Rights and Responsibilities

This last winter semester at BYU, I enrolled in an American Heritage course, and I learned some important principles that I hope I will not soon forget!

The first day of class our professor informed us that this class was a course in civics, and I appreciate the things we were taught throughout the semester.

Our very first course reading was a lecture given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks entitled 'Rights and Responsibilities' wherein Elder Oaks skillfully shows how a society focused on their rights while neglecting their responsibilities leaves a lot of slack in the system and relies heavily on policing to keep its citizens in-line. This "give-me" attitude causes confusion in defining the rights of citizens as opposed to the focusing on our individual responsibilities.

President Kennedy put it this way:

"Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country."

I wasn't born when J.F.K. gave this speech, but maybe you were around, or maybe we heard this while in the preexistence because it sounds familiar. It rings with truth.

Let me try to say concisely what I am trying to say:

Debating the boundary where your right infringes on mine will not solve the problems of our nation; rather, when citizens seek to learn and fulfill their civic duty, fewer problems will arise and more of our nation's problems will ultimately solve themselves.

Does that make sense? Let me explain.

Take for instance social issues. While a large majority of people can agree on what is right and what is wrong, the problem comes when people start wondering if individuals have the right to make wrong decisions. They certainly have their agency intact to make decisions, correct or incorrect; it just depends if we, as an extended community, want to condone or punish certain behaviors. Often, when society is indecisive, the supreme court, the most removed branch of our government, will ultimately define and interpret our rights for us.

Ideally, all citizens would do what is right, or at least most of them, and we wouldn't need to rely on others to draw the boundaries on right and wrong. Hopefully, we don't stand idly by, but you and I and our neighbors will teach our children morality. Hopefully, we will shamelessly stand for what we believe makes a "good society", spread the word, attend our caucus meetings, elect virtuous people who will represent our ideals and values, and then seek make that ideal a reality by giving of our time and talents, invoking the power of God, and tending to our civic responsibilities.

This is our hope. We want to continue to highlight what makes our city and our nation great. We hope to increase awareness. It is our hope that each person who comes across something written here will have a heightened sense of their civic responsibilities and feel the need to contribute what they can.

Orem Youth City Council

The auditorium at the Senior Center is packed with Orem citizens all trying to get a feel for this year’s candidates.  There are tables lining the room with information on each candidate and a place to write down questions for the candidates.  The room hushes as everyone is welcomed, and following the pledge of allegiance, the questions begin.  Every election year all the work for this event—from the set-up to the hosting—is provided by a group of teenagers who themselves are too young to vote.  That fact is incredible.  This impressive group is the Orem Youth Council.

I participated in the Orem Youth Council (OYC) throughout my high school career.  Participation is open to anyone living in Orem in grades 10-12.  I joined specifically because I was interested in government and politics at the local level.  Besides "Meet the Candidates Night" we attended the regular City Council meetings, and also had our own mock city council meetings where we discussed issues facing the city and how we would solve them.  Looking back, the advisors taught us all about our local government, but it was all through personal, hands-on experience.

These political activities are the main focus of the Orem Youth Council, but there are other types of activities that make it a well-rounded experience.  For example, in my family, three (soon to be 4) of us siblings have participated in OYC. Even though we have different personalities and interests, there was something about OYC that attracted each of us.  And even I (the one with an interest in government) found these other aspects of the youth council valuable additions because they made OYC more fun and meaningful.

My brother, instead politics, has a passion for Orem and our community (hence this blog).  As part of the youth council we toured the city for a day.  "Local government is really where the rubber meets the road as far as the services that (these youth) know about and receive personally,” said Paul Johnson, Orem City Attorney and long-time advisor to the OYC.  “For example, they turn on the tap, and it’s city of Orem that is sending the water their way…. when they dial 911, it’s Orem police and Orem fire and medical that show up. I think they need an understanding of how city government works." We met with all of the departments that he mentioned and more.  We learned it takes many people working hard day in and day out to make Orem function.

On a different level, what my younger sister most enjoyed about OYC was being involved and giving back to the community.  OYC works hard each year to make a positive contribution to our community through several service projects.  Back when I was on the youth council we recorded the histories of our war veterans, beautified city road sides, put up flags in the cemetary on Memorial Day, and provided Christmas for local families.

Orem Youth Council makes a real difference in our community, and not just in the lives of the citizens on the receiving end of the service.  The teens participating in OYC will have unforgettable experiences.  I personally made several new friends, learned about Orem and our local government, and got to serve. OYC is also a valuable program for the city as well.  Johnson said, “The more people we have out there who understand on a first-hand basis how things work in the city government, the better off we are."

                                                              

Quotes taken from: http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_28e852dc-de80-5156-8aac-bf01705aa569.html)

Other resources:

More about Orem Youth Council: http://orem.org/boards-a-commissions/orem-youth-council

Other volunteer opportunities in Orem: http://orem.org/volunteer-form

Nielsen's Grove (Also Known as Lakeview Garden)

Address: 1800-2000 South Sandhill Road
In a fond memento of yesterday, Nielsen's Grove recalled the people and events of another day. Those events colored and molded an era over a century ago, when life was simpler and the general prosperity of the time allowed people to do things for leisure, rather than by necessity.

Such was the milieu in which Danish immigrants, Jorgen Christian Nielsen and his wife, Annie Byer, found themselves when they moved to Lakeview in 1876. Annie died in 1880.

in 1880 Nielsen bought the Grove property from Harold B. Skinner, the original land patent holder. Although he followed the cabinetmaking trade for many years, Nielsen was also known as the first florist in the area. Using a natural spring as the central feature of the grove, Nielsen designed and planted an elaborate park and amusement area, attracting many people.

Surrounding the pond was silverleaf poplar, mulberry trees and shrubbery. Trellis structures, planted with grape vines and climbing roses, covered at least ten picnic areas. The grove was ornamented with four marble statues, allegedly carved by an itinerant stone carver. Two of those statues are presently on exhibit at the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum in Provo. A covered bowery with a dance floor was among the structures in the grove. A big attraction was a twelve-seat, center-pivot, human-powered swing.

It is believed that Jorgen Nielsen performed most of the work on the grove himself, assisted by special trades when they were necessary. There is no way of knowing if all of the structures were built at the same time or over a lengthy period of time. Today all that remains at the site are some of the trees planted by Nielsen and the spring-fed pond. A popular recreational area for many years, the site was purchased by the City of Orem in 1995 for park development.

(Orem Historic Homes and Sites of Interest.  Orem, UT: Historic Preservation Advisory Commission, 2009.) Used with permission.

Orem in Numbers