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Fly the Flag Today
Today is Flag Day and also the 232nd birthday of the United States Army. Patriot Post. has a nice essay: “Our Flag is a beacon for liberty, a symbol of hope for all people who ‘hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed …’”
Click here for links at Patriot Post about the history of the flag, and flag etiquette and protocol.
Solid Economy Ahead
Utah economist Jeff Thredgold’s Tea Leaf economic update this week offers a “Summertime View” of current economic conditions, including the U.S. economy, the global economy, the federal budget, employment, inflation, the Federal Reserve, interest rates, and home prices. Bottom line: “U.S. economic performance is likely to return to a more solid pace, following sluggish first quarter growth. In addition, we expect: a declining budget deficit…tighter labor availability…modest inflation pressures…relative stability in both short- and long-term interest rates…soft coastal housing markets, with more solid interior performance…and an anxious but impressive global marketplace.”
Sierra Club Mayoral Questionnaire
The Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club recently queried the six SLC mayoral candidates about their environmental priorities and posts their responses here.
Washington Watch
Hatch: Step Closer to 4th Seat
Sen. Orrin Hatch hails the approval by a Senate committee of a bill he's co-sponsoring that would grant Utah a fourth congressional seat. Says Hatch: "The Senate took an important step today in bringing Utah a fourth seat in Congress. The broad, bipartisan support for this bill raises my hopes that we'll be able to pass this bill through the full Senate. This was a victory for democracy and a victory for bipartisanship" (see press release and related Washington Post story).
Cannon Amendment Defeated
A congressional committee defeats an amendment to HR 2337 introduced by Rep. Chris Cannon that would have struck a provision creating obstacles to oil shale and tar sands development in Utah and the West. Says Cannon: "Environmental hysteria never lit one light bulb or heated a home. Evidently, $3.00 gasoline is not high enough for Democrats. Oil Shale development in Utah is not only a matter of consumer protection and state's rights. In a post 9/11 world, the need to develop our own sources of oil is also a matter of national security. [Wednesday's] vote was irresponsible. When this bill comes to the floor of the House, I will continue to work so Utahns can responsibly develop our own natural resources" (see press release).
Today in Political History
June 14, 1954: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill into law adding the words "under God" to the United States' Pledge of Allegiance (Source: NBC5)
June 14, 1777: Congress approves the U.S. flag with 13 bars and 13 stars -- representing the 13 states. (Source: perspicuity)
Wise Words
"Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth."
-- Pres. Franklin Roosevelt, in a 1939 radio address
Utah Trivia
The Great Salt Lake: Area, 1,060,000 acres; Average elevation, 4,200 ft.; Highest elevation ever (1986) 4,211.85 ft.; Lowest elevation ever (1963) 4,191 ft.
National Politics
Best Stories From …
-- Washington Post: "In a rare visit to Capitol Hill, President Bush pressed Republican senators [Tuesday] to resurrect the compromise overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, but many of the senators instead demanded that his administration first show a more determined commitment to border security. ... Although senators described the meeting as cordial, even jovial, they also said the president's efforts to rally GOP support did not win any converts."
-- Bloomberg: "Most Americans support central elements of the legislation overhauling U.S. immigration laws the Senate shelved last week after it failed to gain sufficient support from lawmakers. A new Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll shows that at least a plurality of Americans backs the two most contentious provisions of the bill, a proposal to offer 12 million undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship and the creation of a guest-worker program. Of a third provision -- a point system for immigrants based on professional qualifications -- many say they don't have enough information to have an opinion."
-- Los Angeles Times: Columnist Ron Brownstein: "After watching Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) juggle pointed questions before nearly 1,000 union members here [in Detroit] Saturday, it was easy to imagine how she might pull away from her rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination. But it was also possible to see how she might stumble on the way. Clinton's performance at the town hall meeting ... was solid but not gripping. She sounded expert on some answers but evasive on others. And she didn't erase all doubts. Yet most people in the crowd were impressed -- in ways that suggest Clinton's early lead in the polls rests on a solid foundation of confidence in her qualifications."
-- The Politico: "Fred Thompson has had a relatively easy ride as he has flirted with a bid for the Republican presidential nomination. ... But the ride is starting to get a bit bumpy. Opponents and their researchers have begun working -- mostly behind the scenes -- to highlight perceived soft spots in his conservative bona fides" (see also related The Hill editorial).
Blog Watch
-- Washington Post's Mary Ann Akers reports: "From the way Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) looked afterward, you'd have thought that President Bush's very rare face-to-face meeting on Capitol Hill today with Senate Republicans had erupted into a bloody brawl. After Bush's closed-door 11th-hour appeal to rescue his immigration overhaul policy (and, thus, his domestic legacy), the Sleuth saw Bennett walking down the hall on the first floor of the Capitol looking dazed with blood trickling down his forehead. The tall, lanky senator dabbed his forehead as a police officer escorted him in the direction of the infirmary. Wow, we thought, they really went at it in there! We fantasized that the weekly GOP policy luncheon had devolved into saloon-style mayhem, with the menu of Cod, chicken filet and tough green beans flying every which way. Poor Senator Bennett, he must have gotten whacked by a chair leg, or maybe a Texas or even a Wyoming fist. 'Nothing that exciting,' Bennett's spokeswoman, Emily Christensen, told us. Turns out, Bennett, 73, had a fight with a sidewalk instead. When he left the luncheon and walked outside 'he had a confrontation with the sidewalk and the sidewalk won, unfortunately,' Christensen said. Bennett was patched up in the Capitol attending physician's office and was sent on his way 'to a busy afternoon of meetings.'"
Lighter Side
Best of Late Night Humor
Conan O’Brien: “There’s a new rumor that Senator Hillary Clinton recently had some plastic surgery done. Friends of Hillary deny the rumor and say, ‘Believe it or not, that’s her natural forced smile’.”
David Letterman: “Top President Bush Global Warming Solutions”: Instead of “Partly sunny,” have weatherman say “Partly cloudy”; Stop using Air Force One for Texas barbecue runs; Replace dangerous CO2 in the atmosphere with more eco-friendly CO1; Encourage people to walk more by distributing free Dr. Scholl massaging gel inserts. Are you gellin’?; Bob Barker’s free. Get him workin’ on it; Reduce hot air emissions by canceling “The View.”
Jay Leno: Paris Hilton is back in jail today. You know what that means: Your cards and letters made a difference! ... The government now says it now takes about 12 weeks for an American to get a passport now. A three-month waiting list if you want to get out of the country. But of course to get into the country there’s no wait at all; you just walk across. ... A cyclone packing huge winds of up to 200 mph has hit the Persian Gulf oil fields. Iranian officials announced today they are still trying to figure out how to blame this on the Jews. ... Leaders from the eight wealthiest countries in the world gathered in Germany for what they call the G8 Summit. The G8 was created in 1975 to give Europeans who aren’t into soccer something to riot about. |
Thursday