Curbside Recycling

Would you pay $5/month for curbside recycling? Or do you already feel nickel & dimed by the government?

I ask these questions as I contemplate my city, which is without curbside recycling. I have been following Woods Cross' new curbside recycling program. From my understanding it costs residents less that $5/month. But I have yet to look into how limited the program is. I don't know if it includes just newspaper and glass, or also 1-5 plastics. Bountiful has been contemplating a program, but there has already been an outcry from citizens about being nickel and dimed.

For me, $5/month would be a steal. Everywhere else we have lived we have been required to have curbside recycling and it has cost closer to $10/month. It would save me from loading all my recycling into my car and driving down to the recycling center to then dump it all in the right bins.

Would you take advantage of a curbside program? What is the maximum you would be willing to pay? If you have curbside recycling, how much does it cost, how often do they pick up, and what items do they accept? Any other thoughts?

Thoughts on the Caucus

Last night I attended my first neighborhood caucus. I decided on attending the Democratic Caucus in my neighborhood, since I prefer my voter registration to remain unaffiliated. I was pleasantly surprised when I entered the music room at Syracuse Jr. High and found roughly 50 people there. Those from my generation (20s-30s) were grossly outnumbered by those our grandparent's age. I was disappointed by that.

Not understanding exactly how chairs, vice chairs, and delegates were to be elected, I assumed that this mass of people would chose one of each of the mentioned positions. I was surprised when that group of 50 had to divide up into 20+ smaller precinct groups.

My precinct was represented by myself and one other woman in her 80s. We filled out all the necessary paperwork, but both declined positions.

The process was quick, I left just a little after 8. I did feel the excitement Democrats are feeling in Utah this year. It really could be a good year to shake up a few districts, as well as get a Democrat as a Davis County Commissioner. I met the gentleman from my district challenging Rep. Ray, Ben Wofford. He has an uphill race ahead of him.

I was glad that I attended, and look forward to other ways to be involved in the future.

7pm Tonight

Tonight both the Republicans & Democrats hold their district caucuses at 7pm. There has been encouragement from the newspapers, the LDS church, and today even at Zion's bank all the employees were wearing stickers reminding patrons to attend the caucuses.

What to expect: At these local meetings, you will meet people who are campaigning to represent your district at the state level. They may give short speeches, or speak to you before the meeting begins. Then you'll vote for who you think will best represent your neighborhood.

Caucuses are done by legislative district, for example I live in Rep. Ray's district, district 13. So I will go either to the Republican Caucus at Sunset Jr. High or the Democratic Caucus at Syracuse Jr. High. If you are not registered as a Republican, you will need to change your registration at the caucus. If you go to the Democratic Caucus you can be either a Democrat or unaffiliated. I hope you will take the time to attend, and that you will find it worth your while. For where to go, see below:

Republicans: http://home.utgop.org/page.php
Democrats: http://www.utdemocrats.org/ht/d/sp/i/1139834/pid/1139834

Head of the State

Who do you want running the state? Here is a brief overview of your choices.

Gov. Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. (R) www.huntsman08.com
Elected in 2004, Huntsman has enjoyed a 64% approval rating (source). As with most incumbents, 4 more years of Gov. Huntsman will likely hold no surprises. I must say I appreciate a governor who has stayed scandal-free, especially with all the news of late.

Charles "Chuck" Smith (R) www.chucksmithforgovernor.com
Chuck Smith's website is still under construction, but does have some information. His vision is to multiply all working Utahn's income by 4 times in 4 years, reducing the cost of living & taxes, and solve problems in health care, crime & moral issues, money for schools & teachers, economy, and transportation. It looks like he plans to upload some video onto the site, maybe it will give some explanation of how he plans to implement this vision.

Bob Springmeyer (D)
Bob Springmeyer is the candidate with the Democratic Party's endorsement. I loved that he said in the Trib, "Probably the only thing crazier than sliding headfirst down a bobsled track at 70 miles per hour is running against Jon Huntsman" (source). It sounds like he realizes what he is up against, but I appreciate that he is willing to put himself out there to give us all another viable choice. Springmeyer is running for governor because he knows as a state we can do better. He specifically mentioned the high school drop out rates in Salt Lake & Ogden school districts, the number of uninsured Utahns, middle-class families being squeezed financially and wage levels. (source)

Matt Frandsen (D) www.utahtax.org
Matt Frandsen's name may be familiar to some. He ran for a seat in the Utah House of Representatives in 2006. From the above website, it seems Matt Frandsen's platform is centered on the new income tax laws going into effect this coming year. It argues that the new tax system will impose higher income tax rates on lower income tax payers. His website is actually a PowerPoint Presentation on the tax issue.

Monty "Millionaire" Nafoosi (D) www.montynafoosi.com
If you read my previous post on Monty Nafoosi, I don't know if there is much more to add.

"SUPERDELL" Dell Schanze (L) www.totallyawesome.com
Yes, it is Dell from Totally Awesome Computers. While running as a Libertarian, we have to suppose that it will be his own take on their platform. He has started a blog, where he wrote:

Yes I have an unusual personality and create an emotional response with pretty much everyone that experiences my flavor but in the end people know I’m me and that I just want to do everything I can to help them. Love me or hate me, you know for sure that I am really me.

Well, if we know the real Dell from his commercials and other antics, it will be easy to make the decision if we should vote for him (or not).

***Make sure you are registered to vote***

Election Coverage

Filing for state offices closed on Monday. Most races will see some competition. Since the primary will eliminate candidates from the same party, I will concentrate first on races where there are multiple Democrats or Republicans running. Quite a few candidates represent third parties as well. Both the Constitutional and Libertarian Party will have a decent showing on the ballot. If you are interested to learn more about either of these parties, check out their websites:

Constitutional Party of Utah: http://www.cputah.org/
Libertarian Party of Utah: http://www.lputah.org/

This election, like many others, is filled with rematches, party-switchers, familiar faces from the past and interesting characters.

No Contest

The last day to file for State seats is Monday, March 17th. As of right now there are still quite a few candidates running unopposed. It is always nice to have choices. I hope that a few more qualified people will brave the election madness and give us some options. The following offices have currently only 1 person running for them:

State Auditor
Utah Senate Districts: 14, 16, 23
Utah House Districts: 1,2,3,4,10,13,17,18,19,23,26,28,36,37,39,44,47,52,53,56,65,66,67,71,74
No one has filed in Utah House District 70 (Richfield).

Many of these seats are held by incumbents, but not all. There are even a few Democrats running unopposed. I know I would love to see another choice in my district, but as of yet no one has come forward. If you know of anyone sitting on the fence, go give them a shove. With this being a presidential election year the increased voter turnout could give more people a shot at winning.

Questions for Candidates

As we begin to look at the candidates that are filing for office, let's discuss what issues are important to Utah Moms. Here is a tentative list of questions I would like to know the answers to. Please add to it by commenting below, I am sure I have forgotten some important things.

Education:
What are your education priorities?
If you support the following, explain how do you plan to implement it: vouchers, increasing the WPU, paying teachers more, reducing class sizes, more early childhood education, longer school years, or accountability?
How do you feel about charter schools? Where should their funding come from?
How will you support home-schoolers?
What was your feeling on the education omnibus bill of 2008?
Do you support the current abstinence only programs in public schools?
How will you keep higher education affordable in Utah?

Ethics
Should the Utah Legislature change the conflict of interest laws that apply to them?
Should a bipartisan committee exist to investigate ethics complaints?

Environment:
Does nuclear waste have a place in Utah?
How can we improve the air quality in Utah? Is that a priority?

Immigration:
What is the best way for the state to address this issue?

Health:
What would be the best health care reform for Utahns?

Families:
What legislation would best benefit Utah families?

Transportation:
With Utah's growth, what would be the best way to accommodate the increasing numbers of commuters?

Taxes:
How do you feel about the current tax levels on income, sales and property?

Priorities:
What are your priorities for your district and for the state?
What propelled you to run for office this year?

Email & Invitation

Yesterday I posted a short paragraph on Cowboy Ted Hallisey, a candidate for the Utah House in Kane County. This morning I received an email from Cowboy Ted, stating he felt I misrepresented him as a 'gun totting rough guy'. He wrote:

"I guess I opened myself up for public scrutiny when I declared candidacy - but I actually am not a member of the NRA, nor do I support Noel's plea for vigilante justice in Kane County and I teach kids about safety at school and I highlight the fact that cowboys and everyone else have no need or right to carry guns and that all kids deserve to be safe from bullies......
I would like the opportunity to clarify any misperceptions you may have about me.
My only platform in this campaign - is legislation that makes Utah a safe place for kids."

I have invited Cowboy Ted to guest post here on his platform, his motivations for running and more about the work he has done with keeping kids healthy. I hope he'll take me up on it, I think it would be a benefit for us all if he did. I am afraid I am not the only one that sees the name 'cowboy' and has certain characteristics associated with that title. Ted Hallisey is going to have to work hard to break that stereotype. Here's a link to his website: www.cowboyted.com.

A Millionaire, A Cowboy and More

The filings for state offices have begun. Many of the usual suspects have signed up, but what you have to love is the obscure. It wouldn't be an election without a few characters.

Monty 'Millionaire' Nafoosi is challenging Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. for his office. Nafoosi's website (http://www.montyfafoosi.com/) is intriguing in and of itself. Here's my favorite quote from the first page:

"Joseph Smith wanted me to tell you that there should be an electric car in every garage.”

Nafoosi's plan seems to be to get an electric car into the home of every Utah family. Don't worry it will only cost you a $10,000 one time property tax payment. But after you see how great it is that we all drive electric cars and are less dependent on oil, you will think this money was a great investment. To compensate you, Nafoosi also plans to double the value of your home through 'government intervention'.

Surprisingly, Democrats are saying that they did not ask Nafoosi to run. Nafoosi is actually a registered Republican. But I doubt that party would claim him either.

“Cowboy" Ted Hallisey has filed to run against Rep. Mike Noel from Kanab. "Cowboy Ted" is actually a former educator and has a Master's Degree from Utah State. He does motivational speaking for elementary school students, and has written 2 books. "Cowboy Ted" would probably be a pretty good fit for the Utah Legislature. They love the gun totten' rough guys from Dixie. At one time there was even a 'Cowboy Caucus' in the Legislature. It has waned in the last few years. "Cowboy Ted" may be able to revive that. (http://www.cowboyted.com/)

P.S. As I begin to cover the local races, it would be helpful to know where the majority of you live, so I can concentrate on those elections. Just click the poll on the left to give me an idea of where you are at. Thanks!

For Better or Worse: It's Over

It lasted up until the final seconds, the last bill in the House being voted on 27 seconds before midnight. Here's what lived, what died, and how it will effect you.

What will go into effect on July 1st:

• Your children will have to be in child restraint devices until the age of 8 (HB 140)
• The $1,000 Scholarships for every high school student meeting certain requirements passed, but was underfunded. Instead of $7.5 million, it was provided with only $900,000 (SB 180). How do you think that will work?
• The speed limit between Nephi and Parowan has the okay to be raised to 80 mph (HB 406).
• All teachers get that $1700 raise and the WPU will increase 2.5 %. Math and Science teachers will see larger raises.
• Every child eligible for CHIPs can now enroll. The cap on enrollment has been dissolved.
• A few more restrictions have been placed on direct entry midwives, though not as many as originally proposed.

What didn't make it through:

• The bill allowing home school students and private school students to play sports at their local public school died on the House calendar at midnight (SB 37).
• A bill giving schools grants to reduce sizes in grades K-3 failed, even after another attempt last night to amend the education omnibus bill to include it instead of an at-home software program for preschoolers.
• In-state tuition will still be available for illegal immigrant students who attended at least 3 years of public school here (HB 241).
• Smoking in the car with your kids is a dumb thing to do, but is not against the law (SB 14)

Overall it was a productive session. I have enjoyed writing this blog during the session, and look forward to providing you now with election information. Thanks for all your input and participation!

Memories of a Frantic Last Night of the Session

Tonight is the last night of the session. It made me remember a night long ago in 2001, when as an intern for the Utah House I was running around the halls until midnight. Here's my favorite memory from those days:

It was, as I said, the last night of the session. It was a crazy frantic rush as I tried to keep my Representative updated on everything going on over in the Senate with her bills. I spent most of the night sprint-walking between the two chambers.

On one of those quick jaunts, I was walking along talking to an intern at my left. We were quickly speeding toward the House floor, and I was looking at him as we went. So there I was, walking, talking, and suddenly I run into someone. Not just a mere brush of the shoulders, but hard enough I fear I knocked the person to the floor. My momentum had carried me a few feet past by the time I stopped and looked back. There sprawled on the floor was the Governor Mike Leavitt being helped up by his entourage.

Honestly, what are the chances of taking out the governor! Especially with so many lobbyists choking the hall. I must admit, I didn't go back and apologize. I decided instead to fade into the crowd and keep my embarrassment to myself. (Which didn't work because the whole scene was witnessed by the other intern, who cheerfully shared the story with everyone that night)

A similar thing happened to a friend of mine when she was an intern in Washington D.C. Only she was hurrying out of the ladies room when she smacked the bathroom door into the face of an unsuspecting Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Who Should Decide Where the Money Goes?

With $25 million for education still up for grabs the debate rages, who should decide where that money goes? Should it be allocated to programs by the Legislature? Or should each district decide where they could use the money best?

An education 'omnibus' bill has been written, combining numerous pieces of legislation (some of which already failed in committee) and spending the $25 million on programs of the Legislature's choosing. These programs include the raise for science and math teachers that failed in committee and the funding of a technology based program for preschool aged children. Education lobbyists have pressed instead for the $25 million to be added to the WPU (weighted pupil unit), resulting in each district deciding for themselves what would be best served. Some districts may apply the money to buses, reducing class sizes, aides, or technology.

The problem with an omnibus bill is that it is a mess of good and bad legislation. While I realize that time is running low on this session, that time should be spent on the 'good' rather than the lumped together. Every district in the state knows it's needs the best. Instead of more programs I would rather see an increase in the quality of existing teachers, schools, facilities and opportunities.

Budget

The budget is about complete. Here are some of the earmarks you mights find interesting:

Education
$100,000 for the I.B. Program (down from the $300k originally asked for, but finally some legislators realized this is a great program, one even Gov. Huntsman's son is a part of at West High)
$100,000 Head Start Funding
There will be a 2.5% increase in the WPU and teachers will get a $1700 raise. They are still negotiating about a one time $25 million that would raise the WPU about a percent.

Recreation & Arts
$107,000 Provo's Freedom Festival
$25,000 Antelope Island's Balloon Festival
$50,000 Heber Valley Railroad
$50,000 Utah Cowboy Hall of Fame in Ogden (yee-haw)
$357,000 Thanksgiving Point Museum
$350,000 "We Shall Remain" Native American documentary
$178,000 Ballet West & Capitol Theater
$100,000 Gunnison Community Theater Restoration

Etc.
$75, 000 for public education program about Autism & developmental disabilities
$178,500 Meth decontamination program
$100,000 Eye Care for Kids

And my "favorite": $150,000 for study on a road over Utah Lake. Like we can't already guess what that feasibility study will show? (If you thought environmentalists raised a ruckus over the Legacy Highway, you'll love to hear what they have to say about this project.) Source