I am deeply concerned with the utter disdain Representative Kraig Powell (R-Heber City, District 54) is showing towards the citizens of Utah. I have already written about his desire to remove people from the voter file – and now I am sickened by his push to make policy making a closed door affair. Yes, Powell’s HB 226, Closed Meeting Amendments, [...]
Archive for the ‘Democracy Threatened’ Category
Bills to Watch: SB 19, Voter Information Pamphlets, Sen. Peter Knudson
Senator Peter Knudson’s (R- Brigham City, District 17) heart appears to be in the right place when he proposed SB 19, Voter Information Pamphlets, however the timing is a bit off. Now, in the olden days, people actually had to walk uphill, both ways, with snow up to their ears to receive a voter information packet – it [...]
Bills to Watch: SJR 7 – Joint Resolution on Priority Status for Bills
I don’t even know where to begin on this one folks. With SJR 7 – Joint Resolution on Priority Status for Bills, Senator Margaret Dayton (R – Orem – District 15) is such an overt attempt to squelch the rights of the political minority that it sounds more like the fiat of a third world dictator [...]
Bills to Watch: HB 253, Voter Registration Amendments, Rep. Kraig Powell
I am getting sick of the annual attacks Republicans in the legislature lob towards a citizens right to vote. Every year they try (often successfully) to make it just a little bit harder for you to exercise your right to participate in your government. If they are not trying to put the administration of elections [...]
Bills to Watch: HJR 10, Joint Resolution on Legislator Eligibility, Rep. John Dougall
We start the Bills to Watch series with an announcement. I, Curtis Haring, wish to announce my candidacy for State House Representative of American Fork so that I can formally run against the proposer of HJR 10 – Joint Resolution on Legislator Eligibility, Rep. Dougall (R-American Fork, District 27). Normally this would pose a problem [...]
Can lawmakers write for the paper? Yes. Should they? Hell no
Last Tuesday it was announced that West Vally City Mayor, Mike Winder will be a regular contributor to the Deseret News’ online, local news oriented, feature “Deseret Connect.” Since then, Mayor Winder and the Deseret News have successfully reopened the debate regarding how close is too close when it comes to having politicians involved in [...]
What is it they say about absolute power? Redistricting has already started without the public
Last Thursday, ABC 4 broke the news that the Republican dominated redistricting commission has, at least in some cases already started to set into place the political boundaries before even hearing one proposal from the public – this, despite the fact that lawmakers have claimed from day one that this is to be an open [...]
Hatch and the Bubble
Last week Senator Orrin Hatch held a “Tele-Town Hall Meeting” in Utah County where he asked various questions to the audience and posted results on Twitter. The questions he posed, as well as the responses he received makes it clear that Hatch is quite content in his bubble and more than happy to think that [...]
Bills to Watch: SB 224 – Partisan School Board Elections, H. Stephenson
It must be throwback day here at Blue in Red Zion, after all, the topic today seems to be the resurrection of bad bills. Well, Senator Howard Stephenson (R – Draper, District 11) is continuing the trend by proposing SB 224 – Partisan School Board Elections – a bill that mimics Senator Curt Bramble’s from 2007. As a bit [...]
Bills to Watch: HB 399 – Environmental Litigation Bond, M. Noel
Two years ago, Representative Mike Noel (R – Kanab, District 73) proposed HB 379, that copies word for word this years HB 399 – Environmental Litigation Bond sans an amendment that was made on the floor of the House that actually made the original bill even more harmful to those who wish to challenge any environmental finding. [...]