Kyle Waters

I seek to influence public policy for the benefit of man.

  • published Culmination not aberation in Blog 2024-10-09 21:24:36 -0700

    Culmination not aberration

    The party of Mitt Romney is dead.  It was unceremoniously and quickly murdered.  I'm reminds me of Dune, the Bene Gesserit create zealots to support and sustain their cause, but Paul Atriedes came along and exploited those zealots to seek personal revenge and in the process turned them against the Bene Gesserit who created them. 

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  • published Why I oppose religion in school in Blog 2024-09-29 07:37:09 -0700

    Why I oppose religion in public schools

    A couple of years ago when I was serving as second councilor in the Elder's Quorum we had a guest instructor who passed out a handout from an other faith.  As I glanced through this handout to see if it was appropriate for our quorum I noticed that it called for religion in schools.  I was caught off guard I hadn't heard a member make an argument for religion in schools before.  I told the instructor that this handout was not appropriate as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints did not have stance supporting religion in schools. He countered that "my daughter's college professor taught that there are 36 genders, that's a religion itself". There was the crux of the matter.

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  • commented on Enough with the Crying, I Have a Plan 2017-02-22 11:33:39 -0800
    I do believe I would be better off under a Hillary Clinton presidency. So far I base that statement largely off environmental policy. I could also point to efforts to roll back finance reform that I think is detrimental to 401k investors like myself.

    I do work to improve Democratic candidates and the party itself in private settings. I have served as a party official and candidate. Several mormonpress contributors plan on participating in a democratic party candidate training next week. We are making efforts to make our party better.

    Joseph Peck did state that he didn’t vote for Clinton or Trump, but he did not state who we voted for or if he normally supports a party. I hope he did vote and does contribute to a party for its betterment. I encourage everyone else to do the same.

    For those of you who eschew political parties because they are not perfect, repent. Our religion encourages us to participate in political parties and make them better.
  • commented on Why I'm a Mormon Democrat - Redux 2017-05-03 14:24:18 -0700
    Thank you for taking the time to read our blog and being polite.
  • commented on Hopes and Dreams 2017-01-25 15:54:28 -0800
    I grew up in a Republican household. I used to listen to Rush Limbaugh and even taped his TV show so I could watch it when I got home from school. In college I had a friend who convinced me that Democrats weren’t evil, but just had different experiences that made them look at things differently. Eventually he convinced me to do more research and I realized I had been misled to about many things. I still wanted to be involved in politics and I started going to meetings of both Democrats and Republicans. I quickly found that I was more comfortable with the Democrats. This doesn’t mean I agree with every Democrat on everything, just that I agree with more Democrats more often than Republicans. A list of things I agree with Democrats on:

    Funding for education, and support of public schools
    Environment
    Social Security/Medicare
    Health care for those too sick to work
    Sex education
    Transparency
    Compassionate Immigration Reform
    Anti-discrimination laws

    Related links:
    https://www.lds.org/topics/environmental-stewardship-and-conservation?lang=eng
    http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-encourages-principled-approach-health-care-coverage-needy-utahns
    http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865601049/LDS-Church-reaffirms-stance-on-immigration.html
    http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865623399/Utah-lawmakers-unveil-anti-discrimination-religious-rights-legislation.html

    I also support the constitution, but recognize like the founding fathers that it wasn’t perfect and never will be perfect(Alexander Hamilton said so in the federalist papers). It’s better than it used to be after all it now blocks slavery, state sponsored religion, and grants universal suffrage. You and I interpreter Article I Section 8 Clause 3 differently. Which is fine, the founding fathers didn’t even agree on it(look up A Bill For Manufactures in the Americas). Conveniently for me the Supreme Court tends to agree with me rather than you.

    It’s interesting you refer to “since Woodrow Wilson”. While he’s often identified as a progressive, he wasn’t a very good one. He fired many federal employees simply because they were black. The president you should have started with was Teddy Roosevelt, since he supported many policies being moved to the national level. Some of this was because of how trains had made interstate commerce so much more common, but mostly it was because he believed a good law is a good law no matter what level it is passed at.

    Personally I’m much more involved in state politics than I am in federal politics. I would like to see my state legislature allow more control at the local level than at the state level. State Democratic politicians generally support more local control than state Republican politicians.

    I could say since I don’t always agree with the party, I don’t belong to it, but what does that get me. By participating in caucuses, being a delegate(for the last decade), participating in party leadership(precinct chair, leg sec, leg chair, regional director), running as a candidate(twice), and serving in caucus leadership(LDS Dems executive commitee member) I am able to help shape the party and have far more influence than I ever would by sitting out side throwing stones.
  • published Religious Freedom in Blog 2016-09-28 11:37:55 -0700

    Religious Freedom

    The LDS Church's new website regarding religious freedom provides excellent guidance on becoming a positive influence in civics, politics, and culture. The site includes explanations of the rights we currently enjoy and advice on what you can do to help protect those right, as well as how to work with those you disagree with to advance public policy.

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  • commented on I'M STILL HERE: THOUGHTS ON THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF MEDICARE AND MEDICAID 2015-08-03 11:05:14 -0700
    A man finds himself trapped in a flood and he prays that he will be saved. A long comes a fishing boat and the owner offers him a seat on the boat, the man turns it down. The rains continue and the floods increase, the man climbs to his roof and prays even harder. A speed boat comes a long, and he is offered, a seat but he turns it down,believing his faith will save him. He eventually ends up clinging to his chimney and praying, a helicopter comes a long and offers him rescue, but he turns it down. The man drowns and upon finding himself in the next life inquires why he wasn’t saved after all his prayers. “You were sent two boats and a helicopter”.
  • commented on Share your Story 2015-05-19 19:30:39 -0700
    I believe in spreading knowledge and truth in the world. Not turning my back on it.

    Why are you a Mormon Liberal?

    Share a bit about what brings you to the unique intersection of your Mormon faith and your liberal politics. In just a paragraph or two, tell us more about what makes you a Mormon Liberal. We'll feature these on the site with your permission.

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Kyle Waters is a husband and father of three. Currently serving as a cubmaster. He grew up in Layton, attend USU, and currently lives in Draper, and works as a Software Engineer.

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