News Highlights

Utah political, business, and religious leaders praise LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, who passed away last night at the age of 97 (Deseret Morning News, Associated Press, and Salt Lake Tribune).

Salt Lake Tribune editorial board endorses Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton for the Republican and Democratic presidential nominations.

In Tribune op-ed essay, House Majority Leader David Clark discusses his health system reform bill, HB133.

Quote of the Day

"What always struck me about him was that he was just the epitome of kindness and gentility and warmth and humor. He was the kind of person who we would all want to aspire to be as a human being."

-- Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, speaking of President Gordon B. Hinckley (Tribune)

The Week Ahead

News of President Gordon B. Hinckley’s death, his funeral, and changes in the LDS Church’s top leadership will dominate the headlines for several days.

The legislative session rolls on as week two begins. See this week’s House schedule and Senate schedule, and the legislative calendar that includes links to committee agendas and notices.

On the national political front, President George Bush delivers his final State of the Union speech tonight (see New York Times story). He is expected to focus on the economy and not announce any bold new programs. The crucial Florida Republican presidential primary is Tuesday. For all the week’s political activities, see the Utah Policy.com calendar.

Monday Musing

24-Hour Newspapers

When the big story of President Hinckley’s death broke Sunday evening, many thousands of people across the country apparently went immediately to the Deseret Morning News web site for the latest information, to the point that the paper’s web site was swamped and it was difficult to get access.

By 5:30 this morning, the Morning News had a whopping 1,000 comments posted by readers after its main Hinckley story. The Tribune had 160 comments and KSL had 113 comments. Some negative and anti-Mormon comments were apparently deleted or hidden, as was appropriate given the circumstances.  

This demonstrates how people worldwide turn to the Internet and newspapers for information when a big story breaks, especially those who can’t get local radio and television. It also demonstrates how newspaper web sites must become 24-hour news operations. Readers expect the latest news to be posted.

Global Utah Newsletter

The latest issue of World Trade Center Utah's sleek, new Global Utah newsletter features a story about the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy, a private sector partner with the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program and an affiliate of the World Affairs Councils of America. The newsletter also includes a story about the Utah visit of John Bruton, European Union Ambassador to the United States and former prime minister of Ireland, who was here last week to further strengthen the strong relationship between the EU and Utah. 

UW Legislative Priorities

United Way of Salt Lake's latest newsletter highlights the organization's 2008 Legislative Priorities Report, Advancing The Common Good, and says its goal is to influence legislative policy and spending priorities on the basis of the broad impact they will have for change.

Economy is Fine?

A prominent economist writing in the Wall Street Journal says the national economy isn’t nearly as weak as the pessimists are portraying.

Washington Watch

Bennett: Conference Returns to Price
Sen. Bob Bennett will host the Seventh Annual Rural Business Conference at the Carbon County Event Center in Price on March 25 and 26. Says Bennett: "After holding this conference in a different rural community for the past six years, we're pleased to rejoin our friends in Price for 2008, three years after the event's last stop in Carbon County. Once again, our focus will be on the local business climate and the unique challenges and opportunities for the rural Utah entrepreneur" (see press release).

Regional Politics

Wolves in the West

New York Times editorial says gray wolf in western states could still be in trouble with changes in federal policy.

Today in Political History

Jan. 28, 1916:  Louis D. Brandeis becomes the first Jew appointed to the United States Supreme Court. (Source:  NBC5) 

Jan. 28, 1981:  Pres. Ronald Reagan ends oil price controls introduced in 1971, leaving prices free to move according to market forces. (Encarta® 2000 New World Timeline © Copyright 1998, Helicon Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Jan. 28, 1986:  The space shuttle Challenger, explodes 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all 7 crew members on board. (Perspicuity) 

Wise Words

“Most people want to be delivered from temptation but would like it to keep in touch.”

-- Robert Orben (Quote Garden) 

Leadership Tip

Learning to Reflect

 By John Baldoni 

1. Close the door and clear your mind of minute-to-minute thoughts.

2. Stretch and relax.

3. Focus on one issue you want to consider.

4. Look at the issue from more than one perspective. (Your employee's? Your customer's? Your bosses? Your competitor's?)

5. Do not expect immediate answers.

6. Continue to mull over possible solutions. (This is called ruminative thinking.) (Source:  Management) 

National Politics

Best Stories From . . .

-- New York Times: "Senator Edward M. Kennedy intends to endorse the presidential candidacy of Senator Barack Obama during a rally on Monday in Washington, associates to both men confirmed, a decision that squarely pits one American political dynasty against another."

-- The Hill: Hillary Clinton acknowledges that her husband has gotten "carried away" at times on the campaign trail.

-- Los Angeles Times: Columnist Jonathan Chait, discussing his newfound disdain for the Clintons, says: "Am I starting to sound like a Clinton hater? It's a scary thought. Of course, to conservatives, it's a delicious thought. ... Were the conservatives right about Bill Clinton all along?"

-- The Politico: "Two well-timed endorsements could make the difference for Sen. John McCain prior to Tuesday's pivotal Florida primary. With Florida Sen. Mel Martinez and Gov. Charlie Crist throwing him their support, the Arizona senator might be able to drive local coverage in the final hours and obscure the economic message rival Mitt Romney used to dominate last week."

Blog Watch

-- Pete Ashdown says of Rep. Brad Daw's HB 139: "[T]his bill introduces civil penalties if a minor is able to access pornography over public wireless Internet. With XMission wireless never earning one red cent in profit, the potential of a civil suit hanging over its operation immediately makes it not viable. The moment this bill is signed into law, I will shut down all XMission free wireless and cease expansion of this service. ... While the corporatives at the Utah Legislature sharpen their knives to deal a death blow to the public infrastructure fiber-network UTOPIA to protect private interests, their cohorts effectively scribe business-burdensome legislation against XMission rolling wireless networks without public dollars. As the owner of the largest free public wireless Internet network in Utah, I see this bill as anti-XMission and anti-business to the core." (For more on the Legislature, see Jeremy's Jeremiad, The Democratic Caucus, UAC Blog, Lincoln's Legislative Blog, Reach Upward, Simple Utah Mormon Politics, and Utah State Democratic Party.)

Lighter Side

“The chairman of Governor Huckabee’s campaign said he’d like to knock my teeth out. My only comment on that is: Don’t touch the hair.”

-- Mitt Romney, quoted in The Economist

Romney Watch

YouTube: CNN's Jeffrey Toobin says of John McCain's claim that Romney wants, or wanted, to set a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq: "Speaking of straight talk, no American politician has gotten more adoring press coverage than John McCain. But let's be clear about what John McCain is doing about Mitt Romney. He's lying. He's lying about Mitt Romney's position, no question about it. And you know I think that -- this idea that Mitt Romney supports timetables, in fact most Americans support timetables to get out of Iraq, Mitt Romney doesn't happen to be one of them. That's really outrageous what McCain is doing bringing up this ancient interview and distorting it at the last minute so he doesn't have to talk about the economy."

Local Headlines

Deseret Morning News

- World mourns beloved leader

- Utah voters shun labels

- Lawmakers try again to hike tuition for illegals

- Romney pushing hard in Florida

- Immigrants 'R' Us, bishop says

- Obama is coming to Utah again

- Lee Benson: Shield law could lead to abuses

- John Florez: Huntsman is on the right track about education's needs

- Editorial: Solving property tax problems

Daily Herald

- He reached out to other religions, officials say

- Utah steps up sex-offender law, still short of federal compliance

Logan Herald Journal

- Tri-county planning effort

KCPW

- STD Prevention Funds Passes House

- Bill Creating ID Theft Unit Draws Ire of Local Hispanic Activists

- Burbank Just Says "No" To Enforcing Immigration Laws

Salt Lake Tribune

- Community speaks of Hinckley's warmth, wit and genuine concern for people of all faiths

- Utah guv stakes a claim on roads

- Obama to stop by Utah on Saturday

- Legislators cannot abstain, even if they stand to benefit

- Measure targets folks who shun kids

- Salt Lake County: The sheriff has some satisfied customers

- Rolly: Health care reform looks sickly

- Florida: Setting GOP stage

- Health care weighs on voters

- Courthouse plan inching forward

- Firm is helping Utah go green

- Editorial: Immigration issues: LDS Church urges compassion

- Editorial: Ticket quotas: Lawmakers should stop their meddling

Please submit calendar items to Daily@UtahPolicy.com

- Jan 28: Legislative meetings scheduled throughout day. See Legislative calendar for details.

- Jan 28: Democratic Leadership Press Briefing on Democratic Legislative Priorities, 9 a.m., Democratic Caucus Conference Room, 4th Floor, State Capitol.

- Jan 28: Midday Metro at 10 a.m. on NPR Utah, KCPW 88.3 FM: A bill making the rounds on Capitol Hill would impose civil penalties if a minor is able to access porn over a public wireless network. Xmission owner Pete Ashdown says he’ll have to shutdown the free WiFi he’s put in place, at company expense, from Salt Lake to Ogden if the bill passes. Midday Metro explores the issues with Ashdown and the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Brad Daw (R-Orem).

- Jan 28: Air Transportation Promotion Alliance Meeting, 6 p.m., Third Floor, Cannon Room, City and County Building. The group was created and will be co-chaired by Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Governor Jon Huntsman.

- Jan 28: Donna Smith, featured in Michael Moore's movie Sicko, to speak about single-payer universal healthcare, 7 to 9 p.m., SLC Public Library, Room B, Level 1. Public is invited. For more info visit www.utahsicko.com.

- Jan 29: Legislative meetings scheduled throughout day. See Legislative calendar for details.
- Jan 29: Florida Democratic and Republican Presidential Primaries

- Jan 29: In-person voter registration deadline for Utah Presidential Primary

- Jan 29: Absentee ballot application for Utah Presidential Primary

- Jan 29: Utah Republican Party Legislative Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., Grand America Imperial Ballroom. Call Jessica at 801-533.9777 for details or visit www.utgop.org.

- Jan 29: Special showing of the movie Sicko with an all day buffet, multimedia presentation and a visit by Donna Smith, who appeared in Sicko, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Capitol Board Room, room 210. Sponsored by physician and attorney Clark Newhall. See www.utahsicko.com for more.

- Jan 29: Lt. Governor Herbert to speak at the 20th Annual Water Conference, 12 p.m. 302 East 200 South, Vernal.

- Jan 29: Park City Citizen Lobbyist Training provided by the Planned Parenthood Action Council, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Park City Library, 1255 Park Avenue, room 109. Learn how easy and effective lobbying your representatives can be. RSVP by calling Planned Parenthood Action Council at 801-347-8242 or email ppac@ppau.org.

- Jan 30: Lt. Governor to address the Intermountain McKay Dee Hospital Board of Trustees, 3 p.m., East Capitol Complex Beehive Room, Salt Lake City.

- Jan 30: Ogden City Citizen Lobbyist Training provided by the Planned Parenthood Action Council, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Weber County Library, 2464 Jefferson Avenue. Learn how easy and effective lobbying your representatives can be. RSVP by calling Planned Parenthood Action Council at 801-347-8242 or email ppac@ppau.org.

- Jan 30: ACLU of Utah hosted screening of the ACLU-produced Freedom Files' "Freedom from Abuse of Power: Torture and Unlawful Imprisonment," 6:30 to 8 p.m., Salt Lake City Main Public Library, 210 E. 400 S, Fourth Floor Conference Room. Light refreshments will be served. Questions contact Anna Brower at abrower@acluutah.org or 521-9862 ext.
100.

- Jan 31: Governor Huntsman meeting with Davis Chamber of Commerce, 9:15 a.m., Utah State Reception Room.

- Jan 31: Hinckley Forum "Focus the Nation," 6 p.m., Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Introductions by University of Utah President Michael K. Young, Mayor Ralph Becker, Mayor of Salt Lake City, Mayor Peter Corroon, Mayor of Salt Lake County, Mayor JoAnn Seghini, Mayor of Midvale City, Dr. Dianne Nielson, Energy Advisor to Governor Jon Huntsman Jr.

- Feb 1: Maine Republican Presidential Primary

- Feb 1: Early voting period ends (5 p.m.) for Utah Presidential Primary

- Feb 1: Utah Tax Review Commission meeting, 12:30 p.m., room W110.

- Feb 1: Lt. Governor Herbert to present certificates at the Dept. of Workforce Services Extraordinary Marriage Awards Ceremony, 1 p.m., Salt Palace, Salt Lake City.

- Feb 1: Radiation Control Board Meeting, 2 to 4 p.m., Conference Room 101, Department of Environmental Quality (Bldg #2), 168 North 1950 West, Salt Lake. For more information, visit www.healutah.org or call 801-355-5055. The Board will be discussing EnergySolutions’ proposal to dispose of nuclear waste from Italy in Utah.

- See the entire calendar

Elected Officials Birthday List

Utah Policy Daily is a service
of Utah Policy.com

Publisher: LaVarr Webb
Editor: Paul Hollingshead
News: Golden Webb
Calendar and Subscriptions: Luci Hollingshead

Utah Policy Daily
Crandall Building, Suite 300
10 West 100 South
Salt Lake City UT 84101
801.537.0900 Office
801.537.0901 Fax

Special E-Mail Messages: Utah Policy Daily may send subscribers e-mails with information about new features, special offers, or messages on public policy issues from clients and advertisers. If you do not wish to ever receive these e-mails, please let us know by e-mail at daily@utahpolicy.com.