Magic Valley Mormon

• California: "Think of it as a forced, interest-free loan"

  I'm an accountant. As such I've done tax returns in the past as part of my employment, and still do a few here and there each year. One of my biggest pet peeves is people having a large withholding balance at year end when they don't really need one. See,' [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 11:30am EST
  

• Sutherland Institute's Prosperity Forum: Utah's Budget

  I attended the Sutherland forum on the state budget this afternoon. The panelists were Representative Rob Bigelow, Salt Lake Chamber president Lane Beattie, Deputy State Superintendent Dr. Martell Menlove, and former Governor Norm Bangerter.
  
  Lane Beattie spoke first, stating that this is "one of the most difficult years in" [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 2:31pm EDT
  

• Utah's Medicaid Doesn't Check for Fraud. On Unrelated Note, Medicare Losing $90 Billion A Year to Fraud

  I recently discovered that our state Medicaid program is incredibly inept at catching fraud. Why is this important, you ask? Because 60 Minutes just did a piece about how Medicare is being defrauded out of $90 billion a year because they too are inept at catching it.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 3:25pm EDT
  

• Utah's Medicaid Doesn't Check for Fraud. On Unrelated Note, Medicare Losing $90 Billion A Year to Fraud

  I recently discovered that our state Medicaid program is incredibly inept at catching fraud. Why is this important, you ask? Because 60 Minutes just did a piece about how Medicare is being defrauded out of $90 billion a year because they too are inept at catching it.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 3:25pm EDT
  

• Jeffrey R Holland - Safety for the Soul

  Enclosure: [download]

  [...]
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  Posted: October 25, 2009, 2:42pm EDT
  

• Heather Graham Starring as Public Option - She Should Be Running By Herself

  Because that's what the public option is all about.
  
  ' [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2009, 9:39pm EDT
  

• More Absurd Lies in Health Care Discussion

  I recently wrote about an interview NPR conducted with the author of a new book which shows that Lyndon Johnson lied to the American public in order to get Medicare passed. In the words of the author, "One of the things he did was suppress the costs...if the true" [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2009, 11:37am EDT
  

• Utah's Medicaid Has Major Issues

  In August Utah's Legislative Auditor General released the findings of its audit of the state's Medicaid program. What it found was a program which spends $1.7 billion a year, but has almost no oversight of where it's going.
  
  Reading through the 100 page report, I was struck by' [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 5:23pm EDT
  

• This Is Gonna Be The Easiest Money I've Ever Made!

  From the inbox:Dear Sir/Madam,
  Our company was founded in 1977 . The company produces various clothing materials, batiks, assorted fabrics and traditional costume.As a result of our
  competent records for treating customer demands and supplies, customers have refered us to other possible clients and we have been recieving [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2009, 4:11am EDT
  

• Another Call For Reducing Class Sizes

  The Deseret News ran another editorial advocating reducing Utah's class sizes. They reiterated the statistics showing Utah as last in per pupil spending, as well as polls showing most Utahans believe class sizes are too large and education spending is too small. Quoting Benjamin Franklin, the News writes, "The'" [...]
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  Posted: October 13, 2009, 8:56pm EDT
  

• Civility in Politics

  I attended the Sutherland Institute's blogger briefing on civility this past Tuesday. Rob Miller and Dave Hansen formed the panel, and a small group of bloggers were present to ask questions. Most of those who attended have written about the event, including Connor, Frank, David, and Trenton' [...]
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  Posted: October 02, 2009, 2:32pm EDT
  

• 2009 Democrats Need to Learn Lessons of 1960s Democrats: Lie

  NPR recently interviewed James Morone, who co-authored a book entitled, "The Heart of Power: Health and Politics in the Oval Office." The interview centered on how President Lyndon Johnson pushed Medicare through Congress until its ultimate passage. Mr. Morone and Renee Montagne, who interviewed him for NPR, both assume [...]
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  Posted: September 30, 2009, 10:26pm EDT
  

• Nephi's Psalm

  Scripture study yesterday got me thinking, so I put some thoughts to paper. Here's what came out:
  
  One of the most important, yet often forgotten, doctrines of the Gospel is found in 2 Nephi 4:15-35. These verses are sometimes called “Nephi’s Psalm”. Nephi’s father Lehi has just passed' [...]
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  Posted: August 24, 2009, 9:09am EDT
  

• How You Can Make Millions of Dollars And Go Bankrupt

  One of the principles of accounting is to match revenue and expenses to the period they are incurred. That becomes problematic when you are working on a long term project like building a house. You might start the house in August but not finish and sell it until February. Under [...]
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  Posted: August 21, 2009, 9:01am EDT
  

• Cheneyed By A Guy Named Barack Obama

  Those crazy right wing extremists are at it again, calling president Obama a fascist:
  
  From the Huffington Post:A memo obtained by the Huffington Post confirms that the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby secretly agreed to precisely the sort of wide-ranging deal that both parties have been denying [...]
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  Posted: August 20, 2009, 10:22am EDT
  

• "A Picnic That Changed The Course of History"

  From the AP:Twenty years ago Wednesday, members of Hungary's budding opposition organized a picnic at the border with Austria to press for greater political freedom and promote friendship with their Western neighbors.
  
  Once the initial group got through hundreds more East Germans joined them. Still vivid in Bella's [...]
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  Posted: August 19, 2009, 10:13am EDT
  

• I Love That 'Regular' People Are Getting Involved...Oh, And Larry O'Donnell Is Still A Shmuck

  
  
  This video annoys me for a couple of reasons.
  
  First, for Larry O'Donnell to cluck cluck about having a rational debate without yelling and screaming is incredibly ironic considering his meltdown about Mitt Romney's mormonism. You can watch it here. But really, that's indicative of' [...]
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  Posted: August 13, 2009, 3:49pm EDT
  

• Health Care Lies That Are Deceiving the Public

  I've read in a few places how the lies being spread in the media and elsewhere about Health Care reform are distorting the public's perception of the issue and making it difficult to have a rational debate. So I've put together a quick list of lies I've come across:
  
  [...]
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  Posted: August 13, 2009, 10:40am EDT
  

• "The Most Open Government Ever" Won't Answer A Simple Question

  In response to the very vocal opposition to the health care reform plans being railroaded through Congress, the White House recently asked US citizens to send them any "fishy" (their word) information they may have gotten in emails and the like.
  
  In an interview conducted on Fox [...]
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  Posted: August 12, 2009, 5:04pm EDT
  

• Like Hiring A Personal Trainer Who Is Morbidly Obese

  The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cHome Crisis Investigationwww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show
  Full EpisodesPolitical HumorSpinal Tap Performance [...]
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  Posted: August 06, 2009, 8:43am EDT
  

• We Will Find You, You Health Care Lying Liars

  [...]
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  Posted: August 05, 2009, 11:18am EDT
  

• Dueling Health Care Videos

  The first video shows clips of President Obama and others explaining how a public option is the first step to getting rid of private health care. The second is a quick follow up from the White House's youtube page showing President Obama promising that if you like your current doctor' [...]
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  Posted: August 04, 2009, 8:52am EDT
  

• Jon Stewart Foretells the Future of Health Care

  "If it [health care] is paid for by a surtax on the wealthy -- and I am wealthy -- can I then stop poor people from smoking and eating ice cream. 'Cause I see them on the subway and I want to say 'Hey! Dude. You're costing me money.'"
  
  [...]
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  Posted: July 28, 2009, 9:21am EDT
  

• July 24th - Pioneer Day

  [...]
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  Posted: July 24, 2009, 12:27pm EDT
  

• Visual Representation of Lies, Damned Lies, and 46 Million Uninsured

  My post about the dishonest uninsured statistic from a couple of months ago got a revealing response. I thought this political cartoon further explains the point:
  
  [...]
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  Posted: July 24, 2009, 11:14am EDT
  

• Richard N. Holzapfel | The Book of Mormon: An Ancient Book with a Modern Message

  Enclosure: [download]

  From BYU Broadcasting
  
  [...]
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  Posted: July 20, 2009, 8:54am EDT
  

• The Quick Fix That Wasn't

  
  
  As someone asked me recently, "if it was sold as a quick fix then why did it not spend all the money up front?" Indeed. [...]
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  Posted: July 18, 2009, 7:17am EDT
  

• Second Stimulus to First: "You Suck"

  From Phil Levy comes a wonderful take on what the calls for a second stimulus reveals about the first stimulus.The extent of spending in 2011 and beyond under the initial package can have one of two interpretations. Either this was the excess that spilled over after all sincere attempts [...]
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  Posted: July 17, 2009, 11:08am EDT
  

• More Fun With Debt

  Those right wing extremists at the Congressional Budget Office are at it again, what with their fear mongering over the national debt:
  
  [...]
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  Posted: July 17, 2009, 8:25am EDT
  

• National Debt Roadtrip

  
  
  [www.youtube.com] [...]
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  Posted: July 16, 2009, 2:27pm EDT
  

• Paul Cardall - Grateful

  
  
  
  [mytricuspidatresia.blogspot.com] [...]
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  Posted: July 15, 2009, 11:24am EDT
  

• Ladies & Gentlemen, Your Utah Democratic Party

  Sarah Palin announced her resignation as governor of Alaska recently. The specifics of her reasons for resigning are sketchy, though level headed observers intimate it's likely because she tired of the attacks on her family coupled with the time and money lost defending against frivolous lawsuits.
  
  Of course, Utah's' [...]
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  Posted: July 09, 2009, 1:23pm EDT
  

• Quote of the Day

  It seems that despite backgrounds hailing from Princeton, Harvard, MIT and Yale, in the end, bloggers are bloggers.On the issue of tone, I again think I understand Paul's point of view. He likely believes that civility is overrated. He seems to think that in the blogosphere, and perhaps in [...]
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  Posted: June 30, 2009, 11:51am EDT
  

• Sunday Will Come

  [...]
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  Posted: June 29, 2009, 8:58am EDT
  

• The Golden Age of Baseball

  ESPN columnist Bill Simmons writes that the golden era of baseball was the five year span of 1988-1992. That just so happens to coincide with my introduction to the sport. The era began with me as a ten year old just beginning to scour and memorize the backs of [...]
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  Posted: June 22, 2009, 4:16pm EDT
  

• Blessing of the Priesthood

  [...]
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  Posted: June 21, 2009, 5:28am EDT
  

• We Are All Trickle Down Economists Now

  A few years ago I watched a Denzel Washington movie called Deja Vu. Aside from being a pretty solid movie, it was also set and filmed in New Orleans. Filming actually began before the 2005 hurricanes, but instead of finding another locale to finish shooting, the movie's producers went back' [...]
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  Posted: June 17, 2009, 10:10am EDT
  

• Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time

  [...]
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  Posted: June 14, 2009, 9:21pm EDT
  

• Mere Cristianity: Life-Force Philosophy

  In chapter four of Mere Christianity we are told that since the beginning there have been two views of the world,; the Materialist view, and the Religious view. However, in a note at the end of the chapter, CS Lewis explains that there is actually an "In-between view called Life-Force" [...]
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  Posted: June 14, 2009, 7:42am EDT
  

• Reverend Jeremiah Wright is a Right Wing Extremist

  Reverend Wright recently has come under scrutiny for remarks he made to a reporter about the president of the United States being controlled by "them Jews". Referring to President Obama, he told reporter David Squires that, "them Jews ain't going to let him talk to me. I told my'" [...]
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  Posted: June 13, 2009, 7:50pm EDT
  

• Sutherland's Utah Prosperity Forum: Is SB81 Good for Utah Business and Culture?

  I attended Sutherland's forum on SB 81. There were four panelists: Representative Chris Herrod, Senator Luz Robles, Representative Stephen Sandstrom, and Mrs. Dee Rowland of the Catholic Diocese. Each was given time for a presentation/speech, and then it was opened to questions from the attendees. The crowd had a bit' [...]
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  Posted: June 10, 2009, 7:40pm EDT
  

• CS Lewis, Mere Christianity, & Law of Nature

  So I started reading CS Lewis' Mere Christianity. I have previously read The Screwtape Letters, and I love Lewis' simple profundity. The last paragraph of chapter one in Mere Christianity follows this pattern:These, then, are the two points I wanted to make. First, that human beings, all over the earth, [...]
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  Posted: June 08, 2009, 8:56pm EDT
  

• Representative Jason Chaffetz: Report Confirms Failure of Stimulus to "Save or Create" Jobs

  From Rep. Chaffetz's email newsletter:
  
  Dear Cameron,
  
  President Obama's $1.1 trillion stimulus package is not delivering the expected economic benefits, even according to the President's own benchmarks. The President projected that his stimulus package would prevent the unemployment rate from exceeding 8%. Today, the Bureau of Labor' [...]
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  Posted: June 08, 2009, 8:31am EDT
  

• Time For Another Bailout

  From Greg Mankiw:
  
  [...]
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  Posted: May 27, 2009, 12:15pm EDT
  

• The Economy is an Addict, & Government Spending is the Crack

  I would like to posit a theory, or perhaps make a prediction. The US will never pay off its national debt. Here's why:
  
  Today's prevailing economic theory is that when the government spends money it grows the economy. Therefore, the government should play a significant role in making everyone [...]
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  Posted: May 23, 2009, 11:11pm EDT
  

• Music & The Spoken Word - Mothers Day

  Broadcast on Sunday, Mother's Day, a transcript from their websiteMother Teresa, known the world over for her great compassion, was once asked what she considered the most significant honor she had ever received. There were many to choose from, including the Nobel Peace Prize. But she surprised her questioner' [...]
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  Posted: May 11, 2009, 4:10pm EDT
  

• My Favorite Star Trek Review

  From the Daily Herald. This is the paragraph that makes it so:It's a thrill just to get another story about James T. Kirk, Spock, Leonard "Bones" McCoy and the rest of the "original series" crew. Picard/Riker/Data, Sisko/Kira/That-Guy-Who-Sleeps-in-a-Bucket, Janeway/Big Chief First Officer/The-Borg-Chick-in-the-Spandex-Bodysuits and Capt. Dude from "Quantum Leap"/The Hot Vulcan/Was-There-Anybody-Else-on-That-Show?' [...]
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  Posted: May 08, 2009, 1:49pm EDT
  

• Lies, Damned Lies, and 46 Million Uninsured

  From economist Keith Hennessey comes a really interesting breakdown of how many uninsured people there are in the United States, and how many of those people actually need/want insurance. Since the 46 million number appears prominently in the national health care debate, this information is very valuable.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: May 05, 2009, 10:57am EDT
  

• Happy Birthday Olivia

  
  
  My family welcomed a new addition last week. This makes number four for us, and she is absolutely gorgeous if I do say so myself.
  
  A few thoughts related to her birth:
  
  She was born on Earth Day, which makes me wonder, did [...]
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  Posted: April 29, 2009, 3:05pm EDT
  

• Cap and Trade is a Tax - And It's A Great Big One

  [...]
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  Posted: April 24, 2009, 8:43pm EDT
  

• The Difference in Core Values Between Israel & Hamas

  Much was made of Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip late last year. A lot of the news centered on the civilian suffering and casualties caused by the engagement.
  
  A new report by the group Human Rights Watch, and discussed here by Richard Cohen, sheds' [...]
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  Posted: April 21, 2009, 8:53am EDT
  

• Juanes - Mala Gente

  [...]
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  Posted: April 17, 2009, 8:07am EDT
  

• Another Example of the Evil Bush Tax Cuts For The Rich

  I still do a few tax returns on the side, and it interests me to see how the tax code affects different situations.
  
  From an actual federal income tax return filed this year:
  
  A family consisting of a husband, wife, and three children, with an income of $70,000. [...]
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  Posted: April 15, 2009, 9:57pm EDT
  

• Alaska Realizing Consequences of Higher Taxes

  Alaska relies heavily on its tourism industry for revenue. A major part of that industry is cruises. In an effort to make the cruise lines "pay their fair share", the state passed a referendum in 2006 which increased taxes on the cruise lines for every passenger they brought to Alaska.
  [...]
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  Posted: April 14, 2009, 2:20pm EDT
  

• An Apostle's Easter Thoughts on Christ

  [...]
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  Posted: April 14, 2009, 10:15am EDT
  

• UTA "Express" Bus Service to Eagle Mountain Sucks

  Eagle Mountain passed a tax increase last fall in order to get an express bus line to Salt Lake City. You can read my previous posts on the topic here. The bus service began this month, and not everyone is pleased with it.
  
  From an email sent [...]
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  Posted: April 13, 2009, 8:30am EDT
  

• Allen Iverson as Example of Failed Families

  In a column blasting basketball player Allen Iverson, Jason Whitlock makes an interesting observation,Iverson is a one-man, no-country Army, more than likely the victim of a dysfunctional upbringing that left him incapable of embracing the concepts essential to teamwork, winning and sacrifice for the benefit of others.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: April 10, 2009, 6:20am EDT
  

• Charlie Rosen on Phenom Lance Stephenson

  From basketball columnist Charlie Rosen:
  
  Here's what's wrong with high school, AAU, college and professional basketball.
  
  Lance Stephenson is a 6-5 senior at Lincoln HS in New York, and one of the best schoolboy players in the country. But he's strictly a one-man show, who always insists' [...]
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  Posted: April 09, 2009, 6:51pm EDT
  

• Fire Them?

  From MoveOn.org:
  
  Dear MoveOn member,
  
  Last week the Obama administration took tough, decisive action with the auto industry, forcing the resignation of the CEO of General Motors.
  
  The president knows that we can't trust the same folks who got us into this mess to help lead us' [...]
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  Posted: April 09, 2009, 3:40pm EDT
  

• Iran's Nuclear Program Is Purely Peaceful

  Right? That is what they said.
  
  Perhaps not, after all.A Chinese national allegedly used U.S. banks to fund the smuggling of banned nuclear materials to Iran, prosecutors say.
  
  The shipments allegedly included 33,000 pounds of aluminum alloy used in missile production, 66,000 pounds of [...]
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  Posted: April 09, 2009, 9:25am EDT
  

• Substance Abuse Group Home Approved in Eagle Mountain

  The city council met Tuesday night, and despite deep reservations, approved the Ark of Eagle Mountain.
  
  Read Councilman David Lifferth's views here.' [...]
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  Posted: April 08, 2009, 7:41pm EDT
  

• Faith Based Economics

  From Greg Mankiw
  
  [...]
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  Posted: April 08, 2009, 10:51am EDT
  

• Mormon Scholarship, Apologetics And Evangelical Neglect

  A friend of mine emailed this to me last week and I found it quite fascinating.
  
  Mormon Scholarship, Apologetics And Evangelical Neglect Publish at Scribd or explore others: Humanities Research [...]
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  Posted: April 06, 2009, 3:29pm EDT
  

• SNL Does Obama

  [...]
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  Posted: April 06, 2009, 12:00pm EDT
  

• Cooler Than You

  [...]
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  Posted: April 03, 2009, 4:52pm EDT
  

• Chinks in Democratic Party Armor, or Constructive Criticism Leading to Better Leadership?

  I wrote about my flirtation with the Democratic Party, and how the last election was the final nail in the flirtation coffin, here. However, with Obama's "Change" candidacy sweeping into the presidency, and Democrats increasing their hold over Congress, the Democratic Party was supposed to be marching to total' [...]
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  Posted: April 01, 2009, 5:09pm EDT
  

• Group Home Applicant to Sue if Eagle Mountain Doesn't Grant Approval April 7

  As discussed here, Eagle Mountain is considering an application for a group home for substance abuse rehabilitation. The application was tabled at the last city council meeting, and is now scheduled to be reviewed again at the meeting on April 7th. In a Daily Herald news article, Gloria [...]
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  Posted: March 31, 2009, 11:42am EDT
  

• Stunned by Hopium

  John Kass, in the Chicago Tribune:Obama told Jay Leno he was surprised that those greedy AIG executives who helped lead the country into financial ruin were in line to receive $165 million in bonuses paid for by bailout cash authorized by his administration.
  
  "Stunned, stunned is the word," [...]
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  Posted: March 30, 2009, 1:48pm EDT
  

• President Now Backing Away From Middle Class Tax Cut Campaign Promise

  In 1993. [...]
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  Posted: March 28, 2009, 2:32pm EDT
  

• Plan To Reduce Charitable Deduction Will Cost Charities $7 Billion

  So argues Martin Feldstein of the Washington Post,President Obama's proposal to limit the tax deductibility of charitable contributions would effectively transfer more than $7 billion a year from the nation's charitable institutions to the federal government. But the high-income taxpayers affected by the rule change are likely to cut [...]
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  Posted: March 28, 2009, 7:54am EDT
  

• How To Get An Entire Industry To Change Its Tune On Taxes

  But the American auto industry, under pressure, has invested heavily in the small-car and hybrid market. So it should probably not be a surprise that auto industry leaders like Alan Mulally of Ford have called for higher gas taxes, an idea Detroit once abhorred.US automakers got creamed by the [...]
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  Posted: March 27, 2009, 3:17pm EDT
  

• This Is Disturbing

  "Because the American taxpayer now owns 80 percent of AIG, they should have full access to anything and everything they own, including their country club memberships, their recreation facilities, their built-in swimming pools"So said Jeff Meyer, a passerby to the protests outside of an AIG employee's house.
  
  More' [...]
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  Posted: March 27, 2009, 10:52am EDT
  

• Should Eagle Mountain Allow A Substance Abuse Treatment Home In Its City?

  I went to my city council meeting last week to hear the debate surrounding whether or not to allow a substance abuse group home in Eagle Mountain. The home would be called Ark of Eagle Mountain and would house up to eight people undergoing substance abuse rehabilitation programs in a [...]
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  Posted: March 25, 2009, 4:13pm EDT
  

• Does This Mean Anything?

  Investors Business Daily is touting the following economic information as indicators that the economy is on the upswing. I wonder, is it true?
  • A broad rally in stocks, confirmed last Thursday, continuing into this week and led by the beaten-down financials.
  
  • A surprising 22% surge in [...]
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  Posted: March 18, 2009, 9:34am EDT
  

• Julieta Venegas - Eres Para Mi

  [...]
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  Posted: March 16, 2009, 10:47am EDT
  

• Why Mormons Build Temples

  [...]
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  Posted: March 13, 2009, 12:15pm EDT
  

• Noble Fatherhood

  “Brethren, noble fatherhood gives us a glimpse of the divine attributes of our Father in Heaven. A father should be many things. He should magnify his priesthood and be an example of righteousness. In companionship with his wife, he should be the source of stability and strength for the whole [...]
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  Posted: March 13, 2009, 7:28am EDT
  

• Pure Genius in Print

  Here [...]
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  Posted: March 12, 2009, 12:39pm EDT
  

• LDS Humanitarian Efforts

  "The scripture passages "As ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40) and "Remember in all things the poor and the needy" (D&C 52:40) take on special meaning as we review highlights of humanitarian endeavors.
  
  The" [...]
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  Posted: March 12, 2009, 8:28am EDT
  

• The Terresa Carreno Youth Orchesra w/ Gustavo Dudamel

  Another great TED Talk:The Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra (Sinfónica Juvenil Teresa Carreño) is the national high school age youth orchestra of El Sistema, Venezuela's groundbreaking, life-changing musical education program.
  
  Here is Jose Antonio Abreu, the founder of El Sistema, speaking about the program, accepting his' [...]
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  Posted: March 11, 2009, 8:51am EDT
  

• Deron Williams is Better Than Chris Paul

  Here's why, according to Charlie Rosen:
  
  # He's much stronger than CP3 and should therefore be more resistant to serious injuries.
  
  # Because of his size and strength, Williams can post up smaller opponents (like Paul), and can avoid being posted himself (unlike Paul).
  
  # It [...]
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  Posted: March 11, 2009, 11:01pm EDT
  

• The LDS Church Statement on Big Love: The Publicity Dilemma

  lds.org:
  
  Like other large faith groups, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sometimes finds itself on the receiving end of attention from Hollywood or Broadway, television series or books, and the news media. Sometimes depictions of the Church and its people are quite accurate. Sometimes [...]
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  Posted: March 10, 2009, 4:04pm EDT
  

• From The Office of Fiscal Responsibility

  [...]
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  Posted: March 09, 2009, 9:09am EDT
  

• Eagle Mountain City Councilman on UTA Express Line to Provo

  A UTA express bus line is coming to Eagle Mountain this Spring. I discussed the line here and here. I had questions concerning the cost and subsidy the bus line required, particularly since the cost to ride the bus remains pretty high.
  
  Well, on my city councilman's' [...]
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  Posted: March 05, 2009, 5:46pm EST
  

• Who Owns Utah?

  Take a look at this map:
  
  
  
  And then ponder on all those calling western Republicans hypocrites for taking federal money. [...]
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  Posted: March 04, 2009, 7:57am EST
  

• Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated...

  59% Still Believe Government Is the Problem
  
  Rasmussen [...]
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  Posted: March 04, 2009, 5:54am EST
  

• Employee Free Choice Act

  Soon to be up for consideration in Congress is the Employee Free Choice Act. According to the Huffington Post, Big Labor is "very pleased" that President Obama has been more outspoken in his support for the bill.
  
  However, Larry Summers, Secretary of the Treasury under [...]
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  Posted: March 04, 2009, 11:02pm EST
  

• "Generally it means being less productive"

  Hold up. You mean to tell me that higher taxes cause less productivity?
  
  Who knew?"President Barack Obama's tax proposal – which promises to increase taxes for those families with incomes of $250,000 or more -- has some Americans brainstorming ways to decrease their pay.
  
  "I've put thought [...]
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  Posted: March 03, 2009, 1:32pm EST
  

• Obama's Change on Iraq

  President Obama spoke about the Iraq War recently. There were a few things that caught my eye because of their contrasts to the rhetoric used by the president and the president's party since 2003."To understand where we need to go in Iraq, it is important for the American people'" [...]
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  Posted: March 02, 2009, 2:55pm EST
  

• I Wonder If We Could Get Jimmy Buffet...

  Las Vegas continues to get pounded because of its image. After an initial refusal to cancel their incentive trip to Vegas, Wells Fargo finally caved to public pressure:Wells Fargo & Co. abruptly canceled Tuesday a pricey Las Vegas casino junket for employees after a torrent of criticism that [...]
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  Posted: March 02, 2009, 12:57pm EST
  

• The Great Depression as Seen Through the Eyes of a Child

  My grandmother sent this to me last week. I've been to Monroe where she grew up, and I've seen the house she writes of here. It truly was a different world they lived in, and what's truly remarkable to me is to think that it wasn't really that long ago.
  [...]
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  Posted: March 02, 2009, 10:41am EST
  

• Obama Less Popular Than Jimmy Carter

  So says Gallup.
  
  One month in and his approval rating went from 68% to 63%. Jimmy Carter had the highest approval rating at this point, at 71%. Of course, at 55%, Reagan's approval was the lowest since Nixon, so the title of this post could just as easily' [...]
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  Posted: February 27, 2009, 10:52am EST
  

• If Obama Cuts The Deficit in Half...

  That'll get us to $533 billion, or about what we had 4 years ago.
  
  But that won't happen until 2013, after $1 trillion deficits in 2009, 2010, and 2011. [...]
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  Posted: February 25, 2009, 3:57pm EST
  

• What Happens in Vegas...

  Makes people not want to go there any more,Born of carefully crafted slogans — "What happens here stays here" — and smiling, sequined showgirls, the image of a 24-hour adult Disneyland with free-flowing liquor and casino chips is making the tourist destination seem radioactive to companies keen on not [...]
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  Posted: February 25, 2009, 8:55am EST
  

• School Frustration

  My daughter is painfully shy. She does not like to have attention fall on her, and at times will not speak or even look at people she doesn't know or doesn't know well. Even people she does know and likes still may not get much outward attention from her.
  [...]
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  Posted: February 24, 2009, 3:54pm EST
  

• New Study: Alcohol Can Cause Cancer

  Here
  Each extra drink per day increased the risk of breast, rectal and liver cancer, University of Oxford researchers reported Tuesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The type of alcohol — wine, beer or liquor — didn't matter.This supports a another study from two years' [...]
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  Posted: February 24, 2009, 3:04pm EST
  

• AP: Obama pledges to cut deficit in half

  See here.
  
  How will he do it?"he wants to reinstate a pay-as-you-go policy on federal spending programs, get rid of programs that do not work and end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas."Pay-as-you-go = the bill for all of the profligate spending of the last [...]
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  Posted: February 23, 2009, 12:26pm EST
  

• What Economists Don't Really Agree On

  A few days ago I posted a link to Harvard economist Greg Mankiw's blog post listing a number of economic principles about which economists generally agree. Number 4 on that list was,4. Fiscal policy (e.g., tax cut and/or government expenditure increase) has a significant stimulative impact on a less' [...]
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  Posted: February 19, 2009, 9:49am EST
  

• SB48: Should Professionals be Teachers?

  There is a bill at the Utah Legislature that would make it easier for professionals to be teachers as well. Information on the bill's status can be found here.
  
  It's passed initial votes in the Senate so far, and has a House sponsor, but there have been some [...]
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  Posted: February 18, 2009, 3:38pm EST
  

• It's Called A Metaphor

  The local ABC TV news station reported Utah State Senator Chris Buttars saying the following quotes in a not-yet-released documentary about Proposition 8:"They're mean. They want to talk about being nice. They're the meanest buggers I have ever seen."
  
  “It's just like the Muslims. Muslims are good people' [...]
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  Posted: February 18, 2009, 9:29am EST