As he left office in 1989, Ronald Reagan explained his vision of America as a “shining city on a hill” that had stood “strong and true” as a “beacon” and “magnet” to the rest of the world for 200 years.

This simile originally came from the Bible and served as the basis for a sermon given in 1630 by John Winthrop, one of the original settlers of the colony that would one day become Massachusetts. According to Winthrop’s reading, constructing this city was not a “one and done” achievement by his congregation — it was a standard to strive toward for generations to come.

Our country began as a promise written down, and it is incumbent upon each generation that followed to fulfill that promise. As America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and recommits itself to the promises contained within, Utah should lead out as a shining beacon on how we can move forward into our next 250 years building upon the things that make our nation great into an even greater place for all Americans.

Our leaders in Utah are fond of saying that we already lead the nation: on the economy, on family, on opportunity. From our “hill” amidst the Rocky Mountains, we can preserve what we are most proud of: being the best state for upward mobility, the state with the highest levels of social capital and so many other accolades. But if we are to be an example to the rest of the nation, we must build upon these achievements and commit ourselves to the hard and necessary work to better ourselves.

If we want to lead with our economy, we have to address the dying Great Salt Lake. Utah’s leaders have spent four years passing dozens of laws and committing millions of dollars to shepherd acres of water to the Great Salt Lake, but it hasn’t been enough. As the water level continues to drop, it threatens the air we breathe, the future of our water supplies, an entire interconnected ecological system and billions of dollars of economic activity. We need to channel our pioneering mindset to make sacrifices and invest in nontraditional solutions. No other state or nation has been able to reverse the terminal decline of a saline lake. Through conservation, adaptation, partnerships and accountability, Utah must be the first to heal this critical piece of our state, or our economy will wither in a cloud of dust, leaving families with nothing.

Strong families need somewhere to put down roots. Without affordable homes, we risk losing the opportunity for Utahns across this state to own a stable place where they can raise their kids near the people who raised them. Our housing shortage threatens close-knit families in a way that will only continue to worsen over the coming decades if we don’t course correct. Ambitious goals have been set by the governor to add to the housing supply, however, not enough is being done fast enough by a Legislature and municipalities that just point fingers at each other rather than using every policy tool at their disposal. We can’t continue losing our kids to Texas, Arizona and Idaho — we need to lead the recovery from this national housing crisis and reestablish Utah as the place where people are able to raise their families and achieve the American dream.

The founders of Utah, American refugees who fled into the wilderness, knew how it felt to be unwelcome. As that pioneer spirit has continued to possess those who live here today, we see it exemplified in proclamations such as the Utah Compact of 2010, which showed a calmer, more humane and bipartisan way to approach immigration issues. We’ve led here before. As Utah and the rest of our nation continue to grow and change demographically, whether it be differences based on race, religion, sexual orientation or class, we’ll have to continue to lead, showing the nation that everyone who comes to Utah, whoever they are, can belong and thrive.

My wish for America as she moves into her next 250 years is that she becomes a little more like Utah. Not only the Utah that we are today, but the Utah that we can choose to become. A Utah that heals The Great Salt Lake. A Utah that builds homes its own children can afford. A Utah that welcomes all who settle here the way our ancestors wished they had been welcomed before fleeing to a distant land. A Utah that keeps its air clean, its families strong and its promise wide.

America at 250 doesn’t need more division or more strife. It needs examples worth following. We’ve built this “shining city on a hill” together and as we continue building Utah together, our nation will only become stronger, too.

Chase Thomas is the senior policy advisor for Alliance for a Better Utah.

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