Caucus Night

Last night was Caucus night for Utah's political parties. I had time this year so I took the opportunity to participate in my Caucus meeting. I had been debating back and forth for several days whether or not I would seek election as a delegate for my precinct, and thought that I had made a decision by the time that I arrived just to support those who were nominated since I didn't have anyone present to nominate me. Once the meeting started they asked who would like to run for election as the delegates. They needed one for the County and one for the State. I decided to go ahead and put forth my name for consideration. There were four of us. Each of us took our turn explaining why we should be elected to represent the precinct. I hadn't prepared any remarks since I had decided not to. As I began to speak I felt the words flow from my mouth with confidence and passion. When I finished everyone was silent and the next two fumbled through their explanations. Then we voted and I won with a unanimous decision. I was told that they felt that with my knowledge of the Constitution they felt that they would be better served with me as the delegate for the State. After the meeting I was held up for about 2 hours talking about politics, The Constitution, U.S. History and other topics. They wanted to talk to me to pick my brain. It felt good to know that I would be participating in the political process in a more intimate manner. I will serve out my two years as the State Delegate for my Precinct and then I will consider running for public office. The people who were picking my brain have the responsibility to identify individuals who they want to run for public office. Who knows what will happen within the next two years. I might decide that I will just stick to political commentary, or I might decide to make a difference and do something great.

Happy Birthday Joshua

Tuesday was Joshua's 3rd birthday. He was so excited, he knew that the day that he woke up and saw the kitchen decorated that was going to be the day of his birthday. He woke up Tuesday morning he woke up and I carried him downstairs singing happy birthday to him and when he saw the kitchen his jaw dropped and he was in shock. We used the Superman stuff from Sam's party a couple of years ago (since he is obsessed with Superman). He ate his requested breakfast of pancakes, and was just happy being the center of attention.

Joshua has brought a lot of happiness into our family. His brothers and sister love him as do Monica and I.

He has a smile that lights up a room. I can't believe that my baby is 3 years old.

He is excited for Saturday. That is when we will be having his birthday party and his Grandma and Grandpa are doing something different and special for him. All the kids are excited for his party. I think that his excitement is just because his brothers and sister are excited. I am sure that he doesn't know what is going to happen.

In My Defence

I am compelled to write this blog and post it on my family blog in defence of myself and my views. It has come to my attention that while trying to explain my reasoning behind not wanting to work for the U.S. Census taking place this year, Monica portrayed me as an ignorant, narrow-minded individual who makes decisions based upon hearsay and falsehoods.

So, in my defence I need to set the record straight. My refusal to work for the U.S. Census is based off of my personal beliefs. It is not based off of anything that I've heard on the radio or read on some blog online. It is deeply entrenched in the Constitution.

The Constitution of the United States, indicates in Article 1, Section 2, "An enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct." The only Constitutional mandate made by the Constitution is that the people are to be counted to determine the head count of the population in order to properly seat the right amount of Representatives in Congress. The current Census is directed under Title 13 of the U.S. Code. It is my personal belief that the Constitution only authorizes a head count, and that the long form should not be required by law, on the basis of the Constitutionality. I could care less about who is President of the United States, or which political party one is affiliated with.

I am not one to make decisions without fully understanding the reasoning behind my decision being made. Hopefully this clears things up a bit. I always tell Monica not to try and defend my positions, but she is always tries. I love her, and I know she does it because she loves me. She is great.