Tuesday Musing
Walking at Below Zero
The thermometer read minus 2 when I took a recent early-morning walk down a snow-covered country lane in the foothills of the high Uinta Mountains. It was quiet, peaceful – and cold. At that temperature, life seems to slow down.
The Black Angus cattle in the fields conserve energy by not moving much, except to get to new piles of hay scattered by the farmers. They do just fine in deep snow and subzero weather, as long as they have plenty to eat and drink. I was a little worried about my old dog, Hayduke, a yellow lab-golden retriever cross, but he cavorted across the crunchy snow, running ahead and sniffing at the numerous animal tracks crossing the snow-covered road.
Hayduke was especially interested in a stack of alfalfa hay at the end of the lane with hundreds of rabbit tracks around it. Snowshoe hares had been eating away at the base of the haystack. My son, arriving at our place late in the night, saw dozens of pure white hares in his headlights around the haystack as he drove by. I also saw a few fox and coyote tracks, no doubt attracted by the hares.
A jolt of frosty air in one’s lungs just at sunrise in the high country cleans the cobwebs out of the brain. You know you’re alive, and an hour-long walk puts life in perspective.
Today in Political History
Jan. 8, 1798: The Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution is ratified.
Jan. 8, 1918: Pres. Woodrow Wilson outlines his 14 points for peace after World War I. (New York Times)
Jan. 8, 1964: Pres. Lyndon B Johnson declares War on Poverty in his State of the Union message. (Source: Perspicuity)
Jan. 8, 1790: George Washington delivers the first State of the Union Address in New York City. (Source: NBC 5)
Wise Words
“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” -- William Faulkner (Source: Quote Garden)
Campaign Tip
The Finance Chairperson
“Raising money is critical to the success of any campaign. The finance chairperson should be on board before the candidate announces publicly. The finance chair should help put together a finance plan detailing how the funds are to be raised. He/she should help raise the money and find others to join the finance committee. It is always helpful for the finance chair to be financially secure, with financial connections in the community. It is also helpful if he or she is well regarded within the community. However, the finance chair has to be someone with more than ‘just the name.’ Find someone who also has time to devote to the campaign and who will work hard. The fundraising component of a campaign cannot be underestimated.” (Source: Political Resources)
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
-- ABC News: "Senator Hillary Clinton got emotional and had tears in her eyes as she spoke with [New Hampshire] voters about how hard it is to balance a busy campaign life and her passion for the country's future."
-- Roll Call: Columnist Stuart Rothenberg: "If it's Obama versus Huckabee in November, Republicans might want to prepare a bomb shelter and store plenty of food, water and reading material. That general election would more likely than not be a massive blowout for Democrats."
-- Weekly Standard: Columnist Fred Barnes: "There's a truth the Democratic presidential candidates can't handle: the success of the 'surge' in Iraq. The addition of American troops and the adoption of a new strategy of protecting the civilian population has now dramatically reduced the level of violence in Baghdad and pacified other parts of Iraq as well. But the Democratic candidates insist on pretending otherwise."
-- The Telegraph (UK): Columnist Janet Daley compares US and British coverage of the presidential race and notes "the contrast between the unembarrassed respect in the US for the democratic process and thus for those who were participating in it" and "the vague contempt in Britain for the whole demeaning circus. ... [The British coverage veers] between awe-struck envy of the joyous optimism and enthusiasm with which Americans plunge into their multi-stage electoral jamboree, and patronising chuckles at the vulgarity of it all."
Blog Watch
-- The Senate Site notes: "We invited Michael Castner to help tell the story of the 2008 Legislative Session. You know Michael. He led the Nightside Project from a gleam in KSL's eye to Utah's number one show on evening radio. His team was smart, funny, human and independent. They broke the mold, pioneering radio interaction with listeners. ... On our side, the Senate Site and the Utah Legislature Site have broken some new ground in providing citizens the opportunity to connect with the government they elected and for which they are accountable. We think Michael can help bring that to a new level. It's a good fit. Might even be fun. Listen in."
-- At The Thicket, Brian Weberg uses the metaphor of an Escalante River flash flood to describe the changes about to hit state legislatures as Boomer legislative staffers begin retiring en masse.
Lighter Side
At the recent Senate Leadership Breakfast fundraiser, a valiant attempt at humor was made, with Sens. John Valentine, Curt Bramble and Dan Eastman poking fun at the news media by describing legislative actions, followed by the “inevitable headlines that follow.” Not all the jokes were great, and the delivery was a bit shaky, but here are some of the better lines:
Legislative Action: Legislative leaders address renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Headline: Utah Becomes World’s Dumping Ground!
Legislative Action: Legislature votes to raise teacher pay by another $2,500.
The Headline: Vindictive Legislature Punishes Public Education.
Legislative Action: Public education cannot account for a billion dollars in funding
The Headline: Education Underfunded
Legislative Action: Legislature appropriates the entire state budget to public education.
The Headline: Education Underfunded
Legislative Action: Legislature triples income tax, quadruples property tax and dedicates all new money to education.
The Headline: Education Underfunded
Headline: Legislature Turns Pro-Union: Lawmakers strongly support reporters joining the writers’ Guild (and staying on strike!)
And Finally . . . Headline: BYU Beats U of U. President Young suggests changing the sign at the campus entrance to read: ENTER TO LEARN, GO FOURTH & 18! |
