The Winds of Change

A week ago, neighbors gathered in record-breaking numbers to choose their representatives to upcoming county and state conventions. Anti-incumbent fever was present not only in Republican caucuses, but in Democratic caucuses as well.

In today’s Deseret News, Lee Davidson reports that only 1 in 5 previous state delegates was elected, meaning an astounding 80% of the delegates are new this year. The kind of activism we are seeing this year comes from discontent (anger) that isn’t there when folks believe everything is going well, so those numbers do not bode well for incumbents.

Kudos to the DNews for poring over those numbers. Many candidates are doing the same – and those new delegates are being courted like crazy. The mad dash to May 8th has begun.

Stunning

This video shows the winner of 2009’s ” Ukraine ’s Got Talent”, Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II. Her talent, which admittedly is a strange one, is mesmeric to watch.

The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about $75,000.

She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.

It is replaced by a woman’s face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman’s face appears.

She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier.

This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house.

In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.

The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine, resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.

Wrapping up

I started this post the last day of the session, but it got overshadowed by Mr HotTub. Here is wrap-up on the states’ rights session of 2010:

HB 12 – Carl Wimmer’s Criminal Homicide and Abortion Amendments bill. It passed the House 59-12, passed the Senate 24-4 and was VETOED by the Governor on March 8. HB 462 – Criminal Homicide and Abortion Revisions – did pass, however.

HB 67, Carl Wimmer’s bill opting out of federal health care passed the House 53-20, passed the Senate 22-7 and was signed by the Governor on Monday, the day after the feds passed Obamacare.

SB 11, Margaret Dayton’s gun rights bill, passed the Senate 19-10, passed the House 56-17and was signed into law by the Governor on February 26.

SB 78, Steve Sandstrom’s bill that allows a weapon to be “flashed” went through 3 substitutions and ended up passing the House 63-3, passed the Senate 23-0 and now waits for the Governor’s action.

HB 99, Background Checks for Sports Officials died in committee.

HCR 8, Speaker Dave Clark’s Healthcare Resolution passed the House 57-15, passed the Senate 23-4 and is waiting on the guv.

HB 294, Speaker Clark’s version of healthcare reform passed the House 62-13, passed the Senate 23-4 and is sitting on the Governor’s desk.

HB 269, the “Solemnizing Marriage Amendments” bill was amended in committee to allow legislators to perform marriages. Alas, that language was amended back out on the House floor. Poor Representative Hansen. He tries every year – maybe next year will be the one.

SJR 6, the Senate version of the the state sovereignty resolution, passed the Senate 23-5, passed the House 48-18 and is waiting for Gov. Herbert.

HJR 21, Rep Mike Noel’s resolution on withdrawing from the Western Climate Initiative passed the House 52-18, passed the Senate 19-8 and is waiting for enrolling, then on to the Governor.

HJR 12 is Rep Kerry Gibson’s resolution on climate change. It passed the House 56-17, the Senate 15-8 and is waiting for the Governor’s signature.

HJR 24, the anti-discrimination bill run by Rep Curt Oda died. It made it through committee, but never even got heard on the House floor.

Mike Noel’s HB 146 Law Enforcement by Federal Land Management Agency takes the law enforcement authority from the park service, forest service and BLM away and gives it back to the elected county sheriff. It passed the House 65-4 and the Senate 23 to 5. It is waiting for the governor’s signature.

Caucus Night

Record turnout was had in the Republican caucuses across the state. Thousands of people who had never been to a caucus meeting before came on Tuesday night to get involved. Discontent with Washington DC is running high, as is the discontent with Utah’s junior Senator. In many locations, it was the Senate race that motivated people to attend and run as a state delegate.

In many locations, an “anybody but Bennett” sentiment was expressed strongly and openly. Many potential delegates openly favoring Bennett were soundly defeated. Interestingly, in the district I attended – 22 precincts – the delegates favoring Bennett all spoke of his ability to bring home the bacon. They like his ability to earmark funds and benefit people in Utah. All but one were defeated.

Total numbers are still not in, but estimated at 2 to 3 times the average. Our district went from 500 attending in 2008 to approximately 1200 on Tuesday night, with similar numbers everywhere. Some precincts went from single digit attendance in 2008 to over 100 this year. Remarkable. It reminds of the line at the end of the World War II movie “Tora, Tora, Tora” – “We have awakened a sleeping giant”. The American people are awake and they are fighting back.

Here’s a thought

Before you can be considered a viable candidate to run for office in Utah, you must provide any and all arrest records or GRAMA verification that none exist. What do you think?

Healthcare in America

Late Sunday night, the Obama/Pelosi/Reid express finally got their version of change rammed through Congress. Sadly, it just doesn’t leave a lot of hope for the majority of US citizens – including doctors – who were opposed to this bill. The D’s compared the passage of this bill to the “triumphs” of Social Security and Medicare – both programs that are broke (and broken – let’s be honest). Both programs are also wildly more expensive than estimated when passed. The Ways and Means committee, for example, estimated that Medicare would cost $9 billion in 1990. In fact, it spent $67 billion. Imagine the cost to this massive entitlement program 25 years from now.

Even for the first 10 years, the most conservative estimates on costs are $1.2 trillion for the first 10 years (although expenditures don’t start until 2014 – nice piece of fuzzy math there).  That includes $940 billion in coverage subsidies, $144.2 billion in additional mandatory spending, $70 billion in discretionary spending in the Senate bill, and $41.6 billion in unrelated education spending. It raises taxes an additional $569.2 billion, imposes $52 million in new taxes on employers, raises prices 3% on “medical devices” and levies at least a dozen new taxes on families making less than $250,000 per year. (Remember that promise that no family making less than $250K would see ANY tax increase? Yeah – me neither.)

It also does some fancy footwork to make the numbers look good – $53 billion raided from Social Security, $202.3 billion cut from the Medicare Advantage program and money from student loans added in to boost the numbers. The Senate version that is now headed to the President’s desk also includes the CornHusker Kickback, Gator-Aid and the Louisiana Purchase – oh, and $800,000 for airports in Rep Stupak’s district. You remember him – he is the Democrat who introduced and passed a pro-life amendment to the bill in November. He caved for airport money and the promise of an executive order. The backlash has already started. On the floor of the House, a Representative yelled out “Baby Killer!” while he was speaking.  On of his Republican opponents, Dan Benishek, opened a Twitter account and got 2500 followers in a couple of hours.  His other opponent, Linda Goldthorpe – a conservative’s dream candidate – is enjoying a boost as well.  In addition, the Susan B Anthony List Candidate fund stripped him of his “Defender of Life” award and vowed to work to unseat him in November. They channeled Nancy Pelosi in saying “Now through Election Day 2010, these representatives will learn that votes have consequences.”

Indeed.

90 seconds to Gov’t Run Healthcare

The big vote is tomorrow. Pelosi has what she needs to pass this bill.

In Memorium

It has been almost a week since 21-year old Lance Corporal Nigel Olsen was laid to rest in the Salem cemetery. Every loss of life is tragic. Every soldier who gives his or her life for their country is a hero. But Nigel was our neighbor when he was just a boy and this loss, THIS ultimate sacrifice, hit home just a little harder. He was sandwiched, age-wise, right in between my two oldest boys and they played together often. Our dumb dog even bit him when he was about 8. That was great.

Nigel grew up in Orem, graduating from Mountain View High School in 2007. He had a life-long passion for the military. His favorite “Show-and-Tell” was to bring his older brother in full Navy uniform. He loved fatigues and face-paint. He used to play “night games” with neighborhood kids and his mother, Kim, said he used to come home disgusted because all the boys wanted to stand around talking to the girls. He wanted to discuss serious war strategy and have a real plan of “attack”. Darn boys.

He joined the Marines just a week after his high school graduation. His mom – like all mothers – worried about him being in harm’s way, but he loved his country and he wanted to serve. I followed pictures and letters from Nigel through his mom, my former neighbor. We left that neighborhood 11 years ago, and the Olsen’s moved away last year, but the night the family found out about his death, I was called within a very short time. Some ties never break – but hearts do.

Nigel’s death was one that was described at his funeral as “unlikely”. He stepped on an IED – but after that very spot had been driven over at least a dozen times by light armored vehicles. The area had been swept numerous times, specifically looking for IED’s. If he had been one foot to the right, or one foot to the left, he would not have died. If his other hand had been on his prisoner’s shoulder, he would not have died. He was wearing protective gear and after the blast, he had medical attention literally within seconds. He was conscious and talking for at least some of the 30 remaining minutes of his life. He gave his “last full measure of devotion” willingly and honorably.

The military guard and honors at his funeral were solemn, somber and very touching. The Patriot Guard Riders presented all of Nigel’s nieces and nephews with teddy bears dressed in Marine uniforms. The streets were lined with flags and an honor guard stayed with his body from the time he died to the time he was interred. His big sister, Stacy Hansen said “Nigel has been reassigned, and only a select few marines get this honor.” In the Marine Corps hymn, there is a verse which reads: “If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven’s scenes, They will find the gates are guarded by the United States Marines”. May Nigel rest in peace and may his family find peace.

There is a scholarship fund set up in his honor. You can donate in his name at any Zion’s Bank. Please do.

Darling

I love this one too!

Charlie Bit My Finger!

Mental health break……