Dirt under the dome
As a secret ethics committee probe begins today, Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, who is at the center of the recent Legislative ethics mayhem wrote The Tribune a letter. Allen regrets the "unexpected and uplannded turns" of events, but maintains the need for ethics reform remains:Utah needs limits on campaign contributions. We need to significantly limit or ban gifts to legislators. We certainly need a better process for ethical oversight so that legislators themselves, and that certainly includes me, are more cautious about the way we conduct the people's business. Many states mandate training in legislative ethics.Quick summary: Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, is accused offering $50,000 in campaign contributions to another legislator if she would drop opposition to his pet bill. Hughes, in turn, accused Rep. Phil Riesen, D-Holladay, of "discrediting" the House by ratting him out to the media. (One of the many things lawmakers and the inmates at Point of the Mountain have in common is that they hate snitches.)
A Tribune editorial points out that a bill this year to create an independent, nonpartisan ethics commission was killed in committee. Criminals at Point of the Mountain have not been able to win approval of a plan to mirror the Legislature's to require their crimes be investigated by a panel of their fellow convicts in secret.
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Tribune's Bob Barr Blackout Watch: The Libertarian Party nominated Bob Barr as its presidential candidate 136 days ago, but the Salt Lake Tribune has yet to inform its print edition readers of his candidacy.
The Tribune's administrators are disabling the accounts of individuals who note this fact in the TribTalk forums or comments sections of SLTRIB.COM.
Barr will be on at least 45 state ballots across the United States.
Nationwide polls show Barr receiving support from between 1 to 2 percent of voters (or about 1 in 50 American voters), and up to 11 percent support in some battleground states.
Only a handful of other presidential candidates can claim the same thing.
The CEO of MediaNews (which owns the Tribune), William Dean Singleton, was a significant financial supporter of Republican U.S. President George W. Bush.
www.BobBarr2008.com
When will Sheryl Allen come clean about her employment for the Davis County school district and how her employment biases her against vouchers and incentivize her to fight against other school reform. When will she publicly acknowledge fundraising by the Davis school foundation and how lobbyist and corporate contributions have resulted from her employment in the legislature?
Dear Consent,
What I want to know is when is Bob Barr going to start doing his part? I mean, if he really wants us to pay attention to him, the least he can do feign a fainting spell or two. Right?
Come on, this is the big leagues people! You've got to want it! Pour out the Red Bull and fall to the floor!
At least Super Dell gives us something to work with. When was the last time Bob told a reporter that he or she was evil? Or, that the President was a Socialist Antichrist? Does Bob have a Hummer, a shooting range, a paraglider, or a totally awesome anything?
If I wasn’t voting for McCain, despite my sincere respect for Obama, I think I would vote for Super Dell.
Love,
A.W.
P.S. I’m just kidding my friend. I don’t know why your candidate is not getting coverage. Why don’t you tell us about him? Why are you such a strong supporter of Mr. Barr?
Wikipedia has several reasons to support Bob Barr:
In 1999, during Clinton's impeachment trial, Hustler publisher Larry Flynt offered money to anyone who could provide evidence that a prominent Republican had engaged in an extramarital affair. According to the American Journalism Review[69] investigators for Flynt found that Barr was "guilty of king-size hypocrisy;" the outspoken abortion foe had acquiesced in his then-wife having an abortion in 1983. Investigators also found that Barr invoked a legal privilege during his 1985 divorce proceeding, so he could refuse to answer questions on whether he'd cheated on his second wife with the woman who is now his third."[70]
In the early 1990s, Barr was photographed at a fundraising event licking whipped cream off of a woman.[71] According to the Washington Post "Two people who observed the act say it wasn't exactly a bosom lick but more like a neckline lick, at the sort of event where business and civic leaders perform dares to raise money. 'Not exactly Mr. Effusive', says Matt Towery, the former chairman of Newt Gingrich's political organization, who observed the brief and awkward licking. 'You can hardly get the guy to smile'".[72]
Wow, I don't know what to say.
It sounds like McCain is still my man.
Love,
A.W.
Glen.....
There is more to the story regarding the Rep from Draper. I would encourage you to take a look at HB109 from the last Legislative Session. From what I understand in discussions with others, there are some troubling issues involved. I have heard the legislation was drafted in a way that only one vendor would likely get the contract. I think you will see it if you take a quick look at the bill. The specificity of items included in the bill is without precedent. If this isn't illegal, it certainly crosses ethical boundaries The scoop I heard was that one of partners of the company that would likely get the bid basically drafted the bill. It isn't coincidence that the assessment tool required under the legislation is exactly the same as the assessment tool created by this company. Is this what we have come to? Legislators drafting and selling legislation to pad the pocketbook of specific companies? Allowing the company that will compete for the contract to draft the bill? I would suggest you do some digging. Citizens are not going to like the smell, and it is very apparent what is happening here. The pilot program drafted in the legislation is to go out to bid by the Department of Corrections. Perhaps you should contact them both to get the whole story and to see if this company did, in fact, get the funding. Initially, I was angry that this would be allowed to happen. I finally let it go. However, now that I find an alleged bribery scandal a pattern of abuse is coming into focus. The citizens of this state should be appalled that this type of policy making is occurring. I believe some investigative reporting would quickly lay bare what happened with this bill. Utah citizens have a right to know. Take a look. You won't be disappointed.
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