Blog: Run With Mia!

Statement

Last year I was invited to speak at the University of Chicago Law School. During the question and answer session, a black female student asked me a pointed question: "In today's America, how can a black woman be a Republican?"

I told that young lady that I'm a Republican because I believe in an America where we can work to achieve our own destinies. I pointed out that in the fight for civil rights, Martin Luther King, Jr. rejected the notion that he should remain a second class citizen. Dr. King refused to accept the status quo, refused to stay inside the box. Instead, he pursued his dream--impossible as that dream may have seemed when the civil rights movement first began.

When it comes to the problems facing America, I too reject the status quo. But more importantly, my experience in local government has provided me with unique insights into how to address those problems.

As a councilmember and then as mayor, I worked to create the infrastructure of one of Utah's fastest-growing cities. We responsibly dealt with budgetary challenges by successfully stretching precious taxpayer dollars to provide essential services like fire protection, police protection, utilities, and roads to our residents. We balanced the budget every year that I was mayor, and as a result, our city earned several prestigious national budgetary awards. We earned the highest bond rating possible for a city of our size. Recently, our city was named number one in Utah for livability based on several economic growth factors.

That kind of success doesn't happen by accident. It requires leaders who will keep taxes low, slash unnecessary regulatory burdens, and make tough budgetary decisions that are not always politically popular. We need more of that kind of leadership in Washington, DC.

I am grateful for my experience in local government because it has helped me see firsthand the impact policies have on homes and families. In my city, elected officials must live by the policies they create. Contrast that with the federal government, where exemptions from the law are often carved out for elected officials, bureaucrats, and special interest groups.

Many Washington politicians don't understand the struggles we face, or they believe we are incapable of making responsible decisions in our own homes and communities. They forget that we simply want to exercise our right to pursue our own happiness and carve out our own part of the American Dream.

In America, and especially in Utah, we believe in the dreams of the underdog. We know that David really can beat Goliath. My favorite line in the story of David and Goliath says that David ran to meet Goliath. Think of that: he ran toward a seemingly impossible challenge. That's the kind of courage and resolve we need to have as we take on the Goliaths of our debt, out-of-control spending, Obamacare, and the Godzilla that has become the federal government.

Utah, now is the time for us, for We the People, to run towards the challenges of our day.

Unfortunately, gridlock in Washington creates uncertainty and threatens our ability to reach our full potential. That's why I reject negative campaign tactics and instead committed a long time ago to running a clean campaign focused on offering solutions to the problems facing America. At a time when trust in government is at an all-time low, Utahns deserve leaders who will commit, both through their words and their actions, to ending the dysfunction in Washington.

When I was mayor, the city council and I never looked at ideas as Republican proposals or Democratic proposals. We didn't walk around with Rs and Ds stamped on our foreheads. I never turned to a councilmember and said, "Tell me your party affiliation before I decide whether your idea is good or not." Instead, we came together and looked for the best solutions possible, regardless of the source of those solutions.

Let's send real people to Washington who have experience with balancing budgets and working with others. Let's send leaders to Washington who will attack problems, not people. That's what Utahns want and what they deserve.

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