- Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith, First Presidency of the LDS Church, May 29, 1891

"Good Republicans need good Democrats to keep them sharp," Romney says, "and keep waste, abuse and special interests from taking over."

Utahns who want good government should remember that excellence in government depends on open and free debate among thoughtful people with differing perspectives and viewpoints.

Political parties aren't static. They espouse the ideas and adopt the values of their most vocal and persuasive members.

Because political parties change, there is nothing inherently sacred about one's political party affiliation. Individuals should have no reluctance to change parties when they think their party is no longer behaving as it should or when they think switching parties would be healthy to our democracy.

During the past six years, I have observed and tried to influence the making and repealing of laws pertaining to our state's civil justice system. I have been unpleasantly surprised how often ideas clearly in the public interest never see the light of day because they are espoused by representatives who have the misfortune of not belonging to the dominant party.

One member of the House Judiciary Committee had earlier served as a district judge and as president of the Utah State Bar. One might expect his views to have been eagerly sought and frequently followed. I didn't observe that happening. That representative, Scott Daniels, is a Democrat. The House of Representatives in which he served had a supermajority of Republicans. After serving several terms, he has chosen not to seek re-election this year. Our Legislature's loss of this treasure is a tragedy of significant proportions.

Another member of the minority party in the House of Representatives, Ralph Becker, has proposed legislation requiring disclosure of conflicts of interest and limitations on gifts to legislators. Though his proposals on these matters unquestionably serve the public interest, they have never been given serious consideration by the Legislature as a whole.

A light is a light no matter who holds the candle. Republicans aren't the only candle-holders in this state.

Most Utahns find the gerrymandering of voting district boundaries highly offensive. As long as either party is strongly dominant, that practice will continue. Where checks and balances are sparse or missing, decisions are made in private rather than in the open, abuses of power occur more frequently and the public trust is eroded. One-party politics stinks. Utah is far too close for its own good health to a one-party system.

I recently studied the current official Utah state platforms of the Democratic and Republican parties. I found nothing contrary to my own values in the platform of Utah Democrats. In fact, I honestly suspect that if Utahns were asked to read the two documents with the words Republican and Democrat substituted for one another, the majority would favor the Democrats' platform.

Many who believe the U.S. Constitution to be an ingenious and inspired document have forgotten it was created through intense debate among representatives holding strong opposing views. Many of its most treasured provisions came about through compromise and concession, not consensus. The aphorism, "When everybody thinks the same, nobody is thinking very much," is unquestionably true in the administration of government intended to be "of the people, by the people and for the people."

Good government in Utah requires open, unbridled debate. That occurs too infrequently when one party holds a supermajority and dominates the executive and legislative branches. Elected decision-makers need to focus on the merits of an idea, rather than the party affiliation of its proponents. Citizens need to align themselves with the party which on most issues most reflects their hopes and aspirations for good government and fairness in our political processes. Until that happens, we won't see excellence in government.

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Doug Mortensen is the outgoing president of the Utah Trial Lawyers Association. The views expressed in this article are solely his own and not those of UTLA or its other members.)