Musings of a Patriot

Category: politics

  • Endorsing Laura Belnap

    School board races tend to fly under the radar and rarely do I see one candidate shine compared to their opponent but this is one of those times.

  • Public vs Private Companies

    At what point in the pursuit of profit do individuals diminish or forego their right to religious expression in their business activities? To answer that ask: who owns the corporation?

  • Confusing the Point

    Jay Evensen arguing that Edward Snowden being in Russia lessens his credibility or that the NSA has a legitimate spying to do to protect us completely misses the point behind the Snowden leaks – which is that the NSA is systematically overstepping their bounds and going to great lengths to hide it from the very…

  • I’m In

    Well, I’ve been struggling with the question of whether I should run to replace Jim Nielson in House District 19 since he announced that he won’t run for another term. Apparently Mike Leavitt told Mitt Romney about it and Mitt took the time to share his thoughts:   With that encouragement how could I not…

  • Funding Education

    When your car stops running the solution isn’t always to put gas in the gas tank. Likewise, funding our schools isn’t as straightforward as simply figuring out who should foot the bill.

  • Facts Aren’t Always Impartial

    I was listening to Doug Wright this morning talking about the John Swallow situation and I found myself laughing at the linguistic gymnastics he was engaged in trying to discuss the situation without suggesting that impeachment might be the proper course of action to untangle the mess that Mr. Swallow has created. I can’t decide…

  • Impeachment isn’t the same as Removal from Office

    Opening an impeachment proceeding is the same as opening an investigation, not the same as handing down an indictment. It is meant to be done in order to obtain evidence, not after the evidence has already been gathered. It seems obvious that there is enough smoke surrounding John Swallow to warrant looking into whether the…

  • Thoughts on Caucus System Reform

    Curt Bentley has an excellent post in which he discusses the issue of reforming the caucus system. I really appreciate the methodical approach he has taken to examine the issue. I completely agree with each of his guiding principles and while I suspect I am more comfortable with the caucus system in its current form…

  • Don’t Be Fooled

    John Swallow continues to insist that he will not step down because has done nothing illegal. He likes to use that red herring to make people sound unreasonable if they call for his resignation or impeachment. We need to be very clear that the standard for impeachment – “high crimes and misdemeanors” – includes some…

  • Strengthening Our Caucus System

    Instead of sidestepping our caucus system we should strengthen it by keeping what it is good at (leveling the playing field for candidates) and improving where it is weak (disenfranchising less popular political positions). We can do that by changing the way delegates are chosen.