Utah Bureau of Land Managment Going Forward with Drilling Permit Sale

The Utah BLM appears to be going forward with the Dec. 19 sale of oil and gas leases, some of them in the vicinity of national parks, despite objections from environmentalist groups and at least nine Democratic senators.

Proposition 8: the good, the bad and the ugly

Contributions for and against California’s Proposition 8 reached $75.2 million, making it possibly the “costliest state ballot measure ever,” according to an article in the Salt Lake Tribune. And all the numbers aren’t in yet.

Getting ready for winter

Winter, to me, means skiing or at least memories of skiing, sledding and four-wheeling in southern Utah, when I seem to have most of the wilderness to myself. But I tell my wife, “Winter is death.”

Utah’s 2008 Election Results

Obama garnering more democratic votes in Utah than any other candidate since 1968, when Hubert Humphrey was on the ticket. 35 percent of the vote went to Obama while 65 percent went to McCain.

Why healthcare isn't likely to get well soon

The Sick and the Well

McCain and Obama offer stark choices for improving our broken healthcare system. McCain suggests a small tax credit that might begin to bring some healthcare costs down and Obama wants a systematic political overhaul, which will ultimately result in some rationing. Both plans are especially unpalatable in the West, where most people would prefer to pay fair market prices for individual medical services. But the political system that should be abetting the market in delivering fair prices has been manipulated by special interests to the point where most health care is out of reach of most individuals.

Taxpayer Bailout: Ownership Society?

Thanks for the Bailout, America!

In my last blog I wrote, “It seems to me that the real lesson of 9/11, besides that terrible things can happen to innocent people, is not to depend too much on law enforcement agencies for your safety, or for rescue.”

That’s law enforcement agencies. But as for the government itself—well, who knows? The government bails out and bestows privileges on special interest groups, which includes everyone but working folks. But somehow we got in! We put some money down on a reasonably priced house in rural Utah at the height of the boom and our loan was approved by a major mortgage company which then cratered spectacularly. Seemed like bad timing, especially with the interest rate we had to pay, but that we were approved at all may have been because of Bill Clinton's and George Bush III’s push for more housing of the indigent. The “push” that resulted in looser standards for lenders and ultimately, bizarre financial instruments that couldn’t possibly have worked, except in theory.

Making Sense of the Senseless

The Real Lessons of 9/11

Several articles have already been published under the above title. Former Alaska Senator and supposed libertarian Mike Gravel had this to say about the lessons we should have learned:

FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

The Election: Views from the Long Tail

I was in Denver while the DNC was running its course but I literally steered clear of the main event. When the helicopters began circling like flies and cops with radar guns took up positions on every on/off ramp east of town, and the traffic slowed until it was stuck, I drove my rig out of the city on back roads. That was my DNC experience: avoiding it.

Co-Opting the Conservation Movement

Jim Stiles, editor of Moab, Utah’s Canyon Country Zephyr, has a long, well-researched article in the latest issue about “How the Mega-Rich are Co-opting Environmentalism and Turning IT into a Big Business too.” Among those who come under scrutiny: David Bonderman, venture capitalist, contributor to various environmental groups, board member of the Grand Canyon Trust, the Wilderness Society and the World Wildlife Fund and committed enemy of the environment itself, through his other holdings, such as European discount airline Ryanair.