Category: politics
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Rethinking the Electoral College
I have long been a staunch supporter of keeping the electoral college despite the weaknesses I see in having most states take a winner-take-all approach to their electoral college votes. The calls to abolish the current system in favor of a national popular vote have been growing for as long as I have been interested…
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Patriot Day
I appreciate the idea of Patriot Day as a way to mark our modern “day of infamy.” It is unfortunate that the event has been used so effectively to manipulate our politics. Once upon a time, America represented more to the world than simply a big bully who was allowed, because of might and wealth,…
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Bureaucracy in Action
If you’ve ever wondered why smaller government is better government just look at this: . . . the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture USDA tests about 1% {of slaughtered cattle} for BSE, or Mad Cow Disease. But Creekstone Farms wants to test 100% of the cattle they process, at their own expense. The USDA won’t let…
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Third District Debate
I enjoyed going to the debate at the Sutherland Institute between Jason Chaffetz and Bennion Spencer. A one-on-one debate between the candidates is much different to attend than a “meet the candidates” kind of affair for city council when six candidates are seeking three seats without any specific match-ups. Until now those were the only…
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IOUSA
With bailouts such as Bear Stearns and Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac there could not be a better time for the Peter G. Peterson Foundation to come along with the backing of $1 Billion (from Peter G. Peterson) and the insider expertise of David Walker (former Comptroller General of the United States) to help citizens and policy…
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Oh Goody – More Debt
This is not a compete surprise, but when I saw the news that the government is going to bailout Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac I was disappointed at that one more proof that we don’t really live in a free market. I might not be so disappointed if our government leaders were to approach this…
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McCain’s Words
As I said about Obama last week, I will measure a McCain presidency against his own words. Rather than trying to analyze what McCain said last night I will simply quote those portions which I would hope he is held accountable for while adding only those clarifications of how I interpret those words. . .…
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Talk About Tolling
As another group of local government officials stands up in opposition to tolling the Mountain View Corridor (MVC), I was surprised to read this in the Salt Lake Tribune: While the Utah Department of Transportation has explored user fees as a funding option – one that could cost some west-siders up to $200 a month…
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The VP Picks
Now that both running mates have been announced I can share my reactions. In both cases I think that the candidate made a good pick for their individual positions. I have previously written positively about both of the running mates. I said that Sarah Palin, with a record of standing up to politics as usual,…
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Obama’s Words
If Obama becomes president I will measure his presidency against his own words – starting with his acceptance speech. (I will measure a McCain presidency against his own words as well.) I caught parts of the speech while I was driving a moving truck last night and though I did not hear every word, there…