News Highlights

An independent analysis shows Utah state government is running a $150 million surplus only four months into the fiscal year (Deseret Morning News).

Environmentalists and oil industry representatives disagree about conclusions of a BLM assessment regarding the amount of federal land unavailable for oil and gas development (Salt Lake Tribune).

Morning News editorial says too many governments in Utah don’t take the Open Meetings Act seriously and won’t until they are held accountable.

Quote of the Day

"We have many things that divide our city. We don't need to be divided by districts."

-- Dave Buhler, Salt Lake City Council chair, urging the Legislature’s Redistricting Committee to avoid splitting Salt Lake City into more than one congressional district (Morning News) See also Tribune story.

Seminar on Identity and Public Policy

Rep. John Dougall is hosting what promises to be a very interesting discussion on “identity and public policy” Thursday at 6:30 p.m., in W135 in the Capitol Complex. Phil Windley has a blog post with a lot more information about the event.

Dougall’s guest will be Jim Harper, author of the book “Identity Crisis: How Identification is Oversued and Misunderstood.” Windley says the book “is a superb primer on identification, identification theory, and identity policy. Citizens, technologists, and policymakers alike need a good grounding in the uses and abuses of identification in providing security and facilitating daily transactions. This is important material for anyone who deals with public data.” Harper is also director of Information Policy Studies at the CATO Institute.

Young Democrats Meet

Young Democrats of Utah are holding their annual state convention on Saturday with the theme: “Innovation: Celebration Youth’s Vision of Utah Politics.”  It is scheduled 5-8 p.m., with a reception to follow, at the Saltair Room in the University of Utah Union Building, 200 S. Campus Drive.

Says a press release: “Join the Young Democrats of Utah for a night of camaraderie, food and fun at their 2006 Annual Convention. Participants will hear from U.S. Congressman Jim Matheson and elect the group's new leadership for the upcoming year. All politically active young adults ages 18-35 are encouraged to attend. A reception with refreshments will follow.” For more information, visit www.YoungDemsofUtah.org, or call Mikel Gajkowski, 801.633.4855.

Wise Words

“A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.”

-- George Bernard Shaw

How to Leverage Blogging

The Utah Technology Council is sponsoring a seminar on blogging as a corporate communication stool on Dec. 7, 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., at the University of Phoenix, 5373 Green St., Room 105. Cost is $10 for UTC members and $20 for non-UTC members.  The seminar is called "Leveraging New Media: True Tales from the Utah Trenches". Susan Richards of Altiris and Noelle Bates of Logoworks will present lessons learned and strategy recommendations on how to leverage blogging in corporate communications.

Blog Watch
At Out of Context, Heather May reports: "No surprise here: Dave Buhler doesn't buy his opponent's early poll numbers for the 2007 Salt Lake City mayor's race. Last week, Jenny Wilson provided figures from a poll she commissioned that showed she pulled 16 percent of the vote and Buhler 6 percent. The undecideds beat them both, at 62 percent. 'I have no doubt it's bogus,' Buhler said. No doubt his own pollsters say he's ahead. He was also told that Wilson's pollsters got his name wrong, pronouncing it 'Boohler.' 'Boohler gets 6 percent. I don't know what Buhler would get,' he said".... Rep. Craig Frank discusses the drawbacks of the government-mandated minimum wage.... Political Insider reports on a recent three-hour meeting in Boston between likely '08 presidential candidate Mitt Romney and about 15 "make-or-break figures of the Religious Right," including Jerry Falwell, Franklin Graham, Gary Bauer, and Richard Land (see also here, here, and here).

Please submit calendar items to Daily@UtahPolicy.com

- Nov 29: Lt. Governor Herbert to attend the National Lieutenant Governor's Association Fall Executive Committee Meeting, Windsor Court Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Nov 29: Community Leaders Forum of the Downtown Transportation Master Plan, 7:30 a.m., Radisson Salt Lake City Downtown, 215 West South Temple. Free Parking at Radisson or take light rail to the Delta Center Station. Please RSVP to Camillie Winnie at camille@downtownslc.org or 801-333-1106.
- Nov 29: Redistricting Committee meeting, 8 a.m., room W135.
- Nov 29: Lt. Gov. Herbert to participate in a panel discussion on elections hosted by the Pew Charitable Trust, 9 a.m., Pew Charitable Trust DC Office, Washington DC.
- Nov 29: Midday Metro at 10 a.m. on KCPW 88.3 FM features Stephen Kroes, Utah Foundation Executive Director, on a new report examining five healthcare reform concepts suggested by the Employers Healthcare Coalition, a group formed by members of the Salt Lake Chamber. Coalition member Aaron Bludworth of Modern Display joins the conversation. To participate, email midday@kcpw.org during the show.
- Nov 29: RadioWest on KUER FM 90: "Great Reads for the Season," 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Whether you're shopping for the bibliophile on your gift list, or just looking for a good read for a snowy winter's day, Salt Lake's book experts will give their suggestions. Guests include Catherine Weller of Sam Wellers Zion Bookstore, Ken Sanders of Ken Sanders Rare Books, and Betsy Burton and Margaret Brennan-Neville of The King's English.
- Dec 1: Last day for governmental entities to request bills without floor approval.
- Dec 1: Last day for legislators to prioritize up to three bills.

- Dec 1: American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) luncheon, 12:00 p.m., Auditorium of the State Office Building. The topic will be "The State Spending Cap."  Speakers will be Representative Greg Hughes and John Nixon, Director of the Governor's Office of Planning & Budget.  Reservations are required. Call Jolaine Randall at 801-581-6493 or email jrandall@cppa.utah.edu by Nov. 29th.

- See the entire calendar

Utah in the National News

Article: "Nearly half the 67 million federal acres in the Rockies sit on a massive stockpile of oil and natural gas that is currently off limits to drilling. The expanse of mineral-rich land is spread mostly over Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Montana and New Mexico. It contains 118 trillion cubic feet of gas and 4 billion barrels of oil -- enough to feed the nation for more than half dozen years. The new Bush administration survey of the reserves provides oil and gas companies some fodder to push for changes to federal laws to gain access to the reserves" (Rocky Mountain News) (see also related Reuters story).

Plan to pump water from remote valleys on the Nevada/Utah border to Las Vegas could cost Nevada taxpayers more than $3 billion (LasVegasNOW.com).

Article: "Since 2002 Nevada and other Western states have argued with little success that the federal government should chip in more education funding to compensate for owning so much land that does not generate tax revenues for the states. Now that Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is the incoming majority leader, education officials believe the time is ripe to press for collection on what they consider an overdue debt" (Las Vegas Sun).

Article: "Energy Solutions, a benignly named company that disposes of nuclear waste, has replaced Delta Air Lines as the home of the Utah Jazz. Nuclear waste. Yes, it is low-level stuff -- not spent fuel or old bombs -- that is now associated with the team with the best record in the N.B.A., rather than, perhaps, last season's Knicks" (New York Times).

The Center for Digital Government ranks Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Orem among the country's "most technology-advanced" cities; Ogden is ranked #1 in its population category (see press release).

Mitt Romney Watch
Columnist John Dickerson: "Mitt Romney has said that if his Mormon faith becomes an issue in his race for the presidency, he will address it at length in a speech. Does he have space on his calendar tomorrow? The press is writing about his religion. Pollsters are asking about it, and GOP voters inevitably bring it up in any discussion of the 2008 candidates. Will his faith affect how he governs? Will it hurt his chances at winning the nomination? A debate in the blogosphere rages over Andrew Sullivan's posting of a picture of the undergarment worn by some Mormons, an act that some of the faithful have found offensive. When they're talking about your bloomers, it's time to clear a few things up" (Slate) (see also related Associated Baptist Press and Boston Herald stories).

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

- Critics pan merging of urban and rural areas

- Huntsman is overseas, bound for Afghanistan

- Guarding student data a top priority

- Sandy rezones for stadium

- Report says oil, natural gas supplies blocked by rules

- No one shows up to dispute new rules on free speech at the Capitol

- Recounts in some races begin today

- Davis activists seeking a permanent injunction

- Group of Cache mayors seeks more control of waste services

- Coal mine planned near Bryce Canyon

- Editorial: Bad medicine: HHS choice a purveyor of pseudoscience

Standard-Examiner

- Four plans for fourth seat

- Ogden School District boundary change proposals

- Editorial: Stealing money from children

St. George Spectrum

- Mapping Utah's voice

- Editorial: UHSAA made a tough call

KCPW

- Redistricting Road Show Draws Support for Map J

- North Salt Lake Waives Utility Fees for Military Families

- Re-Thinking Redistricting

Park Record

- Sen.: don't split county

- Sweeney land deal unlikely

- School District to find own Superintendent

- Editorial: Traffic just might be the resorts' toughest challenge this season

St. George Spectrum

- Councilors to finish zone ordinance amendment issue

- School board discusses audit, open enrollment

- Op-ed: Standardized tests do not determine high-quality teachers

- Editorial: Academics taken seriously

Utah Ledger

- Sutherland Institute offers different view on old subjects

- An old idea still works for the land and the people

- Utah program an alternative to incarceration

- Splitting School Districts

- Aquarium hopes county residents will help the dream come true

- Local entrepreneur has simple, permanent solution for internet porn

- Editorial: 4th seat proposal unconstitutional

KUER

- Patent Reform in Congress

Daily Herald

- Meeting to discuss evolution, intelligent design

- Sp. Fork leaders see city's future with retail anchors

- Alpine resident's offer to maintain city property will have to wait

Tooele Transcript Bulletin

- Teenage births falling slightly

- Hotel occupancy rates drop along with temperatures

- New district policy addresses bullying

- Editorial: Right time for green building  

Deseret Morning News

- Utah tax coffers brimming?

- Legislators may home in on Davis funds scandal

- Focus of '4th seat' talks: urban vs. rural

- 4th district info

- Medical corps ready to lend a hand

- Utah Medical Reserve Corps in need of volunteers

- Sex-offender parents targeted

- Lee Benson: Rallying cry: basics on reservation

- Residents object to North Park remodeling

- Luxury-homes project draws criticism

- Global warming, storms tied

- Transgender film to premiere in Salt Lake

- Washington Terrace to get library in '08

- County service is one for the books

- Will Granite board seek impact fees?

- Final vote recounts are expected today

- UDOT seeks input on Mountain View roads

- Much of oil, gas reserves off-limits

- Op-ed: Howard Stephenson: Pork projects hinder highways

- Editorial: Probe these closed sessions

Elected Officials Birthday List

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