We’ve all heard career politicians fill their campaigns with empty promises only to get elected then go to D.C. to serve their own interests. But I’m no career politician and neither am I interested in going to Washington for any other reason but to fight for Utahns. This is why I’ve signed four pledges to show where my loyalties lie and what kind of senator I will make.

Family is the bedrock of society, and when families fall apart, so does our culture. Our state is strong because our families are strong, so our values must be protected at all costs. This is why I signed two family pledges, the Big Family Pledge and the Parents Pledge.

In an age when the government thinks they know better than parents, I pledged to honor the “fundamental rights of parents” to make decisions about education, medical care and the moral upbringing of their children. Though basic and common sense to most Utahns, we’re hearing everything from public school educators telling children to keep secrets from their parents to helping kids mutilate their bodies behind their parents’ backs.

Decisions like this are life-altering and irreversible. Parents have not only a duty but an obligation to protect their children and safeguard them from making ill-informed decisions and damaging their bodies for life. There’s a reason children can’t get a tattoo until age 18 or legally drink alcohol until age 21.

I will support policies that strengthen “parental involvement and decision-making, increase transparency, defend against government overreach, and secure parental rights at all levels of government.” Kids have no business learning about critical race theory or gender ideology being taught in public schools and pushed down their throats. Why don’t we go back to the basics of teaching math, arithmetic and writing? Let parents be parents and kids be kids without trying to indoctrinate and sexualize every aspect of their lives. This is not the government’s role.

Another pledge I signed is the Police Pledge. Without law and order, we don’t have a functioning society. What good is a country without enforcement of our laws? Mobs and insurrections arise without societal rules and guidelines. We saw how the defunding-the-police movement worked out. Crime rose and then cities began to regret their senseless move to skim down on law enforcement officers after morale was at an all-time low.

Law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to protect us and keep our communities safe from foul play. They deserve our appreciation and respect. I unequivocally stand with our police officers and their families, and will support them and the fine work they do to maintain a peaceful society.

I also signed the federal Taxpayer Protection Pledge because as President Calvin Coolidge said, “Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery.” In this pledge, I oppose any and all efforts to increase marginal income taxes for Americans and for businesses. Any policy aimed at reducing or eliminating tax deductions or tax credits, I will not support, unless, of course, it matches dollar for dollar by reducing tax rates.

With inflation at an all-time high, families are being hit hard. The last thing we need are senators voting to overburden Americans with more taxes on top of their grocery bills being astronomical. We must support policies that allow Americans to keep more of their hard-earned income, not less of it.

With our nation in crisis right now, no longer can we afford to send more Mitt Romneys to the U.S. Senate to vote for policies that line up with the Democratic platform. No, we have to fight to put another Mike Lee who will stand firm in principle and side with Utahns and our values we hold dear. I will be that voice in Washington that delivers on my promises and remembers I’m there to represent Utahns and your best interests.

Carolyn Phippen is a candidate for U.S. Senate. She is a wife and a mother of five boys, former Sen. Mike Lee staffer and resides in Draper.

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