What's up with that--legislative edition

My state Senator has been sending me weekly updates of this year's legislature. Don't get me wrong, I am appreciative of his efforts to stay in contact with his constituents, but some of the things that are going on Utah's State Capitol...are mind boggling, some stupid, and some maddening and of course the odd good idea. Here's a slice of what's going on from my point of view.

SUBJECT: FEDERAL STIMULUS--STATUS--UNSTIMULATING

So the federal government in all of their government glory has passed a
TRILLION dollar stimulus package...we already know none of us really has a clue what a gianormous number that is...spending $ 1million per day since the day Christ was born would only add up to about 3/4 of a trillion dollars. NASA says 1
trillion seconds would be more than 31 MILLION years. CNN delved into what
a trillion dollars means and you can find more on YouTube it's
staggering!The crazy thing is...no one really knows where all that money
is going. My senator sent me 8 PAGES of proposals to where that money might go in the state of Utah. But does anyone really know how long it is...some reports say 600, some 800, some over 1000. The devil is in the details and nobody even
knows WHERE the details are much less WHAT. There was less than 48
hours to review it after the final draft and many house members complained that
they didn't have time to review it. How could you?? Even my senator hasn't
had a chance to review Utah's piece of the pie. He says, "Our staff is working on an analysis". The 8 pages of where the money will go..it is what you might call a great Bedtime Stimulus for amnesics...it will definitely cure the ailment.

SUBJECT: ETHICS BILLS--STATUS--INCOMPLETE

I'll give some credit for effort. Two ethics bills HAVE passed the senate
this week. One, saying a retired politician can't use left over campaign
money for his own personal use...DUH. And two, a politician must
report any gifts over $10 and meals over $25...BIG WHOOP!

What we are MISSING...is the obvious elephant in the room. Politicians
should NOT be able to become paid lobbyists for at least a year after leaving
the legislature. It may surprise some to find out that last year's Speaker
of the House (who was quite popular among legislators though not popular enough
to get re-elected) is now a PAID lobbyist for the tobacco companies. Is it
any wonder that Utah has the 34th highest (16the
lowest) Tobacco tax in the nation? Now you know that I questioned WHERE
that tax should go...but it is a no brainer to make it higher. Tobacco is a health
detriment not only to those that use it but EVERYONE in the vicinity.

SUBJECT: CLAY'S LAW (Making it mandatory for insurance companies to cover Autism related Disorders)--STATUS--STILL HANGING IN THERE BUT AT RISK OF BEING DEFEATED

PROS: Children who are no routinely denied coverage and in turn therapies
for Autism Spectrum disorders would now have the opportunity to receive life
changing therapies that would not only help the child, but the family, AND
the community. This article explains how research based therapies that are currently available could save the state $1.8-$2.7 million dollars per child that is treated successfully. That is HUGE...we can pay for it now and get the benefit of
a child's life changed, a family life perhaps saved and a community debt
avoided or we can pay for it later, with higher medical bills, education
bills, criminal bills. See what the senate is saying about it here.

CONS: Hmmm...I guess there could be some (government intervention, modest
premium boosts--but this one to me seems that the pros far outweigh the
cons.)

SUBJECT: SINGAPORE MATH GRANTS--STATUS--POSSIBILITY

I looked into this program a bit when I heard my kid's school would be
using the method for their math classes. I read a lot of good reviews...but was
a bit surprised that it was a method that was used most often by homeschoolers. I can't really say whether or not it is a better method than what they used at our last school. I am happy that it has been good for Tim. He hasn't been bored and seems to be learning well...same goes for Sierra. So while I don't know if it is the solution to all our countries math problems, I do think it is a good step to allow for schools to test it out if they like, because that just adds another 'choice' for parents and kids in
their education.

SUBJECT: LIQUOR LAWS--STATUS--HAVE WE GONE DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE???

Apparently we have passed a law that our beer can now be 'heavy beer'
meaning resellers will be able to sell beer with more than 3.2% alcohol
content outside of the State liquor store. (currently and alcoholic drink
over 3.2% alcoholic content can only be sold in the state liquor store.) BUT
we are also on the way to passing the Zion curtain (meaning restaurants
would have to build a 10 ft wall around any place that prepared alcoholic
drinks.) As Alice said, "It would be so nice if something would make
sense for a change."

To contact your Utah State Legislators:

House Members & Senators

My experience is they really do listen...they won't always vote like you want them to, but that doesn't mean you can't make a difference--that, however, is fodder for another blog post.

I'm ready to scream at blogger and its weird formatting tonight...sorry if this is bizzare.