Americans Want to Believe
Gregory P. Hawkins

Feeling Politically Impotent

During the past few months I have spoken to many groups around the state. I have learned anew that Utahns share some of the same concerns that national Gallup polls, Harris polls and university studies indicate other Americans have.

Two-thirds of Americans do not believe elected officials care about what citizens think.
Two-thirds of Americans believe our system of government is good while those who run it are incompetent.
8 out of 10 Americans believe that "our country is run by a closed network of special interests, public officials, and the media."
8 out of 10 Americans believe that political events seem more like entertainment then something to be taken seriously.
9 out of 10 Americans believe that the government wastes our tax dollars.
Less than 60 percent of Americans even care about the outcome of Congressional House races.

Americans feel politically impotent. That impotence brings with it ignorance of political issues and a feeling of alienation. Political impotence, ignorance, and alienation have driven all but the most stouthearted into the political wilderness.

A Growing Hunger to Believe

And yet, there is a growing hunger to believe:

To believe that America continues to be the most consequential nation on earth.
To believe that the future is not yet determined and that the destiny of America is still to be fulfilled.
To believe that the promise of America is liberty and freedom.
To believe that self-government works, that political authority, the power of government, resides with the people not with the elected officials, special interests or the media.
To believe that America is bigger than themselves and worth sacrificing for.

Yes, Americans and Utahns hunger:

To believe that government's first duties are to protect life, secure the free exercise of conscience and to preserve property rights.
To believe that limited government, separation of powers and individual autonomy are the bedrock of the American process.
To believe that government has a vital role in maintaining and strengthening the family as the fundamental unit of society.
To believe that we are accountable for our actions and for our inactions in relation to government.
· To believe in politics as intended, government as designed and America as dreamed of.

Why I Am Running

I am running for the United States Congress in Utah’s 3rd Congressional District because I believe. I remember, as a boy, the exact moment I first became aware of the larger world around me. It was during the Johnson administration. My father was going to Vietnam and there was a pivotal presidential election in process. 1968 seemed to be a watershed year. It certainly proved to be, to me.

It was in that year that my belief and passion were born. It was in that year that I first became aware that many of those who hold office did not believe. That many actually believed the opposite - they believed in phony paradigms of power. They believed elected officials should be chosen and held in office by manipulation or special interests. They believed that open debate and public awareness makes governing difficult and uncomfortable. They believed that the few were better than the many. They preferred the dark - behind closed doors - to the light of open politics.

I have spent my entire life studying, pondering, preparing and serving. My conclusion: I believe that America continues to be the most consequential nation on earth. I believe that the future is not yet determined and that the destiny of America is still to be fulfilled. I believe that the promise of America is liberty and freedom. I believe that self-government works, that political authority, the power of government, resides with the people not with the elected officials, special interests or the media. I believe in politics as intended, government as designed and America as dreamed of.

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