Sierra Club Endorsements
The Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club has posted its candidate endorsements for this year's House, Senate, and county races. To read the endorsements, click here.
Chamber Hails Downtown Plans
In a position statement, the Salt Lake Chamber "thoroughly applaud[s] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their vision and commitment to revitalizing the very heart of our great city. Downtown is clearly on the rise."
Christensen on Marriage
The Sutherland Institute's latest publication is a paper by Rep. LaVar Christensen on the importance of defending the traditional definition of marriage. To read it, click here.
Utah’s Walk on the Supply Side
OpinionJournal.com’s Political Diary (paid subscription required) from the Wall Street Journal pays attention to Utah’s special session income tax cut and flattening of the income tax. See SenateSite.com.
Blog Watch
Rep. John Dougall says: "This morning I learned that Rep. Jeff Alexander was preparing to retire from the legislature after 16 years of dedicated service. It was a great shock and I felt a lot of mixed emotions -- happiness that he will be able to spend more time with his family, friends, and business associates; sadness that we will lose his leadership, experience, and humor within the House ... I always found Jeff to be honest and straightforward. Often times, legislators are accustomed to people telling us one thing and doing another, mischaracterizing an issue, or sugar-coating a problem, rather than addressing it head-on. Jeff wasn't like that. He was direct and didn't waste time beating around the bush. At times, some people took offense at this directness. I found it to be quite refreshing. Jeff's quick wit could have everyone in stitches at one moment, then his complete grasp of the legislative process would have everyone focused on the task at hand. Love him or hate him, Jeff was his own man. He didn't shy away from the difficult issues or the hard work. He was a great representative for his constituents and the citizens of the State. Jeff's leadership and camaraderie will be sorely missed" (see also here, here, here, here, and here)... Article VI Blog condemns James Dobson's recent comments about presumed evangelical opposition to Mass. Gov. and likely '08 presidential candidate Mitt Romney because of his Mormonism (see also here and here).
National Politics
Federal Budget Debacle
2006 has not been a happy year for the federal budget process. In a NationalJournal.com column, Stan Collender documents the 2006 federal budget fiasco. The budget paralysis shows the federal government is trying to do too much and it should devolve a lot of responsibilities to the states. |
