REP. TRAVIS SEEGMILLER Earns #1 Top Lifetime Constitutional Conservative Ranking Among Utah Lawmakers
News/Op by Ed Wallace, Publisher – July 31, 2019
Rep. Travis Seegmiller (HD62) tied with 1 other Rep. (Adam Robertson-HD63) for the First Place ranking in the “Top 25 Representatives Lifetime” category and took 2nd out of 75 Reps. in the 2019 rating.
The rankings are generated by UtahGrassroots.org which has been issuing an annual legislative report card since 1992. The Constitutions of the nation and state are the guides which GrassRoots uses in picking issues for its report.
This rigorous analysis scrutinizes the voting patterns of every Utah lawmaker in detail to assess whether lawmakers are standing up for Constitutional Conservative principles —- ultimately to determine, based on the actual votes they cast, to what degree each Representative and Senator is standing firmly in defense of truly Constitutional Conservative principles on behalf of the people they represent. The report serves as a reliable 3rd party validation of their actions
In a statement to UtahStandardNews.com, Seegmiller said “I am proud of these results on behalf of the citizens I represent. This is the state’s Constitutional Conservative barometer, and I am very happy to rank at the top again of this important Legislative Scorecard. I’m pleased at these results, not because of the comparison to other lawmakers noted here, but because this stellar result is proof that for yet another legislative cycle, there is no statistical inconsistency between what I say I will do, what I always promised the voters I would do, and the results I’m achieving.”
Seegmiller continued: “The voters of House District 62 in Washington County explicitly sent me to the Capitol to stand firmly in defense of our Constitutional liberties, and our traditional Conservative values, especially fiscal conservatism. Like me, District 62 voters largely desire a small, frugal, state government, that strongly resists the urge to constantly raise taxes in order to spend more of the people’s money. This analysis by Utah GrassRoots is the state’s most reputable benchmark for assessing whether I am doing what I promised to do, and that is why I’m happy with the results. This analysis shows that I AM doing exactly what the people have sent me to do —- and for that, I am very pleased, and pledge to continue our unwavering defense of the values we hold most dear.”
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That statement is significant because the UTGOP platform is built entirely on conservative principles. Most Republican politicians claim to be “conservative” and that they are going to defend and implement those principles. That one word, “conservative”, acts as a magic wand and creates the illusion that they are the proper and only choice to represent their truly conservative constituents.
But, as soon as the elections are over, the Constitution that they swore an oath to protect and defend is ignored and mocked. The proof of this is evident in the growth of our already bloated government, the increase of taxes with impunity, regulations, bureaucracy, entitlements, and the continuous assault on our liberty and freedom. The proper role of government is ignored. State rights are signed away. Crony capitalism and corruption are beyond anyone’s ability to discern. Ethics and standards give way to greed and power as long as the money is green. All of this shows a lack of adherence to Constitutional values where Most People Treat the Constitution Like it’s Only a Suggestion.
Seegmiller earned the sole #1 ranking last year in the Lifetime category, which tallies the results over the lifetime of service in the legislature, and was just 1% away from earning the #1 ranking in both categories. In comparison, other WashCo representatives, all of whom self-identify as being conservative, were ranked as follows:
Rep. Walt Brooks – 2019/67% Lifetime 57%
Rep. Brad Last – 2019/45% Lifetime/49%
Rep. Lowry Snow – 2019/48% Lifetime/41%
Senator Don Ipson – 2019/58% Lifetime/44%
UtahGrassroots.org did not announce beforehand the rubric for how they would score the lawmakers, so no legislator could “game the system “. Bills are picked without regard to any individual and they have no paid staff. The group is committed to “Promoting the Principles of Limited Government, the Constitution, Representative Government, Participatory Republic, Free Market Economy, Family, and Separation of Powers.”
Last year, Seegmiller was named to the leadership of the newly refreshed Conservative Caucus (CC) and is the sole Representative from Washington County on the Leadership team of 5 members. In the last session, he was one of two Legislators who held-off the onslaught of HB441, the massive ‘Taxation of Services’ bill that would wipe out our state’s economy. Seegmiller held firm with the will of the people who elected him and toed the line of “No New Taxes” in the face of what must have been blistering scrutiny and pressure from his fellow Republican lawmakers to conform and close the deal on their gigantic tax structure overhaul with virtually unlimited unforeseen consequences. In the 2018 election, Seegmiller ran unopposed and decisively carried over 10,000 votes to win his re-election. That put him in the top-tier of vote getters.
Representative Seegmiller is an award-winning conservative Professor of the U.S. Constitution & Leadership at Dixie State University. He is a product of WashCo’s local education system – a graduate of Washington Elementary School and the former Student-body President of Pine View High School – who went on to a long career of Republican Service and Conservative Republican Leadership, from the local level, as Legislative Chairman of House District 62, to the U.S. Senate and even the Presidential level dating all the way back to his first Republican Presidential campaign in 1996. Seegmiller has worked for or served under many great men and women as President of the Republican Party at both Yale University and Georgetown University during his college and graduate school days. As you research him, you may find the news reports of Seegmiller leading protests against Hillary Clinton as far back as 20+ years ago!
Seegmiller is a devoted family man and father with a lifetime track record of Southern Utah morals and tenacity. He has been a very successful businessman-turned-Professor and has always demonstrated a proven commitment to core conservative principles, and he is a true Constitutionalist, whose heroes include many of our Founding Fathers and other great Defenders of Freedom as we know it.
His wife, Lisa, was named “Educator of the Year” and is also a Tony Award-Winning and Grammy Award-Nominated Actress and Singer.
So, what are conservative values? The following is from Conservapedia:
A conservative is someone who promotes moral and economic values beneficial to all. A conservative is willing to learn and advocate the insights of economics and the logic of the Bible for the benefit of everyone else. A conservative favor conserving value by not giving handouts to anyone who does not really need them.
A conservative typically adheres to principles of personal responsibility, moral values, and limited government, agreeing with George Washington‘s Farewell Address that “religion and morality are indispensable supports” to political prosperity. Religious conservatism is a big driver of social conservatism. Religious conservatism is growing in the world and it is affecting politics (see: Religious conservatism and politics).
Phil Crane, the leading conservative congressmen in the House from 1969 to 2005, urged people to make the world a better place than where they found it, and quoted frequently from the Bible in pursuit of that goal. Former President Ronald Reagan said, “The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom.” Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United Statesand a conservative said, “Don’t expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong.”
Conservative values recognize the adversarial nature of politics, and much in life. As a result of their ability to deal with adversity, conservative values are superb in defending against obesity, addiction, adversity, anxiety, fear, depression, narcissism, risky law-breaking activities like dangerous driving, self-destructive behavior, illiteracy, rejection, wastefulness, and serious mental disorders. Conservatives are happier than liberals, and one study gives a reason: conservatives do not insist upon a mindless equality.
Conservative values are also helpful in recognizing and combating deceit. A conservative understands the many incentives by others to engage in deceit, and the political power that can result from such deceit. A conservative is often not surprised by the deception that fools others.
Click here for a breakdown of what it means to be Conservative
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