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Washington Watch
Hatch: Grants for Utah Parks
Sen. Orrin Hatch announces "that the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will award three grants to Arches and Zion National Parks, totaling more than $1 million, for critical Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public Lands projects" (see press release).
Cannon: Review Agents' Case
Rep. Chris Cannon joins Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in requesting that Attorney General Nominee Michael Mukasey "thoroughly review the case of Border Patrol Agents [Ignacio] Ramos & [Jose Alonso] Compean" (see press release); the House approves Cannon's Internet Tax Moratorium Extension (press release); Cannon votes for the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007, which would "protect the public's right to know by protecting reporters and their stories" (press release).
Chamber Honors Citizen Warriors
The Salt Lake Chamber's Military Affairs Committee will honor Utah’s Guard and Reserve at the Salt Lake Military Salute on Saturday, Oct. 20, 6-9:30 p.m. at the Little America Hotel, 500 South Main.
Lane Beattie, Chamber president and CEO, said the event is all about showing support for those who prove their love for the United States every day. “A recent letter to the editor lamented that some of the support people used to express for our military has dried up,” said Beattie. “Utah’s outstanding citizen/warriors deserve better. They need to know business appreciates and celebrates their efforts and sacrifices.”
This year’s keynote speaker is Maj. Gen. Kathleen D. Close, new commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill Air Force Base. Twelve citizen/soldiers will be honored. The banquet begins with a 6 p.m. reception, with dinner and program at 7. Cost is $700 for a table of ten. Individual seats are $70. Military cost is $50 per seat. Black Tie/Mess Dress invited. RSVP online at www.saltlakechamber.org, email military@saltlakechamber.org, or call (801) 328-5066.
James K. Polk and the Mormons
In the election of 1844, Polk, Joseph Smith, Henry Clay, and others were running for president. Some newspaper editors suggested that Polk offer Smith a cabinet position or ambassadorship in exchange for his support, since he held the votes of Nauvoo, which could tip Illinois for Polk. Smith is killed in June 1844 and never makes it on the November ballot. (From Mike Winder’s Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America’s Presidents and the LDS Church)
Today in Political History
Oct. 17, 1931: Mobster Al Capone is convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released in 1939. (New York Times)
October 17, 1978: President Carter signs a bill restoring U.S. citizenship to Confederate President Jefferson Davis, who died in 1889.
October 17, 1979: A bill creating the Department of Education, the 13th Cabinet-level agency, is signed by Pres. Jimmy Carter (the Department of Health Education & Welfare becomes the Department of Health and Human Services). (Source: Perspicuity)
Wise Words
“We should distrust any enterprise that requires new clothes.”
-- Henry David Thoreau (Source: Quotes Exchange)
Campaign Tips
Canvassing Packets for Volunteers
By Craig Varoga
We're organizing weekly door-to-door canvasses in our city council district. What should we include in the packet for our walkers?
One, a map of area to be canvassed. Two, a list of registered voters by household within the area, coded according to support, e.g., scale of 1 (strong opponent) to 5 (strong supporter). Three, a volunteer badge, with campaign logo and name of walker. Four, a candidate briefing sheet, with background on candidate and his or her major positions. Five, brochures or handouts, with information on how to volunteer. Six, request cards, so walkers can order yard signs for voters or say, "I don't know the answer to your question, but I will make sure someone calls or mails you the information." Seven, report forms, for walkers to tabulate voters contacted, brochures left, issues requested and supporters identified as to support. Eight, refreshments, with beverages and/or snacks, depending upon the duration of the canvass and season, i.e., how hot or cold it is.
And finally, verbal instructions, with do's ("Always introduce yourself, smile and be polite, thank the voter for their time, and pay attention to signs such as "Beware of Dog") and don'ts ("Never argue, engage in long conversations, make up answers or put material in mailbox"). (Source: Campaign Tip)
National Politics
Best Stories From …
-- American Spectator: Columnist Jeffrey Lord says the Democrats will reap what they've sown if Hillary Clinton is elected president, as "the pent-up fury of Republicans at the precedents set by Democrats during the Bush years ... finally boil[s] over."
-- Des Moines Register: Columnist David Ypsen: "To hear some in the political community talk, Hillary Clinton has the Democratic nomination for president all locked up, and Rudy Giuliani has a commanding lead on the Republican side. Uh, people who want to place big bets on those two right now should ask President Howard Dean for some counseling."
-- The Hill: "Frustrated by lack of legislative progress in the Senate, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is increasingly touting Democratic achievements in the House. Her statements represent a significant shift from the stance she took six months ago. In March, the Speaker celebrated the first 100 days of the congressional majority by stating, 'Democrats have brought the winds of change to the Capitol.' These days, she's confined to claiming those winds are blowing on her side of the building."
-- Washington Post: In op-ed, twelve former Army captains who served in Iraq say the war is effectively lost and call for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Sutherland: Ed. Subsidies Not New
According to The Sutherland Institute, "[i]ncome taxes collected from families with children in Utah's public schools do not cover the full cost of educating them, so other Utahns (households with no school-age children, private school children, home school children, and wealthy public school families, etc.) provide a subsidy for them." Says Sutherland Pres. Paul Mero: "Some people argue that vouchers subsidize private schools, but that isn't true. Rather, vouchers subsidize parents that choose to use the private school system, just as our income taxes subsidize parents who choose to use the public school system. This is an important constitutional distinction" (see press release).
Blog Watch
-- At The Senate Site, Sen. Lyle Hillyard says: "I am becoming more and more concerned about the high emotions the voucher debate is creating. I am not pleased with misinformation on which I believe both sides are capitalizing. I support what we did in the Legislature and believe it will not only create an option currently unavailable for some children, but will help stretch the unprecedented money being put into education." (For more on the voucher issue, see Simple Utah Mormon Politics.)
Lighter Side
On Oct. 17, 1939, 68 years ago today, 45 U.S. senators attended a Washington, D.C., premiere of the movie, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” Angry politicians began walking out midway through the movie. Sen. Alben Barkley called the film “a grotesque distortion” of the Senate and said it depicted the Senate as “the biggest aggregation of nincompoops on record.” |
