The Week Ahead
Today is SLC Mayor-elect Ralph Becker’s big day, with his swearing-in ceremony at noon at the City-County Building, and a reception for Becker and new City Council members Luke Garrott and J.T. Martin at 1:30 p.m.
At the Legislature, the Administrative Rules Committee meets on Wednesday, 9 a.m., W135. See agenda. The Washington County Economic Summit is also scheduled for Wednesday.
Legislative Bill Tracking
With the legislative session looming, many bills that will be debated are available for review on the Legislature’s web site. Start at the 2008 General Session page or the bill search page.
Local Government Watch
Corroon's Priorities
The Salt Lake County Mayor's office has posted a list of Peter Corroon's 2008 priorities. To read the list, click here. The list covers quality government, economic development, the environment, quality of life, public safety, and more. Among the goals: cut total energy and water use by Salt Lake County facilities and activities by 20% by the end of 2009.
Today in Political History
Jan. 7, 1789: The first U.S. presidential election is held. Electors met in each state, cast their votes, and sent the sealed ballots to the newly-formed United States Congress. Although the votes would not be opened and counted for several months, it was clear that George Washington would be the president. (Source: Perspicuity)
Jan. 7, 1979: Vietnamese forces captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge government. (New York Times)
Jan. 7, 1999: Impeachment trial of Pres. Bill Clinton begins in Senate. Chief Justice William Rehnquist is sworn in to preside. He swears in the 100 senators as jurors. (Source: Perspicuity)
Wise Words
“If men through fear, fraud or mistake, should in terms renounce and give up any essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the great end of society, would absolutely vacate such renunciation; the right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of Man to alienate this gift, and voluntarily become a slave.”
-- John Adams, Rights of the Colonists (Patriot Post)
Leadership Tip
Learning to Lead
By MajGen Perry M. Smith, USAF (Ret.)
1. Know Yourself. All leaders should realize they are, in fact, five or more people. They are who they are, and who they think they are, (and these are never the same); they are who their bosses think they are; and who their subordinates think they are. Leaders who work hard to get feedback from many sources are more likely to understand and control their various selves, and hence be better leaders.
2. Develop Mental Toughness. Leaders must be brutally honest with themselves or they will slip into the terrible habit of self-deception. Even the best leaders make mistakes. By smoking out these mistakes and correcting them quickly, a good leader can become a superb one.
3. Be Magnanimous. Leaders who share their power and their time can accomplish extraordinary things. The best leaders understand that leadership is the liberation of talent; hence they gain power not only by constantly giving it away, but also by not grabbing it back. (Source: Gov Leaders)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- TIME: "The scope of Barack Obama's victory in Iowa has shaken the Clinton machine down to its bolts. Donors are panicking. ... And internally, a round of recriminations is being aimed at her chief strategist, Mark Penn, as the representative of everything about her pseudo-incumbent campaign that has been too cautious, too arrogant, too conventional and too clueless as to how much the political landscape has shifted since the last Clinton reign."
-- Newsweek: Columnist Howard Fineman: Mike Huckabee built his political base "by mixing a familiar -- and explosive -- Bible-belt cocktail of politics and religion. Now it may blow up the Republican Party."
-- Washington Post: Columnist George Will explains why he's unimpressed with the populism of Huckabee and John Edwards.
-- New York Times: The Democrats' bright political prospects and the consensus on most issues within the party "reflects the passing of a divisive era. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the stunning decline of crime and welfare in the 1990s, removed issues that had pitted Democrat against Democrat for a generation."
Taxpayers Assoc. Newsletter
The Utah Taxpayers Association has posted its January newsletter. This month's edition looks at state expenditure growth under the Leavitt, Walker, and Huntsman administrations and features a column by Assoc. Pres. Howard Stephenson on "RDA abuse in the Granite School District."
Lighter Side
“To reply to a nasty remark with another nasty remark is like trying to remove dirt with mud.”
-- Alan E. Schulz
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