Jonathan Garrard

Jonathan Garrard
Tooele County Commissioner

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Why I am running

My parents instilled values into my character when I was young. They taught me how to work hard for what was important. They stressed Fairness, Kindness, Integrity, and Honesty in my upbringing. I learned principles of truth from my parents. These principles have guided my actions throughout my life. I have applied them in all situations.

Government has been no exception to this. The framework of our government is based on principles and values. This framework teaches us what the proper role of government is. To effectively govern, one should learn this framework and follow the principles and values it is based on. I found that way too often, these principles are disregarded. The power and money involved in politics today overshadows them. Freedom is generally lost as a result of this.

I cannot sit back and watch my children’s freedom slip away. I want them to enjoy what I have. We need elected officials that will stand for principles over politics. Our elected officials need to be Statesmen, not Politicians. I am willing to devote my time and talents to being a Statesman, and support the principles which made our country experience the most freedom of any other nation.

What came first? Government or People?

   People.

What rights did People have without Government?

   The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That covers all other inalienable rights.

What are other examples of inalienable rights?

  • Acquire, develop and dispose of property.
  • Self Government
  • Have Children
  • Freedom of Belief and Speech
  • Assemble and Petition
  • Self Defense to protect inalienable rights
  • Etc. Etc. Etc.

Why was government formed?

To protect our inalienable rights from all individuals or groups who would seek to take them from us. (government included)

George Washington compared government to “fire” and said it is a “dangerous servant” and a “fearful master.” The framers of our Constitution set up limits on the power of government in two different ways. First they split the power horizontally. It consisted of 3 functions. Make the law (legislative), administer the law (executive), and interpret the law (judicial). Second it was split vertically, with the largest government at the local individual level and the least amount of government at the national level. This is illustrated in the following figure. View Larger Image


If we sketched a similar figure for our government today, we would find the exact opposite: View Larger ImageThis would be alarming to our founding fathers. They wanted to keep government in the center of the spectrum. We are letting the “fire” burn out of control.  I am committed to keeping us in the center. Benjamin Franklin said, “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Government is Force, and derives its powers from the people. This limits its proper role automatically. It can only exercise those rights which the individuals have separately.

Today Government has claimed rights, which not even individuals have. For example, it takes property through force from one group and gives it to another group. If an individual did this, they would be arrested for stealing. It is not the proper role for government to do this. We must not allow government to exercise power which it does not have, even if it benefits our group for doing so. Professor Alexander Tytler said, “A democracy … can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most from the public treasury, …” The time to stop this from continuing on is now. Government will work best under the Original Intent of the United States Constitution.