bluster is never in good taste.  I feel to compliment Mr. Fuehr on his restraint and hope his meetings today were much more productive and rewarding.

Manti Unincorporated Precinct’s caucus results March 20, 2014 . . . . in the Library . . . .at the High School . . . . (sounds like a game of Clue)  It WAS pleasant.  Our precinct was so small we laughed that it would be easier to discover who didn’t want an ‘assignment’ and draw for the rest.

Precinct Chair: Jennie Johnson Peterson
Precinct Vice Chair: Jonathan Allen
Precinct Sec/Treas: Marie Crowson
State Delegate: Matt, Matt N Melody Christensen
State Alternate: Lauri Kennington Olsen
County Delegate: Wayne Cox
County Delegate: Lauri Olsen
County Alternate: Shelby Shelby Mintey e

My Education on the Subject of Education

A bulleted list of my grievances about the Common Core Initiative (CCI) in no particular order

* It is ‘common’ and homogenizing – ignoring our nation’s demographic uniqueness

* National standards, national assessments, national curriculum

* I find the language on their own website a little disturbing ( i.e. several uses of the word ‘transform’ – whose vision of ‘transformation’? Certainly not this American Mom’s.)  http://www.ccsso.org/What_We_Do.html

* An abuse of the philosophy that our children ‘belong to all of us’.

* It’s voluntary, but . . .

* The fact that school and learning becomes all about the Test. ( I feel that Mark and Kyle and their fellow class mates missed out on much of the happy passion about History a teacher has because there was no time or space for such uniqueness in a classroom.  With CCI, how can this problem not increase?) 

* There were (and are) federal monetary incentives to adopt this initiative. I do not believe that government should coerce, use incentives, grants, waivers or any other form of manipulation.

 

* The appearance that any teacher, administrator or parent voicing concerns and questions and a desire to understand something about the initiative feel somehow insubordinate and disloyal. This ALONE was, and is, my biggest concern. This ALONE is a large red flag, screaming to be noticed. The lack of transparency, legislation and public discussion/input of something as sweeping and huge as this is, is so un-American to me.

* There has been no open discussion about the sure-to-be-enormous cost to acquire and maintain what we will be required to; no discussions about the cost of training and testing that will be required of us, now that we have voluntarily been coerced into it. How can it not become a huge, unfunded mandate? 

* There will be no one, locally or otherwise, that we can pick up a phone to or personally visit for any kind of input. The power will not be local and there will be a lot of shoulder shrugging and ‘it’s out of my hands’ attitude because it is (out of our hands).

* Too much evidence for me already that these controversial tests and standards may not measure the academic achievement of our students anyway – just their computer skills and ability to endure through a cumbersome task.

I don’t feel honest in pretending not to notice that, as someone else has already expressed, “ . . . our proverbial school shoes have been placed on a nationally, locally and personally regrettable path.”

We signed our names on this petition http://www.utahnsagainstcommoncore.com/