Stop Two On The Yellowstone Experience: Orem, Utah

As I wrote last night, Orem, Utah was stop number two of the Yellowstone Experience road trip for the RVFTLC family.
And I thought it was awesome in many ways.
And also an eye-opener on a different way of life and yet refreshing.
I have been in Southern Utah a couple of times and thought it was great. Being in North-Central Utah is almost better because it is another gateway to two of the five National Parks that are in the Beehive State. That would be Arches National Park and Moab.
Orem is in Utah County, same a neighboring city Provo. Provo is the home of Brigham Young University.
If Utah is the most Republican state in the nation, Utah County is the most Republican county.
To give you an idea, in the 2012 presidential election, Mitt Romney handily defeated the Dear Leader, President Obama. The carnage?

Romney     142,337     88.3%
Obama         15,791      9.8%

The remaining 1.9% were scattered among also-rans.
Yeah, its GOP land without a doubt.
But the interesting fact is that, again, it is a university town, Provo. As is Orem with Utah Valley University. And yet, this is the result. Which should give hope that not all college and university towns are doomed.
It is not just the politics that I love. After all, I live in the complete opposite in Pasadena, California.
You can tell that family and traditional values are important to this community.
And the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is pretty dominant.
Because this is more of a suburban area, more neighborhoods. And many, many more Mormon churches. They are distinctive in Utah especially. They are red brick and have the white steeple with no cross. LDS explain that they do not use the Christian cross because they look at that as the past and not the future with Jesus Christ in charge. Anyhow, there are so many Mormon churches that if one looks off the freeway, you can see as many as three in very close proximity. Sometimes there is one right next to another. It is amazing to a non-LDSer as I am.
And again, there is the strong family life that is encouraged here.
But, we got a bit of a shock when we went to dinner at a nearby restaurant to our La Quinta.
We went to a barbecue restaurant, the name escapes me, and it was great. But it was while we gave our nice waiter our order we noticed something strange.
We were not asked immediately what we wanted to drink. As we finished our order, Mrs. RVFTLC said that we would drink water. And the waiter said that since WE did not ask, he assumed we wanted water. And we were not the only ones. I walked around to use the rest room and NO ONE, not one person had a drink but water.
And then it occurred to me.
This is Utah. And LDS central. And a strong tenet of the faith is avoiding caffeine. As well as alcohol. It is part of a supplemental book of beliefs known as Doctrines and Covenants. And the specific belief is known as The Word of Wisdom.
Now, I am not Carrie Nation as I do not consume the Devil's Urine. But I also don't tell other people what to do on that score. Same with tobacco, even though 40 years of smoking unfiltered Chesterfield cigarettes killed my father. With them on illicit drugs. But you totally lose me on the coffee and tea. Sorry, I would be the best Jackmormon on that score.
But as odd as it was to this Coca-Cola, coffee drinking American, it was in a sense refreshing to see people clearly live what they believe.
And that is the sense I get in the whole state of Utah. The LDS influence is strong enough to even influence non-Mormons in the positive ways.
What is interesting is that in Utah County, Salt Lake County to the north and a couple of other counties, the majority of the people of Utah live. They live in an area known as the Wasatch Front, the foothills of the Wasatch mountain range. Many of the homes are built right up the hills. It is long and narrow. And trust me, when driving through Southern Utah, you yearn for this region of population.
I can not explain it other than I felt very much at home in Utah. It was great to be among people that take their faith seriously. That were genuine and friendly. And yeah, one thing about the coffee led to this comment from your humble blogger.
You know the one place you will not find a Starbucks?
BYU!
And yeah, we did find a Starbucks!

Next stop: Jackson, Wyoming, home of the three liberals in Wyoming!

Meet Utah's Next Big Thing, Congressman Mia Love

Mia Love is now a household name since her stellar speech yesterday at the Republican National Convention opening night.
Mrs. Love is running for congress in Utah's fourth congressional district. The only one currently in the hands of a Democrat, Jim Matheson.
Although not for long for Rep. Matheson.
Mrs. Love is, if you want to go there, a minority, within a minority, within a minority.
What do I mean?
Well, the obvious is Mrs. Love is Black. The daughter of Haitian immigrants that came to the United States for the proverbial better life. They got it and then some. And got to see their daughter graduate the University of Hartford. What is wonderful is the story Mrs. Love tells about her dad telling her this after her college orientation:

 "Mia, your mother and I never took a handout. You will not be a burden to society. You will give back."

Understand that these people were from Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. They could have easily gone the dependency route was they arrived in the United States in 1973. But they did not and instilled that important value in their daughter.
The second minority is being a Black member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Understand that until the late 1970s, the Mormons did not allow Black men to rise in the lay-ministry that separates the Mormons from other Christian denominations. Since  seeing the light and really understanding the Holy Bible, the growth of Mormons, especially Blacks, is very impressive. But in the United States, there are really not that many Black Mormons.
And the third minority is being a Black Mormon woman. No doubt on that one.
And roll it all together and this is all happening in Utah, one of the most White and religious states in the nation.
OK, so what makes Mrs. Love think that she can be a great congressman? Hell, just a congressman?
Well, she is mayor of her home town, Saratoga Springs, Utah.
Saratoga Springs?! Never heard of it.
Seriously, I never heard of it until yesterday.
But she has been mayor of a town basically built from scratch.
Saratoga Springs was incorporated in 1997 and according to the 2000 census, there were but 1,003 people in the whole town. But by 2010, the population exploded to 17,781. A huge increase. And as a city council member, Mrs. Love did change the way taxes were collected from agriculture to a municipal tax. And when there was the economic debacle of 2008, taxes were not raised but expenses cut. And the city has a AA+ bond rating, the highest for a city of the size of Saratoga Springs.
And what guides Mrs. Love's political positions? According to her own words:

"Is it affordable. Is it sustainable. Is it my job?"

And Mrs. Love believes in fiscal discipline, limited government and personal responsibility.
Pretty conservative and Republican, isn't it?
Yes, it is!
And to understand a little something of the town she is mayor of, it is in Utah County, the most Republican county in the United States. And like the rest of the state, probably very White. And yet this woman has been elected mayor of her home town.
I always believe that is very easy for a minority to win in gerrymandered districts in which their particular group is the majority. The real test for a minority person is to run and win where they are nowhere near the majority.
Ask Rep. Allan West. Or Rep. Tim Scott. Both Southern, Black Republicans that ran and won in pretty White districts. Oh, and Rep. Scott? He only defeated one of Strom Thurmond's sons in the GOP primary in 2010.
How about Nikki Haley, governor of South Carolina? An Indian-American. Same for Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.
And how can we forget Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida? And soon to be Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas?
And, God willing, we can and must add Mia Love to that list. She will make an outstanding congressman and set the old Black establishment back on its heels. I would love, no pun intended, when Congressman Love joins the Congressional Black Caucus as she has promised to do for her to be right next to the Devil herself, Rep. Mad Maxine Waters, and as Mrs. Love says, "take that thing apart from the inside out”. Of course she can start with Rep. Mad Maxine.
Here is where you and I can help Mrs. Love out to not just fight but win the Utah fourth congressional district. And if you missed the speech, it is right here. Mrs. Love made more sense in four minutes than a certain occupier of the White House has made in four years.
Lets all work together to make sure this political studette can get to Washington. President Romney and Vice-President Ryan will need people like Mia Love to pursue the reform agenda.

Its Time To Blog Again

I am back to the blog after a well-deserved Thanksgiving break.
Mrs. RVFTLC, Scout the Wonderdog and your humble blogger spent the Thanksgiving weekend in the Great State of Utah, visiting Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park.
While it was unusual not to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and or friends, we had a wonderful time exploring a part of the United States we have not been to before.
And I have to admit, Utah looks really good to this conservative, Republican.
It has now the most conservative, Republican county in the United States, Utah County. It has the obvious strong influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Yet because many people are moving from many different backgrounds, the Mormon influence is not as pronounced as at one time.
It is just the overall conservative way of life that makes Utah so attractive. Not to mention the total natural beauty.
I would advise everyone to visit Utah at least once and to see the two National Parks we visited. They are amazing.
But now, vacation is over and the real world beckons. Regretably. But we have wonderful memories of a great trip.