Special Message to Greg Hughes: “HIGH NOON!” School Choice Research Results
Parents for Choice in Education has posted on its web site and distributed to legislators a PowerPoint presentation that examines Utah public opinion on school choice.
The presentation can be viewed on the PCE web site by clicking on the link in the New Survey Results box or by clicking here. The presentation provides results of surveys on school choice.
Meanwhile, columnist George F. Will writes that the tide is turning on school choice: “The public school lobby, which apparently has little confidence in its product, lives in fear of competition -- the fear that if parents' choices are expanded, there will be a flight from public schools” (Washington Post)
Show Me the Money
This week's Zions Bank Business Resource Center newsletter focuses on employee retention in a tight labor market and cites a Society of Human Resource Management job satisfaction survey that indicates compensation is now the top factor in determining job satisfaction, taking precedence over former priority elements like feeling included and appreciated.
Today in Political History
Feb. 2, 1960: The House, by a 393-0 roll call vote, adopts a resolution expressing Congress’ “profound sense of indignation and shock” at the recent outtbreak of acts aimed at desecrating places of worship in the U.S. and broad. (Source: National Journal 2007 Calendar of American Politics)
Washington Watch
Hatch Introduces Gang Legislation
A bipartisan coalition of senators, including Sen. Orrin Hatch, introduce legislation that "establishes new crimes and tougher federal penalties to deter and punish members of illegal street gangs and provides more than $1 billion in funding for gang enforcement, prevention and intervention programs over five years" (see press release); Hatch endorses federal minimum wage legislation passed by the Senate that includes "several important tax relief measures to help Utah's small businesses" (press release); Sens. Hatch and Ted Kennedy pen op-ed about reauthorizing the Children's Health Insurance Program (The Hill).
Bennett Backs Minimum Wage Law
Sen. Bob Bennett says of the Senate's passage of legislation increasing the federal minimum wage: "I agree with economic studies that show an increase in minimum wage would actually decrease job opportunities for those with minimal skills. However, I voted for the bipartisan compromise because it includes provisions that will minimize the burden on small businesses that employ millions of Americans, and will allow them to continue to grow and create jobs" (see press release).
Leavitt Highlights Health Initiative
Former Utah Gov., now HHS Sec. Mike Leavitt pens op-ed about the HealthierUS initiative, which seeks to "create a legacy of better health and well-being for our children" (The Hill),
Wise Words
“Every two years the American politics industry fills the airwaves with the most virulent, scurrilous, wall-to-wall character assassination of nearly every political practitioner in the country - and then declares itself puzzled that America has lost trust in its politicians.”
-- Charles Krauthammer (Source: Quote Garden)
Podcast Watch
Jennifer Napier-Pearce’s InsideUtah.com podcast this week features Utah House Rules Chair Steve Urquhart plugging school vouchers (:34) and creating a new level of political dialogue on the Internet (6:54); and Today’s Mama’s Stephanie Peterson and Rachael Herrscher (13:32) on motivating political mamas.
Blog Watch
The Senate Site reports: "The NAACP and other respected members of our community have asked that we change the start date of our legislative session so it doesn't coincide with Martin Luther King Day. A majority of the legislature believes it is probably past time to honor that request. Senate President John Valentine, Senate Minority Leader Mike Dmitrich, Speaker of the House Greg Curtis, and House Minority Leader Ralph Becker will sponsor a resolution that will make the change. ... Hopefully this will be a step in the right direction. The resolution will not only honor Dr. King for his role in the struggle for political recognition of the fact that all men are created equal, but also President George Washington and President Abraham Lincoln for their contribution to the same struggle" (for more Legislature-related posts, see Paul Rolly, Out of Context, Utah Taxpayer, Simple Utah Mormon Politics, UAC Blog, Lincoln's Legislative Blog, Davis Didjeridu, Jen's Green Journal, Dee's 'Dotes, and The World, According to Me).... SLCSpin notes: "Mayor [Peter] Corroon has apparently been returning phone calls to angry RSL fans who ring his office to voice their opinions of him. At least one fan on bigsoccer was surprised to get a call from the Mayor who listened to the guy's rant in person and then explained his decision to not back RSL with public money" (see also Part of the Plan).... At National Review’s The Corner, Mark Steyn says of Mitt Romney's shifted position on abortion: "A pro-life candidate who was previously pro-choice could be a great asset and a better sell than someone who's been pro-life all along. Many people don't think about the issue terribly much and, if they do, accept the Democrat-Supreme Court-media framing of the issue as one of 'personal choice'. And, if you come at it from that end, the pro-life-all-along crowd can seem the ones who are doctrinaire and absolutist. It's entirely reasonable to have been pro-choice and to come to realize ... that the abortion crowd just wouldn't stop -- that from a 'woman's right to choose' to partial-birth infanticide to state-funded embryo farming -- isn't a slippery slope but a dive off the cliff. To see the 'individual right' of abortion as something not in the broader society's interest is also a plausible and compelling shift, given the demographic death spiral in Russia and other parts of Europe. Governor Romney needs to do quite a bit of work on his pitch in this field, but you shouldn't be holding it against the guy that he's changed his mind. If he means it, then that's great news for us: we're meant to be persuading people, aren't we? And, if he's just being opportunist, then even that is modestly encouraging."
Casual Friday
Outdoors Report
Bald Eagle Day
Utah's annual Bald Eagle Day will be held tomorrow, Feb. 3, at sites in central, northeastern and southwestern Utah. On the following Saturday, Feb. 10, viewing will be offered at two sites in northern Utah. Admission to Bald Eagle Day is free. Those who attend the Bald Eagle Day event at the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area will get an added treat: they can watch as Utah's newest license plate featuring a bald eagle is unveiled at a ceremony that begins at 10 a.m.
The most comfortable time to view eagles is late morning and early afternoon, when the temperature is the warmest and the visibility is the best. The warmer temperatures are especially important if you are bringing young children.
Visitors can expect to see eagles during the late morning and early afternoon but not as many as just before sundown, when eagles fly to trees to roost for the night. At most of the sites, the best time to see the greatest number of eagles is probably from 2 to 4 p.m.
Participants are reminded to dress warmly and wear waterproof boots if there is snow on the ground. Read more about Bald Eagle Day locations and events.
-- Tribune takes readers on moonlight hike at Jordanelle State Park
-- New gear unveiled at Outdoor Retailers Winter Market in the Morning News
-- Tribune cites the perks of night skiing at Utah resorts
-- Morning News on ski conditions in Utah and the nation
-- Discover a hidden in meadow in the Tribune’s Snowshoe Hike of the Week
-- Find out about upcoming events in the Morning News’ Outdoor Notes
-- Check out the Tribune’s Outdoor Notebook and Recreation Roundup for sports and recreation activities this week
-- For the latest wildlife news and information and the fishing report visit the DWR website
Weekend Events
New Films
-- Because I Said So: Rotten Tomatoes
-- The Messengers: Rotten Tomatoes
Concerts
-- Artemis String Quartet, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Browning Center, WSU, Ogden
-- BYU Deseret Piano Trio, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU, Provo, free
-- Origins Dance Company, through February 2, 7:30 p.m., SCERA Center for the Arts
--Workman Family, “Families Making Music,” Friday, 7:30 p.m., Assembly Hall, Temple Square, free
-- New American Philharmonic, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Roy High School, free; Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Browning Center, WSU, Ogden, $3.50/$4.50
-- Utah Symphony performs the “Swan Lake Suite,” Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m., Abravanel Hall
-- American Piano Duo, Del Parkinson and Jeffrey Shumway, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Assembly Hall, Temple Square, free
Theater
-- “Sideways Stories from Wayside School” through February 3, Youth Theatre at the U
-- “See How They Run” through Feb. 10, Hale Centre Theatre
-- “See How They Run” through Feb. 10, Terrace Plaza Playhouse
-- “A Thousand Clowns” through February 10, The Grand Theatre
-- “Aida” through February 17, Rodgers Memorial Theatre
-- “The Man With The Pointed Toes” through Feb. 17, Hale Center Theater Orem
-- “Nunsense A-Men” through Feb. 24, Desert Star Dinner Theatre
-- “Sexsting” through February 25, Salt Lake Acting Company
-- “Butch Cassidy & the Sunburnt Kid” through March 24, Desert Star Cabaret Theatre
Museum Exhibits
-- Nathan Thomas Jones: Scattered Shadows and Collected Light Exhibition through March 11, Lesleigh: Paris — City of Light Exhibition through March 11, Kimball Art Center, Park City
-- The Quiet Landscapes of William B. Post Exhibition through May 28, Museum of Art, Brigham Young University
-- Modern Utah Exhibition through March 10, New Narrative: Warhol, Stella, Marden, Fitzpatrick through March 17, Ascension Exhibition through March 17, Salt Lake Art Center
Et Cetera
-- Park City Winterfest 2007 through February 11
-- 16th Annual Winter Deaflympics through February 12, various venues in Salt Lake and Park City
-- Snowshoe with a Naturalist, Cottonwood Canyons Foundation, Saturdays and Sundays through March 25, free, reservations required
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