. . . Go!
The Inauguration was very nice. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "America the Beautiful," backed by the 23rd Army Band. Both gave Sara and me goosebumps. Father Michael A. Kouremetis of the Greek Orthodox Holy Trinity Church and LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley gave beautiful and inspiring prayers. An 8th-grader from Murray, David Archuleta, sang the National Anthem -- a cappella. Wow! What a voice! And Gov. Huntsman gave a moving address -- humbly asking for support and vowing to take on the tough issues.
I can state without reservation, if Governor Huntsman truly takes on the tough issues -- and not the softballs, while spinning them to be tough -- the legislature will be his best friend. We see the tough issues -- education and transportation funding, medicaid, and health care, to name a few -- and we are eager to address them. That is the thoroughly enjoyable thing about being in the legislature; we square our shoulders and address the tough issues. I'm eager to have Governor Huntsman stand with the legislature and the conservative majority of this State, when the media is blasting us for being mean, backwards, myopic, bigoted, ignorant, etc., for not following the more liberal position of the editorial boards. At times, it seems like the governing standard has been the loudest voice wins, and that speaks to weakness.
The legislature has narrow majorities in both chambers that are willing to make the truly tough decisions (the kind that get things done but burn political capital). If we only need 38 votes in the House and 15 in the Senate, we can leap forward in terms of growing the economy through limited, efficient government. But, if those changes require 50 votes in the House and 20 votes in the Senate (to stay or override a veto), we can't muster that many votes. At that point, we will continue to go wherever the national economy takes us and to be a state somewhere in the middle of the pack.
I heard good things today. I'm anxious to see whether the Governor will agree with the House's position of first paying back money we previously borrowed and, then, funding education, transportation, and government-employee salary needs with existing revenues and money saved through efficiencies -- all without simply lifting more money from our citizens. That is toughness, and that is good for the State's economy.
I can state without reservation, if Governor Huntsman truly takes on the tough issues -- and not the softballs, while spinning them to be tough -- the legislature will be his best friend. We see the tough issues -- education and transportation funding, medicaid, and health care, to name a few -- and we are eager to address them. That is the thoroughly enjoyable thing about being in the legislature; we square our shoulders and address the tough issues. I'm eager to have Governor Huntsman stand with the legislature and the conservative majority of this State, when the media is blasting us for being mean, backwards, myopic, bigoted, ignorant, etc., for not following the more liberal position of the editorial boards. At times, it seems like the governing standard has been the loudest voice wins, and that speaks to weakness.
The legislature has narrow majorities in both chambers that are willing to make the truly tough decisions (the kind that get things done but burn political capital). If we only need 38 votes in the House and 15 in the Senate, we can leap forward in terms of growing the economy through limited, efficient government. But, if those changes require 50 votes in the House and 20 votes in the Senate (to stay or override a veto), we can't muster that many votes. At that point, we will continue to go wherever the national economy takes us and to be a state somewhere in the middle of the pack.
I heard good things today. I'm anxious to see whether the Governor will agree with the House's position of first paying back money we previously borrowed and, then, funding education, transportation, and government-employee salary needs with existing revenues and money saved through efficiencies -- all without simply lifting more money from our citizens. That is toughness, and that is good for the State's economy.
posted by steve u. at 1/03/2005
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