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Sierra Club Likes Salt Lake City
In the national Sierra Club's recently-released Fall 2005 Sprawl
Report, Salt Lake City is hailed as having transformed into "a leader
at creating a vibrant, transit-oriented, livable city." It credits
Envision
Utah and other state and local players, including Mayor Rocky
Anderson, the LDS Church, and the Salt Lake City Redevelopment
Agency, with making the transformation possible. (Download the full
32-page report here.
The chapter on Salt Lake begins on page 14).
Legislative Maps On-line
If you are considering running for the Legislature in 2006, you’ll
want to do a good analysis of your district, and a district map
is a good place to start. The Legislature’s excellent Web site provides
maps of Senate
districts and House
districts.
Blog Watch
The Senate
Site blog hails Rep. Steve Urquhart for pioneering political
blogging in Utah... Urquhart's
blog is now a year old, and he says, "I'm even more encouraged
now about the possibilities of technology opening the doors to government
than I was a year ago." We at Utah Policy Daily add our congratulations.
... Casserole Bar responds
unfavorably to Paul Mero interview on KCPW... Green Jello
has a
long post on the Tax Reform Task Force's flat tax proposal...
Adam Greenwood at Times and Seasons has
a post on the LDS Church's desire
for law to shield churches from prosecution for using illegal
aliens for volunteer work... Charley Foster analyzes
Salt Lake attorney Brian Barnard's efforts
on behalf of three clients to decriminalize polygamy... SLCSpin
doesn't much like Sen. Orrin Hatch... Beehive
Donkey doesn't like Hatch's response to news of Senate candidate
Pete Ashdown's wiki campaign... And From
the Roots says Utahns are beginning to lash out at Hatch.
National Political News
National Journal’s Chuck Todd ranks the 2006
gubernatorial races by degree of vulnerability. He also analyzes
the context of the 2006 election as follows:
“There's clearly an anti-government (as opposed to anti-Republican)
mood cropping up and there's no better example of this than in the
governor races. Incumbents are growing more unpopular in just about
every state (with a few notable exceptions). This news comes despite
reports of state revenues rising, which should mean less budget
pain in an election year. Neither party appears to have a clear
national advantage when looking at the country as a whole. The party
with momentum in nearly every race is the party out of power in
that state. If the trend continues, it should mean fairly good things
for Democrats nationally since they hold fewer governorships --
but it's not like 1994 yet. . . . a growing plurality of voters
believe government is broken but it should be fixed. Basically,
they want government to work even if it means voting against the
repeal of a gas tax (see the state of Washington), repealing some
restrictions on state spending (see Colorado) or rewarding a governing
party for pushing through a tax increase (see Virginia). Voters
may be less anti-government and more anti-government-not-working.”
Reader Response
Steve Chambers doesn’t like UPD’s use of acronyms: “May I
write concerning a relatively trivial matter, that of using acronyms,
particularly SCOTUS. I realize the desire for brevity, but reducing
the Supreme Court of the United States to an acronym demeans the
office. I have similarlbbby seen POTUS used for President of the
United States. In creating acronyms, it is common to omit the first
letters of articles such as "of" "and" and "the". For example, ‘FBI’
for ‘Federal Bureau OF Investigation’. Under this convention, the
President of the United States would be reduced to PUS. Ronald Reagan
refused to remove his suit coat when in the Oval Office lest he
demean the office of the presidency. In referring to our Constitutionally
created branches of government, in respect for the vision of the
founding fathers, we should be no less sensitive.”
Student Against Speed-Dating
Luke Peterson, executive director of an organization called
Utah Students for Clean Elections, forwarded along a missive he
sent to virtually all of the House Republicans. "I write," says
Peterson, "on behalf of concerned students throughout the state
to urge you to cancel the 'speed-date'
fundraising event, planned for January 5th, 2006. I will be
perfectly frank... this event and the way in which it has been advertised
denigrates your party and your public office... [I]n this period
when the headlines are filled with story after story of elected
officials misusing their public office for private gain, there can
be no room for such flagrant disrespect for the public interest.
As a member of the most apathetic block of voters in the nation
(18 to 25 year olds) I can assure you that this event will only
feed the anger and hopelessness that so many young people feel towards
politics... [P]lease remember that when you and your colleagues
took office you swore an oath that you would 'discharge the duties
of your office with fidelity.' If, as an elected representative
it is your duty to serve the interests of your constituents first,
than a 'speed date' night with select paying lobbyists would seem
the height of infidelity to that oath. I urge you to cancel this
event, and if you will not, I urge individual members of your caucus
to boycott this event as some have already intimated they would."
James Taranto’s Headliners
(From OpinionJournal.com)
The Survey That Stole Christmas
"Survey Finds Toys Dangerous to Kids"-- Detroit Free Press, Nov. 23
This Just In
"Thanksgiving a Boom Time for US Turkey Farmers"-- Agence France-Presse, Nov. 23
What Would GM Do Without Analysts?
"GM Needs Product Appeal: Analysts"-- Reuters,
Nov. 22
'Alcatraz Mystery Meat': Coming Soon to a Theater Near You
"Police: Prison Beef Led to Movie Shooting"-- Associated Press, Nov. 22
Only the Weapon Was Indicted
"Robber Allegedly Holds Up Bar With Ham Sandwich"-- WBBM-TV Web site (Chicago), Nov. 22
Good News for Gay Couch Potatoes
"Vatican Says Active Gays Not Welcome in Priesthood"-- Reuters, Nov. 22
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