Yes, We Goofed Up

Numerous readers noted that we posted the wrong local news links in Wednesday’s UPD. The correct news links were finished by 4 a.m., as usual, but somehow the gremlins in the computer made us pick up Tuesday’s links instead. (I’m sure it couldn’t have been human error.) You can see all of Wednesday’s links in our archive where the corrected Wednesday edition is posted.

National Prayer Day

Today is National Prayer Day, observed the first Thursday in May. Here's a brief history, courtesy Patriot Post:

1775: The First Continental Congress called for a National Day of Prayer.

1863: Abraham Lincoln called for such a day.

1952: Congress established NDP as an annual event by a joint resolution, signed into law by President Truman.

1988: The law was amended and signed by President Reagan, to be the first Thursday in May.

On National Prayer Day, 6 May 1982, Ronald Reagan offered these words: “Today, prayer is still a powerful force in America, and our faith in God is a mighty source of strength. Our Pledge of Allegiance states that we are ‘one nation under God,’ and our currency bears the motto, ‘In God We Trust.’ The morality and values such faith implies are deeply embedded in our national character. Our country embraces those principles by design, and we abandon them at our peril. Yet in recent years, well-meaning Americans in the name of freedom have taken freedom away. For the sake of religious tolerance, they’ve forbidden religious practice in the classrooms. The law of this land has effectively removed prayer from our classrooms. How can we hope to retain our freedom through the generations if we fail to teach our young that our liberty springs from an abiding faith in our Creator?”

You can find a lot more information and events at the National Day of Prayer official web site.

CPPA Newsletter
The University of Utah's Center for Public Policy & Administration has posted its latest Policy Perspectives newsletter. This month's edition looks at the benefits and costs of publicly funded sports stadiums, among other things. 

Fed’s View of the Economy

Utah economist Jeff Thredgold’s Tea Leaf economic update this week discusses the latest Federal Reserve rate cut and quotes the Fed on its current view of the economy.

Today in Political History

May 1, 1960:  Soviet missiles bring down Gary Powers in his American U-2 spy plane flying over Soviet territory. (Source:  Perspicuity) 

May 1, 1707:  The Kingdom of Great Britain is created as a treaty merging England and Scotland takes effect.  (Source:  New York Times) 

Wise Words

“The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges, if by decency and propriety of conduct they appear to merit the enjoyment.” 

-- George Washington, 1783  (Source:  Patriot Post) 

Utah Political History

We have come along way since 1905 in regard to politics and mixing of religion.  If you thought it was bad now, see what it was like back then.  

January 16, 1905:  Judge William McCarty of the Supreme Court of Utah pointed out as a witness in behalf of Sen. Reed Smoot that there was a “tacit understanding in Utah that one Senator should be Mormon and one Gentile”.  McCarty also testified that in his opinion Smoot had to get the “consent of the Church to run for Senator”.  (Source:  New York Times) 

National Politics

Best Stories From . . .

-- The Hill: Columnist Dick Morris says the Jeremiah Wright controversy may be a blessing in disguise for Barack Obama: "By playing off Wright, [Obama] can recapture his identity as the personification of white hopes for a color-blind politics rather than white fears of anti-American and anti-white public figures."

-- Politico: "Capitol Hill insiders say the battle for congressional superdelegates is over, and one Senate supporter of Barack Obama is hinting strongly that he has prevailed over Hillary Rodham Clinton."

-- New York Times: "The McCain campaign and House Republicans ... are engaging in a bit of therapy to strengthen their political marriage. Top McCain officials gathered recently with chiefs of staff to House Republicans to emphasize the idea that it is to their mutual advantage to pull together as the election unfolds."

-- Los Angeles Times: "Rising anxiety over the economy, especially soaring gasoline and food prices, is forcing politicians from Capitol Hill to the White House to the campaign trail to scramble for a response."

Blog Watch

-- At Out of Context, Dan Harrie reports: "Parents for Choice in Education, the pro-voucher group that has retooled as a 'school reform' organization since getting whipped at the ballot box is declaring victory in a number of contested legislative races where pro-voucher lawmakers were challenged. In this election update PCE gives a roll-call list of the results and says 'every school reform legislator with challengers (has) received 60% of the vote, except two.' Of the long list (11) of 'pro-reform' incumbents who so far 60-percented their opponents at convention, some of the most impressive were voucher bill sponsoring Rep. Steve Urquhart, running for the state Senate, who beat a former PTA president and referendum proponent by drawing more than 70 percent of the delegate vote; and Reps. Curt Oda, Steve Sandstrom and Keith Grover, all of whom were said to be targeted by strong anti-voucher Republicans. On the other hand, Rep. Aaron Tilton of Springville was defeated at convention and Rep. Glenn Donnelson was forced into a primary. Not mentioned, though, by PCE were all those anti-voucher Republican lawmakers who faced no intra-party challengers. Two prominent ones who have perennially drawn GOP rivals in the past but were allowed to skate this year are Reps. Sheryl Allen and Kory Holdaway. Other GOP legislators voting against vouchers and facing no in-party challenge are Reps. Douglas Aagard, Mel Brown, Jim Dunnigan, Ben Ferry, Julie Fisher, Fred Hunsaker, John Mathis and K. McIff, Ronda Menlove and Paul Ray. Some of the bloodiest voucher-fallout races will occur in upcoming county and state conventions and -- of course -- the general election."

-- Tom Grover says: "I have tried in futility for the past two years to get local officials to blog. Still none do. One commented to a colleague that only 18-25 year olds blog and they don’t vote anyway so it would be a waste of time. Blogging is to 21st century democracy what the town hall meeting was to the 19th century democracy. It’s where citizens with diverse schedules, backgrounds and ideas can converge with their elected officials to discuss policy. Our politicians are almost exclusively baby boomers in Cache Valley. None blog. I think it’s a generational thing. Now to be fair, statewide there are baby boomers that get it including Ric Cantrell, Rob Miller, Steve Urquhart, LaVarr Webb and others. They understand the medium and have effectively used it to their advantage. I give up on getting baby boomer politicians in Cache Valley to blog. They don’t get it. They never will. And really it’s their loss. The Baby Boomers can keep their 1980’s era political model while my generation, Generation Simpsons, will use blogs and the internet eventually kick the baby boomers ass politically. Game on, baby boomers."

Lighter Side

David Letterman: From the “Top Ten Signs President Bush Has Too Much Time On His Hands”: Spends most of the day looking for friends on Facebook; Stops by Cheney’s office every five minutes to see if he’s still alive; Calls leaders of foreign countries yelling, “Baba Booey Baba Booey”; Sits on the White House lawn and waves at cars; Gives the 3 p.m. White House tour; Earlier today, he washed and waxed Air Force One; “President is on the Trampoline” isn’t Secret Service code, he’s actually on the trampoline.

Jay Leno: John McCain has spent this week campaigning in what he calls the “forgotten areas” of the country. He is visiting places that are being ignored by our leaders, places like Pennsylvania now, now that the primary is over. See, unfortunately, at McCain’s age, as soon as he leaves these forgotten areas, he forgets he was there. ... And Barack Obama also on a tour, of places he’d like to forget, like his church. It’s never your enemies that kill you. It’s always your friends, isn’t it? ... Barack Obama is suffering from a bad headache today. His former pastor, Reverend Wright, is back out there. Reverend Wright gave an interview on PBS with Bill Moyers, and he said he’s gotten over a million emails and phone calls telling him to keep on speaking out, and every one of them came from Hillary Clinton. It was amazing. ... Hillary Clinton said she is a stronger candidate than Barack Obama. And to prove it, she counts the votes she got in Michigan, even though Obama’s name wasn’t even on the ballot. It’s a pretty strong argument. I mean, whenever Barack Obama’s name is not on the ballot, she beats him every single time.