Just to kick-start some discussion on an otherwise slow news day, we'll revert as a lead-in to yesterday's strong Standard-Examiner editorial, which lambastes Utah state legislative leadership (GOP leadership -- who else?) for gouging the Utah Democratic party with a ridiculous $14,250 fee to fully release a lousy three boxes of records of the state redistricting process, pursuant to the Democratic Party's (and the Utah media's) still-unfulfilled GRAMA requests:
The Standard hits the nail suarely on the head, wethinks:
Many might presume that this noxious stance of Utah Republicans is due to their ignorance of what transparency in government means. However, that may be too simple of an explanation. Given the Legislature’s history, it’s likely that Republicans are taking this thuggish stance because they can.And in the interest of putting a finer point on this grade-school-style conundrum, we'll link for our WCF readers' reference a fine Bernick Utah Pulse editorial piece, which reveals some of the grubby background political nitty-gritty, and opines in no uncertain terms about what Utah GOP "leadership's" arrogant posturing really means for those who seek transparency in Utah government:
Given a feckless state executive branch and the overwhelming GOP majority in the Legislature, this and similar disrespect for the taxpayers’ business will probably continue.
Plainly Utah's GOP legislative leadership learned nothing at all from last year's HB 477 debacle. Indeed, as the Standard also earlier warned, they're back to their old tricks again, only with a slightly different citizens be damned gameplan.
And still, Utah voters keep electing these same arrogant and secretive charlatans over and over again...
And the beat goes on in Utah, Land of the Sheeple...
