Utah Compact Featured in New York Times Editorial

“Not all the political news this year involves the rise of partisan extremism and government by rage. There has been lots of that. But maybe there is a limit, a point when people of good sense and good will band together to say no. As they have just done in Utah.”

Read the rest at NYTimes.com –>

Immigration Is Not a Crime

The conservative mantra lately when it comes to the issue of immigration is to “enforce the law”. The immigration bill sponsored by Sen. Hatch puts a “focus on enforcement”. To the average conservative, the very idea that the existing immigration laws are not enforced or even ignored is infuriating. They’re breaking the law! Justice calls for punishment!

I completely understand this mentality, mostly because I espoused it once. To those with this attitude, I ask you to consider a question. What is more important: people or laws? In other words, are laws made to serve people, or are people made to serve laws?

In order to answer this question, you must examine the source of laws. The answer is easy: government. Now, what is the source of government? Well, the people. The government did not create people, so obviously the people created government. And we created it to serve us.

Since the creature cannot exceed the creator (or, in other words, since one cannot delegate rights to another that one does not himself possess), it follows that we cannot give government power to do that which we ourselves do not have the power to do. Take murder, for instance. I do not have the right to murder another man; therefore, I cannot delegate that right to my government (although Pres. Obama has assumed that right anyway; this is what’s known as ‘tyranny’).

The proper function of government, then, is “limited only to those spheres of activity within which the individual citizen has the right to act. By deriving its just powers from the governed, government becomes primarily a mechanism for defense against bodily harm, theft and involuntary servitude.” It follows, then, that “when the government assumes other functions it is usurpation and oppression.”

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Utah Liberty Stands with the LDS Church on Immigration

The Church issued the following statement today regarding the issue of immigration:

As a worldwide church dealing with many complex issues across the globe, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints promotes broad, foundational principles that have worldwide application. The Church regards the declaration of the Utah Compact as a responsible approach to the urgent challenge of immigration reform.  It is consistent with important principles for which we stand:

• We follow Jesus Christ by loving our neighbors.  The Savior taught that the meaning of “neighbor” includes all of God’s children, in all places, at all times.
• We recognize an ever-present need to strengthen families.   Families are meant to be together.  Forced separation of working parents from their children weakens families and damages society.
• We acknowledge that every nation has the right to enforce its laws and secure its borders.  All persons subject to a nation’s laws are accountable for their acts in relation to them.

Public officials should create and administer laws that reflect the best of our aspirations as a just and caring society.   Such laws will properly balance love for neighbors, family cohesion, and the observance of just and enforceable laws.

The text of the Compact’s declaration on immigration reform is as follows:

A declaration of five principles to guide Utah’s immigration discussion:

FEDERAL SOLUTIONS — Immigration is a federal policy issue between the U.S. government and other countries — not Utah and other countries. We urge Utah’s congressional delegation, and others, to lead efforts to strengthen federal laws and protect our national borders. We urge state leaders to adopt reasonable policies addressing immigrants in Utah.

LAW ENFORCEMENT — We respect the rule of law and support law enforcement’s professional judgment and discretion. Local law enforcement resources should focus on criminal activities, not civil violations of federal code.

FAMILIES — Strong families are the foundation of successful communities. We oppose policies that unnecessarily separate families. We champion policies that support families and improve the health, education and well-being of all Utah children.

ECONOMY — Utah is best served by a free-market philosophy that maximizes individual freedom and opportunity. We acknowledge the economic role immigrants play as workers and taxpayers. Utah’s immigration policies must reaffirm our global reputation as a welcoming and business-friendly state.

A FREE SOCIETY — Immigrants are integrated into communities across Utah. We must adopt a humane approach to this reality, reflecting our unique culture, history and spirit of inclusion. The way we treat immigrants will say more about us as a free society and less about our immigrant neighbors. Utah should always be a place that welcomes people of goodwill.

It’s refreshing to see some sanity and wisdom in the immigration debate for a change. We hope that future policy in Utah and other states will be guided by these principles.