One Utah

I’ve been thinking for a long about the issue of sexism in Utah politics. Jenny Wilson rightly pointed out that she was asked questions that none of her male counterparts were asked during the Mayor’s race. At the same time, Gayle Ruzicka is incredibly influential in Utah politics - sure, she’s nasty and [...]

At least, we do until the state legislature gets involved . . . .
Mayor Ralph Becker and his staff totally rock. This should have happened years ago.
It passed unanimously. We had three members of the City Council who struggled to reach their decision (Jergensen and Christensen and Martin). In the end, they [...]

The flood of letters in both the Trib and D-News (written by people who don’t live in Salt Lake City) celebrating the end of Rocky’s term as mayor struck me as unsurprising and ill-informed.  It seems many of the folks who live in surrounding cities still haven’t figured out that Salt Lakers like Rocky Anderson, what [...]

The late Carl Sagan recounted an incident in which he was asked by a cabby, “Do you believe in UFOs?”  Sagan responded with a simple explanation that amounted to, “The evidence is extremely bad.”  The cabby, “Yeah, but what does your gut tell you?”  Sagan’s response was, “I don’t think with my gut.”
Sagan used this [...]

So, opposition to the Blue Boutique’s new location is rapidly becoming the gift the just keeps giving - unfortunately they’re giving to comics, cynics and satirists.
Today’s Trib has a modern classic letter to the editor by Lynn F. Price of Salt Lake City:
. . . the concern is not just that teenagers will access the “adult” [...]

I am pro-Union.  As a professional with a master’s degree, chances are good I am unlikely to work in a unionized job, but that does not change my basic support for Unions.
Unions serve all workers, not just their members.  Corporations hold an unfair advantage over individual workers for a simple reason - there are more [...]

One more reason to really like Ralph Becker:
From the beginning, I have been energized by volunteers who
- walked to doors, listened and talked with City residents,
- planted (and replanted) lawn signs,
- gave financially,
- hosted and attended cottage meetings,
- stuffed and folded mailings, prepared and delivered literature,
- advised me on everything from my wardrobe to my [...]

If you want to solve a problem you have to know what it is.  If you solve the wrong problem (for instance invading Iraq to capture Al Qaeda) you make the situation significantly worse.  As, for example, solving Iraq has done.  Creating the problem to be solved is a bad sign - as when the [...]

Short answer:  No.
Longer answer:  No, but . . .

It wouldn’t be an election without day after analysis, now would it?
There weren’t too many surprises yesterday but there were a couple.
First, the surprise inside the not so surprising voucher vote.  I expected vouchers would win somewhere in the state.  Vouchers didn’t win in a single county in the state.  Not one.  Think about that [...]

With one day left until election day, and the polls looking good and the overwhelming majority of voters already decided, should I worry?
The only poll the really counts is Tuesday’s. I’ve been walking for Ralph Becker for months. I can’t count how many times I’ve gone out, knocked on doors, talked to people. [...]

From Ralph’s Site:
7. We will continue to embrace the diverse communities of Salt Lake City, and our government policies will serve as a model for justice and equality for all residents.
Both Scott McCoy and Paula Julander were walking for Ralph last night. 
The experience last night was a good one - walking a neighborhood east of [...]