Thoughts from a Utahn on strengthening the economy, building community, and promoting civil society.

RECENT INSIGHTS

Salt Lake City belongs to all Utahns

By Natalie Gochnour | 08/08/2019

Originally published in the Deseret News. Next week Salt Lake City voters will select their final two candidates for mayor. Meanwhile, the 94% of Utahns who live outside the capital city and who don’t have a vote will watch as finalists emerge. Why should all Utahns care about this choice? I have a simple answer:…

Parade for Change

By Natalie Gochnour | 07/26/2019

Originally published in Utah Business. Bake the cake. Light the candles. The US celebrates 10 years of economic expansion this summer, making it the longest expansion on record, boding good news for our nation and state. There’s just one problem… we haven’t made much progress on the critical issues important to our long-term economy and its…

After all these years, Utah is still the right place

By Natalie Gochnour | 07/23/2019

Originally published in the Deseret News. I love July in Utah because of the twin holidays of nationhood and statehood. We celebrate our independence as a country and our pioneering history as a state. The long summer days and two large parades provide a chance to reflect upon what it means to be an American…

Forming a more perfect union

By Natalie Gochnour | 07/04/2019

Originally published in the Deseret News. I saw “Hamilton” last week, the Broadway musical that chronicles the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The acclaimed show, with its hip-hop beat and powerful storyline, celebrates America’s founding, while featuring challenging questions about race, immigration, privilege and human frailty. The play delivers cultural criticism with fun, style…

How to Love Your Enemies

By Natalie Gochnour | 06/26/2019

Originally published in Utah Business. During a recent appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Democratic pollster Fred Yang summarized the modern political landscape by saying: “You get your reality from what channel you watch.” His statement does not surprise me. If you watch Fox News, you celebrate our current president. If you watch CNN or MSNBC,…

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