Originally published in the Deseret News.

This week I am traveling with Gov. Gary Herbert in Western Europe with a delegation of 40 business and community leaders. We are here to promote trade and tourism between Utah and five countries in Europe. The catalyst for the visit is Delta Air Lines’ new nonstop flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam. This direct flight provides an opportunity to capitalize on Utah’s economic ties to Western Europe.

Continue reading New Delta flight presents economic growth opportunities for Utah, Western Europe →

Originally published in the Deseret News.

I attended a meeting last week where Congressmen Rob Bishop and Chris Stewart shared their thoughts on the challenges ISIS, rogue states and radical Islam present to the world. It was a discouraging presentation that left everyone in the room feeling ill at ease. After 20 minutes of disturbing banter about terrorist threats, suicide bombers, Iran with nuclear weapons and other horrors, a man raised his hand and asked a poignant question. He said, “I’m just a guy with a business, the father of four children and the coach of my son’s Little League baseball team. What can I do?”

I can think of many responses to the man’s question — such as support the U.S. military or vote for candidates who are educated in foreign policy — but Rob Bishop had the perfect answer. With conviction he said to the man, “Keep coaching Little League baseball.”

Continue reading Combating global terror is possible thanks to Little League coaches →

Originally published in the Deseret News.

As a college student interning in Washington, D.C., I heard a friend offer a view of conservatism and liberalism that still affects me decades later. She said our job as responsible citizens is to conserve ideas that are right and true and liberate ideas that are right and true. This simple concept is a guiding light for me in public policy deliberations. Public policy is informed by ideology, but should not be controlled by it. The best public policy occurs when we draw the best ideas from the left and the right to avoid or solve complex problems. We are fortunate to live in a state that does this quite well.

Continue reading Utah is a model of constructive Republicanism →

Originally published in the Deseret News.

I love the month of May. It brings clear skies, green trees, yellow flowers and an assortment of new life. Mother Earth smiles with newfound energy, and most of us feel a sense of renewal. There are new graduates, new brides and new babies. Life resets and everything seems a bit better.

Our optimism is strong — but tempered. We love spring’s new birth but still recognize the difficulty around us: the toll of the Nepal earthquake, race riots casting a dark cloud over a great country that needs to get better and too much partisan bickering standing in the way of real human needs in health care, immigration and poverty.

And then there’s the more personal side of life we sometimes confront and sometimes ignore — the dark clouds of a broken friendship, a distressed marriage, a son or daughter we can’t seem to help or, worst of all, a troubled soul.

Continue reading Hope is the beginning of a better future for all of us →

Originally published in the Deseret News.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers —

That perches in the soul —

And sings the tune without words —

And never stops — at all —

— Emily Dickinson

This week I joined a large group of interested Utahns who gathered in the Gold Room at the State Capitol as legislators, leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and representatives of the LGBT community gathered to announce landmark legislation that balances religious freedoms and protections against discrimination of LGBT people in the workplace and housing. It was a monumental moment of civility, compassion, freedom and fairness that elevates Utah to a better place. This compromise represents the best of Utah, and I want to publicly thank the leaders of our state.

Continue reading The best of Utah demonstrated in religious freedom/LGBT compromise →