As many of you either knew or could easily figure out – I have been working for the Fair Boundaries Initiative over the past four months.  Last Thursday, we finally submitted our signatures for final counting and, though nothing official has been released, I can tell you that we probably received half of our legally required goal of 95,000 signatures.

Now that I am free of the shackles, so to speak, I feel the need to tell the world how I feel about the initiative process in Utah.

It is unconstitutional.

Yes, unconstitutional. The state constitution states in Article 1, Section 2 that “All political power is inherent in the people; and all free governments are founded on their authority for their equal protection and benefit, and they have the right to alter or reform their government as the public welfare may require.”  One of the ways we can theoretically do this is through the referendum process if and when our government fails to act.

Ah, but our government has acted – to halt the referendum process.

Three laws are now on the books that severely limit the ability for people to petition our government.

1. Petition gatherers need to collect signatures equivalent to 10% of those who participated in the last gubernatorial election.
2. Petition gatherers need to collect 10% of signatures in 26 out of 29 senate districts
3. Petition gatherers must submit petitions to the various county clerks on April 15, however you can remove your signature up to one month after submission.

There are also a few procedural items that make the task even more difficult.

1. A signature may be deemed invalid, even if it is legal, if it is not submitted to the proper county clerk.
2. Electronic signatures will be counted by some clerks but not others.

Now, Fair Boundaries was extremity popular. In fact the Deseret News reported that two out of every three people supported the indicative and its goals, yet it still failed to reach its legal goal – why?

The laws in this state make it too difficult for people to petition their government and are, there fore, de facto unconstitutional.

As a point of fact, the nonpartisan Citizens in Charge gave Utah a grade of C- in the ability of its citizens to pass a referendum, however this document was clearly published before the rules were changed to up the required distribution to 26 out of 29 senate districts and to remove signatures. I would imagine that with this added information it would drop to a D- by the groups standards.

I also find it interesting that the very legislators who claim to be doing the will of the people get so frantically upset when the people wish to do something as patriotic as participating in their democracy.

The initiative process should be difficult, but not impossible. Sadly, it appears that only large sums of money, and not grassroots efforts can prevail in this state.

We as citizens have to ask ourselves if we want our democracy to be so blatantly bought and sold as to prevent the citizenry from ever participating in it.

Fair Boundaries was only disliked among the political elite who stood to loose something from making the system more equitable. The only reasonable objection I ever heard from a citizen was “who chooses the commission that sets up the boundaries in the first place?” Indeed, people should ask those questions – however most felt that it was an improvement over the current system.

So, sadly, Fair Boundaries failed. I will close with a story I have about the late Senator Ed Mayne that I have told in the past.

While working as Senator Mayne’s intern, we had a discussion about a bill he was running regarding health care spending for people with disabilities.  The bill was doomed to fail – and he asked me if it would.  After saying that it had no chance, he replied “I know it won’t pass; but damn it, it is the right thing to do.”

During the campaign I kept on my computer monitor a post-it note from a donor that made it all worth while:

Fair Boundaries was the right thing to do and I know that, in my own way, I have done something to help the state I love.

This bill would allow the transmission of government records to be distributed to individuals through electronic means if the requester wishes to receive the information electronically and if the information exists in an electronic format.

In short, this bill would allow people greater access to how their government works.  Furthermore, the bill would reduce paper usage and make it much easier to search the mounds of information that can come along with making government records request.  Finally, this bill would reduce government costs as fewer resources would need to be used to do the peoples business.

I am glad to see that there are efforts being made to make government more available and bills like this should be encouraged.

Click here to send Representative Herrod a piece of electronic mail.

So tune in to 90.9 FM at 6:00 PM or click here to listen online.

http://fairboundaries.utahpetitions.org/

Go sign the Fair Boundaries Initiative petition now. Your vote is your voice. With only days until the start of the legislative session, you can send a clear message to our representatives and the power brokers demanding to have your voice heard by signing the Fair Boundaries petition…ONLINE!

That’s right, online. No hassle, no need to hunt down a petition, simply CLICK HERE and follow the steps. Even if you think you’ve already signed a paper copy, check the site to make sure we have your name.

I want Fair Boundaries to hit its target of 95,000 signatures during this legislative session, and with your help, they can!

This year the Utah State Legislature will begin the statewide process of redrawing congressional and legislative district boundaries. Without your signature, politicians will continue to meet behind closed doors and protect their own political agendas without having to worry about repercussions, challenges from other candidates or the will of the people. If we don’t get the Fair Boundaries Initiative on the ballot, it’s quite possible that your vote WON’T COUNT for future state and local issues that matter to you most. We have an opportunity to change this process. Don’t be fooled by the detractors, this is an issue of fairness that crosses all party lines and affects everyone. Your signature will help tell your state officials that we, the people, want a more open and honest government.

Do you think your vote should count? Do you think politicians should NOT select their voters? Help us send a clear message to the Utah State Legislature that we need a change in our current redistricting process.

CLICK HERE NOW

After signing – send the link on to family and friends throughout the state.

If you have questions, please visit www.fairboundaries.org.

I grow tired of the excuses of “I had something else to do” or “I am not informed enough to vote” as they only further this point.  We ask our citizens to vote twice a year – on average it takes no more than five minutes of your year to actually vote and, perhaps, an hour over many, many months to become informed about the issues. I am honestly baffled by people’s utter lack of regard for the very government that affects them on a day to day basis.

As an example, the fate of Salt Lake City rests in the nine vote lead Soren Simonsen currently holds in Salt Lake’s 7^th City Council seat – will the city maintain the more liberal course Simonsen offers, or will opponent Lisa Adams act as a moderate tie-breaker on the council? Regardless of your political affiliation, you have to admit that the nearly 13,500 people who didn’t vote in that race arguably had a greater impact on the fate of the entire city when compared to the 3,500 who did.

But perhaps that is to abstract.  Let’s talk turkey.  The Public Safety Building passed by a near two to one margin – a solid victory indeed, but one has to wonder if the 86,000 plus residents who didn’t vote honestly don’t care if their taxes go up over the coming years.

Well, we know the answer.  People will inevitably complain that government doesn’t represent them, that taxes are to high, and that services are not being provided – but I severely doubt that even a majority of the people who raise their voice down the road participated in Tuesday’s election.

In my mind a few things need to be changed in order to get the participation numbers to at least pathetic levels.

First and foremost, we need to make it less difficult for people to vote in the first place.  In Utah, the legislature has been far too eager to make life difficult for those unfamiliar with the election process but who still wish to participate. We need same day registration and to abolish the ID rule for all voters; furthermore, we need to give county clerks the proper resources they need to ensure that people not only have a place to vote, but know that an election is coming up in the first place and how to vote.

Second, we need to change our attitude towards voting.  Specifically, I am referring to the media trying to make voting cool – well guess what, it is not cool.  It is a chore and we need to think of it as such.  Think about it, people generally will substitute one fun thing for another if it comes along.  If voting is “fun” but going to the movies is more fun, guess what most people are going to do? No, voting needs to be seen as a chore – but, instead of throwing out the trash to maintain the home, we are voting to maintain the republic. Chores imply responsibility, fun implies whimsy.

Third, we need to improve civics education.  Most people don’t participate in government because they simply don’t know how to…most people don’t even know what the three branches of government are or what they do, yet we expect them to make decisions when they know full well that they don’t know what they are doing? Children should receive appropriate levels of civics education in 1^st, 4^th, 9^th, and 12^th grade as part of a well rounded curriculum and the FCC should mandate that public airwaves be used to educate the adult population during times when people are actually watching and listening.

Finally, we politicos need to realize that participating in government isn’t the top priority for everyone. Sure, we can sit back and chew the fat with our colleagues until the cows come home, but that does nothing beyond ensure that we stay in an echo chamber and that people continue to tune us out. I say we take the time to reach out and talk to people who are not inherently active. You know these people, they are the friends and neighbors who never seem to vote despite you yelling at them. I challenge you to talk with them rather than talk at them…and don’t make it a political discussion, make it a civics discussion; allow them to decide who they should vote for.

Fair Boundaries appears to be catching the brunt of Utah GOP’s rage.  On Thursday, September 10, Fair Boundaries was attending the University of Utah’s “Conservative Day” in their attempt to gather signatures for the petition to place their cause on the ballot. Approximately ten minutes into the event Legislator Becky Lockhart (R-Provo) verbally confronted Mark Nelson, a volunteer for Fair Boundaries, and, along with the University of Utah College Republicans, made it clear that Fair Boundaries was no longer invited to the event. The organization is a confederation of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who wish to change Utah’s redistricting process to lessen the effects of gerrymandering – the term used to describe suspiciously shaped political boundaries that favor one party over another.

In a statement written statement, Fair Boundaries was “disturbed by the incident” and explained that Conservative Day was sponsored by the University of Utah.

But this is only the most recent and outlandish action by Utah Republican leaders. Speaker of the House, Dave Clark (R – Santa Clara), has consistently shown opposition to an independent commission, claiming that the only thing to come from an independent panel are lawsuits and that legislators are inherently better qualified to choose their voters because they know the districts better.

On a less obvious level, then Lieutenant Governor Herbert’s (R) office authorized a $1 million fiscal note on the initiative using questionable assumptions about how an independent has no back knowledge when compared to the Utah State Legislature.

On the flip side, it should also be noted that former Senate Majority Leader, Curt Bramble (R – Provo) interrupted town hall meetings that discussed the other main initiative going around the state concerning ethics reform by shouting questions to panel memembers when all other attendees patiently waited their turn to speak.

No one doubts that Republicans are the majority in Utah, but the majority of observant voters also know that they are disproportionately represented in the Utah State Legislature. One has to wonder why Republican leaders are so opposed to redistricting the boundaries of Utah’s political districts, despite the fact that 60 percent all citizens surveyed in a recent Deseret News/KSL-TV Poll support a redistricting commission and a whopping 85 percent want ethics reform – they are even going against their own party: a Dan Jones and Associates poll showed 60 percent of self identifying Republicans supporting the redistricting initiative.

The trend is clear – there is fierce opposition in the halls of power about the initiatives and the reasons for this are many and varied.  The paternal nature of the legislature combined with the desire to maintain power means that spats like this should be expected at least until the initiatives fail or go before the voters next November.

As Glenn Beck’s “9/12” project seemed to exemplify, there are different styles and ways that the media can report on a story. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly obvious that factions of the media are out-and-out lying about its content – in the case of the 9/12 protests, estimates of turnout ranged from 60,000 to two million, depending on who you talk to. That is a rather large difference in opinion, to say the least, and some media outlets/pundits went so far as to publish purposefully misleading photos to push their agenda.

This is just one example of how the media has become bloated and out of control. Phrases such as “liberal media” only exemplify this fact, if only because it proves that “the facts we use” are more important that all of the facts.

It is a fact that Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and the gang tout a very conservative viewpoint that is not representative of the American people. Likewise MSNBC, Maureen Dowd, et al are very liberal and do not represent the American people.

And people are starting to notice.

The Pew Research Center recently reported that only 29% of Americans trust the mainstream media, down 10% in 2007. The principal cause for this distrust? The media is dominated by special interests that make their reporting inherently bias. To further this point, “fake” news, such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are much more trusted – presumably because viewers know where the news ends and the jokes (read lies) begin.

But, despite the obvious disharmony between fact and statement, people still complain about the “liberal media” running the show, and enough people parrot this “fact” to create a perception that conservatives have no say in the political discussion (the discussion of death panels, Obama’s place of birth, the legitimacy of torture, and other various right wing topics aside). In politics, and reporting, perception is reality – the myth of the liberal media lives on and our country takes a step backwards because the media allows it to.

And we see this over and over again. The media will latch on to some convoluted story that an intern picked up on the internet and run with it…even after it has long since been discredited by other outlets. The source that reported this obviously false fact will simply claim that “you won’t see this on the other networks” to cover their tails, and the network simply allows the story to run until they no longer make money off of it. In many ways, modern “journalism” is not far removed from modern tabloids.

The simple fact of the matter is that media is amazingly polarized. Yes, there is a liberal media…but there is also a powerful conservative media at play in American politics. One thing that should be agreed upon is that it is harmful to our democracy. Media has always been for profit, however corporate media and the 24 hour news cycle have created a monster that has mutated the fourth branch of government into a monster, and its power to persuade the masses only makes it a greater threat to our freedoms.

So there you are, minding your own business in, say, your works break room, when you overhear a conversation between two of your fellow coworkers and one of them says something that you know is just blatantly wrong…well, you don’t know if they are blatantly wrong, but by damn it sure sounds like they are!

But, oh no! You know that this guy is probably some liberally educated, latte drinking jerk who has probably taken a debate class or two – he is going to cream you for sure when you inevitably have to attack him what he is saying – after all, it is your First Amendment right to state your opinion even when no one asks for it!

Well never fear, I have compiled this short list of do’s and don’ts to ensure that you beat that snot nose every time.

Don’t:

Think about where the other side is coming from – everyone has the exact same background as you.

Do:

Shout as loudly as you possibly can – more observers will be able to hear what you have to say and, naturally, agree.

Don’t:

Concede a single point, even if mounds of evidence can prove you wrong – “facts” are just what people use when they don’t know the truth!

Do:

Bring into question the personal history of the person you are debating with, even if it has nothing to do with the issue at hand – If someone got a speeding ticket eight years ago, they clearly don’t have the moral fortitude to discuss any issue.

Don’t:

Allow your opponent to use this tactic on you – you were young and naïve, and it is absurd to bring up the past when discussing this issue.

Do:

Cite websites, chain email, and those who are paid to say things on television as legitimate sources – it is fact that the people who write and say things have no reason to lie.

Don’t:

Allow your opponent to cite so-called “legitimate” sources such as critically examined books and newspaper articles – Everyone knows that that is just elitist.

Do:

Try to compress your argument into overly simplistic issues – if it can’t fit on a bumper sticker, it probably isn’t short enough to prove your point.

Don’t:

Acknowledge that complex issues may require complex solutions, sometimes over many years – this is America, dammit! We get things done!

Do:

Blame some other group; preferably one that you already think are gross or taking your job – never acknowledge that your way of life may be part of the problem.

And finally…

Don’t:

Gain any sort of perspective or insight over the debate that just took place – continue to stay close minded and pity that pour soul that just lost the debate for thinking the way they do.

Tomorrow morning (Sun, July 12th) at 9:00am, a group is meeting at the Main Street Plaza.  They invite those concered about the events on the Main Stree Plaza, both gay and straight, to join them for their our own “public display of affection.”  Nothing inappropriate…but just basic stuff like hugging, kissing, holding hands, etc.  to see what the security guards do then – will they ask them all to leave?  or just the gay/lesbian couples?