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The Week Ahead
A week of brisk but gorgeous weather awaits us in this last full week of October. We won’t have many more, so get out and enjoy. A lot of work on key issues is being done behind the scenes to get ready for the January legislative session. With two weeks to go before election day, it’s crunch time for municipal candidates and proponents and opponents of various ballot proposals.
The Judicial Retention Election Task Force meets today today, 10 a.m. (see agenda) and the Government Competition & Privatization Subcommittee meets Thursday (see meeting notice; no agenda is posted yet). For other political events, including lots of voucher debates, see the UtahPolicy.com calendar.
Monday Musing
Relax as your week gets started with an essay on Autumn fly fishing by Verlyn Klinkenborg (New York Times).
SL Chamber Position Paper
The Salt Lake Chamber has posted a position paper on the Salt Lake City public safety bond.
Education Projections Study
The Utah Taxpayers Association has posted a new study that looks at Utah education growth projections.
Washington Watch
Hatch: Encourage R&D
Sen. Orrin Hatch introduces the Research Credit Improvement Act, which would "extend and expand the tax credit currently offered to companies to encourage increased spending for research and development" (see press release); the Senate approves an amendment introduced by Hatch that would boost support for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America by 20 percent (press release).
Matheson Bill Targets Super Bugs
Rep. Jim Matheson introduces legislation "that would find ways to curb overuse of antibiotics that leads to 'superbugs' impervious to drugs, and fund research into ways to slow the development of resistance. The legislation has strong backing from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)" (Congressional Quarterly).
Regional Politics
New York Times Magazine publishes a lengthy article on water shortages in the West and how climate change is affecting water supplies. Also, coal-fired power plants in the West are attracting diverse opposition (New York Times).
The World is Going to Hell .Not!
Ben Stein, writing in the New York Times, says plenty of greedy, selfish and stupid things have been done by finance titans with regard to bad loans and other risky ventures. But none of it is enough to derail our vibrant economy.
Franklin Pierce and the Mormons
Pierce sent secret orders to Col. Edward Steptoe in Utah to replace Brigham Young as governor. Steptoe declines and petitions Pierce to keep Young, since he realizes the beloved and powerful status Brigham has in Utah. (From Mike Winder’s Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America’s Presidents and the LDS Church www.mwinder.com)
Today in Political History
October 22, 1962: Pres. John F. Kennedy announces an air and naval blockade of Cuba, following the discovery of Soviet missile bases on the island. (New York Times)
October 22, 1981: The U.S. national debt tops $1 trillion for the first time. (Source: Perspicuity)
Wise Words
“The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.”
-- Erma Bombeck (Source: Quote Garden)
Leadership Tip
"The commander in the field is always right and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proved otherwise."
-- General Colin Powell, Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs of Staff and former U.S. Secretary of State.
Too often, the reverse defines corporate culture. This is one of the main reasons why leaders like Ken Iverson of Nucor Steel, Percy Barnevik of Asea Brown Boveri, and Richard Branson of Virgin have kept their corporate staffs to a bare-bones minimum -- how about fewer than 100 central corporate staffers for global $30 billion-plus ABB? Or around 25 and 3 for multi-billion Nucor and Virgin, respectively? Shift the power and the financial accountability to the folks who are bringing in the beans, not the ones who are counting or analyzing them. (Source: Powell on Leadership)
National Politics
Best Stories From …
-- The Hill: "Democratic presidential candidate and former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) is stepping up his attacks on front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (N.Y.) ability to compete in so-called red states, implicitly accusing her of being a drag on the ticket next year."
-- Los Angeles Times: "With some leading social conservatives threatening to boycott the Republican Party if Rudolph W. Giuliani wins the presidential nomination, the former New York City mayor sought Saturday to assure activists in this crucial GOP voting bloc that they have 'absolutely nothing to fear from me.'"
-- Bloomberg: "Fred Thompson hasn't dazzled many political professionals with his early stump appearances, yet when it comes to building a base of small campaign donors he's showing the potential to keep pace with better-funded rivals."
-- Wall Street Journal: Republicans feel increasingly upbeat about their future electoral chances but face an uphill battle to win back the support of independent voters.
Blog Watch
-- At The Senate Site, Sen. John Valentine concludes his report on his recent visit to Kyrgyzstan.
-- Bill Keshlear disputes several elements of KSL-TV's recent school voucher ad "truth test". (For more on the voucher issue, see Under The Dome, UtahSenateDemocrats, CoolestFamilyEver, Simple Utah Mormon Politics, KVNU's For The People, Pursuit of Liberty, The Utah Amicus, Millard Fillmore's Bathtub, and Hiram Bertoch)
Lighter Side
Favorite Headlines
(Source: James Taranto’s Best of the Web on OpinionJournal.com)
Sandy Berger Has a New Best Friend
"Man Puts Puppy in Pants and Slips Off"--headline, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, Oct. 19
Listening Is Overrated Anyway
"Impotence Drugs May Increase Risk for Sudden Hearing Loss"--headline, CNN.com, Oct. 18
Even if It's Sparkling, a Quarter Doesn't Sound Like Much
"Google Rides Internet Ad Wave to Another Sparkling Quarter"--headline, Associated Press, Oct. 19
Let's Hope Someone Read Them Their Rights
"Neanderthals May Have Talked"--headline, Reuters, Oct. 18
Why Not Replace Them With STERN Ones?
"LAX Screeners Fail 75% of Bomb-Detection Tests"--headline, Los Angeles Times, Oct. 18
And It Turns Into a Butterfly Net
"Caterpillar Net Rises on Strong Sales"--headline, Reuters, Oct. 19 |
