He spent a lot of time talking in general terms about the US Constitution and family values (all of which I believe in but, as Mark Twain is reported to have said: “The Devil is in the Details”). When I asked him specific questions about what he would DO specifically as Governor, he didn’t have one coherent and believable answer.

His legislative career seems to be spent on conservative symbolism rather than proactively DOING something conservative that would really make a difference in the life of me and my family and the average conservative Utahn.

Then Parley pulls this stunt of saying he is resigning from the Utah State Senate a couple of months ago and endorsed Margaret Dayton. And now he is running again!?!? What kind of lame stunt is that?

Margaret Dayton is someone I have talked to several times. She is sharp. She can and does explain what she is doing and why. Every time I called her about legislation during the legislative session, she got right back to me and was on the right side of ever issue I queried her about.

I liked her stand and leadership on No Child Left Behind (a perfectly horrible piece of federal legislation). I liked her sponsorship of HB352 this year which would have curbed the unconscionable increases in the Utah State budget (which increased about 17 1/2% this year—FAR in excess of population growth).

Margaret seems to be building upon her accomplishments in the House. Parley is running because he knows he will never be elected Governor.

To Me, Margaret is clearly the better choice.

Dan Barrus

Provo 31st Precinct Chair

I look forward to her comments.

The reason Alan Keyes endorsed Parley is that his campaign manager’s daughter is his assistant. Hmm.

That is a fair point.

I met Margaret Dayton tonight as well (perhaps we were at her home at the same time?), and I too was very, very impressed. She has graciously agreed to answer some questions for my blog as well, though it will have to be sometime after this very busy weekend.

I’m still uncommitted. I want to learn as much as I can from each of the candidates before jumping into one camp or another.

Thanks for providing a valuable counter view. I really appreciate you comments.

As to your question, I met Margaret Dayton tonight at an event and she was fantastic! I think I am going with her. You know what you are getting. Her voting record is great.

I admit that before this interview Senator Hellewell had seemed to me to be less than eloquent. But all of my previous experience had been with him speaking before a crowd, or after a public speech with members of the audience. Perhaps he is simply uncomfortable with crowds. I don’t know the circumstances of your conversation with him, so I cannot offer much speculation about why your experience was so different from mine. I am more interested in his ideas and his integrity than in his charisma.

As for his conservatism, your qualifications for being conservative (no tax increases and fighting environmentalists) seems ridiculously simplistic. After all, libertarians are also against taxes and environmental regulation of business, but legalizing drugs and prostitution are hardley “conservative” positions. Conservatives favor local government over national. Government actions that would never be appropriate at a national level may be appropriate for conservatives at the state level.

I don’t think there is any doubt that Hellewell is a considered a strong conservative. There is a reason why conservative Alan Keyes endorsed Parley’s gubernatorial candidacy in 2004.

I am still undecided. I want to talk to the other candidates. You say that you were undecided until you spoke with him? Have you also spoken with his opponents? If not, how can you have decided for sure?

I have also never heard Parley mentioned as a strong conservative. He keeps voting for tax increases and siding with the Sierra Club.

I was undecided until I spoke with him.

One question: he said the most a person would gain from removal of the sales tax was $5, but that it would cost the state $180 million. My math calculation says that means there are 36 million people living in Utah now, or at least 36 million who pay food tax. I guess the influx of people from California was bigger than I thought.