Libertas Institute:Tax Dollars for a Gun Range?

Yesiree, our purportedly "fiscally conservative" Utah public servants will always be tight-fisted with our hard-earned taxpayer monies... except, of course... when the're not

It’s important to point out that Utahns around the state were required to help fund the purchase of a gun range in a single location, benefitting only those in the surrounding area. Residents of St. George, Vernal, Provo, and other cities around the state should not be forced to subsidize a facility that does not benefit them in any way. If Weber County officials wanted to convince residents of the alleged need to purchase the facility outright—and therefore require them to pay not only for its purchase, but also its ongoing maintenance—then they should have proposed a bond to the residents in that community along with the resulting tax increase. Instead, we once against witnessed the path of least resistance being followed—the lobbying effort to receive a portion of taxes taken from all Utahns, almost all of whom do not even realize how their money has now been used.

Libertas Institute
Tax Dollars for a Gun Range?
May 15, 2014

Here's a thoughtful editorial from the libertarian-oriented Libertas Institute about last month's $3.8 Swanson Tactical Center gun range purchase, which has also been the subject of several recent Weber County Forum rants:

• Tax Dollars for a Gun Range?

Yesiree, folks. As Libertas Institute President Connor Boyack correctly observes, our purportedly "fiscally conservative" Utah public servants will always be tight-fisted with our hard-earned taxpayer dollars... except, of course... when the're not. Yes?

It's the same old story all over again, we guess... and the beat goes on...

Standard-Examiner: Taxpayers Had "Little" Public Input in Weber Gun Range Transaction

"Little public input?" Howbout NONE?

Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupt absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority; still more when you superadd the tendency of the certainty of corruption by authority.

Lord John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton
Acton Insitute
1834 – 1902

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

H.L. Mencken - American Curmudgeon
A Little Book in C major
1916

If these [two] stooges who run Weber County aren't careful, they are gonna make the folks forget all about Godfrey, that other slippery little feller who specialized in sliding stuff under the tax payer's noses.

Ozboy
Standard-Examiner comments
May 9, 2014

Bad news for the lumpenicitizerns of Weber County, as we learn from the Standard-Examiner this afternoon that without any even a single word of "formal" public discussion or comment, and just as we predicted a few days back, the Weber County Commission
 "good ole boy majority,"  by a vote of 2-1 ("ousted" Commissioner Zogmaister dissenting), "closed the deal" on their precious "Taj Mahal" gun range, "last Wednesday (April 30)," to the tune of $3.8 million taxpayer bucks:

• Taxpayers had "little" public input in Weber gun range transaction

"Little public input?"  Howbout NONE?

We'll just have to sit by and enjoy our tyrannical Weber County government for the next two years at least, inasmuch as there are no opposition candidates, barring a write-in effort, for the two open 2014 General Election County Commission seats.

Looking at the bright side however, and gazing into our trusty crystal ball, we'll predict a brand new lease on life for community watchdog Weber County Forum, we guess, as our current Weber County Commission picks up where the ever-tyrannical Boss Godfrey left off.

Standard-Examiner: Our View: Tax Dollars for Shooting

The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys

It's nice that the county has a boost in its paramedic fund, but we expect the county to offer more information than merely that funds have "built up." If perhaps as much as $2.3 million of Weber taxpayers' funds is going to buy a gun range, we'll need to know how the excess money accumulated and why it should be used to buy a gun range that has apparently faltered as a private sector endeavor. The county has the responsibility to persuade residents that the $2.3 million doesn't have a better use than for shooting.

Standard-Examiner Editorial
Our View: Tax dollars for shooting
May 6, 2014

Top-notch online editorial from the Standard-Examiner this afternoon, questioning the "wisdom" of our Weber County Commission, in ripping off the Weber County "paramedic fund" to the tune of 2.3 million bucks,to finance the purchase the money-losing Swanson Corporation Tactical Training Center "Gun Range", which facility includes "[f]our partially-enclosed live fire ranges, complete with on-board camera systems and variable lighting, along with a "simulated urban comabat environment," etc, etc, etc. Crank up your sound and feast your eyes on the testosterone-induced video promo:



Here's the S-E editorial:

• Our View: Tax dollars for shooting

Our take?

Comments, anyone?

Standard-Examiner: Bell Denounces Any Use of Weber Library Bond for Gun Range Purchase - Updated

Too bad the Weber County Democrats couldn't muster a couple of candidates to at least run against the present Weber County GOP tyranny

As a follow-up to our 4/24/14 WCF story, wherein we "connected the dots" between two Cathy McKitrick/Standard-Examiner stories of the same date, and speculated that our "Weber County Commission [was taking] the "Tried and True 'Bait and Switch' Tactic to a Whole New Level", we'll observe this morning that our conjecture that our Weber County Commission is in the process of "raping" library bond funds for the purchase of the Swanson Tactical Training Center gun range seems to have gained some traction within the Weber County lumpencitizen community.

In that connection, we'll  shine the spotlight on the latest glorious S-E offering from the ever-journalisticallly yeoman-like (and exceedingly smart) Cathy McKitrick.  For starters, here's the lede:

OGDEN -- Weber County Commissioner Matthew Bell weighed in Wednesday on whether he would consider using savings from the $45 million library bond to help fund the purchase of an indoor gun range.
"Absolutely not. Ain't ever going to happen," Bell said. "The bond is specific for doing library improvements, and that's what we're going to do."

Read Ms. McKitrick's latest story, for the full "skinny":

• Bell denounces any use of Weber library bond for gun range purchase

And do not fail to check out the underlying Disqus comments section beneath Ms. McKitrick's story, where, as of this juncture, scores of upset people who ACTUALLY voted the recent Library Bond Election (which election our Commission seems about to nullify) are free-wheeling, lambasting, and generally throwing in their own angry 2¢.

Seems to us that if the Commission axes library bond funding by any significant degree, and yet approves the"white elephant" gun range purchase, such an embarrassing departure from "democratic" reality will reveal our financially "tight-fisted" Commissioner Bell to be a dissembler, deceiver and rhetorical trickster, don'tcha think?

Too bad the Weber County Democrats couldn't muster a couple of candidates to at least run against the present Weber County GOP tyranny, YES?

Update 5/6/14 9:40 a.m.: Via Cathy McKitrick: "This [above-linked] story actually had an update that went into last Friday's print edition but didn't make it online until today. The county found the remaining funds to buy the Swanson gun range last week."

It thus appears that the gun-range purchase is a done deal. Rather than to dip into the library bond fund, their be tapping money which has been layin' around "idle" in the "paramedic fund."

Cute...

Standard-Examiner Out-Take: Weber County Commission Takes the Tried and True "Bait and Switch" Tactic to a Whole New Level

And let's hear no complainin', Weber County lumpencitizens.  Remember, it's you folks who elected these devious fellers

In the midst of a news week which has so far been more than a mite slow, we'll put the spotlight on a couple of new Standard-Examiner stories, which beg to be placed into juxtaposion.

First, S-E reporter Cathy McKitrick reports about how "50 Weber County Library supporters gathered this week to  discuss how to battle back against two county commissioners who seem  intent on shrinking the size of a voter-approved $45 million ["Taj Mahal"] bond and  altering the vision of what those dollars were intended to fund":

•  Weber library supporters strategize to save $45 million bond plan

"We collectively voted for this library overhaul, new libraries and  other improvements. How can they take it away? Can they legally deny  these funds?" Ogden resident Richard Bush asks.

The answer's really quite straightforward, folks, once you factor in Ms. McKitrick's second new story... and connect the dots:

• State lawmakers granted Weber County's $1.5 million gun range request

Yep.  With $1.5 million already pledged by the legislature to be applied to our Weber County Commission's proposed $3.8 million "Taj Mahal" gun range purchase, take a wild guess where the other $2.3 million will be coming from.

Cute, ainnit?  Congrats to the Weber County Commission majority, for taking the tried and true 'bait and switch" tactic to a whole new level, heretofore never experienced in our semi-bucolic Weber County.

And let's hear no complainin', Weber County lumpencitizens.  Remember, it's you folks who elected these devious fellers.

Standard-Examiner: Weber Officials Make Pitch To Legislature For Funds To Buy Gun Range - Updated

For those WCF readers who'd like to listen in, we've helpfully linked the audio of the Weber County Commission's February 11, 2014 sales pitch

Senator Jenkins: "I'm total screwup"

As a followup to our January 24 Weber County Forum story, wherein we reported that "our purportedly 'tight fisted' Weber County Commissioners are keen on dropping a cool $3.8 million taxpayer dollars for the public acquisition of a financially troubled and currently privately owned facility which features, among other things, two indoor shooting ranges and (get this) a 'mock urban environment,' where Weber County gun fanciers can finely hone their 'urban combat' tactics," we'll shine the spotlight on this morning's Standard-Examiner story, which reports on the latest development concerning this pie in the sky boondoggle:

• Weber officials make pitch to Legislature for funds to buy gun range

For those WCF readers who'd like to listen in, we've helpfully linked the audio of the Weber County Commission's February 11, 2014 sales pitch before the Utah State Legislature's Business, Economic Development, and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee:

• Weber County Shooting Range - Sen. Jenkins (1:28:30-1:44:30) 

Surprise of surprises, we now learn that the taxpayer price tag for this proposed Weber County/State of Utah "joint venture," would actually total $7.8 million, rather that the "measly"  $3.8 million originally reported.

As an added bonus, we'll provide the online contact links for those Weber County situated state legislators who sit on the  Business, Economic Development, and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee, for the benefit of those Weber County Forum readers who'd like to bend their state legislator's ears concerning the "wisdom" of  this proposed $7.8 million boondoggle:

• Sen Scott Jenkins, R-Ogden
• Sen. Stuart Reid, R-Ogden
• Rep. Jeremy Peterson, R-Ogden
• Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-North Ogden
• Rep. Dixon Pitcher, R-Ogden

You know what to do.  Do it on the internet... or the old fashioned way (snail-mail and/or phone).

Have at it, O Gentle Ones...

Update 2/14/14 9:29 a.m.:  Ooops.... According this morning's hot-off-the-press Standard-Examiner story, the Weber County Commission's "funding request ... for state help with the [$7.8 million] purchase of a gun range is dead for now, the victim of procedural mess-up right out of an Abbot and Costello act":

• 'Screw up' leads to Weber gun range project being cut from state priority funding list

"I screwed up. I thought it was in there. We had been over there talking about a million bucks. I knew I wouldn't get $3.7 million. We had a million and we were sitting over there talking and in the meantime we had never procedurally put it on the list and I thought we had. I just mixed up, it was a mistake," Senator Scott Jenkins admits, in a rare display of political candor.

Good goin' Senator Jenkins, we'll add.

Unfortunately, there's no word whether Senater Jenkins will succeed in having this possible multi-million dollar "handout" restored to the "sweeheart" priority list. 

Standard-Examiner: Weber Invites State Lawmakers to 'Eat and Shoot' at Gun Range

Kinda has the flavor of one of those creepy and ubiquitous condominium time share promotions, dunnit?

This morning's Standard-Examiner provides a fascinating glimpse into the schizophrenic Utah Republican mindset, with this morning's front page story, reporting that our all-Republican Weber County Commission has has invited Utah Senate and House legislators to a "gala" "January 28 "dine-and-shoot event which aims to showcase the Swanson Tactical Training Center in Ogden's Industrial Park and opens with dinner at 6 p.m. followed by 7 p.m. target practice." Seems that at least a couple of our purportedly "tight fisted" Weber County Commissioners are keen on dropping a cool $3.8 million taxpayer dollars for the public acquisition of a financially troubled and currently privately owned facility which features, among other things, two indoor shooting ranges and (get this) a "mock urban environment," where Weber County gun fanciers can finely hone their "urban combat" tactics:

• Weber invites state lawmakers to 'eat and shoot' at gun range

Kinda has the flavor of one of those creepy and ubiquitous condominium time share promotions, dunnit, where "prospects" are offered a free "rubber chicken dinner," in exchange for being subjected to a high-pressure sales pitch? Most condo promotions don't involve "free guns and ammo," along with the free dinner, of course.

Our Weber County Commission is of course merely "pitching" the the state legislature to throw state funding toward this numbskull project, so it won't detrimentally affect Weber County taxpayers, right?

We're scratching our heads wondering what happened to the hallowed GOP principle, i.e., that commercial projects such as this ought to be left to the "private" economic sector.  Plainly, in this instance, it's one which, if our Commission has its way, will be honored in the breach, rather than the observance.

We'll file this story under the WCF topic category "boondoggle" this morning folks, and invite all Weber County (and indeed Utah) voters to make a mental note, as more than half of our Utah state legislators and two out of our three Weber County Commissioners prepare to tout their "fiscal conservative" credentials (so-called) during the upcoming Utah 2014 General Election run-up.

We'll be standing by, eagerly awaiting our WCF readers' ever-savvy comments.