Hammered on the Hill
From the Legislature...
It was the duel the residents of Salt Lake City, a blue island in a sea of red, have been waiting for. The city, championed by new Mayor Ralph Becker, versus the state Legislature in the form of evolutionary throwback Sen. Chris Buttars, right.
The back story: Ralph kept a campaign promise by working with the city council to unanimously pass a domestic partnership registry last week. Buttars and former Rep. LaVar Christensen, now the head of a moral squad, quickly cobbled together legislation to kill it — the will of the local population be damned.
The issue was between marriage as a sacred relationship between a man and a woman only or should non-traditional families, including gays, have some legal and health benefit rights.
Under it all was "Becker vs. Buttars." Would the new mayor re-write the legacy of former Mayor Rocky Anderson, a liberal firebrand who was as ineffectual as he was detested on the Hill? Could Ralph's experience as minority leader of the House Democrats and his low-key political approach begin a golden era of city-state cooperation?
Maybe it's hard to change habit or a Pavlovian response... but Ralph is still a doormat for Legislative Republicans and Salt Lake City remains, in conservative eyes, a loathsome Babylon.
"Salt Lake City has a population that wants passage of the domestic partnership registry. If you override Salt Lake City that would be [ready for this?] a big mistake," Ralph told the committee, after acknowledging that, yes, indeed, they could tell the city council what to do.
As we all know, the Utah Legislature has never cringed at making a mistake — especially when it comes to moral issues, even it it costs a few million in legal fees.
In a soothing voice, Ralph reminded the lawmakers how much they hate the federal government when it overrides state prerogatives. "We are trying to do only what is best for our city and our residents."
Again, blatant hypocrisy is not something that ever detered the Legislature.
The committee, of course, approved Buttars' bill unanimously.
Sen. Brent Goodfellow the only Democrat present, spoke out forcefully to correct a misspelled word in the bill, then joined the Republicans in approving it.
It was the duel the residents of Salt Lake City, a blue island in a sea of red, have been waiting for. The city, championed by new Mayor Ralph Becker, versus the state Legislature in the form of evolutionary throwback Sen. Chris Buttars, right.
The back story: Ralph kept a campaign promise by working with the city council to unanimously pass a domestic partnership registry last week. Buttars and former Rep. LaVar Christensen, now the head of a moral squad, quickly cobbled together legislation to kill it — the will of the local population be damned.The issue was between marriage as a sacred relationship between a man and a woman only or should non-traditional families, including gays, have some legal and health benefit rights.
Under it all was "Becker vs. Buttars." Would the new mayor re-write the legacy of former Mayor Rocky Anderson, a liberal firebrand who was as ineffectual as he was detested on the Hill? Could Ralph's experience as minority leader of the House Democrats and his low-key political approach begin a golden era of city-state cooperation?
Maybe it's hard to change habit or a Pavlovian response... but Ralph is still a doormat for Legislative Republicans and Salt Lake City remains, in conservative eyes, a loathsome Babylon.
"Salt Lake City has a population that wants passage of the domestic partnership registry. If you override Salt Lake City that would be [ready for this?] a big mistake," Ralph told the committee, after acknowledging that, yes, indeed, they could tell the city council what to do.
As we all know, the Utah Legislature has never cringed at making a mistake — especially when it comes to moral issues, even it it costs a few million in legal fees.
In a soothing voice, Ralph reminded the lawmakers how much they hate the federal government when it overrides state prerogatives. "We are trying to do only what is best for our city and our residents."
Again, blatant hypocrisy is not something that ever detered the Legislature.
The committee, of course, approved Buttars' bill unanimously.
Sen. Brent Goodfellow the only Democrat present, spoke out forcefully to correct a misspelled word in the bill, then joined the Republicans in approving it.
3 Comments:
Do you write about anything OTHER than politics anymore?! You guys already have two other political blogs. Do something original!
Yea, like blog about Paris Hilton or something. Duh! LOL
Seriously, you think he shouldn't blog about the lawmakers and their policies that affect the entire state because it's not "original?"
Keep it up Warchol.
I didn't say Paris Hilton... but there are other Utah related things happening in this world outside of our idiotic legislature. I have two other blogs and the entire newspaper site to get that. This blog was purported to be something new and original, bringing up things I might not otherwise find on my own. Instead it's just another political blog.
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