America, Where are You Now?

 America, where are you now?

Don't you care about your sons and daughters?

America, we need you now,

We can't fight alone against the monster.

                                        Steppenwolf, Monster,  1969

Ironic, isn't it that a protest song from the 60's has so much resonance in 2025? Don't you think it is pathetic that we are mimicking Germany in the 1930s? We have armed and masked quasi-militias with unidentified members roaming the streets of our large cities, suburbs,  and small towns, arresting without warrants whomever they please, taking them off the streets in unmarked vehicles with no known destination. No court dates are set, no hearings are scheduled. Deportations are conducted without any legal process being adhered to.

 Children are being detained, taken away in the middle of the night, hands zip-tied, separated from their parents. The "worst of the worst" criminals? What do these actions say about us as a society? Are we now afraid of children? They watch in horror as their parents are arrested and taken away from them in front of, and in, the schools.  

Yes, some of our cities have become battlegrounds, but the battle is not "Antifa" (there is a subject for long conversation) taking over the cities, it is the battle for the right to exist, the right to live freely, the right of peaceful protest without fear of imminent, unwarranted arrest, as spoken of in The Constitution of the United States of America and the Bills of Rights. You remember, those "Founding Documents" we supposedly learned about in schools. Is this the America you grew up in? Is this what you want for America? 

No amount of flag-waving, no military parade, no ballroom, no "imminent danger" can excuse this childish behavior.  Were this behavior not so tragic, so serious in its consequences, I would call it out as bullies in a playground. It has now gone far beyond that. Where are the adults in the room? Where are our finest legal minds?

Generations of political leaders in our country have worked, with some success, to feed and house the poor and working class families when  incomes did not meet expenses. Now, affordable housing, even affordable rent, is beyond the reach of many Americans. Grocery prices continue to climb but wages are not keeping up, regardless of the rhetoric from Washington. Older Americans struggle to afford the basics-food, housing, insurance. Young families are desperate to find safe communities in which to raise their families, to have the great American Dream. Jobs are vanishing, unemployed/underemployed Americans are finding it harder and harder to afford housing, day care and medical care. Is this your version of the Great American Dream? 

Health care is under attack, not from immigrants unfairly using it, but from our government. You know, the government of the people, for the people, and by the people. The Republicans in our Congress have stripped away subsidies that allow Americans to afford health care, and have caused a shutdown of the Government by refusing to even have honest discussions about this critical issue. Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the office of the President, yet they fault the democrats for the shutdown. Is this how Republicans govern? 

What can we do? What can you do? Write/email/call your Representatives and Senators, tell them you are not happy with them, not happy about the healthcare issues, not happy about SNAP going away, not happy with illegal detention and deportation,  not happy with the shutdown. 

Then, most importantly, VOTE whenever you have the opportunity. Votes do matter in elections! And yes, your vote does count, particularly in the elections for Representatives and Senators. (For the record: undocumented individuals do not vote.) 

Make voting a civic duty.  I was speaking Monday night with a Ukrainian (now a United States Citizen) who moved his family here just before the outbreak of the war. He was totally bewildered that a third of the American citizens failed to vote in the last election. In Ukraine, it is considered a citizen's responsibility and an honor to vote.

It is OUR country, America! Stand up for the America you believe in, the America that takes care of it's citizens, the America that was, and hopefully will become again, the beacon on the hill, the great light of Democracy!

As always, your comments are most welcome. 

Thanks for reading!

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

I Am

 I am a citizen of The United States of America, and I am proud to say that; I am proud of this country-our country, yours and mine. It was, and continues to be, literally an experiment in self-government that had never been tried before; it has been a very successful experiment, and our form of a constitutional representative democracy or some moderate variant thereof, has been successfully duplicated many times since 1776. 

The direction of this great and wonderful country, over the long arc of time, has been and continues to be toward, in the words of Jefferson, "a more perfect union."  We have never been perfect, nor do you or I know we ever will be; and the events of the past 10 years remind us of the work that remains yet unfinished. 

Huge swaths of our country lack access to quality health care, education, and employment. An explosive and violent drug epidemic is killing children and adults without prejudice. We incarcerate at a rate far above the norm for a first-world economy, yet corruption and treason run unfettered through our governmental offices. At its inception, social media was advertised as a way to build community; isolation, hate, fear,  bigotry and racism have become its suburbs. 

Yet I retain an unashamed optimism about our future, short and long term. Ours is not a static social construct, rather it expands and contracts as necessity requires. We have the ability, given to us by the foresight of the founders of this great nation, to change the direction and tenor of our country, of our political landscape. It is within our ability to control our government, to control our social discourse, to tone down the racism, bigotry and hate. All that is required to improve what is right, and correct what is wrong, is for you and I to say "no more." We can amplify our voices by voting for the candidate, not the party, by helping with voter registration, by standing up for democracy. Each of us can and should demonstrate with action and word, that bigotry, racism, and hatred are not acceptable virtues of a civilized society. 

Do not misunderstand me, I am not advocating physical violence, riots, or insurrection! I am advocating citizenship, an active participation in the affairs of our society. The most important action you can take is to VOTE. if you want to make more of an obvious impact, speak out, speak up; let your congressman know how you feel, put letters in the local paper, etc. Don't waste time arguing with the uninformed. 

Why do I remain optimistic about America? Because I truly believe in America, and in Americans. I believe the vast majority of us are good, kind, and generous. I believe we all want a good, prosperous future, and I believe we want all Americans to have the same opportunity as we ourselves have. 

I invite you to share in my optimism, and also to leave comments and opinions about this article.

Thanks for reading! 

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

Litmus Test

 I remember, as I am sure you do, the litmus test for Supreme Court Justices, how they would vote on abortion; the test then turned to gun control, then gay rights. The republicans decried these tests, at least when democrats would bring them up.

Now the dour faced Republican party has a litmus test of it's own, one that could destroy the party; indeed, it's even now fracturing and splintering as the more vocal members of the party apply it to legally elected members of Congress.

I'm referring, of course, to the Big Lie. It now is apparent to any thinking person that you must swear allegiance to former President Trump's continued falsehood of election fraud, and agree with him that the election was stolen, and that President Joe Biden is not,in fact, the legally elected President of The United States of America, if you want to remain in Congress, or as governor of your state.

How the leaders of a party traditionally based on conservative values-the rule of law, strong military capabilities, unbreakable ties with our allies-can, in a space of 4 years, redefine the party into a cult based upon one man staggers the imagination.

America had never been, even in it's infancy, a cult worshiping one leader. We are a country founded upon the rule of law, and a strong believe the the core value of democracy; that right of the people to decide their leader in free, honest, and open elections.

The great challenges that faced our country during the pandemic forced our state and local officials to explore and expand opportunities for voters to cast their legal ballot, and I truly believe those leaders performed a Herculean task successfully; more Americans cast their ballot than in any preceding election.

Those American voters, and you are most likely one of them, elected Congressmen, Senators, and Governors of both parties to office; indeed, both houses of Congress are more equally balanced than at any time in recent history. And yes, those American voters elected Joe Biden President of The United States of America at the same time.

For the first time in decades, both parties have an equal opportunity to present their policies and values to the public. Both parties have the ability now to entice voters to support them, based upon what their parties can do for America.

Instead of giving Americans ideas and policies that could benefit all of us, the Republicans have chosen to present a party of cult worship.

I don't think this can end well for the party of Lincoln.

Thank you for reading, your thoughts and comments are always welcome!

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

Alternative Facts

 It is hard for me to understand what KellyAnne Conway best described at "alternative facts." It would appear some Americans believe in a parallel universe, one created by a mythical QAnon that presides over certain ragtag elements of society bound together by adherence to a cult of misguided hero/savior worship of former President Trump. 

Seeking confirmation of their beliefs, as all people naturally do, they find via the internet like-minded delusional anonymous individuals and groups that share a conviction of disenfranchised voters and a stolen election. 

I came face-to-face with this yesterday during a chance conversation with a casual acquaintance; the gentleman inquired if I had a good supply of fuel stored up, as the gas companies had ceased production of motor fuels ahead of the military coup scheduled for March 6th.

I remember listening to the Junior Senator from Missouri, Josh Hawley, claim on January 6th that certifying the Electoral Collage voted making Joe Biden (81,268,924 votes) President meant 74 million Trump voters would be disenfranchised. 

Wow! I mean, really? 

First and foremost, our military swears allegiance to our Constitution, and our country, not the person elected President. The probability that a coup against our elected government would come from, or be supported by, the military is somewhat south of Zero. None of the fuel producers have halted production, by the way. 

Second, no one who voted, including the 74,216,154 Trump voters, is disenfranchised. The fact that their votes were cast and counted makes this claim not only untrue, but delusional.

I do not know the educational background of my acquaintance, and therefore will not comment on such. 

Josh Hawley, however, is a public record. He is a graduate of Stanford, and of Yale Law. I cannot therefore dismiss his lie as a lack of knowledge of American Democracy. 

When a person of Senator Hawley's background, education, and position of influence in the community tells or repeats outright lies and half-truths, he gives false support to the insurrectionists who would destroy America. 

In a larger view, the comments made by anyone in position of importance do have effects. Words matter, and those who speak them from glorified perches should consider carefully the words they use. Politician, pundit, preacher, reporter or columnist, all can calm or incite the public by the words they speak or write.  

It is certainly incumbent upon us, the American public, to vet the source of our information. Definitely, all media have some inherent bias, and sorting the real news from the trash is left to us. 

Finally, let me say this. Joe Biden was elected President of the United States of America by a wide margin of votes cast. This election can boast the largest voter turnout ever in a presidential election. No one stole the election; and all the legal challenges to the result of the people's choice have been reviewed and denied by the courts. 

Really, people, the election is over. The impeachment is over. Now, let's work on living our best possible lives in the Greatest County on Earth. 

Thank you for reading. Your comments and opinions are always welcome. 

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

Unusual Weather

It is raining today in the Salt Lake Valley; this is unusual because, in March, we usually have snow, not rain.

But the unusual weather today in Utah is not as bad as the weather inside Congress in Washington. Today, the representatives in “the people’s house” will vote on the American Health Care Act, a bill that is publicized as the beginning of the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act; the same Affordable Care Act that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would repeal on Day 1 of his term in office. Well, he didn’t get to repeal the ACA on Day 1, and right now (8:11 AM MDT), it looks like he won’t get the AHCA passed by Congress today, either.

For this piece of legislation to pass in the House, the Republican party can afford only 21 no votes from its members. As of Wednesday night, 24 Republicans have publicly stated they will vote no. No Democrats have indicated they will vote yes. Right now, there is strong opposition to this bill from the health care sector and insurance companies, both groups that are normally strong supporters of, and donors to, republican politicians and the republican party.

It is also opposed by the AARP and the March of Dimes, because it would raise insurance rates on older Americans and drastically cut funding for Medicaid and health insurance subsidies, subsidies that have allowed millions of Americans to afford health insurance. CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, is also a part of Medicaid. What about the children? Oh, yes, they don’t vote. But, their parents and grandparents do.

Those states that accepted ACA money to expand Medicaid to previously uninsured residents would see that money disappear, which would put state governments in a lose-lose scenario. The states would either raise taxes, to replace the lost federal money, or cut recipients off the Medicaid roles. Neither of these choices would be good in the next election for the existing state politicians. To understand the value of federal funding for Medicaid, consider this fact:

Fourteen states receive the minimum of federal Medicaid money ($1 from the Federal government for every $1 of state money; while the remaining 37 (including DC) receive 50.1% to 73.1% of their Medicaid moneys from the federal government. Eleven states (ID, UT, AZ, NM, AR, MS, AL, SC, KY, WV, DC), all of which are nominally “red” states, receive between 67% and 73% of their Medicaid money from the federal government. (source: The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured)

Can the Republican members of Congress from those states vote yes on this bill, and then look their constitutes in the eyes in the 

next election cycle?

There is a tsunami approaching Washington DC right now.

Your comments, as always, are welcome.

RMH

http://kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-financing-how-does-it-work-and-what-are-the-implications/  retrieved March 23, 2017 at 9:05 AM MDT

Spring, hopefully.

The sun has risen, shining through the light broken clouds surrounding the mountain tops that make up my beloved Wasatch Front. Birds are singing outside my window, and I have a cup of hot coffee and a pipe. Everything is well in my world. Spring, I believe, is finally trying to arrive in the Salt Lake Valley.

It seems to have been a long time arriving, this spring. The winter, while not rough in the valley, has been good to the mountains; we experienced a very good snowfall, with lots of moisture content. Given the past several years of below-average moisture, this is a good sign of things to come!


It has also been a long time since I have felt the desire to write here. The whirlwind that pretended to be the election cycle has severely shaken my faith in our electoral process with the constant tweets, interruptions and unfounded allegations rapidly, and repeatedly, overtaking substance and fact. The rude, crude, obnoxious, and insulting behavior of the field of candidates left me with the feeling of being in a bad dream. Unlike a dream, however, it continued past dawn, and even continues to this day.


Not since the days of “yellow journalism” (mid to late 1800’s) have the people of our country been exposed to such inane behavior and rude attacks by the candidates on each other. But this was not a matter of difference in policies, or a debate of the kind that causes serious reflection on the part of the electorate; rather this was nothing more than a cheap, shoddy effort to rally the base (whatever that may be) while demonizing the opponent.


Personally, I was ashamed of the behavior and demeanor of our candidates. “The whole dern lot of them”, as grandmother would have said.  No one seemed willing, even for a moment, to step above the fray.


Was this what the American public wanted, or more to the point, was it what we needed? Was it what the American voters deserved? Sadly, we have become a nation that is fixated on 30 second sound bites, 24 hour or less news cycles, and reality TV. (Which, frankly, is not reality.) You can pick any discussion point, pick a side, and find a talk radio or a TV commentator willing to bolster your opinion. Easy, isn’t it? No thinking required.


No thinking required. The same held true of the rallies each candidate held. There was little or no discussion about “this is what I want to do, and this is how I will achieve it.” Rather, we sat through month after tedious month of “the other side said this” “the other side wants to take your _________ away.” Scare tactics, creating fear of the boogieman, seemed to be the best the politicians could achieve. If fear was what the politicians wanted to achieve, they succeeded, all too well. Fear of the angry, disenchanted white males; of the liberal eastern elitists, the mainstream (or lamestream) media, the tree-huggers, big business, real or imaginary terrorists, people of other races or origins, other faiths. Plenty of fear to go around. And little or no uplifting messages, no spirit of “can do”, the type of spirit that propelled us to victory in WWII, and put an American on the moon in a decade.


But, who is to blame for this? Certainly, blame can be laid on the politicians and pollsters, the pundits, the media. But more to the fact, I am afraid, the blame is on us. You and me. The voting (I hope) public. We allowed the powers behind the politicians to tell us what they wanted us to hear. In the main, we refused to exercise our duty to say, “hold on, this is not what we signed up for.” We-you and I-refused to hold our politicians accountable to us, the American people.


Fortunately, we are allowed a do-over. Elections for the House are held every two years, and the Senate and President, every four. We can, and should, start now to hold our elected officials responsible for their behavior and actions. We have voices; we have email, petitions, and letters to our officials, as well as potential, untried politicians waiting to enter public service and help us overcome the morass we have created. We do not have to settle for the status quo, we do not have to re-elect the incumbents.


Read, follow, and study your elected officials. Let them know what you think, and don’t be shy about it. Support those who are working to make America a better place, a more civilized society, and work to replace those who spread hate and fear.


I am remembering the words attributed to Colin Powell: “You break it, you own it.” Well, in my opinion, we broke it, now let’s fix it. We, the United States of America, are better than this.


As always, your comments of agreement or opposition are appreciated.


Thanks for reading,

RMH   

Missed Opportunities

Republican senator Rafael Edward “Ted” Cruz, the junior senator from Texas, participated in a forum at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Summit; a summit called to allow presidential candidates and potential contenders to present their points of view regarding religious liberties in America.

In his comments, Senator Cruz said "there is no room for Christians in today's Democratic Party." He continued, stating “There is a liberal fascism that is dedicated to going after believing Christians who follow the biblical teaching on marriage."

Wow. This from an attorney who graduated cum laude from Princeton University, and continued on to receive his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1995. While at Harvard, he was the principal editor of the Harvard Law Review. One would be inclined to believe, with his education, he would know that liberal and fascism have opposite meanings.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines liberal as “not narrow in opinion or judgment.” The same source defines fascism as “a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation, and often race and stands for a centralized autocratic, often militaristic government.” The two terms are polar opposites on both political and social scales. For Senator Cruz to use these two terms, together, to describe the Democratic Party is akin to his defying the existence of gravity while his feet are buried in quicksand.

Every individual I have met, who self-aligns with the Democratic Party, as well as the party itself, defines the Democratic Party as being a “big tent” party; that is to say no litmus test exists for membership or active participation as a candidate within the party.  There are those within the party who are strongly pro-life, even as the party defines itself as pro-choice; there are those who are against any form of gun control, even as the party works for stronger gun control legislation. From my own hands-on experiences, I have met and worked with Democrats who held no religious belief, as well as those who have very strongly-held religious convictions, be they Christian, Eastern, Middle Eastern, or Deist.

In my lifetime, I do not remember ever hearing, or reading about, any organized group “going after believing Christians who follow the biblical teachings on marriage.” I wonder, is Senator Cruz trying to form a wedge issue using the current events circulating around the hot-button issue of same sex marriage? Is he creating a boogie man to take the focus off the important issues facing our nation; issues such as stagnant wages, a Congress with the lowest approval rating in decades, a complete lack of compromise between the two major political parties, and much-needed immigration reform?

Presidential candidate Cruz missed a golden opportunity. He could have used his time at this summit to explain how a Cruz administration would work with Congress to ensure that all Americans would enjoy religious freedom while simultaneously guaranteeing the civil rights of all.  He could have explained how discrimination, in any form, goes against not only the constitution, but also the 2nd great commandment, “Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself.”  Senator Cruz could have spoken to the value of diversity in both public and private arenas, and the need for acceptance of diverse religions and lifestyles.

But he didn’t.

You opinion and comments are always welcome. Thanks for reading!
R.M. Bob Hartman

Sources:

CNN http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/26/politics/ted-cruz-liberal-fascism-iowa-speech/index.html ,   retrieved April 26, 2015.

Wasting Taxpayer's money, Utah style

Utah is a place of spectacular beauty and grace, from the granite peaks of the Wasatch to the red rocks of Zion National Park, lakes and streams, deserts and forests. I consider myself fortunate to be living in this place, at this time. Now I am watching history unfold in Utah, an historical event I never thought I would see.

On November 2, 2004, Utah, and indeed all of the United States, held elections. One of the items on Utah’s ballot was Amendment 3 to the Utah State Constitution; the Amendment reads as follows:
”Article I, Section 29. [Marriage.]
(1) Marriage consists only of the legal union between a man and a woman.
(2) No other domestic union, however denominated, may be recognized as a marriage or given the same or substantially equivalent legal effect.” (Utah Constitution, Article 1 Section 29).

This amendment passed, 65.86% in favor. So that makes it majority rule, correct? Not so fast. . . only 57.21% of the registered voters turned out for the election. That’s right folks, 37.68% of those registered to vote decided what a marriage should be. (Utah voted George Bush for president, 71.54%, the highest percentage in the United States to vote for Bush) (2004 Presidential Election Results)

My grandmother used to say that all things of value take time. On December 20, 2013, Federal Judge Robert J. Shelby wrote a decision that brought equal rights to Utah. “The state’s current laws deny its gay and lesbian citizens their fundamental right to marry,” wrote Shelby, “and, in so doing, demean the dignity of these same-sex couples for no rational reason.” (Dallasvoice.com)

I’ve listened, carefully, to the arguments against same-sex marriage.

One of the State of Utah’s arguments was that the state is promoting relationships that can procreate, it was in the best interest of the state to license only those relationships that can result in offspring. This, as you may imagine, created a groundswell of opposition. There are many people who desire to be joined as a married couple who cannot, or do not desire, to procreate. My wife and I are both now medically sterile, does that mean the state is not interested in our marriage? Two of my friends became a married couple and made the decision not to have children before they were married. Should the state have denied them a marriage license?

There is the argument that “this is the way it has always been.” This argument went to the gutter a long time ago, when slavery became illegal; when women were franchised to vote, and when the Jim Crow laws were declared illegal.

Then, there is the argument that homosexuality is forbidden for Christians. Could someone please give me the scripture passage where Jesus said that? I cannot find it, however I can find Christ saying, love they neighbor as thyself. Second to that, not all people in the United States are Christian, and not all sects of Christianity have the same views regarding same sex marriage. (Regarding other religions, I apologize, but I have no training or knowledge of other religious groups’ views on same sex marriages.)

One of the most vocal arguments is that “same sex marriage destroys traditional marriage.” I don’t understand this point of view. What another couple does in the privacy of their own home does not damage my marriage. It does not demean my marriage, in truth, it does not affect me at all.

The rights of marriage are many, including: the right of jointly owned property, to make decisions regarding the end-of-life cycle, to file taxes as a married couple, to adopt a child, to be declared eligible for insurance under a spouse’s employer, to have your marriage recognized in all 50 states, and so forth. The least of those is the sexual relationship between the people married.

I cannot understand the thought process that denies marriage to those of the same sex, any more than I could understand the thought process that denied the rights of marriage to those of different races. And yet, that is what Utah is want to do. Upon being sworn in as our “Interim” Attorney General, Sean Reyes told a press conference that his office would continue to press this case, all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary, no matter now much it costs. The recent estimate from the AG’s office is $2 MILLION, for an outside law firm to assist the AG’s office.

So this is how Utah is wasting taxpayer money? Trying to legislate some “morality” at a high cost to the taxpayers; while we remain dead last in per-pupil spending on K-12 education? This is Governor Herbert’s “best managed state” in action?

I don’t think so.
Your comments are appreciated.


Downloaded from: http://le.utah.gov/code/CONST/htm/00I01_002900.htm on December 25, 2013

Downloaded from: http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/data.php?year=2004&datatype=national&def=1&f=0&off=0&elect=0 on December 25, 2013

Downloaded from: http://www.dallasvoice.com/utah-gay-marriage-ban-struck-unconstitutional-10164201.html on December 25, 2013

UPDATE: Monday, January 6, 2014: The United States Supreme Court issued a stay in this matter, until an expedited hearing could review the case.

UPDATE: Tuesday, January 14, 2014: U.S. District Court Judge Terence Kern, Oklahoma, has struck down the Oklahoma ban on same-sex marriage, and immediately stayed his order, pending review by the 10th circuit court of appeals.

UPDATE: January 16, 2014. Utah State Tax Commission reverses itself, says same sex married couples can files jointly on 2013 State tax returns.

About Last Night

It was great, really great! I can’t recall feeling so excited, renewed, and so positive after just a couple short hours. The attention was incredible! And just think: all without food or drink being used to get us together. You could legitimately state that it was even influenced by a Higher Power, as it was in part due to words spoken last Sunday.

No, “that” is not what I am referring to. I am referring to the larger-than-normal turnout at the Democratic Caucuses on Tuesday, March 13th, in Utah. The Salt Lake Tribune reported this morning that a room designed to hold 300 had over 500 in attendance. In the caucus I attended, the numbers were more than 4 times larger than any of the past decade’s turnouts. My precinct alone had 4 times its normal attendance. What factors could possibly have caused such a turnout? Being more than a little curious, I asked several of the new attendees why they had chosen to attend this year. There were two common responses; first, to be expected, is that the individual was tired of not having a voice in the selection of candidates; second, that there had been a letter, read in each of the last three Sundays, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints wished its members to take a more active role in the caucus of the party of their choice.

Of the former reason, one could reasonably predict people would more concerned than in the past regarding the political process in Utah. The past several years have seen an increase in disconnect between what the people want, and what our elected officials have passed into law. (The much ballyhooed open records law (GRAMA) that passed, was signed, then withdrawn after a huge public outcry; the argument over tuition “vouchers” for private schools, paid for by public school money; and the “no sex sex-ed” bill all come to mind.) Our state was redistricted without any attempt to listen to the voluminous, boisterous public input, by a legislature catering to the needs of the majority political party rather than the desires of the populace for local representation. Senator Bob Bennett was forced out by a group whose only desire was for a hard right-leaning senator rather than looking at the good moderate Senator Bennett had done for all of Utah. These are all good reasons for people to attend the caucus of their choice, and take active part in the selection of delegates to the county and state conventions, followed by active voter participation come Election Day.

The second group had different reasons and concerns. I heard from several people that “the Church says we need to get more involved, so that is why I am here.” One person commented, “I have always been a Democrat, but now I am told it’s ok if we participate. We need to move away from a 1-party state.” One wonders why it is “now” ok to participate, why “now” we need to move away from one-party control. The selection, and election, of our state and local law-makers needs the input of all citizens if the policies and laws are to be truly what is in the best interest of the governed. In my opinion, this is not something new, something that “now” needs to be addressed; this process should have been at the fore-front of the religious leaders since the state was created. Rule in any place by a single party only having token participation by a loyal opposition, is not rule of the peoples; it is rule by fiat, by ideology rather than rule by democracy. If in fact it was the statements from the Church leaders that induced these newcomers to take part in the process, I say thank you (to the Church) for making a point that was obviously heard regarding a citizen’s right & duty to participate. I also say, what took the Church so long to arrive at this point? What kept this life-long Democrat from participating before? I have no known answers to these questions.

As grandmother used to say, “The proof is in the pudding.” If these newly-enfranchised individuals follow through on last nights actions, and continue to grow the ranks and activities of the political parties in Utah, then a major good has been achieved. I can only hope that holds true.

America the Great

When the people in our lives change, particularly without our permission, we can feel challenged, even threatened. The person you thought you knew has new ideas, new habits and/or hobbies, new concerns. Perhaps they have chosen to start exercising more and dining out less; they start bicycling and join a riding club; and you miss seeing them as often. Changing times can influence an individual to begin a new course of study, learn a different language, perhaps seek out a new philosophical direction. Certainly as we mature, we develop new perspectives, a broader world view. This is the normal course of growth in the human experience, and as individuals we should not take affront at the changes, instead we should encourage the growth of the individual. Certainly we do not expect anyone (even ourselves) to stay static, to remain in status quo. In the quiet space that exists between true friends, you ask why, what has excited them about this new idea, this new thought? Your concern regarding a friend’s new behavior is real; you want to understand the thought process underlying the paradigm shift he or she is expressing. Perhaps, in the discussion, you will find that the doctor has given them good medical reason for making changes; conditions beyond your foreknowledge may have dictated the study of a new language or a particular lifestyle. You listen, offering words of good counsel, encouragement, and positive emotion. Both of you are the better for the exchange; you now understand the reasoning for the new direction, and your friend still knows you are a true and trusted companion.

As it is with friends, so it is with countries, even ours. The United States of America has always been, is now, and will forever be, a work in progress. Over the past several decades, America has rightfully developed into arguably the worlds’ foremost, if not only, superpower. Our economic and military strengths have been on display for all the people to see. We may not “control” the world, but it cannot be said that we do not have a huge, and generally beneficial, effect on world events large and small. This time period, this military and economic “superiority” began with President Ronald Reagan and continued though President George W. Bush. 

But, the time for “war” or “spreading democracy” is now passed. The powerful engine of American growth is struggling, groaning under the weight of 10 years of war, a major world-wide recession, and now near-jobless economic growth. It is more than necessary for our elected officials to return to the work of America, creating jobs and building our economy. Our President wants to take our country in a new, America-centered direction, and a percentage of the population is not comfortable with this change. Some, most notably the Republican Presidential candidates, have gone so far as to adopt “remove this President from office” as the standard response to any question such as: If you are elected President, what will you do to secure America’s border with Mexico? If you are elected President, how will you create jobs? To say, “remove this President from office,” is to not answer the question!

No, it is time for America to come together again, to unite in her common ideals and strengths; celebrate her growing diversity, and work hard to re-gain our ability to be a world leader in all aspects of national appearance. It is time for our Congressmen to reach across the isle, to work together in a bi-partisan manner, develop and pass legislation that will be in America’s, and American’s, best interest. As America has demonstrated time and again in our past, we can come together in times of war and national disaster; now it is time to come together in this era of economic stress. There is much to be done, we need an energy program that focuses on reducing our dependence on fossil fuels; a national platform and program that encourages our youth to stay in school, to become the scientists, engineers, teachers, professionals and executives; a real and workable plan to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure; in fine, a national program to improve the lives and existence of all Americans.

It has been said that the American people are not interested in voting. Why should we be, when all candidates do is tear each other down, slinging lies, half-truths, and fictions? If you wish my vote for President, Senator, Representative, State or Local office, then explain to me, and to all the citizens, how you are going to accomplish goals. Don’t give me sound-bites or platitudes; rather explain to me your ideas, your vision for America the Great. Permit me to study your platform, and allow me to understand what you will do to change America for the better. Let us have a discussion of visions, ideas and plans, rather than a Super-PAC funded mudfest. Then the American people can rationally decide who can best lead us, the Greatest Country on Earth!

(As always, comments are welcome and appreciated.)

Education for Senators Madsen and Stephenson

Class, today we are going to focus on facts, myth, and opinion in the area of public debate; especially politics and education in Utah.

Fact, according to Webster is: 1: DEED; esp CRIME 2: the quality of being actual 3: something that exists or occurs 4: a piece of information

Myth, according to Webster is: 1: a usually legendary narrative that presents part of the beliefs of a people, or explains a practice or natural phenomenon. 2: an imaginable or unverifiable person or thing.

Opinion, according to Webster is: 1: JUDGEMENT 2: a belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge 3: a formal statement by an expert after careful study

Aldous Huxley wrote, “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”
Our case study today involves education in the State of Utah. As we can expect, in any endeavor spending public monies; rhetoric, “data” and “facts” are thrown about more to confuse the masses than to disclose truth. It is critical that the learned mind be able to research, explore, and discuss facts vs myth or opinion.

State Senator Madsen (R-Lehi): "I don’t think we just accept because people say it, that we under-fund education. I think that’s a myth." (SL Tribune, Jan 13, 2012)
Well, Senator, here are the facts. Please remember the definition of a fact, in particular section 2 of Webster’s dictionary 2: the quality of being actual
The state of Utah funds education in the annual session. Utah, the “family values state” is dead last in per-pupil funding. It is a FACT, Senator, not a myth.
Utah’s expenditure per K-12 student is $7,056. Dead Last. The United States average, sir, is $11,099. Facts, Senator, not myths.
And Senator, to use another of section 2 definitions from Webster: Myth: 2: an imaginable or unverifiable person or thing. It is a myth, Senator, that Utah admires education of our youth. Look at the facts, Senator.

The per-capita income in the United States is $40,584; the per-capita income in Utah is $32,585. (80.2% of US average.) Utah is at 63% of the national average on per-pupil expenditure. Where do you and your colleagues spend Utah’s money, Senator? Oh, now I remember…a payment to a contractor who threatened to file a well-deserved lawsuit for the rebuild contract of I-15 through Utah County. Lehi, isn’t that in Utah County, Senator?

Senator, our teachers are not overpaid, in fact they are underpaid. Utah teachers, on average, earn $46, 571. This takes into account the teacher that started this year, and the teacher that started 40 years ago. The average teacher’s salary in the United States of America is $56,069. Only two states average pay is lower than Utah: North Dakota and Missouri. There is not an overabundance of administration, in fact the citizens of Utah should be proud that the state is within the leanest of administrative costs, being 40th in administrative costs per student enrolled. And Senator, do not talk to me about ‘efficiencies,” Utah has a student/teacher ration of 22.4/1. But Senator, this “S/TR” is NOT a good method of measurement. Consider this fact:

This ratio of students to teachers
must not be confused with “Average Class Size,”
which is the number of students assigned to a
classroom for instructional purposes. Class size and
student-teacher ratio are very different concepts and
cannot be used interchangeably. According to recent
studies, the difference between student-teacher ratio
and average class size in K–3 is 9 or 10 students
(Sharp 2002).


Senator Madsen, you and your fellow elected “representatives” of the citizens of the State of Utah should be at worst, embarrassed and at best pilloried, for the travesty that is education funding in this state. You, sir, and your comrades (known implication intended) are nothing but puppets for private schools, vouchers, and lack of full education. Public education, provided for, and paid for by, the citizens, is the best defense of liberty, according to Thomas Jefferson. You, sir, insult the citizens of this state with your lack of total support of public education.

Source for all educational statistics:
Rankings and Estimates
National Education Association
December 2010

Source for population and income statistics U.S. census 2010

Surface Transportation Bill

An article in the Salt Lake Tribune (Sept. 7, 2011) entitled “Highway bill holdup in D.C. could cost Utah 8,910 jobs”, and a subsequent editorial has me asking, what is the rest of the story? As the sage said, “when in doubt, follow the money.” So that is what I did. Here, in my opinion, is “The Rest of the Story.”

The holdup is the re-authorization of the Surface Transportation Bill, which in essence is the mechanism for taking Federal monies and using the money to pay for roads and public transportation throughout the United States. Here in Utah, this money is used for new construction and rebuilding of highways and interstates, and partial funding of TRAX and other public transportation. At risk currently are (among others) the completion of the I-15 rebuild in Utah County, the completion of the Mountain View Corridor, and the payment of work already done on other projects; including the Front-Runner system, the Mid-Jordan and West Valley TRAX lines, all of which are currently in operation. Additionally, UTA depends on $50 million in annual appropriations to fund the operation of TRAX and Front-Runner, which was approved by previous congressional actions. The President has asked for a clean extension of the Bill, (including holding the Federal tax on fuel at 18.4 cents per gallon) which has been done 7 times over the past 2 years. This would give the “SuperCommittee” time to debate how and what government spending to reduce, and revenues to increase, in order to bring our Federal Budget into balance.

So, what’s the problem? The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by John Mica (R-FL) has proposed, rather then extend the bill as requested, that a new $230 billion, 6 year extension be enacted. This would cut, by 30% annually, the amounts authorized for the program. It would also eliminate any funding for mass transit. While we may disagree about the “value” of mass transit, it cannot be argued that we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and reduce our pollution levels; both of which are addressed in part by the use of mass transit. Why would we not want to achieve these goals, which are promoted by both sides of the aisle?

The answer, again, is money. Not the spending of Federal money, but the donations to campaign funds of various politicians. Here’s the outline. (My figures are from the Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets.org.), and are taken from the Federal Election Commission data available as of August 8, 2011.)

This House Committee consists of 33 Republicans and 26 Democrats. The fundraising of the members of this Committee follows: The Republicans collected $83,152,420 dollars from various donors; the Democrats collected $122,177,917. OK, so?

So, if you look at the industry groups that would be affected by either an increase in gas taxes, or a reduction in fuel consumption, you are drawn to three major industry groups: Agribusiness, Energy, and Transportation (as broken down by FEC data).

On the Democrats side: of the $122,177,917 in donations (yes, that is $122 MILLION) these three sectors donated $16,256,076, or 13.31% of the money raised.

The Republicans on the committee, although they raised less in total donations, fared better: the three sectors donated $21,756,523, or 26.16% of the total raised, to the members of this committee. These three industries, which have a lot at stake if the fuel tax is raised, or fuel consumption declines, made their case to the Republicans of the committee, who responded to the donations.

This brief discussion of the effects of political posturing does not begin to address the social-economic results of non-extension of the Bill; the jobs that will be lost, the businesses that will suffer the “ripple effect” of the unemployment, and the increased monies needed to fund unemployment benefits to those who will lose their jobs. It does not discuss in detail the roads and bridges that will not be repaired, nor the increase in cost to the public of mass transit.

It does bring me to some conclusions: we need aggressive campaign finance reform; we should require our politicians to be responsive to the needs of the public, not of the corporate donors; and we must have a reasoned, sound, and bi-partisan discussion of the Federal budget. All of the above having been said, I hope that the voters will let their Congressmen know how they feel about the extension of the Surface Transportation Program, as requested by the President of the United States.

Thank you for reading; if you wish to see the data I collected, email me and I will provide it. As always, comments and responses are welcome, please post them here!

Good Bye GRAMA

The arrogance displayed by the Republican members of the Utah State Senate should be warning to all of the state’s residents, as well as a call to action for the voters. Sadly, we do not have the ability to call for their immediate removal from office for the passing of HB477, which will result in the effective closing of elected official’s phone, text, and email records. The new, as yet unpublished, fees and charges to be leveled for access to these records will, in effect, push them into the shadows for all but the most well-heeled researchers.

A government that feels it must operate in secrecy is, defacto, operating as a dictatorship rather than a democracy. If we, the public who “hires” these legislators, have no knowledge of the individuals or groups contacting our legislators, and of the deals and trade-offs they are making, we have no choice but to suffer loss of control of our government for their gain. (Remember the I-15 “bidding error” that cost the state of Utah $13 Million?)

It is OUR government, and OUR money. The computers, cell phones, I-phones and Blackberrys they use are paid for - by us. In the private sector, anything you generate or communicate on a company computer or cell phone is considered to be non-private, and accessible by management. Why should the communication of our elected public officials be off limits to us, their employers?

There is hope, albeit faint, that the legislators will actually repeal HB477 today, as the governor has belatedly suggested. (This is the same governor who signed the bill, declaring that it will make our government more open and transparent???) The House has indicated that it is in favor of repeal, the senate leadership has come out against repealing the bill. We can hope, but we should be prepared to sign a petition (www.savegrama.org) to repeal this legislation.

Christmas In November

There is a child in all of us, a child who wants that TV-picture perfect Christmas morning; amazed at the glitter and show of all the packages, so neatly wrapped and placed strategically around the tree, knowing that if the wrapping is so nice, so new, so perfect, than what is inside must be just what we have wanted, desired but dared not hope for, since the Christmas ads started to invade the Sunday papers and all the television shows. (Full disclosure: in my youth, it was the mail-order catalog Christmas “wish books” that prompted the Christmas morning dreams.)

Christmas Eve, that wonderful night of hope and anticipation! Children small and large believe that this year, the new bike, the engagement ring, the new car, will be under the tree in the morning. The expectation, that this year we will get what we most desire; and with it the nagging thought, if the bike, ring, or car is not there, we will bravely and cheerfully accept the presents offered, and begin again to wait for next Christmas.

To the child waiting the magic day, every trip to the mall for the past few months has been a glorious adventure! Santa is waiting for us to climb upon his lap and tell him our fondest dreams; the lights and decorations are even prettier than we remember. The latest fad items are on display, and we just know that they will be under the tree, that Santa Claus will not fail us. The elves have been busy, working overtime, promising delivery of the dreams and the joy that special gift will bring. We’ve been counting the days, sometimes even the hours, until we can unwrap our gifts and acclaim our pleasure at the perfect present.

Was November 2nd our electoral Christmas Eve? Americans went to the polls, expecting the Kris Kringle of our personal political dreams to deliver on the promises that have been made through the past many months of campaign rhetoric and sound-bite promises. Editorials, web-sites, position papers and pledges may have replaced the colorful wish-books of childhood, but the effect is still the same. We know what we want, this year, this cycle; we have been guided to it by the masters of political posturing and focus groups.

It’s now “December 26th”, the wrapping paper has been discarded, and the toys are scattered about in disarray. We have talked excitedly with our friends, and now secretly covet the gifts they received that we did not, much as they covet our perfect presents. In the malls, Christmas is now on sale, ½ off or more. The fad item that was so hard to find, and priced so high, is now abundant and cheap. The decorations are down, and it is back to business as usual.

As every child knows, Christmas, like the 2nd Tuesday in November, will come again.

V-Day, the First Tuesday of November

Today is V-day; the day we as a people in the United States get to voice our opinion. It is the day when the government is truly of the people; for this is the one day we can encourage our elected officials to “stay the course” if we like what they have been doing to this point, or we can “throw the scum out” should we not like their previous actions. A challenger is always a shot in the dark, we may have heard the speeches, read the position papers, etc., but until he or she is in office, we don’t have a firm idea as to what they will do.
This off year election has given us some of the loudest rhetoric, and greatest volumes of money spent, in 50 years. The number of sound bites, and the venom attached to a great majority of them, is incredible, even deafening. Candidates and their support groups, acknowledged and hidden, have chosen in the main to run not on their own records or ideas; rather, they tell us what the opponent has done, or will do, “wrong”. Fear has replaced hope; fear of those that don’t look like, or believe the same core religious doctrine, or come from a different background as “we” do. Pessimism has surpassed optimism, and left that grand ideal in the dust; a collective voice that asked the best of everybody now speaks of how bad it is and how much worse it will become. Gone, and I hope not forever, is the belief that this is the greatest country on Earth. The ideal of growing and improving, in respecting the diversity of our neighbors as a people, as a country, has been vanquished; we now fear our neighbors, our leaders, perhaps even ourselves.
Fear is not an inbred characteristic, watch a child as a prime example; they have no fear. We teach them to be afraid; it starts with the “Big Bad Wolf” of childhood and grows into the “Big Bad Other Person”, that person or group of which we have no understanding, no empathy, and certainly no sympathy. From Roosevelt through Reagan, we focused on the Soviet Union and other communist countries as “the enemy”; as our source of fear. Now that boogieman is gone, and our enemies are not countries or states, but individuals in stateless groups. Today, we focus on the music, the prayer mat, the color of the skin or the language natively spoken as we search for evil. Our politicians, and their handlers, know this; they constantly mine the data, search the demographics, and read the opinion pages to determine how in any given market to ratchet up the fear level in a particular population group in order to “drive” voters to the polls.
It does not have to be this way! You and I, fellow citizens, do have voices, we do have tools at our disposal to frustrate the pollsters and political advisors. The first tool is TODAY, the day you vote and let your own learned opinion show up at the ballot box, at the outcome of the election. Fortunately, it does not stop at close of voting tonight. We have a collective duty, a collective responsibility, to remind our elected officials on a regular basis of the promises they made, of our concerns and issues here at the kitchen table. You and I can keep up the pressure on them, we can communicate with them on a daily basis if we desire; let them know what we think. The “letter to the editor” page of your local paper is one way, phone calls and emails to their offices is yet another. Get involved today by voting, stay involved tomorrow by reminding them of the pledges they have made. It is OUR country, We The People have every right to determine how we are governed. Don’t let your country down; instead, vote, and stay involved.

Life Elevated..and Educated

In the small Colorado town where I grew up every two years the roads, both paved and dirt, would receive a new paint job..the yellow line down the center of the road. My mother would comment, “Must be election year, they are out to impress us once again.” (Full disclosure: This was a predominately Republican town in a county of Democrats; but the local county commissioner needed the town’s votes to stay in office.)
My mother was perhaps a little cynical in her comment, but it certainly comes back to me today, as the election nears and the same old platitudes and attitudes here in Utah surface from our politicians. It is frustrating, as a parent, grandparent and taxpayer, to hear “family values” and “shared values” mentioned from both sides of the spectrum, when the politicians have little or no interest in the family values of the voters, other than as a catch phrase to get elected. Were the politicians really interested in “family values” they would enforce existing laws and if needed legislate to allow our public schools to flourish, even to the drastic action of funding education first instead of last in the legislative sessions. School zone length would be increased to provide better protection for our children going and coming to schools. Bussing, K through12, would be increased, rather than decreased; this would keep our children safer and reduce traffic and air pollution at schools. Public schools would have the resources needed to attract and keep good teachers; and our class sizes would be legislated down to a workable number, perhaps in the low 20’s, with all students counted. Monies would be provided for aides in classrooms, and special needs students would have sufficient teachers and resources to provide the best education and future as possible. Our requirements for graduation would be raised to 22 or 24 core units, with an emphasis placed on the sciences, math, and reading. Advanced placement and college prep classes would be expanded to hold the number of students qualified and desiring to attend. Vending machines would be pulled from the school cafeterias, and a greater focus on physical education and proper diets would become evident. School clubs that promoted diversity, co-operation and understanding would be encouraged. Anti-bias and anti-bullying would be legislated, and enforced; before and after school programs to assist at-risk students would be enlarged to cover the effects of the current recession and high unemployment.
These are changes that Governors can promote, but it is the Legislature that must take the reins and drive this wagon-load of ideas into reality; which would require our legislators to take some hard, drastic measures. They would have to raise taxes, and or lower the dependant exemption, in order to pay for these programs. Unfortunately, in their short-sided view, getting elected or re-elected is more important to our legislators than our children’s future, more important than our states future and our economic growth. In the long view, however, the much-needed improvement in education as outlined above would make it easier for our existing employers to find qualified employees and make Utah a better place for employers to locate; these changes would elevate our life-style to make Utah a more desirable place to raise a family. This would result in a higher tax base for our state to operate with, and our legislators could then look back and say, “See, we took the hard steps and now we as a state are better off!” That would be something positive to lay before the voters come election time.

"STD's and the US Government", or "The Dangers of Unprotected Sex"

You’re kidding me, right? Under President Harry Truman, the United States Government knowingly infected citizens of a foreign nation with STD’s? And we are just now getting around to apologizing for it? Oh, I can hardly wait; Limbaugh and Hannity will have a field day with this, after all, it was a Democratic President. They, however, miss the balance of the story; we also infected citizens of the United States; Negro males in Tuskegee, Alabama were the target group of a similar study from 1946 through 1972! One wonders if the right wing hate groups will remember that! It was started by Herbert Hoover’s administration, and backed by administrations of both parties until stopped by the Nixon administration. (I have a hard time putting that in print, but unlike Limbaugh and Co., I do believe in full disclosure.)

The larger point is again the great amount of arrogance shown by our government; both Republican and Democratic administrations have shown a complete lack of concern for the people that are affected by the “studies” undertaken in the name of science or National Defense. This particular study (U.S. Public Health Service Sexually Transmitted Disease Inoculation Study of 1946-1948) was cancelled by the Nixon administration. Sadly, this is just one of many projects that cast a great deal of shame on American government. The above-ground nuclear testing programs of the 1950’s subjected an unknown number of U.S. soldiers to the full effects of a nuclear blast. How close can they be to a nuclear bomb explosion and still be well enough to fight? Again, sadly, the vast majority of these “volunteers” were Negro. What about Project MKULTRA (1950-late 1970s), using both US and Canadian individuals; when a number of again “volunteers” from both the armed services and civilian life were injected with mind-altering drugs to examine the effects of drugs on mental telepathic abilities, again in the name of National Defense? When will it stop?

Some will claim the greater evil is the disclosure of these studies, they will claim it lays a groundwork for civil unrest and undermines the “right” of the government to use every means of defense against possible actions against our country.

I will take a side for the full disclosure of all of our nasty tricks and inhuman studies, past and current. The lives of people are more valuable than the rights of governments to conduct inhuman studies on unsuspecting persons, or persons who have little or no means of resisting participation. This type of behavior, while perhaps perfectly acceptable in some foreign countries, runs counter to the publicly-held belief in American values. Studies of this nature are perhaps “legal” but certainly violate moral values held by most American citizens. Would you vote for a president who said, well, we are going to infect some of our citizens with incurable diseases to see if new drugs can cure them? We are going to see how being up close and personable with a nuclear blast will affect a soldiers ability to fight? Think about it, this could be your son, daughter, sister or brother being affected, or being exposed to mortally high levels of radiation. Perhaps one of your parents was a “volunteer” for a government study? How would the long-term effects of the study affect your life, or your children’s lifes? Would you vote for this president or the members of Congress that endorse this behavior? I certainly would not, and I would hope you also would not.

Politics and Money

In my high school civics course, we were taught that individuals were selected by popular vote based upon their ability to convince the majority of voters that this candidate best could represent them in the local, state, or federal office that was open for election; and that, upon being elected, the individual would perform as to the programs and ideals that endeared him/her to the electorate. Is this still the case, or was it ever?

Current events tend me to be cynical regarding this lesson, for I now find our politicians using less of their time to talk to their constituents and more time to talk with those who may be able to open big pocketbooks, or who may be able to deliver large contributions to the favored PAC of the politician under review. As an example, observe the behavior of Utah state legislator Carl Wimmer (R-Herriman, UT), who now solicits paid speaking engagements outside of his jurisdiction, and more relevant to this point, outside of the state of Utah. In return of fees ranging from $1500 to $4500, the good conservative representative will attend, participate in, or lead discussions that support the points of view of those open pocketbooks. However, should you try to obtain an interview with him, in Utah, regarding his position on matters that have or will come up in the State legislature; you will find, as I did, that his schedule does not permit such activity.

The attendees at these out of state events he is willing to participate in will not vote in a Utah election; they are not affected in the main by his political acts, or by his votes in our Legislature. The only benefits received are (1) his support of the causes being presented at these events, and (2) his war chest for the next election.

I am not saying that Rep Wimmer is unusual, or that his actions have no precedent in politics. My theory is that money has become more important than the population our elected officials who are chosen, by the voting public, to represent the public's best interests.

The study of money in politics is not new; consider the effects of groups such as “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” or “Moveon.org”. Both (and untold others) funneled large amounts of money to support/destroy candidates over and above the actual position of the candidates. In an effort to get the “right” people elected, PAC’s have been able, legally it can be stated, to push huge donations and advertising moneys into areas without declaration of their intent to impact the voters in any election.

Why? The first, largest, and most complete answer is that running for office is extremely expensive. Consider the moneys spent to elect the President of the United States. This office pays $400,00 per year (plus benefits) and yet conservatively speaking, $1 billion was spent by the major candidates in 2008.

Certainly it can be argued that money does need to be spent, that the candidates need to have a public forum to spread their point of view and convince the electorate to vote in their favor; the media, being businesses, consider this a favorable source of revenue and naturally charge whatever the market will bear in return for airing advertisements. This is the natural order of the business of politics, and it is necessary for the candidates to raise sufficient funds to get their messages out to the public. The means and methods of raising this money, however, are the core of this discussion.

Can or should we limit the amount of money that individuals, groups, businesses, and PAC’s (as well as other unknown entities) can contribute to the election of officials? One of the candidates for Governor of Utah has proposed a strict limit of $1000.00 on any campaign contribuitions coming from all groups, businesses, etc. Is this a reasonable amount? A recent Supreme Court ruling now allows corporations to donate as if they were individual voters; however, a corporation cannot cast a ballot. Is this a proper step for our Judicial Branch of the Federal Government to take? Is this "legislating from the bench, as we often hear? It will certainly be interesting to see the politicians flip-flop on this issue, as it will get a real test this election cycle.

As always, comments are appreciated.

Will you vote?

I don't care how you lean politically, I just want you to vote! Voting is a privilege we, as citizens of this contry, are granted by birth, and it is also a sacred duty; for only by voting can we elect to Congress those individuals whom we believe best represent us, who can best work and deliver on the promises of America. I do not subscribe to the arguement "my vote doesn't count" for this reason: in all save the presidential election, our votes count, the candidates are granted office by a simple majority of votes. Your vote, coupled with your fellow citizens'votes, will decide the course of this country for years to come. If you are not registered to vote, get thineself registered, and then vote! For the good of your country! And, if for no other reason, when you want to complain about the elected officials, at least you will be able to say.."And I voted!"