Time for our state to get ethically in line with most of the rest of the nation
By George K.
The Standard-Examiner has an excellent and very appropriate editorial article in the paper this morning. If Doug Gibson is the author, I commend him for calling a spade a spade. I agree with him 100 percent that big business and very influential people influence the legislators too much. Recent examples of this influence are the Questar bill that was rescinded at the next legislative session due to public pressure which is the biggest boo-boo the legislature has made. The next one happened the last few hours of last year’s legislative session when Ogden’s neurotic Mayor Godfrey and his greedy little patsy, Mark Johnson, with the help of the city’s lobbyist, pushed through legislation attached to a non-controversial RDA bill that was sure to pass which changed RDA boards throughout the State.
The Ogden City Council took the right action when they refused to hire that lobbyist, who was supposed to be working for both the Council and the Administration, for the current year.
It is no wonder that Utah residents have no confidence in the Republican dominated legislature’s ethics. We hope that the present legislators follow the SE’s common sense suggestions for ethical reform. Utah has become the laughing stock of the nation with the goofy bills that our unbridled legislature has passed in the past. We also hope and “push for measures that drive legislators to reach out (sincerely) to voters during the legislative session, rather than banks, credit unions, Energy Solutions, Questar, the payday loan industry, influential individuals, etc.”
It is encouraging that Governor Huntsman has planned for a commission that will deal with ethics and other reform measures if the legislature fails to place such measures on itself. It would be a great step forward to restore faith in the legislature. Because as a voter I do not swallow the claim that the legislators, as a whole, are above being influenced by the donations and gifts of big businesses. They may be able to fool themselves, but for me, “actions speak louder than words.”
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10 comments:
Huntsman is a joke! Him crying Ethics? If he really was serious? He would have to lock up most of his business and political buddies.
Huntsman is a Joke!!!!
Thanks for the post, George, but anyone who expects the Utah legislature will ever put a cap on special interest and corporate campaign donations is living in a world of complete delusion.
To follow up JS's post, newspapers reported this week that Energy Solutions has distributed $500K in campaign donations to Utah pols. It should surprise no one that Energy Solutions is backing legislation introduced by its pet legislators that would trim restrictions on the nuke waste ES can store in Utah.
I'm still waiting for that single Utah legislator who has the sack to accept all that Energy Solutions cash, and then stick it to ES real good.
I'll twiddle my thumbs until that happens.
I won't hold my breath.
Governor Huntsman is from the 21st century.
The bulk of Utah legislators come from the 19th.
John Spencer, thank you for your comments. I am not living in a complete world of delusion. I posted on the excellent editorial in this morning’s paper and stated “. If Doug Gibson is the author, we commend him for calling a spade a spade. I agree with him 100 percent that big business and very influential people influence the legislators too much… It is no wonder that Utah residents have no confidence in the Republican dominated legislature’s ethics. We hope that the present legislators follow the SE’s common sense suggestions for ethical reform…. Because as a voter I do not swallow the claim that the legislators, as a whole, are above being influenced by the donations and gifts of big businesses. They may be able to fool themselves, but for me, “actions speak louder than words.” I do not knowwhy everyone assumed that I thought that the Legislature would pass any bills on ethical reform. I do hope that they will because it is needed, but I am not holding my breath waiting for it to happen and I never gave any indication that I thought it would happen – just giving credit where credit is due for encouraging reform including Gov. Huntsman’s planned commission. We will have to wait and see if he follows through. I know some of his actions in the past have been disappointing, but I do think that he has done some good things for Utah.
Curmudgeon, that is most discouraging to learn that Energy Solutions has paid half a million to our legislators and that they accepted it! It is really bad news! I’m with TT, and wait for the day when ONE legislator has the guts to do the right thing and stick it to ES! As for whoever posted as Cavendish, just because Huntsman is a gentleman, polished and has class, does not put him in Cavendish’s category.
SL Trib has an article on Energy Solutions up this afternoon on Energy Solutions' attempts to bring foreign nuclear waste into Utah. Rep. Matheson [D-Utah] denounces the attempt.
The nuclear depository formerly know as Envirocare has not only lined the pockets of a whole bunch of legislators, but also been running a huge add campain saying how wonderful and beneficial they are. Now they're dangling a huge carrot just in front of are legislature's nose, one that almost always dissolves republican will-power, splitting the profits on foreign waste. I hate to have to put faith in our pathetic bozos against these kind of odds.
Curmudgeon, I read in the SE this morning that Gov. Huntsman, (Republican) is also trying to block ES from dumping the foreign nuclear waste in the desert west of SL.
GK:
Yes, I know. Read it too. He's also responsible for having Utah join the consortium of western states committed to cutting greenhouse gases and developing renewable energy technologies. Another good thing. Of course, the Republican legislative majority is trying to force Utah out of that consortium, because global warming, as we all know, is a liberal hoax.
I've got no problem crediting Republican office holders for acting intelligently and in the public interest. It's just that they don't often give me opportunities to do that.
As for Huntsman, I'm not a particular fan, but he definitely counts as a moderate in the current shifted-way-right spectrum of Republican office holders. My biggest complaint about Signin' John Huntsman is that he knuckles under too often to the wing nut majority and signs without protest some of the whacko bills that arrive on his desk. The vouchers bill was a good example, but there have been others. We'll see what he does if/when some of the loonier bills now working through the legislature arrive on his desk this term. Veto or not?
But on the nuke matter, and on some other environmental issues, he's done reasonably well, and better than I expect from a Republican governor.
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