Lands Bill is Major Breakthrough

Fierce debate over BLM wilderness has been going on for more than 30 years. Millions of acres of wilderness study areas have been in limbo for decades. When Gov. Mike Leavitt took office in 1993 and I served as his policy deputy, one of our first initiatives was to try, somewhat naively it turned out, to bring all sides together to deal with BLM wilderness. It didn’t take long for the effort to flop amid bitter acrimony. Key interest groups wouldn’t even come to the table. Many efforts have been made in ensuing years to deal with BLM wilderness, with little success.

That’s why the new Washington County lands bill introduced Wednesday by Sen. Bob Bennett (and sponsored in the House by Rep. Jim Matheson) is something of a miracle. The planets and stars have aligned. The major players have compromised and are in agreement. This is a really big deal, the best opportunity to deal with wilderness and a host of other environmental issues in many decades. It’s much bigger than Washington County because the legislation establishes precedents that can be used in counties all across the state where BLM wilderness has been a festering sore for so many years.

Clearly, the legislation is a compromise and all sides had to give a little. And a lot of work remains to be done to get it through Congress. The legislation deals with a lot more than just wilderness, but wilderness has been a major point of contention. Environmental groups wanted more wilderness. Local political leaders wanted less.

If long-standing environmental conflicts can be resolved in Washington County, they can be resolved anywhere else in Utah. Every tough and emotional issue is greatly magnified in Washington County. It is Utah’s most ecologically diverse county, with numerous endangered plants and animals. It is also one of the fastest-growing counties in the country, with limited private land, a big shortage of water, and a patchwork of federal and state agencies overseeing land in the county.

Bennett and Matheson deserve commendation, along with the Washington County Commission and other local leaders, and also environmental groups like The Nature Conservancy, The Wilderness Society, and the National Parks Conservation Association, all of whom are supporting the bill. For press releases on this issue, see Washington Watch below, and Tribune and Morning News stories.

First Major 3rd District Debate

Incumbent Chris Cannon and challengers Jason Chaffetz and David Leavitt, all seeking the 3rd Congressional District GOP nomination, will debate for two hours Friday at 7 a.m. on 570 KNRS radio, hosted by Bob Lonsberry. The debate will also be streamed live at www.570KNRS.com, and will be available later in the morning as a podcast at 570KNRS.com.

U.S. Economy Likely in Recession

Utah economist Jeff Thredgold’s Tea Leaf economic update this week says recession is probably here:  “An ugly March employment report, combined with substantial downward revisions to previously released employment data of January and February, strongly suggest that the U.S. economy is in the clutches of recession.  In addition, employment data of coming months is likely to be anywhere from limited gains to down right ugly losses.” Thredgold adds that many economists expect the Fed to further cut the federal funds rates on April 30, perhaps as much as .50%, taking it to 1.75%. 

Washington Watch

Bennett, Matheson Produce New Lands Bill
Sen. Bob Bennett introduces in the Senate a new and improved Washington County lands bill. Says Bennett: "After five years at the table with all interested stakeholders, Congressman Matheson and I have produced a bill that successfully strikes a balance between conservation and growth in Washington County. Parties on all sides of this debate have repeatedly told me it would be impossible to broker a deal on this emotional issue which, for decades, has caused people to dig in their heels. The persistence we've applied now appears to be paying off as our bill has gained extremely diverse support and a very good chance of passing" (see press release); The Nature Conservancy endorses Bennett's and Matheson's bill (press release).

Hatch Lauds Troops
In a speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Orrin Hatch praises "American troops and their successes in bringing greater stability and security to Iraq as part of Gen. David Patraeus' 'surge' strategy (see press release).  

Cannon Bill Becomes Law
Rep. Chris Cannon's "Second Chance Act" improving the efficiency of prisoner re-entry services is signed into law by Pres. Bush (see press release).

Matheson: Boost Medical Services
The House approves legislation introduced by Matheson that would "continue a unique federal program credited with saving children’s lives by improving emergency medical services" (see press release).

Today in Political History

April 10, 1947: Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey announces he has purchased the contract of Jackie Robinson from the Montreal Royals.

April 10, 2003:  The U.S. House passes a national Amber Alert law that creates a system for indentifying and tracking abducted children.   (Source:  NBC5) 

Wise Words

“The dignity and stability of government in all its branches, the morals of the people, and every blessing of society depend so much upon an upright and skillful administration of justice, that the judicial power ought to be distinct from both the legislative and executive, and independent upon both, that so it may be a check upon both, and both should be checks upon that.”

-- John Adams, Thoughts on Government, (Source:  Patriot Post) 

Utah Political Trivia

Question:  In what year was Sen. Orrin Hatch first elected to the U.S. Senate and whom did he defeat?

Answer:  1976 and Frank Moss (three-term Democrat). At the end of his current term Hatch will have set a Utah record for longevity in Congress at 36 years.  (Source:  Utah.Edu) 

National Politics

Best Stories From . . .

-- Wall Street Journal: "The three presidential candidates kept on message Tuesday as their campaigns swerved to Capitol Hill for hearings on the Iraq war ... Republican Sen. John McCain continued his support of the war and warned of 'failure' with an early exit. Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama reiterated their pushes for a troop withdrawal and highlighted the high costs of the war."

-- Associated Press: Clinton admits "that her husband, the former president, supports a free trade agreement with Colombia that she strenuously opposes. The acknowledgment adds new hurdles to the New York senator's bid to woo Democratic voters in Pennsylvania and elsewhere who believe free trade agreements have eliminated thousands of U.S. jobs."

-- Politico: "Internal polling data, presented privately last week at the Republican National Committee's state chair meeting and provided to Politico, shows [McCain] with a solid lead over both his potential general election rivals."

-- NBC News: Analyst Chuck Todd says McCain's current edge in the polls "is a faux lead. If the de facto Democratic nominee is clear within the next 4-6 weeks, that person will see a poll bounce. And according to GOP pollster Steve Lombardo, it could be one heck of a bounce, like post-convention. He anticipates the Democratic candidate will move up 10 points once the primary race is over."

Lighter Side

Best of Late Night Humor

Conan O’Brien: “The Clintons just released their tax returns to the public... It turns out that over the past eight years, they’ve donated over $10 million to charity. When they asked Bill Clinton why he gave so much money to charity, he said, ‘She’s a really good dancer’.”

Jay Leno: This week is Explore Your Career Options week. Especially if you work for the Hillary Clinton campaign. ... Hillary’s senior campaign adviser, Mark Penn, has left the campaign. Apparently he was coming under some heavy sniper fire. ... Penn was credited for catapulting her from a veritable shoo-in to second place. ... Good news for Hillary Clinton. You know Hillary’s ad where she says she’s ready to answer the phone at 3 AM? This is interesting. Today, she got a call from India and they said if this presidential thing doesn’t work out, they have a job for her in tech support. ... It looks like Barack Obama has taken a ten-point lead over Hillary Clinton. You know they say, behind every successful man there’s a woman. Unfortunately for Hillary, it’s her. ... Today, Barack Obama said that as president, when it comes to solving the problem of global warming, he wants to have Al Gore at the table... Al Gore at the table. Have you seen Al Gore lately? I think he needs to push a little away from the table. ... Former presidential candidate John Edwards announced he will not—will not—accept the nomination for vice president. Which is really important, considering no one has asked him.