State of the States: Healthy in 2006
The respected state news operation Stateline.org has posted an excerpt of its 2006 State of the States report, which highlights significant state policy developments and trends; Utah's budget surplus is mentioned. Says the report: "Statehouses awash in surpluses ventured into new projects in 2006, from first-in-the-nation preschool for all 3-year-olds in Illinois to a space pad in New Mexico. States also made strides on issues that stymied Congress, including health care, immigration, the minimum wage and global warming."
Washington Watch
Editorial encourages people to offer feedback on the work of the Citizens Health Care Working Group, which was created by legislation co-sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch, and of which Hatch says: "This is a fresh approach to one of the nation's most critical issues. There's no question there are problems with our health care delivery system. But we have even more problems when the government tries to dictate reform with a top-down, one-size-fits-all solution. The working group did something no one has ever done before. They talked with those who are truly affected -- patients, physicians and providers -- to help us see some ideas that those in Washington may have overlooked" (Tri-City Herald).
National Politics
Huge Tax Boost for Social Security?
Wall Street Journal editorial worries that President Bush’s most enduring legacy might be a huge new burden on the most productive Americans if he compromises with Democrats to “fix” Social Security by raising the payroll tax cap. Under current law, Americans pay a 12.4% Social Security tax on all wages up to $94,200 in 2006, and the cap rises each year with inflation. (There is also an uncapped 2.9% Medicare payroll tax on top of that.) Raising the tax cap would “eviscerate Mr. Bush's most impressive domestic achievement: the pro-growth tax cuts,” says the editorial.
'Cool Cities' Initiatives
This week's Sierra Club Radio show, in a segment on "Cool Cities and the mayors who run them," mentions some of Salt Lake City's anti-global warming initiatives.
Blog Watch
At the Senate Site, Sen. Lyle Hillyard says: "It's nice to enjoy a little Christmas quiet just before the session's uproar. This week there is much less contact being made by people and groups interested in legislative support. Things used to be different. When the session began on the second Monday in January (instead of our current third Monday), it seemed that there was a lot of legislative activity taking place during this twilight week between Christmas and the New Year. Two other changes have helped reserve this as a quiet time. First, agency bills must be submitted prior to December 1st. Much of that work was pushed to just prior to that deadline. Second, we try to avoid official meetings in December. This gives our staff the chance to prepare legislation for the upcoming session".... Mick Stockinger says: "I think its quite possible that a lot of traditionally Republican western states are going to go Democratic -- not inevitably, but possibly. The driving force is the increasingly urban character of states like Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Colorado. All of them feature highly concentrated populations surrounded by vast expanses of wilderness. The combination of city life and western landscapes is enormously attractive to many people, but creates infrastructure problems the traditional rural Republican power structure is not well-suited to deal with. ... Obviously, the Democrats smell opportunity here, but the winner in this struggle is going to be the party that can successfully blend rural and urban interests. Rep Jim Matheson is an excellent example of a Democrat who is learning how to do this. Former Utah governor Mike Leavitt and current Utah governor Jon Huntsman Jr. are examples of Republicans who 'get it'. Leavitt and Huntsman have more in common with Arnold Schwarzeneggar than Ronald Reagan, but its still a recognizably Republican sensibility. Nevertheless, their moderate positions often get them into trouble with the far right, rural conservatives who pass city ordinances banning the UN. Matheson and other blue-dog Democrats are at a much greater disadvantage with respect to the image of their national parties, and in fact strive mightily to run on local issues and not have Ted Kennedy come by for a visit. Its a toss-up as to who ultimately wins out, but what clear to me is that the west is going to be competitive for both parties for some time to come.
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