Anyone who knows anything about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knows of its oposition to marriage equality. And while small steps have been make to include members of the LGBTQ community with sources like mormonsandgays.org and anectdotes of particular wards that are especially inclusive, the Church's top leadership are not backing down on the issue. 

Over the past several years, as President Barack Obama has occupied the White House, his detractors have ceaselessly labeled his policies as communist or socialist. Pundits like Glenn Beck often carefully choreographed imagery of the Soviet Union’s hammer and sickle flag, or the Nazi’s swastika when referring to Mr. Obama and his policies. The notion that Democrats support socialism has become a foregone conclusion in conservative communities. As one who formally studied economics and political science at BYU, hearing these terms twisted far from their actual meaning, and observing the comparison of programs like Medicare and the Affordable Care Act to Stalinist Russia, make me cringe. For Republican strategists, the purpose in making such comparisons to the genocidal regimes of Stalin, Mao, or Hitler is obvious- striking fear in their largely uninformed constituents. This messaging strategy has worked marvelously as more and more Americans now simply refuse to even consider the merits of any policy proposal that the GOP punditry has labeled “socialist” or “communist.”

Last Sunday evening, I had the opportunity to volunteer at a Salt Lake County Democratic Party fundraiser.

I have many friends, relatives, and work acquaintances who subscribe to the Ron Paul libertarian wing of the Republican party.   If you ask them, they will say, “Republicans and Democrats are totally corrupt and they don’t want to have anything to do with either party.  No labels [conservative, liberal, etc.] apply to us, thank you very much.”  I’m always one who likes to find out other beliefs.  I enjoy a good discussion—even though many times it ends up with, “We will just have to agree to disagree.”

There are a few things Ron Paul Libertarians and I see eye to eye on.  I think Ron Paul is correct concerning civil liberties, wars, and censorship issues.  However, out of respect to many of my friends and relatives (those who can't understand why I don't jump on the libertarian/Ron Paul bandwagon), I want to point out my main disagreements with Ron Paul and his brand of libertarianism.

In the Saturday Morning Session of the October 2001 General Conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley said the following:

We see today all of these evils, more commonly and generally, than they have ever been seen before, as we have so recently been reminded by what has occurred in New York City, Washington, and Pennsylvania, of which I shall speak tomorrow morning. We live in a season when fierce men do terrible and despicable things. We live in a season of war. We live in a season of arrogance. We live in a season of wickedness, pornography, immorality. All of the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah haunt our society. Our young people have never faced a greater challenge. We have never seen more clearly the lecherous face of evil.

Instead of having a long blog post about this quote, I will instead present three graphs that describe his overall message.

One thing I admire about America is the fact that I can work anywhere I want.  With the right skill set, education, and sometimes just plain luck, I can choose my destination—at least that’s how I was raised.  After my stint in retail, I decided to become a librarian.  With my love of technology, books, and people, I thought I would be a perfect fit.  I signed up for the next semester of school and pursued a Master in Library Science Degree.  It’s been the best choice I ever made.  While I was in school, I supported my family by working at Wal-Mart.  I soon realized that the business model that I had experienced at another retail outlet was founded and groomed by Sam Walton himself.  The Walton Business Model is this:  Low Wages + No Healthcare + High Turnover Rate + No Unions = Low Prices + $$$.  (Cotto, 2012)

Having an undergraduate degree can be a pain. I often hear politicians or those with a political motivation make a sweeping statement about an economics topic that is far too complicated to summarize in a single sentence. It is frustrating because without a PhD it is hard to refute a politician with any credibility at all. What is even worse is I know the politician could be right, but for the wrong reasons. Take the idea of buying local, for instance. It is often said or believed that buying local is very important for an economy. I do not disagree with that sentiment. In fact, I like to support local stores as much as possible. My only problem is I have no idea what “buying local” actually means.

Another day, another shooting. Another blog post about gun control? No. It is an issue that has already been exhausted. Nobody needs to read another post that will not change any mind or create a truly civilized debate. Those who like firearms are opposed to at least one form of gun control, namely banning all guns. On the other side, those who do not like guns absolutely love gun control. This will never change. If you are interested in the troubles with academic studies relating to crime, keep reading. Otherwise, skip the next paragraph.

Even before I left the GOP I knew that something wasn't right with the way workers are treated in America. Reality hit home the first month back from my mission.  Shelter, food, and even my College education was in my hands.  My parents felt that it was the best way to introduce me to real life.  It was a hard lesson and one that so many of us are having a hard time figuring out.   I spent a year working at a local grocery store.

The head manager would always throw out Horatio Alger language, “If you work really hard, you too can become the head manager.”

This interview is part of a series of interviews of Democrat candidates across the state from varying religious backgrounds. LDS Dems-Idaho recently interviewed Heidi Knittel about her current run for Idaho Sentate Seat 12. We encourage you to learn more about her at www.knittelforsenate.org.

This interview was conducted by Jon Young, an LDS Democrat living in Boise, ID.