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Thank goodness it’s Friday. The speeches and ceremonies of the
first week of the Legislature are over and lawmakers are settling
into a routine to get an incredible amount of work done in the 38
days remaining after this weekend. It’s really quite remarkable
how much legislative business gets squeezed into that amount of
time.
Professions of Legislators
What do Utah’s legislators do when they’re not making laws? We
did a quick compilation of legislators’ jobs to see what professions
are most heavily represented in the Legislature. It’s difficult
to precisely categorize legislative jobs because they describe them
in different ways on their bios and a lot of legislators listed
more than one profession.
Business is by far the biggest job category of lawmakers. Some
37 listed some sort of business as their primary job, with 10 saying
there are business owners. Education came next with 13; 12 are attorneys
(and both the Senate president and the House speaker are attorneys);
8 lawmakers listed farming/ranching as their profession. Others
are accounting, 5; homemaker, 5; retired, 5; builder/developer,
4; engineer, 3; banker, dentist/orthodontist, law enforcement/fire,
nurse, and real estate all had 2. Other professions represented
by one legislator are veterinarian, editor, heavy equipment operator,
millwright, child advocate, foundation director, and AFL-CIO president.
Political Trade Show
If you’re really into politics and campaigns, you might consider
attending the “All Things Political” seminar sponsored by Campaign
& Elections Magazine on Feb. 7 in Washington, D.C.
Several panel discussions will be held, featuring prominent campaign
managers, pollsters, communications specialists, and political journalists.
Topics include damage control and crisis management, polling, the
emerging role of the Internet in campaigns, blogging, 527s and campaign
finance, and 2008—What’s Next.
More information is available at www.campaignline.com.
The one-day conference costs $350. To register, contact Tracy Allman
at 202 207-0533 or tallman@campaignline.com.
Casual Friday
The Eagles are Back
In mid to late winter, hundreds of bald eagles make their appearance
along the shores of the Great Salt Lake. At night they roost in
the Davis County canyons and mountains or fly over the mountain
to Morgan County. During the day they hang out in the Great Salt
Lake marshes, dining on tasty carp.
As I do my morning or evening walks (which have become infrequent
since I’ve been publishing Utah Policy Daily) in the foothills above
Centerville with my dog, Hayduke, I often see eagles flying to or
from the mountain, sometimes dozens of them. A week or so ago I
saw my first eagle of the season.
Sometimes the eagles will fly close to the ground and sometimes
they will fly high above, riding the updrafts in big, lazy circles.
Some mornings or evenings I might see one or two. Other times I
might see a dozen or more.
A time or two I’ve been on the mountain at just the right time
in very late winter when the eagles appear to be clustering and
staging for their flight north. I’ve been lucky enough to see hundreds
of eagles flying and perched on rock outcroppings all around me,
some coming as close as 10 or 20 yards. It’s an absolutely amazing
sight to be in the midst of eagles, to look in any direction and
see these big birds close-up.
There are many opportunities to see eagles only minutes away from
Salt Lake City. Utah Bald Eagle Day will be coming up in February,
with viewing stations in several locations around the state.
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