Brad Daw 2008 - Issues

"I want to represent the people of South Orem honestly, fairly and vigorously in the Utah State Legislature."

Issues

Below is a brief synopsis of several issues, as well as a more detailed explanation below, for those who wish it. I will be having cottage meetings with as many voters as possible to answer questions, address additional issues or discuss these issues at greater length. Also, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Family Values: Family values are at the very core of our society. All governments and all laws should show profound respect for family values.
Education: Education is the biggest part of the Utah State budget. Parental involvement is the key to a successful education program.
Transportation: Utah is way behind on building and maintaining roads. We need to emphasize responsible transportation funding.
Technology and Economic Development: A robust economy benefits everyone and technology is a big part of growing our economy.
Alternative Energy: We should explore the use of other sources of energy such as nuclear power, tar sands, shale oil, and bio-diesel.
Private Property Rights: Government should not be allowed to use eminent domain for economic development.
Illegal Immigration: The federal government needs to control our borders and the state government should make its own citizens its top priority.
Health Care: Introducing market forces into health care will help bring spiraling costs under control.
Gun Ownership: I stand in firm support of an individual' s right to keep and bear arms.
Judicial Activism and Other Federal Intrusions: I stand in firm opposition to judges who legislate from the bench.
Integrity: One of the most important qualities of an effective legislator is to be trusted by constituents and fellow legislators.
Responsiveness: If you ask me a question, I will do my best to respond in a timely manner.

Family Values

Family values are where it all begins and they are a major yardstick by which legislation should be judged. If I feel that a bill will be detrimental to families, I will oppose it. Here are some examples of the kinds of laws that I see as detrimental to families.

Laws sanctioning gay marriage. Marriage is between a man and a woman. No other type of relationship should be given equal sanction.
Tax increases. Tax hikes take money from parents and make it harder for them to provide for their families. Tax increases can also stifle the economy causing some parents to lose their jobs. Taxes are necessary to operate the government, but they should be minimal, while still getting the job done.
Programs that take kids out of the home. Well intentioned programs like all-day kindergarten, pre-school and other programs may show a short-term benefit for children, but anytime a government institution takes the place of parents, you teach parents and children alike to rely less on themselves and their families and to rely more on the government to take care of them.
Permissive abortion laws. Disregard for unborn life will always flow over into disregard for all life. The family is a monument to life; the family is where life should begin. Abortion cheapens life and by extension cheapens families.

Families are under attack in numerous other ways. I will work to pass laws that strengthen families and oppose laws that weaken them.

Education

The State of Utah spends more money on education than any other item in the budget. Utah also spends more money per taxpayer on education than every state but two in the nation. This is as it should be. As a society, our primary objective, after securing ourselves from external and internal threats, is to rear and educate our children. If we fail in this endeavor, our society will deteriorate rapidly.

Any worthwhile education system must have the family as its foundation. Children get the best start to learning when they acquire a love of learning at home. Children learn best when parents are part of the education. Children achieve the most when parents and teachers, working in cooperation, set high standards and provide the kind of environment where children can meet those standards. Parents must always be considered an essential part of the education process. That is why I believe that parents should have the ability to choose where and how their children are educated.

Transportation

Transportation is an area where Utah is seriously behind. The problems are easy to see. There is gridlock on I-15 both north and south of Salt Lake City. Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs and other rapidly growing communities are putting tremendous strain on city streets that were never meant to carry that kind of traffic. US-6 from Spanish Fork to Price still claims far too many lives. St. George and Cedar City are rapidly growing, and the road building in that area hasn't really even begun yet. Many existing roads, like Geneva Road have aged well beyond their design and desperately need repair or rebuilding. The list goes on and on. Utah needs to correct this shortage of transportation funding and make road building a priority for years to come. Here are some of the ideas that I have supported and will continue to support.

Set-aside budget for transportation. Until this session, transportation funding always came after everything else. There was no statutory minimum on how much to direct to transportation so it has always had to go to the back of the line. In the 2006 session a bill was passed to set aside a fixed percentage of the sales tax revenue for transportation. The percentage can only be changed by passing another bill. This will make it easier to ensure that transportation will get some reasonable funding from year to year. This will make long term planning easier and give the Utah Department of Transportation more flexibility in its approach to upkeep and new construction.
Corridor preservation. As new developments spring up in an area, the cost of land goes up. When the time for a highway comes, the cost of the land may have increased more than tenfold. By taking a hard look at the long range forecasts and setting aside a small amount of money now, UDOT can purchase land before the price jumps and save the state millions of dollars over the long run.
Toll roads. If a private company is willing to build a road according to UDOT's specifications and that route has a reasonable alternate, then a toll road can be a great option to get a road in place much sooner than waiting for the state to be able to fund it.
Mass transit. Commuter rail, busses, HOV lanes, HOT lanes are all ideas worthy of consideration, and we should always be looking for innovative and cost-effective ways to meet our growing transportation needs.

Technology and Economic Development

Not all economic development is technology related, but that is one of the more visible and rapidly growing segments of the economy. So how does the state foster economic development? If you look at my preceding points, you will see that the foundation is already laid. First, you foster strong families. Strong families produce citizens with a good work ethic, stable character, and good moral judgment. Second, you provide a good education with a rigorous core curriculum that will enable graduates to enter either the work force or college more fully prepared. Third, you create a good transportation grid to make it easier for companies to move goods and people around. After laying the foundation, you want to ensure that taxes for businesses are fair, equitable and easy to comply with. The final step that government can take is to promote an information grid. Information in today' s world is a very valuable commodity, and the ability to move it around more efficiently is a huge advantage in the marketplace.

Alternative Energy

The United States is currently heavily dependent on foreign oil. Other nations such as China and India are consuming an increasing amount of oil. Fossil fuels pollute our air. There is no reason for this when we have access to a clean and inexpensive supply of energy right here in the state. Other countries have robust nuclear power programs, but because of some very effective fear mongering, nuclear power production in our country is far behind where it could be. Even one of the founders of Green Peace stated in a congressional hearing that nuclear power is the only clean way to generate electricity. Several federal road blocks need to be knocked down, such as reprocessing spent fuel instead of storing it, but as a state we need to take a hard look at utilizing the resources we have. Other programs could also reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Utah is rich in tar sands and shale oil. As technology advances, these resources become more and more viable. Bio-diesel is already a viable alternative energy source.

Private Property Rights

Private property is one of the hallmarks of a free society. Government should exercise great discretion when exercising eminent domain to take a person' s property. Eminent domain should never be used for economic development. A recent decision by the U.S Supreme Court to allow a person' s home to be condemned for the purpose of economic development was a bad decision. That kind of property confiscation should never be allowed to occur in Utah.

Illegal Immigration

As a state government and as individual citizens we must continue to petition the federal government to control our borders. Immigration should be orderly and should give the nod to those willing and able to make a positive contribution and become Americans. As a state we should ensure that we don't offer services such as welfare or in-state tuition to those here illegally.

Health Care

While I hesitate to use the word "crisis", there are clearly some major problems with the way health care is delivered in this country. Medical insurance has increased by double-digit percentages for years. More and more companies are unable to provide insurance for their employees. Many people with low incomes are opting to simply go to the emergency room and allow the cost of their treatment to be borne by paying hospital patients. Simply ignoring this problem and hoping it goes away is not an option.

One of the primary reasons for the current woeful situation is that since the 1950's, health care delivery has not been market-driven. In the 1950's, companies started offering health insurance. While it seemed like a good idea at the time, it ended up a third party between doctor and patient. The patient was no longer aware of the cost of a treatment. In fact, the cost of the premiums generally does not show up on a paycheck, and most people aren't even aware of how much health insurance costs. Why is this a problem? Consider what would happen if everyone going to the grocery store only had to pay a $20.00 co-pay regardless of what they took home. Think about what kind of food you would start getting. Think, further, what kind of food the grocery store would start stocking. The analogy certainly isn't perfect, but it does illustrate the problem.

One of the ways to solve this problem is to make the consumer aware of what health care costs. By going to a low-cost/high- deductible plan with a health savings account, the consumer simply pays cash for services until the deductible is met. If the consumer does not spend all of the money in the health savings account, it simply rolls over to the next year. This simple change would motivate consumers to ask the doctor how much a procedure will cost and possibly seek a less expensive alternative. The consumer may also be motivated to ask for generic drugs. Ideally, the consumer may even be motivated to lead a healthier lifestyle. The principles of personal accountability and rewarding responsible behavior will always bear good fruit.

As of July of this year, thanks to legislation that I sponsored, all state employees will have the option to move to a low- cost/high-deductible insurance with a health-savings account. Provo City employees and Utah County employees are already on this type of plan, and the benefits have been evident.

On a final note, people should be given the freedom to get the kind of health care service they desire. If people wish to go to an alternative provider, they should be allowed to do so. I know of a number of people who have been greatly benefited by some types of alternative care, and as long as the type of care is shown to be safe, I believe a person ought to have that choice.

Gun Ownership

I strongly support the right of individuals to keep and bear arms. The words of the Second Amendment to the Constitution, when given the definitions the founders had at the time the amendment was written, clearly state that gun ownership is an individual right.

Judicial Activism and Other Federal Intrusions

Federal judges, barring the commission of a felony, are appointed for life. If the Supreme Court makes a ruling that is clearly and provably unconstitutional, there is absolutely no recourse. That is far too much power with far too little accountability. In Utah, judges have to stand for a noncompetitive recall on a regular basis. I believe the U.S. Constitution should be amended to allow for the recall of federal judges who abuse their power.

Integrity

When I work with other representatives and senators on Capitol Hill, I can never earn their respect unless I maintain my integrity. If I have no integrity, then no matter how passionate and articulate my speeches are, they will always be held suspect. No matter how good the bill is that I' m running, it will always be suspect. When my fellow legislators know that I keep my word, then they will be more likely to listen to what I have to say. The same holds true for my constituents. The voters in this district deserve to have a representative they can trust. No two people will agree on everything, but when I tell you what my stand is or what I' m going to do, you should be able to rely on that. I can sit at the computer and type the phrase "I have integrity," but what I plan to do is meet with as many voters as possible to let them get to know me and decide for themselves.

Responsiveness

A very big part of being a representative is being accountable to my voters. That means, when a voter asks a question, he or she deserves an answer. When a voter has an idea for legislation, it is up to me to see if the idea has merit. I enjoy hearing ideas and answering questions. My preferred method of communication is email, but I hope you will feel free to call or write me also. Please check with your fellow constituents to see if I do indeed answer my email, return phone calls, and respond to letters.