Governor Herbert to receive the highly prestigious SPJ "Black Hole" award
Surprise of surprises, there's more HB477 blowback this morning from all points of the northern Utah editorial and news reporting compass:
The Standard-Examiner editorial board reminds us that it wasn't just the citizens' right to know which was stricken down this week as a result of the passage of HB477. Uppity Utah citizens also got slapped silly by SB165, of course, which pretty much makes mincemeat of the citizens' right to petition their government:
And the story's developed somewhat from last night's early reports that Rep. Kraig Powell had been apologizing for his vote in favor of HB477, saying he feared reprisal from Republican leadership in the legislature.
The story's now all over the pages of the Deseret News, KSL, Tribune and Daily Herald. Speaker Becky Lockhart says (of course) there was no pressure on Powell to vote in favor of the measure; and weirdly enough it appears that (in the absence of any pressure whatsoever) Rep. Powell himself is now reportedly backpedaling on his original version of the story too:
This morning's Standard-Examiner reports that the Society of Professional Journalists plans to "honor" Gov. Gary Herbert with their highly prestigious "black hole" award:
Gotta say that one will be one great fit for Herbert's trophy case.
That's it for now, O Gentle Ones.
Who will be the first to chime in with their own 2¢?
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12 comments:
And Speaker Lockhart, who still insists that HB 477 was a good bill and that there was absolutely no problem in the way it was rushed through in 48 hours late in the session ["that's how we do business" she said], is now pondering who to put on the special committee that will conduct the hearings on HB 477 this summer in order to make recommendations to a Special Session the governor will call to fix the bill he signed into law knowing it would take a special session to fix it.
The entire HB 477 fiasco is now such a mess, that I doubt anyone but the original co-conspirators behind the bill [Rep. Free Lunch Dee, Sen. Waddoups, Speaker Lockhart] has any confidence in the committee to fix the bill, meaning I suspect to smear enough lipstick on the pig to pretend it's become attractive.
What the Committee ought to do, what Speaker Lockhart ought to support, is a recommendation from the Committee to just repeal the damn thing in the Special Session. Then the matter of reforming the GRAMA act, if it needs reform, can be taken up in the usual way, through the usual legislative process [interim joint committee to consider, gather testimony, bill presented at start of legislative session next year, time for committee consideration in both houses, and debate]. That and that alone has a chance of restoring some public confidence in the process.
Just repeal the damn thing and start over.
There was an interesting discussion of HB 477 on yesterday's Radio West.
@PoliticalSurf, Doug Gibson's Twitter account, lamented on March 8, "Very disappointed Gov. Herbert signed HB477 tonight. Thought he was made of sterner stuff. Guess I was wrong."
Oh, please. "Sterner" stuff? Was it not crystal clear to those who lurk on this Forum, from the moment of the Huntsman abdication, that Herbert was a spineless Beehive State-version of Calvin Coolidge?
Would anyone here bet 2 cents that Herbert's 2012 campaign won't garner the Standard's endorsement?
Does @PoliticalSurf hold the illusion that Godfrey, too, possesses "sterner stuff"? Symptomatic of the miles of slack one temple recommend holder cuts to another.
Who wants to bet the Standard won't endorse Godfrey again?
What Curm and Dan said +1
Moroni- don"t count on the S-E remembering GRAMA when the next election cycle rolls around. The editorials may be basically written by Gibson but the out of state owners often dictate to the editorial board what position to take.
Saw Jeremy Peterson today, opening up his real estate office. He looked tired, and promised me we would talk about the session as soon as he gets caught up at the office.
Rep. Peterson voted to pass HB 477. Twice.
This was a very good editorial. It didn't mince words.
"our corrupt Legislature"
"Herbert and his cronies"
""old-boy" network"
"out-of-touch despots"
Yeah! Now that's what a newspaper is supposed to do - to be a light - not to be in cahoots.
It's nice that the Standard Examiner is starting to see the light of day, more clearly each day.
Danny-
Nothing too surprising here. The Standard has always been critical, when circumstances reason, of government agencies and officials - as long as it doesn't directly involve Mayor Godfrey (for whatever reason they have always been supportive of the many ridiculous ideas proposed by this admin). What I'd really like to see is an editorial criticizing the Mayor and the City for their recent actions trying to delay and deny public records to Dan S. - to me this is just as much a GRAMA injustice, but at the micro-level.
Black: curiosity causes me to ask you how you "know" that the "out of state owners often dictate to the editorial board what position to take." Are you on the Board of Directors or something? You got a mole inside the SE?
An old saying you should think about: "he who assumes, looses."
Oh Curm, there you go adding logic, reason and common sense where you know it can never exist. This is the Utah Legislature we're dealing with, it ain't gonna happen. Besides, through out all the commentary we've heard from the leadership as well as local rank and file, there is no remorse or appology for the actual 180 position on the publics right to know, cost and such. This bill is exactly what they wanted and after playing ostrige this bill will become final, as is. Only Courts or referendum can change that. I wish us all good luck.
For some decades now the folks here in Northern Utah have complained about how under represented the Northern part of the state has been in the leadership, funny now that has finally changed with more of the locals filling key leadership roles, just in time to launch this assault on us common folk.
Looks like I've been proved wrong; nice editorial, Standard.
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