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Articles by Todd Weiler
Opinion: Big Tech can protect kids online — now it needs to do more Original
Since the passage of the Utah App Store Accountability Act two years ago, other states have pushed similar measures to protect children’s online experiences. But nationwide change remained out of reach. Meta’s recent $18 billion national settlement with 48 states — and a slate of new protections for children on the platform — should prompt action from other tech firms and lawmakers in Congress. These new protections prove that Big Tech can make minors’ experiences online safer.
Opinion: Elevating principles, strengthening families and serving Utah
One of the biggest challenges in American politics today is how elected officials can balance voters’ concerns without losing sight of free-market, constitutional principles. Luckily, Utah’s citizen legislature shows how that is possible. Serving the people of Davis and Salt Lake counties in the Utah Senate has reinforced my appreciation for the Beehive State’s unique approach to representative government.
What a decade of the Utah Compromise has taught us about rights and freedoms
Ten years ago Wednesday, Utah pioneered an approach for fostering harmony in an increasingly diverse society: Fairness for All. Through two landmark pieces of legislation, Utah - one of the most politically conservative states in the nation - protected religious freedom and LGBT individuals from discrimination in housing and employment. These laws harmonized protections for LGBT people with protections for people of faith, fostering mutual respect.
Opinion: Accountability and rehabilitation
Few topics provoke stronger emotions than the discussion of sex offender registries. For many, the mere idea of allowing someone to be removed from such a list feels unthinkable. It's an understandable reaction - most of the crimes that land someone on a registry are serious, and public safety must be our top priority. Victims deserve justice, and communities deserve protection. Utah's sex offender registry, however, includes a wide range of offenses, many of which do not involve violence.
Opinion: Accountability and rehabilitation - understanding SB155
Few topics provoke stronger emotions than the discussion of sex offender registries. For many, the mere idea of allowing someone to be removed from such a list feels unthinkable. It’s an understandable reaction — most of the crimes that land someone on a registry are serious, and public safety must be our top priority. Victims deserve justice, and communities deserve protection. Utah’s sex offender registry, however, includes a wide range of offenses, many of which do not involve violence.
App Stores Are Exploiting Our Children. We Must Change That
Imagine a bank where children as young as 13 are allowed to sign contracts for car loans, high-limit credit cards, or even connect with risky foreign investors. This same bank hides the fine print, misleads young customers and profits by exploiting their personal data — including selling it to international adversaries. If parents step in, the bank assures them there’s nothing to worry about, even when that’s far from the truth.
App stores are a problem for children. We must change that Original
Imagine a bank where children as young as 13 are allowed to sign contracts for car loans, high-limit credit cards, or even connect with risky foreign investors. This same bank hides the fine print, misleads young customers and profits by exploiting their personal data - including selling it to international adversaries. If parents step in, the bank assures them there's nothing to worry about, even when that's far from the truth.
This bill would make protecting children from obscene material the standard, not an afterthought Original
Technology is an important part of daily life. According to 2023 Pew Research, 95% of teens have smartphones and 65% have tablets. "Smart" devices can solve infinitely complex equations, measure sleep quality and remind people to take insulin. Yet almost none of them has been designed with children in mind. It's a well-established fact that pornography harms children.
Opinion: This bill would make protecting children from obscene material the standard, not an afterthought
SB104, under consideration in the Utah Legislature, would require manufacturers to turn on existing filters that block obscene material when a minor activates a device. | Adobe.com Technology is an important part of daily life. According to 2023 Pew Research, 95% of teens have smartphones and 65% have tablets. “Smart” devices can solve infinitely complex equations, measure sleep quality and remind people to take insulin. Yet almost none of them has been designed with children in mind.
Debenedictis v. United Airlines, Inc.
May 24, 2023 Filing 1 COMPLAINT and Request for Jury Trial against United Airlines, Inc. (Filing fee $ 402, receipt number AUTDC-4687029) filed by Diseree Debenedictis. (Attachments: #1 Exhibit 1. EEOC Right to Sue Letter, #2 Civil Cover Sheet) (Myers, Zachary) May 24, 2023 Magistrate Judge Cecilia M. Romero added. Case number will now read 2:23-cv-00333-CMR. Please make changes to document captions accordingly. Note:Plaintiff listed the wrong judge om the complaint when initially filing.(haa)
Toddcast Live! (5-23-21) on Apple Podcasts
35 min Panelists include Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, Sen. John Johnson, Rep. Brian King and Councilmember Karece Thompson 35 min Top Podcasts In News
Todd Weiler and Chris Wharton: Utah should allow 16-year-olds to vote in school board elections
The quality of local school districts matters very much to teenagers and they should have some say. (Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Voters at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. By Todd Weiler and Chris Wharton | Special to The Tribune | Feb. 18, 2021, 9:30 p.m. As lawmakers, we are constantly approached with ideas for new legislation — from minor tweaks to sweeping reforms and everything in between.
BookTrib's BookBites: Three Moving Personal Stories, and an Rx for Healthcare
(NewsUSA) "Come Hope or High Water" by Candi Cross The authorized biography of Steve Knuth, CEO of AgWest Commodities, is a recovery story about a man of many missions. Getting and staying sober after 25 years of blackout drinking was the hardest mission to accomplish. However, add to that daily battle the task of saving dozens of family farms from the volatile markets of agriculture in rural Nebraska, and you have a 21st-century superhero.
BookTrib's BookBites: Three Moving Personal Stories, and an Rx for Healthcare
(NewsUSA) "Come Hope or High Water" by Candi Cross The authorized biography of Steve Knuth, CEO of AgWest Commodities, is a recovery story about a man of many missions. Getting and staying sober after 25 years of blackout drinking was the hardest mission to accomplish. However, add to that daily battle the task of saving dozens of family farms from the volatile markets of agriculture in rural Nebraska, and you have a 21st-century superhero.
BookTrib's BookBites: Three Moving Personal Stories, and an Rx for Healthcare
(NewsUSA) "Come Hope or High Water" by Candi Cross The authorized biography of Steve Knuth, CEO of AgWest Commodities, is a recovery story about a man of many missions. Getting and staying sober after 25 years of blackout drinking was the hardest mission to accomplish. However, add to that daily battle the task of saving dozens of family farms from the volatile markets of agriculture in rural Nebraska, and you have a 21st-century superhero.
BookTrib's BookBites: Three Moving Personal Stories, and an Rx for Healthcare
10/13/2020 - (NewsUSA) "Come Hope or High Water" by Candi Cross The authorized biography of Steve Knuth, CEO of AgWest Commodities, is a recovery story about a man of many missions. Getting and staying sober after 25 years of blackout drinking was the hardest mission to accomplish. However, add to that daily battle the task of saving dozens of family farms from the volatile markets of agriculture in rural Nebraska, and you have a 21st-century superhero.
BookTrib's BookBites: Three Moving Personal Stories, and an Rx for Healthcare
(NewsUSA) "Come Hope or High Water" by Candi Cross The authorized biography of Steve Knuth, CEO of AgWest Commodities, is a recovery story about a man of many missions. Getting and staying sober after 25 years of blackout drinking was the hardest mission to accomplish. However, add to that daily battle the task of saving dozens of family farms from the volatile markets of agriculture in rural Nebraska, and you have a 21st-century superhero.
Letter: It’s no surprise Romney will vote for Amy Coney Barrett
Once President Donald Trump indicated he planned to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court, I was surprised how many in the media began to speculate that Sen. Mitt Romney would try to block that effort. I never thought for a moment that Sen. Romney would try to interfere with the president or the Senate fulfilling their constitutional responsibilities. Romney quickly made his views clear on filling the vacancy: he would rely on the Constitution and historical precedent.
Election Guide: Hopey-Changey Obama
click to enlarge Barack Obama/Todd Weiler City Weekly asked Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, to translate some selected excerpts of President Barack Obama’s 2012 Democratic National Convention speech to distill meaning from the hope-y-change-y rhetoric. "Michelle, I love you." Translation: Your poll numbers are higher than mine. "And Joe Biden, thank you for being the best Vice President I could ever hope for." Translation: Because I gave your speaking slot to Bill Clinton.
Southern border crisis - here's how we can reverse it
Unlike many from the president’s party, I am certainly not a believer in the “invasion from the South." However, I do believe that we have a problem that needs to be addressed. During my last visit to Central America as a Pentagon official, in the late 1990s, I visited our National Guard and Reserve troops providing support to Honduran, El Salvador and Nicaraguan forces.
Guest opinion: How Question 1 increases education funding
As voters review their ballots, some may wonder why the legislature would propose an increase to the gas tax to better fund public education. While Question 1 appears to combine two seemingly unrelated yet critical public services, the relationship between education and transportation funding is more closely connected than would appear at first glance. Ultimately, a vote for Question 1 is a vote for greater investment in each school, student and teacher.
DACA repeal will have a terrible impact on our military
It has been a long time since troops returning from Vietnam were met with spitting and shouts of “baby killer.” Thankfully our country and people, for the most part, have seen the error of those ways. Today the proper respect is offered to those who served this nation, particularly in its battles. Like the Vietnam conflict, the war on terrorism is undeclared and today’s military service poses many grave dangers.
Trump's transgender ban doesn't make him a leader, it makes him divisive
As I was leading efforts within the Department of Defense to implement President Obama’s policy allowing transgender service members the opportunity to serve their nation, I knew we were growing a force that was a closer mirror to our society. I also knew that this was not going to be an easy path. Transgender service members have struggled for some time and I knew that there were those within the military community that would invoke the phrases of tradition.
For America's European allies, NATO is the frontline of freedom
As the Trump administration returns to “business as usual” following the president’s first overseas travel, we are left to review the outcomes and mitigate the fallout of his venture. Some foreign policy experts will focus on new possibilities in the Middle East, while others wonder of the impact that President Trump may have on future relations with Europe and NATO.
Next Army secretary must ensure military reflects America's diversity
The proposed, and withdrawn, nomination of Mark Green for Secretary of the Army put into sharp relief an essential question for the American military and American society to wrestle with: how important is it for our military to reflect the society we serve? Although Mr. Green has withdrawn his nomination, the question remains for the next nominee and other military leaders.
57 reasons why U.S. Republicans would come to regret a border-adjustment tax
I’ve been surprised by the sanguinity with which some economists writing in FP Comment have greeted the threat that proposed U.S. corporate tax reforms may include a border-adjustment component. Speculation about the apparently benign nature of a border-adjustment measure is belied by the expressly discriminatory objectives being advanced by its proponents.
A military reflective of the society we serve
As a young man in West Texas, I loved to fish. The challenge, as anyone from that area knows, is to pick the right pond, or catch nothing but a nasty sunburn. Today, I am fortunate to be leading the Department of Defense to the right recruiting ponds that will help us remain the most powerful all-volunteer fighting force in the world. Todd A. Weiler is the assistant secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
Sometimes we lead, sometimes we follow and that's okay
When I started my service in the Army in the late 1980's, I had known for some time that something was different about me. I had spent my entire life hiding much of whom I was and even though I had many friends and was active in university and civic activities, I held tight to that personal secret. Maybe they knew, maybe they didn't, but my fellow ROTC cadets and later, fellow soldiers, never spoke to me about it and I never revealed.
Op-ed: Given the cards we're dealt, Healthy Utah is the best play
While much could be said about caring for the poor and needy among us, Healthy Utah can be justified by the numbers. The simple fact is that we are already providing health care for many in the expanded population, but are doing so in the most inefficient way conceivable: in prisons and emergency rooms. We spend almost $33,000 per year to incarcerate drug addicts, many of whom could be rehabilitated through treatment for a fraction of that cost.
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