Voice of Utah

The 'Mormon Mosque' flap wasn't just in 1903

2010-08-22T07:36:00.003-06:00

This morning's Tribune has a piece about how fear-driven religious prejudice of the short aimed at Muslims these days was also aimed at Mormons back in 1903.

While the article is interesting, if it implies that LDS Temples haven't been subjected to protests since then, it's behind the times. Ask anyone associated with the building of new Temples for the Church - many, if not most, are protested. I remember hearing of one a few years back that eventually had to be relocated, local resistance was so strong.

Any Utah Mormons inclined to be prejudiced toward New York Muslims (or Tennessee Muslims, etc.) should spend some time out of state first. It's not just in the South that Mormons are viewed are still viewed with distrust by a significant portion of the public. Thank goodness for America's long history of religious tolerance, which makes this whole 2-Blocks-From-Ground-Zero-Mosque flap a sad day.

The "gender bias" Utah legal profession survey

2010-07-20T09:46:00.002-06:00

We read yesterday's article in the Tribune titled Gender bias taints Utah legal profession, which gave us a chance to raise a few questions. Months ago, while the blog was on hiatus, one of us received an e-mail that included the questions from this survey, which seem a bit . . . problematic.

We know someone who started to fill out the survey, but discovered to her dismay that the "anonymous" survey requested enough information that it would not have been difficult to identify her. Years out, position in firm, number of attorneys in firm -- when you're talking female attorneys in a state with relatively few firms, that pretty much narrows it down.

The survey also asked questions that were literally impossible for her to answer. Are you satisifed with the nature of your "assignments," it asked. Assignments? At her firm at least, partners' work is self-generated and/or voluntarily accepted; the question could only be appropriate for a junior attorney.

The survey was further weighted because -- for reasons not identified in the article -- it was limited to attorneys who have been out 25 years or less. Often, with seniority comes power and autonomy, and we suspect that answers would have reflected that. How recent were the anecdotes about discrimination? This particular attorney has some lulus from early in her career, but nothing recent. Times (may) have changed.

We'll reserve judgment until we see the final report, if it ends upposted somewhere. To be continued...

Where's Utah's money from the China 14 "trade" trip?

2010-07-09T09:39:00.002-06:00

Quickpost today: It's been three years now since Utah tax dollars sent some 14 legislators and staff on a controversial ~~vacation~~ trade trip to China, including some legislators who had already announced their retirement (Mike Dmitri, Dan Eastman), and Sen. Howard "Utah Taxpayers-For-My-China-Trip Association" Stephenson.

This trip was essential for our economy, House leader David Clark assured taxpayers. It would generate contracts, trade deals, etc. We hope it panned out. Did it? We've wondered. How about a list of those contracts we've scored, Sen. Bramble?

"Highlights" of Sen. Hatch's Town Hall Meeting last night

2010-07-08T09:06:00.004-06:00

Many moons ago, my mother called me while watching the Iran-Contra hearings on TV. "You should see this," she reported. "Hatch is sounding reasonable." At times last night, I could have returned the call. At others, not so much.

Hatch continued to appeal -- try to, anyway -- to the Tea Party /Convention crowd, filling long answers with lots of commiseration about how "they" have ruined everything, "they" are in cahoots with mainsteam media ("Thank goodness for Fox News"), "they" are would-be socialists, etc. Rather patent pandering, I thought.

But I have to give him credit: He didn't kowtow on everything. He defended his TARP vote. He defended the DREAM Act and didn't use the term "illegals," as many questioners did (he said "persons who are here illegally as undocumented workers"). He suggested that reaching across the aisle can be appropriate. He praised adversaries before stating that he simply disagrees with them. He expressed regret that Bob Bennett is out.

In short, except for one yelling match that seemed a bit staged (but effective), he was civil. When the rather rabid crowd attempted to drown out a Democrat's question about health care, he pointed out that she has a right to express her views. He didn't point out the inconsistencies of demanding no more "charity" spending while simultaneously requesting better benefits under Medicare, more spending on Utah projects, etc.

Several questioners thanked Hatch for his service, but said it's time for him to go. And perhaps he sealed his fate when he disagreed with the owner of a transportation company who demanded dramatically that President Obama be impeached (to much hooting and hollering from the 'out-there' crowd). Then again, he did win some attendees over, and voters have short memories. Either way, it's great theater.

Utah conservatives, repeal the car dealer blue law

2010-07-05T10:02:00.006-06:00

Yesterday, as I drove past a car dealership, I saw a couple of prospective buyers navigate the barrier to check out a car. Of course, they couldn't buy the car, thanks to our all-wise legislature.

We are often told by the conservative wing of our legislature that the government should not unduly interfere with private business, let the market decide, etc. I will never believe this is a sincere view unless our legislature repeals the un-conservative law it passed several years ago barring car dealerships from being open on Sunday. Oh, technically the dealership must be closed on Saturday or Sunday, but realistically, which one are 99.9% of dealers going to choose? The statute (Utah Code sect. 41-3-210) reads:
(11) (a) Except as provided in Subsection (11)(c) [trade shows], or in cases of undue hardship or emergency as provided by rule by the division, a dealer or salesperson licensed under this chapter may not, on consecutive days of Saturday and Sunday, sell, offer for sale, lease, or offer for lease a motor vehicle.
That's right; you can't even offer to sell a car - so much for that free speech thing. At the time, I asked a senator what in the world was going on, and received the candid response that the legislator pushing the law - a Democrat, if I recall - had done so as a favor to Larry H. Miller. Good grief.

That was then, this is now. Car dealers should be able to decide for themselves whether to be open 7 days a week. What's next - movie theaters can't show movies on consecutive Saturday-Sundays? Realtors can't show houses on Saturday and Sunday?

This is a bad law. Conservative up, Legislature, and get rid of it.

UHP's illegal-fireworks checks shows how Arizona's law could allow racial profiling

2010-07-04T11:10:00.007-06:00

KSL had a rather illuminating story yesterday on how our tax dollars are spent busting Utahns who bring illegal fireworks back from that fireworks-coddling Wyoming. Perhaps most enlightening was the way that the UHP cop blithely seemed to admit making pretext stops in order to check for fireworks.

"Between the 4th and the 24th of July you could almost patrol the entire month and you're going to find something," the trooper was quoted.

According to the ride-along reporter, his first stop was for "a tailgating infraction." Seriously? The next stop was "suspected drowsy driving." (Apparently he wasn't driving poorly enough to suspect drunk driving.) No fireworks found, darn it. Finally, the trooper lucked out with a speeder who, for reasons unknown, fessed up information about his fireworks stash that he had no obligation to volunteer.

This is what I believe opponents of Arizona's new immigration law fear. Under the law (which I have read, including the House amendment), there does have to be an initial unrelated stop, but it can be for anything, including infractions and violation of local ordinances. As we can see from these fireworks busters, that leaves a lot of room for "unrelated" stops.

Can Utah's leaders bring back civility?

2010-07-02T08:43:00.005-06:00

It's been discouraging to see political "dialogue" become so divisive and, yes, even hateful on both sides. I always believe that pendulums swing back, but I was wondering what it would take to bring back basic civility.

I see things happening in Utah:

Gov. Herbert has announced that he wants a meeting on immigration in which participants speak in a "respectful" fashion.

Doug Wright on KSL is polite to callers with whom he disagrees. Wright also influences others - for example, when Wright was covering the primaries with Enid Greene and Ethan Millard, we noticed that Greene was a little more respectful of Democrats than usual (even using the correct term "Democratic party," for example). KSL, meanwhile, is removing The Screecher from its lineup.

The Church issued a mission statement this year which declared Church principles to include "integrity, civility, morality and respect for all people”.

The Utah Supreme Court has adopted guidelines for civility for the practice of law in Utah.

So, something can be done. It won't be by people like Sen. Hatch, who is (in our perception) nervously catering to the uncivil crowd, but by entrenched leaders who aren't worried about getting out of an upcoming convention. It will also require ignoring the people who have no desire for a return to politeness. It can be done.

"Zero tolerance" for white-collar crime in Utah?

2010-06-28T07:31:00.004-06:00

Poor Gov. Herbert, sometimes he's like doddering Grandpa Gary, who says things that are kind of out there, and we just pat his arm and say, "Sure, Gramps, That's right."

Yesterday, we read an article on how the sky is blue and grass is green and Utahns lost more than $1 billion to fraudulent schemes last year. The state has "zero tolerance" for white-collar crime, the article quoted Gov. Herbert. Oh, boy - where to start?

Also in the news yesterday: A man named Terry Wayne Brown used affiliation fraud to steal $35,000 from an Orem woman. He got 90 days in jail and restitution. A woman named Michelle Kittredge stole more than $500,000 from her employer, and got 6 months in jail followed by home confinement. In Weber County, a man named Bart Andersen who embezzled more than $250,000 from his employer at least got 1-3 years in jail, but with work release. And those are people who actually got charged by local prosecutors, those who haven't, say, had breakfast with a legislator...

Utahns don't want to pay more taxes to build more prisons, so maybe we can't complain about all this wrist slapping for white-collar crime. No tolerance for it? It's a nice thought.

Those darned competent day laborers

2010-06-27T05:25:00.005-06:00

In an hour, I will head out to exercise my legal right to pick up a couple of independent contractors to help me mulch. I don't know of any law against this in Utah, and I could do it under Arizona's new law, too, because the places I go have cutouts. (Arizona's law -- which I have actually read -- prohibits picking up day laborers only "if the motor vehicle blocks or impedes the normal movement of traffic.")

I hadn't considered picking up guys off the street until a conservative GOP friend suggested it, and told me where to go. Before doing so, I tried:

asking co-workers for teenagers wanting to earn good $ through manual labor. Perhaps we have all grown too old together, because I no longer get Yeas on that. (Unfortunately, my own former source of labor had the nerve to grow up.)

using a professional labor service. For one job, they sent a guy who didn't want to do lifting and a scrawny guy, both in spite of my "heavy-lifting" warning. So long, beautiful kitchen island.

using a landscape service. For one job, I asked for 10 workers, and got 2. Oh, 10 guys showed up, but most took long smoke breaks every hour, or stood yakking even as I dragged piles of dead tree limbs past them.

placing KSL ads. My first yielded a former landscaper laid off for months, currently relying on Church assistance. Score! But after showing up a few times, he just faded away. I got no response to my next ads.

Finally, I drove, somewhat nervously, to a place suggested by my friend. "They surround the car," he warned, but just be firm. A Kentuckian named Louis was the first to my car, and as he helped me move some salvaged bricks, he didn't stop for smoke breaks, or stand around, and at times he ran even with fully-loaded tongs.

My next few experiences were the same: guys who wanted to work hard, well, and efficiently, and whom I had to urge to take occasional water and lunch breaks.

Were the first stream of helpers American citizens? I think so. Were the latest? I haven't asked, and they haven't told. (Unlike many KSL.commenters, I do not assume illegality from the mere fact of a person's race or name.) If they are not, all I can say is: I pay the same high hourly wage to everyone, I have insurance if anyone gets injured, and I work right along side them. Based on my own experience, can I say these men took jobs that Americans did not want to do? No, but they took jobs that Americans did not want to do well.

Back from the quasi-dead

2010-06-24T09:36:00.002-06:00

Geez, you go away for a while, and next thing you know it's been a year, not that anyone necessarily would have noticed. Voice of Utah is back now, and ~~scared~~ anxious to become immersed in Utah politics again...

Southern Utahns: The law is the law! (Except the ones we don't like)

2009-06-12T12:03:00.003-06:00

There's probably a diagnostic code in the DSM for someone who voluntarily reads comments on the KSL.com forums (masochist comes to mind). I am often ~~scared~~ amazed at the sheer hostility exhibited by posters there, but at least they're consistent, I told myself.

Not so. On the artifact-indictment case, we are mystified by the number of people shrugging, "Everyone does it," or "It's a dumb law," criticizing the government for enforcing the law and even blaming the prosecutors for the apparent suicide of indictee (and alleged recidivist), Dr. James Redd. In many instances, these are the same posters who screech, "THE LAW IS THE LAW!!!!!!!!!" every time some liberal scofflaw declines to kick an illegal immigrant in the shin.

This pick-and-choose attitude makes me suspect that many "Law is the Law" screamers probably violate laws left and right just because they don't like them. I guess I'll make a list of laws to read and decide whether I like them, starting with the most inconvenient ones, of course.

Sen. Hatch almost does something newsworthy

2009-06-10T21:08:00.003-06:00

Slow news day? That's the assumption when one sees a Tribune article about something that Sen. Orrin Hatch almost did that would warrant an article if he had done it, which he didn't.

Sen. Hatch almost hit a pedestrian. He did the same thing that every one of us has experienced at one time or the other: come uncomfortably close to an unseen bicyclist or pedestrian with our car, and then stress about how close it was. He even reported the non-event to Capitol security. He wasn't drunk, he wasn't speeding, it was raining -- this is newsworthy how...?

Utah's home-developer welfare bill: as hypocritical as it looks?

2009-06-10T09:49:00.006-06:00

We're still amazed that our state legislators, who purport to decry government spending for private purposes, happily gifted their real-estate developer buddies with an almost gone $6,000 taxpayer-funded incentive for the purchase of new, unlived-in homes (i.e., for developers, not the poor schmucks trying to sell their existing homes).

Other than the dollar amounts, how is this different philosophically from the much-lambasted bailouts? Ivory Homes, etc., overbuilt and made unfortunate business decisions, so now they're getting taxpayer assistance. Sounds familiar...

Herbert's Lt. Gov - the dumbest Trib poll yet

2009-06-03T07:03:00.004-06:00

On its website, the Salt Lake Tribune runs periodic "polls" to drum up clicks. I have never felt the urge to vote, but often find that I would not choose any of its options anyway, and they never offer None of the Above. This morning is a good example. The poll says:

My first thought -- "A conservative to get through convention, because that's all that matters in a statewide race" -- isn't a choice; nor is "a conservative whose views are not consistent with the majority of Utahns." I would be hard pressed to choose between those two.

LDS Church, please relocate your Oquirrh Mountain temple

2009-05-20T20:07:00.001-06:00

Opening an envelope a while back, I noted that it was an invitation to tour another new temple. I usually make time for those, so I turned to my computer to enter the date, time, and--what?! It couldn't be. It said South Jordan, but 11022 South 4000 West looks like Herriman, walks like Herriman, and quacks like Herriman, and even thinking about venturing into Herriman was enough to give me a headache.

My Herrimaphobia is entirely rational. I spent a week in Herriman one day last month. Actually, I spent three weeks there on three separate days, requiring progressively more therapy. The first time, after driving around aimlessly and calling the woman once again, I was finally told, "Oh, did I say I lived on X street? I meant Y."

On the second occasion, I talked VOU2 into joining me to see some furniture advertised on Craigslist. The conversation -- well, more like a monologue -- on that delightful trip went something like this, with certain words replaced for tender eyes:

"Where are we? . . . This place is a hole. . . . Are we still in Herriman? . . . It's not on my GPS. . . . What kind of idiot runs an ad on Craigslist for Helliman and doesn't put the coordinate? . . . Whoever laid out these streets was obviously drunk. This place is a [disappointing,] [confusing] [maze]! . . . I now hate this man, and I hate Herriman."

It is a known fact that there is something wrong with everyone who voluntarily lives or drives in Herriman. This new temple is too close. Please move it.

Thanks.

An ex-Utahn cleared after 22 years on death row - that's why we don't rush it, Mr. Shurtleff

2009-05-12T14:15:00.003-06:00

A few years ago, we read about a former Utahn, Paul Gregory House, whose death sentence for a 1985 murder in Tennessee had been upheld, even though almost half of the appeals court judges believed he was not guilty -- not just that reasonable doubt existed, but that he was in fact completely innocent.

It took a few more years, and more appeals, until finally the United States Supreme Court said that House was entitled to a new trial. The Court went even further, stating that this was a case in which no reasonable jury could have found House guilty, and that the evidence pointed to "another suspect."

Prosecutors finally acknowledged that today, dropping all charges against House and clearing him after 22 years on death row. So now, we wonder, how does Mark Shurtleff feel about cutting off death row appeals?

McMansion opponents: You're mad at the wrong people

2009-05-07T10:49:00.000-06:00

It must be extremely irritating to have someone move into a nice neighborhood full of conventionally sized homes, and then poke everyone in the eye with a hideous McMansion. Fortunately or unfortunately, however, we live in America. We have a right to do what we want with our property, as long as it's legal.

And that's really the problem with most of these McMansion disputes in Utah: Planning and zoning ordinances allow them. We can't regulate bad judgment. We can't make people be good or considerate neighbors. All we can do is talk to our planning commissions and city councils about setbacks and restrictions before Mr. and Ms. Moneybags move in. It's the annoying but American way.

Jerry, yes it is

2009-05-06T22:24:00.004-06:00

Read an interesting piece last week by not-one-of-my-usual-favorites, Gordon Monson. In it, Monson disagreed with Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's pronouncement that it is not his job to motivate his players.

I think it is, too. Yeah, they're professional, yeah, they should already be motivated, but sometimes you still have to state the obvious. ~~Many~~ Some years ago when I was coaching Junior Jazz, our neighborhood team was undefeated, two games away from the league championship. We were behind at the half, and I was frustrated. As we trouped downstairs, I exclaimed, "Guys, where's the energy? You've got to hustle!"

My best player than said, in all sincerity, "You didn't tell us to hustle!"

True. It actually hadn't occurred to me. But instead of saying, "I shouldn't have to," I accepted the criticism and said, "Well, I need you to, okay? Do you guys promise to hustle?"

They did, and they did. I know there's an age difference and a pro-vs.-amateur difference, but pro basketball players these days are basically just big kids. They've been spoiled and handled since their early teens. So yes, Jerry, the sad reality is that it is your job. Please do it. (But first, get rid of Boozer.)

A repost: The plight of the Enola Gay Hangar at Wendover

2009-05-02T10:20:00.002-06:00

We don't usually do this, but this week's news that the Enola Gay hangar at Wendover has been placed on the list of endangered landmarks prompts us to reprint a post from August 2007:

This morning's Trib had a nice feature on Wendover, Utah. A couple of lines from the article struck a memory:

WENDOVER - The first atomic bomb. The world land-speed record. Wendover Will.
. . .
Toward war's end, Col. Paul Tibbets and the crew of the Enola Gay trained in Wendover to drop the first atomic bombs - dubbed Little Boy and Fat Man - on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Along with Smith, Tibbets is an icon in Wendover.

The crew didn't just train in Wendover. The Enola Gay mission actually launched from Wendover. On June 14, 1945, the newly manufactured B-29 was ferried from Nebraska to the army base there. On June 27, 1945, it took off from Wendover for the South Pacific. After stops at Guam and the Marianas Islands, the aircraft carried out its historic mission on August 6 and 9, 1945, dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrendered a month later.

The memory? Driving around on a quest for Mildred's, a restaurant on the Utah side that makes its own veggie burgers, noticing a historic marker, stopping to read it, and exclaiming, "THE Enola Gay?" The most important military mission in U. S. history was launched from Utah?

One reason it was hard to believe: This is what the hangar that housed the Enola Gay looks like now.

Granted, the Enola Gay's mission remains controversial. Co-pilot Robert Lewis himself wrote, "My God, what have we done?" Nonetheless, this mission has enormous military and historical significance. The hangar from which it was launched shouldn't look as though it has been condemned. To Utah legislators, we say: Next time you have an extra, say, $36,000 or so to spend, how about shifting some of it toward the long-envisioned restoration project out at Wendover. In the meantime, the project accepts donations via PayPal to the e-mail address support(at)wendoverairbase.com.

Wow - the Minuteman guy finally admits it's about brown skin

2009-05-01T11:44:00.003-06:00

It's always interesting when the Minutemen guys say that their illegal immigration obsession isn't just anti-brown-skin racism. "Yeah, right," one thinks. "That's why your bunch lies in wait on the KSL.com website praying that the next mug shot will have a slightly darker tone."

This morning, the Tribune's article about the Church's declination to become a law enforcement agency contained a remarkable admission:

Some LDS members are seriously questioning their faith as the church continues to recognize undocumented immigrants as worthy of baptism, temple entrance and missionary work while one of the faith's founding principles is to obey all laws, said Eli Cawley, chairman of the anti-illegal immigration Utah Minuteman Project.

"The risk that the church runs by supporting illegal aliens is
the risk of alienating their own white membership," Cawley said.

And there it is. It's about the skin color. It probably doesn't hurt to admit it, as we suspect most people already had formed that conclusion.

P.S. Cawley, anyone whose faith is so shallow that it can't handle one disagreement with the Church on immigration law - which has no religious or Biblical overtones -- has a bigger problem.

Pandemic: We owe former state Rep. Sylvia Andersen an apology

2009-04-30T08:43:00.004-06:00

Although we think the current swine flu threat is exaggerated (36,000 Americans die annually and hundreds of thousands are hospitalized with 'regular' flu), it does illustrate a need for preparedness.

Which prompts a fess up. Like Karl Rove and Susan Collins (R-Maine), who ridiculed the inclusion of pandemic preparation funds in the stimulus package, in 2006 we made fun of Utah state legislator Sylvia Andersen (R-Draper):

Strangest campaign issue. Most websites stuck to the usuals, education, health care, seniors, etc. But if Sylvia Andersen, the GOP Leg. 48 candidate, is right about her constituents' primary interests, that must be one distinct district. Her three main issues? Education, health care/insurance, and pandemics. That's right, pandemics. Andersen writes: “I understand that the majority (if not everyone) in our district is concerned by pandemic outbreaks - or natural disasters.” Yeah, they'll be taking to the streets soon on that. What do we want? Pandemic preparation! When do we want it? Now!

Although we wonder how much pandemic preparation was really on the minds of Andersen's constituents, she may have been on to something. Andersen was defeated in the GOP primary last year by Lavar Christensen, and we know what he thinks the biggest threat is...

Michigan GOP to Huntsman: If we wanted your opinion, we wouldn't be Republicans

2009-04-29T15:29:00.002-06:00

So, Utah ~~presidential candidate~~ Governor John Huntsman Jr. was disinvited from a county GOP fundraiser in Michigan for not toeing the GOP line on civil unions. Remember the days when individual Republicans could have differing views on things and still be welcomed into the Big Tent? Neither do we.

My take on yesterday's lovefest about Utah's judicial "fitness" requirement

2009-04-29T11:09:00.006-06:00

A kind third party bought me a seat yesterday at a function at the Alta Club called "Interpreting the Judicial Fitness Requirement under the Utah Constitution." Other than a whopper or two by Sen. Lyle Hillyard (R-Logan) and an occasional "B.S.-alert" from Rep. Kay McIff (R-Richfield), it was more of a makeout session. My notes are fuzzy, so these may not be exact quotes:

Moderator (President of the Utah Bar): "So, how about that 'fitness' requirement, huh? And note that my question did NOT mention Judge Hilder. No, I do not have Judge Hilder in mind at all."

Sen. Hillyard: "I assume that all judges appointed by Gov. Huntsman are qualified, so I have to dig deeper to find some way to torpedo them. Not that I've ever done that. And of course I'm not talking about Judge Hilder, either."

Rep. McIff: "When I was nominated for the Supreme Court, then Lt.-Gov. Olene Walker asked me if I was a conservative or a liberal. I told her to put me down as a 'reasonable.'" (True statement; McIff said this.)

Name-escapes-me: "I'm on a nominating committee. It's neat."

Bob Yeates with Gov. Huntsman's office: "All the governor wants in a judge is someone who is smart, charming, has good people skills, can run the hundred in 10 flat, plays the trumpet, wants to work for half pay, and doesn't mind getting grilled by a bunch of nincompoops about his divorce."

Chief Justice Christine Durham: "We love the senate. Please don't cut our funding."

Audience: "Zzzz..."

Rep. McIff: "By the way, I think politics played a role in the Hilder confirmation."

Audience: "Duh."

Sen. Hillyard: "What?! Hilder who? I can't think of a single instance in which politics decided a judicial nomination."

Audience: (Looks around for lightning bolt.)

Sen. Hillyard: "We have lawyers at all our meetings to make sure that senators don't ask inappropriate things. Well, except the private meetings, of course, but we just talk about the Jazz at those. Really."

Justice Durham: "I think you're great, especially the way you fund things, but I was just wondering. I hear that the NRA had a poster up at a local gun show recently that said, 'We got Hilder - keep the faith.' What do you think about that? I like your tie."

Sen. Hillyard: "NRA? What's the NRA? I never talk to lobbyists, especially the State Bar, by the way, because nobody trusts that bunch, and heck, look at the time!"

And that is how you avoid an elephant in the room at the Alta Club.

Super Dell or Super Dole?

2009-04-23T18:10:00.007-06:00

We weren't surprised to see that (self-named) "Super Dell" Schanze is back in court again. We were surprised to see that he apparently applied for, and was given, a court-appointed -- i.e., taxpayer-paid -- attorney.

How could this be? According to the D-News, Schanze says he is impecunious, and owes more than $1 million in back taxes. So, a tax dodger gets a tax-paid attorney? I wandered over to Schanze's blog seeking insight into this seeming irony. As it happens, just yesterday Schanze posted his favorite quotes -- literally, his own quotes that he likes -- and from the sound of them, one wonders how he ended up on the public dole.

It is impossible for anything bad to happen to someone with a positive attitude. - Dell Schanze.

Are you positive?

Everyone starts from the bottom; the sign of the true champion is the one that works his way up the fastest. - Dell Schanze

What about the one that works his way down the fastest?

It is difficult having a lot because you want to share but many think you are arrogant for assuming others should want what you have. Dell Schanze

The solution, apparently, is to be impecunious.

Today’s genius is tomorrow’s idiocy – Dell Schanze

You're ahead of your time! Hey, maybe this explains it:

Don’t worry too much about the future. If you put your effort into the here and now then the future will already be polished when you get there. – Dell Schanze

"And when I say future, I mean taxes."

Those that can’t call themselves stupid now and then need others to do it for them. - Dell Schanze

You're welcome.

Local media's inconsistent practice of naming names

2009-04-22T20:52:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, KSL/the Trib/the D-News announced that Salt Lake City cops had, once again, ~~wasted taxpayer resources~~ done some smashing law enforcement work, arresting a bunch of would-be prostitutes and johns on North Temple. This time, though, there was a twist: "They're going to name names!"

Like the proverbial car accident, I could not look away. Might I know some of the patrons? Inquiring minds wanted to know. But when I surfed over to KSL.com tonight, I got . . . one name, of a guy who was a cop years ago. Whoop-de-do.

Did our local media decline to name names because they sensed this was a victimless crime that should remain a private matter between the men and their families? Maybe, but I doubt it. With our local media, there seems to be no rhyme or reason -- other than underlying speculation -- as to when names are named.

A few years ago, an acquaintance with a somewhat high-profile job was charged with embezzling nearly $100,000 from a well known local company. The News ran a piece on the charges, but omitted her name. I was relieved for her sake, but bothered as a consumer of news. Just the day before, the News had run a story on a much smaller theft in Davis County, and had named the person charged. What was up with that?

The bozo in Clearfield who shot a Carl's Jr. toilet remains anonymous, but the bozo who shot an Olive Garden chair in Provo was named. What's up with that? I don't favor trying people in the media, but a little consistency might make me less cynical.

What is wrong with all these Animal Control people?

2009-03-15T09:26:00.004-06:00

Do you have to be a nincompoop to work at Animal Control (sometimes misnamed "Animal Services"), or does it just help? Some examples:

On KSL.com today: Animal Control in Providence was going door to door to check on dog licenses. Yeah, let's spend our time going after people whose dogs haven't actually caused a problem. Mayor Randy Simmons put a stop to it.

A couple of years ago, Animal Control in Tooele was doing even worse: They were going door to door and ordering people to get rid of any pets over the technical limit, regardless of whether there had been any problem or any neighbors had complained. The city council put a stop to it.

A few months ago, Animal Control in South Salt Lake left a skunk trap out in the hot sun for an entire weekend, then tried to prosecute the guy who moved the trap out of the sun.

Last year, Sandy Animal Control picked up a 17 year old deaf cat on a sidewalk near its house and, unable to tell the difference between an old deaf cat and a sick cat, immediately killed it.

Recently, West Jordan Animal Control cited a woman whose dog got out while she was visiting her mother. That was fine, but they also cited her for not having her dog licensed in West Jordan. It wasn't good enough that it was licensed in Sandy, where she lives.

A while back, another Animal Control department in Salt Lake County cited a woman for having her gate open, even though her dog was still inside the yard.

Last year, West Valley was planning to use an inhumane gas chamber to euthanize pets.

Many other tales of Utahns' experiences with Animal Control; these are just a few that we've been able to verify or that have been publicly reported. What we can't figure out is whether Animal Control workers are told to be jerky, or does it just come naturally?

Once again, Mormons fall for a "low risk, high return" scam

2009-03-14T09:24:00.003-06:00

I know this happens with all affinity frauds, that someone uses a claimed affiliation with a church or entity to sucker fellow members. But good grief, how many times are Mormons going to fall for the "42 percent annual return with little or no risk" line? Yes, these people are victims, and yes, the guy (if guilty) is a scumbag, but it's getting harder to muster up sympathy for people who either don't read the daily accounts of "too good to be true" scams, or somehow think they are entitled to high returns with low risk. Good grief.

KSL airs a dumb report about insulation rebates

2009-03-13T08:31:00.003-06:00

An acquaintance was delighted a while back when an insulation contractor called her and explained that, if she qualified, she could get free insulation via a Questar / Rocky Mountain Power insulation rebate program. They blew insulation into her attic and she later noticed a drop in her energy usage, which is the whole point of the rebate program.

They did a good job. She didn't have to come up with the money herself. She didn't have to apply for the rebate and wait four months. It was a neat deal for her.

KSL, though, has managed to find something evil in this because -- brace yourself -- the contractor probably made a profit on the deal! What?!! And we assumed it was all pro bono!

This Debbie Dujanovic airs more than her fair share of contrived "exposes," but this may have been the dumbest. In fact, it should tell you something, KSL, when 98% of your commenters agree that the story is stupid, if not outright wrong.

KSL proudly reported that, as a result of their story, the energy companies are reducing their rebates. Great. Let's disincentivize a program that actually works. Now let's do an expose on charitable giving, because I hear that -- brace yourself -- people may be writing it off on their taxes!

No wonder the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache forest service can't get firefighters

2009-02-21T09:18:00.007-07:00

Recently, an acquaintance said he had been musing about Barack Obama's call for sacrifice. When he read that the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache forest service needed seasonal firefighters, he decided to bite the bullet, even though he would probably lose money being away from his regular job. He's an ex-military firefighter, in great physical shape, and I agreed they would be lucky to get him.

Later, he announced that he had given up on it. Was it the pay? No. The fitness test? No, lugging 45 pounds for 3 miles in less than 45 minutes would be child's play. It was the online application process.

Via Google, he found the website, and clicked on "Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Seeks Seasonal Workers." That took him to... a press release. OK. Then he tried "Apply Now for Forest Service Firefighting Jobs" and got...another press release. Then he clicked on "for information on applying," and got actual information. It said applicants can apply online - yea! So he clicked on that, and got...a website where you have to register even to be able to apply. Like us, he hates having to register to use a website.

Also on that page was an announcement that those who registered online between Feb. 2-11 might have had their location preferences erased (oops). He registered, but "Search for Jobs" didn't work on his Mac. Via several more clicks, he eventually found 269 jobs in Utah (they use the same process for all jobs; nothing specific to the Forest Service), tried to click on one, and got...sent back to the main menu again to start over.

If you do eventually find a job to apply for, you have to open yet another account -- and choose a password containing a combination of both upper and lower case letters, a number, and at least one symbol. "How the [heck] am I supposed to remember that?" he asked. Soon afterward, he was advised, "There was an unexpected problem processing your application" - but it didn't tell him what the problem was or how to solve it. Oh, wait -- he had foolishly not "created a resume." Clicking on that link led to another long application form, etc., etc.

I was skeptical that it was as "[darn] complicated" as he said, but when I tried it, I couldn't even get that far. I didn't see "Job Map," so I tried "Apply for a Job," but that didn't have a job- or state-specific search. Another link sent me back to the earlier page, etc., etc.

This is a family blog, so I can't print the second password he chose. Suffice it to say that it ended with an exclamation mark.

Larry Miller's death - lessons may be learned

2009-02-20T22:10:00.003-07:00

It is a tribute to a man's influence when co-worker after co-worker call or come into your office, stunned, to say, "Larry Miller died." The last time -- actually, the only time -- I remember anything like it was when Elizabeth Smart was found.

Others will comment on Miller's legacy as a business man, philanthropist, controversial figure, etc. We want to comment on his legacy as a man with Type 2 Diabetes. Ever since his serious medical condition was revealed, we have both wondered what steps he was taking to control his diabetes. It wasn't any of our business, but, prior disagreements aside, we cared about his health. One of us being diabetic, we asked ourselves if he had changed his diet, was he monitoring his levels, etc.

Christopher Reeves' tragic accident increased awareness of stem cell research. The death of Gail Ruzicka's son increased awareness of drug abuse. Larry Miller's premature death may increase awareness of the serious dangers of Type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, Larry . . .

. . . with a gentle push and a mild arc, the cowhide globe hits home.

Why is Mitt Romney selling his Deer Valley mansion?

2009-02-16T11:09:00.007-07:00

We've been mulling it over since we read earlier this month that Mitt Romney's 9,514 square foot Park City mancave is for sale. Is Romneybot McMoneybags (TM Comedy Central) unloading his extra mansions to avoid a multiple-house-stigma in his next presidential run? At least some reports last summer opined that any Romney hope for a V.P. slot was doomed by the uproar from John McCain's inability to remember how many houses he owned. (As if that doesn't happen to all of us on occasion.)

Like everyone else, we were tempted by the priced-to-sell $5,250,000 tag and the sales pitch . . .

But ultimately it didn't suit our needs.

Now we know who is really clogging Utah's courts

2009-02-16T09:24:00.004-07:00

Some interesting stories recently involving the case load in Utah's court system. Yesterday, D-News columnist Lee Benson mentioned that lawsuits by payday lenders comprise more than half of the Small Claims Court filings in Salt Lake County, and three-quarters of the filings in Utah County. Wow.

And who is complaining the most about boosting court filing fees, according to the Tribune? Debt collectors - because the vast majority of lawsuits these days are commercial, not "tort" or personal injury, as Republican lawmakers sometimes imply. The same has been true historically: Two years ago, I reviewed an extended period of Utah state court filings and determined that only 16% of the cases filed involved "torts." (I put "torts" in quotes because many Business v. Business lawsuits actually involve tort claims, such as trade secret misappropriation, fraud, etc. But uninformed people like Mitt Romney use the word "tort" synonymously with personal injury.)

For your ~~insomnia cure~~ reading pleasure, here is an actual typical filing day in Utah, as summarized by a commercial company. (Incidentally, the hospital lien cases were filed by our own Utah Sen. Steve Urquhart.)

3rd Judicial District Court Salt Lake County

Ronald C. Barker
v.
JPMorgam Case Bank NA
1/22/2009 090901122 Fratto
Action for negligence and failure to act. The plaintiff deposited a check for $194,000 and the wired the money into two overseas accounts. One of the overseas banks said the money was part of a fraud and that the check was probably forged. The defendants should have spotted the fake check. The plaintiff asks for $124,000. Paid download

Colonial Pacific Leasing Corp.
v.
Black Ridge Homes Inc.; Jaren D. Spencer
1/22/2009 090901149 Barrett
Account action. The defendants owe $99,000 for leased equipment.

Thor Construction LLC
v.
D&F Construction LLC
1/22/2009 090901143 Faust
Account action. The defendant owes $25,000 for unspecified materials and labor.

Michael Landes
v.
The Lodge at Snowbird Owners Association Inc.; Wayne G. Petty; Bob Bonar; Exchange Holdings Corp. VII; Ed Davies; Robert P. Shockley; Gippsland Basin Company LLC, a Florida company; Bass Straight Company LLC; Does
1/22/2009 090901145 Iwasaki
Deprivation without due process complaint. A lien for $10,000 was placed on the plaintiff's vacation home without adequate notification.

Aspen Press Company LC
v.
Agape Printing; Kenneth Anderson; Shelby K. Duran
1/22/2009 090901152 McCleve
Open account action. The defendants owe $7,000 on an open account.

Sysco Intermountain Food Services Inc.
v.
Jon Matonis dba Gandolfo's of Centerville; Patrick Hobbs
1/22/2009 090901144 Fratto
Open account action. The defendants owe $4,000 on an open account.

IHC Health Services Inc. dba Cottonwood Hospital
v.
Progressive Direct; Jose Loyaza
1/22/2009 090901153 Peuler
Hospital lien violation. Cottonwood Hospital treated a patient who was injured in a car accident, and not covered by workers compensation.

IHC Health Services Inc. dba LDS Hospital
v.
Property & Casualty Insurance of Hartford
1/22/2009 090901155 McCleve
Hospital lien violation. Cottonwood Hospital treated a patient who was injured in a car accident, and not covered by workers compensation.

IHC Health Services Inc. dba Intermountain Medical Center
v.
Victoria Insurance Company
1/22/2009 090901156 Dever
Hospital lien violation. Cottonwood Hospital treated a patient who was injured in a car accident, and not covered by workers compensation.

Thomas Snow Removal LLC, a division of D. Thomas Companies LLC
v.
Bennion Care Center
1/22/2009 090901146 Medley
Contract complaint. The plaintiff provided snow removal services to the defendant and has not been compensated.

Collin Van Kleeck
v.
Mark Wisniewski; Dwell Properties LLC
1/22/2009 090901150 Medley
Contract lawsuit. The plaintiff purchased property from the defendant with the promise certain improvements would be made before the sale was finalized. Those improvements were not made.

Donita P. Smith
v.
Aimco/Brandywine LP dba Somerset Village Apartments; Does
1/22/2009 090901137 Quinn
Slip and fall complaint. The plaintiff tripped while taking trash out to the dumpster in the dimly lit parking lot of the apartment complex.

4th Judicial District Court Utah County

Bryan Call; Call Auto Enterprises Inc.; Private Capital Group Inc.
v.
BBP Alta LLC; BBP Makaha LLC; Does
1/20/2009 090400123 Taylor
Collection action. The defendants owe $1.3 million on a loan.

Vollkommen Construction LLC
v.
Cody Heward; CK Holdings LLC
1/21/2009 090400170 Davis
Loan action. The defendants owe $218,000 on a loan.

John Marcum
v.
J Ballard Homes Inc.
1/5/2009 090400086 Mortensen
Notice of transfer. The defendant sold a piece of property to the plaintiff with the intention of leasing it back. J Ballard Homes owes $38,000.

Granite LLC
v.
Jason L. Holt; Kelli Holt; Wasatch Homes LLC; Wasatch Home Construction LLC; Jason and Kelli Holt Family LP; Jason Holt Construction Inc.; Wasatch Homes at Sand Dunes LLC; Wasatch Homes at Suncrest LLC; Wasatch Homes at County South LLC; Todd Heaps; Danielle Heaps; Steven P. Yandura; Jill E. Yandura; M&T Bank; Hartland Mortgage Centers Inc.; Citimortgage Inc.; Citibank NA; Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc.; Zions First National Bank; Does
1/16/2009 090400154 Taylor
Mechanic's lien. The defendants owe $25,000 for labor and materials on three different properties.

AFCC Limited
v.
It's About Time Inc. dba My Girlfriend's Kitchen; Darlene Madison ; Brea Mefford; The Scenic Life LLC; Kevin Winder; Melissa Winder
1/8/2009 090100042 Maetani
Lease action. The defendant owes $19,000 in back rent.

Sierra Forest Products Inc.
v.
Black Rock Building Group LLC dba Valley Mill Works LLC
1/7/2009 090100027 Maetani
Account action. The defendant owes $17,000 for wood products.

AFCC Limited
v.
Rycorp Inc. dba Contours Express; Stephen D. Rollins; The Seven C's LLC
1/8/2009 090100043 Maetani
Lease action. The defendant owes $17,000 in back rent.

Sherwood Hockey Inc.
v.
Norquay Investments LLC dba Crazzy Canuck Inc.
1/21/2009 090100160
Contract lawsuit. The defendant owes $12,000 for goods and services.

AFCC Limited
v.
RedQ Inc. dba Sunglasses Only; Jay R. Bean
1/14/2009 090100122 Maetani
Lease action. The defendants owe $10,000 in back rent.

Mountainland Supply LLC
v.
J Noyes Plumbing LLC; Justin Noyes
1/20/2009 090400159 Taylor
Account complaint. The defendant owes $8,000 for goods or services.

Sandra Harris
v.
STN Inc.
1/12/2009 090100092 Maetani
Lease agreement. The defendant owes $6,000 in back rent.

Western Chain Link Fence Company Inc. dba Western Fence Company
v.
C&B Concrete and Construction Company dba Wadsworth Custom Homes; David Garstin; Does
1/20/2009 090100143 Maetani
Account action. The defendants owe $6,000 in labor and supplies.

Moutainland Supply LLC
v.
Lone Star Excavation Inc. Ron Wyatt aka Ronald O. Wyatt
1/16/2009 090400133 Taylor
Contract action. The defendants owe $6,000 for goods and services.

Western Chain Link Fence Company Inc. dba Western Fence Company
v.
C&B Concrete and Construction Company dba Wadsworth Custom Homes; Augie Bove; Does
1/20/2009 090100144 Maetani
Account action. The defendants owe $4,000 in labor and supplies.

El Mexicano Market Inc.
v.
Los Pericos Mexican Restaurant LLC
1/9/2009 090100041 Maetani
Bad check action. The defendant bounced several checks totaling $3,000.

Peachtree Estates Condominium Owners Association Inc.
v.
Red Point Land & Development LLC
1/14/2009 090100039 Maetani
Account action. The defendant owes $2,000 for unspecified services.

Western Chain Link Fence Company Inc. dba Western Fence Company
v.
C&B Concrete and Construction Company dba Wadsworth Custom Homes; Francois Rodriquez; Does
1/20/2009 090100142 Maetani
Account action. The defendants owe $2,000 in labor and supplies.

Department of Workforce Services
v.
Susan Hayes; Primrose Retreat LLC
1/16/2009 090400140 Howard
(Provo)
Civil enforcement action. The defendant failed to deposit. $2,000.

Mountainland Supply LLC
v.
Kasey King dba King Ranch
1/16/2009 090400142 Taylor
Account complaint. The defendant owes $2,000 for goods or services.

Urg Inc.
v.
Ted Hansen; Rockpoint Holding LLC
1/20/2009 090100154 Maetani
Account action. The defendants owe $1,000 on an outstanding account.

Contractors Heating-Cooling Supply LLC
v.
Rocky Ridge Air LLC; Richard Bunker
1/16/2009 090400144 Howard
Contract complaint. The defendants owe $1,000 for goods or services.

2nd Judicial District Court Davis County

Staker & Parson Companies
v.
Maestro Builders LLC; Luke Watkins; Jared Barnes; Fitz Roy LLC; Sean D. Nelson; Sheri B. Nelson; Does
1/23/2009 090800091 Dawson
Contracts complaint.

3rd Judicial District Court Tooele County

Colonial Pacific Leasing Corporation
v.
Double D. Excavation LLC
1/23/2009 090300120 Henriod
Contracts complaint.

3rd Judicial District Court Summit County

Business Commons III LLC
v.
Ciralight Inc. dba Nature's Lighting; Jacqueline Stevens
1/23/2009 090500061 Lubeck
Contracts complaint.

George Fleming; Janis Fleming
v.
DST Homes Inc.
1/23/2009 090500062 Hilder
Miscellaneous complaint.

Lynn Luke dba Rock Mountain Logs LLC
v.
First Western Capital Co.; Century Windows & Doors LLC; Country Wood Homes LLC; Clayton W. Thorn
1/23/2009 090500063 Lubeck
Miscellaneous complaint.

5th Judicial District Court Washington County

Tracy L. Zachwieja
v.
American Family Mutual Insurance dba American Family Insurance Group; Does; Roe Corporations
1/20/2009 090500251 Ludlow
Personal injury complaint.

8th Judicial District Court Duchesne County

Premier Bank
v.
Tabby Mountain Ranch LLC; Gary Stringham; William W. Wall; Ray Schoenfelder
1/23/2009 090800018 Payne
Contracts complaint.

Why are Utah's GOP legislators singling out autism?

2009-02-12T21:08:00.005-07:00

Even after reading lots of press on Sen. Howard Stephenson's bill mandating coverage in private insurance policies for autism treatment, questions still arise:

Why just autism? Yes, early treatment is (or may be) beneficial and save cost later, but the same is true of many medical conditions.

Is it not incongruous for the president of the Utah Taxpayers Assocation to sponsor this bill? Isn't this basically a disguised tax, imposed on a limited segment of Utah businesses and employees?

If autism treatment is sufficiently beneficial to Utahns generally to overcome the usual GOP presumption against mandates, why not make it available to all Utahns through a statewide program, rather than only those with private insurance?

Are Utah legislators supporting this bill because, unlike other, less "popular" conditions, they happen to know more people affected by this condition than other conditions? (And, by the way, why is that?)

Should legislators apply the same analysis -- benefits of treatment + later cost savings -- to mandated coverage of other conditions? (For example: treatment of morbid obesity or coverage of prosthetics, which went nowhere.)

I'm not necessarily opposed to the bill; I often support mandated coverages. And I have no idea how VOU2 feels about the subject. I just can't figure out why Utah's Republican senators are singing the mandate tune on this one -- and only this one.

Dear Utah cops: Fewer prostitution busts, more theft prevention, please

2009-02-12T00:05:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's D-News brought us news of another prostitution bust. Earlier this month, Salt Lake City cops snared dozens of would-be johns near North Temple and State Street, and State Street between 1300 South and 2100 South. On Wednesday, Murray police arrested four employees of The Pampered Male at 772 W. Spanish Oak Way (6130 South), for allegedly offering massage customers a happy ending to their visit.

We know the exact addresses at which these services were offered because the News helpfully provides them every time they run a story about prostitution. (Coming soon: A Map This button on their website.) What we don't know is where my video camera is. Or my laptop. Or my digital camera with the photos of Chris Buttars pinching Scott McCoy's bottom.

Crime -- the kind with actual victims -- is soaring in Utah. Recently, one relative had a car stolen. Another lost hundreds of dollars of inventory. A friend's car was ransacked. In addition to my departed electronics, copper pipes have been snipped right out of my new house.

So it's with a bit of annoyance that we read about police officers spending an entire day trolling for disappointed johns on State Street. How many streets could have been patrolled in that time? How much faster could response time be on stolen groceries in Wal-Mart parking lots? Priorities, please...

I have finally figured out Chris Buttars' role in the Senate

2009-02-11T10:19:00.004-07:00

Years ago, I attended a social function with an eclectic group of invitees, including a member of an activist environmental group called Earth First! Chatting with him, he said something that put his group's "monkey wrenching" efforts into perspective: "Our job is to make the Sierra Club look reasonable."

That observation came back to me this morning when I read another mystifying statement by Sen. Chris Buttars (R-West Pluto). Urging a state constitutional amendment to basically put the legislature in charge of death penalty appeals, Buttars told his fellow senators that there have been no executions in Utah for 20 years.

When I read that, I thought, "Didn't we have that firing squad guy? And the guy after that? What about the hi-fi killer?" Granted, it took an entire 45 seconds on the computer to find the facts (these senators are so busy), but yes, we have indeed had three executions within the past 20 years: William Andrews, John Albert Taylor, and Joseph Mitchell Parsons.

Could Buttars really be that clueless? I mused. Then it hit me: That's his job! His job is to make the other members of the Senate look reasonable by being a complete buffoon! All we can say is, you are very good at your job, Senator.

Sen. Valentine starts to redeem himself

2009-02-10T19:34:00.003-07:00

Some of us who followed the Senate's torch-and-pitchfork confirmation hearings with Judge Robert Hilder were rather dismayed with Sen. John "He Hurt My Feelings" Valentine, who acknowledged that Hilder was qualified for the position, but voted no because Hilder had supposedly been disrespectful to the villagers.

Valentine is partially redeeming himself by proposing a well-needed regulation of communications with judges by senators. Last year, for example, Sen. Chris Buttars sent a rant on Senate letterhead to a Fourth District Court judge who ruled against a friend of Buttars'. As described in the Trib, Valentine's resolution would set parameters, such as requiring such contact to be done openly and after the resolution of the case.

These restrictions would preserve the integrity of the judicial system, respect the concept of separation of powers doctrine, and make sense. Ergo, they are doomed.

The incredible shrinking ethics bill

2009-02-03T20:36:00.002-07:00

We noticed in today's Deseret Morning News that -- prepare yourself -- Sen. John Valentine's ethics bill is getting smaller, and smaller, and smaller (kind of like Valentine's influence).

According to the News, Valentine started out banning gifts over $10-15 to legislators. Then they could take the gifts, but would have to disclose it. In the latest version, they could accept gifts of up to $25, and no one would have to disclose it. At this rate, Valentine will be requiring gifts by the end of the session.

Rep. Bigelow wants to eliminate continuing education for contractors - but why stop there?

2009-01-25T10:00:00.003-07:00

Rep. Ron Bigelow (R-West Valley) has proposed H.B. 249, which would eliminate the yearly continuing-education requirement for licensed contractors in Utah. Presently, that requirement is 6 hours of continuing education over a 2-year period.

Continuing education requirements in Utah are a hodgepodge of micromanagement. Plumbers have no such requirements. Electricians do (16 hours per year). Mortgage officers do (14 hours every 2 years). Real estate agents do (12 hours every 2 years). Lawyers do (27 hours every 2 years). Psychologists do (48 hours every 2 years). Licensed social workers do (40 hours every 2 years). Occupational therapists don't. Speech therapists do (24 hours every 2 years). Certified dieticians don't. Professional engineers do (20 hours every 2 years). Pest control professionals do (24 hours every 3 years).

Some of these requirements can be met by home study, some can't. Some can use online courses, some can't. Some have ethics requirements, some don't. Some have content requirement - for example, electricians have to take instruction on the latest code requirements, but lawyers can attend classes on any legal subject they find interesting.

The contractor requirement is the laxest CE requirement we've seen imposed under Utah law. 3 hours a year is too much for these guys, especially as learning about new (greener) technologies becomes increasingly important in reducing our dependence on foreign oil? But if the issue is whether the legislature is operating counter to its "free market" mantra, that's a different question. Should professionals keep up to date in their fields? Yes. Should that be market-driven, rather than a requirement? One would assume that Republicans would think so.

And if the legislature is going to decide continuing education requirements, how about some consistency? Why do social workers have to have a whopping 40 hours when real estate agents only have to have 12? And letting Utah lawyers go to any CLE that suits their fancy seems pointless. Frankly, we think much of the CE industry is just a money maker for companies that provide it, and it may be a time for a review of the whole concept. How about it, Rep. Bigelow?

Utah should get first crack at the Guantanamo inmates

2009-01-22T18:02:00.004-07:00

So, Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha's offer to house Guantanamo detainees in his district is being evaluated as an economic opportunity for that state, apparently. Lots of federal dollars and jobs would be at stake, state reps note.

We say no fair. Utah should have first dibs on housing toxic prisoners -- we already house all of the nation's toxic waste, after all. And I think we all know where the facility should be: Tooele County, of course. They'll house anything.

Is there a risk? Not if it's done right. Besides, so what? We're talking money here. Some obvious precautions do come to mind, though:

Salt Lake County D.A. Lohra Miller not involved in keeping track of prisoners
Riverdale Police Chief Dave Hansen not involved in weapons training of guards
Salt Lake City police not involved in Taser training of guards.

H.B. 224: Rep. Sandstrom wants lawsuits for swearing? (Seriously)

2009-01-22T16:12:00.010-07:00

H.B. 224, filed by Rep. Steve Sandstrom (R-Orem), is called "The Health Care Provider Abusive Work Environment Prohibition Act," and suffice it to say that Sandstrom might be an honored guest at the next Trial Lawyers convention.

Under Sandstrom's bill, health care employees could sue employers (including governmental entities), co-workers, and independent contractors for workplace "abuse" that includes the use of "epithets," undermining of an employee's performance, etc., if a reasonable person would find it "intimidating" or "humiliating." Gee, no one has ever accused a co-worker of those things before.

The bill says the abuse must be with malice, but it allows a court to infer malice in all sorts of circumstances, such as alleged expressions of hostility, alleged inconsistency with legitimate business interests, alleged failure to stop the conduct upon request, etc. In other words, the bill would make it virtually impossible for an employer to avoid a trial, because it would be easy for the employee to raise a jury question by simply filing an affidavit saying that one of these things happened.

If the employee wins, a court can award back pay, front pay, punitive damages, emotional distress, attorney fees, and a singing telegram of apology. Well, maybe not the last one, but there is no cap on emotional distress or punitive damages for claims against co-workers or third parties.

What the heck? This would be the most pro-lawsuit statute on the books. Even people who are (alleged) victims of racial or religious discrimination don't have it this good. So of course, inquiring minds want to know: Who among Sandstrom's family or friends is a health care worker who doesn't like her boss?

Obama belts out a tune on Guantanamo?

2009-01-22T14:06:00.008-07:00

OK, it's a cheap shot taking advantage of a typo, but this headline from the Huffington Post earlier today was too hilarious:

Obama - Yes We Can (Sing).

Guns don't kill toilets, people kill toilets (in Utah)

2009-01-14T11:49:00.001-07:00

Some events provide so much ammunition (so to speak) for ridicule that it seems wrong to blog about them somehow. Candy from a baby, that kind of thing. Nah.

This morning, some idiot in the restroom at a Carl's Jr. in Centerville let his concealed weapon drop out of his pants onto the floor. It discharged, blasting the toilet. The puns have been flowing fast and furious on the comment boards:

"Gives new meaning to being shot in the head."

"He can just tell his wife he was shooting the s***."

"Carl's Jr? That's probably not the first explosion that has occurred in that bathroom."
And even the headline: "No. 1 (and No. 2?) with a bullet: Man's pistol blasts toilet to pieces"

I just want to know the idiot's name. He deserves some kind of award named after him, like the "Could Have Killed Someone Award," or "Can't Keep It In My Pants Award," or something. By the way, is it legal to keep a bullet in the chamber? My Google project for the day.

P.S. Maybe it's a good thing this happened, even if it did cause a woman heart palpitations. Who knows what heightened awareness of Toilet Danger might prevent?

Love Corroon, but Europe?

2009-01-13T23:09:00.003-07:00

We come to this post with admitted biases: We think most foreign travel by local officials is a waste of taxpayer money. We also think that Peter Corroon is a man of integrity. So, what to think about Corroon's trip to Europe with UTA reps and the mayors of Bountiful and Ogden? And not just any old Europe, but Vienna, Munich, Zurich, Nice, Bordeaux, Monaco, and Paris.

Corroon at least had a facial excuse for going, unlike the China 13 legislators two years ago, whose most articulate justification for traveling to The Middle Kingdom was "Uh . . . ." But come on. In this budget crisis? With no proposals submitted yet by UTA? You couldn't look at some video or talk with experts?

We can buy some UTA reps going; they will have to come up with the ideas. But the mayors? You're not public transportation designers. We call . . . BooooooonDOGGLE!

What cuts are legislators proposing for themselves?

2009-01-13T18:50:00.003-07:00

Thank you to The Senate Site for posting the initial list of budget cuts recommended by staff. Reading through it, a lot of the cuts / deferments seemed to make sense, but we were particularly interested in what kind of self-sacrifice the Legislature has in mind to demonstrate leadership. It's on page 48, and by "it," we mean this single item:

Legislative staff may be reduced by 1.2 FTE per 1% reduction (18 FTE at 15%). Legislators would meet 1/2 day less per 1% reduction (7.5 days at 15%). Staffing for task forces and special requests will be limited. 2009: (-$1,484,200); 2010: (-$2,967,900).

Not insignificant amounts, but we have a couple of thoughts / questions for you more experienced budget-readers:

What percentages do these cuts reflect? Unless we are misreading the chart, the list does not appear to identify the percentages reflected by individual cuts (vs. total percentages at the end). So we can't tell, for example, whether $1,484,200 in reduced staff expense is 1% or 50%.

When it says that Legislators would meet 1/2 day less per 1% reduction, is that a total for the entire year (for example, fewer interim meetings?), or that the regular session would be shortened? Because we'll be up there every day lobbying for anything that shortens the time our legisature is in session.

What about other cuts, such as the $300,000 stay-at-home bonus for legislators?

If there is anything in the legislative budget for travel, how about eliminating it?

Why not eliminate the constitutional review staff, since legislators ignore their warnings anyway?

P.S. May we assume that Sen. Howard Stephenson will stop insisting that his fellow board member's son-in-law be given a multi-million dollar contract for "textbook review"?

Racial profiling by Utah Highway Patrol? Maybe, but...

2008-12-31T17:26:00.008-07:00

From a hospital bed (in true blogger spirit), VOU2 pointed out a story about Sherida Felders alleging racial profiling when a Utah Highway Patrol officer not only ticketed her for speeding, but had her get out of the car, asked her about drugs, made her wait for a drug-sniffing dog to arrive, and took a screwdriver to parts of her car, all for naught.

Was she profiled? Probably. Was it racial? Hard to say. We suspect it may have been a DUM stop - Driving while Unlike Me. One of us has a relative who supplements his regular income by transporting cars cross country. He is white, but has a pony tail. Not surprisingly for someone who drives 50,000+ miles a year, he sometimes gets stopped for speeding.

More often than not, he gets the same treatment as Ms. Felders: First, he is asked about drugs. Then he is asked for permission to search the car. Because these are other people's cars with unknown histories, he was advised by an attorney years ago not to consent to searches. Sometimes the cops, knowing they have nothing other than "pony-tail probable cause," begrudgingly let him go. Sometimes they make him wait for a drug dog. One time he was handcuffed and locked in the back of a cop car for hours while they waited. Nothing has ever been found.

He's not African American, but is he being profiled? Oh, yeah. One of us has been pulled over for speeding a few times, including the same drug alley where Ms. Felders was stopped, and has been sent off with nary a question about drugs or having to wait for Scooby Doober. Imagine that . . . .

Zions, please kill the Boozer ad

2008-12-30T19:25:00.007-07:00

How does it go? "Something, something, determination, something. Zions - We haven't forgotten who keeps us in business." Who? 'cause it ain't Carlos Boozer.

News flash: Carlos is going to have surgery and sit on his behind a few more months. What a shock. I admit it; I hopped on the "dump Boozer" wagon a while back. I listened to my brother call him "Wusser," "[----]er," "Loozer," and "that lazy --------------." I learned that Paul "double double" Millsap was the lowest-paid player on the team. I answered the phone when my mother called mid-game to say, "The Jazz shouldn't let Carlos do color commentary. He doesn't even pretend that he wants to play."

I heard the jokes about the Zions Bank commercial: "They used still photos because Boozer couldn't make it all the way through a layup." "Slow mo? That's live action." "They couldn't show the whole film; Boozer signed with Wells Fargo before they were done making it." Etc.

I have struggled with the Jazz-ticket concept for years. Each year (except for a Brokeback Mountain boycott), I signed up for shared tickets, but would feel a twinge as I walked past a homeless individual or realized what the Humane Society or the Red Cross could do with the ridiculous sums of money I was forking over. Unfortunately, I love the Jazz. I tape games. I rewatch close ones (when we win). I time my jogging so I can do it while watching a game or listening to Hot Rod. I went to Sloan's first game while recovering from surgery.

But I am sick of the "Oh, I stubbed my toe, I'd better sit out for six weeks" vibe we get from even our own players now. As someone who watched John Stockton and Karl Malone play through dislocations and everything else, I have a hard time when Andre Kirilenko rides the pine because of a sprained finger tip. It's the same trainer that Karl and John had -- what could be the difference? You say advice from agents; I say wussiness.

What does this have to do with Utah politics? OK, nothing. But I feel better.

Does this mean Oprah won't like my new heartwarming memoir?

2008-12-30T11:05:00.006-07:00

I am hoping that the revelation that Oprah has been fooled multiple times by really cool books that turn out to be really bogus won't cause her to pass up other classic stories waiting to be told. For example, I have just finished my memoirs, revealing for the first time the true story of how I met my true love during a true weekend moon mission many years ago.

An excerpt:

Our eyes met. "Glurp," it said. I looked around, to be sure that no one would see us.

Of course, I could not speak its language, but I had to try. "Do you want some soup?" I gestured with my hands. "I have some Campbell Extra Chunky Vegetarian."

Yeah, I hear those NASA whiners. "There has never been a private lunar launch from Utah, nor could there be, because [scientific mumbo jumbo deleted]." "It is physically, geometrically, logistically, and scientifically impossible to get to the moon and back in one weekend, even if there is a holiday in there." "This seems nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to procure sponsorship of a major soup manufacturer," blah blah.

First of all, who made NASA the know-all of space travel? Jealous much? Second, I resent the implication that I am just trying to make money off an important subject like space travel. However, this is not the final draft, and my memory is starting to become clearer, Campbell. As I think more about it, it may have been a Pepsi . . .

The Matheson - Salt Lake Weekly feud makes Politico

2008-12-30T09:48:00.002-07:00

Checking out Politico this morning, I see that they've picked up on Rep. Jim Matheson (R-Utah)'s 3-year boycott of the Salt Lake City Weekly. Having read the original Holly Mullen column and the comments -- whew, some bitter feelings there -- I have a few thoughts:

It seems silly for a Congressman to boycott an entire newspaper (and yes, I do consider the Weekly legitimate media) for three years for something that occurred before the new editor. But then I've been known to try previously disappointing businesses again when I see an "Under New Management" sign.

Mullen should have gone into more detail about what originally sparked the boycott. Midway through the comments, she provided a link to what she says is the tsk tsk article, but since the whole column was accusing Matheson of overreacting, she should have explored the cause of the alleged overreaction more.

Finally, Hey, Matheson, vote for any torture-indefinite-confinement bills lately?

The Ashley Sparks murder - both sides of the story

2008-12-29T09:22:00.005-07:00

Two women were murdered in Salt Lake and Davis counties in the past few days. One was white, the other of Latin heritage. It didn't take long for a few of the KSL.com nutties to declare Ashley Sparks' death a tragedy, and Noemi Rodriguez's death basically what she gets for having a boyfriend who was undoubtedly Mexican and (therefore) illegal.

It's not the fact that people make assumptions that amazes us (we all do that); it's that their assumptions are so blatantly racist. Neither woman deserved what happened to her, and we hope the perpetrators are caught and severely punished. But how about making assumptions based on something other than whether a victim is wearing a cute Santa hat in her photo?

From a reliable source, we know that a few months ago, Sparks and two others stole a car and went to a county rec facility. Pretending to be a patron, Sparks went into the locker room, where a group of senior women in a swimming class had changed clothes. Sparks changed clothes, but instead of working out, she instead went through all the purses and bags that she could find. Finding a set of electronic car keys, Sparks walked out with them, located the car via the flashing lights, and she and her companions stole the car. Sparks then changed clothes again and went to a bank, where she attempted to cash an $800 check on the senior's account. Fortunately, the victim had already called the bank, and Sparks was arrested. She also had drugs on her.

This wasn't Sparks' first rodeo. What happened to her was horrible, but please, KSL.commenters, no more "From her picture, she seems so innocent" comments.

Utah vegetarians, beware the "egg-free" flu shot

2008-12-16T21:53:00.004-07:00

Recently, a full-page ad in the Tribune offered free no-egg flu shots to Utahns as part of a test program. To a vegetarian, it sounded great. Presently, flu shots are grown in fertilized eggs, which is incompatible with some Utahns' personal beliefs. If you are one of those vegetarians, just an fyi: The free shot does not contain egg, but it does contain monkey cells. Hmm...

The latest failed adoption in Utah

2008-12-13T23:29:00.004-07:00

It seems as though every month we read about some adoption that has gone awry. The latest is a couple who has to return a 6-month-old child to his Native American tribe.

I'm sure the prospective parents are distraught, but I would be surprised if this result was really a surprise. There is a relatively clear, 30-year-old federal law: You have to have consent of the tribe to adopt a Native American child. This issue is usually not a close call, unlike, for example, the more complicated issue of whether an out-of-state biological father has met the statutory requirements for challenging an adoption.

While many adoption-related problems are created by adoption agencies who cut corners, lazy lawyers, and Johnny-come-lately biological fathers, some adoptive parents are also willing to subject a child to months or even years of fighting when they know they are likely to lose. (I'm not saying that these parents fall within that category; I have no idea what they were told or when.) Perhaps it is making lemonade out of a lemon, but at least this dispute was resolved in a matter of months, rather than years.

Note: Once again, the "law is the law" contingent on KSL.com are demonstrating that they don't really mean it. Yeah, it's a clear federal law. Yeah, it's been on the books since 1978. So what? We don't like this law; ergo, it need not be enforced.

Utah political humor: the Constitutional Convention's greatest hits

2008-12-10T20:26:00.004-07:00

For anyone who likes political humor, you can't beat Utah's own state constitutional framers. Thanks to Ric Cantrell, who pointed us to the online 1895 Constitutional Convention proceedings, I spent some time this evening enjoying clever and passionate dialogue about pressing issues of the day. Tonight, I want to share some of the funniest bits.

* * * * * *

First, they addressed procedural issues, such as beginning each session with roll call and prayer:

Mr. VARIAN. Don't you mean “prayer and roll call?” Transpose that.

Mr. WHITNEY. No; I think the roll call should be first, because until the roll call, we do not know whether there is a quorum present.

Mr. VARIAN. The minority needs the prayer as much as the quorum.

Mr. CANNON. I would suggest that the prayer usually comes first.

Mr. WHITNEY. My impression is, the roll call should come first.

Mr. EVANS (Weber). Suppose we should have divine exercises and after that the roll were called and there was found not to be a quorum present, the question would be, would the prayer avail anything? [Laughter.]

* * * * * * *

More shenanigans ensued as they discussed the proposed state militia, defined as male citizens aged 18-45:

Mr. MACKINTOSH. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike out the word “male” in the section. [Laughter.]

Mr. CHIDESTER. Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask the gentleman a question, who makes that motion? I want to ask if you belong to the militia?

Mr. MACKINTOSH. Now? Oh, no. I am exempt by the color of my hair.

Mr. CHIDESTER. I am going to say that if he did, for the purpose of improving the militia, I would support his motion. [Laughter.]

* * * * * *

While most participants favored giving women the right to vote, Brigham H. Roberts was a staunch and persistent opponent. In truth, most of his humor appeared to be inadvertent, but this one was intentional:

Mr. ROBERTS. . . . I hold to the doctrine that each man who is married, in the exercise of his privilege of suffrage, is the representative in that act, not only of himself, but of the little group with which he is connected. He acts for his family, and gentlemen must not be carried away with the idea that they act independently of the influence of the wife in that case either. It may suit the fancy of man, it may be accorded by the shrewdness of woman to let him think that that is the case, but as a matter of fact, it is not the case. I think before I get through I shall be able to show you that women already have an influence in politics, and though indirect, it is none the less real, and that when a man who is married casts his vote, it is the expression of the mentality of the group with whom he is connected. The hobo and the bachelor may each for himself cast his ballot with no other consideration than how it affects him; but, gentlemen, the man who is a head of the family does not do it and he cannot do it, because there stands by his side a counsellor and he cannot escape hearing her. [Laughter.]

* * * * * *

So was this witty rebuttal to Roberts' lengthy oratory against suffrage:

Mr. WHITNEY. . . . While he was speaking my mind scanned the pages of history in quest of some hero with whom to compare him. I thought of Horatius at the Roman bridge, standing single-handed and alone, beating back the Tuscan legions advancing to attack the Eternal City; and I fain would have compared my friend to that hero of antiquity. But I could not; because Horatius was fighting for freedom, and in my opinion my eloquent but mistaken friend was fighting against it. [Applause].

I went back farther into the past. I thought of Leonidas and his three hundred Spartans, defending the pass of Thermopylae against the overwhelming hordes of Persians, sweeping down like an avalanche upon his native land. I wanted to compare him to that hero_one of the noblest in history_but again I was met by the reflection that Leonidas fought and fell in a battle for liberty, and I was convinced that my friend from Davis County was taking part in no such engagement. [Applause.]

Then I remembered a little anecdote, one that is doubtless trite and common-place to you all. A bull was feeding in a pasture through which a railway track extended, along which an express train was advancing at lightning speed. The bull got upon the track and tried to prevent the train from passing. He did not seem to know what was coming, and “preferring his free thought to a throne” [laughter], planted himself squarely in the way of the invincible power that came rushing and roaring on. The bull, I say, did not seem to know what was coming, but the farmer, his owner, did [laughter], and with a gasp of astonishment, mingled with admiration he exclaimed: “Well I admire your courage, but d--n your judgment.” [Laughter and applause.]

But I did not like to compare my friend to a dumb animal; he had given convincing proof that he was not dumb; and though there was once an animal that spake [laughter], the property of one Balaam [renewed laughter], it spake by inspiration from on high, so that I could not compare it to the gentleman from Davis County. [Laughter and applause.]

* * * * * *

And this one was just funny:

Mr. GOODWIN. May I ask the gentleman a question? If your amendment passes, suppose an emergency should arise in the Territory that the farmers throughout the Territory would need fifty thousand dollars to buy seed, wheat, and food, to carry them over until another harvest, how could they get the money if your amendment passes?

Mr. HALLIDAY. Get it out of the Tithing Office. [Laughter.]

Why do fire trucks show up when there's no fire?

2008-12-10T09:48:00.006-07:00

The other day I was driving down 500 South when I saw a large fire truck and an ambulance at the corner of 300 West. I wondered if the Alberto's was on fire, but as I approached the red light, I saw that they were attending to a guy lying on the ground. I don't know if he was the victim of Car v. Pedestrian, heart attack, .28 BAC, or what.

I wondered why a full-blown fire truck had been summoned, and later mentioned it to an acquaintance, who said that one time years ago, she had passed out at a bus stop in the downtown area due to a temporary medical condition. A huge fire truck along with multiple ambulances had arrived on the scene then, too. "I think they just have to show X number of runs to justify their budget," she speculated.

This morning's D-News mentioned that South Salt Lake is considering buying its own ambulances, rather than contracting with Gold Cross. The fire truck question arose again when I read: "Councilman John Weaver has said that having both paramedics and firefighters responding to emergency scenes will mean that all personnel are trained in both jobs."

Does he mean all emergency scenes? Do they not have adequate equipment in other vehicles for a guy lying on the ground? If it's a good use of taxpayer money, that's fine; inquiring minds just want to know.

This Layton guy gets the Best Mugshot Award

2008-12-09T21:03:00.004-07:00

This pizza parlor proprietor from Layton is a tax cheat who was just sentenced to 90 days in jail and restitution. But doesn't he look like a nice guy?

Utah's economy: It's Rep. Carol Spackman Moss's fault for not going to China

2008-12-09T09:52:00.008-07:00

A year and a half ago, Utah House majority leader Dave Clark (R-Santa Clara) told Utahns it was essential to Utah's economy that he and 13 other legislator-types spend taxpayer money gallivanting around China. His argument was so persuasive that we lambasted Rep. Carol Spackman Moss (D-SLC) for deciding not to go just because she couldn't think of a legitimate reason to go:

Now we are really ticked at ex-teacher Carol Spackman Moss, who decided that the whole thing was a bunch of hooey and that she could not in good conscience go. "If I couldn't justify it to myself or my friends, then it wasn't worth it," Moss said in the Tribune article. Not everything is about you and your conscience, Rep. Moss. If Utah's economy goes straight to the toilet, we'll be pointing a finger at you and that empty seat on the China Fun Bus.

We warned you, Moss. If you had just done your boondoggling duty, we wouldn't be in this mess. That must be the reason why all that China business isn't flowing in yet. Otherwise, one might think those "It'll bring business to Utah" claims in '07 were indeed a pile of hooey.

Utah's schizophrenic legislative openness (& a request to Ric Cantrell)

2008-12-08T21:01:00.005-07:00

In some ways, public access to our state legislative process is remarkable. In just the past few years, we have been able to follow our legislature much more closely. Utahns have gone from "What are the SOBs doing?" to "What are those SOBs doing?!"

The state website has searchable bills, agendas, audio of public hearings and now, as of yesterday, house bills from 1896. It is a legislature/history geek's heaven. (One request to Ric Cantrell, whose (in)famous Senate Site provides more information from GOP senators' perspective, but who we hope is all-powerful: Any chance you can get them to post the 2-volume proceedings of the 1895 Constitutional Convention online? If you can, we pledge to forego "Chris Buttars is _______" posts for an entire week.)

After all that, though, the most important legislative work -- the one in which the real legislating occurs -- remains totally secret: GOP caucus meetings. Come on, guys; you were doing so well! You don't like it when courts don't follow your intent, but you don't tell them what your real intent is. Come on, now, open up . . .

Blackwater guards: Utahns won't mind a little babykilling

2008-12-08T10:00:00.002-07:00

I find it interesting that five Blackwater guards accused of improperly killing 17 Iraqi civilians have surrendered in Utah in the hope of being tried here. The Department of Justice can't complaint about forum shopping - it did the same thing a few years ago, choosing Utah as its favorite porn-prosecution venue. Are Utahns really that predictable? What am I saying? Of course we are (although apparently someone yelled "babykiller" at the guards as they surrendered; hence the subject line).

These Blackwater guards may not get their wish, but judging by initial comments on the D-News story, it's worth a try. The same people who usually assume that all charges brought against anyone must be true are taking the opposite approach here: Aw, shucks, the shooters were just doing their jobs, and these charges are just "Monday morning quarterbacking." (Yes, someone actually compared alleged civilian massacre to a sporting event.)

Wherever held, this will be an interesting trial. Unlike people we have imprisoned at Guantanamo, these men will actually have a right to defend themselves in a court of law. Of course, there is a difference: Those guys at Guantanamo are all guilty. They must be, right? Because our government says they are. Or is that just a bit of Monday-morning quarterbacking?

Sen. Buttars, please do something about the LDS Family History Library

2008-12-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, patrons of the LDS Family History Library were slapped in the face repeatedly as the Church repeatedly refused to recognize Christmas as the only legitimate Decemberish holiday. "It totally ruined genealogy for me," said Voice of Utah 2. "I could barely force myself to eat the free cookies and cocoa up on the third floor."

Every hour at the :45, a non-Christian-loving announcer came on with her indoctrinating voice and said, "As part of our holiday celebration, the Library will hold a class at 2 p.m. on Tongan holiday traditions," or Mexican "holiday" traditions, or English "holiday" traditions.

Patrons were enraged. "I've lost him after the 1820 census but I know he didn't die until 1834," declared one genealogist in response to the barrage of anti-Christian announcements.

"Have you tried tax lists?" another agreed.

Clearly, something must be done. Sen. Buttars, there is time to rewrite your nationally renowned resolution telling business owners to quit ruining the Christmas holiday by using the word holiday. Could you please include the Church in that?

Sen. John Valentine: I didn't want a position, I just had a temper tantrum

2008-12-02T09:51:00.004-07:00

I used to think that Sen. John Valentine (R-Utah County) was one of the better ones, and that I might actually support him if I ever lived in his district (in other words, if he ran for statewide office). But then he completely sold out on the Hilder / Court of Appeals issue. As a lawyer, he knew that Hilder was qualified for the position, but he still joined 15 torch-carrying colleagues in voting No. This morning, four senators have a totally persuasive letter in the Trib insisting that no one -- naught one, I tell you! -- voted against Hilder in exchange for committee positions.

That's right. According to Sen. Lyle Hillyard, Valentine actually voted against Hilder because Valentine was in a snit, or, as my mother would have said, having a maddy. In a recent Senate Site post, Hillyard said that Valentine was going to vote for Hilder, but then Hilder went and ticked him off.

So Valentine would have voted for the qualified guy, except that he was insulted? That's the best he can come up with? "I didn't do it for power, I was just pouting." That's even worse than saying he did it to curry favor with the gun nuts. It reminds me of something a lawyer friend once said: "If the best your client can argue is 'I didn't do it intentionally, I was just stupid,' you've got problems."

Nutter Buttars: "Happy Hanukkah" or else

2008-12-02T09:01:00.008-07:00

A few years ago, while chatting with an acquaintance, I asked if her company had a Sub-for-Santa program. Yes, she said, but "We call it something else. Two of our partners are Jewish." Oh, yeah. There is more than one religion in Utah. I forget sometimes.

So does Sen. Chris Buttars (R-Outer Space), who feels it is a worthy use of taxpayer time and money to have the State of Utah tell private retailers how to word their ads. (Forget about Church and State, how about separation of Private Business and State?) "I'm sick of this "Merry Christmas" stuff," Buttars said. "Not everyone is Christian. I insist that retailers say 'Happy Hanukkah,' at least every fifth time or so, or face the wrath of the Legislature. Also, I don't like '2-for-1.' Retailers should say 'half-off.' In fact, just fax me your proposed ad copy."

I may be confused about the details, but as a non-Jew, I just don't see why I should be forced to run ads that say "Happy Hanukkah." Where's the respect for my faith?

More fundamentally, don't our state legislators have better things to do than doofy message bills? Oh, wait--I forgot who we were talking about.

Sen. Howard Stephenson: Micro-manager or what?

2008-11-30T12:01:00.009-07:00

If you wander over to the website of Sen. Howard Stephenson (R-Business Taxpayers Association) and click on "Proper Role of Government," you get a 1968 speech by Ezra Taft Benson that ends by urging Americans to take a stand against communism. That's it.

Frankly, it doesn't surprise us that Stephenson's ideas about the proper role of government are 40 years old. Forty years ago, a legislator coercing a state agency to give millions in taxpayer dollars to a specific vendor might have garnered a wink, but nowadays nosy parkers like the Tribune have to go and make a big deal out of it. (Stephenson has a ready-made response to such scrutiny, though, judging by the section of his website called "Media Baloney and Bias.")

Stephenson says he just wants to save taxpayers money by, er, spending taxpayer money to have a private business review textbooks instead of school officials who have been doing it well for decades. Considering the generally high level of education in Utah, it's hard to see why this is a priority for Stephenson -- a huge priority, apparently, if he threatened to cut funding and fire people if they didn't sign up ProCert Labs forthwith. But as they say, "if it ain't broke, break it."

Hey, Senator, we have a suggestion: If you're going to micromanage the school system, how about monitoring the lunch menus? Obesity is a bigger concern to Utahns these days then putting the fix in on textbooks.

School board "winner" Bateman: I forgot where I was going to live

2008-11-18T08:53:00.005-07:00

The winner of today's "Yeah, Right" Award: State School Board sort-of-member Kyle Bateman, who suddenly realized he wasn't qualified, residence-wise, to actually be on the board. "Is my face red," Bateman says. "It never occurred to me to think about whether I lived in the right district before I swore under oath that I lived in the right district."

For someone who has been on a Planning Commission, he sure doesn't plan very well (unless you listen to skeptics who think he planned it perfectly: Stay on the ballot until after the election, resign at the last possible moment, and thereby keep a bona fide candidate off the list).

You know how it goes - sometimes there's just something niggling at the back of your mind. "What was it . . . what was it . . . oh, yeah - I'm running for an office I'm not qualified for! Oh, well, I'll think about that tomorrow..."

Oddities of the Judge Hilder confirmation fight

2008-11-17T21:31:00.002-07:00

Rumors are swirling around the legal community about the odd behavior of one member of the committee that recommended the confirmation of Judge Robert Hilder to the Court of Appeals last week -- and, for once, they're not about Sen. Chris Buttars. This time, the rumors are about Sen. Lyle Hillyard, a lawyer. Hillyard made the motion to recommend Hilder, but then launched into a 10-minute diatribe that ranged from whether Hilder is active LDS to the reasons for Hilder's divorce years ago. Hillyard's rambling speech was said to be so eye-opening that fellow lawyer and committee chair Sen. Greg Bell immediately had to "remind the committee" that judicial appointments are supposed to be based on legal qualifications and not certain things like religion, etc.

It seems too bizarre to be true, but a couple of clicks on the legislature's nifty audio links confirmed it. (By the way, leg-webbers, thank you for breaking the audio down now by speaker - it's very convenient.) Last year, we jokingly offered $100 to anyone who could prove inappropriate conduct by Buttars, a la Larry Flynt. But if senators are going to start sticking their noses into judicial candidates' religion and marriages, we will make the offer real, and extend it to all senators, figuring it's fair game now.

Hilder has been endorsed by 13 recent Utah State Bar presidents, but what do they know? Ironically, according to the Tribune, Hilder may not get confirmed because senators such as Buttars think that Hilder should have delved into the Second Amendment in a ruling several years ago instead of confining his ruling to an interpretation of statute. In other words, Sen. Buttars wishes that Hilder had been -- yes -- an activist judge. There's just no pleasing these guys.

P.S. No picture today. Note to the Trib: Bigger pictures, please...

Is Buttars about to be Buttars again?

2008-11-06T08:49:00.005-07:00

Rumor buzzing around Utah's legal community (well, the Salt Lake community at least) is that some GOP legislators didn't learn anything from razor-thin re-election margins and are going to continue their old ways tomorrow.

On Friday morning, Gov. Huntsman's appointee to the Court of Appeals vacancy, Robert K. Hilder, is going before the Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee. Hilder is widely regarded as one of the best judges in the 3rd District Court, a smart guy. But in a series of emails that have been circulating, some prominent lawyers have expressed concern that Buttars and etc. will ignore Hilder's qualifications, and instead punish him for one or two rulings it didn't like, such as the one five years ago when Hilder opined that state law allowed the University of Utah to exclude guns from its campus (which, incidentally, was also consistent with public sentiment).

As this morning's Tribune (and Huntsman's 77% vote) pointed out, Utahns want moderation these days, not more of the same ol'. Perhaps these lawyers are just paranoid. But with Chris Buttars involved, this may be one of those times when being paranoid doesn't mean that someone isn't out to get you.

Wow - Trisha Beck pulls it off against Lavar Christensen

2008-11-05T05:52:00.000-07:00

The last time Trisha Beck and Lavar Christensen clashed in District 48, Christensen won by 34 votes. Heady with his landslide victory, Christensen offered himself up to Jim Matheson in the 2006 Congressional election, in which, coincidentally, he received about 34 votes.

Tonight, Round 2 went to Beck, a tireless campaigner who defeated He-Of-the-Great-Lung-Capacity by 243 votes in a gerrymandered Republican district. Yippee!

Not to take anything away from Beck, but we figured Christensen had an uphill battle once it was discovered that he was single-handedly responsible for global warming.

Still, good job, Beck. All you need now is a quote book...

Hey, Curtis, maybe Checketts has an opening

2008-11-04T23:01:00.003-07:00

Now that King Greg has been dethroned, I can't help but worry about the poor guy's future. Doesn't Parents for Choice in Education owe him a favor? Or how about parking attendant at a soccer stadium? Meanwhile, I guess he can live off that $300,000+ campaign chest for a few years.

Sorry, Horiuchi, you're just too - what is the word?

2008-10-31T09:45:00.002-06:00

'Corrupt' is probably too strong. And 'special-interestized' doesn't get past my spell check. I guess we'll borrow the characterization made by a Democratic lunch companion the other day: "In the pocket of developers."

This lifelong Democrat was a little chagrined at admitting that he had voted for Horiuchi, but he had a specific reason he couldn't get out of. We understand. We used to vote for Horiuchi, enthusiastically in fact, but the list of questionable transactions just got too tiresome.

We would prefer a 5-4 Democratic majority on the council, but we can't vote for someone whose integrity we seriously question. This DeBry guy might be a novice, but right now, Horiuchi's experience is the bigger problem.

KSL radio 1-4 p.m. -- required listening (for some)

2008-10-28T15:35:00.002-06:00

When it comes to political pundits, VoU2 and I agree on a lot: Neither one of us can stand Keith Olbermann or Bill O'Reilly. We both like Rachel Maddow. But one area where we don't see eye to eye is listening to KSL Radio (102.7 FM) in the afternoon.

Sitting in my office this afternoon, I am enjoying my daily Sean Hannity. I love listening to him as he gets more and more panicked. It makes me laugh. VoU2, on the other hand, can't abide one syllable of his grating voice.

I have tried to explain:

VoU1: "It's pretty funny; he's just flailing around because
there's nothing he can do."

VoU2: "I don't care."

Some of today's gems:

An African American expresses concern that he does not feel welcome by the Republican Party, and Hannity is incredulous. After all, he says, the GOP is "the party of Lincoln."
A woman can't figure out why the American people "don't seem to care about Obama's past associations." Hannity admits that it's because this stuff is all b.s. Ok, not really - he agrees with her that it's "obvious" and is mystified as to why "thinking people" don't seem to agree.
He tells an Obama supporter that he is "getting off track" and needs to "focus with me here" when the caller starts praising Obama's tax plan.
Says Obama "wants to turn America into France or worse." Worse than France? Like what, Sweden?
Played the song "More than a woman, more than a woman to me" after a call from a male Obama supporter. See, that's why I listen--intelligent debate.

The most ironic headline for a Utahn to see

2008-10-26T13:05:00.002-06:00

Wandering over to Google News ~~instead of~~ while working diligently, I had to laugh out loud at a Washington Post headline:

GOP candidates warn voters about perils of one-party rule

I look forward to Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz sounding that alarm here in Utah...

Early voting in Utah: Where are the hecklers?

2008-10-21T00:20:00.000-06:00

We're so dull. Early voters in North Carolina get heckled as "cheaters" and ungodly and such. But when I voted early yesterday, all I got was an "Excuse me" as someone passed by on the stairs in the parking garage. Lines around the block, and not a "Nobama, ya Commie!" among them.

Lots of stuff to vote on today. Straight ticket? No, thanks. Yes, Obama . . . Yes, Matheson (pressing screen with one hand while holding nose with the other) . . . Where's the guy running against Horiuchi--there he is. Yes, Not-Horiuchi. . . . Should these 500 judges be retained? . . . Oops, didn't study that issue, but the legislature apparently wants it so better vote no . . . .

Is this your vote? Are you sure? If you change your mind more than twice, we will take away your card and vote for you. Would you like us to vote for you?

Your vote has been cast. Would you like to be heckled? Yes/No.

"You vote like a girl! My great-grandmother can press the screen harder than that!" "Took you long enough--did you stop for lunch?" "You have the fingerprint of a sex god--Give it back!"

Hillary! (in Utah)

2008-10-19T22:06:00.007-06:00

Well, we didn't get her during the primary, but on Saturday we will, apparently. Here is the website to sign up. Speaking as a couple of Clinton Supporters for Obama, we're looking forward to her appearance -- a bit mystified, but looking forward to it. We can hear it now:

"I was thrilled when I heard about this opportunity to visit Utah..."

"I know Bill wishes he were here, too."

". . . to address issues important to the voters in this state."

Bill Dew: the GOP's latest wink at Matheson

2008-10-16T20:28:00.007-06:00

A while back, local media mentioned that the GOP isn't helping much with the campaign of Jim Matheson's opponent, Bill Something. Granted, Matheson has so much cash and such a huge lead that writing checks to TheGOPGuy would be a waste. But let's face it: Jim "I Heart Guantanamo" Matheson is close enough to a Republican already, they don't need to replace him.

That's VOU2's theory for why the Republicans keep running, let's say, "unexciting" candidates against Matheson. LaVar Christensen gave up his spot as a state legislator, but was too obsessed with gay sex and Nancy Pelosi even for Utah Republicans, got wiped out in the general, and is now trying to go back to being a big fish in a little pond.

Christensen was at least noticed. Dew is just . . . out there, somewhere. We think. And we do mean out there. Check out his campaign video. His daughter says that they used to get up at 6 a.m. and "read the Constitution" together. Okaaaay.... I'm all about constitutions -- we have more than one, by the way -- but that sounds a little weird.

So, once again, it's Torture-Bill vs. The Head Scratcher if we stick to the usual suspects. Time to get out the Voter Information Pamphlet...p. 8...Matthew Arndt, Libertarian. College teacher, good...liberty brings more peace and prosperity, good..."Government's only proper role is to protect property, enforce contracts and settle property disputes"--What? Government is just a big courtroom? Glad you're not in charge of regulating our retirement funds.

Guess that leaves Dennis Ray Emery, Constitution Party.... "No Statement Provided." You had us at No...

What is with Comcast's nightly Daily Show interruption?

2008-10-16T09:42:00.005-06:00

Utah viewers of Jon Stewart's The Daily Show may have noticed that our "weekly" Emergency Alert System test seems to have become a nightly EAS test, repeating several times a week lately. Last night, both the 9 p.m. and midnight airings were interrupted by the "weekly" test, cutting off up to a minute of timely fake news. A conspiracy? Probably not. Annoying as heck and inexplicable? Definitely.

Mayor Becker sticks his nose into my lunch

2008-10-15T18:48:00.005-06:00

Being a creature of habit -- and surrounded by fast-disappearing restaurants in the downtown area -- I tend to eat lunch at the same place most days. But can I do that tomorrow? Nooooooo, because Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker says I can't. Well, I could, but then I might feel guilty.

Not content with taking on breathable air, bicycle safety, and other non-gay-marriage issues, now Becker apparently has a problem with hunger and poverty. He has signed a proclamation declaring tomorrow World Food Day in the City. I don't quite grasp the details, but I figure participating restaurants will know what I'm talking about:

Each participating restaurant will offer a special food item that can be ordered at a reduced portion size that patrons may price themselves. A portion of the profits collected from the sale of the item will go to each restaurant’s favorite food-related charity.

In Utah, 9.7 percent of the population lives in poverty and the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 5.1 percent of residents are dealing with hunger. Observing World Food Day in Salt Lake City will be an opportunity for local restaurants to give back to community members and raise awareness about hunger and poverty in Utah.

Okay, it benefits the Utah Food Bank, etc. That's great, but the key issue, of course, is where can I eat lunch tomorrow? Options are listed below.

SQUATTERS BREW PUB
147 West 300 South

MILLCREEK COFFEE
657 South Main Street

TIN ANGEL CAFE
365 West 400 South

CAFE NICHE
779 East 300 South

CAFE D'BOLLA
249 East 400 South Suite 100

ALCHEMY COFFEE
390 East 1700 South

LIVING CUISINE
2148 South Highland Drive

NOBROW COFFEE & TEA
315 East 300 South

SAGES CAFE
473 East Broadway

VERTICAL DINER
2280 South West Temple

LUNA'S ITALIAN ICE CAFÉ
[no address given]

ONE WORLD EVERYBODY EATS
COMMUNITY KITCHEN
41 South 300 East

CEDARS OF LEBANON
154 East 200 South

STONEGROUND
249 East 400 South

OASIS CAFE
151 South 500 East

FAUSTINA
300 South 345 EAST

FREE WHEELERS PIZZA
150 SOUTH 400 EAST

CURRY IN A HURRY
2020 SOUTH STATE STREET
(so that's where these guys went!)

Mm mm good.

Carlene Walker vs. Karen Morgan in Senate 8: bummer of a race

2008-10-15T17:47:00.007-06:00

It is unfortunate that two capable, likeable women who want to be a state senator both happen to live in District 8. Most other senate races that we're following don't have two candidates for whom we could comfortably vote.

Carlene Walker is relatively moderate, and sometimes does nutty things like focus on practical issues such as identity theft and drunk driving rather than peeking in bedroom windows. She runs a good committee meeting, doesn't automatically dismiss competing views, and is intelligent.

Karen Walker is also smart and focuses on issues that actually matter, such as education. She is compassionate but practical, and is not afraid to think outside party lines on issues such as immigration.

The tie-breaker for us? Vouchers. Walker caved to party or other political pressure and voted for vouchers, even though it was directly contrary to Utahns' wishes and detrimental for public education. Still, she says she won't do it again, and we believe her.

So basically, this bites. Senate 8 has two good candidates and only one slot. We have an idea, though: Morgan wins the race. The legislature then gerrymanders Walker into another district. The current senator in District X is caught buying "Nailin' Palin" with a state credit card, resigns in disgrace, and moves to Sandy. Gov. Huntsman appoints Walker to fill out his term. Voila! Election gods, please make it so.

Did Sandy get outmaneuvered on the "Broadway" theater?

2008-10-15T17:08:00.003-06:00

Noticed two interesting things in the news today:

In the first article, Sandy City council member Steve Smith dared to buck Mayor Tom "almost lost my last election" Dolan, suggesting that maybe Sandy should admit that "calling the theater privately funded is 'just semantics' because ultimately Sandy would be paying off the developer's loan," while another councilman suggested that maybe the city should figure out how much it's going to cost city residents before adding more parking problems to the city.

In the second article, the Deseret News announced that Salt Lake City will announce tomorrow that a 2,400-seat Broadway-style theater is to be built downtown on Regent Street. Expected at Mayor Becker's press conference are Governor Huntsman and Bishop Burton with the LDS Church. Hmm... Did Salt Lake City finally get one over on Dolan? Can Greg Curtis intervene in time? Stay tuned.

Dr. James Brinton - keeping Utah medicine interesting

2008-10-08T22:50:00.007-06:00

Noticed a familiar name in a KSL story this evening: Dr. James A. Brinton, a Utah County physician. This guy is a walking headline. Ten years ago, the Utah Supreme Court upheld IHC's decision to revoke his hospital privileges based on concerns about his health care, including questions involving the death of a child. He continued to deliver babies at a less persnickety place, and branched out into laser hair removal. One of those patients suffered 2nd-degree burns, sued him and won, as verified by court records. As of a 2007 D-News article, he was the medical director of a spa that does laser hair removal and such.

A woman once told one of us that, while she was choosing an adoptive family for her newborn child, her physician Dr. Brinton told her, "I know you're going to do the right thing and give this baby to a Mormon family," and that he arranged for a priesthood blessing for her in her hospital room. (She was not LDS.) Wasn't there, can't confirm it, but ever since then, his name in the paper always catches our eye.

The latest: He was indicted this morning, along with 17 others, for an alleged illegal online prescription drug ring. But apparently he's innocent. "We talked to Dr. Brinton on the phone this afternoon," KSL writes. "He says he only supported advertising Phentermine on the Web site and would help with quality control." Well, sure, because when one thinks of "quality control," who doesn't think of Dr. Brinton?

Those false burglar alarms in Draper

2008-10-06T08:53:00.005-06:00

Interesting article today about police in Cottonwood Heights, Draper, and elsewhere having to respond to a lot of false burglar alarms. According to the article, 98 percent of burglar alarm activations are false, caused by human error, weather, pets, etc. On average, owners have one false alarm per year (according to the burglar alarm sellers; we'd like to see independent stats). Private businesses get money from selling alarms, and police get stuck responding to them.

Some cities are considering charging for the second false alarm in a year, or requiring private guards to respond first, and then, if an actual crime is occurring, the cops will come. Supposedly that would be unpopular, sayeth the alarm sellers:

According to a 2006 study sponsored by the Security Industry Alarm Coalition, that would be a bad idea. A telephone survey of Salt Lake residents found that two-thirds of voters disapprove of their city's policy and that 60 percent would vote against a candidate that supported such a rule.

The D-News didn't say how the study was worded, but one can imagine questioning a la a Utah Dem push poll: "Do you favor or oppose a rule that puts people at risk of being robbed and murdered in their own homes?"

Let's face it: If you can afford a burglar alarm system, you can probably afford to put something in the till if you waste the cops' time with two or more false alarms in one year. And if 98 percent are false, it seems to make some sense for a private guard to respond first, as Salt Lake City and West Valley require. A qualified guard could do some good in the other 2 percent in which something is actually happening.

Back from hiatus - Utah politics as usual

2008-10-04T09:10:00.008-06:00

Geez, you go on hiatus for a few months, and all heck breaks out in local politics. Where to start...

Former TV news anchor Phil Riesen (D-Salt Lake) leaks a story to TV news that Greg Hughes (R-Draper) told another representative that, wink wink, if she would vote for vouchers, she might, you know, notice a few extra OOOs in her campaign account. The unusual part: Riesen leaked it to KSL, rather than his former employer KTVX.
Hughes gets into a "So's your mother" with the House speaker's chief of staff, and is escorted out of a parking lot by the Highway Patrol. He also hires an attorney to defend the ethics complaint and maybe sue Riesen, KSL, and anyone who watched the news or thought about it. Re-elect Greg Hughes: He's job security for law enforcement (and ethics investigators, and attorneys...).
Earlier, Hughes (is this guy hogging all the ink or what?) suggested that Voices for Utah Children, Roz McGee's old organization and now Karen Crompton's, had endorsed him. Turns out that the letter he was quoting had been sent to every legislator who voted for a certain bill. But maybe Crompton sealed his with a kiss...
Utah Democrats launched an irritating push poll that basically asked, "Would you rather vote for Republican X, who kicks puppies, or Democrat Y, who thinks you're cute?" Well, since you put it so objectively . . . .
Democrat Jay Seegmiller, who is giving Greg Curtis (R-Real Salt Lake) another run for his considerable money, was also victimized by push pollers, who suggested that Seegmiller wants government to pay for abortions performed by illegal immigrants. Too little too late: looks like Curtis's days might be numbered.

And last: Genealogists ruin everything! According to a security expert and KSL commenters, Ancestry.com and genealogists who post things on the interweb are promoting identity theft. Forget those letters we get monthly from our banks, investment brokers, hospitals, retailers, and internet providers telling us that they've, um, mislaid our personal data -- we were fine until Aunt Betty posted grandma's obituary.

Hiatus

2008-05-26T09:55:00.004-06:00

We've already been on a quasi-hiatus, but now it's official. VoU1 is busy on a several-month project, and VoU2 is helping. So you won't have VoU1 to kick around any more (for a while, anyway).

From two Hillary supporters: Give it up

2008-05-07T20:34:00.003-06:00

The time has come. Extract your price (Secretary of State?) and bow out.

Matheson: Unlabeled dishes No, torture Yes

2008-04-29T00:56:00.001-06:00

Taking time out from voting to torture people and detain them indefinitely without charges, Congressman Jim Matheson has taken another hard stance, this time on dishware. Matheson is hitting China hard for adding extra mineral to our diets, insisting that lead-happy dishmakers label the leadware that they ship over here by the millions. Take that! And if you don't shape up, we might make you underline some of the words! You have been warned.

How high is Sandy's cost of living if the city administrator can't live on $151,000?

2008-04-26T09:52:00.004-06:00

Thanks to the Trib's persistence in prying bonus figures out of Sandy City administrators' cold undead fingers, we now know that Mayor Tom Dolan and his 12 buddies sit around giving each other bonuses on a regular basis. (Boy, won't the Utah Taxpayers Association be all over that!)

For other city officials who are behind the curve, The Trib offers an instructional diagram, roughly translated as: "You approve my bonus, I'll approve your bonus."

The most impressive yield is by Sandy City Administrator Byron Jorgenson. For administering a city of 100,000, Mr. Jorgenson makes a salary of $151,000, plus (so far this year) $12,500 in bonus money. Sandy residents can't really complain about that. I mean, his salary is only 150 percent of the governor's salary, and he's worth way more than that, especially since, according to Sandy City,

"A large part of Mr. Jorgenson’s leadership strength comes from his high standards of personal ethics and integrity, which he exemplifies himself and demands in those around him."

And that's why Mr. Jorgenson deserves such a huge bonus -- because he spends so much time demanding integrity from others.

Should Harmon's provide armed guards?

2008-04-24T23:02:00.002-06:00

$7.64--"For these?" It offended my sensibilities, but I didn't have the juevos (sorry, Minutemen) to tell the Harmon's checker, "Nevermind. I declare these grapes to be overpriced." Instead, I carried my purchase to my car, clutching it to my side lest someone try to nab my booty. And when I got home, I went straight to the Huffington Post, scanning headlines for that article I skipped the first time. Let's see . . .

21 Reasons To Hate Hillary . . .

Why Hillary Should Die . . .

Drop Out Already, Hillary . . .

Ah, here it is: Food Prices Skyrocket; How to Save at the Market.

One thing I already learned? Skip the grapes.

Texas: We're taking good care of all 416 -- er, 425 -- er, 437 kids

2008-04-21T19:09:00.001-06:00

The State of Texas continues to impress with the individualized attention it is paying all them FLDS types. Today, Texas officials disclosed that they were only off 21 in the number of kids they have in custody. 437, 416, who's counting? (Not Texas, apparently.)

$1,000+ hookup fee for UTOPIA? That's insane!

2008-04-20T11:59:00.004-06:00

I've largely been a proponent of the UTOPIA concept, and was optimistic that it might become available in my new home, but this quote from this morning's Trib is enough to make anyone slam on the brakes:

Utopia's board of directors is developing a new business model it hopes finally will place the struggling, municipally owned network onto a solid financial footing. As part of that plan, it wants to require each new customer to pay a hefty fee upfront.

"We've identified a range of around $1,000, but eventually it could be two to three times that amount," said Utopia's chairman Alex Jensen.

I'm sorry; did I read that correctly? Apparently so:

Utopia's board is negotiating with several banks about providing financing for the connection fee so that customers who don't want to pay upfront can make payments over time. "If that [financing] is what customers want, it would be like going down to RC Willey and buying a piece of furniture," said Jensen, the Layton city manager.

Financing a hookup fee? Up to $3,000 just to be allowed to pay a monthly internet fee? Right. Maybe if it's superfast, makes breakfast every morning, and picks up my dry cleaning. Holy smokes.

Sutherland Institute to host flat earth conference

2008-04-19T08:17:00.001-06:00

The Sutherland Institute is celebrating Earth Day by hosting a week-long conference urging more oil dependency and nuclear waste. A booming green industry hurts the economy and hurts the poor, says Institute president Paul Mero. "I mean, just think about it: global warming could mean having to buy one less winter coat," he said. "We're all about the poor people, you know."

Voting against one's economic interests: Dumb when you're poor, principled when you're wealthy?

2008-04-15T22:41:00.001-06:00

This is not a comment on the recent Obama/bitter controversy, but the context in which that arose did bring to mind a conversation I had with a Utah acquaintance a while back. Musing about some low-income friends who consistently vote Republican solely because of their passion for guns, he wondered, "Why are they so stupid? They're voting against their economic interests."

I thought about it. Assuming -- as we did -- that Democrats are more likely to help low- and middle-income people, and assuming -- as we did -- that Republicans are more likely to help upper-income people, that meant . . . .

"I'm voting against my economic interests," I said. "I should be voting for Republicans."

Well, that's different, he seemed to suggest; it wasn't stupid for me to vote principle over pocketbook. But it was for his lower-income friends? Hmm . . .

It's not easy remodeling green - recommendations for green contractors, architects, engineers?

2008-04-12T20:48:00.005-06:00

Either my Google skills are deteriorating, or there aren't that many green-oriented contractors, architects, and engineers for residences in the Salt Lake area. I found several for businesses, but not many for homes, and some of those just do new construction, not remodeling. Does anyone have personal experience with any, or with project managers they would recommend?

Those Tanner Transmission ads

2008-04-11T00:03:00.001-06:00

I've just ~~been subjected to~~ seen my 5,000th Tanner Transmission commercial -- you know, the one where the guy turns toward the camera and scowls, "Leadership: It comes from acting by doing." Sheesh, you'd think he was leading the Great Raid on Cabanatuan or something instead of offering us all a power flush.

Anyway, I just have to say: Tanner Transmission, how do you pay for all that advertising? I see your face almost as often as Siegfried & Jensen's. And how about a new one once in a while? The only ad I want to see over and over for 20 years is this one:

Thank you.

Qwest says, "What's this fiber thing?"

2008-04-10T09:15:00.001-06:00

First, Qwest actively campaigned against UTOPIA and its lightning-fast fiber. That didn't kill it. Then it sued UTOPIA, but that didn't kill it either. So now Qwest has announced that maybe it will have to consider, sigh, actually offering fiber to those annoying customers who like their internet speedy.

"Qwest later this month will reveal how much it intends to spend in Utah and where the new service will be available," the Trib reported. So what was the point of issuing a press release with no information in the first place? Could it be related to the current hearings on additional bonding for the UTOPIA fiber project? Nah, must be a coincidence.

'Sexually suggestive ads' on D-News site - ironic ad placement?

2008-04-09T08:27:00.001-06:00

In this morning's D-News, a letter writer complains of the "sexually suggestive" advertising on the News' website. Wonder how she liked seeing her letter:

Horiuchi's developer buddies fill up the trough

2008-04-08T21:01:00.001-06:00

First, a laugh-out-loud moment from the Trib this morning:

Salt Lake County mayor Peter Corroon has raised nearly $148,000 for his re-election campaign. GOP opponent Michael Renckert has raised $700. That roughly resembles the anticipated margin of Corroon's victory.

Now, a groan-out-loud moment:

Randy "Never met a conflict of interest I didn't like" Horiuchi is up to his old tricks, racking up $63,000 toward his re-election campaign. The primary donors are--do we even need to say?

More than half the incumbent's contributions ($35,900) came from home builders and real estate management firms, including North Star Builders, Wasatch Pacific and Cottonwood Development.

Well, you know what they say: Developers are a girl's best friend. And being a councilman means never having to say you're sorry.

Hundreds detained, 400 children removed--can't wait to see that warrant!

2008-04-07T23:22:00.004-06:00

A lot of the court filings are still under seal, but there must have been something really amazing about the anonymous call that sparked the FLDS raids in Texas. Otherwise, we're having a hard time figuring out how one report of one underage marriage (which should be fully prosecuted) would justify the wholesale rounding up and detaining of an entire community. If a call went out that someone in a Sandy neighborhood was a child molester, would all of the kids in the neighborhood be taken, all the men confined, and all the women "relocated"?

Silliest spin of the quarter (Utah's flat tax)

2008-04-02T07:34:00.006-06:00

One of those laugh-out-loud moments (not in a good way): The Trib ran an article this morning about how everyone except rich people will pay significantly higher taxes under Utah's new flat-tax option, but the State hasn't publicized that little fact. Governor Huntsman's spokesperson Lisa Roskelley then gave the silliest quote possible on the subject:

"It's not fair to say they will be [negatively affected]. They could say, 'I would rather pay more taxes,' and choose the flat tax this year," she said. "The reason it's optional is they can choose which is best for them."

Nice to know that Huntsman's spokesperson has a finger on the pulse of the people.

Sen. Howard Stephenson rates himself perfect

2008-03-29T08:32:00.007-06:00

Sen. Howard Stephenson's organization, the Utah (Business-)Taxpayers Association, has rated Sen. Howard Stephenson perfect when it comes to (business-friendly) tax issues. According to the trib, Stephenson denied having input into the bills his organization considered in rating legislators, but the employee didn't get the memo, apparently: He said Stephenson did have input into both the bills chosen and the Association's position on them.

Stephenson apparently also decided not to consider other tax expenditures -- he was one of the legislators who went on a taxpayer-funded boondoggle to China last year.

In an unrelated story, Voice of Utah has rated itself as 100% Perfect on the subject of political blogging. "We are honored to receive this award from ourselves," said Voice of Utah spokesperson Voice of Utah. "Other than writing the posts, choosing the posts we wanted to include, and evaluating the posts, we had no involvement in this award."

For the record, I have the Lady Utes beating Tennessee

2008-03-22T20:20:00.001-06:00

Yeah, the University of Utah women's team got royally screwed by the NCAA tournament selection committee. And yeah, most of my upset predictions in the men's tourney haven't come true (curse you, Duke!). But hey, I'm an optimist. Elaine Elliott's Lady Utes have to beat Purdue at home first, and Tennessee is a No. 1 seed, and it's sort of like David's little brother versus Goliath, but if you don't aim high, you don't get high. No, that's not right. I'm sure there's some saying that fits. Go Utes!

Hotel internet ripoffs

2008-03-21T19:50:00.002-06:00

Why is it that, when I stay in overpriced hotels I have to pay for internet access, but in "cheap" hotels it's free?

Obama's speech (the text) & why he has to do it - UPDATE: Is he on valium?

2008-03-18T08:52:00.003-06:00

Fortunately, the Huffington Post posted Obama's speech at 8:15 a.m., the end of the embargo period. I couldn't wait much longer to go into work. Here's the text.

Yesterday, I didn't think there would be any need for this. As I listened to Sean Hannity in the car railing on and on about Jeremiah Wright, I rolled my eyes and thought he was making a mountain out of a mole hill. "No one thinks that Barack Obama hates America," I thought, "and you're misquoting Michelle Obama's 'pride' comment (again)."

But later, at dinner, a lifelong Democrat surprised me by saying, "Obama knew all along about what this guy was saying. He disinvited him from his first campaign announcement; what does that tell you? You can't tell me this guy (Wright) never said any of these things during the hundreds of sermons that Obama attended." Wow, I realized; this thing has traction. Obama realized that sooner, evidently.

This probably needed to be done, anyway, as a rite of passage for the country. As uncomfortable as it is, he will probably look back at this time as an opportunity more than a challenge.

UPDATE: I stayed to watch part of the speech -- what the heck? Where is the passionate, inspirational oratory? Did they tell him to chill out? The text of the speech was good, but this didn't strike me as an Obama delivery.

Should we send our Utah legislators to Tibet?

2008-03-17T22:32:00.002-06:00

Protests, oppression, human rights violations. Sounds like a job for the China 14, the intrepid Utah legislators and staffers who risked their own -- well, actually nothing -- on a taxpayer-funded boondoggle to China last summer. In addition to all that trade they would generate for Utah, one justification of the trip was to help foster "world peace." If only they had wandered over to Tibet instead of Liaoning. It's not too late, though. Send them to Tibet! Not permanently, just until a lasting peace is achieved.

P.S. We think it's worth a periodic reminder (between now and, say, November) of which legislators spent our tax money on their Asian vacations, rewarding China for all it does for us and its own people. According to the D-News, they were:

• Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble, R-Provo

• House Majority Leader David Clark, R-Santa Clara

• Senate Majority Whip Dan Eastman, R-Bountiful

Hey, didn't Eastman just announce his retirement? We want a refund!

• Sen. Peter Knudson, R-Brigham City

• Senate Minority Leader Mike Dmitrich, D-Price

Wait a minute -- didn't Dmitrich just retire, too? Got that China trip in just under the wire, huh?

• Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper

• Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Lehi

• Sen. Brent Goodfellow, D-West Valley

• Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful

• Rep. Kerry Gibson, R-Ogden

• Rep. Kory Holdaway, R-Taylorsville

• Rep. Carl Duckworth, D-Magna

• Rep. Eric Hutchings, R-Kearns

Voice of Utah

The 'Mormon Mosque' flap wasn't just in 1903

The "gender bias" Utah legal profession survey

Where's Utah's money from the China 14 "trade" trip?

"Highlights" of Sen. Hatch's Town Hall Meeting last night

Utah conservatives, repeal the car dealer blue law

UHP's illegal-fireworks checks shows how Arizona's law could allow racial profiling

Can Utah's leaders bring back civility?

"Zero tolerance" for white-collar crime in Utah?

Those darned competent day laborers

Back from the quasi-dead

Southern Utahns: The law is the law! (Except the ones we don't like)

Sen. Hatch almost does something newsworthy

Utah's home-developer welfare bill: as hypocritical as it looks?

Herbert's Lt. Gov - the dumbest Trib poll yet

LDS Church, please relocate your Oquirrh Mountain temple

An ex-Utahn cleared after 22 years on death row - that's why we don't rush it, Mr. Shurtleff

McMansion opponents: You're mad at the wrong people

Jerry, yes it is

A repost: The plight of the Enola Gay Hangar at Wendover

Wow - the Minuteman guy finally admits it's about brown skin

Pandemic: We owe former state Rep. Sylvia Andersen an apology

Michigan GOP to Huntsman: If we wanted your opinion, we wouldn't be Republicans

My take on yesterday's lovefest about Utah's judicial "fitness" requirement

Super Dell or Super Dole?

Local media's inconsistent practice of naming names

What is wrong with all these Animal Control people?

Once again, Mormons fall for a "low risk, high return" scam

KSL airs a dumb report about insulation rebates

No wonder the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache forest service can't get firefighters

Larry Miller's death - lessons may be learned

Why is Mitt Romney selling his Deer Valley mansion?

Now we know who is *really* clogging Utah's courts

Why are Utah's GOP legislators singling out autism?

Dear Utah cops: Fewer prostitution busts, more theft prevention, please

I have finally figured out Chris Buttars' role in the Senate

Sen. Valentine starts to redeem himself

The incredible shrinking ethics bill

Rep. Bigelow wants to eliminate continuing education for contractors - but why stop there?

Utah should get first crack at the Guantanamo inmates

H.B. 224: Rep. Sandstrom wants lawsuits for swearing? (Seriously)

Obama belts out a tune on Guantanamo?

Guns don't kill toilets, people kill toilets (in Utah)

Love Corroon, but Europe?

What cuts are legislators proposing for themselves?

Racial profiling by Utah Highway Patrol? Maybe, but...

Zions, please kill the Boozer ad

Does this mean Oprah won't like my new heartwarming memoir?

The Matheson - Salt Lake Weekly feud makes Politico

The Ashley Sparks murder - both sides of the story

Utah vegetarians, beware the "egg-free" flu shot

The latest failed adoption in Utah

Utah political humor: the Constitutional Convention's greatest hits

Why do fire trucks show up when there's no fire?

This Layton guy gets the Best Mugshot Award

Utah's economy: It's Rep. Carol Spackman Moss's fault for not going to China

Utah's schizophrenic legislative openness (& a request to Ric Cantrell)

Blackwater guards: Utahns won't mind a little babykilling

Sen. Buttars, please do something about the LDS Family History Library

Sen. John Valentine: I didn't want a position, I just had a temper tantrum

Nutter Buttars: "Happy Hanukkah" or else

Sen. Howard Stephenson: Micro-manager or what?

School board "winner" Bateman: I forgot where I was going to live

Oddities of the Judge Hilder confirmation fight

Is Buttars about to be Buttars again?

Wow - Trisha Beck pulls it off against Lavar Christensen

Hey, Curtis, maybe Checketts has an opening

Sorry, Horiuchi, you're just too - what is the word?

KSL radio 1-4 p.m. -- required listening (for some)

The most ironic headline for a Utahn to see

Early voting in Utah: Where are the hecklers?

Hillary! (in Utah)

Bill Dew: the GOP's latest wink at Matheson

What is with Comcast's nightly Daily Show interruption?

Mayor Becker sticks his nose into my lunch

Carlene Walker vs. Karen Morgan in Senate 8: bummer of a race

Did Sandy get outmaneuvered on the "Broadway" theater?

Dr. James Brinton - keeping Utah medicine interesting

Those false burglar alarms in Draper

Back from hiatus - Utah politics as usual

Now we know who is really clogging Utah's courts

Hundreds detained, 400 children removed--can't wait to see that warrant!