Utah's election process starts with a caucus meeting

Caucus meetings are the most basic way to get involved in Utah’s election process. Sometimes it's the only way.
Those who are lucky enough to be elected as county and/or state delegates could make the decisions for all of us.
County and state candidates who receive 60 percent of the vote at the county or state convention automatically appear on the ballot for the general election, bypassing a primary election.
Each precinct is allotted a number of state and county delegates based on the precinct’s population. If you want to be a delegate you must be elected by other members in your precinct.
According to us.govinfo.about.com, “Caucuses are simply meetings, open to all registered voters of the party, at which delegates to the party's national convention are selected. When the caucus begins, the voters in attendance divide themselves into groups according to the candidate they support. The undecided voters congregate into their own group and prepare to be ‘courted’ by supporters of other candidates.
Voters in each group are then invited to give speeches supporting their candidate and trying to persuade others to join their group. At the end of the caucus, party organizers count the voters in each candidate's group and calculate how many delegates to the county convention each candidate has won.
As in the primaries, the caucus process can produce both pledged and unpledged convention delegates, depending on the party rules of the various states.”
The Utah caucuses that I’ve attended weren’t quite that elaborate. During the 2010 caucus meeting I got the impression that all of the decisions regarding precinct officers and delegates were made prior to the meeting. The meeting was merely a formality.
It is possible to completely bypass the primary election process altogether if all candidates on a given ballot receive at least 60 percent of the delegates' votes at the county and state levels.
I never have understood this process. The state that we moved from always held a primary election that all registered voters could participate in.
If there were five people running for a county or state office, their names were placed on the ballot representing their party. If there was not a clear winner in the primary the two highest vote-getters advanced to the general election.
I prefer this system over Utah's caucus system.
When we moved here almost eight years ago and asked one of the locals how we could get information on the local elections. We were told that if we lived here long enough we would know who to vote for. Well, since then I've figured out who I want to vote for. I may not have to vote for them if they get 60 percent of the delegate votes. I may not get to vote for them if they are beaten by someone who does get 60 percent of the vote. And if, by chance no one gets 60 percent of the vote, but they are one of the top two vote getters, I might just get to cast my ballot.

Rhonda Tommer is a member of the writers group and a resident of Santa Clara. She can be reached at r.tommer.writersgroup@gmail.com

Organ donation - giving the gift of life

This is the season for gift giving. Reaching out. Sharing.

This is a story about giving the gift of life. It’s a story about Rob and Shelly. Rob, a 45-year-old husband and father of six with a very sick kidney. And Shelly, a 43-year-old wife and mother of four. One thing they had in common was their kids went to the same school.

Rob was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2002 and started on dialysis in 2008. He had one diseased kidney removed and was placed on two waiting lists for a transplant. He was told that it would take five to ten years before he could possibly receive a cadaver donor.

Shelly heard from Rob’s wife during a time of sharing with other parents at the school that Rob would be on dialysis until a donor kidney could be available. She starting wondering how she could help. Having gone through a couple of years of life trials, Shelly was familiar with making sacrifices. She felt that God was preparing her for something bigger, that it was by the leading of God’s hand that she and Rob ended up in the same home schooling group.

After much prayer she talked with her husband about possibly being a live kidney donor for Rob. They researched the topic for a couple of months and concluded that Shelly’s desire to give a life-saving kidney to Rob was the right thing to do. Shelly e-mailed Rob offering him a kidney.

It took several months of running tests, meetings, medical appointments and more tests before things started to progress. It would turn out that, due to several setbacks, it would take two years to complete the surgeries and make the transfer.

Rob received his new kidney in August. He told me that this was “a gift, first and foremost, from the Lord.” He said, “I want to take care of this kidney, partially out of a sense of obligation to the donor.” He never wants to take this gift for granted.

Shelly said that the journey was the hardest part. And at one point, when it was possible that the transplant would not take place, she said it was clear to her that the kidney was no longer hers. If Rob was not the recipient, she knew that someone else would be.

Rob’s and Shelly’s families went from acquaintances to combined families. Shelly said it has been an “amazing experience.” Another commonality that Rob and Shelly share is their faith in Jesus Christ. He also provided the gift of life. Shelly’s gift to Rob was an extension of his physical life. Christ’s birth, death and resurrection provides the gift of eternal life. Let’s all celebrate the gift of life this Christmas season.


Rhonda Tommer is a resident of Santa Clara and a member of The Spectrum and Daily News writers group. She can be reached at r.tommer.writersgroup@gmail.com

Honoring veterans always

Today is the day of remem­brance for those who have fought in wars past and to acknowledge those who are still fighting today. I wonder how many of us know the history of Veterans Day, and how it came to be. I would like to share with you some of the research I have gathered on the event.

According to www.va.gov, World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. However, fighting ceased months earlier between Germany and the Allied Nations on the eleventh day of the elev­enth month in the eleventh hour of 1918. This was called an armistice. In November of 1919 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov.

11 as Armistice Day. It was to be a day set aside to reflect on the her­oism of those who died while serv­ing in our military during WWI, the war that did not end all wars.

It was a time of national pride. It became apparent after WWII and the Korean War that Armistice Day did not acknowledge veter­ans of other wars, so the word “Armistice” was replaced with the word “Veterans” at the urging of veterans’ service organizations.

In October of 1954, President Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day proclamation, stat­ing, “In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this an­niversary, all veterans, all veter­ans’ organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.”

Today is the day that we set aside our differences. We give up our difference on interrogation practices, whether gays should be allowed to serve openly in the mil­itary or if the government should cut or expand the military budget.

Today we collectively honor our brave heroes, the fallen members of our armed forces. And while we are acknowledging the sacri­fices of these wonderful men and women, let’s also recognize the sacrifices of men and women who have given parts of their lives.

Those who were on tours of duty while their kids were growing up.

Those who have come home from battle with fewer limbs than they went in with. Those who struggle every day with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because they watched their buddies get blown up by enemy fire. And those we’ve lost stateside because of a training mission that has gone awry.

As for me, if you are a veteran of any war, I thank you. Not only today, but every day, for the abil­ity to raise my family in peace.

During a recent trip to Branson, Missouri, every show that we went to songs were sang and ap­plause was given to all retired and current military personnel in the audience. We are a grateful na­tion. We may not always show it collectively, but we do honor and appreciate you.

Rhonda Tommer is a resident of Santa Clara and a member of the Spectrum and Daily News writ­ers group. She can be reached at r.tommer.writersgroup@gmail.com.

Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking

I have enjoyed selling things on eBay for years. Sometimes I find the right thing to sell and it pays off. I once bought a small paperback booklet titled “90 Years of Parker Bros.” It talked about the history of Parker Brothers’ games. I paid 50 cents for it at an estate sale. After my son read it, I put it on eBay and it sold for almost $100.
I once put a baseball card from 1910 on eBay for a starting bid of $9.99. It sold for $3,650. I was told by one of the country’s largest baseball collectors that if I had had the card graded by a professional grader it would have brought in around ten grand. I learned a lot about old baseball cards that year.
Recently two items I sold met with unfortunate demise. One item never arrived at its destination. The delivery confirmation shows the item leaving the local post office in Inglewood, California, but never arriving at its intended postal address. The buyer demanded an immediate refund and filed a case against me with eBay. I was a bit miffed.
The second item arrived, but was damaged during delivery. The buyer contacted me, sent me pictures of the damage and we started dialog on how to resolve the issue. I listed both of these items for other people, and therefore issuing refunds would come directly out of my pocket. I didn’t really like this idea. I sat on the decision for a day or so. I lost sleep over it. It’s my policy not to accept returns or make refunds.
These two issues created so much turmoil within me that I realized I needed to make a decision one way or another. I decided that the man in Inglewood really wanted those Precious Moments figurines and he never got them. One of them was called “Onward Christian Soldiers.” What kind of Christian would I be if I insisted on keeping his money? I had the right to. His lost item wasn’t my fault. But would it be the right thing to do? I sent him a total refund and felt pretty good about it.
The lady in Washington State who bought the coasters could enjoy them even if the holder that came with them was damaged during shipping. I gave her a total refund as well, and told her to keep the coasters. I felt even better.
I’m not writing about this to get accolades for doing the right thing. I wanted to keep the money. I’m sharing how doing the right thing made me feel good. Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking. Can you imagine what kind of world we would live in if everyone one of us, all the time, tried our best to live with integrity and do the right thing?
I was in turmoil over approximately $34.00. That’s what I lost on those transactions. I lost more money last week then I took in. But is that really important? The peace I have by doing the right thing is worth way more than $34.00. That’s my message. It is better to suffer for doing good, then for doing evil.
Let’s strive to let integrity drive our motives. Then the world will be a better place.


Rhonda Tommer is a member of The Spectrum and Daily News writers group and lives in Santa Clara. She can be reached at r.tommer.writersgroup@gmail.com

Looking at the world through the blind eyes of a child

“I was born a poor black child.” Those words were spoken by Navin R. Johnson, a character played by Steve Martin in the 1979 movie, The Jerk. Navin opens the movie with this line as he tells his rags-to-riches-to-rags story. It’s the funniest line in the movie. When Navin turned 18 his black mama broke the news to him that he was adopted. His response was, “You mean I’m gonna stay this color?” He was a white boy adopted by a black family in Alabama. At age 18 he set off to find his purpose in the world.
In one scene he’s shown running out from his apartment to pick up the newly delivered telephone books. Picking up the book he finds his name and proclaims, “I'm somebody now! Millions of people look at this book everyday! This is the kind of spontaneous publicity - your name in print - that makes people. I'm in print! Things are going to start happening to me now.” He needed to belong.
Parts of the movie are crude and repulsive. I don’t recommend it for just anyone. But it takes a comedic and lighthearted look at racism and the need to belong. When Navin was planning his trip his dad, Navin Sr. gave him some advice, “Don’t never, ever trust Whitey.”
I too was born into a “Black” family. My maiden name is Black. When my grandmother came to visit the nursery, as the story has been often told, she asked the black nurse if she could see the “Black” baby in the nursery. The grandmotherly nurse returned with a puzzled look on her face and stated that there were only white babies in the nursery. My grandmother explained that my name was Black, but I was white. These two grandmothers had a great laugh together over the misunderstanding, and I was often affectionately referred to by grandma as her “little black baby.”
On a recent road trip to Swain’s Creek Pines my family and I started listening to “My Grandfather’s Son”, Clarence Thomas’ self-read autobiography. He talked about growing up in the south during the days of blatant racism and segregation. It was just a normal way of life.
Though we have come a long way since then, in some ways we have not moved an inch. Prejudice is alive and well. Not merely racial prejudice. It is human nature for our minds to size up just about everyone we meet before a word is spoken, or even if we never meet.
We judge people based on how they dress, what they drive, how they drive, their physical appearances, their political or religious views, and the list goes on.
Our niece and nephew adopted a little girl from China a few years ago. It didn’t take them long to learn that she is blind. She’s the happiest little girl I’ve ever met. Last month they adopted a little boy from Ghana. Hope is the only one in her immediate family of seven who doesn’t recognize her new brother as a black boy from Africa. Nor does she know that her mom and three sisters are pale skinned with blue-green eyes. And she doesn’t care.
This is how we need to view the world, through the blind eyes of a child, to really end racism.

Rhonda Tommer is a member of The Spectrum and Daily News writers group and lives in Santa Clara. She can be reached at r.tommer.writersgroup@gmail.com

I found out that I have kidney cancer this week. It was a shock to the system, to say the least. I'm a fighter and a survivor. On this blog I will post my progress, disappointments, fears and faith. I will beat this thing. God willing by this time next year the term kidney cancer will not longer be in my vocabulary.