When I first noticed HB 30, Unemployment Insurance Amendments as proposed by Representative Jeremy Peterson (R – Ogden, District 9), I have to admit that I was ready to completely rip into the bill, but after much consideration, I have decided to only point out its many flaws. The long and short of the bill is that [...]
Archive for the ‘Republicans’ Category
Bills to Watch: SJR 5, Joint Resolution on Education, Sen. Stewart Reid
Like a shuffling zombie, Senator Stewart Reid (R – Ogden,District 18) is bringing back from the dead last years awful resolution that attempts to change the Utah Constitution so that the Governor, rather than the State Board of Education, controls the supervision of our public education system. Yes, the only thing that Reid changed this year was the title: SJR 5, Joint Resolution on Education [...]
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: HB 199, Elimination of Daylight Saving Time, Rep. Jim Nielson
Yes, another year has passed, and another legislator is proposing the elimination of Daylight Savings time. Last year Representative Wilcox thought it would be a great idea and the year prior Representative Sumsion took a crack at it. This year, it appears that Representative Jim Nielson (R-Bountiful, District 19) drew the short straw at the conservative caucus [...]
Bills to Watch: HB 245, Amendment to Definition of Smoking in Utah Indoor Clean Air Act, Rep. Bradley Last
It is interesting to see just how far legislators are willing to go to stamp out smoking all together in Utah. Representative Bradley Last (R-Hurricane, District 71), for example, is willing to go so far as to attack stop-smoking devices from being in the public’s air. By proposing HB 245, Amendment to Definition of Smoking in [...]
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 [...]
If the State Wasted the Public’s Time, Why can’t I Waste Its?
This month I have the to suffer the joy that is renewing my car registration. The fee is a stone cold $170 to legally drive on Utah’s roads for another year. I will, of course, pay this fee, along with any sort of costs to test my cars safety and emission standards because I rather [...]
The Republican Myth About Deficit Reduction
With Congress planning on staying in session during the holiday to discuss changing the debt ceiling, I have to continually pound my head against a wall when I hear that Republicans absolutely refuse to move on raising taxes. Now, I get it; Republicans don’t want to look weak against a president they can not stand, [...]
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 [...]