Voice of Utah

• Southern Utahns: The law is the law! (Except the ones we don't like)

  There's probably a diagnostic code in the DSM for someone who voluntarily reads comments on the KSL.com forums (masochist comes to mind). I am often scared amazed at the sheer hostility exhibited by posters there, but at least they're consistent, I told myself.
  
  Not so. On the artifact-indictment case, [...]
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  Posted: June 12, 2009, 12:03pm EDT
  

• Sen. Hatch almost does something newsworthy

  Slow news day? That's the assumption when one sees a Tribune article about something that Sen. Orrin Hatch almost did that would warrant an article if he had done it, which he didn't.
  Sen. Hatch almost hit a pedestrian. He did the same thing that every one of us [...]
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  Posted: June 10, 2009, 9:08pm EDT
  

• Utah's home-developer welfare bill: as hypocritical as it looks?

  We're still amazed that our state legislators, who purport to decry government spending for private purposes, happily gifted their real-estate developer buddies with an almost gone $6,000 taxpayer-funded incentive for the purchase of new, unlived-in homes (i.e., for developers, not the poor schmucks trying to sell their existing homes).[...]
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  Posted: June 10, 2009, 9:49am EDT
  

• Herbert's Lt. Gov - the dumbest Trib poll yet

  On its website, the Salt Lake Tribune runs periodic "polls" to drum up clicks. I have never felt the urge to vote, but often find that I would not choose any of its options anyway, and they never offer None of the Above. This morning is a good example. The [...]
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  Posted: June 03, 2009, 7:03am EDT
  

• Crazy - now UTA can ticket you before you break the law

  There was an amazing item this morning in the Deseret News. It said:
  Now nonpaying passengers can be cited before they board TRAX. The Utah Transit Authority's board of directors approved a change Wednesday that allows officers to make random fare checks on train platforms. Agency staffers say UTA police' [...]
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  Posted: May 28, 2009, 8:15am EDT
  

• LDS Church, please relocate your Oquirrh Mountain temple

  Opening an envelope a while back, I noted that it was an invitation to tour another new temple. I usually make time for those, so I turned to my computer to enter the date, time, and--what?! It couldn't be. It said South Jordan, but 11022 South 4000 West looks like' [...]
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  Posted: May 20, 2009, 8:07pm EDT
  

• An ex-Utahn cleared after 22 years on death row - that's why we don't rush it, Mr. Shurtleff

  A few years ago, we read about a former Utahn, Paul Gregory House, whose death sentence for a 1985 murder in Tennessee had been upheld, even though almost half of the appeals court judges believed he was not guilty -- not just that reasonable doubt existed, but that he was [...]
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  Posted: May 12, 2009, 2:15pm EDT
  

• McMansion opponents: You're mad at the wrong people

  It must be extremely irritating to have someone move into a nice neighborhood full of conventionally sized homes, and then poke everyone in the eye with a hideous McMansion. Fortunately or unfortunately, however, we live in America. We have a right to do what we want with our property, as [...]
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  Posted: May 07, 2009, 10:49am EDT
  

• Jerry, yes it is

  Read an interesting piece last week by not-one-of-my-usual-favorites, Gordon Monson. In it, Monson disagreed with Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's pronouncement that it is not his job to motivate his players.
  
  I think it is, too. Yeah, they're professional, yeah, they should already be motivated, but sometimes you still have [...]
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  Posted: May 07, 2009, 10:24pm EDT
  

• A repost: The plight of the Enola Gay Hangar at Wendover

  We don't usually do this, but this week's news that the Enola Gay hangar at Wendover has been placed on the list of endangered landmarks prompts us to reprint a post from August 2007:
  
  This morning's Trib had a nice feature on Wendover, Utah. A couple of' [...]
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  Posted: May 02, 2009, 10:20am EDT
  

• Wow - the Minuteman guy finally admits it's about brown skin

  It's always interesting when the Minutemen guys say that their illegal immigration obsession isn't just anti-brown-skin racism. "Yeah, right," one thinks. "That's why your bunch lies in wait on the KSL.com website praying that the next mug shot will have a slightly darker tone."
  
  This morning, the Tribune's [...]
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  Posted: May 01, 2009, 11:44am EDT
  

• Pandemic: We owe former state Rep. Sylvia Andersen an apology

  Although we think the current swine flu threat is exaggerated (36,000 Americans die annually and hundreds of thousands are hospitalized with 'regular' flu), it does illustrate a need for preparedness.
  
  Which prompts a fess up. Like Karl Rove and Susan Collins (R-Maine), who ridiculed the inclusion of pandemic preparation [...]
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  Posted: April 30, 2009, 8:43am EDT
  

• Michigan GOP to Huntsman: If we wanted your opinion, we wouldn't be Republicans

  So, Utah presidential candidate Governor John Huntsman Jr. was disinvited from a county GOP fundraiser in Michigan for not toeing the GOP line on civil unions. Remember the days when individual Republicans could have differing views on things and still be welcomed into the Big Tent? Neither do we.
  [...]
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  Posted: April 29, 2009, 3:29pm EDT
  

• My take on yesterday's lovefest about Utah's judicial "fitness" requirement

  A kind third party bought me a seat yesterday at a function at the Alta Club called "Interpreting the Judicial Fitness Requirement under the Utah Constitution." Other than a whopper or two by Sen. Lyle Hillyard (R-Logan) and an occasional "B.S.-alert" from Rep. Kay McIff (R-Richfield), it was more of [...]
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  Posted: April 29, 2009, 11:09am EDT
  

• Super Dell or Super Dole?

  We weren't surprised to see that (self-named) "Super Dell" Schanze is back in court again. We were surprised to see that he apparently applied for, and was given, a court-appointed -- i.e., taxpayer-paid -- attorney.
  
  How could this be? According to the D-News, Schanze says he is' [...]
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  Posted: April 23, 2009, 6:10pm EDT
  

• Local media's inconsistent practice of naming names

  Yesterday, KSL/the Trib/the D-News announced that Salt Lake City cops had, once again, wasted taxpayer resources done some smashing law enforcement work, arresting a bunch of would-be prostitutes and johns on North Temple. This time, though, there was a twist: "They're going to name names!"
  
  Like the proverbial car' [...]
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  Posted: April 22, 2009, 8:52pm EDT
  

• What is wrong with all these Animal Control people?

  Do you have to be a nincompoop to work at Animal Control (sometimes misnamed "Animal Services"), or does it just help? Some examples:
  
  On KSL.com today: Animal Control in Providence was going door to door to check on dog licenses. Yeah, let's spend our time going after people' [...]
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  Posted: March 15, 2009, 9:26am EDT
  

• Once again, Mormons fall for a "low risk, high return" scam

  I know this happens with all affinity frauds, that someone uses a claimed affiliation with a church or entity to sucker fellow members. But good grief, how many times are Mormons going to fall for the "42 percent annual return with little or no risk" line? Yes, these people [...]
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  Posted: March 14, 2009, 9:24am EDT
  

• KSL airs a dumb report about insulation rebates

  An acquaintance was delighted a while back when an insulation contractor called her and explained that, if she qualified, she could get free insulation via a Questar / Rocky Mountain Power insulation rebate program. They blew insulation into her attic and she later noticed a drop in her energy usage, [...]
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  Posted: March 13, 2009, 8:31am EDT
  

• No wonder the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache forest service can't get firefighters

  Recently, an acquaintance said he had been musing about Barack Obama's call for sacrifice. When he read that the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache forest service needed seasonal firefighters, he decided to bite the bullet, even though he would probably lose money being away from his regular job. He's an ex-military firefighter, in great [...]
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  Posted: February 21, 2009, 9:18am EST
  

• Larry Miller's death - lessons may be learned

  It is a tribute to a man's influence when co-worker after co-worker call or come into your office, stunned, to say, "Larry Miller died." The last time -- actually, the only time -- I remember anything like it was when Elizabeth Smart was found.
  
  Others will comment on Miller's [...]
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  Posted: February 21, 2009, 10:10pm EST
  

• Why is Mitt Romney selling his Deer Valley mansion?

  We've been mulling it over since we read earlier this month that Mitt Romney's 9,514 square foot Park City mancave is for sale. Is Romneybot McMoneybags (TM Comedy Central) unloading his extra mansions to avoid a multiple-house-stigma in his next presidential run? At least some reports last summer opined that [...]
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  Posted: February 16, 2009, 11:09am EST
  

• Now we know who is *really* clogging Utah's courts

  Some interesting stories recently involving the case load in Utah's court system. Yesterday, D-News columnist Lee Benson mentioned that lawsuits by payday lenders comprise more than half of the Small Claims Court filings in Salt Lake County, and three-quarters of the filings in Utah County. Wow.
  
  And who is' [...]
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  Posted: February 16, 2009, 9:24am EST
  

• Why are Utah's GOP legislators singling out autism?

  Even after reading lots of press on Sen. Howard Stephenson's bill mandating coverage in private insurance policies for autism treatment, questions still arise:
  
  Why just autism? Yes, early treatment is (or may be) beneficial and save cost later, but the same is true of many medical conditions.
  Is it' [...]
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  Posted: February 12, 2009, 9:08pm EST
  

• Dear Utah cops: Fewer prostitution busts, more theft prevention, please

  Yesterday's D-News brought us news of another prostitution bust. Earlier this month, Salt Lake City cops snared dozens of would-be johns near North Temple and State Street, and State Street between 1300 South and 2100 South. On Wednesday, Murray police arrested four employees of The Pampered Male at' [...]
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  Posted: February 12, 2009, 12:05am EST
  

• I have finally figured out Chris Buttars' role in the Senate

  Years ago, I attended a social function with an eclectic group of invitees, including a member of an activist environmental group called Earth First! Chatting with him, he said something that put his group's "monkey wrenching" efforts into perspective: "Our job is to make the Sierra Club look reasonable."
  [...]
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  Posted: February 11, 2009, 10:19am EST
  

• Sen. Valentine starts to redeem himself

  Some of us who followed the Senate's torch-and-pitchfork confirmation hearings with Judge Robert Hilder were rather dismayed with Sen. John "He Hurt My Feelings" Valentine, who acknowledged that Hilder was qualified for the position, but voted no because Hilder had supposedly been disrespectful to the villagers.
  
  Valentine is partially' [...]
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  Posted: February 10, 2009, 7:34pm EST
  

• The incredible shrinking ethics bill

  We noticed in today's Deseret Morning News that -- prepare yourself -- Sen. John Valentine's ethics bill is getting smaller, and smaller, and smaller (kind of like Valentine's influence).
  
  According to the News, Valentine started out banning gifts over $10-15 to legislators. Then they could take the gifts,' [...]
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  Posted: February 03, 2009, 8:36pm EST
  

• Rep. Bigelow wants to eliminate continuing education for contractors - but why stop there?

  Rep. Ron Bigelow (R-West Valley) has proposed H.B. 249, which would eliminate the yearly continuing-education requirement for licensed contractors in Utah. Presently, that requirement is 6 hours of continuing education over a 2-year period.
  
  Continuing education requirements in Utah are a hodgepodge of micromanagement. Plumbers have no such [...]
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  Posted: January 25, 2009, 10:00am EST
  

• Utah should get first crack at the Guantanamo inmates

  So, Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha's offer to house Guantanamo detainees in his district is being evaluated as an economic opportunity for that state, apparently. Lots of federal dollars and jobs would be at stake, state reps note.
  
  We say no fair. Utah should have first dibs on housing' [...]
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  Posted: January 22, 2009, 6:02pm EST
  

• H.B. 224: Rep. Sandstrom wants lawsuits for swearing? (Seriously)

  H.B. 224, filed by Rep. Steve Sandstrom (R-Orem), is called "The Health Care Provider Abusive Work Environment Prohibition Act," and suffice it to say that Sandstrom might be an honored guest at the next Trial Lawyers convention.
  
  Under Sandstrom's bill, health care employees could sue employers (including governmental' [...]
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  Posted: January 22, 2009, 4:12pm EST
  

• Obama belts out a tune on Guantanamo?

  OK, it's a cheap shot taking advantage of a typo, but this headline from the Huffington Post earlier today was too hilarious:
  
  
  Obama - Yes We Can (Sing).
  
  ' [...]
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  Posted: January 22, 2009, 2:06pm EST
  

• Guns don't kill toilets, people kill toilets (in Utah)

  Some events provide so much ammunition (so to speak) for ridicule that it seems wrong to blog about them somehow. Candy from a baby, that kind of thing. Nah.
  
  This morning, some idiot in the restroom at a Carl's Jr. in Centerville let his concealed weapon drop out of' [...]
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  Posted: January 14, 2009, 11:49am EST
  

• Love Corroon, but Europe?

  We come to this post with admitted biases: We think most foreign travel by local officials is a waste of taxpayer money. We also think that Peter Corroon is a man of integrity. So, what to think about Corroon's trip to Europe with UTA reps and the mayors of Bountiful' [...]
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  Posted: January 14, 2009, 11:09pm EST
  

• What cuts are legislators proposing for themselves?

  Thank you to The Senate Site for posting the initial list of budget cuts recommended by staff. Reading through it, a lot of the cuts / deferments seemed to make sense, but we were particularly interested in what kind of self-sacrifice the Legislature has in mind to demonstrate leadership. [...]
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  Posted: January 13, 2009, 6:50pm EST
  

• Racial profiling by Utah Highway Patrol? Maybe, but...

  From a hospital bed (in true blogger spirit), VOU2 pointed out a story about Sherida Felders alleging racial profiling when a Utah Highway Patrol officer not only ticketed her for speeding, but had her get out of the car, asked her about drugs, made her wait for a drug-sniffing [...]
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  Posted: December 31, 2008, 5:26pm EST
  

• Zions, please kill the Boozer ad

  How does it go? "Something, something, determination, something. Zions - We haven't forgotten who keeps us in business." Who? 'cause it ain't Carlos Boozer.
  
  News flash: Carlos is going to have surgery and sit on his behind a few more months. What a shock. I admit it; I' [...]
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  Posted: December 30, 2008, 7:25pm EST
  

• Does this mean Oprah won't like my new heartwarming memoir?

  I am hoping that the revelation that Oprah has been fooled multiple times by really cool books that turn out to be really bogus won't cause her to pass up other classic stories waiting to be told. For example, I have just finished my memoirs, revealing for the first time' [...]
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  Posted: December 30, 2008, 11:05am EST
  

• The Matheson - Salt Lake Weekly feud makes Politico

  Checking out Politico this morning, I see that they've picked up on Rep. Jim Matheson (R-Utah)'s 3-year boycott of the Salt Lake City Weekly. Having read the original Holly Mullen column and the comments -- whew, some bitter feelings there -- I have a few thoughts:
  
  It [...]
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  Posted: December 30, 2008, 9:48am EST
  

• The Ashley Sparks murder - both sides of the story

  Two women were murdered in Salt Lake and Davis counties in the past few days. One was white, the other of Latin heritage. It didn't take long for a few of the KSL.com nutties to declare Ashley Sparks' death a tragedy, and Noemi Rodriguez's death basically what she gets for' [...]
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  Posted: December 29, 2008, 9:22am EST
  

• Utah vegetarians, beware the "egg-free" flu shot

  Recently, a full-page ad in the Tribune offered free no-egg flu shots to Utahns as part of a test program. To a vegetarian, it sounded great. Presently, flu shots are grown in fertilized eggs, which is incompatible with some Utahns' personal beliefs. If you are one of those vegetarians, just' [...]
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  Posted: December 16, 2008, 9:53pm EST
  

• The latest failed adoption in Utah

  It seems as though every month we read about some adoption that has gone awry. The latest is a couple who has to return a 6-month-old child to his Native American tribe.
  
  I'm sure the prospective parents are distraught, but I would be surprised if this result was' [...]
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  Posted: December 14, 2008, 11:29pm EST
  

• Utah political humor: the Constitutional Convention's greatest hits

  For anyone who likes political humor, you can't beat Utah's own state constitutional framers. Thanks to Ric Cantrell, who pointed us to the online 1895 Constitutional Convention proceedings, I spent some time this evening enjoying clever and passionate dialogue about pressing issues of the day. Tonight, I want to [...]
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  Posted: December 10, 2008, 8:26pm EST
  

• Why do fire trucks show up when there's no fire?

  The other day I was driving down 500 South when I saw a large fire truck and an ambulance at the corner of 300 West. I wondered if the Alberto's was on fire, but as I approached the red light, I saw that they were attending to a guy lying [...]
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  Posted: December 10, 2008, 9:48am EST
  

• This Layton guy gets the Best Mugshot Award

  This pizza parlor proprietor from Layton is a tax cheat who was just sentenced to 90 days in jail and restitution. But doesn't he look like a nice guy?
  
  [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2008, 9:03pm EST
  

• Utah's economy: It's Rep. Carol Spackman Moss's fault for not going to China

  A year and a half ago, Utah House majority leader Dave Clark (R-Santa Clara) told Utahns it was essential to Utah's economy that he and 13 other legislator-types spend taxpayer money gallivanting around China. His argument was so persuasive that we lambasted Rep. Carol Spackman Moss (D-SLC) for deciding [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2008, 9:52am EST
  

• Utah's schizophrenic legislative openness (& a request to Ric Cantrell)

  In some ways, public access to our state legislative process is remarkable. In just the past few years, we have been able to follow our legislature much more closely. Utahns have gone from "What are the SOBs doing?" to "What are those SOBs doing?!"
  The state website has searchable [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2008, 9:01pm EST
  

• Blackwater guards: Utahns won't mind a little babykilling

  I find it interesting that five Blackwater guards accused of improperly killing 17 Iraqi civilians have surrendered in Utah in the hope of being tried here. The Department of Justice can't complaint about forum shopping - it did the same thing a few years ago, choosing Utah as its favorite [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2008, 10:00am EST
  

• Sen. Buttars, please do something about the LDS Family History Library

  Yesterday, patrons of the LDS Family History Library were slapped in the face repeatedly as the Church repeatedly refused to recognize Christmas as the only legitimate Decemberish holiday. "It totally ruined genealogy for me," said Voice of Utah 2. "I could barely force myself to eat the free cookies and [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2008, 9:58am EST
  

• Sen. John Valentine: I didn't want a position, I just had a temper tantrum

  I used to think that Sen. John Valentine (R-Utah County) was one of the better ones, and that I might actually support him if I ever lived in his district (in other words, if he ran for statewide office). But then he completely sold out on the Hilder / Court [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2008, 9:51am EST
  

• Nutter Buttars: "Happy Hanukkah" or else

  A few years ago, while chatting with an acquaintance, I asked if her company had a Sub-for-Santa program. Yes, she said, but "We call it something else. Two of our partners are Jewish." Oh, yeah. There is more than one religion in Utah. I forget sometimes.
  So does Sen. Chris [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2008, 9:01am EST
  

• Sen. Howard Stephenson: Micro-manager or what?

  If you wander over to the website of Sen. Howard Stephenson (R-Business Taxpayers Association) and click on "Proper Role of Government," you get a 1968 speech by Ezra Taft Benson that ends by urging Americans to take a stand against communism. That's it.
  
  Frankly, it doesn't surprise us [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2008, 12:01pm EST
  

• School board "winner" Bateman: I forgot where I was going to live

  The winner of today's "Yeah, Right" Award: State School Board sort-of-member Kyle Bateman, who suddenly realized he wasn't qualified, residence-wise, to actually be on the board. "Is my face red," Bateman says. "It never occurred to me to think about whether I lived in the right district before I [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2008, 8:53am EST
  

• Oddities of the Judge Hilder confirmation fight

  Rumors are swirling around the legal community about the odd behavior of one member of the committee that recommended the confirmation of Judge Robert Hilder to the Court of Appeals last week -- and, for once, they're not about Sen. Chris Buttars. This time, the rumors are about Sen. Lyle [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2008, 9:31pm EST
  

• Is Buttars about to be Buttars again?

  Rumor buzzing around Utah's legal community (well, the Salt Lake community at least) is that some GOP legislators didn't learn anything from razor-thin re-election margins and are going to continue their old ways tomorrow.
  
  On Friday morning, Gov. Huntsman's appointee to the Court of Appeals vacancy, Robert K. Hilder, [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2008, 8:49am EST
  

• Wow - Trisha Beck pulls it off against Lavar Christensen

  The last time Trisha Beck and Lavar Christensen clashed in District 48, Christensen won by 34 votes. Heady with his landslide victory, Christensen offered himself up to Jim Matheson in the 2006 Congressional election, in which, coincidentally, he received about 34 votes.
  
  Tonight, Round 2 went to Beck, a [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2008, 12:52am EST
  

• Hey, Curtis, maybe Checketts has an opening

  Now that King Greg has been dethroned, I can't help but worry about the poor guy's future. Doesn't Parents for Choice in Education owe him a favor? Or how about parking attendant at a soccer stadium? Meanwhile, I guess he can live off that $300,000+ campaign chest for a few [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2008, 11:01pm EST
  

• Sorry, Horiuchi, you're just too - what is the word?

  'Corrupt' is probably too strong. And 'special-interestized' doesn't get past my spell check. I guess we'll borrow the characterization made by a Democratic lunch companion the other day: "In the pocket of developers."
  
  This lifelong Democrat was a little chagrined at admitting that he had voted for Horiuchi, but [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2008, 9:45am EDT
  

• KSL radio 1-4 p.m. -- required listening (for some)

  When it comes to political pundits, VoU2 and I agree on a lot: Neither one of us can stand Keith Olbermann or Bill O'Reilly. We both like Rachel Maddow. But one area where we don't see eye to eye is listening to KSL Radio (102.7 FM) in the afternoon.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2008, 3:35pm EDT
  

• The most ironic headline for a Utahn to see

  Wandering over to Google News instead of while working diligently, I had to laugh out loud at a Washington Post headline:
  
  GOP candidates warn voters about perils of one-party rule
  
  I look forward to Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz sounding that alarm here in Utah... [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2008, 1:05pm EDT
  

• Early voting in Utah: Where are the hecklers?

  We're so dull. Early voters in North Carolina get heckled as "cheaters" and ungodly and such. But when I voted early yesterday, all I got was an "Excuse me" as someone passed by on the stairs in the parking garage. Lines around the block, and not a "Nobama, ya [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2008, 12:20am EDT
  

• Hillary! (in Utah)

  Well, we didn't get her during the primary, but on Saturday we will, apparently. Here is the website to sign up. Speaking as a couple of Clinton Supporters for Obama, we're looking forward to her appearance -- a bit mystified, but looking forward to it. We can hear [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2008, 10:06pm EDT
  

• Bill Dew: the GOP's latest wink at Matheson

  A while back, local media mentioned that the GOP isn't helping much with the campaign of Jim Matheson's opponent, Bill Something. Granted, Matheson has so much cash and such a huge lead that writing checks to TheGOPGuy would be a waste. But let's face it: Jim "I Heart Guantanamo" Matheson [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2008, 8:28pm EDT
  

• What is with Comcast's nightly Daily Show interruption?

  Utah viewers of Jon Stewart's The Daily Show may have noticed that our "weekly" Emergency Alert System test seems to have become a nightly EAS test, repeating several times a week lately. Last night, both the 9 p.m. and midnight airings were interrupted by the "weekly" test, cutting off up [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2008, 9:42am EDT
  

• Mayor Becker sticks his nose into my lunch

  Being a creature of habit -- and surrounded by fast-disappearing restaurants in the downtown area -- I tend to eat lunch at the same place most days. But can I do that tomorrow? Nooooooo, because Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker says I can't. Well, I could, but then I [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2008, 6:48pm EDT
  

• Carlene Walker vs. Karen Morgan in Senate 8: bummer of a race

  It is unfortunate that two capable, likeable women who want to be a state senator both happen to live in District 8. Most other senate races that we're following don't have two candidates for whom we could comfortably vote.
  
  Carlene Walker is relatively moderate, and sometimes does nutty things [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2008, 5:47pm EDT
  

• Did Sandy get outmaneuvered on the "Broadway" theater?

  Noticed two interesting things in the news today:
  
  In the first article, Sandy City council member Steve Smith dared to buck Mayor Tom "almost lost my last election" Dolan, suggesting that maybe Sandy should admit that "calling the theater privately funded is 'just semantics' because ultimately Sandy would [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2008, 5:08pm EDT
  

• Dr. James Brinton - keeping Utah medicine interesting

  Noticed a familiar name in a KSL story this evening: Dr. James A. Brinton, a Utah County physician. This guy is a walking headline. Ten years ago, the Utah Supreme Court upheld IHC's decision to revoke his hospital privileges based on concerns about his health care, including questions involving [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2008, 10:50pm EDT
  

• Those false burglar alarms in Draper

  Interesting article today about police in Cottonwood Heights, Draper, and elsewhere having to respond to a lot of false burglar alarms. According to the article, 98 percent of burglar alarm activations are false, caused by human error, weather, pets, etc. On average, owners have one false alarm per year [...]
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  Posted: October 06, 2008, 8:53am EDT
  

• Back from hiatus - Utah politics as usual

  Geez, you go on hiatus for a few months, and all heck breaks out in local politics. Where to start...
  
  

  • Former TV news anchor Phil Riesen (D-Salt Lake) leaks a story to TV news that Greg Hughes (R-Draper) told another representative that, wink wink, if she would vote [...]
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  Posted: October 04, 2008, 9:10am EDT
  

• Hiatus

  We've already been on a quasi-hiatus, but now it's official. VoU1 is busy on a several-month project, and VoU2 is helping. So you won't have VoU1 to kick around any more (for a while, anyway). [...]
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  Posted: May 26, 2008, 9:55am EDT
  

• From two Hillary supporters: Give it up

  The time has come. Extract your price (Secretary of State?) and bow out.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: May 07, 2008, 8:34pm EDT
  

• Matheson: Unlabeled dishes No, torture Yes

  Taking time out from voting to torture people and detain them indefinitely without charges, Congressman Jim Matheson has taken another hard stance, this time on dishware. Matheson is hitting China hard for adding extra mineral to our diets, insisting that lead-happy dishmakers label the leadware that they ship over [...]
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  Posted: April 29, 2008, 12:56am EDT
  

• How high is Sandy's cost of living if the city administrator can't live on $151,000?

  Thanks to the Trib's persistence in prying bonus figures out of Sandy City administrators' cold undead fingers, we now know that Mayor Tom Dolan and his 12 buddies sit around giving each other bonuses on a regular basis. (Boy, won't the Utah Taxpayers Association be all over that!)
  
  [...]
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  Posted: April 26, 2008, 9:52am EDT
  

• Should Harmon's provide armed guards?

  $7.64--"For these?" It offended my sensibilities, but I didn't have the juevos (sorry, Minutemen) to tell the Harmon's checker, "Nevermind. I declare these grapes to be overpriced." Instead, I carried my purchase to my car, clutching it to my side lest someone try to nab my booty. And when I [...]
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  Posted: April 25, 2008, 11:02pm EDT
  

• Texas: We're taking good care of all 416 -- er, 425 -- er, 437 kids

  The State of Texas continues to impress with the individualized attention it is paying all them FLDS types. Today, Texas officials disclosed that they were only off 21 in the number of kids they have in custody. 437, 416, who's counting? (Not Texas, apparently.)
  
  [...]
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  Posted: April 21, 2008, 7:09pm EDT
  

• $1,000+ hookup fee for UTOPIA? That's insane!

  I've largely been a proponent of the UTOPIA concept, and was optimistic that it might become available in my new home, but this quote from this morning's Trib is enough to make anyone slam on the brakes:
  
  

  Utopia's board of directors is developing a new business model it [...]

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  Posted: April 20, 2008, 11:59am EDT
  

• Sutherland Institute to host flat earth conference

  The Sutherland Institute is celebrating Earth Day by hosting a week-long conference urging more oil dependency and nuclear waste. A booming green industry hurts the economy and hurts the poor, says Institute president Paul Mero. "I mean, just think about it: global warming could mean having to buy one [...]
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  Posted: April 19, 2008, 8:17am EDT
  

• Voting against one's economic interests: Dumb when you're poor, principled when you're wealthy?

  This is not a comment on the recent Obama/bitter controversy, but the context in which that arose did bring to mind a conversation I had with a Utah acquaintance a while back. Musing about some low-income friends who consistently vote Republican solely because of their passion for guns, he wondered, [...]
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  Posted: April 16, 2008, 10:41pm EDT
  

• It's not easy remodeling green - recommendations for green contractors, architects, engineers?

  Either my Google skills are deteriorating, or there aren't that many green-oriented contractors, architects, and engineers for residences in the Salt Lake area. I found several for businesses, but not many for homes, and some of those just do new construction, not remodeling. Does anyone have personal experience with any, [...]
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  Posted: April 12, 2008, 8:48pm EDT
  

• Those Tanner Transmission ads

  I've just been subjected to seen my 5,000th Tanner Transmission commercial -- you know, the one where the guy turns toward the camera and scowls, "Leadership: It comes from acting by doing." Sheesh, you'd think he was leading the Great Raid on Cabanatuan or something instead of offering us all [...]
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  Posted: April 11, 2008, 12:03am EDT
  

• Qwest says, "What's this fiber thing?"

  First, Qwest actively campaigned against UTOPIA and its lightning-fast fiber. That didn't kill it. Then it sued UTOPIA, but that didn't kill it either. So now Qwest has announced that maybe it will have to consider, sigh, actually offering fiber to those annoying customers who like their internet speedy.
  [...]
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  Posted: April 10, 2008, 9:15am EDT
  

• 'Sexually suggestive ads' on D-News site - ironic ad placement?

  In this morning's D-News, a letter writer complains of the "sexually suggestive" advertising on the News' website. Wonder how she liked seeing her letter:
  [...]
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  Posted: April 09, 2008, 8:27am EDT
  

• Horiuchi's developer buddies fill up the trough

  First, a laugh-out-loud moment from the Trib this morning:
  
  Salt Lake County mayor Peter Corroon has raised nearly $148,000 for his re-election campaign. GOP opponent Michael Renckert has raised $700. That roughly resembles the anticipated margin of Corroon's victory.
  
  Now, a groan-out-loud moment:
  
  Randy "Never met [...]
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  Posted: April 08, 2008, 9:01pm EDT
  

• Hundreds detained, 400 children removed--can't wait to see *that* warrant!

  A lot of the court filings are still under seal, but there must have been something really amazing about the anonymous call that sparked the FLDS raids in Texas. Otherwise, we're having a hard time figuring out how one report of one underage marriage (which should be fully prosecuted) would [...]
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  Posted: April 08, 2008, 11:22pm EDT
  

• Silliest spin of the quarter (Utah's flat tax)

  One of those laugh-out-loud moments (not in a good way): The Trib ran an article this morning about how everyone except rich people will pay significantly higher taxes under Utah's new flat-tax option, but the State hasn't publicized that little fact. Governor Huntsman's spokesperson Lisa Roskelley then gave the [...]
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  Posted: April 02, 2008, 7:34am EDT
  

• Sen. Howard Stephenson rates himself perfect

  Sen. Howard Stephenson's organization, the Utah (Business-)Taxpayers Association, has rated Sen. Howard Stephenson perfect when it comes to (business-friendly) tax issues. According to the trib, Stephenson denied having input into the bills his organization considered in rating legislators, but the employee didn't get the memo, apparently: He said Stephenson [...]
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  Posted: March 29, 2008, 8:32am EDT
  

• For the record, I have the Lady Utes beating Tennessee

  Yeah, the University of Utah women's team got royally screwed by the NCAA tournament selection committee. And yeah, most of my upset predictions in the men's tourney haven't come true (curse you, Duke!). But hey, I'm an optimist. Elaine Elliott's Lady Utes have to beat Purdue at home first, [...]
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  Posted: March 22, 2008, 8:20pm EDT
  

• Hotel internet ripoffs

  Why is it that, when I stay in overpriced hotels I have to pay for internet access, but in "cheap" hotels it's free? [...]
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  Posted: March 21, 2008, 7:50pm EDT
  

• Obama's speech (the text) & why he has to do it - UPDATE: Is he on valium?

  Fortunately, the Huffington Post posted Obama's speech at 8:15 a.m., the end of the embargo period. I couldn't wait much longer to go into work. Here's the text.
  
  Yesterday, I didn't think there would be any need for this. As I listened to Sean Hannity in the car [...]
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  Posted: March 18, 2008, 8:52am EDT
  

• Should we send our Utah legislators to Tibet?

  Protests, oppression, human rights violations. Sounds like a job for the China 14, the intrepid Utah legislators and staffers who risked their own -- well, actually nothing -- on a taxpayer-funded boondoggle to China last summer. In addition to all that trade they would generate for Utah, one justification of [...]
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  Posted: March 18, 2008, 10:32pm EDT
  

• Bagpipers downtown -- be careful (one of the funniest jokes of all time)

  Saw this at the corner of 400 South and West Temple today . . .
  
  . . . and immediately thought of a joke someone e-mailed us once. It still makes me laugh out loud and can also serve as a word of warning, lest [...]
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  Posted: March 17, 2008, 7:59pm EDT
  

• My own brush with real estate fraud

  During recent house-hunting adventures, I concluded that a lot of realtors in Utah are, well, hacks. Time and again, I got no return call on a house I was interested in. Other agents seem to think that playing hard to get is a good strategy, especially on KSL.com and Craigslist. [...]
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  Posted: March 15, 2008, 9:58am EDT
  

• Utah legislators' next subpoena: the LDS Church?

  As we know, the Utah House of Representatives has branched out into criminal investigations, since that wussy Attorney General's office apparently won't do it. 45 House members have demanded SUWA's financial records because an ex-trustee and treasurer of the organization were convicted of fraud.
  
  We are presently compiling [...]
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  Posted: March 14, 2008, 8:24pm EDT
  

• Shoot, we should have bid on the Sandy theater

  Darn it! From what Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan was saying, we thought there would be so many people wanting to produce Les Mis in Sandy that the city would have to hire a temp to sift through all the applications. Alas, they didn't end up with quite as many [...]
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  Posted: March 14, 2008, 10:08am EDT
  

• Paul Mero shows a sense of humor (send us your photos!)

  In response to this morning's post about the Sutherland Institute, a not-infrequent target of barbs on this blog, director Paul Mero showed some good humor by offering to send us a new photo to use in our future, er, analyses. Yea! We do want to avoid monotony in using the [...]
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  Posted: March 14, 2008, 10:28pm EDT
  

• Gotta give the Sutherland Institute credit (urging SB 81 veto)

  The Sutherland Institute is one of our favorite targets subjects on this blog. But, on the theory of credit where credit is due, we have to give them a thumbs up for their position on SB 81, the illegal immigration bill. (Hat tip to Tom's KVNU For the People.)
  [...]
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  Posted: March 13, 2008, 8:40am EDT
  

• Why are Utahns such suckers?

  KSL's piece on the latest fraud news out of Utah mentions the propensity of many residents, especially LDS members, to fall for anyone in a suit who promises low risk and high returns. Ironically, we have a state full of gamblers. The same people who would be aghast at [...]
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  Posted: March 12, 2008, 9:22am EDT
  

• Utah women are under-represented in sex scandals

  The Elliot Spitzer prostitute scandal illustrates an ongoing problem here in our own state. Last August, during the Sen. Larry Craig lovefest, we tried to come up with a list of Utah's sex scandals. Some astute readers filled in gaps, but one thing became clear: There is a glass [...]
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  Posted: March 11, 2008, 8:16pm EDT
  

• Utahns, let's turn in our friends and co-workers

  Quite a few of our friends will be participating in a March Madness pool this month. Now that Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has reminded us that March Madness pools are illegal in Utah, we feel no choice but to report our friends to law enforcement. After all, it's [...]
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  Posted: March 11, 2008, 10:48am EDT