|
OK, So I’m a Sore Loser
So I lost a double-or-nothing bet to Tom Love on the BYU-Utah game last Saturday (which the refs stole from us, of course). It’s only twenty bucks. But since I know Tom’s entire self-worth and ego are tied up in Utah football, I’m going to be really magnanimous in defeat (which is really hard) and send him fifty bucks so his self-worth will get a real boost.
Who Has Courage to Really Cut?
Since I’m grumbling, I might as well grumble about Utah’s congressional delegation. I like Utah’s congressional delegation just fine, but I’m disappointed that no one is really stepping up to fight to runaway federal spending.
Both the Bush Administration and the Republican Congress (with plenty of help from Democrats) have allowed the federal budget to balloon out of control. For every problem that exists, they want to just throw gobs of money at it. They aren’t only spending our money, but our children’s and grandchildren’s. No state, business or family could be so profligate as the Congress is and avoid dire consequences.
Our state Legislature is frequently criticized for a variety of reasons. But at least our Legislature has a firm control on spending. Utah lawmakers balance the budget. They borrow modestly and pay back bonds quickly. State finances are sound.
In Congress, the Blue Dog Democrats, including Utah’s Jim Matheson, are known as fiscal conservatives. But John Fund points out in a Wall Street Journal column that the Blue Dogs are really Pelosi’s Poodles when push comes to shove in the budget battles. The Blue Dogs vote with ultra-liberal Democratic leadership to oppose even modest slowing of budget increases.
To me, the Congress has little moral authority on any issue as long as it spends away our future.
Washington Watch
Former Utah governor, now HHS Sec. Mike Leavitt says U.S. is unprepared for next flu pandemic, lacking the manufacturing capacity to provide enough vaccine; low supply means state and local governments will have to make tough choices on how best to allocate the vaccine should an outbreak occur (Associated Press).
National Politics
Nice piece by National Journal columnist Stuart Taylor on the Alito confirmation.
Blog Watch
In a rare fit of praise for a local government, Sen. Howard Stephenson uses The Senate Site to congratulate Eagle Mountain for getting it’s financial act together…. National blog Swing State Project says Pete Ashdown has outside chance to defeat Sen. Orrin Hatch.... Ashdown, meanwhile, relates positive experience attending candidate meeting with "Republican-minded voters".... Carrie Ulrich of Democracy for Utah posts second step of eight from pamphlet, "Ways to Become Involved with the Utah Democratic Party".... Wilf Sommerkorn responds to Morning News editorial on Utah's citizen initiative rules... SLCSpin says S.L. City Councilman Eric Jergensen's re-election places him on short list of potential mayoral candidates... By Common Consent has a long post on how the LDS Church influences its members’ political activity... On eve of final vote, Weber County Forum posts long condemnation of Ogden Mayor Mathew Godfrey's rec center plan... Paul Rolly reports on much-tangled "potential irony shaping up for next year's election season" involving Greg Skordas, Nancy Workman (and her campaign money), and Dave Yocom... According to Dee's 'Dotes, the media was visibly absent from the Julian Hatch for U.S. Senate kick-off campaign press conference... National blog Talking Taxes has a long post on Utah's food tax debate... Marco's Gearbox doesn't like federal pork, even when it benefits Utah... National uber-blogger Daily Kos notices Sen. Hatch's relatively low poll numbers….Rep. John Dougall returns to the blogging scene with a Dynamic Range report on the Micron/Intel deal and a couple of other posts.
|
