YsGuy

Husband, Dad, Real Estate Broker, Sports Nut -- BYU (#GoCougs! 🐾 ), Lakers, Dodgers, Political Junkie, Social Networker, Tech User & Lover

[YsGuy @YsGuy]

Interesting and not really surprising .

[Matthew Watkins @ITalkOfChrist]

What's the political composition of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve? And does it matter? (hint: NO)

First, a BIG disclaimer. As Pres. @OaksDallinH wisely taught:

"Those who govern their thoughts and actions solely by the principles of liberalism or conservatism or intellectualism cannot be expected to agree with all of the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As for me, I find some wisdom in liberalism, some wisdom in conservatism, and much truth in intellectualism—but I find no salvation in any of them.

"No party, platform, or individual candidate can satisfy all personal preferences. Each citizen must therefore decide which issues are most important to him or her at any particular time. Then members should seek inspiration on how to exercise their influence according to their individual priorities. This process will not be easy. It may require changing party support or candidate choices, even from election to election.

"Such independent actions will sometimes require voters to support candidates or political parties or platforms whose other positions they cannot approve. That is one reason we encourage our members to refrain from judging one another in political matters. We should never assert that a faithful Latter-day Saint cannot belong to a particular party or vote for a particular candidate.

Is it possible to be a faithful Latter-day Saint and vote Republican? Or vote Democrat? Or be independent?

Of course it is. While there are certainly moral policy positions that are incompatible with the Gospel, faithful Latter-day Saints weigh those issues against other issues they hold dear and decide accordingly. You and I may not agree with how they weigh those issues against each other. But we ought not condemn faithful members who vote for their party while personally rejecting their party's positions that are contrary to the positions and values of the Gospel.

With that disclaimer out of the way, I earlier suggested that many Church leaders likely do what I do: remain officially unaffiliated politically, pick and choose how to vote on a per-candidate basis, but in practice vote mainly Conservative on most issues.

A good brother challenged me on that claim, so I gathered the data to back it up as best I can.

Based on public Utah voting records, I found that most top Church leadership indeed choose to remain politically unaffiliated. There were three Apostles for which I couldn't find data. But all those who openly affiliate with a party are registered Republicans. If there are living Apostles who vote Democrat, they don't make it known.

Part of this may come not from Democrat shyness but from the Utah voting system structure itself. Democrats have historically held open primaries-- you didn't need to be a registered Democrat to vote. But Republicans have limited their primary votes to only registered Republicans.

Thus, we see certain Apostles who remained Unaffiliated during their time in office briefly register as Republicans to participate in the primaries, then immediately back to Unaffiliated. We may see that pattern emerge again in 2028 as some of the Apostles switch their party registration to Republican for a few days just to vote in the Republican Primary.

Whereas any potential Democrat-voting Brethren could remain Unaffiliated perpetually.

So when was the last time we had an open Democrat Apostle? It was Pres. James. E. Faust-- a man who I love and trust just as much as I love His Brethren who sat on the opposite side of the aisle from him. And while the Apostles today are all unaffiliated or Republican, we do know that the close family of at least one Apostle are ardent Democrats and donated to the Biden campaign.

I did not investigate any other General Authorities who, with less of a public eye on them may be more open about their party affiliation. but I'm confident you'll find a healthy minority of Democrat voters among them, too.

Again, all this to say that yes, that moral issues are clear and the data is interesting, but the trade-offs of politics are messy.

The biggest lesson I take from this? Every single Apostle is actively registered to vote. Among all the things they have to do, they are sure to keep their registration active. No matter your leaning, that's a political example we all should follow.

Sources

* Utah public residence and voter registration records
* Several articles on historical party registration from the Trib that listed party affiliation (I know, please don't hate me)

[Dallin H. Oaks @OaksDallinH]

What your children really want for dinner is you!

In an age of constant online connection, we may need to disconnect from technologies and other distractions to truly reconnect with our families.

Families grow stronger when they set aside these distractions and spend meaningful time together—learning eternal values like the importance of marriage and children, the purpose of life, and the true source of joy.

Parents also have a duty to teach their children practical knowledge apart from gospel principles. Families unite when they do meaningful things together. Happy family experiences strengthen family ties. Camping, sports activities, and other recreation are especially valuable for bonding families.

Some may say, “But we have no time for any of that.” To find time to do what is truly worthwhile, many parents will find that they can turn their families on if they all turn their technologies off.

What those we love need most is simply time with us. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is our ultimate role model. He will help us as we strive to build these family bonds.

[Clint Teeples @TeeplesCY]

"If I told you there was one free thing you could do every Sunday that would make your kids happier, healthier, smarter, and closer to you, you'd think I was selling something."

Take your kids to church regularly. I don't care if you believe. The data is so lopsided that skipping it is the parenting equivalent of refusing vegetables because you don't like the taste.

Grades. Religious teens get As at almost twice the rate of nonreligious teens. In a class of 100, that's 24 A-students instead of 14. Church gives a kid the same academic boost as being born rich instead of poor.

College. Working-class religious kids earn bachelor's degrees at double the rate of their nonreligious peers. Middle-class kids do it at 1.5x the rate. For families without a trust fund, this is one of the most powerful forms of upward mobility social scientists have measured.

Character. Religious teens are far less likely to lie, cheat, or do things they hope their parents never find out about. They're more likely to care about racial equality, the elderly, and the poor. They reject the idea that morality is whatever works for you in the moment. That kind of kid doesn't happen by accident. It's built.

Closeness. 60% of parents of religious teens say they feel "extremely close" to their kid, compared to 50% of nonreligious parents. The kids report the same thing back. They get along better with their parents, talk about hard stuff, and actually want to spend time with their family.

Despair. Religious teens are dramatically less likely to be depressed, anxious, lonely, or feel that life is meaningless. 90% of devoted religious teens never binge drink, compared to 41% of the disengaged. Economists named the modern epidemic "deaths of despair." Regular church attendance is one of the strongest known buffers against it. Parents are spending fortunes trying to solve teen mental health. The most evidence-backed intervention is free.

Purpose. Religious young adults report higher purpose, gratitude, life satisfaction, and resilience. These are the exact traits every parent says they want their kid to have.

Here's why it works. Affluent families already surround their kids with networks of stable, accomplished adults through neighborhoods, schools, and parents' colleagues. Working and middle-class families usually don't. A congregation is often the last institution in American life that puts your kid in weekly contact with dozens of stable, employed, sober adults who know their name. It used to be called "a village." Now it barely exists outside of churches.

"But I don't believe." Your kid doesn't need your theology. They need you to show up.

"But church is boring." So is sitting through a kindergarten music recital. Parenting is the deliberate choice to be bored on purpose for someone you love.

There's a church within 15 minutes of nearly every American home. You don't need money, connections, or credentials to walk in. Nothing else in this country will surround your kid with engaged adults, teach them moral seriousness, and give them a stable weekly rhythm at zero cost.

You already drive them to practices that produce far less. The free thing on Sunday produces more, on more dimensions, than almost anything else you do as a parent.

You don't have to believe anything. You just have to take them.

[Paul Rees. ex Rucksack. @HannahIamthest1]

A truck loaded with thousands of copies of Roget's Thesaurus spilled its load leaving New York.
Witnesses were stunned, startled, aghast, stupefied, confused, shocked, rattled, paralyzed, dazed, bewildered, surprised, dumbfounded, flabbergasted, confounded, astonished, and numbed.

[Hank Smith @hankrsmith]

I threw together a quick lesson for a friend on how to receive revelation. Had a feeling to share here. (See what I did there?) 🙂

What would add/change? ⬇️

Learning to Hear Him

Have you ever had a question you desperately needed answered — and heaven felt silent?

You’re not alone. And I’d suggest that silence isn’t indifference. It might actually be an invitation.

Think of the Lord as the greatest coach you’ve ever had. Not the kind who hands you the playbook and sends you out. The kind who lets you struggle, grapple, and wrestle — because he knows that’s exactly how you grow. He’s not just interested in answering this question. He’s interested in building the kind of person who can receive answers to every question you’ll ever face. He’s more interested in your growth than your comfort.

So if this feels hard — good. You’re on the right track.

A Little Homework

Here are some scriptures I’d love for you to sit with. Every single one features a real person wrestling with a real problem, desperately wanting the Lord’s guidance. Sound familiar?

• D&C 4
• D&C 8:2–3; D&C 9:6–9
• D&C 11:6–22
• Mosiah 26:13–23
• Enos 1:2–19
• Ether 2:18–25; 3:1–6
• Joseph Smith History 1:8–20
• Moses 1:1–26
• Numbers 13:1–33; 14:1–11
• Esther 4–7
• Mark 8:22–25
• Luke 24:13–33
• Acts 10

As You Read, Look for (or research) These Four Things

1. What was the question and what brought it about?
2. How did they seek the Lord’s help?
3. How did they receive an answer?
4. What did they do with that answer?

You won’t find all four in every story — and that’s part of the lesson too.

One last thing. If this list feels like a lot of work — it is. Revelation takes work. You’ll be spiritually exhausted going through this, the same way you’re physically exhausted after a hard practice or a long run. The exhaustion means something is happening inside of you.

[The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee]

Next-Gen, Ultra-HD Video Game Console Announced: Playing Outside https://t.co/yGjnuLu7FX

[YsGuy @YsGuy]

@bearb47 @BYUfootball I'd love to practice Thai with you just about anytime. I'm experienced (think old) and taught it for a few years when I returned from Thailand a million years ago. Sounds and tones aren't half bad! 🤙🏼🇹🇭

[The Kobeissi Letter @KobeissiLetter]

BREAKING: President Trump announces that the US will be suspending attacks on Iran for a period of 2 weeks on the condition that Iran will be reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

"This will be a double sided ceasefire," Trump says.

[Sahil Bloom @SahilBloom]

A mentor once told me this: Confidence is less about knowing you’ll win and more about knowing you’ll bounce back even if you don’t. Real confidence is built on resilience. Adaptability. Tolerance for uncertainty. Fear loses when you embrace that failure is never final.

[YsGuy @YsGuy]

@Upendra_0326 @DiscussingFilm Annnnd the movie was a Canadian made film per the credits. (It was fun and long. The end made me smile as much as the book!)

[Kim "Katie" USA @KimKatieUSA]

I love this video. No matter how hard things ever get, do NOT give up!

[mike bski @BskiMike22802]

@RepUnderwood says: "With the SAVE America Act, Republicans are taking voting rights away from 69 million women."

I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and poop out a smarter statement than whatever you just said.

Let me walk you through why your claim is not just wrong but deeply SEXIST and insulting to every woman in America.

LOGICAL FALLACY #1: HASTY GENERALIZATION
You are taking the number of women who might have changed their names through marriage and assuming ALL of them are somehow incapable of obtaining documentation. That is not critical thinking, Representative - that is fearmongering wrapped in manufactured outrage.

LOGICAL FALLACY #2: FALSE DILEMMA
You are presenting this as if women who changed their names have zero options for documentation. The SAVE Act accepts TEN different forms of citizenship proof. Not one. Not two. TEN. But acknowledging that would ruin your talking point, would it not?

LOGICAL FALLACY #3: APPEAL TO EMOTION
"69 million women" sounds scary until you realize you are essentially arguing that women are too incompetent to update their documentation. Let that sink in for a moment.

Now for the SEXISM of your position, which frankly makes my blood boil.

Your argument assumes that women who changed their names after marriage are somehow trapped in bureaucratic purgatory, unable to navigate the simple process of obtaining updated documentation. Are you seriously suggesting that women - who successfully manage careers, raise families, run businesses, and contribute to every sector of our economy - are incapable of getting a driver's license with their married name? Or a passport? Or ANY of the ten acceptable forms of documentation?

My wife changed her name when we got married. She was living in West Virginia. I was living in Ohio. We got married in Minnesota. You know what happened? She handled it. No drama. No voting rights stripped away. She is a functioning adult who can manage paperwork like literally billions of other women throughout history.

Are you truly arguing that women cannot work? Because registering to vote under the SAVE Act requires LESS documentation than filling out an I-9 form when you get hired for a job. Every single employed person in America has completed an I-9, which requires proof of identity AND work authorization. So either you think 69 million women are unemployable, or you are deliberately misleading your constituents.

Here are the FACTS about what the SAVE Act actually requires:

The bill accepts ANY ONE of these ten forms of citizenship documentation:
- REAL ID showing US citizenship
- US Passport (can be obtained with married name)
- Military ID with service record
- Government photo ID showing US birth (hello, driver's license)
- Birth certificate (name change can be documented)
- Hospital birth record
- Adoption decree
- Consular Report of Birth Abroad
- Naturalization Certificate
- American Indian Card

Notice something? Multiple options specifically accommodate name changes. A woman can get a passport with her married name. She can get a REAL ID with her married name. She can present her birth certificate along with her marriage certificate showing the name change. The system already handles this because - and here is the shocking part - women have been changing their names for centuries and somehow managed to participate in society.

Your rhetoric actually perpetuates the soft bigotry of low expectations. You are essentially telling women: "You poor dears cannot possibly handle basic administrative tasks. Let the government lower all standards to accommodate your inability to function as adults." That is not empowerment, Representative. That is patronizing garbage.

I have three questions for you, and you need to answer at least one:

1. Did you actually READ HR 22, or are you just parroting DNC talking points in spite of your constituents' interests?

2. Are you not smart enough to UNDERSTAND the bill and its ten acceptable forms of documentation?

3. Are you comfortable DELIBERATELY DECEIVING your constituents by misrepresenting what the bill actually does?

Pick one. Because those are your only three options. None of them reflect well on you.

Let me also address the stunning hypocrisy of your position. You require more documentation to enter your congressional office than the SAVE Act requires to vote. You need identification to board a plane, open a bank account, buy cold medicine, rent an apartment, apply for government benefits, or attend most Democratic political events. But somehow asking for ONE form of citizenship documentation to vote in American elections is "taking away voting rights"?

The real question here is: WHY are you opposed to ensuring only citizens vote? What exactly are you afraid we might discover?

Because from where I am sitting, your opposition has nothing to do with protecting women and everything to do with protecting a system where citizenship verification is treated as optional. You are using women as political props to advance an agenda that fundamentally undermines electoral integrity.

Every legitimate female citizen can obtain the required documentation. The bill specifically requires states to provide reasonable accommodations for people facing barriers. If someone genuinely cannot obtain ANY of the ten acceptable forms of documentation, that is not a SAVE Act problem - that is a "how are you functioning in modern society" problem.

Stop insulting women's intelligence. Stop pretending that basic documentation requirements are somehow discriminatory. And for the love of logic, stop using 69 million women as political pawns for your manufactured outrage.

Women are not helpless. Women are not incompetent. Women can handle updating their documentation. The only thing your statement proves is that YOU think they cannot.

But what do I know? I am just someone whose wife successfully navigated a name change across three states and somehow managed to vote without having her rights "stripped away." Maybe try giving women some credit for basic competence.

[YsGuy @YsGuy]

@DurrantMark Y'all forgot a question mark in your post... No #NEPats O in the Bay Area today! 😡

[YsGuy @YsGuy]

Halftime Show with some culture! #Football 🏈 There's a defensive battle still to come. Napped through the first half... Thank you @TPUSA

[Jack Posobiec @JackPosobiec]

The OFFICIAL TPUSA All-American Halftime Show links:

YOUTUBE: https://t.co/6dqvZQRCsO

RUMBLE: https://t.co/5CxDb43etX

Share FAR and Wide!!

[YsGuy @YsGuy]

Loving the @TPUSA Halftime show for some #Football 🏈 game.

[Not the Bee @Not_the_Bee]

JD just delivered the most pro-life speech I’ve ever heard from anyone in the White House 🔥 https://t.co/LEoeI5jlR3

[The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee]

‘It's Too Expensive To Have Kids,’ Says Woman Whose Ancestors Raised 11 Kids In A Two-Bedroom House https://t.co/wftxAY86jv

[Henry B. Eyring @EyringHB]

It is never too early to help a child grow their testimony in Jesus Christ. Young children are often more sensitive to the Spirit than we realize.

Daily family prayer, family scripture study, and sharing your testimony in sacrament meeting are easier and more effective when children are young.

When they are older, they will remember the hymns they sang with you. Even more than recalling music, they will remember the words of scripture and testimony.

The Holy Ghost can bring all things to their remembrance, but the words of scriptures and hymns will last the longest. When trials come, those memories will be a source of strength throughout their life.

[YsGuy @YsGuy]

@DurrantMark Except for the kids part... 🙄