Rep. Jason Chaffetz attends Lincoln day dinner

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The Emery County Republican Party hosted their annual Lincoln day dinner at Miller’s Landing. A dinner was served, catered by Kent and Julie Wilson. During the dinner, entertainment was provided by the Emery High men’s choir directed by Reed Fehlberg.
Commissioner Ethan Migliori addressed the audience concerning the economy of Emery County. He said too often we focus on the negatives. When we look around we have so many positive things happening, Conductive Composites, the refinery, Emery Telcom and many others. We need to focus on the resources we have available. People need to share their goals and aspirations with leaders. We focus on economic development with the city mayors. Castle Dale City is focusing on tourism. They want a visitor center in every town. The two new commissioners are stepping up. If you have any questions you can always call the commissioners.
Cong. Jason Chaffetz recognized the accomplishments of President Lincoln. Before he was President Lincoln he was Congressman Lincoln. He was on what is now the oversight committee. He earned a reputation by challenging President Polk on the spot where the Mexican American war began. This earned him the nickname Spotty Lincoln.
“The Mexican-American War, the second war declared by Congress, was triggered by the U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory. President James Polk in his message to Congress on May 11, 1846 urged a declaration of war with Mexico, stating: “Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood on American soil.” Abraham Lincoln, then a U.S. Representative from Illinois, was highly skeptical of Polk’s claims and started introducing a series of “spot resolutions” in Congress challenging Polk’s claim and requesting the President to provide Congress with the exact spot where blood was spilled on American soil. So persistent was Lincoln in pressing his resolutions that newspapers began calling him “Spotty Lincoln”. In 1848 the House of Representatives censured Polk for violating the Constitution by starting the conflict before Congress had declared war.” (Center on Congress)
One of the most important things we have is a system of checks and balances. As the chairman of the oversight committee I can look into things. We are looking at fast and furious and next week we are holding IRS hearings to make sure the truth is told. We can’t have the IRS taking away the rights of certain groups. Congress will also be discussing net neutrality and the FCC.
It is an honor and privilege to serve and it is good to work with Emery County on the public lands issue. Emery County is the most organized county when it comes to public lands. We are trying to have the bill ready in March or April. We want to take away the President’s authority to use the Antiquities Act.
It is an honor to serve with Sen. Hatch. He is the most influential person on the financial committee. It is also an honor to serve with Sen. Mike Lee. Cong. Chris Stewart is on the house intelligence committee. He is an Air Force veteran. Cong. Mia Love is off to a good start. I am proud of Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes. He has restored honor and respect to the office.
Don’t take things for granted. We need to get young people involved in the party, who share our conservative values.
Attorney General Reyes was the next to speak. I am friends with Mike Mower. He has always told me what a great place Emery County is. I have people come up to me and say what a good platform this is. It can’t be a good platform unless you have people embody it. Emery County really pulls its weight. The last time the president pulled out his pen with executive power we filed a law suit. We got a lot of flack from some conservative states who were worried about the backlash. Twenty four other states have joined us. A Texas judge has issued an injunction against President Obama and his immigration plan.
Attorney General Reyes said Sen. David Hinkins is tremendous. A bill he is promoting will create a registry for white collar crimes with this registry people can look up someone before they invest to find out if the person has been convicted of a crime. Reyes acknowledged law enforcement officers. In last year alone we had the largest heroin and spice bust. We work on some really dark stuff to make sure your families are safe.
Mike Mower from Gov. Herbert’s office said the governor is the vice chair of the National Governors Association. Emery County and the state are doing well, unemployment is at 3.5 percent. We are focusing on growing the economy. Emery County is in the lead for the public lands bill. If you (Emery County) are on board we will back you. We have a narrow window to get things done. The governor appreciates coal. Businesses come to Utah because of the low cost of power.
State Auditor John Dougall thanked Brenda Tuttle for her work. He quoted President Reagan, “Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.”
Ron Dean from Sen. Hatch’s office represented him at the dinner. Sen. Hatch sends his regards and hopes you enjoy your steak dinner. The roots of the public lands bill came out of Emery County. We need to protect rural Utah from the Antiquities Act. New bills have been introduced, they deal with grazing, energy and public lands.
A representative from Sen. Lee’s office represented him at the dinner. Sen. Lee is proud to be from Utah. The two most important choices we face are; what will we stand for? Who will we stand with? He shared a quote from President Lincoln, “Be sure to put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”
Utah Republican Party Chairman James Evans was the final guest speaker. He said voting by mail is now available. Our hope is that Vote By Mail will increase the voter turnout. We want to make sure everyone has a chance to vote. We are encouraging everyone to contact their County Clerk to obtain an absentee ballot and vote by mail. The Utah Republican Party had to sue the state of Utah to delay the implementation of SB 54. SB 54 was a compromise to the Count My Vote Initiative. SB 43