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Utah’s position on federal No Child Left Behind laws is of particular
interest to the national news media because Utah is such a “red”
state and supportive of President Bush. The New York Times
has done a number of stories and the Houston
Chronicle has just weighed in. Federal officials are seeming
to allow more flexibility. See Tribune story.
TTC Bill Up for Debate Today
A big showdown over Rep. Jim Ferrin's HB39, the tuition tax
credits bill, is expected in the Utah House today. The legislation
is really a very modest step forward, but symbolically it is enormous.
Because the bill is expected to readily pass the Senate, the House
fight is the big event. Both sides are geared up for a major battle
and the vote looks close. For a look at the pros and cons of tuition
tax credits, check out The
Daily Debate which features comments by Parents for Choice in
Education Chair Doug Holmes and state PTA President Joann
Neilson.
Top Officials Help Flood Victims
Utah’s lawmakers and governor are very busy with the affairs of
state, especially in the last days of the legislative session. But
Wednesday evening a large number of them gathered for a truly significant
event that had nothing to do with government or politics. Instead,
it was all about people helping people.
Legislative leaders, including Senate President Jon Valentine
and House Speaker Greg Curtis, along with Gov. Jon Huntsman
sponsored a fundraising event (see Morning
News story) for victims of flooding in Washington County.
Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon also attended.
It was a touching event as Washington County lawmakers Sen. Bill
Hickman, Rep. Steve Urquhart, Rep. Greg Last, and
Rep. David Clark introduced victims and told their stories.
Urquhart added a humorous touch in telling the story of Lynne
Godfrey, a school teacher who lost nearly everything in the
raging river, including a starfish. Someday some archaeologist is
going to be scratching his head when he finds a salt water starfish
in Lake Mead, Urquhart said.
Utahns can donate to the flood victims on-line by going to www.utahfloodrelief.com.
While federal and state money will help repair roads and other infrastructure
in Washington County, no tax dollars will be used to help private
citizens, many of whom were left with nothing but a large mortgage
payment on a home and building lot that are now destroyed and gone.
National Politics
In his e-mail column this week, National Journal’s Charlie Cook
discusses
the dilemma facing national Democrats: Should they become more moderate
on abortion and other social issues, or are they better off sticking
to their principles and strengthening the party’s liberal base?
Democratic strategists and pollsters disagree on that question.
Cook quoted one pollster as saying, "[If you] tell the Democratic
grassroots to 'stop talking' about choice, they hear it is 'abandon
your principles' -- that's not about to happen. They [Democratic
candidates] won't stop and no Democrat that aspires to national
leadership would try to tell [them] to. My advice to clients would
be: emphasize the economic and reform issues that get us to a majority
-- Social Security, health care, taking on powerful interests, etc.,
and follow Hillary Clinton's lead on abortion. Her positioning
is exactly right [for a pro-choice Democrat]. Stay pro-choice but
speak to those in the middle who want abortion to remain legal as
it is now, but have strong moral qualms."
Said Cook: “This debate is far from over, and the most likely result
will not be Democrats ‘shutting up’ about the abortion issue so
much as dealing with it in a far more subtle and nuanced way, cognizant
of the power of the issue to help among some voters while hurting
others.”
Words to Live By
(Source: The Federalist Patriot)
"The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle;
pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without
character; business without morality; science without humanity;
and worship without sacrifice." --Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi
"What is liberty without...virtue? It is...madness, without restraint.
Men are qualified for liberty in exact proportion to their disposition
to put moral chains upon their own appetites." --Edmund Burke
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