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Leaves on the hillside are erupting in color. Autumn, as of today, has officially arrived.
Romney Makes “Insider” List
National Journal columnist Chuck Todd lists Mitt Romney as one of the five “insider” GOP candidates (along with John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, George Allen and Bill Frist) for president in 2008, ahead of “dark horse” candidates Newt Gingrich, George Pataki and Haley Barbour.
On the Democratic side, Todd lists Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards and John Kerry as “insider” candidates and Tom Vilsack, Mark Warner and Bill Richardson as “dark horses.”
Davis Chairs Square Off
Davis County GOP Chair Todd Weiler and Demo Chair Richard Watson spar over who’s to blame in Katrina catastrophe response in Davis County Clipper point-counterpoint feature.
Blog Watch
Democratic Senate candidate Pete Ashdown writes about the Broadband Cities conference and free markets. . . . Ethan Millard writes about candidates in SLC Council District 3.
Washington Watch
Utah Senators Watching Out for Qwest
National Journal’s Telecom Update
reports that Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett write a letter “prompted in part by Qwest Communications,” urging the Republican-chaired FCC to "protect the public interest" as the agency deliberates on two pending telecommunications mega-mergers.
In the next month or so, the FCC is expected to approve the proposed unions of AT&T with SBC Communications and MCI with Verizon Communications.
Hatch, Waxman Spar Over Generic Drugs
Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Henry Waxman, who gave separate speeches at a Tuesday policy meeting of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, are at the center of a broadening debate about the future of prescription medicine, reports The Star-Ledger. The two are at odds about the consumer impact of brand-name drug companies selling cheap copies of their own drugs.
Bennett: Nuke Deterrence Still Needed
Sen. Bob Bennett signed a bipartisan letter to Defense Secy. Donald H. Rumsfeld, urging the Defense Dept. to maintain the current level of 500 nuclear missiles. In the letter the senators argued that nuclear deterrence is still necessary, reports the Associated Press.
FTC Commissioner Likes Muni Broadband
As more cities explore establishing broadband networks like Utah’s iProvo and UTOPIA, a member of the Federal Trade Commission will champion the ability of municipalities to offer high-speed Internet services in a speech later this week, according to National Journal’s Telecom Update. Jonathan Leibowitz will argue in a speech that the agency can and should oppose state legislation that would limit cities’ ability to compete in broadband services.
St. George: 2nd Fastest Metro Growth
St. George was the 2nd fastest growing metro area in the U.S., says the Census Bureau’s “Population Change in Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas” report. St. George grew by 15.2 percent between April 1, 2000, and July 1, 2003. Greeley, Colo., was the fastest growing metro area in the country.
Commissioner Joins UTA Board
Utah County Commissioner Larry Ellertson has been sworn in as the newest member of the Utah Transit Authority Board of Trustees. He will represent Utah County municipalities in UTA’s service region. Ellertson, the third elected official and first county commissioner to serve on the Board, will
The UTA Board is a 15-member appointed body that sets policy and provides overall guidance for UTA. Cities, groups of cities and counties that support UTA with a local option sales tax appoint members to the Board for two-year terms, with the option of serving three consecutive terms. The number of seats a city or county may appoint is determined by population and the proportion of sales and use tax collected in that area. Among the appointees are three elected officials, including Ellertson.
Now You Know
Utah Political Trivia
(From "Utah Trivia" compiled by Allan Kent Powell and Miriam B. Murphy)
Q: Why did Utah have only one U.S. senator during 1899-1901?
A: The state legislator failed to elect one.
Q: Who was the first U.S. president to visit Utah?
A: Ulysses S. Grant.
Q: What Utah banker helped design FDR's New Deal and served as head of the Federal Reserve?
A: Marriner S. Eccles.
Q: From what city was Layton finally able to separate in 1902 after three decades of feuding over taxes and lack of services?
A: Kaysville.
Q: Which U.S. senator was called the "Great Protectionist" for his support of high tariffs?
A: Reed Smoot.
Q: Who was the first African American elected to the Utah legislature?
A: Reverend Robert Davis, a Democrat from Ogden (1976).
Q: When was the state sales tax introduced in Utah?
A: 1933, as qualification for federal funds during the Great Depression.
Q: The 1886 legislature made what crime a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to five thousand dollars?
A: Castle rustling.
Q: What presidential candidate came in third in Utah in the 1992 election?
A: Bill Clinton.
Q: Who was the first Japanese American elected to the Salt Lake County Commission (1990)?
A: Randy Horiuchi.
Q: Who was the first governor of the state of Utah?
A: Heber M. Wells (1896-1905).
Q: In what year did Utah elect two representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time?
A: 1912.
Q: In what year did Utah elect three representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time?
A: 1982.
Q: What Salt Lake City native and leader of the radical Industrial Workers of the World is buried in the Kremlin Wall?
A: William D. "Big Bill" Haywood.
Q: Which former U.S. senator from Utah was shot and killed by his mistress in 1906?
A: Arthur Brown. |
Utah
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