Author: ggreen

Posted on

The Harris Nomination and Who We Are

A hand-drawn picture of Kamala Harris standing at a podium in front of an American flag. She has her hand raised, and says "I'm speaking".
Credit: Natalie Green

Part of the appeal of a Harris ticket is that we begin to see more of who we are in Kamala Harris. If you are a woman, or a person of color, or a young voter, there is a rising hope that things could change if we elect Kamala Harris as our next president. There are still concerns about who she will select for her running mate and how that choice will impact her campaign. There are questions about her stance on the Israel-Palestine war, and whether she will respond differently than Biden has. But she is strong, and promises to invigorate a restoration of pro-choice legislation at the federal level, re-balance the Supreme Court, and resolve that a President is not, and has never been, above the law. She is aptly suited to hold Trump accountable.

Kamala Harris may actually inspire a blue wave this November. There are a new generation of Democratic candidates rising up in local, county, state and federal campaigns to challenge Republican officials, in many cases for the first time, or in elections that were traditionally considered safe districts for Republicans. Young Americans are registering to vote, and seeking opportunities to volunteer. There is a sense of hope that is growing in our young people, in our communities, and in our circles. Skeptics are raising their voices too, but they cannot stop the joy, or the spontaneous organizing and action that we have seen this week. There is a movement happening in front of us, and is a relief to see its momentum and positive direction.

President Biden’s decision to step aside was difficult, and it was clear that he spoke with emotion on Wednesday when he announced his decision to complete his four years, but hand the torch to Kamala for the next four years and another four, in order that democracy would continue to thrive. He said,

“I draw strength and I find joy in working for the American people, but this sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me. It’s about you, your families, your futures. It’s about we the people, and we can never forget that. And I never have.“

On Friday morning, Barack and Michele Obama announced their endorsement of Kamala Harris, and this culminated a long series of A-listers who since Sunday have weighed in to give their support to Harris. Beyoncé has provided rights to her song “Freedom” for the campaign. Swifties are making friendship bracelets adorned with messages to get out the vote. Support groups are breaking Zoom and YouTube with attendance records, and the money is rolling in. This is becoming an election like no other before it.

It may be best to end this piece with another quote from Biden’s speech:

“America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division. We have to decide, do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy? In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies, but as fellow Americans. Can we do that? Does character in public life still matter?“

“I believe you know the answer to these questions because I know you, the American people, and I know this, we are a great nation because we are a good people.“

I encourage you to think about his words, and be settled that, yes, we are a great nation because we are a good people.

Have hope, share hope, and know that we must work together all the way through to November.

End note: Harris is currently collecting delegate pledges to seal her nomination before the upcoming Democratic National Convention. A virtual roll call will take place in early August to vote from eligible nominees. The running mate of the successful candidate will also be announced and confirmed in the roll vote. On Monday, July 29 the Utah Democratic Party will host a virtual town hall from 6-7PM to provide updates and answer questions. You can register to attend at https://mobilize.us/s/mK85Hf.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on

A Story of Utah Healthcare

On Sunday it will have been nine weeks after my son left home in psychosis, convinced that a casual remark I made about calling Vocational Rehab for help with a job meant I was (in his mind) a sociopathic narcissist who he wasn’t safe to be around. He left a home to live in his car, with no savings or income. It’s not the first time that he has done something like this, but each time I worry that it might be the last time I see him.

In February there was a national shortage of his antipsychotic medication, a long acting injectable that he took every four weeks to relieve symptoms of psychosis.  Although it didn’t “cure” him, he was stable and had been at home since his last big break in 2019. Since then we had negotiated through parole visits and mental health court. He struggled to work steadily but couldn’t keep a job. He has worked at more than 40 places since he was diagnosed, but hasn’t averaged more than 3 weeks in any single job. In almost all of these jobs he has chosen not to reveal that he has a mental illness. He is fired, or quits, or stops showing up.  There are unreported accidents from work. There are timecards left unsigned and unaccounted. There are customer complaints, or employee complaints, or HR reports. Oftentimes he would come home to say that a co-worker was one of the new voices in his head tormenting him, and he didn’t want to work around them any more.  

To make up for the temporary shortage, his prescriber decided that another LAI could be prescribed. I had immediate concerns because we had tried switching over to this other medication before, and the results were that he lost efficacy in his treatment.  The three of us got on a Zoom call to discuss treatment options, and the doctor was steadfast that the treatment would work with a new method of onboarding doses before transitioning to a more standard regimen.  I was skeptical, but my son trusted the doctor and we agreed that this new plan would be followed. Less than a month after beginning the transition I contacted my son’s doctor and counsellor to say that there were some minor but noticeable changes.  It didn’t appear that the new medication had the same therapeutic effect as the one it was replacing.  This was the beginning of me regularly emailing the hospital to describe my concern as his psychosis became apparent. My son was beginning to drift into paranoia, and it was going to get harder to bring him back each day we delayed. The prescriber suggested that my son supplement his shot with an oral-form antipsychotic. This was not suitable at all – the entire reason we were using a long acting injectable was because my son didn’t take oral meds.  They asked him to come in to pick up the oral medication, and he agreed but didn’t show up. He re-scheduled, then called and cancelled the appointment.  He didn’t want to take the oral meds. He didn’t want the injection either.  He just wanted to be safe because he didn’t trust the hospital anymore, and he didn’t trust me.  

In the week before he left he would come upstairs and talk to the pets. “I’m not afraid of you”, he would say. He no longer looked at any of us, instead he would look up, or look past us, or ignore us altogether while drowning us out with the music playing in his ear buds. At night, when we were in bed, he would go to the same computer that I’m typing this on to watch Youtube videos on narcissism, trauma bonding, sociopathy, tarot and astrology.  I was finding drawings and symbols that were his attempt to cast protective spells and use magic. When he found work he would often complain that a co-worker was a narcissist.  Now that he wasn’t able to work and became more isolated, he was beginning to turn this view on me. When he left he broke his bedroom door. He was angry, or afraid, or both. I didn’t stand in his way, and just let him take what he wanted before he left home. 

My son decided in his psychosis that his doctors and counsellor who had been with him for the past 5 years weren’t safe. He decided that his family wasn’t safe. He decided that the course of treatment he had been following wasn’t safe. He left home without money in his account, without a job, with no place to go.  I was keeping tabs through his hospital until he stopped talking to them. I have called the local police department to explain that he’s out there, and if they meet him they should have a note on file that he has paranoid schizophrenia but has typically been cooperative with police. I wait to hear something, but there is nothing.  I lie awake at night wondering if I would hear him come in during the night when he is routinely up and about.  I wonder if he wants to come home but thinks he can’t.  In one of our last exchanges I told him I didn’t feel safe around him because he was using threatening language about me. I didn’t want him to come home, not until he was willing to get help. 

A few weeks ago there was an officer-involved shooting near my home that involved reports of an adult male looking into cars at a nearby park that I knew my son frequented.  When officers responded in early morning hours, the person was aggressive and was shot and killed. The area was shut down while the investigation of the scene followed. When I heard, I panicked.  Could that have been my son?  I got in the car and drove to see, not sure what I would find.  When I arrived on the east side of the park, I could see his car and my heart sank. All I could think was “Please, no“.  I approached the car slowly. The windows were down. As I came past the vehicle I could see him, sitting in the back seat.  He saw me too, and he wasn’t happy to see me. But he was there, he was alive.  

I don’t know when I’m going to see him again.  I don’t know under what circumstances that I hear from him, or from the hospital, or a police officer, or from the metro county jail.  I have lost my son to psychosis, again.  As an adult, only he can consent to receiving treatment. The exceptions being that he is a danger to himself, or to others.  As his father I cannot request help, and I can’t talk to him in a way that would make him want to seek help.  He has been at UNI twice. The first time I implored him to get help because I was losing my son, the second time he was committed because I found him after a period of homelessness, bloodied and seeing “how far he could go” to cut himself. He doesn’t want to go back, and he thinks he knows better.  

It’s hard to say all of this.  I’m truly at a loss, and I don’t know what to do. We don’t have any laws to protect us from ourselves, and we don’t have any laws to step in when someone is experiencing psychosis.  It doesn’t matter if it leads to financial ruin, or destroying your health, or if it takes away the stability that you worked for years to have.  None of this matters.  

How do I get my son back?  How much will he suffer before something can be done? My heart is breaking for him, for my family, but also for every family who shares a similar story of loss. 

Update: Some readers responded and pointed me to Unsheltered Utah, a 501(c)3 nonprofit with outreach in the south valley. I have contacted them and they have engaged my son. Thank you.

Posted on

Better Boundaries so we can Disagree Better

One of the biggest things to come out this week was the Utah Supreme Court decision that allows Better Boundaries to proceed in its case against the Utah Legislature for its issuance of gerrymandered lines before the 2020 election. It’s clear that the courts side with the people to say that we are not beholden to the special interests of legislators who seek to tie up districting in such a way that it favors their party, or their own election. Although the case has yet to have a final decision, it now has support to proceed with the validation of the Utah Supreme Court. In Utah, we have experienced a demonstration of the powers of balance between branches.

Responses from Republicans in the Utah Legislature fall flat. House Speaker Mike Schultz and Rep. Jordan Teuscher decry the Supreme Court’s decision, stating that it would be in our better interests to be served by the better judgements of elected officials, that the interests of the elected should trump the egalitarian principles our nation was founded on. Their response has been rightly criticized on social media as legally false, pretentious, and willfully ignorant.

At the same time this week, Governor Cox stated that “Disagree Better” is working at the National Governors Association. “We’ve gotten really, really good at tearing things down,” Cox told attendees gathered at The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. “We need more builders. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to do.” (Deseret.com) If he’s serious, one of the most significant acts that a governor can do is to support fair districts to achieve more ideal representation of voter populations.

If we are to disagree better, we need a voice. If we are to disagree better, we need to be able to elect legislators who will represent the issues and address the causes that are important to us.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on

State Sovereignty and What Comes Of It

If you fly a US flag for the Fourth of July, think about what that means. You are celebrating the hard-fought freedoms of our country, and you are celebrating as a member citizen of the United States.  Think about that for a moment, then read on. If a state chooses to ignore federal laws, or specifically to write law contrary to federal law, what precedent does that set? 

The Supremacy Clause establishes that federal law generally takes precedence over state laws, and even state constitutions. With the recently passed Utah SB0057 “Utah Constitutional Sovereignty Act” our state plans to fight out in courts a concept of state’s rights that raises questions about the applicability of law and the right to govern citizens.  A question that will certainly come up is the question of Sovereign Citizens, who will seek precedence that favors their stand as willfully excerpted from the laws of government.  Their ideal is to enjoy the privileges of living in our democratic republic with its infrastructure and frameworks, but disregard their duties as citizens and abstain from legal recourse that are a consequence of their actions. If conservatives are truly a party of limited government, should their argument be that we are allowed to rule ourselves in true libertarian fashion?  Or is their argument more simply “rules for thee and not for me”?

There are frequent tests of states rights. If we take the case of medical marijuana legislated at the state level for medicinal use, or for recreational use, this was favorably received by constituents as a move away from heavy-handed government overreach, specifically for the Controlled Substances Act, and DEA Drug Schedule that classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 substance. 

  • There is substantial research which shows that marijuana is not addictive, and has beneficial properties. 
  • Drug companies have exemptions to sell marijuana derivatives as anti-seizure medication (ex: Epidiolex by Jazz Pharmaceuticals), and as a pain-reliever and anti-nausea medication for cancer patients.
  • Allowing access to marijuana at the state level is pushing federal law to move in a just direction. 

In the case of Title IX protections, conservative legislators are doing the opposite by attempting to take away citizen protections at the federal level. Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. Utah wants to claim sovereignty for the purpose of discriminating against trans students, and they are not only willing to lose federal funding for schools, but additionally grant the State Attorney General to pursue “any appropriate legal action to challenge the federal directive on the basis of state sovereignty.” None of this benefits Utahns.

  • Students and their families will unjustly face discriminatory practices.
  • The state will suffer from the loss of funding for public education, federal grants and programs.
  • Utahns will take up the burden of cost to fund expensive legal battles in the federal courts on whether or not states are allowed to willfully discriminate against a class of citizens. 

There are fights that are worthy, as in the first case. What Utah legislators are doing in the second case is a slap in the face of its people. They are claiming that federal civil rights protections can be ignored, and states can invoke discriminatory laws to burden its constituents.  They are effectively making the same argument that a Sovereign Citizen would make, but at the state level.  “Rules for thee and not for me”. 

Can a state simply write a law to say that its relationship to the federal government only applies as convenient to its legislature, that its willful participation in federal governance can be excerpted on a whim? If this is allowed, then the question becomes whether a county, municipality, city, or citizen claim the same right of sovereignty? Where is the rule of law when sovereignty can be claimed without repercussion? 

In principle, laws are designed to protect, not punish its citizens. Many of the laws we have are hard fought – the freedoms of all our people as citizens, the right to vote, the right to not be discriminated against on the basis of our age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. 

Take time to celebrate on this day, but recognize that our federal laws, and our state’s membership in a union of states has a long history that we should be careful to defend.

Posted on

Lions and Tigers and Bears, and Book Bans

The summer is heating up, and Utah gets ready to implement a new statewide book-banning system. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that effective July 1 — ironically three days before the nation celebrates its freedom — a new law originally sponsored by Rep. Ken Ivory and Sen. Todd Weiler takes effect where books will begin to be removed based on “objective sensitive material” as defined by Utah code. There were literal discussions by the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) whether to conduct book burnings.

The bill is HB29: Sensitive Material Review Amendments, and it specifically calls out Utah Criminal Code Title 76, Chapter 10 Part 12 to define what objective sensitive material may be. The code uses terms like “contemporary community standards,” “prevailing standards in the adult community,” and “serious value”. The code is hyper-focused on expressions of sexuality and nudity.

It doesn’t mention physical violence, gore, or abuse. It doesn’t mention persecution, genocide, mass murders. It doesn’t mention drug abuse or recreational drug use. Apparently those depictions don’t constitute objective sensitive material according to the prevailing standards in (our) adult community. Here in Utah, sex is bad, bad stuff.

The law does not take into account that sexuality is identity. It doesn’t take into account, or possibly disregards that for minors a book may be the closest experience to reading about and understanding who they are. It does not factor that its “contemporary community standards” upheld are the religious dogmas of a church, and not broadly representative of religious views, culture and identity in our community. It’s unusual that the titles are works by renowned authors like Toni Morrison, Judy Blume and Margaret Atwood. These authors are now mobilizing as Authors against Book Bans – follow them on Instagram.

Article reference: New Coalition Against Book Bans Launches Nationwide With Support From Authors Like Judy Blume and Julia Quinn (People Magazine)

Our public school systems already have a system in place to monitor what’s appropriate to place on a library shelf. We have librarians who are trained, professional staff with degrees, accreditations, professional associations and administrative support to determine what students are reading, and what’s appropriate (or not) to place on a library shelf.

Stay tuned for the Utah State Board of Education to post its list of banned books on their site after the law goes into effect. July 15 Update: Links to each LEA are now published by the USBE.

In the meantime, if you want to do something for your community consider fighting censorship and starting a Little Library of Banned Books. If there is interest, I’d be happy to sponsor a workshop to build little libraries for our House District.

Are you interested? Let me know. I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on

This Week’s GOP Governor Candidates Debate

Did you watch the Gubernatorial Republican primary debate that took place on Tuesday, June 11?

Gubernatorial Debate sponsored by the Utah Debate Commission

If there is anything to take away from the Utah Republican gubernatorial debates, it’s that candidates are pandering to the conservative right of their base. There was nothing substantial from either gubernatorial candidate in the event hosted by the Utah Debate Commission. 

What we heard from Republican candidates was that federal legislation is bad because states want to do what they can’t right now, which is to strip protections from our lands and resources, and to deregulate air quality and environmental protections. Republicans think that the taxes to pay teachers is bad, but taxes to build a billionaire’s stadium is good.  Republicans don’t want to assist local economic development but will fall over themselves to grant billions in tax cuts to companies who reap benefits and pull out of the state long before any profit can be realized for the state. When it comes to citizen initiatives the will of the people can be ignored because the legislature can do what it wants. Personal rights don’t extend to women, or POC, or LGBTQ+. They want to tell us what to think, what to read, and what to believe. 

Does this sound like the government that you want to be represented by? Are you concerned that your federal tax dollars aren’t returned through federal services like access to healthcare, public school funding, and grants?  

The GOP would like you to think that they are the party of small government, but the reality is that they are a party of control and a party of profiteering. If one thing is clear, we need now more than ever to seek better representation — and the most important thing you can do this year is to show up in November to cast your vote for Brian King and Rebekah Cummings. 

Please visit https://www.kingforutah.com/ to learn more about the King and Cummings campaign for Utah Governor and Lt Governor, and make a donation towards their campaign. 

Donate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ws-king

Posted on

A Celebration and Defense of Community

June is Pride Month, and on Saturday, June 1st I will be walking at the SoJo Summerfest Parade in South Jordan. On Sunday, June 2nd I will be walking with the Salt Lake County Democrats at the Utah Pride Parade in Salt Lake City. From a rainbow of colors, I will (quite obviously) be wearing green. On the first day we celebrate the city and our community, and on the second we celebrate and defend the people who are part of our community. There is a subtle and important difference between these two days. On the first day we show pride for our home, and on the second, we show pride for our community.

The Pride March started one year after the 1969 Stonewall Riots, and was created as a remembrance and solemn defense of identity. In the fifty years since then, the march has evolved to advocate for, educate about and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community. According to the Pew Research Center, some 7% of Americans are lesbian, gay or bisexual, and the number is higher for our youth because culture is changing, and because younger generations are more comfortable talking about sex and gender. Nearly 10% of youth ages 18-24 identified as LGBTQIA+. This is why advocacy is so important – in recent years the US Dept of Justice reports that in Utah the number of hate crimes against people due to sexual orientation has increased six-fold between 2020 and 2022. Recent legislation has unjustly inflamed and polarized gender identity and sexual orientation issues. In Utah our LGBTQIA+ youth face discrimination, health access, mental health issues, homelessness, and suicide as significant risks.

I believe that we build UNITY in COMMUNITY. We do this by being visible, supporting our neighbors, by creating safe spaces, by respecting and celebrating our differences, and by standing together.

Legislatively, I will work to protect our individual rights. You can see my stances on DEI, LGBTQIA+ rights, healthcare, and education at https://utah44.com/issues/.

Resources

You’re invited to come and celebrate on both days. Register at https://utah44.com/get-involved/ if you want to be involved with the campaign.

https://utah44.com/find-unity-in-your-community/

I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on

Supporting Public Schools

Our district is a primarily residential district that encompasses the north and west of South Jordan city, and the southwestern edge of West Jordan city. We are home to eight public schools that all fall within the Jordan School District. Our schools service elementary and middle school students. Our oldest school is 45 years old.

Additionally, there is one public charter school for grades 6-12 in our boundaries:

The reason that I’m stating all of this is because I want to raise the issue and address the topic of school vouchers that undermine strong public education and student opportunity. They take scarce funding from these public schools, and move that money to private schools that are not accountable to taxpayers, for test scores, or teacher certifications. The NEA provides a dismal review of the voucher program in Arizona – the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) due to its cost and utter lack of accountability. The Utah Fits All Scholarship program is modeled after the Arizona voucher program, and promises the same fate in our state. Critics of the voucher program object that the voucher program will financially hobble Utah’s public schools, which are already among the least funded in the country.

Families overwhelmingly support public schools. Our public schools are a gold standard for education. They offer programs in arts, STEM, athletics, and robust extra-curricular clubs and activities. Public schools are the only spaces where there are protections for students with disabilities, with a notable exception of specialized schools. Teachers are certified and maintain ongoing education. Our public schools have robust systems of support that include the PTA, Community Councils and volunteers. Our funds should be used to improve public school programs, including school lunch, extended day programs, after school programs, invest in teacher salaries, and to add support positions (paras, nurses, counselors) to administrative staff.

Reference Articles:

Trust in our system of public education. Your representative needs to represent you. You are the voter. You are the constituent. If your voice isn’t represented in the district, then speak up, get involved, and act with your vote in November. I ask that you stand for our system of public education, and stand with me for better representation.

See https://utah44.com/hd44-demographics/

I look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on

Defending our Public Employees

Jordan Teuscher is no friend to working families. During the 2024 general legislative session, Jordan introduced HB285 “Labor Union Amendments”, which failed primarily due to very present, overwhelming opposition by both public and private sector employees. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the highest unionization rates are among workers in education, training, and libraries (32.7%) and law enforcement (31.9%) — all public sector occupations. This is who Jordan was attacking with his bill, and we’re predicting that if he retains his seat, he’s going to come back in 2025 to continue his assault on public employees and working families.

Who are the people that would be negatively impacted? In this bill, Public employees represent municipality, county, state and school district employees, or any administrative subunit of the state. He’s targeting teachers, school administrators, state employees, city employees, police and firefighters. He’s going after the people who operate our cities and make things run. He’s going after the teachers and administrators who provide sound public education to our children. He’s going after emergency responders and the people who answer the calls for help.

Is Jordan representing Utahns with these bills? The answer is no. His bill language comes from Michigan’s Mackinac Center for Public Policy and its deceptively named “Workers for Opportunity” that are engaging with conservative legislators to introduce legislation to weaken labor laws and tear down worker rights. He’s running bills written from outside of Utah. Unions are one of the most important tools to address the disparity of wealth distribution, and a legitimate tool to manage the welfare and way of life for Utahns. Union members will tell you that human dignity and worth, fair pay, retirement, benefits, safety, training, employer accountability, and opportunity are what are at stake. And Jordan is no friend to unions, or to working families.

“What is government for, if not to better the lives of its citizens?”

Tom Davidson, LiUNA Local 295

Your representative needs to represent you. You are the voter. You are the constituent. If your voice isn’t represented in the district, then speak up, get involved, and act with your vote in November. I ask that you stand with working families, and stand with me for better representation.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Donate
Posted on

Do Ethics Really Matter in Utah?

I’m speechless.

First Post: https://utah44.com/slushy-campaign-finances/
Update: https://utah44.com/teuscher-pierucci-and-the-conservative-millennial-pac/

The response (below) from disclosure@utah.gov confirms that in July 2023 a total of $1,500 was transferred to Candice Pierucci two months in advance by Jordan Teuscher (apparently acting as an officer of the Conservative Millennials PAC) that went unreported for two months before it was disclosed on their campaign reports. Even though https://disclosures.utah.gov/File/279 states that contributions must be reported within 31 days of receipt.

Summarizing:

  • The Conservative Millennials PAC forwarded money through Jordan Teuscher to Candice Pierucci in July 2023 that was unreported for two months, in violation of disclosure rules.
  • Jordan Teuscher either transferred money into his personal account (this would be a separate violation it it occurred), or has at least three accounts (his personal account, the Teuscher campaign account, and the Conservative Millennials PAC account) tied to his personal Venmo. The Office of the Utah Lieutenant Governor makes it clear that Venmo can be tied to multiple personal and campaign accounts used to receive, transfer and spend money, even though it is being used for all intents and purposes as a co-mingled financial account.
  • Jordan does not disclose his role as an intermediary who received funds from the Conservative Millennials PAC (of which he is a primary officer) in transferring the funds to Candice Pierucci using his personal Venmo, which should be a violation of disclosure rules.
  • Candice Pierucci fails to report the July campaign donation she received from Teuscher for two months, which is a violation of disclosure rules.

And the Lieutenant Governor’s office plans to do nothing about it.

Their email closes by saying: “If you don’t like or agree with the laws, please work with your legislators to improve them. Should you win the election you would have the opportunity to propose new legislation as well.”

Does Utah really care about ethics? Do we care about transparency and disclosure? Does it matter that the Republican Lieutenant Governor’s office weighs in favor of two Republican legislators and a Republican PAC who are clearly engaged in improper handling of campaign finances that benefitted them?

2024-05-17-disclosures-responseDownload