GRACE

1. Seemingly effortless beauty or charm of movement, form, or proportion.

2. A characteristic or quality pleasing for its charm or refinement.

3. A sense of fitness or propriety.

4.

a. A disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill.

b. Mercy; clemency.

5. A favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence.

6. A temporary immunity or exemption; a reprieve.

7.

a. Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people.

b. The state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God.

c. An excellence or power granted by God.

Thanks Pete!

CHARITY

Moroni 7: 47

47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

Pete Ashdown's Glow

2 Nephi 26:30

30Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.

Ashdown Dinner Raises $8k for Charity

SALT LAKE CITY, UT--Pete Ashdown's "Feed the Hungry, Not the Politicians" dinner collected $8370 for charities in Utah and nationwide. Remarking on its success, Ashdown said: "Once again Utahns have shown that they are the most charitable people in the country, and I am just very excited about how many people opened their hearts and pockets to help our needy families." The event, personally financed by Ashdown, mainly benefited four Utah charities that deal with hunger in Utah; the charities' only involvement will be receiving the individual contributions.

In short remarks to the crowd, Ashdown touched on today's Census Bureau report on poverty in the United States. "In the richest country in the world, we have one in eight Americans in poverty; we can do better than that, both as a state and as a nation." Playing off a presidential slogan, Ashdown said "To truly leave no child behind, they must have the energy to make it through the day." Ashdown applauded President Bush coming to Utah, and wished there would be more presidential visits to the West. However, Ashdown added that: "Each time the President has come to Utah, he has banged the drums of war. I would hope that there would be a time when he plays the pipes of peace."

The event was attended by over capacity crowd for the Alta Club dining room, over 160 people. The main beneficiaries for the event were: Utahns Against Hunger, the Utah Food Bank, the Anti-Hunger Action Committee of the Crossroads Urban Center, and the Salt Lake Inter-Faith Hospitality Network. Other charities receiving funds were: the Road Home, the National Ability Center, and others.

The Daily Herald's: Christian Burridge: Blue man in a red state

I meant to post this article from The Daily Herald when it came out, but my campaign in Davis County, as well as my work for the Utah State Democratic Party leaves me with little time to blog.

However, this well written article deserves a second (or a third, or a fourth) look.

Please enjoy ALAN CHOATE's Blue man in a red state: Who is Christian Burridge?

photo courtesy Marvin Kimball/Christian Burridge for Congress Democratic Congressional candidate Christian Burrdge

Help Wayne Eat!

Until I started working with Utah Democratic Chair Wayne Holland, I believed that I was T-Mobile's best customer. However, if the truth be known, my bill doesn't even compare to Wayne's.

No wonder Wayne is so skinny; when does he have time to eat?

I think I am going to petition the governor to officially declare November 8, 2006 as "Leave Wayne's Phone the Hell Alone Day". It would be a wonderful holiday where Wayne could eat a meal in peace, and possibly carry on a conversation with his wife Katie with out having to tell her that he is sorry, "I've got to take this call."

Please write to Governor Huntsman at the following address to show your support for this great cause:

Governor Jon Huntsman Jr.
State Capitol Complex
East Office Building, Suite E220
PO Box 142220
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-2220

Or you can call:
801-538-1000
800-705-2464

Thanks, we appreciate your support!

Sunday School

Before I moved to the Bountiful Hills Ward I was president of the Winder Fifth Ward Sunday School. It was a delightful calling and a very humbling one, but it in no way compares to my current calling as a Sunday School instructor.

The three young ladies in the photo above are my teachers, as is my belief that I learn more about God's plan and nature from Katie, Jess, and Missy-Do than they could ever learn from me.

Michelle and I feel very blessed to be members of the Bountiful Hills Ward. One of the reasons we feel this way comes from the reality that every child in our neighborhood is a child that we would be proud to call our own.

As I mentioned before, Katie, Jess, and Missy-Do are great teachers, and I am both grateful and honored to be their humble student. I really do have the best calling in our ward.

The importance of organizing your precinct

By Megan Risbon

Salt Lake County, as many people know, leans Democratic. We have an excellent County Mayor in Peter Corroon, 15 of the 30 State House seats, and 7 of 12 State Senate seats are held by Democrats. Additionally, we only need one more Democrat to hold a majority on the County Council.

This year, Democrats county-wide are excited, organized, and ready for November’s elections. There must be something in the water because it seems like everywhere I go, people are excited about our Democratic candidates and doing whatever they can to ensure they are elected.

As we have learned, and as we’ve been working on throughout the state, Democrats are only going to win if people are actively engaged and working hard in their precincts. If each Democratic activist talked to 10 people in their precinct about voting for Democrats, we will win on November 7^th. If each person registered 10 people to vote, we will win in November. If people spent one night a month for the next three months walking their neighborhoods with a candidate, Democrats will win.

The importance of a true grassroots party and organization has never been more critical for Democrats. In many places, the organization is already there but the actual feet-on-the-ground and implementation is not.

Since Salt Lake County has the largest Democratic performance and population in the state, we also get the most amounts of delegates. All precincts get one delegate spot—no matter what. To determine how many delegate spots there are per precinct, we calculate the percentage of Democratic performance compared to actual voters and give 1 to 2 more delegate spots per precinct.

In 2004, the Salt Lake County Party held a contest, of-sorts, to increase the turnout in each precinct and gave precinct organizer an incentive to do so. If precincts achieved 5 simple goals, they received an extra delegate spot.

In 2006, we’re doing it again. Each precinct chair (or organizer) is given the following 5 goals:

1. Find 10 lawn sign locations for candidates on the ballot in your precinct

Deadline: September 16, 2006

2. Register 10 new voters (return completed forms to County Party)

Deadline: October 1, 2006

3. Raise $100.00 (return money to County Party)

Deadline: October 20, 2006

4. Recruit Election Day Volunteers (return completed forms to County Party)

Deadline: October 20, 2006

5. Canvass your precinct with candidates
   

Only 5 precincts completed all 5 goals in 2004. This year, I am challenging every precinct in Salt Lake County to become organized and activate the voters it their precinct for this crucial election year. You don’t have to be an elected precinct officer to help out. Anyone can do this.

Together, we can and will win. If you would like the forms needed for this challenge, please email me at megan@slcountydems.com. Include your name, address, and precinct number.

NOTICE OF REGULAR MEETING OF BOARD OF DAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that the Board of Davis County Commissioners, Farmington, Utah, will hold a telecommunication commission meeting in room 126 at the Memorial Courthouse Building in Farmington, Utah, commencing at 10:00 a.m. on August 29, 2006

10:00 Revision of Contract for Utah Department of Transportation - Legacy Highway Right of Ways

Kent Sulser, Davis County Community and Economic Development and Tom Smith, Director

Public Works

10:05 J-U-B Engineers, Inc – Speed & Traffic Study 3600/3800 South Area

Tom Smith, Davis County Public Works Director

10:10 Agreement with Johnson’s Carpet – Autumn Glow Senior Center

Marshall Scott, Davis County Facilities Director

10:15 Swank Motion Pictures, Inc. – Video Licensing

Davis County Sheriff’s Department

10:20 Grant Acceptance from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor - Voter Education for Electronic Equipment

Grant Acceptance from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor - Freeway Billboards for Voting

Pat Beckstead, Davis County Elections Coordination, Clerk/Auditor Office

10:25 Agreement with Bureau of Criminal Identification – User Contract for State Computer System Access

10:30 Resolution to Establish and Appoint a Nominating Commission for the Purpose of Assisting the Davis County Commission in the Appointment of a County Constable

10:35 Budget Change – Children’s Justice Center

10:40 Property Tax Register

10:45 Board of Equalization Hearing – Horton V. Bourne Partnership

11:00 Minutes Check Registers

Personnel Register Miscellaneous

August 28, 2006

By: Linda May

Commissioner Office Manager

Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals needing special accommodations during this meeting should notify Linda May, Davis County Commission Office, at 451-3200 prior to the meeting.

Be Muy, Muy, Muy, Afraid!

The Infamous "El Guapo" Has Arrived!

Utah Politics May Never Be The Same!

Dave Matthews Band

Usana, Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Get your tickets here!

KUTV's "Ask The Expert" on Prostate Cancer

Tomorrow, August 24, I will be on KUTV's Channel 2's "Ask the Expert" on prostate cancer. My shift starts at 12:oo p.m. and ends at 5:30 p.m.

Please tune in if you or a loved one is a male over 40, and if you are interested in knowing more about prostate cancer.

There will be experts who will be available to answer your questions, all you have to do is call in.

It's anonymous, it's free, and it could save somebody's life!

Coming Soon to The Utah Amicus

Old Friends, The Artful Dodger, Expense Account, $10,000 for what?, The Dollar, Sunday School, Fish are people too, Kindergarten, How to grow an Oak (maybe), and, The Davis County Fair plus so much more on, The Utah Amicus!

Nightside helps Buttars shut the door

Tonight on KSL's Nightside Project (102.7 FM) State Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, explained that he made a mistake when he said, "Well, I think Brown v. Board of Education is wrong to begin with. That's a whole other subject. Call me again and take a half-hour to talk about that."

When Sen. Buttars was asked to better explain his comment by Nightside host Michael Castner he stated that he was wrong to make the comment without fully explaining himself, and that he recognized that it was a statement that should have been explained when stated, or should not have been said at all. Sen. Buttars also explained that Brown v. Board of Education "was the bullet that shattered the wall of segregation", and that he recognized that his statement may have caused some grief and apologized for doing so.

All I can say is I understand, and accept Sen. Buttars explanation. Who hasn't had the similar experience of saying one thing and meaning another? I know I have.

Once again the staff at Nightside has done a solid job of reporting the facts and has hopefully shut the door on this issue, just as they did when Salt Lake County Republican Chair James Evans slandered SL County District Attorney candidate, Sim Gill.

Good job Nightside, and keep up the good work.

Been there, done that, come on Chris, what would Lincoln think?

Utah Democrats: Will the real Chris Buttars please stand up?

SLCSPIN: Is This It?

The Deseret News: Anti-segregation ruling wrong, Buttars says

Salt Lake Tribune: Sen. Buttars says ruling against school segregation was wrong

Utah Politics: Conservatism vs. Neo-Totalinarianism

Utah Senate Site: Senator Buttars on KCPW

The State of the Beehive: Buttars and Brown v. Board

The Third Avenue: Buttars than Erza

For Senator Buttars the "R" in Republican must stand for being stuck in Reverse.

South Weber Parade, A Very Special Mile

The theme of the day was "Smile"

Why is South Weber special? It's all about the family.

And such beautiful families

So where do I get my beads?

Chalk up another vote for Rob

Chris and I decided to walk the South Weber Mile

Two, maybe three more votes!

Just put the candy in my lap and move forward

Jacob was there

As were the Waltons

Watch out for these guys, they look like a couple of loan sharks!

He kind of looks like Santa in the belly

Thank you South Weber!

The End

Utah Amicus Post #300

300

Thank You

Whoops, I did it again! Read Christian Burridge's, Youngest State In The Nation Needs Voice For Future

Utah again ranked as the youngest state in the nation. Look at a recent Deseret News article about our state. We need a voice that will fight for our future. This week I received a unanimous endorsement from the Utah Educators Association. My opponent did not receive this distinction. What UEA knows about me--after almost an hour and a half of being questioned by their leadership panel--is that is that I have a vested interest in our public schools. My first daughter will start kindergarten next year. I am in this for the long haul. We need a congressman that sees the big picture. Someone who does not treat their position in Congress as a hobby or a nice pseudo-retirement option. But someone who is willing to work full-time for our future. Here are some issues where my opponent and I differ:

• I am absolutely opposed to ANY nuclear testing in Nevada.
• I am opposed to any centralized control of our school curriculum in NCLB.
• I am in favor of keeping Pell Grants and Student Loans in line with rising costs of tuition.
• I am in favor of capping guaranteed bankruptcy proof student loan interest at 4%.

Let's fight for our future together.

Or you can read:

We Need Ethics Reform In Congress

"People feel that they don't have a voice, that it does not matter what they say or do because the lobbyists in Washington are going to get what they want anyway so one might as well just be apathetic. This is exactly the attitude that the special interests in Washington want--voters to feel powerless and let the first pigs that can rout their way to the trough to get the goods."

Read Steve Olsen's: Who do you trust with your money?

Jeff Bell will tease me tomorrow for stealing Steve Olsen's entire post, and he will remind me how important it is to "Drive them to his site!" To read this post on Steve Olsen's blog click here. To visit his website click here, or you can read Steve's post titled, Who do you trust with your money? right here on The Utah Amicus (but after you do go to his website).

One of the most significant books of the year was written by former Reagan economic adviser and author of the early Eighties book Reaganomics, Bruce Bartlett. The book is titled Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday 2006). This carefully researched and thoughtful book contains a scathing verdict on President Bush’s economic policies from a respected supply-side conservative economist. Although Democrats may disagree with Bartlett on some philosophical points, the book contains important information on how the borrow-and-spend policies of the Bush Administration and the Republican Congress have hurt the country and will invariably result in huge future tax increases. I’d like to share a few important quotes from the book, with the hope that you will get it and read it. (The quotes are from Bartlett himself unless otherwise noted.)

“George W. Bush has seriously hurt the country and set up conditions that will almost certainly lead to consequences that conservatives will find abhorrent. For example, his unwillingness to control spending and willingness to add significantly to it guarantees that there will be a massive tax increase at some point in the near future. I believe that the fiscal hole is so large that only a huge new revenue source like the value added tax can fill it.

“I think it is telling that Bush’s Democratic predecessor, Bill Clinton, was far better on the budget than he has been. Clinton vetoed bills because they spent too much. Bush never does. Clinton not only reduced the deficit, but he actually cut spending. Bush has increased both. Clinton abolished an entitlement program. Bush created an extremely expensive new one. One can still argue whether Clinton was a better president or a better man than Bush, but on the budget there is no ambiguity. Clinton was much better.”

“I think Clinton meant it when, in his 1996 State of the Union Address, he said, ‘The era of big government is over’. How else to explain that civilian employment in the executive branch fell by 237,000 workers between 1992 and 2000? That’s an impressive performance that any conservative Republican would love to take credit for. Clinton even presided over one of the most significant reductions in government regulation in history. All of Al Gore’s efforts to reinvent government apparently had some impact after all.”

“I believe that the tax cuts – Bush’s signature domestic issue – have been far less effective than they could have been, owing in large part to his unwillingness to properly utilize the traditional policy development process. I believe this is also at the heart of the failure of his Social Security proposal and possibly the Iraq operation as well. It bothers me a great deal that Bush has driven away and even humiliated the few intellectuals in his midst, preferring instead the company of overrated political hacks whose main skill seem to be an ability to say ‘yes’ to whatever he says and ignore the obvious.”

“According to the Citizens Against Government Waste, a watchdog group, there has been more pork-barrel spending during the Bush years than at any time in American history. By their calculations, the Clinton years were fairly typical, with the amount of identifiable pork barrel spending varying between $10 billion and $17.7 billion in 2000. The number of projects went from a low of 958 to a high of 4326 in 2000. But the Bush years are in a class by themselves. Both the amount of money and the number of pork barrel projects have risen every year, from $18.5 billion and 6333 projects in 2001 to $27.3 billion and an amazing 13,999 projects in 2005.”

“(Bush is) the biggest spending president we’ve had in a generation.”
Steven Moore, Club for Growth

“(Bush’s) fiscal record is appalling.”
Ed Crane, Cato Institute

“The final tallies show that overall spending grew by almost 9 percent for the 2003 fiscal year ending September 30, and by 21 percent over the past two years. This is before the $400 billion (yeah, right) Medicare prescription drug benefit and this year’s energy and omnibus spending bills. If Bill Clinton had tolerated this, Republicans would be shouting from the rooftops…..This is astonishing when you recall that only a few years ago ‘revolutionary’ Republicans were proposing to eliminate actual federal programs. Instead, the GOP is now slowly restoring or adding to programs that it once took the political heat for killing or shrinking.”
The Wall Street Journal

“Mr. Bush has few peers among American Presidents in his willingness to let Congress spend as freely as it always wants to do. And the Republican Congress has few peers in history in its willingness to take advantage of the president’s generosity.”
George Melloan, The Wall Street Journal

“Bring back the Clinton Administration! Well, maybe not all of it, but at least its spending habits.”
Kevin Hassett, American Enterprise Institute

“Republicans don’t even pretend to be fiscally conservative anymore.”
Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ)

“Once released from gridlock by the election of a Republican president who refuses to veto any spending bill, no matter how pork-laden, the truth becomes clear – Republicans aren’t opposed to spending, only spending money on things Democrats want to spend money on. But when the money is being spent on Republican pork or to buy re-election for Republicans, it is okay, or so it seems.”

“Another problem is the creeping corruption inherent in ‘big government conservatism”, which the New Republic’s Jonathan Chait defines as “initiatives that benefit economic elites without using free-market mechanisms.’ Since it is devoid of principle, it too easily becomes an excuse to lavish gifts on those with Republican connections.”

“Journalist Jacob Weisberg correctly noted that Republicans had simply taken the liberal spoils system and converted it to their own purposes. The result, he said, is ‘the curious governing philosophy of interest-group conservatism: the expansion and exploitation of government by people who profess to dislike it.’”

“American University historian Allan Lichtman saw this as a ‘political revolution in the United States, creating a form of conservative big government that promotes not the general interests of ordinary Americans but the special interests of big corporations.’”

So, my fellow Utahns: Who do you trust with your money? We need to shout these facts from the rooftops. The young people in our society should be furious: about the time Congressman Bishop and others of his generation start to retire, our children and grandchildren will be paying tax rates that would make a Swede groan – unless we put an immediate stop to the reckless borrow-and-spend policies of the current Republican controlled Congress.

NOTICE OF REGULAR MEETING OF BOARD OF DAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that the Board of Davis County Commissioners, Farmington, Utah, will hold a telecommunication commission meeting in room 126 at the Memorial Courthouse Building in Farmington, Utah, commencing at 10:00 a.m. on August 15, 2006.

10:00 Public Hearing with Respect to the Issuance of the County’s Proposed Sales Tax Revenue Bonds, Series 2006, in the Principal Amount of not to Exceed $12,000,000/Jon Bronson, Zions Bank Public Finance

10:10 Contribution of Services or Monetary, or Non-Monetary Assistance Paid by Davis County to a Non-Profit Entity for Davis Chamber of Commerce – Channel 17/Wilf Sommerkorn, Community & Economic Dev. Director

10:15 Agreement with Davis Conference Center for Catering - Kaysville Branch Library Open House
Pete Giacoma, Davis County Library Director

10:20 Agreement with United Way for Administration of the SSBG Funding/Terri Boam, United Way Finance

10:25 Change Order for JUB Engineering for Val Verda Storm Drain/Tom Smith, Davis County Public Works Director

10:30 Agreement with the Car Park Utah – Parking Management Services for 2006 Fair
Agreement with Barnyard Buddies LLC – Petting Zoo at 2006 Fair
EZ Loan Services – Distribution of Flyers
Curtis Koch, Davis County Fair Park Events Coordinator

10:35 Agreement with Weber State University for Golf Teams Use of Valley View Golf Course
Ken Pettingill, Davis County Valley View Golf Course Pro

10:40 Senior Services Advisory Board Appointments
Annual Addendums (2) with Davis School District – Nursing Services
Agreement with Utah Health Information Network – Telecommunications Network
Agreement with Utah Highway Safety Office – Click It or Ticket Program Funding
Change Order for Bret Rawlins Construction - HVAC at I/M Center
Lewis Garrett, Davis County Health Department Director

10:50 Amendment with Jack Loughton – Fitness Consulting Services for Sheriff’s Office

10:55 Agreement with Carman Refrigeration Commercial Sales & Services, Inc. – Election Storage Area
Marshall Scott, Davis County Facilities Management Director

11:00 Agreement with T-Mobile for Change of Landlord (Ownership)/Steve Rawlings, Davis County Clerk/Auditor

11:05 Budget Change Related to Proceeds from the Issuance of Department of Motor Vehicle Municipal Building Authority Bonds/Steve Rawlings, Davis County Clerk/Auditor
11:10 Property Tax Register

11:15 Minutes Check Registers
Personnel Register Miscellaneous
Personal Property Tax Register
August 14, 2006

By: Linda May
Commissioner Office Manager


Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals needing special accommodations during this meeting should notify Linda May, Davis County Commission Office, at 451-3200 prior to the meeting.