The Forgotten Foreclosure Crisis

Most of my chosen experience at Netroots Nation '09 and '10 has been in the form of campaign type training, and doesn't make for an exciting post.  I did step outside of that more this year to catch panels on Social Security (more on that later, but for now: there is no crisis), immigration, and other policy issues, but due to conflicting panels, I had skipped all but the Q & A of this one.  Craig attended and will probably have more to say later at The SideTrack. From the Q & A alone I learned quite a bit, so I wanted to post the entire video of the discussion.

The Forgotten Foreclosure Crisis: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Professor Elizabeth Warren ("Godmother" of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and CPA nominee), and Firedoglake financial blogger David Dayden (DDay).  Moderated by HuffPo's Ryan Grimm.

About 2 minutes swapping panelists mics, but at 19 minutes Warren is asked a question, and continues until about the 30 min mark with one of the most concise explanations of the crisis, how we got here, and what it means for the entire country going forward.

Is Glenn Beck Really Going Blind? Or Just Crazy?

Last week in Salt Lake City, conservative Fox News commentator and faithful Mormon Glenn Beck told a crowd of 6600 fans that he could go blind in less than a year. Telling the audience that he had been diagnosed with “macular dystrophy,” a progressive eye disorder that can lead to blindness, Beck laughed and cried with the audience, taking the opportunity to jab at health care reform.

“I went to the best doctor I could find,” he said, “while I could still go to the best doctor I can find.”

But Beck’s mood turned more serious when he began to warn of the serious dangers in today’s world:

“Brothers and Sisters, I testify to you here and now, there will be eternal ramifications for each and every human being alive today in this country. It will have been better if we had not been born,” he told the Utah crowd.

For the whole story, click below:

http://all247news.com/is-glenn-beck-really-going-blind-or-just-crazy/2559/

That Pioneering Spirit

When the Mormon pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, they had been through the ringer. Utah history teaches of their suffering: a past tainted with persecution, intolerance, and murder; a harrowing winter across the plains from Illinois; more sickness and death. Many had left everything they owned and loved behind because they were looking for a place to live and practice their religion in peace. So, in the summer of 1847, they arrived in the great Salt Lake Valley to create a better life for their families and future generations.

Their prophets had taught them to work together for the common good. Each participant was to bring something that would benefit the entire community: a talent, a resource, or a skill. It was in this spirit they built up their new community in the desert, planting crops and trees, building homes, businesses, schools and churches, and planning a community that would be their own Utopia in the west where they would live and work together in harmony.

In the 160 plus years since those first pioneers arrived, there have been many other pioneers from different religions, races, cultures and countries who have come to Utah for a better life, each bringing something that enriches the community. Today we celebrate all of them - whether they came here by handcart, covered wagon, airplane or automobile. We celebrate the pioneering spirit of every person who lives here, who work hard every day to make their faith in the things that are important to them come to fruition.

Those of us who have chosen to work in politics do so because we want to see every person's dreams become realities. As Democrats in Utah, we believe that everyone deserves the basic of human freedoms: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We choose to serve because we believe in the greater common good. We believe that every child in our state deserves a top notch education, a loving home, good food to eat, clean water to drink, and good health. We understand that every aging citizen of our state deserves to live out the last years of his or her life with dignity, and that veterans who have served our country so bravely deserve to be honored for their sacrifice, not only with medals and accolades, but with good health care, shelter, and assistance.

All Utah families have the right to pursue happiness through gainful employment that pays a fair wage. Utah students who work hard have every right to attend college and be able to afford tuition, regardless of decisions made by their parents. Those who come here legally from other nations seeking a better life deserve to be treated with respect regardless of religious beliefs, the color of their skin, or language barriers. And Utah's non-traditional families should be allowed to live in peace, hold jobs, and not be discriminated against because of personal lifestyle choices or sexual preferences.

That's what Utah's history teaches us - that we all have the right to live and work and worship and provide and create and pursue a better life. That's our pioneering spirit, and that's what we are celebrating this week.

* * *

Emily Bingham Hollingshead is a political consultant and Democratic Party activist in Utah. She serves as the Communications Director for the Utah House Democrats and has worked on several winning legislative campaigns.

In 2006, she was the Democratic candidate for Senate District 28, a 6 county seat that encompasses much of the 2nd Congressional district. (No, she didn't win and credits the race for giving her broader insight into the minds of Utah voters).

Emily lives with her very patient husband Mark, and two sons in Cedar City, Utah.

He thinks he can...

Read: Mr. Granato goes to Washington — for the first time

Balance in Government

By Rod Julander

For years we have heard the Democrats argue for more “balance in government” in Utah. This is not a plea for a sympathy vote, but rather a warning against the dangers of a single party government and an argument for making the electoral system more fair. There is no question that there are more Republican voters than Democrats but this disparity is greatly exaggerated by the election laws passed by Republican Legislatures or those they have refused to pass which would bring greater equity to Utah politics. It certainly is not unreasonable to expect a party to do all in its power to continue its control. Fairness is seldom a partisan value. Thus is up to the public to demand reforms that will truly re-establish the ideal of equal representation where each party has power equal to their numbers in the voting public. Currently, even if the Democrats were in the majority, voter wise, they would continue to be the minority party in state and county government. This is not Democracy.

The most egregious warping of the political system is gerrymandering which is in the hands of the majority party. Today, with census data and computer abilities, parties have the ability to fine tune district boundaries to minimize the votes of Democrats. Enough has been said of this problem and Utah voters apparently don’t care enough about fairness to object to the current system. Even the recent attempts to draw boundaries for a new Congressional district drew very little comment except for joining urban and rural communities. This problem will continue until we have a bi-partisan commission draw the boundaries rather than the legislature. But, in addition to this problem, there are others that weaken our two party system.

One of these is the very lax campaign finance laws, one of the least restrictive in the country. Although one must disclose the source of donations, the law allows ways to hide the source of campaign money. More important, nearly any one, or any group, can give any amount to any candidate. Since the Republican party receives far more money from Corporate sources, they have an enormous advantage in funding campaigns. Statistically, ignoring incumbency, Republicans outspend Democrats at least 4 to 1. This becomes more important as campaigns become less personal and more public relations battles. For open seats the candidate who spends the most money wins nearly 8 of 10 elections. In order to level the playing field, and to make legislators more responsive to you and me, we need to limit the size of donations as well as to regulate the sources of campaign funds. Campaign spending is a cancer in the system that goes well beyond giving one party an unfair advantage. Related to this is incumbency. People holding public office are in positions to do favors for lobbyists who then “donate” to that person’s reelection. In Utah this puts the Republican party at a double advantage::wealthy donors and more incumbents.

There are two other advantages the Republican party enjoys that will perpetuate its majority. By the nature of the news business, any story that breaks, reporters go first to those currently in office. Opinions of members of the Democratic party who might be candidates next year are hardly news worthy. This is just a fact of life. One more disadvantage for the Democrats in Utah. Finally the ballot used in Utah elections favors the Republicans. With our current system it is much easier to cast a straight party ballot than to scratch (going though the whole ballot to pick your choices). Democratic legislators have often tried to change the ballot limiting straight party voting, but as you might guess, the Republican majority has made sure it is never passed.

When Democrats ask for more balance in Utah Government, they are not asking for a pity vote, they are asking you to support legislation that will give them a fair shot. Those of us who really believe in the concept of one person one vote should demand that the legislature at least support three reforms. 1. Redistrict through the use of a bi-partisan committee. 2. campaign finance reform, to limit the power of lobbyists supporting incumbents, and 3. eliminate, or limit straight party voting. Many states have passed these reforms and their government is more democratic, representing all of the people

Fwd: Legislative Audit of Merit System

7/19/2010 at 4:01 PM

UPEA was recently apprised of an audit that was conducted regarding the Career Service System, or Merit System. The report will be presented in the Legislative Audit Subcommittee tomorrow afternoon. According to our sources the Legislative Auditor’s Office may make recommendations to change the merit status of state employees. The report includes several options regarding implementation of a new career service system.
If you are able to attend the meeting, we would encourage you to do so on your own time.

Date: Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Time: 1:30 PM
Place: 250 State Capitol Bldg.

This will be an educational opportunity since the Audit Subcommittee has not accounted for public comment on the agenda. UPEA will also provide an update after the meeting.

This is a serious matter that affects all public employees and will be taken into account with any future political endorsements.

Kory Cox
Employee Relations Representative

Online Recipe Contest

For a little change of scenery, I thought I would post this cool link. A website based in southern Utah is giving away $400 for the best recipes submitted through their website. There is no catch, and you have until August 1, 2010 to submit your vegetable garden recipes.

We're having a recipe contest!
Click here to submit your garden vegetable recipes and to win cash!
$400 to the grand prize winner!

Utah State Democratic Chairman Holland: Why won't Governor Herbert Denounce an Illegal Act?

Salt Lake City- The following is a statement from Democratic Chairman Wayne Holland regarding Governor Herbert's response regarding the list of 1,300 alleged illegal immigrants:

"When it comes to immigration, it seems as though Governor Herbert is being pushed around by a small minority of the extreme interests that exist in the Tea Party. Just three months ago on April 6th, he was chosen as the keynote speaker at a Tea Party rally at the Utah State Capitol. The fact he was ambiguous about whether the recent list of alleged illegal immigrants should or should not have been publicly released begs the question: Why? It's because aggressively migrant-opposed organizations are leading him by the nose so effectively that he won’t even denounce the illegal release of private information.

"Utahns deserve leadership who know where and how to draw the line. Illegal immigration laws need to be strongly enforced, while maintaining an element of humanity. A governor who cannot manage to state a clear answer to such a simple and moralistic issue demonstrates a lack of character and conviction."

The American Dream

by Emily Bingham Hollingshead

Cedar City, Utah

July 13, 2010

Happy July. In Utah, July is not only a celebration of America’s Independence, but it also is a month in which we honor the founders who came before us as we commemorate Utah’s statehood.

When I was growing up, I was reminded on a regular basis of the important heritage that came before me – Mormon Pioneers who crossed the plains and who endured incredible hardships to come to a place where they could worship as they wanted to. As they settled in Utah, they sought for freedom and the ability to live out their American dreams and built a city and community from the ground up in a barren desert.

These were my ancestors. Many of them made the pioneer trek from the eastern United States after they had immigrated from England, Sweden, and Denmark. They came to America not only to worship in a new religion, but also to follow their dreams of a better life in a new land.

Throughout my life I have thought about what it must have been like for them to come to a new country. Many of them didn’t speak English, some were single mothers with small children, others were fathers who left their families back home. Every circumstance was a little bit different, but their hardships were similar. I have always felt deep gratitude for their sacrifices. In this age of cell phones, laptop computers and air conditioned vehicles, I can’t imagine what it must have been like for them.

I was reminded of my pioneer heritage again last night. A few weeks ago I agreed to host several college-aged students at my home. They would be traveling from Southern California to Washington DC, and needed gracious people across the country to provide them with meals and lodging for a night. 12 students were making a “trek,” which they called the “Dream Freedom Ride” - they were on their way to our nation’s capitol to take part in a 3-day march on Washington. There they would join with thousands of other immigrant youth from across the country to rally and lobby United States Senators for “The Dream Act.” This national legislation would allow children of undocumented immigrants to pursue a college education and receive a clear path to United States Citizenship. They planned to lobby senators in each of the 15 states they drove through, hoping to tell their personal stories and share their own visions of the American dream.

And so, last night at about 8:30 pm, 10 young ladies and 2 young men arrived at my front door. We fed them pizza and put everyone in the backyard with their sleeping bags, laptop computers and cell phones charging in every available outlet. They marveled at the beautiful Southern Utah mountains and clear sky – many of them had never even been out of California.

The Dream-Freedom Team - CA to DC
in Cedar City, Utah with the Hollingshead Family
(Emily, Chas and Sam)

I listened closely to their stories. Most of them had come as small children with their parents, all had graduated from an American high school and had graduated from or were about to graduate from an American university. These students came from places like UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, and others. They were now either working as political activists, volunteering for non-profit organizations, or getting ready to attend graduate school. All of them were passionate about “The Dream Act” and its possibilities for future generations of undocumented immigrant youth.

Some of their parents came here legally, some did not. Whatever their parents’ current status, I didn’t think about it too much…. because, as I listened to their dreams, I could only think about what incredible people their parents must be: people who came to our country wanting to make life better for their children. They didn’t squander that opportunity, but instead they helped their children to excel.

Many times I hear rhetoric that the “illegals” are using all of our resources, taking all of our jobs, and never giving anything in return. The people who believe this to be true probably have never had the opportunity to meet people like those who slept on my back lawn last night. Whatever their parents have done, their children speak volumes about what it means to seek out the “American Dream” and what it really means to seek a better life for your children.

I wish my new friends the very best on their journey. When they reach Washington, I hope they get an opportunity to meet with Senator Hatch, who was an original sponsor of the “Dream Act.” I hope that as they travel through Denver, Omaha, and Chicago, that they get the opportunity, again and again, to tell their stories of what the American Dream means, and I hope they will change hearts and minds along the way.

I have always believed that The Dream Act was a fabulous way to offer any undocumented youth an opportunity for citizenship. I have never understood opposition to this legislation, and yet there are many who don't understand or who just don't believe that the American Dream should be available to anybody willing to seek it. Isn't hard work and giving back to country what we are all about?

In my view, these kids are definitely what America is all about. To those who say undocumented workers aren’t contributing anything to our country, I disagree. What these first-generation immigrants have given back far exceeds anything that they may have taken: they have given us their children... children who want to give something of value to their country and their communities. To many of them, the United States of America is the only home they’ve ever known, and they are passionate about making sure the American Dream is available to all who want it.

I wish them all the success in the world. Safe travels, and sweet dreams.

CA-DC DREAM Freedom Ride Begins

This is a fantastic project by some committed young adults. I will skip editorial comment, as the press release speaks for itself. The young people involved will be camping out at my house in Cedar City tonight, crashing on my lawn, sharing a meal, and enjoying a campfire.

- Emily Bingham Hollingshead, July 12, 2010

CA-DC DREAM Freedom Ride Begins

Monday July 12th -Monday July 26th 2010

Following on the tradition of the Civil Rights Movement, The DREAM is Coming - a national project of autonomous students - has begun the CA - DC DREAM Freedom Ride with the goal of pushing the DREAM Act as a stand alone bill.

12 DREAMERs will travel for 15 days, through 15 states, and over 5,000 miles from Los Angeles, CA to Washington, DC, and back, to join the mass mobilization of students that will take part in the three national days of action in DC. They will be meeting with Reid in Nevada, Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett in Cedar City Utah and Senator Ben Nelson in Lincoln Nebraska. They will also meet with key organizations and student groups in the states they will be stopping in.

On July 19 - 21, hundreds of immigrant youth will participate in the National Dream Act Mobilization in Washington, DC. Students and supporters will converge in the three-day action that will call for national attention to the struggles of undocumented youth and for the passage of the DREAM Act as a stand-alone bill this summer. The DREAM Act is a bipartisan legislation that would allow undocumented students who entered the U.S before the age of 16, graduated a U.S high school and completed either two years of a college education or military service to earn a path toward citizenship. Each year, over 65,000 immigrant youth graduate from U.S. high schools with the hopes of pursuing their dream, only to find a roadblock because of their immigration status.

The schedule of the DREAM Freedom Ride is as follows

Monday July 12th - Kick Off 8am

Monday July 12th - 3pm Meeting with a representative from Senator Reid's office in Nevada

Monday July 12th - 9pm Arrive in Cedar City Utah

Tuesday July 13th - will be in Denver Colorado

Wednesday July 14th - will be in Lincoln Nebraska

Thursday July 15th- will be in Chicago Illinois

Saturday July 17th will arrive in Washington D.C

July 17th-22nd - The Dream is coming team will be in DC and taking part in the national days of action

Thursday July 22nd - will be in Urbana Illinois

Friday July 23rd- will be in Lincoln Nebraska

Saturday July 24th - will be in Denver Colorado

Sunday July 25th- will be in Las Vegas Necada

Monday July 26th- Will arrive in Los Angles at 4pm

The DREAM Freedom Riders Are:

Mayra Diaz

Alumna of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.A. degree in Health Science. Embarking on this journey because it is time to give more for those in the past and present who have given her and her family the opportunity of a future.

Laura Lopez

Alumna of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.A. degree in Latin American and Latino Studies. Partaking in the caravan in order to push forward the DREAM Act which will lead a step closer to Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR).

Sophia Sandoval

As an ally to the DREAM movement and member of the The Dream is Coming, decided to partake in a Civil Disobedience in May. In that same spirit, she continues the struggle to push for DREAM Act with high hopes of it passing so that many of her undocumented friends will benefit by it and finally have the opportunity to travel the world.

Luis Martinez

Alum of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Computer Engineering. Long time DREAM activist, decided to partake on this journey on behalf of all the students whose future depends on passage of the DREAM Act.

Andrea Ortega

Alumna of the University of California, Los Angeles, decided to become part of the journey on behalf of all her friends and family members who are victims of the broken immigration system and believes this is the first step towards a society that doesn’t discriminate human beings.

Cyndi Bedezu

Alumna of the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A. degree in Political Science. A DREAM activist since 2005, which lead her to partake in the DREAM “Freedom Rides” as more than ever she feels empowered to push for a great benefit for youth and families, including her own.

Alma Castrejon

Alumna of the University of California, Riverside with a B.A. in Political Science and Chicano Studies currently working on an M.A. in Education from Cal State, Long Beach. Decided to join the Freedom Rides because the time to take action is now and make the DREAM Act a reality.

Pedro Joel

University of California, Santa Cruz alumn with a B.A. in Community Studies and a Minor in Latin American and Latino Studies. Joined the Freedom Ride in believe of educational equality believing that this is the tool for unity the betterment of the community.

Neidi Dominguez

University of California, Santa Cruz alumna with a B.A. degree in Community Studies with an emphasis on Immigrant Rights, with honors. Joined the Freedom Ride convinced that passing DREAM Act will secure and protect human rights.

Oskary Arrieta

Current student at Berkeley City College majoring in Political Economy and International Affairs. Has been involved with DREAM since 2008 and joined Freedom Ride as a stance of solidarity with youth who weren’t lucky enough to regularize their status as was she right before entering college. Strongly believes that a privilege as major as this should be taken advantage of by fighting for the cause.

Blanca Hernandez

Alumna of the University of California, Davis with a B.A. in Chicana/o Studies with an emphasis on Social Policy. Has been involved with DREAM since 2006 and joined Freedom Ride with the strong believe that this journey will contribute toward the passage of the DREAM At resulting in stronger advocates for the passage of Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR).

Sylvia Ramos

Current student at Rio Hondo College majoring in Special Education with an emphasis in American Sign Language. Has been involved in DREAM Act work since 2006 and joined the Freedom Ride because she wants to help her friends who want to have access to higher education.

From the DCD Blog...

Morgan Bowen to address the Davis County Democrats this Saturday

From State Senate Candidate Charlie Parker: "I will be there to serve the people--the people of District 22."

KSL, Sean Hannity and the Mormon Ethic of Civility

In an earlier post I criticized KSL Radio for the apparent contradiction of programming Sean Hannity while adopting a mission statement that espoused civility. Today, KSL announced they are severing their relationship with Mr. Hannity. Today’s announcement comes on the heels of a new mission statement adopted by all LDS Church owned media. That new mission statement seems to be influenced by the Church's official statement entitled "The Mormon Ethic of Civility." While the official press release announcing the break up was amicable, sources tell Glen Warchol at the Salt Lake Tribune that the decision was made because the brass at KSL felt Mr. Hannity was uncivil and does not fit within the mission statement.

KSL deserves to be commended for this decision.

KSL isn’t just any radio station. It’s the Mormon news/talk station. And that’s not just because it is owned by the LDS Church. KSL went on the air in 1922 as KZN (Zion). The first voice broadcast on the station was President Heber J. Grant. KSL was first responsible for broadcasting LDS General Conference to the far reaches of the Great Basin Kingdom, a tradition it continues to this day. KSL is the flagship station for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s weekly national broadcast of Music & the Spoken Word. At the top of every hour, just seconds before ABC Network News, the Nauvoo Bell tolls across Mountain America. And of course KSL broadcasts the games of a certain polarizing sports team from Provo (who isn’t nearly as great as the Nebraska Cornhuskers ;-) ).

It’s understandable then, that people directly associate the LDS Church with what they hear on KSL.

And that’s what was so troubling about KSL programming Mr. Hannity. That choice reinforced the perceived philosophical alliance between conservative Republican politics and Mormonism. While the institutional Church remains fiercely neutral in partisan politics, Mormon culture is not. Mormons are decidedly conservative and Republican. Mormons are among the most partisan religious populations in the United States today.

This presents a problem for the LDS Church. The commission to share the gospel with the earth isn't narrowly construed to apply only to middle class, caucasian conservative Great Basin dwellers. The LDS Church cannot effectively reach out to all mankind so long as Mormonism is so tightly bound to a single political ideology.

Mr. Hannity has excaserbated this perception. Not only was Mr. Hannity broadcast in primetime on KSL, but he became a regular icon in local culture and politics. He was the Master of Ceremonies for Stadium of Fire at Church-owned (through BYU) LaVell Edwards Stadium. In response to UVSC having the audacity to invite liberal Michael Moore to speak on campus, Mr. Hannity volunteered to offer “balance” and to speak for “free.” Mr. Hannity also held a highly publicized public debate on the Iraq War with then Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson. There were many other Utah appearances by Mr. Hannity during his run with KSL.

Mr. Hannity frequently employed morally based rhetoric in his broadcast. Policy issues aren’t just policy issues in Mr. Hannity’s world- they are apocalyptic battles of good versus evil.

It is no wonder then, that when some heard Mr. Hannity’s good v. evil message on the Mormon radio station, they viewed him as a fellow foot soldier in the cause of righteousness. In fact, during the audience Q&A after Mr. Hannity’s speech at UVSC, he was asked when he was going to “take the discussions.” The McKay Events Center crowd erupted with approval.

That righteous agenda seemed to justify Mr. Hannity’s uncivil behavior. It’s OK to shout at liberals, personally attack them and call them names (socialist, Marxist, etc) because they are destroying this country. The end result is that many Hannity's audience end up seeing those who disagree with them politically as enemies to be defeated rather than friends and neighbors to be embraced. This inhibits the ability of the LDS Church to break free of Mormonism's cultural ties to conservative Republican politics.

Now, KSL’s dismissal of Mr. Hannity certainly won’t bring an end to uncivil discourse. He will still be broadcast across America every day for years to come, including in Salt Lake City (likely on KNRS). The dismissal also won’t bring an end to the strong tie between Mormon culture and conservative Republican politics (Glenn Beck, and the legacies of Ezra Taft Benson and Cleon Skousen will be sure to carry that banner for quite some time).

But the dismissal of Mr. Hannity and the shift within Church owned media does send a message. A strong message. Wholesome media is more than an absence of sex and violence. It is also the presence of civility. That means inclusiveness and respect for both sides of an argument. Just as violence and sexual content promote behaviors the corrode communities, so too does uncivil discourse.

With the exception of Mr. Hannity, KSL has already been providing compelling local, civil programming. And they have killed in the ratings doing it. Doug Wright, Ethan Millard and Alex Kirry are talk show hosts that are both entertaining and civil. The credibility of the KSL news department is second to none. There should be little doubt that KSL is capable of replacing Mr. Hannity with local programming while maintaining and extending their 2 to 1 ratings dominance of Clear Channel's syndicated programming on KNRS.

And I guess that’s a refreshing truth. Civil, entertaining broadcasts still draw an audience.

At least in Utah anyway.