Inland Port, Blockchain, PPP's, and more!

Greg with his sons Gregory and Everett, at Inlet Park in Saratoga Springs, Utah

Dear Delegate, Thank you for bringing up these hot button issues for me to address.  I would never claim to be an expert in these issues, but I have taken a lot of time to try to understand them. It's my mission to accurately represent the values of our district, therefore I'd greatly appreciate feedback and criticism of my positions and ideas. I have no ties to special interest groups or large corporate interests, and I am not afraid to stand up to any entity, public or private, which I feel is acting in contrary to the best interests of my district. 

• On the Inland Port:

• While promoting economic growth is vital, the inland Port Authority's unelected board and lack of transparency raise serious concerns, including over the loss of local control, and obvious conflicts of interest (example, Greg Hughes appointing himself a board member)

• What I support:

  • Immediate Audits of all tax incentives and land deals

  • Local control for SLC over zoning and environmental impacts

  • Sunset clause to prevent permanent bureaucracy

• The port must benefit Utahns - not just corporate partners

• Blockchain and Digital Assets

• I am a huge believer that blockchain technologies will play a major role in our future economy, and that it can benefit Utahns enormously.  While Utah is already a major financial center in the west, I believe that we should pave the way for Utah to be the blockchain capital of the West. Some of the ideas I support include:

  • Permanently BAN CBDCs that enable government surveillance and undue government control over the utilization of legal tender

  • Pass "right to mine" laws protecting home mining operations. Private citizens should be able to mine cryptocurrencies without the permission of the government at any level. (I used to mine Bitcoin at home myself!)

  • Create Sandboxes for blockchain startups to thrive without red tape.

  • Let's attract tech jobs while preserving financial privacy and freedom. 

• Public Private Partnerships (PPPs)

• While I am a believer that many goals and projects can be best achieved or accomplished through Public Private Partnerships, these relationships often become crony capitalism. I feel that billionaires and corporations in Utah have been given too many sweetheart deals by the state for their developments and other commercial activities.  My test for any deal:

  • No sweetheart contracts (example, Rio Tinto's sweetheart water deals, Sports Stadium deals, countless real estate development deals). 

  • Full GRAMA disclosure of ALL terms

  • Voter approval for projects exceeding some amount, maybe $50 million. 

  • Bottom Line: Taxpayers should NEVER be left holding the bag for private profits

• 15 minute cities

• While the 15 minute city concept, which aims to bring essential services within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from homes, has become entangled in various controversial theories, which claim that the idea is a cover for more sinister plans, like controlling citizen's movements or restricting their freedom, it's also important to acknowledge that many of these concerns and so called "conspiracy theories" are not unfounded.

• What I support:

  • Market Based Urbanism - allowing mixed-use zoning so Utahns can choose walkable neighborhoods (e.g. downtown Provo's revival), without top-down mandates.

  • Traffic Freedom - No Paris-style "climate lockdowns" or fines for driving outside your sector. Roads must remain fully accessible

  • Local Solutions - Saratoga Springs could adopt purely voluntary walkable hubs, funded by developer impact fees - not grants from globalists. 

• What I oppose

  • Digital Tracking, or any linkage of walkability to social credit scores, mobility taxes, or facial recognition (as seen in China's smart cities"

  • Federal Strings - Rejecting DOT Grants that require congestion pricing or punish car ownership

  • Zoning Coercion - banning statewide high-density mandates that override local control

  • Bottom Line: We must reconcile walkable urbanism with conservative principles, while distancing from authoritarian associations. 

• Real ID - Why Real ID sparks outrage in Utah (and why I'm against it)

• Privacy Erosion

  • Biometric Database - Real ID requires facial recognition scans and document storage in federal systems, creating a de facto national ID.  

  • Missionary Concerns - LDS families have reported passport delays due to the backlogs at Real ID compliant DMVs, jeopardizing mission start dates. 

• Federal Overreach

  • DHS Control: The 2005 law federalized what was originally a state-issued privilege. Utah's 2010 pushback (HB 234) showed early resistance. 

  • Mission Creep: Initially for airport security, now used for voting, banking, and even entering federal buildings - with no sunset clause. 

• Practical Failures

  • Rural Burden - Some counties don't have RID compliant DMVs

  • Costs: Utahns pay a lot more for RID vs standard license, which is a de facto tax on mobility. 

• Freedom Risks

  • Precedent for tracking

  • Voter ID Linkage

• How Utah can lead the resistance:

  • Opt-out expansion - Only a third of Utahn's have REAL IDs - we should keep it optional by:

    • Passing legislation ensuring that non-compliant IDs work for state services (voting, driving)

    • Educating citizens that passport cards (more private) work for air travel

  • Privacy Safeguards

    • Model after Arizona's 2022 law banning biometric data sharing beyond minimum requirements

  • County Solutions

    • Fund mobile DMV units for rural areas

    • Allow county clerks to issue REAL ID alternatives

  • Federal Pushback

    • Join TX and NH in suing DHS over coercive compliance (example, threatening air travel access). 

• Bottom Line: REAL ID is the first step to social credit - just like vax passports were the camel's nose under the tent. 

Thank you again for your thoughtful questions and the opportunity to convey my understanding and thoughts about each of them. My intention is to view policy and decision making through a consistent, conservative, local, and constitutional lense in order to accurately represent the values and needs of House District 51.  I feel strongly that I have been called to serve, and I am answering that call. 

It's for these reasons that I am asking for your vote at the convention on June 28th.  

Can I count on your support? 

Warmest Regards, 

Gregory G Page