The rain was nice and the thunder and lightning were exciting, last night. But the wild weather knocked out power and had me wondering if we were going to be able to produce and distribute Utah Policy Daily. If you’re reading this, we managed to get it out.
Healthy Utah Economy
Utah’s economy is growing at its strongest pace in eight years, and the solid growth is likely to continue, according to the summer edition of Zions Bank’s InSight newsletter, which features economic news of Utah and the nation. InSight is written by Jeff Thredgold, Zions Bank economic consultant. Job growth, tax revenue growth, and the cost of doing business and living in Utah, are all very healthy, Thredgold said. Utah has not experienced a housing “bubble” like some parts of the country, although Utah home prices are expected to rise. Currently, Utah homes are bargained priced. “The state’s return to solid economic performance is indeed welcome,” Thredgold wrote. You can read the Utah portion of Insight on-line at the Salt Lake Chamber’s Web site.
Lawmakers at the Top of Utah
Thanks to Ric Cantrell, our man on the scene, who sent in the following report, with a touch of humor, from the Legislative Town Meeting in Logan Tuesday evening. Ric is assistant to the majority leadership in the Senate, and he includes this tag line, a quote from a Tribune editorial, at the end of all his e-mail messages: "Rest easy, Utahns. The Legislature's got your back." (See also Morning News story).
“The Legislative Town Meeting in Logan went well tonight. By my count we had about 115 people, including legislators and a few staffers (so, about 50 citizens from Northern Utah). Room for more in that big theatre, certainly, but not a bad turnout compared to many of the desolate town meetings I've attended where elected officials outnumber regular citizens 2 to 1. The Tax Reform Task Force also met tonight -- immediately previous to the Town Meeting.
”Attendees submitted a wide variety of questions on note cards, which were assigned to appropriate legislators. They covered everything from property tax to helping communities fight pornography. And that was just on the card submitted by Evan Olsen. Others questions dealt with identity fraud, open space in Cache Valley, farming, and eliminating sales tax on food. Excellent questions, with thoughtful honest answers.
”All in all a good night -- and a great visit to Northern Utah. Welcoming, gracious and competent hosts, casual atmosphere, extremely informative discussions, and a where-the-rubber-hits-the-road feel for the people, land and issues relevant to Northern Utah.
”I saw reporters from the Richfield Reaper, Herald Journal, Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret Morning News as well as two radio stations. Also, Lee Austin, the NPR reporter in Logan, recorded the meeting and told me it will be broadcast in its entirety Wednesday night.”
People You Need to Know
Spotlight: Neil H. Ashdown
Neil Ashdown prefers to stay mostly behind the scenes and out of the limelight in Utah political circles, but as deputy chief of staff to Gov. Jon Huntsman, he’s a key player with a big responsibility for the governor’s policy agenda.
Ashdown is also one of the few staffers in the Governor’s Office with gubernatorial office experience and an institutional memory. He served as deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget and as Chief Economist to Govs. Olene Walker and Mike Leavitt. He is former president of the Wasatch Front Economic Forum, the Utah chapter of the National Association for Business Economics. He has contributed extensively to public policy research, including a book entitled The Impact of Banking Policy on Trade and Global Stability, and is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Master of Public Administration program at the University of Utah.
Position: Deputy Chief of Staff (overseeing policy) for Gov. Huntsman
Education: Ph.D. in political science with a focus in international political economy, U.S. banking and economic policy, and public policy and administration from the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the State University of New York in Albany. Awarded the first ever Joseph F. Zimmerman Fellowship for dissertation research while in residence at the State University of New York. Received a Master’s degree in public administration and a Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Utah. Growing up: Both parents were born and raised in Cedar City, but I grew up in Lander, Wyoming. My father worked for US Steel (the mine in Atlantic City just outside of Lander was used to mine iron ore and was then shipped to Geneva).
Family: Married to Andrea; have two children, Roman and Siena; reside in Murray.
Why political involvement: I have always had a passion for politics (Student Body Vice President in High School, College Republicans in college, interned in Washington, D.C. for then Representative (now Senator) Craig Thomas of Wyoming who was elected in a special election following the appointment of Dick Cheney as Secretary of Defense. I find it fascinating how an idea goes through the process of analysis, evolves as a proposed policy, works its way through the political process of debate, refining, and buy in, until it makes its way into law.
Hobbies: Writing, research, reading, travel and movies.
Hottest issue you're watching: Tax Reform
Proudest moment: The birth of my children
Favorite book: Nonfiction: The Wealth of Nations; Fiction: A Farewell to Arms
Favorite mentor: I don't know if you'd call him a mentor in the traditional sense, but I'm fascinated by the life of Alexander Hamilton. The man was the genius behind the American financial system and the first Secretary of the Treasury.
Washington Watch
Cannon in Albuquerque for Hearing
Rep. Chris Cannon was in Albuquerque this week for a hearing by the House’s Resources Committee. Cannon and his colleagues are trying to determine whether the National Environmental Protection Act, which turned 35 this year, still works, reports the Albuquerque Tribune. Sierra Club spokesperson Sarah Lundstrum said she has no doubt the hearings are an attempt to change the act and put industry before environment. "I think it's a poorly disguised attempt to change a law they don't like."
Labor to Retaliate?
“The AFL CIO will consider running primary candidates against congressional Democrats who received labor campaign committee financial contributions…” and then voted for CAFTA, reports the International Labor Communications Association. “Labor was particularly upset that three of the Democrats, Reps. Melissa Bean of Illinois, Jim Matheson of Utah and Dennis Moore of Kansas, voted for Bush’s CAFTA bill just a week after being among the beneficiaries of a labor-assembled fundraiser.”
Hatch Hangs With Billy Gilman
The Providence Journal reports
(registration required) that Sen. Orrin Hatch is expected to attend the Rhode Island International Film Festival, which begins its ninth year on Tuesday, Aug. 9. Hatch will be attending with country music recording artist Billy Gilman, for whom he has written songs.
Blog Watch
The BBC reports that one new blog is created every second. Meanwhile, in its latest State of the Blogosphere report, blog tracker Technorati said it tracks more than 14.2m blogs, which is up from7.8m blogs tracked in March.
Better Write Boring Memos
UPD reader Jeri Cartwright sent along a link to a funny Web site, www.internalmemos.com. It features authentic internal memos from large corporations, some of them rude, funny, and amazing. The identities of those who submit them are fiercely protected. At tier one, which is free, you can view mildly funny or odd memos. For a small subscription, you can get the really good stuff. Sometimes, when an executive finds a company memo has been posted on the site, he or she issues another internal memo that is very stern and threatening about the action. Then, guess what? That one is also posted.
Now You Know
Spotlight: Bicknell
The town of Bicknell, located in Wayne County, was originally settled in 1879 and named Thurber after Albert King Thurber, a local Mormon Church official and Indian interpreter. In 1914, Thomas W. Bicknell, a historian and educator from Providence Rhode Island, offered a library of one thousand volumes to any town in Utah that would name their town after him. The towns of Thurber and Grayson vied for the prize. A compromise was proposed in which Thurber would receive half of the library after changing the town name to Bicknell, while Grayson received the other half of the library after renaming their city Blanding, the maiden name of Bicknell’s wife. (Source: Local Government Directory, Utah League of Cities & Towns)
Wise Words
Can’t Avoid Parental Leadership
"You must...understand that the advice you give your children -- whether good or bad -- will be remembered. Your power to influence your family's attitudes about the culture should be seen not as a burden but as an innate quality that is always active. You must never, ever forget that it is impossible to choose inaction on your part in the arena of influence. A decision to go with the cultural flow -- a decision on your part not to fight the culture, to stay away from the conflict and take the easy route, to just lay low -- does not negate the influence you have on your children but results in your influence being a negative one. A decision to not make a decision is still a decision. Inaction, in itself, is an action. In other words, you are not a neutral force in your household; your action or perceived neutrality is a force that will shape your home and the personalities, choices, morals and values of your children for the rest of their lives. ... [Y]our kids don't need you to be just another friend. They need you to be their parents." --Rebecca Hagelin (Source: The Federalist Patriot)
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