3 Responses to Candidates intros at Liberty Forum meeting

1. Melva Gifford says:

   April 17, 2018 at 1:39 pm

   My review of Sam Parker running for Senate by Caroline Frei
   I had a long one on one phone interview with Sam. He was open to all my questions and even though he was working I still felt I had his full attention. I believe him when he says his motto is make American government local again.

   1. Which Republican politicians do you consider trustworthy and which ones do you not trust?
   “I don’t trust any of them 100%. And I’ll tell you why, I think part of being vigilant is having a healthy distrust of most of the people in government.” (I can understand that) The people he feels are the most trustworthy are people like Mike Lee. Sam likes how well he studies the issues and and communicates with the people in Utah. Sam also mentioned Rand Paul as fairly trustworthy despite him doing things Sam does not approve of, like supporting Mitch McConnell. Rand means what he says and he says what he means. On the other end of the spectrum we spoke about Mitch McConnell, Harry Reid, and Joe Biden cutting deals with the Chinese government and companies, a lot of these politicians who enrich themselves their family and friends at the expense of the taxpayers. He brought up the FBI as well “Rod Rosenstein, Andrew McCabe, definitely don’t trust Jim Comey. I think he’s a liar hes out front of this campaign to subvert Trump” Does Mr. Parker trust anyone? “I do trust President Trump and this is why I trust him, I do trust that he wants to do what’s right for America” He pointed out that if you watch Trump on youtube videos from the 80’s he was saying the same things that he’s saying now. Sam added He hasn’t always agreed but at least he is consistent.

   2. Would you be willing to stand up to President Trump if you felt he was wrong?
   “Absolutely” He feels our president’s heart is in the right place and he is trying to do right by Americans. We need to stand behind him when he gets thing right and cheer him on. By the same token we have to be right there saying, Donald you got that wrong and this is how we can do it better. Sam Feels Rand Paul has been good at doing that, and the president has been able to adapt. “I would absolutely stand up to him but not in an adversarial way but in a way of saying: Hey this is something your doing it wrong. I think this other way is better, and I’m going to try and lead him to better solutions.”

   3. What area is having problems with wolves, which area is having trouble with prairie dogs and which area are the tortoises taking over the land?
   Sam didn’t quite know what I was referring to so I let him know. We talked about some people he knew that lost their business and investment at the hands of environmental restrictions due to vole droppings. He can’t stand the games environmentalists and big business play. “I won’t stand for it! It destroys prosperity, it destroys lives. In some cases there do need to be protections but it shouldn’t be used as a weapon of opportunism and cronyism.”

   4. The BLM is putting in campgrounds with wastewater facilities without consulting local authorities. What will you do to reign in the BLM so they would work with local government?
   “I want to return Utah lands to Utah. I think we manage them better than the federal government and I don’t think the BLM does the best job right now” He doesn’t like top down solutions whats right for some is not what’s right for all. If we can’t take them out of the situation completely we have to scale back their funding and their authority. Sam is more than happy that if he becomes a Senator to use that hot seat to broker meetings and force them to come to the table and work things out rather than the BLM working unilaterally.

   5. What is your opinion of climate change?
   “The climate changes outside of what people do” He told me his thoughts on carbon dioxide and how it’s plant food not a poison. He said water vapor is more of a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide is. He has watched the movement fail and change from global cooling to global warming now to climate disruption and anthropogenic climate change. If you watch the trends you see that it’s more driven by the sun (can’t control that).”I see this as a way of global climate brokers trying to exert their tyranny and influence on the people trying to get a hold of capital markets, its all hogwash and manipulation” He doesn’t believe its man caused and even if it is it’s very negligible. We spoke about the medieval warming period when greenland could grow wheat. “This hysteria about global warming and climate change and we have to kill our economy by trillions of dollars, it’s garbage, it’s dishonest and it’s cronyism at the highest level.”

   6. What are your feelings about Common Core, Sage testing and the Federal Department on Education?
   “The federal government has no business being in the business of education. Top-down one-size-fits-all big government doesn’t even make logistical sense.” We talked about micro cultures, needs, interests the fact is different communities have different needs. “We are not widgets here, people aren’t widgets, that (one-size-fits-all) philosophy turns people into widgets and what that does is actually places a cap on success” “It doesn’t raise up the bottom, it restricts the top, it narrows the number of possible success stories” He says it’s not constitutional and shouldn’t be delegated by the federal government. It tramples states rights along with peoples rights. He wants to bring it to not even the State level but even closer to the local level, city level, neighborhood level. Government won’t solve education issues, people, parents, concerned citizens are the ones who will solve education. He believes if we bring it to the local level parents will rise to the occasion and care more about what their kids are learning but without that responsibility and accountability parents shut off. He is against federal programs that come with dollars and strings attached. (makes sense to me). He also noted that in India, even the poorest of the poor can afford the private schools there and they create outcomes just as good as, or even better, than the public schools. This isn’t something beyond the pale. Other places are doing it. It’s kind of a shame that in many ways we aren’t leading the world in education.

   7. What are your views on medical marijuana?
   I found his thoughts on the matter to be very libertarian in scope. “The Declaration of Independence clarifies that we as human beings have unalienable rights, the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness and the idea behind these rights is that as long as I’m not abusing or infringing upon others life liberty or pursuit of happiness then I can do what I want.” He brought up the war on drugs we have been unsuccessfully fighting. How because of restrictions to marijuana it has enriched drug cartels, dangerous criminals and human trafficking and weapons trafficking. “As long as they’re not infringing on my rights or you’re right it’s none of my business, it’s none of my government’s business, no matter how much I might find it’s distasteful on a personal level it’s just none of our business.” Police waste too much time on this and there are people in jail just because they were trying to find pain relief rather than getting hooked on dangerous opioids.He definitely supports medical marijuana and cannabis-based pharmaceuticals. Ultimately, the Federal government shouldn’t be regulating it. Should be left to the states and the people.

   8. What is the difference between an assault rifle and an Ar-15?
   I was impressed by his knowledge on this. An AR-15 the AR stands for ArmaLite (the manufacturer) and an assault rifle is traditionally defined as one that can go fully automatic and used my soldiers in combat situations. He quoted a powerful speech: “If you are going into combat with an AR-15 your a d*** fool cause your gonna get killed”. An AR-15 is just a fun looking semi-automatic rifle. He says the assault rifle ban is unconstitutional because it is our rights as citizens to be able to defend ourselves against a tyrannical government. “ The Second Amendment isn’t talking about handguns or hunting rifles whatever it’s talking about weapons of war. In fact, the word arms is a general term that means offensive weapons of war it doesn’t even specifically refer to guns. Millions of people have been slaughtered because their tyrannical government came in and took their guns. Liberty doesn’t go out of style. It’s not a relic of the past. His official stance on the 2nd amendment and gun rights can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/SamParkerUSASenate/posts/178451646123118 .

   9. Are you a member of the NRA?
   Sam has started the process. Growing up, he didn’t have a lot of money and neither of his parents came from families with a strong “gun” culture. As a result, he didn’t own guns growing up. However, his family, like thousands of other families, is in the process of participating in the new American firearms and 2nd amendment “Renaissance.” His parents are now armed. His sister is now armed. Now he and his girlfriend are getting armed. Sam’s dad just became a member of the NRA and Sam is applying as well. One of the newest Parker family traditions is going to the range. “I assure you, watching my mom firing away at the range is a sight to behold and not something I ever really imagined would happen. But, it’s brought our family together in new and interesting ways. I encourage all families to rediscover their rights and responsibilities to self defense and being a bulwark against tyranny.”

   10. What is your opinion of the GVRO (gun violence restraining order)
   It is already in 5 to 6 states. If we implemented it, it would have to be done state by state not federally. Connecticut had a GVRO law but it didn’t stop the Sandy Hook shooting. GVRO wouldn’t have stopped the Parkland shooting either, because it was the government that failed scores of times there. “I certainly don’t favor a top-down federal GVRO law for a couple reasons. 1st, the US Constitution forbids the federal government from infringing on this right. 2nd, the various states that already have them have slightly different laws. “Since it’s not clear they even work, why should we think the Federal government is going to get it right?”. If states or communities choose to pursue them, he recommend they pass them with only the utmost constitutional safeguards and include sunset provisions of just a few years, 3-5 perhaps. That way, if they end up being bad laws, or end up getting abused, the laws will automatically go away and it’ll be harder to get support to renew them.

   11. Do you support the Bundys?
   Absolutely. They were exonerated and people need to know that. Thank goodness they were peaceful people, but thank goodness they and their friends were armed.

   12. Do you support the convention of states?
   Yes, Sam is a district captain. Basically, there are several levels of safeguards against the fears that many have over such a convention. At the end of the day, there are 99 state legislative bodies (49 states have bicameral legislatures, and 1 has a single assembly). It will only take 13 of the 99 to stop ANY proposed amendment–good or bad–so the likelihood of a convention leading to successful amendments has a long, hard road ahead. He absolutely thinks it’s a battle that we need to fight, but that’s also why he has some strategies to repair the federal government from inside of congress. By pursuing a multi-pronged “inside-outside” strategy, he thinks, we can exert pressure on congress to pass some reforms. “But, it’s critical that we have passionate people inside of congress to be able to lead the national conversations and guide the negotiations. Restoring the constitution and repairing the federal government MUST be done if the American people want to take their country, their rights, their money, their resources, and their self-determination back. If we don’t start that fight now, then when? And if not us here in Utah, then who? I say, right here, right now.” If your interested he did an entire hour on Ktalk, which you can listen to here: https://soundcloud.com/…/2018-04-05-the-case-for-the-conven…
   Or watch the facebook live stream here: https://www.facebook.com/ktalk.utah/videos/1857563057874458/

   13. What are your views on abortion?
   We need to overturn Roe v Wade and The federal government should not be funding it at all.

   14. What do we do about Obamacare?
   Get rid of it all together. The answer to our healthcare problem is we need to open health care and health insurance up to competition and free-market enterprise. We must allow it to be portable and purchasable across state lines. People should be allowed to choose what they want covered and not be forced to pay for things they don’t want and will never use. Again, it’s the ingenuity of American entrepreneurs that will solve health-care, not government enforced “solutions.”

   15. Do we build the wall and how do we pay for it?
   We are paying $135 billion dollars a year when it comes to illegal aliens. If we build the wall the savings from all the costs surrounding illegal aliens should pay for it. “It is also important to help stop the trafficking of thousands of people and weapons across the border. There are huge swaths of land on the southern border that aren’t even under the control of the US government. It’s under the direct control of the cartels. Of course, the media doesn’t report this, but there are places in southern Arizona that American citizens absolutely should not go.” (scary). I asked about taxing remittances fees?. “Actually, I am keen to the idea. I’m not keen to the idea of taxing the remittances or transfers of citizens. So, it should be on the table, I just am not sure what the exact policy would look like just yet.”

   16. How do we fix the VA?
   End the VA or provide vouchers so they can go out and get the care they need. The VA is government run healthcare. If we’re going to eliminate Obamacare and introduce free market reforms, then we need to be consistent. Our veterans deserve better than they’re getting. Right now it’s ridiculous how they have to go get their yearly checkups and certain medications from the VA, but then go to other doctors for other things and there’s no coordination. It’s silly. Also, he’s tired of our Veterans being used as guinea pigs. Sam informed me big pharma cut a deal with government to get opioid painkillers into the hands of our vets. Then, our Vets got addicted. They discovered how destructive opioids are and took them away. So then the addicted vets had to turn to heroin or black market pills. As a result, many have died due to overdoses or bad medications. “We need to give our veterans their health care freedom back–just as we need to do for all americans.”

   17. What do we do with the Daca people?
   Have to break them all down into the various groups. First off if they are a felon or a lawbreaker they just need to go. It used to be in this country that you either had to be self-sufficient or you had to be sponsored by someone who was. Americans need to come first. Those who have become adults and haven’t initiated the process of getting legal need to go. I realize that children aren’t at fault for what their parents do. However, part of becoming an adult is taking ownership of our lives and circumstances. Therefore, those that haven’t taken ownership should go. Once we get all those groups taken care of, that leaves a significantly smaller set of people to deal with. If they are currently a minor, there’s nothing preventing them from going back to their native lands with their parents. For those who received an American education illicitly, He says, “OK, good for you, now go back to your homeland and use that education to build your homeland up.” This takes us down to a much more manageable size of people and then we can negotiate or create custom solutions. One solution would be they can’t vote or get on welfare for “X” amount of years. “American is not, and cannot be a global welfare program.”

   18. Should there be term limits on senators and should we repeal the 17th amendment?
   Yes and yes

   19 . What are you going to do to ensure congress pursues targeted budgeting?
   Bring back the 1974 Congressional budgeting act and he won’t vote yes on omnibus bills. We should also pursue a balanced budget amendment.

   20. Should bills be limited to one topic?
   Absolutely. And they should have to supply the constitutional justification for them.

   21. How do we fix social security?
   There is no painless way to solve the problem that our government has created with the social security administration. That means 1st, Those of us who want to fix it and try to fix it are going to be the ones that get the “stink” on us. 2nd, We should spread the pain around as much as possible. That means we may have to raise the age. We will have to do means testing. We will have to phase it out or reduce it for the younger people. Everybody gets a haircut, and that way no one loses an arm and a leg. By the same token, it’s simply morally wrong to confiscate the property of some to give to others. We ultimately need to end this program. Certainly, if people want to voluntarily contribute to some self-contained government program, that’s fine. I think it would be silly because they’d find much better options in the private sector, but to each his/her own.

   23. What is going on with Tariffs?
   American producers are getting a raw deal when it comes to tariffs. Sam is for free trade even though we are not in a free trade environment. As far as what President Trump is doing he feels it is a leveraged tactic targeted at China. Yes, china is a special case. “I’m for free trade. But, when it comes to China especially, it’s a different ballgame. China steals our military technology and industrial technology and intellectual property or IP. Estimates on how much IP they steal range from $50 billion/yr up to $300-400 billion/yr.” If our companies want to trade with China, they’re forced to turn over their technology and processes. Since China is our top foreign creditor, holding over $1 Trillion of our debt, we are literally helping to fund their massive military build-up. “Therefore, I don’t favor business as usual with China. They are stealing our stuff and we’re paying for it. We need a different approach with them. Threatening a tariff, or even applying a tariff isn’t the opening salvo of a potential trade war, it’s a reasonable response to a nation that is already waging covert, cyber, and economic war with us.” What we need to do is continue lightening the burden we impose on ourselves through taxes and regulations, so that we aren’t forced to choose between slightly cheaper goods and national security.

   24. Should we eliminate the Department of education, BLM, EPA, others?
   Get rid of them all!

   25. What do you think of the no longer used Brady Bill?
   Sam stated he was against it and it was unconstitutional

   26. Who are your media influences?
   He enjoys 90’s era Rush Limbaugh. Sometimes will listen to Mark Levin, Ben Shapiro, Dennis Prager and Jordan Peterson. Mostly though he cuts out the chatter and doesn’t have a lot of time for it. Some of his major political influences are: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Calvin Coolidge, Phyllis Schlafly, Milton Friedman, Ronald Reagan and Ron Paul.

   27. What is your Job and Education?
   Sam Parker has an MBA in Finance and management. I handle the budgets for 11 different departments at Zions Bancorp. >$200 million and about 1,000 employees.

   28. Do you support Israel?
   Yes and all our natural allies.

   29. What is your opinion of the United Nations?
   “I’m over it” They do not help America.

   30. Is there was anything else you would like me to add to my report?
   He also told me he has taken a pledge to stay in touch with the delegates that if he is elected Senator our relationship with him does not end on election day. “The delegates and I are going to hammer out an agreement such that they have reasonable assurances–that they’re satisfied with–of accountability and transparency. We’re going to put it in writing. It’ll be like a contract. The delegates will know if I start to drift into the swamp lane and have recourse to pull me back–or they’ll vote me out next time around! I’m making a similar deal with the legislature. They’ll get unprecedented transparency and accountability as well. So I’m placing 2 checks on myself as well as creating 2 lifelines! Furthermore, the 4,000 state delegates will be the “tip of the spear.” I’ll have access to their broad knowledge and wisdom when it comes to what Utahns want and need. Once we get this partnership really humming, the rest of the delegation from Utah will either want a piece of the action–or be FORCED to join in because the delegates will demand it. Then, our special relationship will grow outward from there and be an example to the other states. In this way, I see Utah rising up and leading the charge to Make American Government Local Again.”

   Conclusion: I found Sam to be a highly intelligent man with a real understanding of the issues. He has an understanding of our constitution and how it applies to the laws of the land. I see him putting forth an amazing effort towards becoming a senator and have faith that he would fight for Utah. It’s easy to see from his stances that he feels the more local things are the better. I may not agree with him on everything, but almost. I was so glad to get to know him better.
2. melva gifford says:

   April 18, 2018 at 3:28 pm

   comments by delegate Aaron B
   US Senate Candidate Mike Kennedy with commentary
   Questions I asked will be in bold

   Commentary will be in red

   Mike Kennedy
   http://www.kennedyforutah.com/
   https://www.facebook.com/KennedyForUtah/
   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5sscI9blVb1E0nTmwuM-1Q
   6 years in the Utah legislature. Retired after three terms (self imposed term limit)
   Having closely followed Utah State politics for the past couple of years I know that Mike Kennedy is considered one of the most conservative members of the Utah house. I have many friends that live in his district and respect him for his willingness to listen to constituents and work with them for form good legislation. The job of a legislator is what he is applying for in the senate and I think this experience is extremely important. Not even experience as a governor beats direct experience writing and fine tuning bills, working with others of many different viewpoints and pushing a bill through two legislative houses. I respect that he retired from legislative service after 6 years because personally I wouldn’t have I would have wanted to pass as many good bills deregulating government as I could before I got kicked out. He said though that there are many incredibly capable individuals in his district and that it’s in good hands.
   Is a family doctor
   Also is a licensed attorney
   Is there any other difficult certification this guy could have?
   The national debt is our greatest national security threat
   We cannot keep voting for continuing resolutions and omnibus bills that grow the debt
   I think we need to cut back from all areas, including non-discretionary spending
   I like the comment about cutting from “everything”. I know the military is a sacred cow in conservatism but I’m all for decreasing bloat personally.
   We cannot change social security for those already receiving it or those who will qualify soon, but we can ratchet it back for those in the younger generation
   This is an idea I hear from most conservative politicians. Sounds good to me. I will be a lot less angry if you remove my social security now then if you remove it when I’m 60.
   Me: Would you be willing to vote for a continuing resolution or package appropriations bill?
   I would never vote yes on a bill that I only had two days to read. That generates an automatic no from me if I cannot fully consider a bill.
   We have to stop generating these government imposed deadlines and forcing through these gigantic bills by blackmailing us with a government shutdown
   I’m not in favor of continuing resolutions
   We should be passing separate appropriations bills that have all been made more lean through committee. That is what I have experience doing in the legislature.
   This is precisely what needs to happen to bring spending under control. Bravo
   We shouldn’t need the line item veto because we shouldn’t be creating these gigantic bills that address dozens of issues
   I have voted against every tax increase I have seen for the past 6 years
   Wow, that’s not an easy task. There have been a lot of tax increase bills within those 6 years.
   It needs to be extremely important in my mind to ask the people to give us more of their hard earned money
   Me: I feel like a lot of the blame rests on Mitch McConnell for presenting these giant budget deals. Do we need new senate leadership?
   I’m not sure. I have heard things much the same as you have, but I am going to at least try to work with everybody in the Senate when I get there and base my impression on my personal interaction with them. I might change my mind if it feels like we are unable to work together but I feel I need to give everyone the chance to work collaboratively with me before I cast judgement. I will not have any enemies going into the Senate and hope I do not leave with any either.
   This isn’t the answer I wanted. But its probably the most reasonable approach. Even I can admit I have been poisoned against Mitch over the years. To go in there with an open mind is admirable.
   I created a school safety commission to discuss opinions on school safety and to come up with ideas on how to improve things. I have students, teachers, the chair of the shooting sports council, a forensic psychologist, an architect, the superintendent of the state hospital, the president of UEA, the commissioner of the department of public safety, and a professor of sociology on this safety commission.
   http://fox13now.com/2018/03/04/diverse-members-of-utah-school-safety-commission-to-look-for-ways-to-make-schools-safe/
   The goal is to come up with a greenhouse of ideas and not shoot down any ideas. Then we go through them and decide what would violate the 2nd amendment and what is feasible and we see what we can do and implement
   I’m just there as a facilitator while members of our community develop best practices.
   I’m not for knee jerk responses when it comes to public safety that end up violating our liberties. I want carefully thought out ideas.
   I have voted in favor of the 2nd amendment the entire time I was in the legislature.
   I like this approach to school safety. I think it will yield innovative results
   Q:What makes you feel prepared to be our senator?
   I love to work with people and work collaboratively with people. I have professional training as an attorney and a doctor and 6 years of legislative experience. But in all honesty none of that makes me better at being a government representative than any of you. What gives me the ability to do my job is all of you working with me as a legislator. The duty of a representative cannot be accomplished by oneself or even with an army of staff. I requires the involvement of the citizenry and that is really when government is working properly. I would try to go to Washington with humility seeking to do what you all would have me do. Knowing that I am not the smartest guy in the room, but that I have a foundation of passionate individuals making it all possible.
   This is exactly what I want in a representative
   Q: Will you publicly call out Mitch McConnell for blocking good legislation?
   I do not think public criticism of others in congress is beneficial. If I have a problem I would rather talk to someone privately. That’s just my style. I’m not one to seek media attention. I’m not going to throw tomatoes at those I disagree with. I’m just not one to grandstand.
   But I like grandstanding!!
   I might not know Washington as well as some of the other candidates, but I feel like I would know Utah better as I have lived here all my life and worked with Utahns in creating legislation.
   Q: Will you debate Romney?
   If I was governor Romney why would I do a debate? I have all the name recognition I need if I’m him. Most candidates in that position would see everything to lose and nothing to gain by having a debate.
   This is true. He was given a three week window for which to schedule a debate and declined to participate. I attended said debate on April 6th.
   I am not running against anyone for this seat. I’m running for Utah. I want to represent you and your values.
   I like running campaigns because I get to talk to people and get the answers to problems from citizens. Whatever flaws I have are refined as I am called out and helped by my constituents.
   I am the only candidate with experience in a legislature. Which is what a senator is, a legislator.
   I’m a fan of term limits
   I would serve a maximum of 18 years as senator. If I can’t get something done in 18 years, then I need to be replaced.
   Lies are abhorrent to me. So if I made a promise on this campaign, I would hope you can trust me.
   I love getting the message out to delegates and answering their questions. I hope I get to keep doing this into the primary and the general.
   If I do not get elected, then I can go back to being a doctor, and I love that too
   It is actually great to not have someone desperate to win an election
   Me: Do we need to continue to repeal Obamacare?
   I’m embarrassed that we have republicans in all three branches and cannot get obamacare repealed. Many of them promised to do that and failed.
   Obviously that needs to happen, and I would need to work with others to make that happen.
   I will always vote no to raise my own salary. I have done this before in Utah and will continue to do that.
   As a doctor I give my patients options. They can decide if they want to pay for an X-ray.
   I do not go out to lunch with drug reps as a doctor and I do not go out to lunch with lobbyists as a legislator
   This shows some serious character
   With a direct primary care practice you can have a monthly fee and if you come in one time or twenty times it costs the same. The doctors incentive is actually to keep people healthy so they are not a burden. We should not incentivize more and more tests and procedures to pad a doctors pocket.
   The brand name extension of many of these drugs is well beyond what it ought to be
   Should be less than 20 years
   Let the states handle healthcare
   We should not have the government mandate vaccines. That should be a healthcare decision you make with your child.
   The argument for the federal department of education is often that if they didn’t mandate programs for those with special needs and disabilities that the states wouldn’t do it. I find that offensive. Utah takes care of its disabled population and there are constantly volunteers taking care of those in need at homes and the state developmental center. We will take care of our disabled population in Utah because that is what we do. We do not need the federal government to force us to.
   I agree with this 100%
   I would not approve of restrictions on the 2nd amendment. If enough people do not like it they would need to repeal it.
   We need to keep the guns from falling in the wrong hands instead of taking them away from law abiding citizens
   Government shouldn’t be in the business of telling you how to buy healthcare
   I want to bring opponents on board for my bills. We need to have all voices heard.
   Regulations are a huge burden on small businesses. Even cosmetology is being drowned in regulation making it more difficult to succeed running your own business.
   Sometimes universities get kickbacks from the student loan lender to push these debt on students. They are making a profit at the costs of our students future. The federal government should not be involved with student loans.
   Correct, yet another reason we do not need a federal department of education
   I will not vote for anything to enhance washington’s power. I want more options to come back to the states. I want power closer to the people.
   Our state already funds higher education to a very significant level. Imagine if all that money came back from the fed. We could do some much more with that money.
   The 10th amendment is clear that any power not given to the federal government falls under the jurisdiction of the states.
   Me: How do you feel about Senator Lee’s first amendment defense act?
   We should be legislating on these things instead of sending them to the supreme court. Any time we can get ahead of the judiciary legislating from the bench by creating a law through our representatives in congress, i’m in favor of that.
   Me: How do you feel about the consumer finance protection bureau?
   I hear its bloated and expensive. If we need to do something like that we should do it locally so it is more accountable to the people. That is my general stand on most things the executive branch is doing that isn’t outlined in the constitution. An unaccountable overreaching federal government agency naturally breeds fraud and corruption.
   I understand that not everyone hates the CFPB as much as I do, but I think he got the general feel of what I was looking for. I would have preferred that he said “Burn it down!” but this is a great start.
   We have all three branches of government and still are not cutting spending. The tax cut was great and so is all the deregulation but time is ticking away and we have to do what we as republicans have been promising.
   I don’t stand down to bullies and pass an omnibus bill just because the government might shutdown. I will not be blackmailed with these self created deadlines.
   Q: How do you feel about sending the national guard to the border
   One of the functions of our federal government is to protect the border and if that means sending the troops down there to head off a caravan, I am all for it. A country without borders is not a country. God bless you people who want to come here for a better life, but we have to enforce our law and our border.
   The purpose of government is to protect god given liberties of life liberty and property.
   Q:Can you address some of your negative scores on the grassroots legislative scorecard?
   One of them was for voting in favor of funding IUDs for woman on medicaid when they are still in the hospital. This was always a free service, but giving woman the option while still in the hospital actually saves us money and keeps unintended life events from happening to many woman. I stand by that decision as I feel like it should be no different while still in the hospital vs after you go home and it helps both the state and the woman long term.
   I’m happy with the free range parenting bill we passed. Seems like we shouldn’t have needed to pass that in the first place, but our world is changing.
   For us to create statute, there needs to be a good reason. We shouldn’t need to recreate statute to protect already constitutionally protected rights.
   He only introduced three bills last session. He is a minimalist and I like that. More bills often equals more government and more government is no bueno.
   Me:Would you support repeal of the antiquities act?
   I would support a reformation of it. Meaning if something is to be designated it must be voted on by the state legislature of the state the land is in. That way they have a say. Its a high bar to pass. What we don’t need is millions and millions of acres designated. Wyoming and Alaska have exemptions to the antiquities act, why not Utah?
   I would prefer full repeal but this is likely a compromise that is actually viable. Also, lets get Utah that exemption.
   There is no federal role for education. These departments never disappear like we hope they would though, so I would be working to roll it back program by program.
   Q: Who would you say is your role model in the senate?
   Mike Lee
   Mike Lee is my hero
   After this last line of questioning I could really feel how genuine Mike was. He definitely wasn’t skirting my questions. He was giving me direct honest answers. I really value this in a politician and know that Mike Kennedy would not simply go to Washington and do whatever he wanted, but would make sure he listened to the Utahns who put him there.
3. melva gifford says:

   April 18, 2018 at 3:47 pm

   My review of Tim Jimenez running for Senate by Caroline F
   I had a nice long phone interview with Tim. Some of the time, I will be honest he was talking over my head. Here are some of Tim’s plans for a citizen led government.

   1. Which Republican Senators do you trust and which ones do you not trust?
   Tim was the campaign coordinator for the Ted Cruz campaign for Tooele County. He likes Rand Paul except for that thing he did, backing Mitch McConnell. Big fan of Mike Lee and Ben Sass. He would like to see Mitch McConnell go.

   2. Which area is having issues with wolves, which area is having problems with prairie dogs, and which area is having troubles with tortoises?
   He seemed to know his stuff. He grew up in Idaho and from what he told me they have been planting these wolves up there too. “The hippies in the town where all for it but the farmers, the loggers and the people who run cattle out there, it was a nightmare. They introduced an aggressive pack animal, unlike the ones here, that were solitary. They like eating cows, goats and sheep. You introduce a non-native species, you always have problems.” Prairie dogs are in Iron County. The tortoises, it’s the same thing in southern Utah [non-native species] (stupid tortoises). In the field he works in, he runs into more regulations surrounding eagles and burrowing owls.

   3. The BLM is putting in campgrounds with wastewater facilities without consulting local authorities. What would you do to reign in the BLM so they will work with local government?
   “Aside from eliminating them, you can start working with them.” We talked a lot the Army Corps of Engineers, whom he works with a lot and they stop people and a lot of projects with all the regulation. He seems to want to make things more state controlled and less federally controlled.

   4. Do you support the Bundys?
   “Yes, I support them, I’m just a little leery of some of the people who came out to support them.” For him it comes down to a lands rights issue and he is tired of the government bossing people around, especially when they have a contract to graze and run their cattle on that land. “A lot of people brought firearms, you had a few people who were pointing guns at Federal officers, that leaves an impression. If we’re ever going to try and win this debate with the east coast states, that’s something we have to be very mindful of, is how the East Coast sees firearms.”

   5. What is your current job?
   Tim is an environmental engineer he likes to say “I work for industry, not against it”

   6. What is your opinion on SAGE testing and common core?
   “I sign waivers every year so my children don’t have to take the SAGE test. I don’t agree with national standards. Parents should ultimately decide how their children are educated. The nationalized education system has placed too much emphasis on college and not enough on trades. We need machinists, welders, diesel mechanics and other skilled tradesmen. Highly educated bureaucrats do not see the value in trade school.”

   7. Would you be for eliminating the BLM, Dept. of Education, the EPA, others?
   “Yes, a lot of other people have said they want to do that but you can’t just go and repeal something like that.” He explained to me his plan to walk back the regulations one at a time and turn those regulations over to the states. He feels this might create momentum to repeal more regulations. “We have to shrink the agency’s through attrition.”

   8. What is the difference between an assault rifle and an AR-15?
   “So far I haven’t been able to figure out what an assault rifle is. AR stands for ArmaLite which is the company that invented the ArmaLite model 15 and other models in the 1950’s. Initially they invented it for civilian use, calling it a sporting rifle. Then military got wind of it and purchased, I believe in the mid 60’s under the name of M16, modified it throughout Vietnam and ended up with more modern M16’s”

   9. Are you a member of the NRA?
   He let me know that he used to be but they just kept calling him all the time. He said he will probably join up again because he likes what they do.

   10. What is your opinion of the GVRO the gun violence restraining order?
   He didn’t know what it was so I gave him a quick summary. He would like to see more specifics about it. He doesn’t like the idea of someone coming in and taking your guns but due to things that have happened in his family he could see it as a benefit for extreme situations. It has to go through the court system and he can see a place for it if it’s family making the call. “The only way we can limit those rights that are guaranteed to us in the Bill of Rights is to use the Bill of Rights itself. The 5th, 6th and 8th amendments in the Constitution leave a structure in there for the government to go through the court system” He does say it would have to be done just right.

   11. What do you think of the no longer used Brady Bill?
   He does not support it. We had a conversation about a woman who is a victim of domestic violence and the waiting period could get her killed.

   12. What is your opinion of teachers being armed?
   He likes the fact that teachers and parents in Utah already have that choice and he doesn’t think it’s a problem. (I agree)

   13. What are your two cents on climate change?
   Tim as an environmental engineer studied a lot about microbiology and how the environment is impacted by chemicals, man made and naturally occuring. He told me about and experience he had with a professor studying Ice cores. The pattern that has always been found between CO2 and temperature is, temperature goes up THEN the CO2 levels rise. Climate research today he compared to a watermelon, “Green on the outside but red all the way through” the red being reference to communism. (I found this hysterical). Tim says that all man, at most, only contributes 4% to CO2 but that is minute compared to water vapor that is often left out of climate models.

   14. Should we have a Convention of states?
   If we were to have a convention of states and it goes towards a runaway convention he would rather have Utah representatives there representing Utah. “I know it’s a contentious argument”

   15. Are you for repealing the 17th Amendment?
   “Yes, and the 16th and reword the 14th. The 16th has to do with income tax and the 14th says if your born on US soil you are automatically a US citizen which has led to what we call anchor babies.

   16. Should senators have term limits?
   “I’m taking a two-year pledge myself”. His first reason is because he likes his job. His second is he believes we should have a US Citizen run government. He does not like the idea of people going into politics so they have a cushy retirement. He told me all about how he loves the western United States “I moved to Utah 10 years ago, we bought our first, last and only home in Tooele and I’m not moving again.” He said he would be racking up those frequent flyer miles because if he can be home with his wife and kids he will be.

   17. Who are your media influences?
   I knew his answer before he said it. He is a subscriber to The Blaze. He really likes Buck Sexton and Doc Thompson (my favorite!). Ben Shapiro, he can cut right to the point and do it gracefully and can kindly destroy someone. Louder with Crowder makes him laugh. (me too).

   18. What are your feelings about medical marijuana?
   “If you read the Constitution, it says nowhere in there that the federal government has the right to regulate what you do with your body.” It does say you can’t do things to others. “All drug policy should be controlled at the state level” He is for taking it from a class 1 to a class 2 an if people want to use it for medical purposes, he’s fine with it. It needs to be a state issue or else you end up with the federal government overreaching in other areas like sugar, trans-fats, soda. “They’re going to use the same logic, it poses a health risk or a financial burden to others therefore, we [federal government] have the right to regulate it.” That would be bad. (Sounds like Britain and the NHS)

   19. Would you do anything to further dismantle Obamacare?
   We talked about the free markets they have in europe, except England which is what democrats want. “Sweden you can actually pick your doctor, pick your facility, even negotiate prices.” Since we haven’t done a full repeal of Obamacare we have a pseudo free market. “If Republicans don’t get off their butts real quick and get this repealed, it will collapse, as it’s designed and we will not be able to have a single word in to fix it.” Because the mandate is gone, Democrats will blame us for it failing. “We won’t have a seat at the table to renegotiate free market system. We need to repeal it and we need to repeal it fast, I think we only have a few years.”

   20. What are your views on abortion?
   “Killing babies is not a good idea.” We spoke of eugenics and the turn of the century in America. He has done his homework when it comes to Margaret Sanger and how she wanted to get rid of Jewish people, black people,the generationally poor and mentally feeble. Woodrow Wilson was pushing sterilizing thousands of mentally feeble women while he was governor. (worst president ever). Tim said, Hitler saw what we were doing here in America and felt he could take it to the next level and get away with it. “As you look at Europe, they’re trying to do the same stuff, It’s harder to get an abortion in Europe than it is in America with a few exceptions.” Iceland getting rid of down syndrome children, China getting rid of female children. Even New York aborting more black babies than are born alive. “My fears, we’re going to start looking at other diseases or situations. Autism, people that have Asperger’s or with mental and physical handicaps and start slaughtering whole generation or whole groups of people.”

   21. How would you deal with social security?
   “I’m 40, I’m never going to get it, I’m going to pay into it my whole life but I’ll never get it.” When it comes to our seniors, we made that promise to them so we can’t cut it for them. For the next generation those in their 40’s and 50’s his solution is to move slowly to 70 or 75. He says it needs to be means tested and other entitlement needs should be returned to the states to take care of.

   22. How would you fix the V.A.?
   “It should be eliminated. Turn it back over to a free-market system. We have had government trying to fix healthcare, in this country for veterans since the beginning, we’ve always treated them poorly.” He spoke of the plan Woodrow Wilson put in place and that we are working off of a 100 year old model that is insanely complicated.“ He doesn’t blame the doctors or the people that work there, he generally thinks there good but are just buried under layers and layers of bureaucracy. “I would love to be able to turn that money over to the veterans, give them a large amount of cash every year and tell them to go out you buy the insurance they need, find the medical procedures they need.” He has a plan to let veterans who are having a hard time finding work or being employed and have them become case workers of other veterans. Giving them a number of other veterans going through what they, themselves, went through. Their only job, to make sure that those veterans are taken care of. “Nobody knows better what they’re going through than other veterans.”

   23. Are you a strong supporter of President Trump & would you be willing to stand up to him?
   “I was a Ted Cruz campaign coordinator, so I had differences with President Trump. I’m honest enough to say it, I’ve been impressed overall with Trump’s presidency. He’s done a lot of great things that I never thought he would do but when it comes to things like trying to pass a whole lot of tariffs, I’m going to stand against him. I’m going to fight if he doesn’t get rid of FISA courts or if he doesn’t stop civil asset forfeiture. If he moves on DACA or comprehensive immigration before we get enforcement, I’m going to fight against him or stand against him.”

   24. What do we do with the DACA people?
   “After we have everything done and we have a secured border, after we’re enforcing existing laws, then, if we know who they are and have honest background checks on them, not stolen identities, then we move them to the back of the line of the legal immigration system.” He also said, “I wouldn’t mind moving them into that, only because the federal government is the reason they’re in the situation they’re in. We should have deported them as soon as their parents came here and brought them across the border, we should have deported them but we didn’t.” and “It’s not ultimately the American peoples fault, it’s the government’s fault for their incompetence and the parents fault mostly because, the parents are the ones that broke the law, if I broke the law they would separate me from my family, I would go to prison.”

   25. Are you against illegals receiving welfare?
   “Oh, heck yeah”

   26. What do you think about the migrant workers program?
   He told me about him and his wife growing up in Idaho and the agricultural areas there. “[My wife] worked with a lot of migrant workers and I can see a point when there’s a massive influx for harvest, there’s just not enough bodies around.” He’s not against migrant workers but after the work season is over they go back home not stay in the US and collect welfare.

   27. Is e-verify too strict, just enough or does it need to go further?
   “It needs to be enforced, it’s not as efficient as it needs to be, some employers still have a problem with getting it to work properly but as a whole it’s the right idea” He doesn’t like the idea of personal information and the government aspect. “We need to enforce immigration laws and it’s still illegal to work in the US if you’re not a citizen. We need to have some way, some metrics, a method of checking on the applicants.”

   28. Are you for the wall and how do we pay for it?
   “Yes, of course I am. I’m against comprehensive immigration in any instance because all you get is the amnesty without any of the enforcement.” We are in debt but when it comes to the wall it’s a drop in the bucket. “We spend millions and millions of dollars like, giving money to Planned Parenthood without even thinking twice about it but we can’t actually spend the money to secure our border? Which is actually one of the things our federal government is responsible for and it’s actually in the Constitution.” As far as funding for it: “There’s lots of areas to cut, we could go on forever about where we could cut.” His plan. “We’re going to put a road and a wall and a fence along the border, I think that’s the first thing we need to do. Then we just go to simply enforcing the laws. If your a felon you’re gone, if you’re stealing identities you’re gone, if you commit tax fraud you’re gone, if your a Visa overstay your gone. If we do all that I’m willing to have a DACA discussion only because our government didn’t enforce the law, but that does not happen until we get the security and funding for the wall. Nothing comprehensive it’s not a discussion at this point until we get all that.”

   29. What are you going to do to ensure Congress pursues targeted budgeting bills rather than large Omnibus bills?
   [Targeted budgeting] “That’s the only way to do it.” He told me that he would not vote yes on an omnibus bill. We have to break down the budget and vote for each item. “We’re not supposed to just throw it in one big kit and kaboodle.”

   30. Are you for limiting bills to one topic?
   Yes

   31. What will you do to help America with our 21 trillion-dollar debt and estimated 833 billion dollar deficit without taxing us into poverty?
   “That’s the first thing that I’m running on” Since he is an environmental engineer he knows about all the resources we have in abundance, here and Utah and all over the country. “We’re importing uranium from Russia because we refuse to access the uranium sitting here in Utah.” Utah’s sitting on enough oil and natural gas we could be providing the world with energy. It would also be bringing a lot of revenue to help pay off our debt. It would also help Utah and the western states returning our land. It’s not just the lands issue, it’s a strategic step that could help a lot of our problems. Most of our debt comes from entitlements and until we reduce the cost of those we will not be able to make a dent in our debt.

   32. What do you think is going on with tariffs?
   “I sure hope it’s a strategy to get China to the table and open up a dialogue and debate with trade policy” We spoke about how china is stealing our intellectual property. He has seen first hand how tariffs can hurt people by raising the price of steel and other goods. “I’m a fan of getting rid of corporate taxes all together because it’s punishing our businesses and it’s punishing us.”

   33. With the recent chemical attack in Syria what would be America’s best response?
   “If we actually choose to be involved in that, Congress actually needs to declare it.” Senators Lee and Sanders are trying to pass an act that, if the president can’t justify within 90 days why we have to be somewhere, we need to go away or need to declare war. “I wish there was a humanitarian thing we could do to be involved until we declare war I don’t really want to get involved in Syria” also “ I think we’re already at war with Russia, I think Russia realizes were already at war and we don’t”

   34. Do you support Israel?
   Yes! We need to get the embassy moved he’s afraid it might not happen if we don’t before another major election cycle. “Israel is the only stable country in the Middle East. The only country that allows Jews, Muslims, Christians, atheists, heterosexuals, homosexuals, anyone can go there and live my life and be left alone. I think that we need to support Israel”

   35. What is your opinion of the United Nations?
   “I don’t like terrorists walking around in our country. The first thing I would do is move it over to the EU, where they can find a better, more happy home, a place that would be more accommodating for terrorist. I still think we need to be able to be a part of the debate at the national level but United States is 5% of the world’s population we should only be responsible for 5% of their budget” he also said “We should find out exactly where that money is going. They’re stealing American taxpayers money to fund themselves and dictators. I want to go to that place and figure out exactly where the money is going.” good idea. “As far as our troops, they will never be in charge of our troops. The US decides, If we need to have military action somewhere and we need to be involved, we are in charge of our troops.” I didn’t know that was even an issue.

   Anything else you would like me to add?
   Tim feels that most of DC elite’s are just that elites. He comes from a real family with real troubles like substance abuse, and family members that has been to jail. They don’t understand how to make good reform because it doesn’t actually touch their families. “I’m running because I don’t feel like I am represented, I don’t feel like my neighbors are represented, I am for a citizen led government.”

   Conclusion: I like Tim, he was fun to talk to and we have a lot in common. He is a smart guy that has real opinions about the issues. He could have the makings of a good Senator. His wife and 6 kids would probably miss him but I think he would spend as little time as possible in DC. I think the people of Utah would be more of a priority to him than any of the people of DC. He could bring a lot of his career and schooling knowledge to solve problems, maybe the way many of us would want to, with a little ingenuity and a lot of common sense.