Op-Eds

Since the founding of our country, manufacturing has always been a cornerstone of our economy. Here in Utah, we have over 3,000 manufacturing firms employing over 125,000 people at an average salary of over $65,000 a year. Utah’s manufacturing sector is a middle class family-making machine. Which is why I am so honored to celebrate Manufacturing Day — an annual celebration of manufacturing when local employers open their facilities to the community so that more people can understand the benefits and opportunities that manufacturing provides.

Last week, drone industry executives told President Trump they needed more regulation, not less, before they could expand further — a man-bites-dog story if ever there was one. But the answer isn’t to keep waiting on Washington. It’s to make use of one of our nation’s founding principles: federalism.

As citizens of the United States, we recognize the rights of foreign peoples to live and govern themselves as they see fit. Just as the American people would not tolerate another nation dictating to us how to run our country, we believe other people should be able to make their own laws free from outside interference.

Americans are, on average, wealthier, healthier, and better-educated than we ever have been. We've made huge strides in civil rights and racial equality. We have access to technology that would have awed past generations. But fundamentally, our culture and way of life has undergone some changes that are not necessarily positive.