Can Happiness be Legislated?
Interesting New York Times column by Eduardo Porter suggests public policy should focus on things that make us happy, rather than just on prosperity and such things that really don't produce happiness:
"The framers of the Declaration of Independence evidently believed that happiness could be achieved, putting its pursuit up there alongside the unalienable rights to life and liberty. Though governments since then have seen life and liberty as deserving of vigorous protection, for all the public policies aimed at increasing economic growth, people have been left to sort out their happiness.
"This is an unfortunate omission. Despite all the wealth we have accumulated - increased life expectancy, central heating, plasma TVs and venti-white-chocolate-mocha Frappuccinos - true happiness has lagged our prosperity. As Bobby Kennedy said in a speech at the University of Kansas in March 1968, the nation's gross national product measures everything 'except that which makes life worthwhile.'
"The era of laissez-faire happiness might be coming to an end. Some prominent economists and psychologists are looking into ways to measure happiness to draw it into the public policy realm. Thirty years from now, reducing unhappiness could become another target of policy, like cutting poverty."
Leavitt Campaign Web Site
Third District congressional candidate David Leavitt has unveiled his campaign web site, www.davidleavitt2008.com. The site includes a Leavitt biography, a personal message from Leavitt, and his positions on several issues. Leavitt is a businessman/attorney who resides in Nephi with his wife, Chelom, and their seven children. He is challenging Rep. Chris Cannon for the GOP nomination.
Washington Watch
More Health Reform Sponsors
Sens. Bob Bennett and Ron Wyden welcome Sens. Joe Lieberman and Mike Crapo as co-sponsors of the Healthy Americans Act. Says Bennett: "I'm delighted to have Senators Lieberman and Crapo join with us to help move The Healthy Americans Act through Congress. Their support reflects the building momentum behind this proposal and we hope it will encourage other senators to sign onto our effort to bring real, positive change to health care" (see press release).
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Mormons
Upon seeing a Deseret News article detailing the Churchills' genealogical link with the Mormons, FDR wrote to Winston Churchill and his wife, "Hitherto I had not observed any outstanding Mormon characteristics in either of you-but I shall be looking for them from now on." (From Mike Winder's Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America's Presidents and the LDS Church)
Today in Political History
Nov. 14, 1935: President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaims the Philippine Islands a free commonwealth.
Nov. 14, 1995: President Bill Clinton and Congress can't agree on the budget, so Clinton shuts down the government. He repeats the action a few weeks later. (Source: Perspicuity)
Wise Words
"If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known, that we are at all times ready for War."
-- George Washington (Source: World of Quotes)
Campaign Tip
Post-Election Clean-up
Extend thanks. Mend fences. Your supporters sacrificed so you could win. Say thanks and mean it. Let them share your victory. Remember the ones who brung you. Likewise, extend an olive branch to your opponent (or at least his or her supporters). Enlarge your majority by absorbing the opposition. Even temporary friendships are better than permanent enemies.
Help the staff. Campaign warriors are not always suited for government jobs. Help staff land on their feet. Make calls, provide job leads and recommendations, set aside computers for resume writing. Show some class and earn long-term loyalty. You'll need these folks next election, anyway.
Determine what worked -- and didn't. De-brief everyone. Ask consultants and senior staff to write exit memos. Encourage candor. File and read it a year from now. This information will pay huge dividends, especially in future campaigns.
Determine ongoing obligations. Most jurisdictions require post-election campaign disclosure reports and at least one report in non-election years. Determine when these reports are due and what types of fundraising and expenses are allowable.
Get a life. Go to a movie, read a book, ride a bike, sit on the beach, use your frequent flyer miles. Spend time with non-political friends and relatives. You might even learn how normal people decide their vote on election day. (Source: Find Articles)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- The Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Tuesday that Congress will force President Bush to pay for the Iraq war through the Pentagon's annual spending measure if Republicans block action this week on a temporary 'bridge' fund that calls for a change in war policy."
-- Bloomberg: "More than a year after anti-war voters ... helped give Democrats control of Congress, there are more troops in Iraq, lawmakers have approved almost $100 billion in new war spending and congressional approval ratings are at record lows. Democrats now worry that their inability to make good on campaign promises to end or slow the war in Iraq will have consequences."
-- New York Post: Columnist Ralph Peters: "Last weekend's news coverage of our veterans was welcome, but deceptive. The 'mainstream media' honored aging heroes and noted the debt we owe to today's wounded warriors -- but deftly avoided in-depth coverage from Iraq. Why? Because things are going annoyingly well."
-- Tennessean: "In what could be a major boost for a campaign that has been stuck in neutral, Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson is expected to receive the endorsement ... of the nation's main anti-abortion group, the National Right to Life Committee, according to a Republican source."
SUWA: No to Management Plan
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance http://www.suwa.org/site/PageServer announces its opposition to the Bush Administration's new management strategies for Utah public lands, which SUWA says will "decimate" BLM roadless areas (see press release).
Orphanage Founder in Utah
Cecile Pelous, founder and director of the Asha Ashram orphanage in Nepal, will visit Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 16. She will discuss the needs of the orphanage, as well as the other outreach programs, including trade schools, micro-loans, and work placement programs.
Utahns have played a vital role in the success of the orphanage for more than a decade. First Hope, the U.S. fundraising arm of the orphanage, was founded by Utahns, and is supported by Nelson Laboratories, Franklin Covey, Brigham Young University, and others. 100% of donations directly benefit the children. There are no overhead costs, as the organization is made up entirely of volunteers.
The public is invited to attend the event with Cecile Pelous at the Curie Auditorium at Nelson Laboratories, 6280 South Redwood Road. Nepalese handicrafts will be sold after the presentation, with all of the proceeds benefiting Asha Ashram. For more information, call Rochelle Robinson, 801-290-7591, or visit www.nepalfirsthope.org.
Blog Watch
-- Rep. John Dougall solicits reader feedback on whether Utah should invest in terrorist nations like Iran.
Lighter Side
Regrettable Predictions
(Great Quotes)
-- "With over 15 types of foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn't likely to carve out a big share of the market for itself." - Business Week, August 2, 1968
-- "There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will." - Albert Einstein, 1932
-- "The phonograph has no commercial value at all." - Thomas Edison, American inventor, 1880s
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