Reform Utah Politics?

Over the last 18 months, I’ve noticed a growing number of newspaper articles arguing that Utah’s caucus system is flawed and must be reformed to prevent various supposed problems. I read another such piece Saturday morning in the Deseret News editorial section.

Answers from Candidates – Dan Liljenquist

A couple of weeks ago I posted a set of questions I would seek to answer for candidates looking for my vote. Thursday evening I attended an event where state Senator Dan Liljenquist spoke about fiscal responsibility. From what I understand there is a good chance that Dan will run against Hatch to be the Republican nominee for the US Senate. I’d like to share with you what I was able to glean from this event and some time spent afterwards relative to my list of questions.

Everyday Miracles

Of late my life seems full of happy coincidences (miracles as I choose to view them). For example, today at church as we began to sing one of the hymns I wished that we would sing more than the first four verses of this particular hymn (99.9% of the time we only sing those verses that are written between the lines of music – typically 4 verses – and not the additional verses written out at the end of the music).

Well guess what? The chorister had us sing one of the two extra verses. Not a big deal. Well maybe but for me it was important as the additional verse carried for me extra import and I really thought about the words we sang. Then I took the time to read and ponder the last verse which I would normally not do. This last verse stayed with me throughout the day.

How great, how glorious, how complete
Redemption’ grand design,
where justice love and mercy meet
In harmony divine!

How Great the Wisdom and the Love, Eliza R. Snow, verse 6.

You can listen to this hymn by playing the following YouTube video. Probably sounds better than we did at church :)

Happy coincidence or miracle. Here’s the definition of miracle:

1. an event that is contrary to the established laws of nature and attributed to a supernatural cause
2. any amazing or wonderful event
3. a person or thing that is a marvellous example of something: the bridge was a miracle of engineering

For me #2 fits the bill. Let me list a few of the other minor miracles I’ve seen lately.

• My wife had a great product idea this summer and has been working to turn the idea into a reality. In September she had reached the point where she needed to file a patent. At that exact point in time I had someone comment on a blog post. For some reason I chose to try and find out more about this person. His Facebook page mentioned that he was a patent attorney and that he lived in my town. After I reached out to him it turned out he lived about 200 yards from our home. Definitely an “amazing or wonderful event”. More amazing still was that he had done work recently in the specific area that my wife’s patent application would require.
• My wife and I volunteer on Saturday mornings at a nearby temple. Not long ago I was walking down a hall and literally bumped into a friend who was on his way to the room in which he was to be married. I had been invited to the wedding but had forgotten. As it happened, I had a break between assignments (which rarely happens) and was able to attend the ceremony.
• My mom is from Germany and she, along with my wife,  recently traveled there for 3 weeks to try and get some estate issues settled. My mom’s only sister passed away last year and among other things the house my mom was born and raised in was left to her. It was too expensive to keep and so it really needed to be sold. Well within a week a buyer was found (without a real estate agent) and two days before the flight home my mom was in a notary’s office signing the paperwork to close the deal (at the price my mother wanted). Lest you think the real-estate market in Germany is hot, it is not! Pretty much the same as here … in other words very much a buyers market.

For me life is not always the way I want it to be but I’m sure it is the way it should be. These happy coincidences let me know that there is a God and He is aware. The more minor the miracle the more I realize that He cares, even about something a trivial as singing an extra verse.

Hope you had a great Sabbath.

Family Faith - A Road Trip to Louisville

The following story is illustrative of stories that get lost over time unless they become part of a family’s history by recording it in family journal and it is shared from time to time. I was recently asked to share a story about our family that no one would know. Sadly I don’t think our most of our children would remember hearing it and they certainly couldn’t have read about it (as it hadn’t been written down).

We had been married about a year when we left Provo for Louisville, KY in August of 1981. I had gotten an 8 month internship with GE at their Appliance Park facility. Our car was a 1973 Toyota Corolla hatchback (similar to the one on the right)  that I was somehow able to keep running in spite of my mechanical ineptitude. When it comes to trying to fix mechanical items I instinctively do the wrong thing . I finally gave up trying to work on cars around 1988 after I figured out that it was costing me more money to fix it myself than to take it to a shop. Now, refilling the washer fluid, checking the oil and changing wiper blades is the extent of my repertoire. But I digress so let’s get back to the story.

Questions for Candidates

Election season is fast approaching and as we begin to decide who to support for various offices I’d like to share some of my thoughts on that topic.

When we elect someone to public office we are entrusting them to make decisions on our behalf using information to which we often don’t have access. That being the case I’m more interested in the quality of their character than a specific policy position that may change as an office holder gets access to additional information.

Here are 5 questions that will not be asked of candidates in public debate, but which I seek answers to when evaluating candidates. Some of these are best answered (e.g. #2) by people who know the candidate rather than the candidate:

Three-Fifths Clause–Did it institutionalize the notion that slaves were less than fully human?

Last week I had a spirited discussion with friends at work regarding the three-fifths clause and whether or not it was written to devalue the humanity of slaves (thanks D.S. for providing a great topic for my blog).

Here’s the text from Article I section 2 paragraph 3 of the Constitution.

“Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within the Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.”

Notice that the formula was applied to representation and taxes. This context (representation and taxation) from my perspective sets up an interesting debate. Do you diminish the power of slave holding states by not counting slaves when apportioning congressional representation while at the same time reducing their burden with respect to direct taxes or do you maximize their representation and increase their tax burden (thus imposing a financial penalty on them). The three-fifths compromise was just that a compromise that diminished the potential representation of slave holding states and yet did not eliminate the direct tax burden associated with slaves. The clause was not about the humanity of slaves nor in any way intended as an affront to them.

Jonah – A Positive Example?

A while back I was asked to substitute for a Sunday school teacher at church. The lesson was on Jonah. While I try to look for the positive in most situations and look for hidden lessons I wasn’t sure that I would be able to find much in the way of either. Jonah’s story provided me with more than I would have originally thought. The more reading I did the more questions I had about what I thought was a pretty simple subject. It started with, where in the heck is Nineveh anyways. The answer: Across the river from Mosul, Iraq and about 560 miles as the crow flies from the port of Joppa (now surrounded by Tel Aviv), which is where he departed from. Then other questions followed:

Of Freedom, God, and Christ #2

In his letter to the Galatians Paul tries to dissuade Jewish members of the Church from following the strict practices of their former faith (the Mosaic Law)  and insisting that other gentile (non-Jewish) members do the same.  Towards the end of his letter he makes a very bold statement “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be not entangled with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). The Mosaic law with its emphasis on obedience and sacrifice was a preparatory law that laid the foundation for the higher law and pointed to Christ’s atoning sacrifice.

If God had a Computer …

I have traveled quite a bit over the last 25 years as a part of the various jobs I’ve held in the high tech/software industry. Before there were iPods or iPads to occupy my mind while in the air I  would occasionally let my imagination run wild as I pictured how today’s technology might be applied or have been applied to managing all of creation. I’ve kept these thoughts largely to myself but will risk sharing some of them with you today.

For example, imagine the pained look on the face of the angel in training charged with managing the climate control computers as he told his supervisor that he had accidently reset the system.  His boss, after informing the big guy makes a quick call to Noah letting him know what is going down. You know the rest of the story.

Little Problems of Married Life by William George Jordan

I recently finished reading an excellent treatise on the issues and problems common to most marriages by William George Jordan. He applies the keen insight on human nature he demonstrated in his earlier books (The Kingship of Self-Control, The Majesty of Calmness, The Power of Truth and The Crownship of Individuality) to the challenges of marriage. I now have two favorite books on marriage, this one and Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, by John Gray.

 

Although this book was published in 1910 and some of the societal norms were different than today, his discussion on the kinds of issues that arise in marriage and how they can be remedied are as a valid today as they were yesterday.

 

The book contains 23 chapters, each of which discuss a specific issue. They are relatively short can be read in 5 to 10 minutes but you will likely want to think about them for much longer. Reading a chapter a night with your spouse would be an excellent way to spend quality time with your loved one and can’t help but spark discussions that will improve the quality of your marriage.

 

Below is a list of the quotes from some of the chapters  which give you a sense of the content:

Of Freedom, God and Christ

A couple of months ago I participated in a conversation on religion with some business colleagues. One of my co-workers made the statement that he cannot believe in a God because of the tragedies he had personally witnessed in Africa. If there was a god how could he allow such things to happen. This is not an original concept but when we are the personal witnesses to tragic events and injustice, as was my friend,  the point becomes very real.

“Now is the Time to Make a Difference” by Ron Mann

On April 19th, 2008, Ron Mann, former Deputy Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and Deputy Director of The Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, delivered the following address to a political gathering in Salt Lake City.  It is as relevant today as it was then. It is filled with excellent quotes and serves as a reminder of the civic responsibilities that each of us carry. Enjoy!

In the Absence of Religion, Morality and God by Ron Mann

Below is an excellent discourse by my father on the necessity of religion to sustain our republic. Enjoy RWM.

The Founders of our Republic repeatedly warned of the need to uphold morality, religion and God in our society or suffer the loss of our freedom. During the formation and early years of our republic the leaders and citizens in general read from a well spring of knowledge; scriptures and writing of the founders, in the process ensuring that their freedom would remain.

Liberty Lost by Ron Mann

My father, Ron Mann, wrote this speech a number of years ago. It is somewhat long but well worth the read as it is still pertinent today, perhaps even more than when he wrote it.

Liberty Lost

Several years ago a young naval officer was promoted to captain and given command of a new destroyer. He was awed with his promotion and his new assignment. One day during initial sea trials of his ship he ran into a dense fog. While standing on the bridge of his ship his communications officer, a young Lt. Commander came running in and said: “Sir there is a ship’s light heading directly in our path.” “Signal him to change his course five degrees!” The new caption said. In a few minutes the young officer returned with another message from the other commander. “You change your course!” Signed Lt. Smith. The hair of the back of the captain’s neck bristled. “Send him another message to change his course immediately!”

The Hand of Providence: Boston Freed and Other Miracles

On July 4, 2010 Ron Mann (my father) was the keynote speaker at the Milestones of Freedom event in Orem, Utah. He discusses the Hand of God in the founding of our nation with a focus on the battle of Boston which concluded in March of 1776. The video below is 53 minutes long but well worth watching.

Prior to his speech the Freedom Choir sang "Amazing Grace".  The story my dad told can be found in a separate post on my blog entitled "Amazing Grace: The Rest of the Story".

Note, if you are interested in a DVD version please contact me at mannrw@gmail.com. The video or audio only can also be downloaded from the Internet Archive.

Also, if you like the stories in the speech, I've written about another one in a post (If God be with us who can be against us) and provided a skit that can be used in a family setting.

I've posted my father's recommended reading list on my blog. It's a long list so don't be overwhelmed. Find a couple that sound interesting and jump in ... the water is fine :)

"When in the Course ..." Part I by Ron Mann

Here's another excellent article by my father on our nation's founding.

The book of Joshua in the Old Testament provides a wonderful introduction for this article on the Declaration of Independence. As you will recall Joshua was allowed to lead the Israelites into Israel and one of the first obstacles was the crossing of the river Jordan.

14 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priest bearing the ark of the covenant before the people.

15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priest that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvests).—Joshua 3:14-15

"When in the Course ..." Part II by Ron Mann

The article below is the 2nd half of an article by my father (see "When in the Course ..." Part I).

“No free government or the blessings of liberty can be reserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue.”
—Virginia Declaration of Rights

Protecting Your Family from Pornography

About a year ago I was asked by my local church to write a short note on how to filter Internet content for parents. I thought I’d share these tips since exposure to and use of pornography is undeniable harmful to individuals, families, and society in general. Numerous groups such as Fight the New Drug and Morality in Media are great sources for information on the impact of pornography.

While there is no perfect solution for eliminating the chance to be exposed to unwanted content on the Internet there are steps that can be taken to reduce the chance of “accidental” exposure. Below is a brief description of two free Internet filtering solutions that may be used to help protect your family. You can use one or both but when used together they offer a more complete solution.

Pictures of William George Jordan

When I first started researching William George Jordan (1864-1928), a very gifted writer with incredible insights into human nature, I was only able to find one picture of him online that was most likely not this WGJ. I’ve been able to locate the following pictures since then from magazines, newspapers, books, and family members with whom I’ve had the privilege of connecting (great niece and nephew). The Wikipedia entry for WGJ now contains the first portrait I located (I rewrote the earlier entry on him).

The First Tailor

In 1902 The Tailor (published by the Journeymen Tailors’ Union) republished an article by William George Jordan, one of my favorite writers and a personal hero, entitled “The First Tailor”. I chuckled as I read the article and thought I’d share it with you.

William George Jordan, late managing editor Ladies' Home Journal and editor-in-chief Saturday Evening Post, Philadelphia, writes to the Fashioner.

The first industry in the world was tailoring. The first maker of clothes and the first wearer was Adam. Of this strange character who appears on the pages of history in the dual role of the first tailor and the first customer we have but a brief biography. The meagre details require sympathetic interpretation to make up a complete story. Of his father and mother no mention is made, but the record shows he was destined to be a clothier of some sort, for he was put into Eden to “dress” the garden. We do not know if he obeyed this command, as his biographers do not so state, for, it seems, instead of “dressing” the garden he “dressed”' himself.