Utah Fund of Funds Overview

The Utah Fund of Funds, established by the state’s Legislature in 2003, is one of the state’s most significant pieces of economic development legislation in recent years. Over the following weeks, the program will be described in a series of articles by Jeremy Neilson, managing director of the Utah Fund of Funds, and spokesperson Kimball Thomson of Next Phase Communications. Read the first installment here.

National Politics

Best Stories From . . .

-- Sacramento Bee: Columnist Cal Thomas lists the reasons Fred Thompson should enter the '08 presidential race.

-- Washington Post: The first-quarter presidential fundraising results "crystallized two realities of this intensely fought election: The battle for each party's nomination is more open than it was just three months ago, and each contest pits three relatively well-funded candidates against one another, with the rest of the field at a disadvantage."

-- The Politico: "'Wide open' was the preferred phrase used by Iowa Republicans at the party's Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday to describe the party's presidential field. ... The tepid response of the 1,000 Iowa Republicans in attendance at the party's annual fundraiser and subsequent discussions with state party activists makes clear that the first-in-the-nation state mirrors the rest of the country in its uncertainty about the GOP's White House hopefuls, particularly those in the top tier."

Today in Political History

April 18, 1775:  Paul Revere rides to warn the British are coming. The War of American Independence begins. (Source:  perspicuity) 

April 18, 1978:  The U.S. Senate votes 68-32 to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control. Transfer of control occurred on Dec. 31, 1999. (Source:  NBC5) 

Wise Words

“Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.”

 -- Ronald Reagan (Source:  Quotations Page) 

Campaign Tip

Fundraising Gap or Bulge?

“Let’s start with the obvious:  Candidates hate to raise money.  They understand that it’s a necessity if they want to win, but they still hate doing it.  As a result, they tend to favor the fundraising tools with which they are most comfortable.

“For example, candidates with a sales background or a great personality tend to favor personal solicitation but shy away from tools like direct mail.  On the other hand, candidates who hate selling anything (let alone asking for money) tend to avoid personal solicitation and primarily use less-personal fundraising tools like direct mail. The desire to stay within your comfort zone is just human nature.  And, you can raise money effectively doing that – but only for a little while.” (Read entire Campaign Hot Tip)

Save the Date

Senate President John Valentine will host his annual Senate President's Fundraiser ("Valentines Day in May") at the McCune Mansion on the evening of Saturday, May 19. … The Utah House Republican Caucus will hold its annual "Bowlers Ball" on June 19 at 6:30 p.m.

Lighter Side

A life long supporter of the Labour party was lying on his death bed when he suddenly decided to join the Tory party.

"But why?" asked his puzzled friend, "You're Labour through and through… Why change now?"

The man learned forward and explained, "Well, I'd rather it was one of them that died and not one of us." (Source: Comedy Zone)

Blog Watch

-- At the Senate Site, Senate President John Valentine says: "I believe the unfolding story of the 21st century will largely be centered on China. ... We'd be dumb as rocks to neglect opportunities to learn more about our neighbor to the west. We need to build genuine friendships and a positive working relationship with our counterparts in the Middle Kingdom. I am sending a delegation of state senators to China in July. We'll keep you posted here on the Senate Site as events progress."

-- The New York Sun's Ryan Sager notes: "Normally, if you heard that a candidate's second-biggest state for campaign donations was Utah, you'd have to assume that this was not one of your bigger-dollar candidates. Of course, 2008 is no normal campaign. And the candidate in question is Mitt Romney. Just take a look at this state-by-state breakdown of Mr. Romney's fundraising, and one thing quickly jumps out at you ... The point is that while Massachusetts and Michigan money won't raise too many eyebrows, money from Utah only adds to Mr. Romney's 'Mormon problem.' His campaign claims that the Utah connection that matters is the Salt Lake City Olympics. But voters worried about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints influencing the governor aren't likely to take that at face value.