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The
Week Ahead
The Samuel Alito confirmation
hearings take center stage in Washington, D.C. In Utah, lawmakers
are busy getting ready for the 2006 legislative session. A
number of appropriations subcommittees meet Tuesday (see
calendar for details), and the Revenue and Taxation
Interim Committee meets Wednesday at 9 a.m. to receive the
final report of the Tax Reform Task Force (see
agenda). The committee will review and take action
on more than a dozen tax proposals emerging from the Task
Force.
Lots of other political events this week. See the calendar,
below in right column, or click
here to see the full calendar.
Get to Know Your
Legislators
(Utah Policy Daily is starting
a new feature profiling Utah’s 104 lawmakers. If any
legislator did not receive our e-mail survey, please request
a copy from Luci at daily@utahpolicy.com.
Responding to the survey is entirely voluntary, obviously.
Our desire is to allow the Utah political community to get
to know their legislators on a more personal basis).
Name & District: David
L. Thomas, Republican, Senate District 18 (Ogden, South Weber)
Occupation: Chief Civil
Deputy Summit County Attorney
Education: BS, Finance (BYU);
JD Law (College of William & Mary)
Growing up: I grew up in
the suburbs of Washington, DC and am a political junkie like
LaVarr
Fondest memory: Marrying
my wife, Lynn, in Idaho Falls
Family: Wife, former Lynn
Stosich of Twin Falls, Idaho, and four children: Tyler (16),
Tristan (16), Richard (13), and Gwendolyn (9)
Why politics: It's where
you can make a difference in the lives of common people.
My perfect day: Win in court
followed by a steak dinner with my family
Hobbies: Avid book reader
First job: Paperboy (but
don't tell the DNews or Trib that I worked for the Washington
Post)
Motivations/ambitions: Fundamental
fairness. I am also a Constitutional separation of powers
hawk, honed from my days as an attorney in Washington,
DC.
Hottest issue you’re watching:
Taxes
Biggest challenge: Educating
the legislature on the virtues of tort reform
Alarm clock: Kids
Proudest moment: When my
boys got their Eagle Scout awards
Political ideology: Conservative.
Since I grew up in Northern Virginia (although my
roots are grounded in Ogden) and I have lived in North Carolina,
New York, and Washington State, let me let you in on a secret:
Utah Democrats are not Republicans who moved to Utah from
other States. In fact, I have found that Virginia Republicans
are far more conservative than Utah Republicans. So
there you have it.
Most embarrassing moment:
As a missionary in Uruguay, I made a fool of myself at the
Airport in Montevideo -- I was completely clueless as I passed
through customs and ended up chasing some thief who stole
my bags. Turned out he was the cabbie.
Inspiration: The Prophet
Joseph Smith. I realize that this is not politically
correct, but so be it.
Favorite book: As crazy
as it sounds, it’s a toss up between Hugh Nibley's
gospel commentaries and Terry Brooks' Sword of Shannarra
Favorite movie: The Lord
of the Rings
Indulgence: Simultaneously
reading on the couch while watching sports on the TV
Mentor: William "Billy"
Person, my first boss as an attorney in Williamsburg, Virginia.
He was the Commonwealth's Attorney and I was an Assistant
DA. He is now a Virginia judge. He taught me what
it means to be an attorney and how law is to be practiced
civilly and ethically.
A small insight into my psyche:
Driven
Upcoming 2006 Session
My top priority for the 2006 session:
Tort Reform
Hot issue in 2006 session: Tax Reform
The 2006 session will be remembered for:
Civility
The surplus: We need a new prison facility,
as the current one is out of bed space. We also need
to invest in our infrastructure (roads, water, etc.).
The surplus needs to address those issues.
Utah’s tax system:
I oppose taking away the charitable deduction and home mortgage
deduction. We need to encourage charitable giving and
home ownership.
Tax cuts: Fairer
taxes, not more taxes. That means any tax relief must
be to the middle class who pay the bills. If it doesn't
benefit the middle class, I won't vote for it.
Immigration:
I support an expanded worker visa program to ensure that
aliens pay their fair share of taxes which are used for services
and that criminals and terrorists do not enter our country
illegally. However, I also recognize that this is a
federal issue that I have little control over. Call
your Congressman and Senator.
My district is cool because:
It's the urban center of the north -- busy with activity --
while at the same time having a picture perfect backdrop of
the mountains.
I like serving in the Legislature
because: I can make a difference in people’s
lives.
My philosophy of government:
Local control is king. Local government is closest to
the people and most accessible to them. They know best
what their citizens need. The State should listen more
and not impose unfunded mandates on local governments.
We don't like the federal unfunded mandates, so why do it
to cities and counties?
Running for political office
is: Hard work. You need a thick skin to survive.
Washington
Watch
Hatch-Sponsored
Bill Re-Authorized
Pres. Bush re-authorizes
domestic violence bill originally sponsored by Sen. Orrin
Hatch (see press
release); Boston-area high school students give speech
by Hatch "a mixed response -- some cheered, some booed and
many were indifferent" (United
Press International).
Reid Coming to Utah
Nevada Sen. Harry Reid
embarking on a three-day "Red State Tour" through Arizona,
Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Nebraska (Washington
Post).
Gamers Deplore Proposed
Matheson Bill
Gamers unhappy with Rep. Jim
Matheson's efforts to protect minors from adult
video games (Gamespot).
Blog
Watch
Charley Foster responds
to news that the SCOTUS plans to hear Utah search
and seizure case (see also here, here, and
here)...
No
on the Amendment has a post on Mayor Rocky
Anderson's domestic partner executive order... Digital
Street Journal has
a post on Pete Ashdown's wiki
campaign (see also here)...
Evolution in Utah has an honest
question for Sen. Chris Buttars...
Wilf Sommerkorn attends transportation
meeting jointly sponsored by the MAG and WFRC
(see also here)...
Dee's 'Dotes is unhappy with the UTA's bus
route cuts... Casserole Bar doesn't like Utah's moral
double-standards; Utahnia doesn't like Casserole Bar's
generalizations (see
also here,
here,
here, and
here)...
The Hopeless Writer was
interviewed by the Washington Post...
SLCSpin says Paul Rolly missed
the point behind Sen. Tom Hatch's
proposed background
check exemption bill... Weber County Forum has a long post by
Steve Huntsman on arbitrary government...
Accuracy in Media wonders about the strange
cats-and-dogs political makeup of the two groups
behind a new radio venture: the LDS Church-owned Bonneville International
and the Washington Post... The Warren accuses the D-News of
distorting
poll numbers.
Taxpayers’
Pre-Legislative Conference
The Utah Taxpayers Association will
host its annual Pre-Legislative Conference on Thursday, Jan.
12 from 8:30 am to noon in room W135 at the State Capitol.
Policy makers and the general public are invited to attend.
Please RSVP to fallon@utahtaxpayers.org.
This year's conference will focus on tax reform, tax cuts,
and anticipated tax revenues. Speakers include representatives
from the Tax Commission, Governor's Office of Planning and
Budget, Legislative Fiscal Analyst, co-chairs of the Tax Reform
Task Force, and Governor's Tax Reform Working Group. Issues
include a flatter individual income tax, changes to corporate
income tax, sales tax on food, RDA reform, sales taxes on
business inputs, vouchers, and privatization. The Utah Taxpayers
Association will also present its agenda for the 2006 legislative
session. Click
here to see the conference agenda.
Shorts,
Briefs, & other Unmentionables
- KCPW Radio will carry gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Samuel
Alito confirmation hearings on 1010 AM starting
at 10 a.m. today. More
information. ... On KCPW's FM side (88.3 & 105.3) Sen.
Bob Bennett is slated to be on Midday
Metro between 10-10:30 a.m. Lara Jones plans to
ask him about the "Alito confirmation... ethics, ethics,
ethics; nuclear waste; the NSA controversy and Presidential
powers."
- The Salt Lake Chamber's Public Policy Update is now
online. The Chamber is upgrading its Web site and will
have a new Policy & Issues section by next Wednesday.
- The Larry Miller-owned Megaplex at Jordan Commons' decision
not
to show the gay-cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain
on its screens made national
headlines over the weekend, including the Drudge
Report and the Huffington
Post.
- Envision
Utah's 2006 Quality Growth award applications are due
on Jan. 15. To apply, click
here.
- The Southern
Utah Wilderness Alliance is encouraging members to attend
a series of BLM-hosted public meetings to voice concerns
about oil and tar sand development in Utah. Click
for more info.
National Stuff
National Journal's
Carl Cannon reviews Bush's "year of living
dangerously" from a historical perspective in the magazine's
cover
story. It's an interesting review of Bush's first year
and the challenges ahead, albeit rather negative and harsh.
. William Powers' media
column focuses on who's winning: the news media or the
government. RNC's on-line
video features leading Democrats talking about Saddam
Hussein and Iraq before they changed their stories.
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