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Final Days of the Session
After a weekend of (hopefully) rest, and a final chance to touch base with constituents, Utah lawmakers head back to the hill for the final three days of the session. Most of the heavy lifting on budgets is behind them, but a number of controversial bills await action.
SL County GOP Fundraiser a Success
The Salt Lake County Republican Party has perennial internal problems with dissidents and in-fighting, but party leaders certainly know how to raise money. Friday night, with the help of Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is also a 2008 presidential hopeful, the party raised a very large chunk of money at its sold-out Lincoln Day dinner at Little America.
Party volunteer Jeremy Roberts did a terrific job putting the whole dinner together. The Morning News and Tribune both covered Romney’s speech. The party even auctioned off two days with Sen. Orrin Hatch for $10,000 each. The winning bidders were Fred Lampropoulos and Trevor Keyes.
Rep. Rob Bishop, master of ceremonies, told his usual bad jokes, and most of the speakers told jokes about Massachusetts politics and noted Romney’s presidential ambitions. One of Romney’s guests was Kem Gardner, a conservative Democrat who once ran for governor. Romney joked that he asked Gardner to give the invocation, but Gardner declined, saying, “I don’t want the Lord to know I’m here.” In Utah, Romney said, “Republicans are real Republicans and a lot of Democrats are, too.”
Utah NCLB Stance Gets Noticed
Reprinted from the Federalist Patriot:
“It appears that some state governments actually know the meaning of the word ‘federalism.’ Utah, at least, is poised to become the first state to repudiate the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act, citing overbearing federal control and inappropriate standards. At risk is $116 million in federal support, an amount that Utah is willing to forgo for the sake of setting its own education policies. ‘This is not a partisan issue; this is a states' rights issue,’ said Rep. Margaret Dayton, a Republican mother of 12 who authored the bill to use state money (and standards) for education. The State House unanimously passed the measure; the Utah Senate anticipates quick passage, which the Republican governor is expected to sign.
“What needs to be appreciated is the principle at work here: The federal government doesn't have any real constitutional authority when it comes to the education of children. But as Utah's legislature is on the verge of proving, a fiscally responsible state can simply say ‘no’ to federal money and set its own standards. Colorado, Idaho, North Dakota, and Virginia -- among others -- are all considering challenges to the Act. Let's hope Utah leads the way in defense of federalism.”
World Politics Watch
Something quite remarkable is happening in the Middle East—and elsewhere in the world. Democracy and freedom are on the march. Read two fascinating columns published over the weekend in the New York Times by David Brooks and Thomas Friedman. They both discuss Iraq, Lebanon and the Israel/Palestine situation. Democracy is also on the agenda in Egypt. Skeptics will point out that these are only baby steps and a democratic Middle East is yet a long ways off and is by no means certain. But something is brewing out there that is very powerful, and we can thank one George W. Bush for helping propel it forward.
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