Two 2008 legislative stories worthy of discussion this morning, we believe, each arriving via a northern Utah newspaper editorial page:
First, we'll start off with this top-notch editorial in today's Deseret Morning News. House representatives Greg Hughes and Sheryl Allen have reportedly expressed interest in tightening up Utah's sloppy campaign finance disclosure laws, to provide penalties for candidates who play it "fast and loose" in the accuracy and timeliness of their campaign disclosure filings. For those readers who don't have a D-News hard-copy readily at hand, we incorporate the article's pertinent paragraphs:
Often in sports, when a team finds a way to use a violation to its best advantage, the rules committee changes the rules. So it should be for political campaigns. And, fortunately, several lawmakers gearing up for the 2008 legislative session are on-board for altering "business as usual" when it comes to campaign finance reform.We in Emerald City have recently had our own unpleasant experiences with the laxness of our current campaign finance disclosure laws, of course; and we wish these two legislators our best in their possibly "uphill effort" to achieve meaningful reform during the next legislative session.
Unfortunately, getting campaign finance reforms through the state Legislature can be like ushering a cat through a dog pound.
On the upside, Rep. Greg Hughes would like to see fines for candidates who fail to file critical disclosure forms on time. Currently their names are simply lifted from the ballot or the candidate will get a judge to waive the penalty and allow them to be put on the ballot.
Rep. Sheryl Allen says that too many office holders also play shell games with disclosure reports. They refuse to list substantial contributors and expenditures on the initial report, then file an amended report after the election is over in order to avoid criticism and scrutiny. [...]
The fines suggested would be stingers: $1,000 for filing a late report, with $50 added to that for each day after the deadline. A proposal also would ding candidates for amending reports.
While they're at it, there's another reform which we'd like to pass on to these and other legislators, in the event that anybody on the hill truly seeks real campaign finance disclosure reform. We believe a law requiring state level filings and full disclosure of the identities of ALL Political Action Committee (PAC) contributors should be an object of any campaign finance disclosure movement which arises during this legislative session. Under the current law, Utah PACs remain exempt form any state level filing/reporting requirements, so long as their contributions are restricted to local (municipal and county) races. As our regular Weber County Forum readers are well aware, at least two of our municipal council candidates in the last election received a total of almost $19,000 in contributions from a mysterious Friends of Northern Utah Real Estate PAC. And we're still scratching our heads over this yet-unravelled problem. Under current law these local PAC contributions are shielded from public scrutiny, rendering current campaign finance laws essentially useless at the local level. Hopefully the legislature will approach reform in earnest this year.
As an added bonus we'll also link this morning's Gentle Curmudgeon contribution, dissecting and analyzing this morning's Standard-Examiner editorial.
16 comments:
I agree with the efforts to strenthen disclosure. Utah is behind in that regard. Such a simple concept - but I predict it will have tough sledding in the legislature, which in some ways is as corrupt as any one can find.
Permit me to suggest another area we are behind: Immigration enforcement. In Utah, Orrin Hatch pushes for manditory, nationwide in-state tuition rates for college for the children of illegals - but takes no such interest in American citizens. I believe Utah already mandates the special rates for illegals' offspring. The local churches welcome illegals with open arms, giving them financial assistance as well as translators to outline church welfare services available.
Arizona, by contrast, will soon start revoking business licenses for companies that hire illegals. The local sherrif is actively pursuing illegals. This is causing an exodus of illegals from Arizona to guess where - Utah!
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I'd hate to see Rita's Bakery go out of business, but I hate even worse when half the kids at the middle schools don't speak English.
Arizona's new law insures Ogden will increasingly become "Tijuana del Norte" unless we pass similar laws. I wonder what the blogsphere thinks about this.
The friggin dentist from North Ogden asserts that putting up a flag (and an ensconced Delaration of Independence) in public schools under legislative edict will get Utah elementary school kids to "read the constitution?"
Can you say non-seqitur?
LOL!
Senator Christenson is obvioiously dumber than dirt.
What a dunce!
VERY funny.
What I find funny about this is, a Utah legislator concerned for children not knowing the Constitution. Let's see, what state leads the nation in making laws that after the long wasting of tax $$$ to appeal and defend them, turn out to be, un constitutional? Utah?
Rudi:
A PAC-contributer disclosure law would be a good idea. The odds of the Republican-dominated Utah legislature actually doing it are, I'm afraid, vanishingly small... about as small as the odds of their banning free Jazz tickets, free meals, and lobbiest-paid golf trips --- which the legislators, of course, insist in no way ever affect their votes. Besides, they have more important work, like passing laws to insist that Utah school rooms that overwhelmingly already have flags in them have flags in them. You'd want the Republican leadership of the House and Senate to take time off from such noble tasks to pass election reform laws? Get real. Besides, I think it's in the Utah Constitution that Republican State Senator Chris Buttars has to submit and have passed into law at least one measure that will be eventually invalidated [at great cost to the state]by the Federal courts as unconstitutional every session. Surely you wouldn't want campaign reforms to get in the way of that, would you?
This is what overwhelming one-party government looks like, I'm afraid. Arrogant, out of touch and committed to self-serving measures and the people be damned. [Can we all say "Voucher Law" together now?]
Keeping with the laziest of media traditions, we should incorporate an end-of-the-year list, WCF's being the Geiger of the Year award.
The Geiger of the Year must be presented only Otown's must arrogant, self-indulgent piker, one who ingests otherwordly amounts of onions and who thinks GONDOLAs are magical vehicles of community revitalization.
The 2007 candidates are:
Short-deck Geiger, Captain in Wayne Peterson's famed Squirrel Patrol and perennial frontrunner. Captain Geiger "engaged" is so much Geigerian Geigery that he seems a shoo-in (high-adventure hijacking of campaign signs; screaming about the virtues of GONDOLAs to not-similarly minded, rational human beings in church; sender of dozens of font-schizo, multi-colored emails inexplicably copied to the Ogden City Council and the Gondola Examiner, about Lying Little Matty Gondola Godfrey and GONDOLAs; and more). Plus, he drives a nifty truck plastered with decals, befitting any 17-year-old winter sports enthusiast.
THE SKI IS BEAUTIFUL BLUE, namesake. THE SKI IS BEAUTIFUL BLUE almost had his nomination redacted, thanks to his graciously low profile for much of the year, but his onion-reeking missteps from earlier ("No one asked business owners LIKE ME why they moved to OTown." If we resolve to study GONDOLAs, we'll have a Starbucks!) warrant his inclusion.
Lying Little Matty Gondola Godfrey. Yes, he is without a doubt OTown's biggest-smallest Geiger.
The Gondola Examiner's Editorial Board. "Recommending" a lying lilliputian criminal who had stymied them for years; wrote: "We support the urban gondola." Wrote: "The future of the gondola." Wrote: "Impressive." Wrote: "The wow factor is undeniable." "Recommended" all Squirrel Patrollers for office, with the exception of one. Its members don't live in Ogden, but they lecture us about our behavior in opposition to grade-school stupidity and write: "We have only contempt." Led by an extremist moron Squirrel Patroller, Lee Carter, who just loves himself some gondolas!
Addled Ed Allen: Wrote rambling, inane commentary to a reporter about "the precious character" of his son-in-law who slaps his daughter around. Is evil. Has 1/4 of a brain. Loves GONDOLAs. Prays in church that the voters will "keep the momentum our community has going" by voting for his weency boy, Lying Little Matty Gondola Godfrey.
Ogden City Councilman Brandon Stephenson. Some say he is the Geigers' hefty adopted brother. Others contend he has a relationship with Lying Little Matty Gondola Godfrey that's similar to Wayne Peterson's and his famed Squirrel Patrol, "consummated" on a European fling!
Gondola Boy Mike Dowse (jackass!). Gondola Boy showed earned his Geigerian stripes by not inviting the City Council to his grand opening, which turned into a Lying Little Matty Gondola Godfrey campaign rally.
Others receiving votes but not sufficient support to be put on the ballot: GTrain Wilkerson, Jo Packham and Scott "Gimme' Back My Porn!" Brown.
Drum roll, please: The 2007 Geiger of the Year goes to -- The Gondola Examiner Editorial Board.
Yes, these dolts managed to outGeiger the Geigers and shamed their profession to a degree not thought possible. Congrats, newspapermen! I can hear their acceptance speeches already: "You like me! You really, really like me! We like GONDOLAs! We really, really like GONDOLAs!"
THE SKI IS BEAUTIFUL BLUE
Ya right.. Like Republicans are for transparency! Give me a break.. They've been in control for over 30 years and now the Democrats are going to gain that control back, the republicans now act like they're for transparency.
Fact: When democrats were in control, there was full disclosure and transparency.
Need I remind you that (Republican) Mayor Godfrey went kicking and screaming when he was found to be pocketing his campaign donations!!!
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A comment by presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is raising some eyebrows here in Utah.
Romney was asked about God and,in essence, whether God speaks to him or to LDS Church leaders.
This interview between Romney and a Boston TV station aired in early December.
His comments about the LDS Church didn't cause too much of a ripple back east.
But here in Utah, they seem to raise questions about his view of how the LDS Church was founded.
In a lengthy interview with one of Boston's most prominent journalists, Mitt Romney was asked the following:
"Should God speak to you and ask you to do something that might be in conflict with your duties as president or should he speak to your Prophet who would speak to you - how would you make that decision, how would you handle that?”
To which Romney responded: “I don't recall God speaking to me. I don't know that he has spoken to anyone since Moses and the bush or perhaps some others."
But this answer appears to contradict one of the foundations of the LDS church.
In the Church's "First Vision," a young Joseph Smith is visited by God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Smith hears one of them say, “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”
And if, as Romney suggests, that God hasn't spoken to anyone for thousands of years, then what happens to the LDS Church's belief in direct revelation from God to the Church's prophets?
Revelations such as the one in 1978 that blacks could hold the priesthood.
Contacted by ABC 4 News, Romney's campaign issued the following statement:
"Governor Romney is very proud of his faith and he endeavors to live by it.”
We also asked the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for a comment about Romney's statement.
But the Church politely declined our request.
Here is the new story
http://www.abc4.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=77472@video.ktvx.com&navCatId=8
Oh, grow up! You really think Romney should have a doctrinal discussion with a reporter who thinks Latter-Day_Saints belong to a cult? The less said, the better.
Remember, that Ed Allen, touter of the wee one, is a DEMOCRAT...do you really think he'd accept this little guy if he was a true Republican? We all know that Godfrey registered as a Republican so he could attend the State Convention as a delegate. He never shows up at any Republican meetings, caucuses, or Lincoln Day Dinners. Give it a rest.
Jason (continuing from the previous thread),
Your claim to have inside information from a higher UDOT authority is intriguing. But until you name that authority, I will assume you are lying--just as I assume the mayor is lying when he similarly claims that a streetcar on Harrison isn't feasible.
Dear True R:
Sorry you're so embarrassed that Hizzonah, Mayor Godfrey, is a Republican. I can certainly understand why. But crossing your fingers, closing your eyes, spinning round three times, holding your breath 'til you turn blue and wishing over and over "He isn't, he isn't, he isn't!" doesn't change a thing.
Buttars, Christiansen, Bramble, Curtis and Godfrey: they're all yours.
Beloved Dan S.:
Golly! Try decaf this morning, fine sir. I know I sound an awful lot like the 2005 Geigerian Lift Reich's barrel of nonsense (Shhh! Wayne Peterson's been talking to Hollywood! There's more to come! Wolfgang Puck!). And I will assume you're correct about all the technical mumbo-jumbo in re: rights-of-way, prescriptive easements, etc. I'm just repeating what was said in confidence over a year ago about Lying Little Matty Gondola Godfrey's idea never making it that far (to the abdication of rights-of-way and initial construction) because it's a joke that will never materialize. Then again, what do I know? The members of Wayne Peterson's famed Squirrel Patrol have been whispering to one of their foes that funding is in line and construction will begin in January.
THE SKI IS BEAUTIFUL BLUE
If they can errect a curb to prevent patrons fron turn east off of Washington Blvd to Park away from businesses there, to direct traffic to the Junction without public notice or public meetings then who knows what they will do come January.
Jason, I was pleased to see the geiger of year award, the earned dishonor appropriately afforded to the most deserving of recipients.
Some others that should recieve dishonorable mention, blake fowers, accomplice in the high adventure sign theft as well as a major catalyst in the election fiasco. Gregory peccary montgomery, so sold on the salvation of the O-town urban gondola that he disavowed all his proffessional and civic knowlege in his efforts to push zoning changes and disregard serious slope considerations for some greedy pie in the sky public rape. The real irony coming when lying little matty ascertained the whole thing unfeasable prior to the election.
Tom Moo... Jay Cavendish, his fondness for young lads so endears him to lying little matty and short deck. He was so enboldened to threaten various opponents till the realization of his own exposure sent him into the shadows.
Dave Hardman, failed men's clothier turn chamber cheerleader and lying little matty lapper, the chamber should be embarrassed.
Yes, geigerian geigery, nothing but the worst that human nature has to offer.
jason
you should include on your list the majority of our city council. they are the ones through their membership on the rda board that are allowing the mayor to spend our money like a drunken sailor.
they are the ones that never hold the administration responsible and allow the administration to make commitments for the city without their input but then say well fix it so it cant happen next time.
they have no back bone they just give us resident lip service. amy and jesse are the most disappointing when it comes to lip service to the public. always say they agree then always cave to the administration.
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