Salt Lake Crawler

Blogging from the Capitol steps —

A grassroots group wants to force ethical reform on a Legislature that just can't seem to pass anything meaningful. Utahns for Ethical Government are gathered on the Capitol steps to launch an initiative drive to create an independent ethics commission.

Former state School Board chairman Kim Burningham, a former GOP legislator, tells me that lawmakers can't remain objective enough to reform their own ethics.

"It's not a criticism. There are some things that you are too personally involved in to make good decisions. You need an outside commission."

Utahns for Ethical Government is a "groundswell," he says. With more than half of the principle members being Republicans.

"This is not the effort of a few malcontents."

Former Republican legislator David Irvine (above), was instrumental in putting the initiative together.

Here are a few parts of the ethics initiative and the reason it won't go anywhere:

• No legislator, while serving in office, may act as a lobbyist. (You're outta here, Sen. Howard Stephensen.)

• Legislators would have to wait two years before becoming lobbyists. (What's the point of getting elected?)

• Legislators would be able to lunch with lobbyists — if they pay for their own meal! (This could kill the New Yorker restaurant.)

• Legislators would not be able to take campaign money from corporations. (The end of politics.)

I thought this effort had a fighting chance when I saw U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch in the crowd. But it turned out that Orrin was visiting the Capitol and saw a crowd forming and went down to kiss babies. "No, no. I'm not a part of this," Hatch said. His handler did assure me that Orrin has nothing against ethics.

 

Top Salt Lake County Democrats are booting the memory of beloved Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller back and forth like, well, a soccer ball.

Salt Lake County Councilman Joe Hatch is ripping into Mayor Peter Corroon as "despicable" for playing budget games with a county donation for a monument to Miller at EnergySolutions Arena.

Hatch, of course, could be accused of crassly using the Larry tribute to get back at Corroon for vetoing the council's budget.

"We should do something [for Miller]. But we shouldn't do it in this grotesque manner, especially after we have been lectured by the Mayor's Office about fiscal responsibility."

 

I would suggest that anybody considering running for governor—or any office—avoid getting crosswise with Jazz fans.

Here's a shocker. Not everyone loved former governor, now Ambassador Jon Huntsman.

Blogger Dave, at WisdomofDave, says "Attila" Huntsman was a RINO and did some horrible stuff, including:

• Hanging out with Governor Schwartzeneggar.

• "Moving state government to a four day work week in the name of saving energy and to date we haven't saved a damn cent."

 • Being sympathetic to cap and trade.

 • Announcing that he was pro civil union for gays.

 • "Watching him smile till it made me sick."

Ten to one, Dave will still get a Christmas card from Huntsman this year.

Forget "It was a dark and stormy night." An article in the Village Voice opens with one of the eeriest sentences I've ever read:

John Forté speaks on the phone with Orrin Hatch every week.

Forté, a convicted drug runner whom Utah's senior senator sprang from prison, says Hatch is his mentor:

"I tell him everything that's been going on with me, and he offers me words of advice. Every time the phone rings and it's him, part of me is totally in disbelief. Like, 'Really? Is this happening?' "

I guess after serving half of a 14-year stretch in the slammer, anyone who gets you out, even a sanctimonious Mormon with aspirations to win an Grammy, would have to look pretty good.

Before the article is half started, newly freed Forté's butt smooching gets throw-up-a-little-in-your-mouth pathetic:

"He's a brilliant lyricist. And I'm not just saying that. He writes in all different genres: pop, country, gospel. People actually record his music."

I get it. Forté is going to extend his resumé as a rapper, singer and former Fugee producer to standup comedy.

Jon Huntsman will leave for China as the most popular politician in America.

Even his detractors, mainly Gayle Ruzicka and the Sutherland Institute, have to admit, the guy has great timing. Like they say: When the going gets tough (and ugly state program cuts and tax increases beckon), the ambitious get going—outta here.

A new DNews-KSL poll found Huntsman likely the most popular politician in the country. Eighty-six percent (9 out of 10 Utahns!) approve of the job Huntsman did as governor. Only eight percent disapproved of him. Name anyone in any job that gets that kind of love. Pandas?

Huntsman is beloved by conservatives even though he loosened Utah's liquor laws and spoke in favor of civil unions for gays, for cripes sake. He's a Mormon Republican, yet godless liberals call him the "best Democratic governor since Scott Matheson."

Now, with his Mandarin fluency and an adopted Chinese-born daughter, he's charming the stuffing out of the commies. The heck with U.S. presidential ambitions—Jon has set his sights on premier of China — maybe emperor.

They'll call him 国务院总理 Jon.