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Naughty & nice: Bluffdale, Riverton, Walker, and Bramble
We're giving Santa some help this year by pointing out some Utah politicians who have been naughty lately and some who have been nice:
Naughty: The Bluffdale and Syracuse city councils, for refusing to allow voters to decide the form of their own government. Unable to bend the elected mayors to their will, these councils invoked an ambiguous law to replace them with un-elected city managers who report only to the council. Begone, separation of powers! Every government needs a system of no-checks-no-balances, apparently. We've read the statutes, read the media reports, listened to the legislative hearing, and we agree with the Deseret News, Salt Lake Tribune, Provo Daily Herald, and Ogden Standard-Examiner, all of whom have come out against the councils and in favor of democracy.
Nice: Sen. Carlene Walker and the residents of Bluffdale. The Bluffdale City Recorder verified this week that enough Bluffdale voters signed referendum petitions to put the city's form of governmen to a vote, as the council should have from the beginning. Meanwhile, Walker is trying to stop other power-mad councils from pulling this stunt by introducing a bill to close the loophole they're hiding behind.
Naughty: The Riverton City Council, which passed an ordinance barring any liquor store from being built within its city limits, then whined when the Department of Alcohol Beverage Control followed state law and decided to build there anyway. The mayor told the D-News, "They are a commercial venture for the state of Utah, but they do not have to follow any of the rules other commercial ventures follow." Wrong--they are far from a normal commercial venture. Utahns can only buy liquor at state-operated stores. There presently are only three stores south of 21st. When citizens are not allowed to buy a legal product except at specified locations, the state can't stick all the locations a million miles away. Neither of us happens to drink, but we recognize unfairness (and attempting to impose one's moral views on others) when we see it.
Nice: Sen. Curt Bramble (R-Provo). According to the Trib blog Out of Context, Bramble helped an anti-Bush, pro-gay-marriage, good ol' fashioned liberal stranded motorist the other day, and apparently did so with a friendly smile. Merry Christmas, St. Brambo.
P.S. We did have a Naughty in here for the State Senate for flipping the blogerative bird at those who want our elected representatives to at least consider lifting the sales tax on food, and a Nice for Rep. Craig Frank for taking on the Senate, but we've decided to do a separate entry on the sales tax issue, so we temporarily cut it. As the Senate blog said, though, it still gets a lump of coal. Here's the Senate Site link, so you can see the pretty nativity scene they have on there (Adoration of the Shepards, 1622), next to the menorah. Just kidding about the menorah.
Naughty: The Bluffdale and Syracuse city councils, for refusing to allow voters to decide the form of their own government. Unable to bend the elected mayors to their will, these councils invoked an ambiguous law to replace them with un-elected city managers who report only to the council. Begone, separation of powers! Every government needs a system of no-checks-no-balances, apparently. We've read the statutes, read the media reports, listened to the legislative hearing, and we agree with the Deseret News, Salt Lake Tribune, Provo Daily Herald, and Ogden Standard-Examiner, all of whom have come out against the councils and in favor of democracy.
Nice: Sen. Carlene Walker and the residents of Bluffdale. The Bluffdale City Recorder verified this week that enough Bluffdale voters signed referendum petitions to put the city's form of governmen to a vote, as the council should have from the beginning. Meanwhile, Walker is trying to stop other power-mad councils from pulling this stunt by introducing a bill to close the loophole they're hiding behind.
Naughty: The Riverton City Council, which passed an ordinance barring any liquor store from being built within its city limits, then whined when the Department of Alcohol Beverage Control followed state law and decided to build there anyway. The mayor told the D-News, "They are a commercial venture for the state of Utah, but they do not have to follow any of the rules other commercial ventures follow." Wrong--they are far from a normal commercial venture. Utahns can only buy liquor at state-operated stores. There presently are only three stores south of 21st. When citizens are not allowed to buy a legal product except at specified locations, the state can't stick all the locations a million miles away. Neither of us happens to drink, but we recognize unfairness (and attempting to impose one's moral views on others) when we see it.
Nice: Sen. Curt Bramble (R-Provo). According to the Trib blog Out of Context, Bramble helped an anti-Bush, pro-gay-marriage, good ol' fashioned liberal stranded motorist the other day, and apparently did so with a friendly smile. Merry Christmas, St. Brambo.
P.S. We did have a Naughty in here for the State Senate for flipping the blogerative bird at those who want our elected representatives to at least consider lifting the sales tax on food, and a Nice for Rep. Craig Frank for taking on the Senate, but we've decided to do a separate entry on the sales tax issue, so we temporarily cut it. As the Senate blog said, though, it still gets a lump of coal. Here's the Senate Site link, so you can see the pretty nativity scene they have on there (Adoration of the Shepards, 1622), next to the menorah. Just kidding about the menorah.
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