For your reading pleasure.
Henry R Kneitz III
https://www.facebook.com/HenryKneitz/videos/574000296315404/
https://www.facebook.com/HenryKneitz/videos/574010566314377/
https://www.facebook.com/HenryKneitz/videos/574009572981143/
https://www.facebook.com/HenryKneitz/
Chris Herrod
https://herrodforcongress.com/#!#about
My name is Chis Herrod and I want to let you know why I am running (again).
I’d hoped a conservative that I knew, and I thought could win, would run. I did not want to end up in another 3-way primary. On the last day of filing, with only one signature gatherer in the race, (John Curtis), several friends encouraged me to run. Because I had concerns about recent statements, I spoke to my wife, and I filed. Because I had not planned on running, I had to get a few things in order, but now I am fully engaged. Please see my schedule located on my website HerrodforCongress.com.
I’m a platform Republican. I’m not afraid to say what I truly believe. I’ve been a consistent conservative with a record of standing up for conservative principles, the Republican Platform, and the Constitution. It has not always won me friends. I’ve served in the Utah House of Representatives, taught at Universities overseas, and have relationships on the national level.
I’m troubled when the first reaction of elected leaders after a tragedy happens, is to take a step back from our Constitutional Rights. I was greatly disappointed in our elected leader’s failure to provide perspective to calm our children’s fears after the terrible school shooting in Florida. Instead, the media and politicians sacrificed our students’ well-being to sell newspapers, push agendas, and pander to the middle for votes. Needlessly, many students around the nation seemed genuinely frightened and traumatized by the belief that their schools were unsafe.
Every premature death is tragic, but every frightened child and every concerned parent should understand this truth . . . there’s never been a safer time to be in school. In fact, there’s never been safer to be a child than today, and school is one of safest places for a child to be.1 Students are four times safer from school shootings than in the early 1990s.2
Rather than using our children as props and attempt to take away freedoms, those truly concerned about student safety should use the opportunity to teach the most relevant dangers . . . the most dangerous hazard of the day is driving – 800 times more dangerous than being shot at school.3 Students are over 400 times more likely to die from underage age drinking.4 To put it in perspective, the chances of dying from premarital sex (HIV, STDs, childbirth) is ten times greater than being shot at school.5 Let’s see CNN do a town hall on that! When deaths aren’t addressed by most dangerous first, motives become purely political and that is dangerous for our Republic.
When we don’t teach the truth and why the 2nd amendment is important, the other side can simply wait it out . . . wait for the next generation who has only been taught by the media and activists, and we eventually lose our freedoms. For me, the 2nd Amendment is not theoretical. I have friends who lost their parents to Stalin’s Gulags. An estimated 7-11 million were starved to death by Stalin in my wife’s native country. Another friend of mine was forced to shout “Red Terror” as teenagers were executed after his guns were taken away.
James Madison said: “Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations.”
This is true whether it’s the 1st Amendment (SB 54), the 2nd Amendment, the 4th Amendment, or the ever-increasing ways that the government grows stronger and infringes on our God-given rights.
The reason I ran before remains the same. We are losing our country because we don’t teach Constitutional Principles and shy away from teaching when political correctness runs the strongest or when public opinion seems against us. If you want someone who has the track record of standing-up, then please consider me.
Steven Stromness
My Political Faith
I believe in the existence of Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God. In a manner of speaking, we cannot break these Laws, but we are capable of breaking ourselves upon them.
I believe in the self-evident truth that “All men are created equal.” We do not need distant elites, who often believe they are better than the rest of us, to redistribute our wealth and regulate our every activity.
I believe that the United States Constitution was divinely inspired, and that we are most likely to prosper as we adhere to its principles.
________________________________________
Why I am Running for Congress
I believe we have a crisis of faith in Washington, DC (and in many places across our country). As witnessed by many actions of our “leaders” in DC (and, most recently, the fiscally irresponsible budget deal increasing spending by another $300 billion over the next 2 years), too many of them do not believe in anything other than getting more power and prestige for themselves. Or, if they do have such faith as I have outlined, they often forget and do not act according to their faith. In fact, by and large, they are in a serious state of denial about the obvious.
Many of our “leaders” in DC have probably demonstrated significant managerial talent; otherwise they would not be there. But, over all, they are managing the decline of our great country.
We do not need skillful managers to manage our decline. We need leaders who have faith in sound principles, and then act in accordance with that faith. Whatever my human weaknesses may be, I will work to provide leadership and example, consistent with my faith.
Balancing the Budget Resolution
The following below, and attached as a downloadable file, is the Resolution on Balancing The Budget proposed for consideration at May 20th, 2017 convention of the Utah State Republican Party. I authored it, it passed the 2017 Utah State Republican Party Convention overwhelmingly, and it shows some of my thoughts about balancing the budget.
________________________________________
Resolution on Balancing The Budget proposed for consideration at May 20th, 2017 convention of the Utah State Republican Party:
Whereas the United States government has a debt of about $20 trillion, that has grown at a rate averaging about $1.2 trillion per year over the last nine years;
Whereas the United States Congress has gone far beyond spending authorized by Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution; and
Whereas it is dishonest to borrow money without intent to repay, and immoral to enslave future generations through careless borrowing;
Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Utah State Republican Party requests that the United States Congress:
- bring national government spending, promising, and borrowing under control by identifying the hundreds of billions of dollars of appropriate spending cuts needed a) to reduce projected borrowing in the current fiscal year (2017); and b) to balance the annual national budget in Fiscal Year 2018, or as soon as reasonably possible thereafter; and
- phase out national government spending not authorized by Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution.
Be it further resolved that the Utah State Republican Party disapproves of congressional action to increase the national debt ceiling without sufficient immediate spending cuts in the current fiscal year to put our government on a credible road to a balanced budget with honest accounting.
Be it further resolved that the Utah State Republican Party instructs the Chairman to authenticate and send copies of this resolution:
- to the Utah State Republican Party’s delegation to the National Republican Committee;
- to all Republican members of Utah’s Congressional delegation;
- to Vice-President Mike Pence; and
- to President Donald Trump.
John Curtis
Jobs & Economy
As a longtime businessman, I know that governments don’t grow the economy, entrepreneurs do. And entrepreneurs create more jobs when they are operating in a business-friendly environment. Our current corporate tax rate is too high and we are losing businesses to other countries with lower rates. Nothing will provide more economic relief and opportunity for people of all backgrounds than tax relief and regulatory reform for both individuals and businesses.
In Provo, I have found that when government gets out of the way it is amazing to see what incredible ideas come. Our approach in Provo has been to encourage, facilitate relationships, and be a transparent resource when needed for our local business community. As a result we have seen $1.5 billion in new construction and development in our Downtown. Old buildings are taking on a new life. Companies like Google Fiber look to Provo because we have created an environment where they know they can be successful. Washington D.C. would do well to take a lesson from Provo. There is an energy and optimism in our community.
2nd Amendment
After the unspeakable horror in Las Vegas, residents of Utah, myself included, are feeling a deep connection to the victims in Nevada. Many of us have stood where they fell and are realizing it could have been our friends, our wives, our children, or us. I think it’s important that we walk the fine line between politicizing this tragedy and using it to engage in meaningful dialogue.
For our healing to move forward we need to all come together with an open mind about what happened and how to try and prevent it in the future. In the short term, I want to join the praise for the brave men and women who were first responders as well as those caught in the middle who risked their own safety to help others.
I support the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms, and I exercise that right. As any responsible gun owner knows, we have to do everything within our power to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. Like the rest of our Constitution, I believe the 2nd Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy.
As we move forward,I hope to be a leader on this substantive discussion. I believe we can explore the critical issues without getting sucked into partisan bickering . As I travel the state, I will start this discussion with residents, hunters, parents and safety advocates. Not because this discussion is comfortable, but because it is not. We owe it to the people who were senselessly murdered on October 1st—and to the many who have died in mass shootings before October 1st—to consider all points and make changes.
I agree with Senator Hatch that evidence of mental health problems should be part of the instant background check made when purchasing a gun. Hatch said: “We need to keep better records. Mental health problems that indicate violent behavior ought to be part of the instant check system.” He indicated that this alone won’t solve the problem of gun use by the mentally imbalanced, and “the media has to show some restraint” in reporting on incidents of gun violence so there aren’t so many “copy-cat” crimes.
I support legislation to protect children by requiring that guns be sold with a proper storage or gun safety device. By requiring that all guns be sold with safety devices, we will reinforce responsible safety practices. No minor should ever be able to obtain unsupervised or unauthorized access to a gun.
I’m concerned about any gun modifications that turn a legal semi-automatic weapon into a de-facto illegal automatic weapon. I think bump stocks deserves a hearing in Congress to answer questions and find out how the technology works and whether legislation, or working with gun manufacturers, is the best way to move forward.
I believe in crime control through prosecution of as many local gun-related crimes in federal court as possible to take advantage of federal mandatory minimum sentences and stiff bond rules . This provision does not create additional federal crimes, but instead utilizes existing federal statutes that are not being enforced to their fullest extent.
I believe that by listening to different points of view, making common-sense changes, and standing up for our citizens and our Constitution, we can move forward from this tragedy more unified and with more resolve against evil and violence than ever before.
Healthcare
The reality is that we have not had a free market healthcare system for many decades. Government involvement and regulation has distorted the market for a very long time and it is unrealistic to say we are going to roll everything back in the next four years. It’s a fact—Republicans weren’t ready when we got our chance to fix the problem. Frankly, I am frustrated and embarrassed that Congress had eight years to figure out how to repeal or fix Obamacare and they didn’t have their answer ready. Skyrocketing healthcare costs and lack of access are issues we cannot ignore, and the answer will come with more portability, flexibility, and transparency. It is time Congress got past trying to score political points and on to meaningful solutions for everyday Americans.
Veterans
These brave men and women risked their lives defending our freedom, courageously serving in our nation’s many conflicts and wars around the world. They are heroes and I believe we must honor their sacrifice and stand up for them at every turn.
I am pleased to endorse Mayor John Curtis’ congressional candidacy. As chairman of the Provo Veteran’s Council, I have worked with him for the past eight years on issues dealing with military personnel and veterans.
He has served as a speaker at our veterans events, and has played an important role in presenting awards to outstanding veterans for community service and military merit.
Mayor Curtis has take the time to show appreciation for military service throughout the valley, and I’m sure he will continue to be devoted to patriotic and veteran’s issues during his tenure in the U.S. Congress.
I give him my highest approval rating as a professional, competent leader and as an advocate for our servicemen and women, past and present.
David F. Gunn
Colonel, (Ret)
U.S. Army
