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Chamber Priorities: Transportation Funding and USTAR
Transportation funding and the USTAR
economic development initiative are the Salt Lake Chamber’s
top priorities in the upcoming legislative session. In the
Chamber’s recent Public Policy Updates newsletter,
government affairs VP Robin Riggs writes:
“The
Executive Committee of the Salt Lake Chamber Board of Governors
recently reiterated its strong and unequivocal support for
adequate funding for transportation infrastructure. At the
same time, it also gave top priority to continued funding
for the so-called USTAR initiative (Utah Science, Technology,
and Research) and related efforts to create more technology
and research sector jobs. Adequate transportation and higher
quality jobs are both critical to continuing the state’s
record economic growth. Only by sustaining such growth can
we provide support needed for public and higher education
and other critical state needs.”
Besides
endorsing transportation funding and USTAR, the 15-page newsletter
(not yet posted on the Chamber’s Web site) discusses
the Chamber’s other priorities, including affordable
health care and energy policy, and provides a preview of top
legislative issues. The Chamber has apparently not yet taken
a position on tax cuts.
Ashdown's Wiki
Slashdotted
Senate candidate Pete Ashdown's campaign
website went through a wild ride on Wednesday.
After a news
article on Ashdown's interactive wiki campaign
was posted on the technology blog Slashdot,
traffic to Ashdown's website immediately increased seven fold.
The effects of this, relates Ashdown on his
blog, were remarkable. "At first a flood of vandals
hit the wiki and left their messes about. Almost instantly,
a larger group of new volunteers came in and cleaned it up.
Within 24 hours, these same volunteers went about reorganizing
and contributing to wiki in ways that were utterly amazing
to watch. The wiki is now stronger and better than ever."
Ashdown says he's "invigorated by seeing the ideas of
open campaigning and the basis of 'Democracy 2.0' flourish."
Utah Taxpayers
Assoc. Newsletter
The Utah
Taxpayers Association has posted its January
newsletter. This month's edition features articles
on the Association's tax cut recommendations, the constitutionality
of vouchers/tuition tax credits, bond elections, and a piece
by Association President Howard Stephenson
on privatization.
Podcast
Watch
Jennifer Napier-Pearce’s
InsideUtah.com
Podcast features political consultant LaVarr Webb
and citizen advocate Claire Geddes (:45)
on the state’s robust budget and where the extra cash
should go…State Rep. Ross Romero (6:59)
on his short-lived conflicts-of-interest bill…Salt
Lake Convention and Visitor’s Bureau chief Scott
Beck (12:53) on big gains in tourism…and Tori
Baker from the Salt Lake Film Society (18:04) on
Sundance and Salt Lake’s thriving indie film scene.
Blog Watch
The
Wasatch Front now features the one and only RomneyWatch
'08 (Hat Tip: Charley
Foster)... SLCSpin bemoans a
Nancy Workman-less 2006... Mountain
View
Corridor hails "MAG for
taking the initiative to do another study on the growing transportation
problems we face"... Woods Cross Citizen comments on
some City Council inside
baseball... YDems says ID shouldn't
be taught alongside evolution... Reach Upward
has a long
post on Mark Steyn's fascinating
Death
of the West essay (see also here --
scroll down)... New West has
a post on the reaction of various Western
states to the recent "Quality Counts" education study (see
also here)...
Lawmakers congratulates
Rep. Steve
Urquhart on his recent jump in
blog
traffic... folkbum's
rambles and rants has a long post by
a Mormon on how he squares his progressive politics
with his religious faith (see also here)...
Game
Politics doesn't like Rep. Jim Matheson's
proposed video game bill (see also here)...
The
"A" Road says Utah is a "Red State Reject"...
WebWriting endorses
Pete Ashdown's wiki campaign.
Mitt Romney
Watch
(From National
Journal’s Hotline Weekly)
Left His Talking Points
At Home
In three interviews from his statehouse
office, Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., on Dec.
21 told AP's Johnson he won't make a decisions
about '08 until '07 (Dec. 21). He told the Boston Globe's
Phillips that Boston media distorts his views
(Dec. 22), and told the Boston Herald's Atkins
that he'd rather have served as Michigan's governor (Dec.
22).
Romney "gave his strongest hint yet" on his '08 aspirations,
"saying he decided not to run for re-election in part because
it would 'mislead the public' knowing a presidential bid would
follow months later.'" Romney: "I think it would be disingenuous
to run a state campaign, to run for governor, and then in
January or February, after you inauguration, to say 'Now I'm
going to start running for president.' That's not something
I was willing to do" (Boston Globe, Dec. 22).
All In Good Health
In an interview with WGBH Boston radio's Emily Rooney,
Romney said he would leave politics if his wife, who has multiple
sclerosis, became ill. Romney: "I wouldn't be involved in
politics anymore; that would be over." Romney said his wife,
Ann, is his first responsibility and "the
love of my life." He added that currently her health is "terrific"
(Helman, Boston Globe, Dec. 21).
How Do All These Mormon Politicians Do It Without
Coffee?
National Review's Lopez writes "some
have suggested" Romney's religion, Mormonism, "makes him a
non-starter." Ethics and Public Policy Center's Michael
Cromartie: "Most evangelicals do perceive Mormonism
to be a cult and are deeply troubled by its theology. But
this does not mean they would not vote for someone like Governor
Romney...I hear positive comments about Governor Romney as
a person of integrity...I hear very lukewarm comments about
the governor when it comes to his religous tradition..." (Dec.
20).
The Hungry, Hungry Oppo
The DNC is "already digging for dirt" on Romney. Last December,
"virtually every agency" in state government received public
records requests for "any and all records of communication"
involving Romney, dating back to 1947. DNC spokesperson Luis
Miranda confirmed Dec. 29 that the Democrats are
seeking information on 11 potential '08 White House candidates
(Lewis, Boston Globe, Dec. 30).
Upcoming
Events
Mayor Godfrey
Call-In Show
Ogden Mayor Mathew Godfrey
will be hosting a Call-In
Show on Jan. 26 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tune
in either on Channel 17 or WSU's student radio station,
KWCR, 88.1. The Mayor will take questions "from
the people of Ogden about what is happening in our city now,
future plans, and projects the city is planning." The phone
number's 629-8411.
County Officials Day
The Utah
Association of Counties will be holding its County
Officials Day at the Legislature on Jan. 27 at the State Capitol
Complex. Details are still being finalized. For more info,
click
here.
Lincoln
Club Meets
The Lincoln Club is having its first
2006 meeting with Chris Cannon, Rob
Bishop and LaVar Christensen at
the home of Steve Harmsen on Friday, Jan.
27, at 7 PM. For more information contact Duane
Millard at duane@alliedawning.com.
Celebrate Orrin Hatch
The Salt Lake County
Lincoln Day Dinner is on Thursday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. at the
Little America Hotel. The event will be a celebration
of Sen. Orrin G. Hatch's 30 years in the
Senate. For more information contact Jeremy
Roberts at 801-867-0991 or
lincolndinner@aol.com.
Casual
Friday
The Eagles
are Back
By LaVarr
Webb
Every winter Mother Nature puts on an amazing show in Davis
County as hundreds of bald eagles hang out in the Great Salt
Lake marshes during the day and then fly along the foothills
and up the canyons in the evening to roost.
Last weekend on a walk along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail
above Centerville with Hayduke the dog, I
saw seven or eight eagles, some skimming low along the foothills,
others spiraling high among the updrafts and over the mountain
into Morgan County. They’ll stay in the area until late
winter/early spring when they head back north to Canada and
Alaska.
Producing Utah Policy Daily has unfortunately cut
rather dramatically into my walking time in the foothills,
but in past years I have seen dozens and even hundreds of
eagles at one time, especially as they stage in late winter
for their migration north. One late February day a couple
of years ago I had a breathtaking experience as I found myself
in the midst of literally hundreds of eagles up Parrish Canyon.
Some were perched on rock outcroppings and cliffs. Others
cruised up and down the canyon just off the ground. Some crossed
30 feet or less above my head. I could hear their wings whooshing
as they flapped by. And others were riding updrafts high in
the sky. I could look in any direction and see dozens of eagles.
And this spectacular show went on for a couple of hours.
It was an incredible experience,
and one that hasn’t been repeated. But I’ve had
many walks where I’ve seen 10 or 20 eagles. It’s
amazing to have eagles so close to Utah’s urban center,
and it illustrates how Utah is a diverse, interesting and
remarkable place. And while growth and suburban expansion
are inevitable, Utah’s annual eagle extravaganza shows
why certain critical lands and resources ought to be preserved
and protected.
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