Utah Politics
Ready to Run
John Edwards Makes a Whistle Stop in SLC!When Democratic presidential candidates start making campaign stops in the Beehive state, you have to ask yourself – are pigs flying? Has hell frozen over? Well they aren’t building igloos in hell just yet, so what in the heck is John Edwards doing in Salt Lake City?
According to The Salt Lake Tribune Edwards scored around $100,000 in a little over three hours at a private fundraising event at The Depot last Saturday. Not too shabby for the reddest little state in the Union.
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Representin' with Ralph - A Podcast
An Interview With SLC Mayoral Candidate Ralph Becker
Salt Lake City Mayoral candidate Ralph Becker is a fixture in Utah politics, representing District 24 in the Utah State House of Representatives for over 10 years and currently serving as House Minority Leader. An outspoken Democrat, Becker has earned the respect of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle while standing his ground on issues such as the Energy Policy Act and his current bid to ban gifts to legislators from lobbyists.
I recently sat down with Mr. Becker at his campaign headquarters in downtown Salt Lake City. We discussed his decision to run for mayor and his thoughts on education, the Utah Transit Authority, and of course, Rocky Anderson.
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Rocky Punch
Rocky and Hannity Debate at Kingsbury HallDing! Ding! The fight is on between Salt Lake City Mayor, liberal cause-celeb Rocky Anderson and right-wing-broken record Sean Hannity. Friday night, the two will verbally duke it out at the University of Utah’s Kingsbury Hall in front of a sold out audience…for charity (awwww).
Just so we’re clear – Kingsbury Hall seats around 2000 people and it sold out - in a matter of minutes. I have to say, that’s a lot of butts filling a lot of seats just to see a local hero/villain debate a mildly celebrated Fox News “haircut.”
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The War at Home
V.P. Dick Cheney Arrives in Utah for BYU CommencementAccording to the Deseret Morning News 20,000 guests are expected to attend Vice President Dick Cheney’s Brigham Young University commencement speech later this afternoon. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leaders are expected to meet with the Vice President shortly after he arrives.
At least three demonstrations opposing Cheney's visit are expected; including an alternative commencement hosted by BYU students featuring Ralph Nader.
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Why Utah Is Cool
BYU’s Alternative Commencement
Whatever quaint notions folks like to harbor about Utah and Utahns – we’ve got chutzpa. Whatever side of the issue a Utahn is on – they’re on it – with bells on. Bells, whistles, megaphones, microphones… you name the noisemaker and I’ll point you to a Utahn with a point of view.
After 12 years in Utah, I’ve finally made peace with the division and derision that takes place in this beautiful state – because that which separates us is the essence of what makes us so distinctive, so unique and so cool. Yeah, you read correctly– I said cool.
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SENATOR SERIOUS ABOUT REPEALING RAT
Baucus Berates Recreation Fee Policy
U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) is no fan of recreation fees. Or the Federal Lands Recreation Act (FLREA), often called the Recreation Access Tax or RAT by fee opponents.
FLREA or RAT, depending on whether you collect or pay the fees, was tacked on a must-pass spending bill in December 2004, creating the authority agencies now use to aggressively increase the number of fee-based recreation sites and to substantially increase in existing fees.
But unlike many other politicians who oppose the recreation fees as a method for funding federal agencies, Baucus is seriously considering doing something about it. Something like, repealing it.
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SLC Mayoral Race
Do You Have a Question for SLC Mayoral Candidate Ralph Becker?I will be interviewing Salt Lake City Mayoral Candidate and Utah State Representative Ralph Becker on Tuesday afternoon. Do you live in Salt Lake City? Do you have a question you would like to ask Rep. Becker? Well, let's hear it.
Please submit all questions to tracy@newwest.net by Monday, April 23 at 5 p.m.
Look forward to reading the scoop and hopefully listening to a podcast of the interview on NewWest.Net/SaltLakeCity by Thursday, April 19.
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Big Money Hustla
Romney’s “Mormon Money” Problem?Mitt Romney’s got bank and Utahns (presumably Utahns of the LDS variety) have filled the presidential hopeful’s coffers with a cool $3 million, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. $3 million from Utahns! - And that’s just within the first three months of Romney’s primary run to become the Republican contender for president in 2008. Candidates for both parties have been neglecting Utah for ages, with Repubs counting us as "in the bag" and Demos treating us like box office poison. Well, see - we've got rich folk with nothing better to spend their money on too. So there. Never you mind that Romney is "one of our own."
The Tribune reports that Romney did receive a couple million more from California residents, but was quick to point out that California’s population is close to 14 times greater than teeny Utah.
So, of course the usual – “Mormon in the Whitehouse?” debate arises and the questions about the former Massachusetts governor’s pockets being lined with Mormon money are flying once more. But, with so much Mo-money floating his way, one has to wonder if Romney’s “Mormon problem” is really that big of a problem for his campaign after all. I mean, Mo-money is still mo’ money, if you know what I’m saying.
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They're Uniters Not Dividers
SLC Mayoral Candidates Becker and Buhler Square OffSalt Lake City mayoral candidates Ralph Becker and Dave Buhler sat down Wednesday to debate several citywide hot button issues at the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah.
The two hopefuls shared their divergent views on subjects ranging from the Real Soccer stadium deal to Sat Lake’s palpable religious divide…oh yeah…and Rocky Anderson. Actually, Rocky’s national anti-war activism was the one thing the two candidates agreed on with both promising to keep their focus on SLC.
The Skywalk in the planned for the downtown City Creek Center was also a focal point; with Buhler hailing the idea and Becker panning, saying, "I'm not convinced" it is needed. We don't need another insulated development. We need to open up our downtown." That’s according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
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One Less
Jon Huntsman Sr. Gives $1 Million to Prevent Cervical CancerThe Utah Legislature isn’t known for its compassion toward women’s health issues and their recent refusal to earmark funds to provide immunization against cervical cancer for underinsured and uninsured women. Luckily for Utah women – billionaire Jon Huntsman Sr. stepped in to do what our Legislature refused to. Huntsman Sr. has offered up $1 million to the Utah Department of Health, who announced the generous gift on Wednesday.
Huntsman said in a letter to the health department, "My quest in life and my pledge in death . . . is to assist in the eradication of cancer in all its ugly mannerisms, irrespective of cause."
The $1 million will be used to promote and provide Gardasil, a vaccine that has show enormous promise in guarding women from the human papillomavirus (HPV), the sexually transmitted disease known for causing cervical cancer. Ah ha! and now we know why the Legislature passed. Conservative lawmakers worried that officially approving the vaccination would encourage promiscuity among young women, that’s according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
Gee-whiz ma. I wasn’t going to have pre-marital sex before, but now that I know I’ve lessened my chances for developing cervical cancer – promiscuity, here I come!!”
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