"Not all opinions are created equal. Some are a great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others." Douglas Adams
Rep. John Dougall, known in Utah legislative circle as an “ideas guy”* and “freight train”** for the breadth and creativity of the bills he’s carrying this year, had a great idea: why not let high school students and their parents pick the public school solution that best meets their educational needs?
It’s a step in the right direction, if just a small step.
Every once in a while, a good idea comes along. One such idea was… [continued]
The latest mailer from Freedom Path falsifies Dan Liljenquist’s business record. The shadowy group, organized legally as a political action committee, is running fast and loose with terms and smears Liljenquist with shoddy research, obscure sources, and false information. Frankly, it’s just dishonest. [cont…]
Representative Brad Galvez is best known, in legislative circles, for passing a bill last year that allowed Utahn’s to pay their debts in gold and silver coins, as well as avoid state capital gains tax on gold and silver. In a legislative effort to slow the inflation of the dollar, at least for Utahns, Rep. Galvez is pushing forward a proposal that would help integrate gold and silver into Utah’s commerce, something that while legal after last year, is a bit impractical. [cont…]
[This is a guest post by Keith Seegmiller, Republican and long time Utah resident from Cedar City, Utah. I’ve long swapped opinions with Keith, my uncle, over the years, over the kitchen table, at conventions, and in our correspondence. The opinions are his own.]
Having studied the Tea Party movement some, I’ve come to the following conclusions.
It’s a populist movement of dissatisfaction and desire for change. Though an undetermined number of people claim to believe in and support its philosophies, it has no unified, national organization or platform. Tea Party caucuses have been organized in both the House and the Senate and wield some influence there (mostly on Republicans). Three or four non-profit organizations have been formed each of which claim upwards of a million members/adherents loosely organized in smaller organizations around the country. In the last election, a number of candidates for federal office who espoused Tea Party ideals and were supported by Tea Party organizations were successful, some in unseating long-standing and respected incumbents. [cont…]
If you are intent on following what’s going on in the legislature, and I think its not a bad idea, there are a lot of ways to do it. This is the era of the internet, after all, and it’s easier than ever to get information fast, even when you can’t go hobnob at the State Capitol itself (especially if, like me, you’ve gotta keep your day job). Whether you follow the tweets and the stories from your favorite local reporter and/or legislator, read the paper, check into the Utah Senate and House web sites to research bills, or actually show up at the Capitol, here’s a short guide to some of the tools out there (with due credit, of course, to the reporting team over at the Salt Lake Tribune which suggested most of these sources): [cont…]
If you’re gonna insist on voting, you might as well inform yourself.
And political scientist Adam Brown is here to help. He’s started to compile a database of legislator profiles, as well flashcards.
That’s right. Flashcards. {cont…]
This is the third in a series of interviews with some of Utah’s elected officials. In addition to high-profile candidates, Utah has many public servants whose quiet work often goes unsung. With this series, I hope to shine a light on the personalities that make up Utah’s political leadership, not only for their work in government, but […]
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