Musings of a Patriot

Category: State

  • Make “the Silent” a Minority

    Recently my niece approached me to ask questions about politics. She’s a young teenager, years short of being able to vote, but she wants to become informed and involved so that she could positively participate by the time she can vote. The conversation served as a reminder to me of how important it is for…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Public Discussion

    Obi wan Liberali recently asked others if he was considered liberal. Apparently some of his liberal friends thought he was not liberal enough because he is not inflammatory. The discussion that followed in the comments got me thinking about different sites that I have visited and my perceptions. I try to follow sites across the…

  • Regions for BNN/Utah

    It’s been a busy month for me personally since I asked about implementing regional classifications for Utah blogs listed on BlogNetNews. I am finally ready to implement regional categories. The options are going to be: Salt Lake Utah Valley/Happy Valley Weber/Ogden Cache Valley/Logan Davis Dixie Tooele The classifications will be self-selection – if you want…

  • Doug Wright – Stuck on the Freeway

    I rarely listen to the Doug Wright show. When I do, I generally wonder afterwards how I am any better off than if I had simply listened to the fuzz between stations. Today I happened to hear Doug when I turned on the radio and he was speaking on a subject I care about –…

  • My Utah Lake Perspective

    I obviously ruffled the feathers of one commenter when I wrote a post in support of a bridge over Utah Lake. He argues that those who want a lake bridge hate the lake and that we should instead be working to restore the lake to its natural beauty. I argue that building a bridge and…

  • Don’t Toss the Tolling Option

    Herriman is hardly alone in opposing freeway tolls. The most prominent reason they give is wholly predictable – and it is reasonable: The two-page Herriman statement said the council supports the corridor project, but believes tolls would create a financial burden for residents. I would love to read the full statement from the city council,…

  • Taking a Long View

    Aside from my interested in transit and my general appreciation for the possibilities of Utah County, I did not expect that I would have much to gain from FrontRunner South now that I have moved North. When I read about the groundbreaking for FrontRunner in Utah County the comments helped me see that I still…

  • Fallout from Statewide Four 10’s Schedule

    As I was riding the bus home yesterday there were very few riders. I overheard some people discussing it and suggesting that it might be related to the new four 10’s schedule of most government offices. That explanation makes sense to me. It also got me thinking about how wide an impact that could possibly…