Key Issues of Session
Utah lawmakers will face numerous tough issues in the upcoming 2008 session. Legislative staff has posted a document on the Legislature’s web site with synopses of what are expected to be the top issues of the general session.
Washington Watch
Cannon Ed Committee Meets
Rep. Chris Cannon’s Education Advisory Committee will release analyses and recommendations on “No Child Left Behind” and education policy this Thursday in West Valley City. The congressman and members of the committee are available after the event for questions. The Nov. 29 meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Monroe Elementary, 4450 West 3100 South.
Jimmy Carter and the Mormons
Once, Carter telephoned LDS President Spencer W. Kimball to ask all he could about the Mormon missionary program. He spoke in the Tabernacle for National Family Week. After his presidency, Carter helped the Church get back into Ghana after the African nation’s dictator halted all Church missionaries and meetings there. (From Mike Winder’s Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America’s Presidents and the LDS Church)
Today in Political History
Nov. 28, 1783: The first U.S. Post Office is established.
Nov. 28, 1943: President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin meet in Tehran during World War II. (New York Times)
Nov: 28, 1995: A $6 billion highway bill signed into law by President Bill Clinton repeals the federal 55-mile-per-hour speed limit in place since 1974. (Source: Perspicuity)
Nov. 28, 2005: After admitting to taking almost $2.4 million in bribes, eight-term Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, pleads guilty to graft and resigns. (Source: NBC5)
Wise Words
“If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquillity of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
-- Samuel Adams (Source: Quotes Exchange)
Campaign Tip
Study: Web Beats Printed Papers
In a nutshell, the study revealed that 2007 is the first year consumers will spend more time surfing the Internet than reading the newspaper. It’s a trend people have seen coming for years and a trend that will, no doubt, continue until the Internet in one form or another is the #1 information outlet in the world. So, what does this mean for your campaign or organization? It’s pretty obvious.
If you don’t have a website, you better get one. If you have a website, you better make certain it has up-to-date and quality content. More and more consumers and voters are using the Internet as their primary source of information. If they can’t find you online or if you don’t have a professional-looking website, you’re losing votes. Here are some examples of simple, inexpensive campaign web sites: http://www.ros-lehtinenforcongress.com, http://www.tomgeorge.net, http://www.chrispeden.org.
The site http://www.CampaignSiteBuilder.com is an example of a service allowing you to build your own site inexpensively. See Reuters article. (Source: Campaign Hot Tips)
UAC Position Statements
The Utah Association of Counties has posted a set of position statements that will "serve as the framework for UAC's Legislative efforts heading into the 2008 General Session." To view the statements, click here.
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- New York Times: Sen. Hillary Clinton enjoys an electoral edge among elderly women.
-- Chicago Tribune: "The presidential campaign for Sen. Barack Obama confirmed [Tuesday] morning what has long been expected: Oprah Winfrey is going to hit the campaign trail with her favorite politician."
-- The Politico: "Six weeks out from the first round of presidential voting, Hillary Rodham Clinton gets better reviews than Barack Obama among African-American voters, a crucial voting bloc in Democratic politics, a new poll shows."
-- The Hill: "Congressional Democrats will focus on the economy next week in an effort to win political advantage from public fears about an approaching recession. This underscores the party leadership's concern to avoid getting bogged down in more debate about Iraq and to make sure it is President Bush and Republicans who are blamed in the 2008 election for voter anxieties about the economy."
Lighter Side
“My question… If your only source of economic information was The New York Times, would you even bother to get out of bed in the morning?”
– Utah economist Jeff Thredgold in Tea Leaf economic update |
