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Washington
Watch
"Just balance
that on Orrin's head."
Sen. Orrin Hatch's
use of a prop during the questioning of Supreme Court nominee
Samuel Alito produces some friendly bantering
among his fellow Judiciary Committee members (New
York Times); Hatch is accused of asking Alito phony
rhetorical questions (USA
Today and Washington
Post); Hatch defends Alito's wife for bursting into
tears during the withering interrogation of her husband (NewsMax);
says Alito is being misrepresented by the Democrats (Slate
Magazine); asks of the Democrats: "Is this the best
they can do?" (Human
Events); blames out of the mainstream special-interest
groups for distorting Judge Alito’s judicial philosophy
(The
Mountain Mail); defends Alito from partisan assualts
(see press
release); combats attacks on Alito's judicial record
(see press
release).
Reid: Demos Can Win
Red States
Rep. Jim Matheson accompanies
Nev. Sen. Harry Reid as Reid visits Utah
on his "red state" tour (Las
Vegas Sun); Reid says Democrats can win in Utah (KSL and
Associated
Press).
Corroon's Speech
On-Line
The S.L.
County Mayor's Office has posted Mayor Peter
Corroon's recent 2006 State of the County Address.
To read it, click
here).
New S.L. Chamber
Website
The Salt Lake Chamber has retooled
its website. To check it out, click
here.
Get to
Know Your Legislators
Name &
District: Rep. Brad Daw, District
60, Orem area
Occupation: Computer
Engineer
Education: BS Electrical Engineering from
BYU, MS Computer Engineering from San Jose State
Growing up: On a potato farm in Idaho
Fondest memory: Philmont Scout Ranch at
age 17
Childhood ambition: To be an astronaut
Family: The best part of my life.
Why politics: I don't like to sit on the
sidelines and complain.
My perfect day: Scuba diving in Maui.
Hobbies: Skiiing, water and snow, hiking
and camping, community theater.
First job: Moving sprinkler pipe in Idaho.
Actually it was pulling boards during the potato harvest in
Idaho, but nobody knows what that is.
Motivations/ambitions: To see that people
are free to realize their full potential.
Hottest issue you're watching: Budget surplus
and spending wisely or giving it back to taxpayers.
Biggest challenge: Balancing family, work,
church and the legislature.
Alarm clock: Is covered with dust.
Proudest moment: 6 way tie between my marriage,
and the birth of my 5 kids.
Political ideology: To see that people are
free to realize their full potential.
Soundtrack: Chariots of Fire
Personal motto/mission statement: To see
that people are free to realize their full potential.
Most embarrassing moment: There are too
many to count.
Inspiration: My dad.
Retreat: Arches
Favorite book: Where the Red Fern Grows
Favorite movie: Chariots of Fire
Indulgence: Ice Cream
A small insight into my psyche: I was going
to put Attila the Hun with good hygiene for my political ideology
but chickened out.
Upcoming 2006 Session
My top priority for the 2006 session: Stay
in shape.
Hot issue in 2006 session: The surplus
The 2006 session will be remembered for:
Being 45 days long
The surplus: This too will pass; don't treat
it like it will last forever.
Utah's tax system: More
good than bad
Tax cuts: The more broad-based the better.
Education funding: Good teachers and administrators
deserve to be well rewarded
Immigration: You are dealing with human
lives here, use caution.
Transportation: It benefits all and the
government is for the most part the only party to take care
of it.
My district is cool because: We have a mall
and state college a Costco and a scooter shop.
I like serving in the Legislature because:
Of my colleagues
My philosophy of government: To see that
people are free to realize their full potential.
Running for political office is: A lot of
highs and lows
Blog Watch
Correction: Yesterday
we erroneously said SLCSpin was
"hawking t-shirts"; actually, SLCSpin posted images of
the t-shirts that Bob Aagard is selling
through his blog, The
World, According to Me. We apologize for the error...
The Senate
Site blog has new posts by Sens. Darin
Peterson, Lyle Hillyard, and David
L. Thomas ... Also worth checking out is the lively
war of words over evolution/intelligent design in the 86 comments
on Sen. Chris Buttars’ previous
post ... Evolution in Utah has an update
and a few questions for readers... Centerville
Citizen clarifies
his Clipper quote... Reach Upward asks: "Why
to U.S. Mormons Vote Mainly Repubican?"... Part of
the Plan analyzes Utah
poll data... The
Third Avenue says Sen. Orrin Hatch
"spent most of his time lobbing softball questions to Alito"
during yesterday's confirmation hearings (see also here and
here)...
Paul Rolly links W.
Cleon Skousen to the Alito hearings by way of Sen.
Hatch... Utahnia's boycotting Larry H. Miller
"stuff", but for different
reasons than you might think... Bob Aagard
speculates about Miller's political
future... Woods
Cross Citizen says "if the perception of constituents
is that they can't influence [Utah] lawmakers, there
needs to be a change"... Utah Conservative names some
potential
candidates to replace Rep. Margaret Dayton
if she chooses to run for Senate... Carrie Ullrich
reports on Democratic
event attended by Senate candidate Pete
Ashdown, and says the D-News is "giving [Utah] Democrats
a helping hand"... Obiter Dicta has
a post on Ashdown's wiki campaign (see also
here)... New West has
a post on affordable housing in Summit County...
Rep. Steve Urquhart has
a post on federal lobbyists... Charley
Foster's going to be on KCPW this morning to discuss
the Alito hearings... At Utah Politics, Bryan
Catherman responds to Trib article on Utah
support for the Iraq war... Wilf Sommerkorn
has
a post on this year's legislative planning agenda...
SLCSpin analyzes the photo
content on the websites of the Utah congressional
delegation... Weber County Forum
has a post on Tuesday night's Ogden RDA meeting... Dee's
'Dotes has
a post on what to do with Utah's budget surplus.
2005 Fatal Crash
Report
UDOT and the Utah Department of Public
Safety will hold a joint
press conference at 1 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2006,
to release a comprehensive breakdown of Utah’s 2005
fatal crash report and to announce a new campaign aimed
at decreasing fatalities. The conference will be held at Wasatch
Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary at 3401 South Highland Drive.
What’s
USTAR All About?
The Economic Development
Corporation of Utah has posted a new edition of its newsletter,
the EDCUTAH
Economic Review, which contains an interview
with EDCUTAH Chair Scott Anderson
about the Utah Science, Technology and
Research (USTAR) economic development
initiative that will be before the Legislature.
Anderson says the Utah business community has rallied around
USTAR because “business leaders recognize that USTAR
is the best and most important economic development initiative
in a generation. Utah’s economy is doing well, and now
we have an opportunity to ensure that it stays on an upward
trajectory. USTAR really provides the means to take Utah’s
economy to the next level and keep it there.”
Anderson responds to questions
on how USTAR will benefit the economy, the expected return
on the state’s investment, how the entire state will
benefit, why new research buildings are needed, and how the
initiative will be governed and accountability ensured.
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