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Utah Foundation: School Funding Up
The Utah Foundation has released a new research report that updates its estimate of Utah's public education funding effort and provides historical perspective on education funding levels. The report finds that, after about ten years of decline, the Legislature has increased state funding effort for public education in the most recent two state budgets (see press release).
Procurement Symposium
The Governor's Office of Economic Development is hosting its second annual procurement symposium this Oct. 18 in the South Towne Expo Center. The symposium's purpose is to help Utah businesses get into government contracting. According EDCUtah's Economic Review newsletter, Utah prime and subcontracting companies are currently selling $1.9 billion per year in government and military contracts, but the potential is there to add in excess of $3 billion more. Read more in EDCUtah's newsletter.
Washington Watch
Hatch, Bennett: ICBM Bill
Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett introduce legislation that "would require the Secretary of Defense to develop a strategy to maintain a national industrial base capable of replacing, maintaining and modernizing our Minuteman III missile fleet until after 2030. Major components of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are constructed at a variety of locales throughout Utah, and depot maintenance on land-based ICBMs is performed at Hill Air Force Base" (see press release).
Cannon: We're Winning in Iraq
Rep. Chris Cannon says of the testimony of Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker: "General Petraeus' assessment ... made clear that we are fighting Al Qaeda, and winning, in Iraq. Ambassador Crocker correctly reminded all of us that 'freedom' in Iraq is a recent achievement and to compare institutions of democracy in Iraq to other free nations is unfair and counterproductive. Retreat and disengagement is not in America's interest, nor is it a legitimate solution. Today's testimony demonstrated clearly that freedom can win in Iraq if we have the will" (see press release).
Today in Political History
Sept. 12, 1953: Nikita Khrushchev becomes the 1st Secretary of USSR Communist Party. (Source: Spartacus)
Sept. 12, 1958: U.S. Supreme Court orders Little Rock Arkansas Central High School to integrate.
Sept. 12, 1974: Boston race riots result from forced busing of school children. (Source: Perspicuity)
Sept. 12, 1977: South African black student leader Steven Biko dies while in police custody, triggering an international outcry. (New York Times)
Wise Words
“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.”
-- Cesare Beccaria, On Crimes and Punishment, quoted by Thomas Jefferson in Commonplace Book (Source: The Patriot Post)
Campaign Tip
What Do People “See” In You?
An old study done by UCLA found 55% of what you communicate is done visually. In other words, more than half of what you communicate to people comes from what they see, NOT the words you use or how you use those words (i.e. volume, rate, pitch, tone). Other studies say we make 80-150 judgments about a person in the first 15 seconds we see them (so much for “don’t judge a book by its cover”). What’s this mean to you? Your demeanor, and how you dress on the campaign trail and in your campaign photos, are more important than you might think. Read the entire article at Campaign Hot Tips.
National Politics
Best Stories From …
-- The Politico: "Few audiences listened more attentively to Monday's testimony by Army Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker than the 2008 presidential field. And few audiences had more riding on what the two men said."
-- Los Angeles Times: "With his proposal to end the troop 'surge' by next summer, the top U.S. commander in Iraq may have upended the debate in the Capitol, causing both parties to recalibrate their positions."
-- Washington Post: "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton announced [Monday] night that she will return $850,000 in campaign donations solicited by Normsn Hsu, severing ties with a top fundraiser who was jailed last week after attempting to flee from criminal charges in California."
-- New York Times: "Republican voters say Rudolph W. Giuliani has strong leadership qualities, and they associate him closely with his handling of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but those impressions have not translated into a substantial advantage over his party's other presidential candidates when it comes to who can best fight terrorism, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll."
Blog Watch
-- At Out of Context, Robert Gehrke notes that former SLC Mayor Deedee Corradini correctly predicted SLC mayoral candidate Dave Buhler's victory in Tuesday's primary: "'I think Buhler will come out and either (Rep. Ralph) Becker or (Jenny) Wilson,' Corradini said. She said she's seen it happen before, where Democratic competitors split the vote in the city and a Republican survives the primary. 'I just have felt that a Republican would come out, even though it's a non-partisan election,' Corradini said."
-- Tim Beagley says: "Brace yourself Utah. The Voucher Media Battles are underway. There likely will be no prisoners taken as both sides appear ready to die on their respective swords over this one. Too bad. In the end this will prove to be one of the biggest duds in recent memory and when the dust finally settles (long about the year 2015) it will be easy to see that nothing was accomplished. Win or lose, vouchers or not, the troubled schools in Utah will not improve."
Lighter Side
First law of economics: For every economist, there exists an equal and opposite economist.
Second law of economics: They’re both wrong. (The Economist's Joke Book, by Jeff Thredgold) |
