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The Week Ahead
It’s a rather slow political week, but this time of year should be slow. All politics, all the time, isn’t healthy for anyone, especially during March Madness. Gov. Jon Huntsman will be signing bills this week. His deadline to sign or veto legislation is March 20. For the week’s other political events, see the Utah Policy Daily calendar.
Utah’s Two Voucher Bills
A lot of confusion exists about Utah’s two voucher bills and whether repealing one of them via the referendum process would still leave the program intact. A good discussion of the issue can be found on the Senate Site blog. Read also the comments.
 Monday Political Profile
John Valentine: A Steady Hand Leading the Senate
By Greg Jarrard
Many Utahns wouldn’t recognize the president of the Utah Senate if they bumped into him. He could easily pass for the 50-ish successful attorney that he is and not turn a head.
But, two Utah County teens did recognize him one night not long ago as the lean state senator ordered up a cold, cholesterol-laden dairy treat at a local creamery.
“That’s the guy,” one boy said to his friend as they walked over to Sen. John Valentine and his wife Karen and offered two friendly handshakes.
They weren’t members of the local Young Republicans or two teens concerned about education funding or tax relief. They were just grateful to be alive and wanted to thank the gentleman who lowered them to safety off a rocky ledge above Provo Canyon’s Bridal Veil Falls.
Among his many interests and pursuits, the president of the Utah Senate is also a lieutenant in the Utah County Search and Rescue team. He’s been performing death-defying acts in Utah’s rugged back country since 1980, longer than he’s been shaking hands and kissing babies as a Republican politician.
Senator Valentine admits that late-night calls to grab his gear and head up the canyon are more likely to keep him awake at night than calls from angry constituents. But, it’s a balancing act.
That evening in Provo Canyon, he rappelled down to where the boys were stranded in order to lower them to the ground. They latched on to him like drowning men. And to complicate matters, his ropes were too short to get them to safety. So, he had to have other members of the team above him undo the ropes and drop them down to him. Then, one teen at a time, he lowered them to a ledge a few yards below before joining them to complete the feat one more time before he could return home and dream of balancing a multi-billion dollar state budget.
It seems like an odd pastime for a tax attorney trained as an accountant and economist and who spends two-plus months a year attending to the state’s biggest issues. As he explains it, it all has been a rather accidental journey.
“My foray into politics began on that day many of us refer to as ‘Black Monday.’ It was during a legislative session in 1987 when the Reagan tax breaks and Utah’s tax code collided to create a ‘perfect storm’ that threatened to reduce revenue, leading lawmakers to believe a tax increase was necessary and giving Utahns a double hit,” Valentine explained. “I called my state representative to explain how it wasn’t necessary to raise taxes; we could grow our way out of it. Any shortfall would be temporary, but nobody would listen.”
His frustration led him to file for an open House seat in 1988 when Rep. Craig Peterson filled an empty slot in the Utah Senate. Valentine faced a tough primary but surprised everyone — including himself — and won. Then, in November, he beat a popular Democrat and former Orem High School principal, again unexpectedly. He got the news at 3 a.m. from a Deseret News reporter asking for his comments about his victory. His response: “I won?” (To read entire profile, click here.)
Washington Watch
Hatch Seeks Land Swap
Sen. Orrin Hatch introduces legislation "to allow Garfield County's successful Turn-About Ranch to secure 25 acres of land that Congress inadvertently conferred to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 1999." Says Hatch: "The Turn-About Ranch helps rehabilitate troubled teens. This bill would take the ranch out of the legal limbo Congress put them in so its leaders can focus their full attention on helping at-risk kids" (see press release).
Today in Political History
March 12, 1933: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivers the first radio “fireside chat” on the banking crisis (Source: National Journal 2007 Calendar of American Politics).
Wise Words
“Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears, to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty’s lamp guiding your steps and opportunity’s arm steadying your way. My fondest hope for each one of you—and especially for the young people here—is that you will love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism. May each of you have the heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, and the hand to execute works that will make the world a little better for your having been here. May all of you as Americans never forget your heroic origins, never fail to seek divine guidance and never lose your natural, God-given optimism. And finally, my fellow Americans, may every dawn be a great new beginning for America and every evening bring us closer to that shining city upon a hill.”
-- Ronald Reagan, 1922 (Source: Patriot Post)
National Politics
The Youth Vote
National Journal’s latest cover story takes an in-depth look at college student voting and concludes that candidates ignore young people at their peril. Voters aged 18-21 had double-digit percentage point gains in 2004.
In his OpinionJournal.com column, John Fund writes that public-sector lobbyists lavish gifts on congressmen and their staffers, and the practice is perfectly legal.
Blog Watch
-- At The Senate Site, Senate President John Valentine says: "When beliefs are heartfelt the temptation to demonize opponents can be very strong. This is especially true in the final weeks of a hotly contested vote. But the voucher debate seems to be heating up early. We're probably 20 months away from a public referendum and the discussion already seems to be devolving. ... I sincerely believe that less contention makes it easier to see the truth of an issue. Careful deliberative discussion makes for better policy decisions. The Education Voucher debate could be the best policy discussion we've ever had -- or it could be the bloodiest political civil war in Utah's history. It's our choice" (for more on the voucher issue, see Intercepts, Utah State Democratic Party, Education in Utah, SLCSpin, and The Utah Amicus).
-- Frank Staheli praises Gov. Huntsman for signing HB 236 (see also SLCSpin).
-- At Out of Context, Heather May reports: "Doug Wright, a 'good friend' to every guest on his eponymous KSL Newsradio show, has asserted himself into the Hannity-Rocky smackdown. The host is considering moderating the debate between his 'friends' -- right-wing commentator Sean Hannity and left-wing Mayor Rocky Anderson -- now that Hannity has challenged and Anderson has accepted the chance for a live debate in Salt Lake City about the Iraq war and Anderson's call for President Bush's impeachment."
-- Article VI Blog reviews Hugh Hewitt's new book, A Mormon in the White House? Ten Things Every American Should Know About Mitt Romney (for more on Romney, see The Spinozist Mormon, Bluey Blog, and The Politico). |
