Let’s see how far the monsters go. Hillyard, Waddoups, Lockhart—it’s my hope that someday those names are as scary to children as Adolf, Muammar or Saddam.
Salt Lake City Weekly - John Saltas
GRAMA Bama
March 23, 2011
Basically, HB477 allows them to keep secret text messages and e-mails they send to and receive from lobbyists, contract bidders and their legislative cohorts so you don't know what's behind their governance. They can spin it all they want, but that's the crux of the matter.
Standard Examiner Editorial Board
Editorial: HB477 Is Your Fight
March 24, 2011
Charlie Trentelman adds few choice words too, skewering our spineless Governor and Machiavellian Senate "leadership" from his ever-excellent Wasatch Rambler perch:
And as we stand one day shy of tomorrow's "special" legislative session, we now learn that...
1) Rep. John Dougall, the sponsor of HB 477, and the nitwit who started this whole mess, now says the measure should be repealed:
2) There may actually now be enough votes in the Utah Senate to repeal HB 477 during Friday's Special Session...
Let's not take any chances however people. As the Standard-Examiner urges, it's time to contact our Northern Utah senatorial delegation, if you haven't already done so:
- Peter Knudson
- Allen Christensen
- Scott Jenkins
- Stuart Reid
- Jerry Stevenson
- Stuart Adams
- Dan Liljenquist
- Lyle W. Hillyard
(Once again we'd like to thank our palz @ Utah Policy Daily, for helping us come up with a few of the above links.)
10 comments:
If you happen to contact Lyle Hillyard, one of the bill's sponsors, please ask him to read the bill (although this is probably something he should have done prior to being a sponsor) - there is an article in the SL Trib that quotes him as saying he wasn't aware that there was a State Records Committee (believe Lyle, they are mentioned several times in the bill, even though you should know they exist regardless). Unbelievable. Keep talking legislators, keep talking. No wonder why they want their records kept secret.
Ditto on Hillyard. Here's the incredible quote from the Trib article:
Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said he wasn’t aware of the committee’s existence, which is why he didn’t ask for its input.
“No one mentioned that to me,” he said. “I don’t remember anyone saying there is a records committee [and] you ought to consult with them.”
This guy's not only a senator but also a lawyer. And he's never read his own bill or the law that it would gut. And he admits it. Unbelievable.
"This guy's not only a senator but also a lawyer. And he's never read his own bill or the law that it would gut. And he admits it. Unbelievable."
Per se malpractice. No doubt about it.
Did Hillyard graduate from the same law school as Blain Johnson? Could someone please check the records? There could be some overlap in their schooling......
What I think the Hillyard statement and others like it reflects is just how badly the Republican House and Senate leadership misled their members on GRAMA and HB 477. During a legislative session, with hundreds of bills on the table, legislators cannot keep up with the content and scope of every bill at every stage of the legislative process. They have to rely on their leadership and colleagues for information about bills they're not personally managing of following. And they have to be able to trust the leadership to be honest with them in providing that information.
The House and Senate leadership spread around a lot of false information on both GRAMA and HB 477 to their own members. House Majority Leader Free Lunch Dee, House Speaker Lockhart and Senate leader Waddoups led their own party caucuses down the garden path and over the cliff with false information. They hung 'em out to dry.
Be interesting to see if all the members the leadership deceived on this, and who are now fending off angry constituents, remember that next session when they legislature organizes itself and chooses majority leaders, speakers etc. again.
“Conscience is a mother-in-law whose visit never ends” - H.L. Mencken
I love my mother-in-law.
As to an elected official actually reading a bill, one really has to remember Nancy Polosi's famous quote about the Obamacare bill where she said, “But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it....."
I use to think that Utah was a pretty righteous state when it came to the freedom of the individual. One of the reasons I moved here. But politicians are the same no matter the color of their spots. I am for term limits but it will never happen, specially in a state where cronyism runs rampant. I mean, most of the state is related to the rest of the state. How could it be different. And a large part of the rest are immigrant liberals from California.
Vote them out each and every time. Support the Tea Party. It is our government. We are not their sheep.
Need to vote them all out before the 10 year, free Health Care for life kicks in.
Most are rich so why do they need public welfare for their health care for them and their spouse for life.
Robert- Whatever you think of the health reform bill it was not introduced and passed in a 72 hour period,
Post a Comment