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Upcoming Meetings and Events
The NFRW Spring Board of Directors Meeting is scheduled March 12-15, 2008, at the Marriott Crystal Gateway in Arlington, Va.
Rickenbacker’s Restaurant
Brad Dee, State Representative, will speak on the upcoming legislative session and some expected bills.
Presidents Message
The Weber County Republican Women 2008-2009 Officers and Committee Chairs are organized and ready to serve you the members. We look forward to a productive, interesting, active, and fun two years. Your officers and committee chairs are:
President Pat Iannone 801-399-4749 phiannone@relia.net
1st VP Communications Suzanne Ferre 801-745-3098 suzhvl@hotmail.com
2nd VP Programs Cheryl Madson 801-399-8122 cmadson@co.weber.ut.us
3rd VP Membership Lisa Galvez 801-392-8591 lisa@zevlag.com
4th VP Fundraising Lael Gibby 801-627-2932 laelgibby@hotmail.com
Secretary Machel Maycock 801-399-8673 mmaycock@co.weber.us
Treasurer Donna Stevenson 801-476-3365 leodonnastevenson@Gmail.com
Parliamentarian Jordana Galvez 801-392-8591
Newsletter Dixie Finch 801-479-8196 dhfinch@relia.net
Chaplain Lorna Salisbury 801-393-6326
Legislative/Political Chair Jan Zogmaister 801-731-2456 jmzog@comcast.net
Community Relations Chair Gloria Froerer 801-745-0505 glofro@msn.com
Caller & Reservations Chair Donna Nelson 801-393-1724 dahnah38@earthlink.net
Volunteer Coordinator Chair Joan Blanchard 801-475-0372 jcblanchard1940@msn.com
It is our goal to uphold the objective of Weber County Republican Women as stated in the Bylaws:
1. Promote an informed public through political education and activity.
2. Increase the effectiveness of women in the cause of good government.
3. Foster loyalty to the Republican Party.
4. Promote the principals and candidates of the Republican Party in all elections.
5. Support and work for the election of Republican Party nominees.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you. See you January 7th.
Pat
Churchgoers should be politics-doers
By Kirk Jowers
Published: December 17, 2007
Beyond a new gym membership and vowing to lose 15 pounds, consider another New Year's resolution: political participation.
Not only is political involvement easier than giving up chocolate, there has never been a more exciting year to play a role in the American democratic process. We are in the middle of perhaps the most dramatic presidential race in recent history. The issues are momentous and the stakes are high. For the first time in decades there is no heir apparent. Political fortunes change daily. An increasingly electrifying race offers candidates who are as diverse as they are interesting — the first woman, black or Mormon president.
In Utah, the governor, attorney general, state auditor, state treasurer, 15 state senators, 75 state representatives, three U.S. representatives and many municipal officers will be campaigning for office.
Why make political participation a resolution? If recent history is our guide, most of us will not participate except to vote, and many will not even do that. According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, the United States, with an average voter turnout of just 48.3 percent since 1945, ranks 139th out of 172 countries (two behind Burma/Myanmar and just ahead of Mexico). Talk about irony. The nation that pioneered democracy is bringing up the rear when it comes to democratic participation.
Studies, theories and apologies abound for why we are failing. One reason is most pertinent to Utah and suggests that confusion rather than laziness or apathy may be a cause: the official ban on political activities by churches. Too often, religious adherents wrongly construe that ban as an impediment to their own political participation. The source of confusion — no surprise here — is the tax code. Churches operate under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, which states that they must not "participate in, or intervene in ... any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office." Notably, the restriction is on the churches, not the congregants, a cultural distinction many miss. Thus, although a church may not use its resources for partisan ends, its members are free to immerse themselves in the political process.
Fortunately, many churches have begun to encourage their parishioners to get involved in democracy.
Political involvement can be inconvenient. It requires sacrifices of time and resources that might otherwise be devoted to leisure or other pursuits. Perhaps that is why the late LDS apostle Neal A. Maxwell observed, "Democracy is not meant for the naive, apathetic or the lethargic." Beyond voting, we can volunteer for or contribute to a candidate, party or cause of our choice, become a delegate or even run for office.
Vote and support whomever you choose — Democrat, Republican, Independent or otherwise — but participate!
Being an active church member does not require us to sacrifice our free speech rights, nor does it absolve us from our responsibility as a citizen to be active and engaged in the political process. Neither America nor Utah can afford to have any segment of the population unrepresented in electing and influencing leaders. Al Smith, the governor of New York who faced discrimination as a Catholic in his 1928 presidential bid, had it right when he said, "All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy."
Kirk Jowers is the director of the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics and a partner in the Washington, D.C., law firm of Caplin & Drysdale.
© 2007 Deseret News Publishing Company All rights reserved
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