Thursday, January 26, 2012

State of the State Speech: Is it Necessary? - Updated

Danged good question, wethinks

On the heels of yesterday's State of the State Address, in connection with which the Standard-Examiner reported this morning that Utah Gov. Gary Herbert vowed to continue defending the state against an "overreaching, out-of-control and out-of-touch" federal government, (among other things), ABC4 News asks the question "pregnant question" which we're quite sure many of our politically-wonkish reader have been wanting to ask:
Danged good question, wethinks.

So what about it Gentle WCF Readers? Can we see by a show of hands how many of you were glued to your chairs in rapt attention in front of your big screens last night, eagerly soaking up Governor Herbert's every anti-federalist utterance?

On the other hand, how many of you were entirely unaware of the fact that Governor Herbert had even delivered this annual "Things are Great in Utah Under My Administration" 2012 pre-gubernatorial election rant, until you read about it on the front page of the Standard-Examiner this morning?

Let's re-phrase the question: Does anybody really give a hoot about Governor Herbert's opinion regarding the State of the State?

Just axin'...

Update 1/27/12 9:00 a.m.: The Salt Lake Tribune points out the hypocrisy of Governor Herbert's SoS anti-federalism rant. Whilst Herbert decrys “the regulatory colossus created by an overreaching, out-of-control and out-of-touch federal government," meanwhile, back at the "reality ranch," the Trib's Robert Gehrke aptly reports that "since Herbert took office, federal funding in Utah has grown by more than $1 billion":

9 comments:

Bob Becker said...

A full time state employee giving a speech to a roomful of part time state employees [with full time taxpayer funded health care benefits],  and you want to know if I was watching?   Fraid not.  Had more important things to do.  New cheap trashy mystery just ordered on my Nook needed reading.   First things first, after all.  Ya gotta have priorities.  

I did enjoy reading about the speech, especially the part in which he praised state self reliance and denounced federal involvement in state affairs, without mentioning that the feds had just shipped $64 million in disaster aid to the state [at the gov's request].  Also liked the part about his determination to protect the state's control over its roads, though I noticed he forget to announce that Utah would henceforth reject all federal matching funds for highway construction.   Must have slipped his mind at the last minute I guess.

D_Dalton said...

Well put, Bob.

 If there were even a whit of interest in re-thinking the commerce clause (and re-setting the 10th Amendment entirely), they'd pick a single issue that's got a chance to withstand modern judicial scrutiny--and then commit the appropriate resources to the fight (on all fronts). 

Right now it's just clumsy posturing. Personally, I think that the commerce clause is being abused. But Utah's approach is embarrassing. The words of Nixon to Eisenhower come to mind...

blackrulon said...

I understand that certain state legislators are demanding that in accordance with Utah values all airplanes come with two right wings.

Smaatguy said...

As entertainng as the State of the Union

Wonk#234 said...

Yes.  Herbert needed the PR on this, inasmuch as he's been equally vilified by both the Utah lefties and righties.  Whether the rest of us needs, it... who c ares.

BikerBabe said...

What is the name of the new tome?

BB

Bob Becker said...

"Concrete Desert" by Jon Talton.   He's got half a dozen or so, and B&N, sneaky sobs, put the first one on sale for .99 hoping, I suspect, to get people hooked so they'll buy the rest.


His protagonist is a former history professor [!], let go at San Diego State because, the tenure committed told him, he was "unwilling to abandon my Western intellectual outlook and become more sensitive to nonlinearity."  Jobless, he returns to work for Maricopa County Sheriff Dept [yes, that one] where he'd worked after college before he got his PhD in history. Now there's a winning formula if ever there was one! The novels are in the noir tradition [Raymond Chandler-ish, cynical worldly protagonist who's seen it all but retains a romantic streak and sense of honor.... Paladin,  brought into modern Phoenix.]  Nicely written, I thought. Enjoyed it enough that I'm going to get the rest from the library and read them as well.  

rudizink said...

Concrete Desert by Jon Talton

Heheheh...

Ogden Lover said...

I heard the SoS speech on the radio because I was doing something and didn't want to go change the station.  Did you know we are going to increase the level of education so more people can have jobs?  Unfortunately, there was no mention of increased funding for higher education, which is already stretched to the breaking point in terms of staffing.   Just who will teach these new students?

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