Mary Bishop speaks for Fair Boundaries on Caucus Night -- Let's get the job done!

Mary Bishop addresses Democrats attending the 30th House District Democratic Caucus concerning the importance of obtaining the 95,000 signatures necessary to put the Fair Boundaries Reapportionment Initiative. The deadline for turning in the signatures is April 15, 2010. For more information visit http://www.fairboundaries.org.

The Federal Government is to fault for Greiner's Hatch Act Violation?

That's what one D-News Reader said to this article.  I can't tell you how many good candidates Utah Democrats have lost to the Hatch Act, but usually, once it is understood that there is a real problem, they bow out gracefully.

Here's what one D-News reader stated:

People need to stand up and tell the feds to take a hike and keep their "strings", and their money.

We are tired of being manipulated to do things the way bureaucrats in Washington want them done.

Just quit your excessive confiscation of money from taxpayers in Utah, and let us keep it here to tax and spend as we want, under conditions set by Utah.

That goes for schools, welfare, highways, and everything else, not just law enforcement.

Taxes were supposed to be for defense and federal judiciary, not imposing liberal social engineering schemes on free people.

Greiner is a good cop, and a good legislator. However, he is a Republican, and that is his real sin in the eyes of the feds.

Pretty silly comment, but I'm glad to know that Greiner the lawmaker isn't responsible for being  Greiner the lawbreaker.

The Weber County Republican Party proves they have no class

Is the video below really what GOP politics is about?  The Weber County Republican Party Blog thinks so.



Weber County GOP Chair Matt Bell must be so proud.

Update:  The Weber County Republican Party Blog has taken the video down.  

Who else knew?

Fox News Video: Former Utah House Majority Leader Garn arrested in 2006 for DUI

Time to fess up folks! 

How many of Utah's GOP elected officials -- especially those elected in Davis County -- knew about this incident and kept their mouths shut?

Garn has contributed a lot of money to Davis County officials and it has done him well. Take for example the Davis County Conference Center that is connected to Garn's hotel.  Or, did he get that premium location and opportunity just because he is such a swell guy?

Looking up all of Garn's contributions could take some time.  Time I don't have.  But, from the little research I was able to do it was obvious there is a pattern. 

Now, go do your homework D-News.  

GUEST OPINION: Party caucuses play vital role in everyone’s future

By Rob Miller

Next Tuesday evening on March 23, 2010, a small group of your neighbors are going to get together and make decisions about a lot of issues that will affect your life for years to come. Everyone is invited but only about 1 percent will bother to show up.

Frankly, some people are counting on you not being involved. You might find out about their plans to profit from tax dollars by doing things like diverting money from our neighborhood schools to other private purposes. Remember it’s not about whether there will be tax increases or tax cuts but who is going to pay and who is going to receive.

Don't know what I am talking about? The Party Caucuses, of course. Those who attend play a critical role in selecting the people who will be on the ballot and go on to make laws for all of us following the general election that will be held on Nov. 2 of this year.

The Davis County Democratic and Republican Parties will hold caucuses at a location near your home on the evening of March 23. Caucus is just a fancy word for meeting. They are very casual and informal. There will be a caucus host to help you feel comfortable and help everyone join in the discussion to the extent they want. They will work to prevent the meeting from being dominated by just one person. It is perfectly normal for a lot of the people just to be there to see what happens in their community.

The meetings are open to the public and free -- although someone may pass the hat and ask for a donation of a few dollars for the county parties. You don't have to give, but it might be worth knowing that contrary to popular belief County Party organizations don't raise even ten cents per voter per year on average. They are far from political fat cats with dollars to burn. There are no corporate interests out there looking to bankroll a County Party.

They do have the goal of selecting delegates to the conventions where candidates will be nominated for the ballot and selecting precinct officers who will volunteer to serve on the County Party Central Committee which keeps up the work of the Party on a regular daily basis. They also try to find people who are willing to be poll workers on Election Day. And, they may ask you to provide your contact information and ask if there are ways that you want to help candidates and the Party.

As Chairman of the Davis County Democratic Party and as a member of the State Democratic Party's Executive Committee representing other county chairs, I want to invite you — yes, I mean you — to attend and participate in this year’s Party caucus. Regardless of your political persuasion, feel free to join the Democrats. We want to assure that your voice is heard and that you have a say in the decisions that affect you.

Some believe that the Parties are responsible for the problems we are facing today. I don't agree, but Parties become what we all make of them. They are what you are willing to put into them. Will you leave them to the extremes? If you choose to be an independent and unaffiliated, then what you are truly choosing is to allow others to make choices for you. They will. But you might not like the decisions they make. They will hold you accountable for your failure to participate. You will be the target for tax increases and you won't receive anything you value in return. Lack of political participation is actually the root to the problems we are facing today.

Take the first step in participating in the political process by attending the party caucus of your choice. Politics is the marketplace of ideas and just like the economy, the more time you invest, the better the outcome. To find your caucus location and participate in a “virtual” meeting visit CaucusOnline.org.

The world is run by those who show up. If you participate, you are effectively multiplying your voice by 100 times by speaking for all the people who don’t get involved.

What a great idea!

View photos from Saturday's Saint Patrick's Day Parade at The Gateway with Mayor Corroon and Sam Granato on Facebook.  

Photos by The "Us" Campaign for United States Senate - Bringing "Us" Together

KSL.com: House majority leader Kevin Garn resigns

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Does J-man make a good point about the D-News and the Kevin Garn incident?

From J-Man's Blog: What else has the Deseret News NOT shared with us?


What do you think? 

Legislative Chair

A few days after these mass meetings all of the precinct officers who were elected at that mass meeting will meet and elect the Legislative Chair. This person will work very close with their state representative especially when it is time for them to run again. They are one step below our Regional Directors and one more beneath our Executive Committee. They are our contact with the district and a very important part of the process. They will be called on to volunteer and help organize volunteering in their district.

Find your precinct caucus location: 

Salt Lake County Democratic Party Website:  
Davis County Democratic Party Blog:
More to come!

Big, Big, Big, Differences...

HOUSE COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS RESOLUTION URGING RATIFICATION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY

SALT LAKE CITY – March 1, 2010. A resolution that would encourage Congress to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty passed the Utah House Government Operations committee on a unanimous vote this evening.

HR4, sponsored by Representative Jen Seelig, D—Salt Lake City, asks the United States of America to be a leader in the world by ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which was passed in September 1996 by a UN National Assembly. In order for the ban to go into effect, 44 Annex 2 countries must ratify the treaty. To date, 31 countries have ratified the treaty.

Representative Seelig explained to the committee that Utah should be a leader that stands up against nuclear testing. “We have been down that road, and we have paid the price,” she said in a statement.

Several members from the public spoke in favor of the measure, reminding the representatives of the many deaths and health issues that have burdened Utahns following the nuclear tests in the Nevada desert.

Representative Wilcox, R—Ogden, also spoke in favor of the resolution and explained to committee members that a ban on nuclear testing actually strengthens United States national security and advances U.S. arms control objectives.

The United States Bureau of Arms Control has stated that when the CTBT goes into effect, it will "constrain the development of more advanced nuclear weapons while allowing the United States to retain a safe and reliable nuclear deterrent. The CTBT's verification regime will improve our ability to detect and deter nuclear explosions, a top national security priority," according to their website.

The resolution will now go to the House for a vote. Since it is a House Resolution, it does not need to be passed in the Senate.