The Week Ahead
Week four of the Legislature starts today, and lawmakers hit the half-way point of the session on Tuesday. Check the Legislature’s web site for this week’s House and Senate schedules. See committee schedules and agendas at the calendar page. See the Utah Policy Daily calendar for all the week’s political events.
Media Watch
New Entertainment Channel: BudTV
The media world is changing incredibly fast, and everything is going on-line. Five years from now the lines between Traditional Media and New Media will be so blurred we won’t be able to tell one from the other. And the lines between TV, radio, newspapers and magazines will also be fuzzy. There will be thousands of “channels” covering all sorts of topics, but they will all deliver text, audio and video, both live and on-demand, over the Internet and in many other ways to all sorts of devices – computers, TV sets, radios, iPods, cell phones, PDAs, and even to old-fashioned paper.
Here’s a example of things to come: Anheuser-Busch is creating an on-line entertainment network called Bud.TV. The New York Times magazine published a lengthy article about Bud.TV. Other large corporations will also likely start their own on-line “channels” featuring a wide variety of information. Today, everyone can be a broadcaster/publisher and competition for eyeballs will become more fierce.
How to Campaign on the Web
The Internet has become a crucial campaign tool for raising money, connecting with voters, grassroots organizing, and a host of other things. Web Campaigning, a new book by Kirsten A. Foot and Steven M. Schneider has been published by MIT Press. Campaigns & Elections magazine says: “With the increased use of the Internet as part of political campaigns, Foot and Schneider analyze and track the development of campaign Web sites in the elections of 2000, 2002 and 2004. This book focuses on different components of Web campaigning, specifically, ways or techniques to improve how campaigns can inform, involve and connect with and mobilize potential voters. It also includes narratives about recent campaigns to illustrate examples the techniques in action.” You can purchase the book at Amazon.com.
National Politics
Realistic Focus on Fiscal Issues?
In his Washington Post column last week, David Broder says President Bush and the Democratic Congress may finally make a serious attempt to deal with the nation’s fiscal woes.
Today in Political History
Feb. 5, 1988: The Republican-controlled Arizona House of Representatives votes 46-14 to impeach GOP Gov. Evan Mecham. He becomes the seventh impeached governor in U.S. history. (Source: National Journal 2007 Calendar of American Politics)
Washington Watch
Matheson Joins Anti-Terrorism Caucus
Rep. Jim Matheson announces that he has joined the new Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus, "a bipartisan effort to educate Members of Congress and the public about the threat to the U.S. from extremism and jihadist terrorists" (see press release); Matheson says the new National Intelligence Estimate paints a grim picture of Iraq (press release).
Wise Words
“Truth is not determined by majority vote.”
-- Doug Gwyn (Source: Quote Garden)
UDOT Open House
UDOT is holding an open house Wednesday to discuss improvements to State Route 108 from West Haven to Syracuse. It will be from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Clinton Elementary School, 1101 W. 1800 North, Clinton (see press release).
Blog Watch
At Cato-at-Liberty, Andrew J. Coulson says: "[T]he Utah House of Representatives passed the nation's first universal school voucher bill (HB 148) in a nail-biting 38-37 vote. From what I hear coming out of Utah, it's going to pass the Senate ... and be signed by the governor. If it is signed into law, it will be an unprecedented step forward for educational freedom in this country. The media, as well as school choice advocates and critics, will be watching Utah intently to see what happens.... [T]his is a momentous day not just for Utah families, but for our entire nation. What Utah's legislature has figured out is that school choice is a much better way of fulfilling the promise of public education than is the one-size-fits-all factory school system we inherited from the 19th century" (for more on the voucher issue, see Paul Rolly, CoolestFamilyEver, Part of the Plan, Education in Utah, and Davis Didjeridu) (for more Legislature-related posts, see The Senate Site, Utah Democratic Caucus, Under The Dome, Out of Context, mullentown, The Utah Amicus, Simple Utah Mormon Politics, Lincoln's Legislative Blog, UAC Blog, and KVNU's For The People).... At Political Spyglass Mark Towner tells why he likes Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert and outlines how Herbert might become governor…. National talk radio host Michael Medved explains why Mitt Romney's presidential candidacy "won't be a referendum on Mormonism."
Utah’s Top Issues
With the Legislature underway, issues too numerous to list will be addressed. We will update this list as issues get hot and emerge to the top of the agenda. This list was generated by observing what’s hot in the news media, what’s on the agenda of various policymaking groups, and what’s being discussed among opinion leaders and policymakers. We welcome suggestions and input from UPD readers. E-mail daily@utahpolicy.com.
Hottest of the Hot
- Real soccer stadium funding
- School choice voucher legislation
- Education funding
- Utah’s 2008 budget and the big surplus
- House/Senate/Governor differences on tax cut/tax reform
- Transportation funding and tolling on highways
Emerging
- Teen driving bill
- School nurse shortage
- Education achievement gap of disadvantaged students
- Cyber-safety issues (cyber predators, child pornography, identity theft, Internet scams, etc.)
- Snake Valley water pumping for Las Vegas
- Minimum wage increase
Mature
- Downtown SLC massive construction
- Immigration
- Washington County land sales
- Open space funding
- Affordable heath insurance
Oldies But Goodies
- Ethics reform
- No Child Left Behind
- Healthcare reform/Medicaid
Avoid Parking Hassles at Capitol
The biggest complaint about the Utah Legislature has nothing to do with public policy or the character of lawmakers. It’s all about parking. Finding a parking spot near the Capitol complex is simply horrendous, especially with the cold weather. People are walking long distances and filling up side roads.
But there is an alternative to driving and hunting for a parking spot. The Capitol Preservation Board and Utah Transit Authority have collaborated to provide a circulator shuttle bus that runs about ever 15 minutes. Route 23 winds through most of downtown and to the Capitol, starting around 6 a.m. and ending about 6:30 p.m.
On the UTA Web site is found a route map and schedule for Route 23. TRAX riders can pick up the Route 23 bus near the Courthouse TRAX station between 4th and 5th South on Main Street. There are bus stops in various locations downtown.
Drivers can park free all day in the parking lot across from the Triad Building downtown (300 West South Temple) and catch the Route 23 shuttle there. It is the site of the 2002 Olympics Medal Plaza. You should communicate your intention to visit the Capitol to the parking lot attendant. |
