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CPPA Newsletter
The University of Utah's Center for Public Policy & Administration has posted its latest Policy Perspectives newsletter. This month's edition features the second of a four part series on Utah's economy and takes a look at how much employees are earning at Utah nonprofits, among other things.
Washington Watch
Hatch: No to Withdrawl
Sen. Orrin Hatch says of the Senate's passage of a war spending bill that includes a timetable for withdrawal of troops from Iraq: "Too many Senators seem to be worried about winning the 2008 election when we should be working to win the Iraq war. Look, we all want to bring our troops home, but the reality is that the challenges in Iraq will likely not be resolved so easily. So we shouldn't kid ourselves that withdrawing our troops suddenly will make things better. We all know that if we pull out our troops prematurely, Iraq would be a failed state offering a safe haven for terrorists" (see press release); Hatch condemns "efforts by Senate Democrats to rob American workers of several key rights, including the right to a secret vote when deciding whether or not unionize. [Thursday] Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) introduced the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (S. 1041) in the Senate, a few weeks after the House of Representatives passed a similar bill. A purely partisan bill, S. 1041 has no Republican cosponsors. Hatch vows to fight the bill aggressively" (press release).
Bennett to Host Conference
Sen. Bob Bennett, in conjunction with the Utah Rural Development Council, will host the Sixth Annual Rural Business Conference this year at Utah State University in Logan on May 30 and 31. Says Bennett: "Held in a different rural community each year since 2002, this conference has addressed the challenges and highlighted the successes of Utah's rural entrepreneurs. Once again, we will focus on how small businesses in Utah's small towns can expand their markets, attract new customers, and grow from within" (see press release).
Cannon Blasts Budget
Rep. Chris Cannon says of the House's passage of the Congressional Budget for the U.S. Government for Fiscal Year 2008: "The voters sent a message in 2006 that should have been loud and clear. Spending is out of control and they want the problem solved. Raising taxes on hard working Americans while the federal budget balloons is not the solution they voted for. Reducing taxes has fueled unprecedented economic growth and this budget would not only put the brakes on this economic success, it would only make an already bloated federal government bigger. Washington does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem."
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- Los Angeles Times: Editorial warns Congress not to assume the role of commander in chief by trying to micromanage the Iraq War.
-- The Hill: Columnist Byron York tries to "make sense of the non-scandalous" in the U.S. attorneys affair.
-- USA Today: Hillary Clinton "has no more enthusiastic supporter than her husband in her bid to be the first female president. He is putting his strategic skills, fundraising clout and fabled charisma to work for her as the pair build a campaign juggernaut designed to crush her Democratic rivals. The possibility of Bill Clinton returning to the White House he left six years ago raises some questions that are far touchier than whether Americans are ready for a 'first gentleman.' As an ex-president, how much influence would he have in his wife's administration? Will memories of the Monica Lewinsky scandal haunt Hillary Clinton's campaign and drive away voters? What's the status of the Clintons' marriage -- and does it matter?"
-- TIME: Because of the problems plaguing the Bush Administration, "it's taken almost as a given among the professional political class that the 2008 Presidential election is the Democrats' to lose. Republicans are so morose in general, and conservatives so unhappy with their current field of candidates, that the assumption of a Democratic advantage has become bipartisan. ... So why, in poll after poll, including the new TIME poll, does that advantage seem to disappear whenever voters are asked to pick a President in hypothetical head-to-head matchups among front-runners with solid name recognition? In our poll, Hillary Clinton loses to John McCain, 42%-48%, and to Rudy Giuliani 41%-50%. Even though Clinton maintains a 7% edge over [Barack] Obama among Democratic respondents, Obama fares better in the general election matchups. It's so close that it's a statistical dead heat, but Obama still loses: 43%-45% to McCain, 44%-45% to Giuliani."
Lighter Side
JibJab has a new video about the dumbing down of the news. Go to this page and click on What We Call the News. (Thanks to Peter Watkins for the tip.)
Blog Watch
-- Holly Mullen offers some observations about the controversy surrounding V.P. Dick Cheney's upcoming speech at BYU.
-- At Out of Context, Dan Harrie reports: "We made the rounds to Utah's U.S. House delegation Wednesday to talk about fair and balanced coverage of their offices. An exchange with Rep. Jim Matheson, Utah's lone Democrat in office, was revealing. In inviting the politician to freely contact The Tribune in case of erroneous or disputed reporting, we cited as an example of our human foibles this recent front-page tease: 'Matheson joins his GOP colleagues in House, votes against bill' to set a 2008 troop withdrawal date from Iraq. The conservative Matheson shrugged it off with a smile, making clear he wasn't particularly interested in a correction. He said he was OK with the tease. He stopped short of asking permission to use it in his next re-election campaign in his Republican-leaning district."
-- At The Corner, Kathryn Jean Lopez says: "I just got in front of a Tv for the first time today and Wolf Blitzer is telling me -- with text backup -- that Kyle Sampson is Mormon. Kyle Sampson is Mormon. And 'very religious.' Now all is clear. We've been asking for weeks now: How could the Bush administration possibly handle this non-scandal so badly? Simple. The Mormon Church is behind it. It's all part of the conspiracy to make Mitt Romney -- he's Mormon, you know -- president of the United States. We'll all eventually have to become Mormon, of course ... but that's steps ahead yet. First, that non-Mormon Hispanic AG has to go."
Casual Friday
Fishing Report
-- Lake Powell will offer excellent bass and stripper bass fishing during the next few weeks. Fish are primed to become very active during the next period of warm, stable weather, and that should happen next week. Smallmouth and largemouth will be shallow, on or near spawning beds. Striped bass are still near the backs of canyons but will soon be moving toward the dam and other spawning areas.
-- The Green, Provo and other streams will offer very good fly fishing. Midge and BWO patterns will work on top and standard nymphs will produce consistent action with fished near the bottom. Fish mid-week to avoid the crowds.
-- See Dave Webb's fishing report for more details.
Outdoors Report
-- Volunteers relocate bugs for Logan River fish in the Tribune
-- Morning News combines winter and summer fun in one day
-- Burning invasive plants on the shores of the Great Salt Lake in the Morning News
-- Tribune covers mountain unicycling fest in Moab and the history of the sport
-- Morning News provides race information for cyclists
-- 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
New Films
-- The Lookout: Rotten Tomatoes
-- Blades of Glory: Rotten Tomatoes
Concerts
-- “Messiah,” benefit concert for Annual Humanitarian Heathcare Mission, Friday, 7 p.m., Peery's Egyptian Theater
-- BYU Jazz Ensemble, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU, Provo, free
-- Seventh International Harp Concert Series, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Libby Gardner Concert Hall, University of Utah
-- “Great Songs & Great Choruses,” Choral Arts Society of Utah, Friday, 8 p.m., Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
-- “Shut Up & Dance,” Odyssey Dance Theatre, Friday and Saturday 8 p.m.; also Saturday 2 p.m., Kingsbury Hall
-- “Cabaret of Fools,” Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company gala fund-raiser & auction, Saturday, 7 p.m., Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
-- Jubilate Invitational Choir Festival, Saturday, 7 p.m., Abravanel Hall
Theater
-- “Frozen” through March 31, Pygmalion Productions
-- “Lost In Yonkers” through March 31, Pioneer Theatre Company
-- “Steel Magnolias” through March 31, Springville Playhouse
-- “The Alienation Effekt” through April 1, Plan-B Theatre Company http://www.arttix.org/
-- “The Underpants” through April 1, Performing Arts Building, University of Utah
-- “Hamlet” through April 7, Pardoe Theatre, BYU
-- “Little Women, the Musical” through April 7, Hale Centre Theatre
-- “The Pirates of Penzance” through April 7, Terrace Plaza Playhouse
-- “Guys and Dolls” through April 14, Center Street Musical Theatre
-- “Lucky Stiff” through April 14, Hale Center Theater Orem
-- “The Sound of Music” through April 21, Rodgers Memorial Theatre
-- “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” through April 21, Empress Theatre
-- “Rounding Third” through April 22, Salt Lake Acting Company
-- “Phantom of the Grand Ol' Opry” through June 9, Desert Star Cabaret Theatre
Museum Exhibits
-- The 3rd Annual Arte Lation: A Celebration of Latino Art in Utah Exhibition, La Loteria: An Exploration of Mexico Exhibition, both exhibits run through April 20, Kimball Art Center
-- Resonance and Return: Social Documentary Photography, 1935-Present Exhibition through May 19, Salt Lake Art Center
-- From Above: Images of a Storied Land Exhibition through May 20, Utah Museum of Natural History, University of Utah
-- The Quiet Landscapes of William B. Post Exhibition through May 28, Museum of Art, Brigham Young University
-- Brian Kershisnik: Painting from Life Exhibition through July 1, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, University of Utah
Et Cetera
-- Park City Gallery Stroll, Friday, 6 – 9 p.m.
-- Repertory Dance Theatre Community School Open House, Saturday, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
-- Utah Fiber Celebration, through April 11, Utah Cultural Celebration Center |
