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Fund of Funds Explained
The second installment in a series of articles about the Utah Fund of Funds, one of the state’s most significant pieces of economic development legislation in recent years, has been posted on the Fund of Funds web site. In this series, the program is described by Jeremy Neilson, managing director of the Utah Fund of Funds, and Kimball Thomson of Next Phase Communications, a spokesperson for the program. This second installment describes the program’s structure and financing.
Volunteer for a Board
The Salt Lake Chamber is launching a campaign to come up with 1,000 names in 100 days of people qualified to serve on various boards and commissions of government agencies. The campaign kicks off today at a 10:30 a.m. press conference at the Business to Business Expo in the Salt Palace. Chamber President/CEO Lane Beattie, along with Boards and Commissions Committee Chair DeeDee Corradini, and Matthew Wilson, representing small business, will explain the need to develop a pool of willing and capable people to serve on the more than 400 appointed boards and commissions in state, Salt Lake County, and Salt Lake City governments. The voice of business needs to be strengthened in public affairs, says a Chamber press release, and many of these boards make critical decisions impacting Utah business.
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- Washington Post: Pres. Bush says his confidence in Alberto Gonzales "has grown as a result of the attorney general's testimony last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, as the administration moved to end speculation that Gonzales would step down after a performance criticized by senators in both parties."
-- Chicago Sun-Times: Columnist Tom Bevan says the '08 presidential candidates have to adjust to the "HD-effect" of new media technologies like YouTube: "In the same way the technology behind HDTV has made the picture on our television screens so clear we can now see the tiniest details, so does technology magnify every mistake by the current group of presidential hopefuls. It used to be a candidate could get by with sloppy language, a silly remark or a contradictory statement every now and then. Not any more. Today every utterance, no matter how small or insignificant, finds its way into the media bloodstream."
-- New York Times: A significant number of black elected officials who only a few months ago backed Hillary Clinton for president "now say they are undecided about whether to back Mrs. Clinton or one of her main rivals for the Democratic nomination, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the only black politician in the race. The officials described themselves as impressed with the strength of Mr. Obama's campaign in recent weeks, saying it reflected a grass-roots enthusiasm for Mr. Obama that many noticed among black voters in their own districts. And that could signal trouble for Mrs. Clinton, forcing her to devote precious attention to her home state, where blacks made up 20 percent of the Democratic primary vote in 2004, just as she has had to scramble to keep black support nationwide."
Today in Political History
April 25, 1945: United States and Soviet forces link up on the Elbe River, in central Europe, a meeting that dramatized the collapse of Nazi Germany. (Source: New York Times)
April 25, 1993: 300,000 gay, lesbian, transgender, and allied activists march in Washington, D.C. demanding freedom from discrimination. (Source: NBC5)
Wise Words
“A nation which has forgotten the quality of courage which in the past has been brought to public life is not as likely to insist upon or regard that quality in its chosen leaders today -- and in fact we have forgotten.”
-- John F. Kennedy
Campaign Tip
What to Do When Tragedy Strikes
By Mark Montini
In just the last six years, I’ve worked with campaigns that have been affected by a school shooting, the death of our opponent, the death of our opponent’s husband, the death of our opponent’s mother, and our opponent’s underage son getting arrested for DUI and drug possession. Each situation had its own set of unique circumstances and sensitivities. Each required a unique strategy. Despite the unique situation and strategies, though, there were three common principles we applied to each situation that served the campaigns well.
Principle #1: Suspend campaigning. When a true tragedy strikes during a political campaign, you must immediately stop your public campaign activities in respect to those impacted by the tragedy. Pull down all your television and radio ads. Stop any direct mail campaigns. Cancel all telemarketing campaigns. And seriously consider canceling all of your public appearances as well.
I say “public” campaign activities, because you can and should continue all of the non-public, behind-the-scenes work campaigns require. The key is that you don’t do anything that could, even momentarily or accidentally, interfere with people’s focus on dealing with and recovering from the tragedy. (Read entire tip at Campaign Hot Tips)
Sierra Club Legislative Scorecards
The Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club has posted its 2007 scorecards for Utah representatives and senators and an analysis of how the 2007 Legislature "affected the environment."
Blog Watch
-- The Senate Site reports: "There's been just a little confusion in the Deseret Morning News and the blog world over who will draft the ballot title language for the voucher referendum. By law, that job falls to the non-partisan attorneys in the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel. They take this responsibility seriously. No legislator or partisan staffer will even see their draft until sometime after April 30, when they send the ballot title language to the Lt. Governor's Office. At that time, we expect nothing more or less than ballot question language that is an impartial and accurate summary of what the referendum will do" (for more on the voucher issue, see Simple Utah Mormon Politics and KVNU's For The People).
-- At New West, Tracy Medley says of the upcoming anti-Dick Cheney "BYU Alternative Commencement": "Whatever quaint notions folks like to harbor about Utah and Utahns -- we've got chutzpa. Whatever side of the issue a Utahn is on -- they're on it -- with bells on. Bells, whistles, megaphones, microphones… you name the noisemaker and I'll point you to a Utahn with a point of view. After 12 years in Utah, I've finally made peace with the division and derision that takes place in this beautiful state -- because that which separates us is the essence of what makes us so distinctive, so unique and so cool. Yeah, you read correctly -- I said cool. ... The tie that binds Utahns together is passion; admirable grit and willful fortitude to stand up for what you believe in, however different or unpopular. While Utah provides its own sometimes-unfair share of ridiculous fodder -- it is, at its best a place where people live passionately, if not always peacefully."
-- Paul Rolly reports: "Former First Lady Barbara Bush, in an interview with Larry King Live that will be broadcast on CNN tonight, seems to be complimenting presidential candidate Mitt Romney, in her own special way. As reported on CNN.com, Mrs. Bush was asked if voters should be weary of Romney being a Mormon. 'Not at all,' she said. She added that there are 'wild people' in many religions. 'I mean it was in 1897 that bigamy was outlawed in that church.' (Actually, it was 1890 that the church banned polygamy). She added: 'You know we have a lot of Christian wild people too, and a lot of Jewish wild people and a lot of Muslim wild people. The Mormon religion takes care of its own, they don't have people on welfare.'"
Lighter Side
Yesterday’s Washington Post Dilbert cartoon. |
