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The Week Ahead
Welcome to the sizzling month of July, and welcome to Independence Day week. Communities across the state will be holding July 4 celebrations, giving politicians plenty of opportunity to give patriotic speeches and ride in parades.
Utah Policy Daily will take off the Wednesday, July 4, holiday. We’ll publish the rest of the week, but Thursday’s and Friday’s editions may not include all of our usual features.
Monday Musing
Do-Nothing Congress Signals Need For Federalism Reform
With the failure of comprehensive immigration reform, the U.S. Congress has, once again, demonstrated that it has no capacity to solve the nation’s most pressing problems.
Thanks to raging partisanship, political grandstanding, and perhaps something more fundamental, Congress has shown itself entirely inept at resolving big issues like the health care/insurance crisis, the Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid/entitlements crisis, the energy independence crisis, and the tax complexity/tax reform crisis. And now add the immigration crisis to the list of failures. Nothing new, nothing innovative, is happening at the federal level.
National polls show Congress has an approval rating even lower than the president’s, and deservedly so. Someone once said that Congress can only do two things: Overreact and nothing. It overreacts on minor matters where political hay is to be made like the U.S. attorney firings, and does nothing on the big issues facing the country.
Our congressional representatives, all of them, Republican and Democrat, every senator, every representative, should be embarrassed.
In one sense, it may be good that Congress is gridlocked on these big issues. At least they’re not making things worse, which is always a real danger. The country may be better off with a do-nothing Congress.
And perhaps there is something more basic going on here. Perhaps Congress shouldn’t be dealing with some of these issues in the first place. As we celebrate the birthday of our country this week, we ought to remember that the founders never intended the federal government to grow as big, as pervasive or as expensive as it is today. They didn’t intend it to take over nearly every government program impacting every aspect of life as it has today.
They intended sovereign states to be the laboratories of democracy where most governmental functions were centered. They expected the national government to be limited to a few specific things, delegated by the Constitution, and to do those few things well. Perhaps congressional overreaching over many decades is a root cause of federal failure today.
Unfortunately, we can’t turn back the clock. But perhaps a solution to federal gridlock is a sorting out of governmental functions with significant funding and power turned back to the states where problems can still be solved.
It could start with state legislatures all over the country passing resolutions that would do two things: 1. Communicate a no-confidence vote in the U.S. Congress. 2. Call for meaningful federalism reform. If enough states passed such a resolution, reprinted in full-page ads in newspapers all over the country, it might get the attention of Congress.
Washington Watch
Hatch Plan Saves $$
The RAND Corporation concludes that a plan supported by Sen. Orrin Hatch to procure 60 F-22A Raptors over the next three years through a multi-year contract, rather than buy them year by year, will save taxpayers as much as $411 million (see press release).
Bennett Requests Approved
The Senate Appropriations Committee approves the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, which includes over $84 million for Utah projects requested by Sen. Bob Bennett (see press release); the Appropriations Committee approves a spending bill that includes Bennett's request for over $2 million for new space technology, juvenile outreach programs, and funding to eradicate methamphetamine production in the Uintah Basin (press release).
Today in Political History
July 2, 1881: President James Garfield is shot by Charles Guiteau. Garfield dies Sept. 19, 1881.
July 2, 1932: President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces a "New Deal" for the American people. (Source: perspicuity)
July 2, 1937: Aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappear over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first round-the-world flight at the equator. (Source: New York Times)
Wise Words
“What is it that affectionate parents require of their Children; for all their care, anxiety, and toil on their accounts? Only that they would be wise and virtuous, Benevolent and kind.”
--Abigail Adams (Patriot Post)
Leadership Tip
Army Handbook on Leadership
Leadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people. There are normally three styles of leadership (U.S. Army Handbook, 1973):
-- Authoritarian or autocratic
-- Participative or democratic
-- Delegative or Free Reign
Although good leaders use all three styles, with one of them normally dominant, bad leaders tend to stick with one style. Participative (democratic) leadership involves the leader including one or more employees in on the decision making process (determining what to do and how to do it). However, the leader maintains the final decision making authority. Using this style is not a sign of weakness, rather it is a sign of strength that your employees will respect.
This is normally used when you have part of the information, and your employees have other parts. Note that a leader is not expected to know everything -- this is why you employ knowledgeable and skillful employees. Using this style is of mutual benefit -- it allows them to become part of the team and allows you to make better decisions. (Read more: NW Link)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- New York Times: "[The immigration reform] bill's demise may have greatly damaged the [GOP's] ability to meet its enduring goal of attracting a large percentage of the growing number of Hispanic voters -- thousands of whom are ostensibly in line with the party on a host of other issues, said many Republican lawmakers, consultants and Hispanic voters" (see also related Linda Chavez column).
-- Boston Globe: "The US Supreme Court decision last week loosening rules on political advertising could significantly alter the 2008 presidential race by allowing a torrent of well-funded TV spots targeting specific candidates, according to campaign finance specialists, political analysts, and interest groups."
-- In Wall Street Journal interview, Rudy Giuliani "makes his case to be Reagan's heir."
-- Washington Post: "When Bill Clinton joins his wife for their first major joint campaign appearances [Monday], the former president is planning to play the role of 'biographer in chief,' telling 'the story' of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton -- and directing some of his high-wattage charisma toward her. But can the former president keep from stealing the show?"
Lighter Side
“Tensions, fears arise as traffic reporters threaten statewide strike.” Check out The Sugar Beat. |
