Republican delegates got a gift in the mail today – a trifold pamphlet outlining the evils of the so called “Common Core” program in Education, claiming that it is an insidious and underhanded way for the federal guv’met to take over our schools and, therefore, our kid’s fragile little minds! The reality, of course, is that core standards upgrade curriculum so that the [...]
Archive for the ‘Political Theory’ Category
What do Utah Republicans have Against our Military?
I am shocked and saddened by the recent statements made by two members of the Republican Caucus of the Utah Senate. By now, you may have seen the Senate Majority Leader, Scot Jenkins, outburst on the outlandish thought of exempting military personnel from having to pay property taxes while serving on active duty (click here for [...]
Bills to Watch: SB 33 – Trespassing on State Lands, Sen. Margaret Dayton
Over the past year, there have been numerous anti-government protests across the nation, and though I have been highly critical of some of the movements, I none the less support the right for them to petition their government. Well, it appears that Senator Margaret Dayton (R – Orem – District 15) doesn’t feel the same way. Her [...]
Bills to Watch: HB 119, Study of Signing Petitions Online, Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck
One of the reasons I have always liked Representative Rebecca Chavez-Houck (D – Salt Lake, District 24), is that she has always fought to expand the rights of voters in Utah. She has been a strong advocate for modernizing our democracy while still holding true to is roots. I point to HB 119, Study of Signing Petitions [...]
Bills to Watch: HB 226, Closed Meeting Amendments, Rep. Kraig Powell
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, [...]
Bills to Watch: SB 34, Production and Sale of Food in Utah Revisions, Sen. Casey Anderson
After reading through SB 34, Production and Sale of Food in Utah Revisions, I literally spat out a sigh of disgust/confusion/and general “huh?” a-tude. The bill, proposed by Senator Casey Anderson (R-Cedar City, District 28) says that if an agricultural product is grown, distributed, and consumed entirely in Utah, it is exempt from federal regulation. This was the confusion [...]
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 [...]