It is particularly disheartening to see that Weber County fell far short of reaching the 10 percent plateau. Achieving positive change is more than mere talk. It requires action and taking time to stand against those who oppose reform.
Standard-Examiner Editorial
OUR VIEW: Walk the ethics talk
April 25, 2010
• OUR VIEW: Walk the ethics talkAmong other things, the Std-Ex editorial board zeroes in on our own Weber County, wherein Utahns for Ethical Government sponsors inform us that that citizen inititiative petition volunteers have succeeded in gathering only a mere 40% of the requisite signatures necessary to qualify the initiative for the November 2012 ballot. Putting it all in context, we're informed that UEG volunteers have managed to gather more that the necessary number of signatures in Salt Lake, Davis and other counties, where there have been hordes of volunteers who've stepped up to circulate petitions. What's needed in Weber County... more UEG petition volunteers, we are informed.
In that connection, we've had discussions with our friends at the Ogden Valley Forum blog; and we've decided to join forces with the UEG organization, and try to help rustle up a cadre of Weber County volunteers to gather the 4,000 or so signatures necessary to put the UEG petition over the top in our own county.
As a matter of fact, our friend Larry, over at OVF, already took the first step in getting the ball rolling toward the effort this morning:
• Ethics Initive In BriefNobody will be looking for anyone to drop everything and make a full-time commitment here. All we'll be asking is that Weber County citizens within our respective readerships volunteer to put in a couple of hours manning a table at the library or a local shopping center, or to circulate petitions among your friends or other social networks.
We spoke with UEG organizer Dee Burmingham yesterday, who informed us that these petitions almost sell themselves. In a political atmosphere where a high percentage of Utahns favor robust ethics reform, the limiting factor in areas where EUG organizers have fallen short in their signature obtaining efforts has been demonstrated to be the relative shortage of volunteer boots on the ground, we are told.
We thus request that those ethics reform-minded readers send us an email via the upper contact link, in the event that you'd like to be involved in a new and re-energized Weber County petition gathering effort, folks. Your level of participation can be tailored to your own calender and level of commitment. If you'd like to have blank petitions and informational documents delivered to your door, we'll coordinate with the UEG people to make that happen.
Remember what the Std-Ex Editors said this morning:
Achieving positive change is more than mere talk. It requires action and taking time to stand against those who oppose reform.Let's get crackin,' O gentle Ones.
