Tribune columnist Paul Rolly recently wrote a column about Mormon doctrine and how its relationship to political ideology wafted heavily over the Senate Republican primary race with seemingly coded messages to the LDS faithful.
After reading Paul's article I remembered the car that U.S. Senate Candidate Sam Granato utilized at last year's Glendale Night Out Against Crime parade.
“The answers to our nation’s toughest problems are not held exclusively by Democrats or Republicans. If we put partisanship aside, I believe we can develop common sense solutions to the important issues, including a return to fiscal responsibility, sustainable economic growth and long-term job creation. It will take every single one of us, regardless of party affiliation, to develop these sensible solutions for America’s future.”
Utahn's need to seriously look at candidates, and stop myopically voting down Republican party lines. As soon-to-be former Senator Bennett and candidate Granato suggest, we need common sense and reason in Washington rather than more partisan rancor.
*Mike Lee is a (DC Based) Lawyer who doesn't want Utah to have a say in whether or not they allow nuclear waste. (States rights my butt.)
*Mike Lee wants to declare that children born to illegal immigrants within the borders of the United States are no longer subject to the jurisdiction of the Unites States government. That would make them not citizens, so the Unites States (which, by the way, now has no jurisdiction over these people) can deport them. Let that sink in for a minute. (Please tell me someone out there has that exchange from the KUTV debate last Sunday)
*Mike Lee is in favor of underground nuclear testing. Except he is in favor of ratifying a treaty that bans testing of nuclear weapons. Unless a country decides they need to test to preserve their national security. (If a Democrat took that many positions, he'd be called a flip-flopper.)
*Mike Lee trusts the Utah Legislature more than he trusts Utah Voters. (See revoking the 17th amendment.)
*Mike Lee isn't just a lobbyist. Mike Lee is an illegal Lobbyist.
*Mike Lee wants to raise taxes on the poor and middle-class.
*Mike Lee wants to reduce government regulations. Lax government oversight caused the Gulf Oil Spill and the mine collapse in central Utah a few years ago.
*Mike Lee seems to forget that Article 3 of the Constitution gives the Supreme Court the authority to declare whether laws are constitutional or not.
*Mike Lee loves the constitution, with the exception of Article 3 and Amendments 14, 16, 17, and 10 (only when it is contrary to the desires of his clients).
OGDEN — It was clear from their questions that the young men attending the American Legion Boys State this year are worried.
They’re worried about the economy, about America’s debt to foreign investors, about the politics of gerrymandering and illegal immigration, and about the oil filling the Gulf of Mexico.
And when they’re not worrying, they’re wondering. Wondering about why the word “God” is being taken out of the phrase “God bless America,” why road construction seems to get better financing than education, why space programs are being scrapped, and why each political party blames the other.
It was left to Rob Miller, chairman of the Davis County Democratic Party, and Dave Hansen, chairman of the Utah Republican Party, to answer their questions in a debate Thursday morning at Weber State University.
And while some answers likely did little to calm their fears, both Miller and Hansen encouraged the young men, who just completed their junior years in high school, to stay involved and work to make a difference.
A recurring question came regarding funding for education.
“Public education is a right here in America, and we need to do better,” said Miller. “When times are bad we make cuts, but when times are good we make cuts too,” he said, adding that in the past 10 years, almost $1 billion has been cut from education funding. “I’m appalled at the money that is wasted not only in education but in government in general.”
“Utah ranks always first or second as a well-managed, well-run state,” said Hansen. “But we have an economic crisis now that requires cuts in state government and the budget. We’ve been able to do that without raising taxes and education has taken a hit like every other issue and every other family.
“Will there be enough? There’s never enough. We can always do more, but we are doing an excellent job without having to raise taxes on families,” he said.
When asked about road construction’s seemingly hefty funding as compared to education’s struggles, both men agreed that good roads contribute to the health of the state, and Hansen explained that there are different funding systems and that money couldn’t be taken from one to provide for another.
“We don’t want dangerous roads,” said Miller. “They’re a necessary component. If we don’t have transit, the economy goes down too.”
“Roads bring jobs and industry,” added Hansen. “Businesses looking to our state look at what kind of transportation system we have.”
At the same time, “a lot of the money for roads comes from the federal stimulus program and the state couldn’t take those dollars and put them in education, it’s designated where it has to go.”
The TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) was questioned by the boys as well, including one young man who said it hadn’t done any good.
Yes, it was “ugly and bad,” said Hansen, “but it was necessary.” He said Sen. Bob Bennett’s (R-Utah) vote for TARP was the main reason he was defeated in his bid for the Republican nomination at the recent state convention. “But the folks in Washington, D.C., were told we have to pass this or we’re going to face a huge financial crisis worldwide.”
Miller agreed that it was necessary, stating that, “had I been a senator I probably would have voted for it.” Further, he said, “I don’t think the gentlemen running (for the Republican nomination and election to Bennett’s seat) would have voted any differently. The country needed to do it to stop the worldwide crisis.
“I don’t think things are getting worse,” he told the young men. “I think they’re getting better.”
Miller and Hansen agreed on many issues, from supporting the flag to respecting California’s vote on Proposition 8, from keeping the word “God” in the Pledge of Allegiance to not splitting school districts.
They didn’t agree on gerrymandering, however, with Miller lamenting the failure of an attempt to establish an independent redistricting committee in Utah and Hansen saying it was better to have elected officials “that we know” drawing the lines.
Miller also pointed to the deregulation that occurred during the eight years that Republicans were in the nation’s presidency and the Legislature for criticism, while Hansen spoke negatively of the current administration’s spending patterns.
“They seem to spend like they’re printing money themselves – which they are,” he said, adding that each of the boys had a $45,000 debt on their head right now. “It’s absolutely one of the most critical issues we are facing.”
In the end, Hansen encouraged the young men to take their interest in politics “beyond this day. If you want to make a change, get involved with politics. Take the time to do something in this year’s election.”
Miller advised them to vote for the best person, not necessarily one with an “R” or a “D” by their name. He challenged them to think for themselves and not blindly follow a conservative like Rush Limbaugh or a liberal like Bill Maher.
“Don’t let the emotion of hate or fear drive a wedge or let the issues divide us. Use common sense and the good spirit that is inside you. Stay involved.”
Davis County residents will have a chance to meet some of the candidates for public office from Davis County and enjoy a motorcycle ride on July 10.
According to Sarah Schofield, Democratic candidate for state representative from District 21 said participants will meet at Golden Spike Harley Davidson, 892 W. Riverdale Road in Riverdale, Weber County.
The registration fee is $20, which includes a burger, fries, and drink at Merlin’s Drive Inn in Bear Lake. Ride begins at 10 a.m.
So there has been an interesting debate going on today on a Facebook page of a Claudia Wright supporter, where he claims that Congressman Matheson lied about his voting record regarding defense spending in the 2011 defense budget.
I have been at this all day long so that I can clearly understand the nuance. I'm posting it here to give clarity to the issue.
I am going to say, unequivocally, that the Congressman did not lie about his vote. He may have become confused (like all of us were) on which bill was being discussed, but I don't think he lied.
I've taken the time to listen to this portion of the debate, over and over again, and encourage any readers to do so by visiting www.kuer.org and clicking on the Radio West link. I've typed some actual quotes from the KUER debate, as closely as possible, just so that I'm not accused of putting words into anybody's mouth.
The analysis of what happened is my own. But I believe we are talking about two distinct and separate things here, and for Wright's supporters to call Jim a liar is just a little bit much.
It went like this.
Doug Fabrizio asked the congressman about a proposal that would trim $160 billion in war funds from the defense appropriations bill. The Congressman has indicated that he would not support this proposal (sponsored by Rep. Grayson of Florida).
Jim went on to explain that he didn't support Representative Grayson's proposal, because "we need to look at this in a responsible way. We have got men and women on the ground... today, right now, putting their lives on the line. And to suggest that we would take funding out, just pull the funding away... I think that is irresponsible."
What was not explained here is that in late May, Matheson voted in favor of Obama's funding proposal, HR 5136. This proposal included an additional $160 billion in funding to support the troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is in addition to the $574 billion that is already being considered for the Pentagon/Military budget. Representative Matheson AND Representative Grayson both voted in favor of this funding plan. Recently, however, Rep. Grayson has presented his new proposal to remove the $160 billion in funding from the funding plan.
Evidentally, Ms. Wright supports Rep. Grayson's plan to remove the additional funding from the appropriations plan. Representative Matheson clearly does not.
The congressman went on to explain his support of President Obama's plan to end the war by enacting a drawdown, and also the President's plan for Afghanistan, reminding us that the Republicans were extremely critical of the president for taking his time and coming up with a thoughtful way to achieve these goals. The congressman said he was prepared to support the president, and to just pull funding out from under our troops would be extremely irresponsible.
And so when Claudia Wright was asked to respond to the Congressman's remarks, she explained that she would not have supported the additional funding... or she would have supported the original Pentagon funding and then would have supported Grayson's proposal to not appropriate the $160 billion additional funding for the war on the ground... or something like that.
To the expenditure, she said: "... I kind of think that the military can kind of scrape by on $574 billion. This was an additional one, and it was hidden from the public's view because it was attached to the don't ask don't tell repeal..."
She then inferred that the additional funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were tied to support of repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell, in order to make the bill more palatable to Republicans (war spending) and Democrats (repealing the bad policy) alike. She also said that the bills should have been dealt with separately and not in the same "package."
The big nuance on the vote is that the Congressman *did* vote for Obama's war funding plan. It's on the record and he voted yes, and supported the additional funds for the two wars "on the ground," and that he voted in favor of the amendment to include the Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal. So, why are Wright's supporters claiming that he lied? I heard him say it.. that the bill had not been voted on yet... Was he purposely lying? Why is everyone confused about what he said?
The turning point came, I believe, when Matheson's support of HR5136 became convoluted with his position to not support Representative Grayson's proposal. When I listened to the debate again today, it very simply crossed from Jim not supporting Grayson's proposal to Jim's support of the funding plan. I won't say that Claudia Wright purposely confused voters on the issue... I don't think she realized that she even did it, and I'm going to give her credit and assume that she knew exactly what the process is. Yes, Jim voted to authorize the money in House Resolution 5136. However, no vote has been taken to appropriate the money.
I'm not sure where Jim became confused either, but I don't believe that he was lying. When he said that no vote had been taken and that his opponent was "mistaken," he was referring to a final, appropriations bill for war funding, which may or may not include Representative Grayson's proposal, which he says he will not support. He was just pointing out that there is a difference between authorizing the money and appropriating the money. Congress had done one, but not the other.
This Saturday (June 12th) EnergySolutions spokesperson Jay Vance will address the Davis County Democrats at our monthly informal breakfast club meeting held at Granny Annie's Restaurant at 286 North 400 West in Kaysville, Utah. The breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m. and everyone is invited. This meeting is held on the second Saturday of the month, every month.
Come meet your local Davis County Democrats and become better informed on current issues.
After the breakfast we will hold an executive committee meeting that is open to all.
Perspectives on EnergySolutions – Let’s Take A Closer Look
Jay K. Vance, P.E., MBA
In his professional career, Jay has wide-ranging, industry-related experience in permitting, licensing, regulatory compliance, engineering, business administration, legal issues, legislative affairs, market research, public relations, and customer service.
He has worked as a state hazardous waste regulator and as an engineer in the environmental office for the Department of Defense, Tooele, Utah, assisting with such things as environmental audits and cleanups.
He has also worked in the chemical production industry and, while a student, was employed in research roles at the University of Utah coal macerals laboratory.
For 21 years, he has worked for EnergySolutions and predecessor companies helping with many cleanups across the nation and in Utah, making sure that the environmental remediation work is done efficiently and in compliance with all applicable regulations. He has authored permit and license applications for radioactive and hazardous waste facilities in Utah, Texas and South Carolina.
Jay has served the party as a delegate, a precinct vice chair, participant on the county platform committee, as state legislature candidate, and has worked on and contributed to many campaigns.
Jay Vance
EnergySolutions
423 West 300 South, Suite 200
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
