Transcript-Bulletin Columns

by Bob Henline

Mar 17, 2009 | 385 views | 1  | 10 |  | 

A summary of the events of the 2009 Utah Legislature General Session seems in order, as the session officially ended on March 12. While many people will tout the reformed liquor laws as evidence of advancement in Utah policy, it doesn’t take a very hard look to see just how far some new laws will erode the rights and freedoms of Utah citizens.

First case in point, SB216, which amends the regulations for the Military Installation Development Agency. This bill gives the MIDA the authority to dictate zoning not only for federal/military property, but also for up to 100 acres of land adjacent to it. The primary purpose of this act was to enable the United States Air Force to build a 5-star resort and full movie studio on federal —and adjoining — lands in Summit County without the approval of the county zoning authority. Apart from the fact that the Air Force has no justifiable reason to be building commercial developments, what is the state Legislature doing granting a military agency jurisdiction over county property?

Next, the Common Ground Initiative: The Utah Legislature killed every single piece of legislation that sought to provide even the most basic of legal protections to “non-traditional” couples in Utah. Yes, this is Utah and those “non-traditional” (read: gay and lesbian) couples certainly don’t fit into the mainstream of Utah society, but they are still human beings and citizens of the state. These people deserve the protections of law and society granted to the rest of us.

Third, texting and driving: HB290 bans texting while driving. While the concept is a decent one to encourage drivers to act responsibly, the methodology here is completely insane. To ban texting while driving is, as was made famous during the presidential election, lipstick on a pig. Distracted driving kills people. That’s obvious. However, distracted driving falls into a multitude of categories: eating, shaving, applying makeup, talking on the phone, texting, dealing with unruly children in the back of the car, listening to the radio, reading, drinking (non-alcohol), and a few million other things that I’ve witnessed people do while driving. Isolating texting as a Class C misdemeanor is completely ridiculous, especially if the person doing the texting is still driving within the established rules of the road. If that person is causing traffic issues due to the texting, then they should be held accountable under existing traffic statutes. This type of singling out of one particular contributing factor is inherently wrong and potentially unconstitutional.

Finally, personal property rights: The Legislature saw fit to extend “protections” to gun owners by requiring that if a company bans weapons from their premises, that gun owner must either be provided with a separate area in which to park — and keep the gun in the car — or a secure locker within the building in which to store the weapon. While the gun lobby is probably ecstatic about this new “protection,” has anyone considered the rights of the property owner? If I own a business and I don’t want guns on my property, I should have the right to say no. Legislators disagree. The right of a person to store a gun in their car is more important than my right to determine what happens on my property.

Remember ladies and gentlemen, we voted for the people that are now trampling upon our rights.

by Bob Henline

Mar 10, 2009 | 242 views | 0  | 3 |  | 

It’s amazing what can happen in the course of one little year. The fortunes of a nation can be completely altered in such a short span of time. I remember driving around Tooele a year ago and seeing “Help Wanted” signs on a number of small businesses in town. I remember celebrations as businesses were opening new facilities and hiring workers, seeing billboards encouraging locals to apply for positions to avoid the commute to Salt Lake.

Now we see different signs: “Closed” or “Going Out of Business.” We see hundreds of people in our community looking for work, any work, just to get by. In last Tuesday’s Transcript-Bulletin, Tim Gillie reported on the dramatic upswing in people looking for help finding jobs in this depressed economy (“County employment centers struggling to place throng of job seekers”). Add to that the housing crisis, with people struggling to make mortgage payments and losing their homes, and we see exactly what a difference a year can make.

Looking at the situation and how much change has happened in the course of one year makes a person stop and think — think about life, family and the things that really matter. How much have we taken for granted over the past several years, assuming that it would always be there? How many of us bought things that we really couldn’t afford or had no plan to pay for in the event of a change of fortunes? How many of us are now in serious financial trouble? I’m not trying to preach here. I’m as guilty as the next person. We all got caught up in a consumption economy, spending tomorrow’s money before it had been earned.

And it has caught up to us. All of us. Banks are struggling and reaching for federal bailouts, people are losing their homes, their cars, everything. Businesses that depend upon the flow of credit are struggling to make regular payroll, resulting in job losses all across the nation. More job losses mean less people buying, which means more businesses struggle. The cycle goes on and on.

We can point the finger of blame any number of places: those greedy Wall Street guys, the bankers that talked us into adjustable-rate or balloon-payment mortgages, the Bush Administration, Congress, the Federal Reserve. Those guys. There’s plenty of blame to go around, but what’s really lacking is responsibility.

We all made mistakes that helped to create this economic problem, and we all need to fix it. It’s not something that is going to happen tomorrow, next week or next month. This crisis is going to be with us for quite some time — political promises aside. Hard times, though, are when America shines. They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and when times are tough and inspiration is needed, America always comes through.

What makes that happen isn’t the greatness of any one person or any group of people, it’s the greatness inherent in us all. It is the unbeatable, unbreakable American spirit. It is our communities coming together to hold out the helping hand to our neighbors in need. It is recognizing our differences as strengths and using them to better all of society, instead of making them reasons to hate or fear. That is the challenge for each of us: to unite in the face of adversity and show the world that American spirit once again.

by Bob Henline

Mar 03, 2009 | 27 views | 0  | 0 |  | 

Last Wednesday, the Utah State Senate passed two new laws intended to instill a sense of ethics in a legislature rated by national observers as one of the most loosely regulated in the nation. While many applaud this gesture by the Senate, it takes only a glance at the proposed legislation to see these actions for what they really are: hollow gestures.

SB156 would require that legislators now report gifts received if the value is greater than $25, moving that threshold down from the previous $50 mark. It does, however, exempt reporting requirements for events “to which the entire Legislature or even members of a committee, task force or party caucus are invited.” SB162 prohibits legislators from using campaign funds for personal expenses after they leave office.

In reality, what do these two pieces of legislation accomplish? Absolutely nothing. The bottom line on this matter is that you can’t force people to behave in an ethical manner. You can only expose them for unethical behavior and implement consequences.

True ethics reform in the Legislature should take the form of one very simple requirement: Every gift or campaign contribution is reported and the donor is listed, regardless of the value of the gift or contribution. Every campaign expense, likewise, should also be reported. The Legislature’s Web site should be updated every month with a report from every member as to what was contributed and what was spent. This should also apply to candidates seeking public office in Utah. No need for detailed campaign finance reports — simply submit the donations, the expenses and the bank statement. If the candidate or official uses cash for campaign-related purchases, submit the receipt. Cash contributions should be prohibited, as their source can’t be verified.

There shouldn’t be any restrictions on the source or amounts of contributions since all of that information becomes public. If a candidate or legislator is receiving huge sums of money from a source that has some sort of vested interest in a particular bit of legislation, the voters can determine whether or not they believe that candidate has behaved in an ethical manner. Being able to complete a report properly doesn’t make a person ethical, nor does the ability to find ways around the report.

Every law that we enact that adds to the unethical foundations currently in place only serves to further enhance that unethical base. Restrictions don’t create ethics, they create loopholes and legal technicalities. Ethics come from inside the person, and can only be judged by those to whom that candidate answers: the people.

If we scrap all of the outdated rules and operate in an environment of full and total disclosure, these types of issues can be completely avoided. Personally, it doesn’t matter to me if a corporation or special interest group gives legislators and candidates thousands or even millions of dollars, as long as I know who is donating that money and what their position is. I can make the decision for myself if I think that candidate or official has been “bought” — and will then take appropriate action at the ballot box.

We live in the Information Age, yet the old saying still holds true: knowledge is power. As long as the people know the source of the gifts, the amount doesn’t really matter.

Bob Henline is a Tooele resident and political activist. He can be reached at bob@nonpart.org.

by Bob Henline

Feb 24, 2009 | 95 views | 0  | 1 |  | 

You have to hand it to EnergySolutions. When they decide to do something, they go big.

In addition to fighting Gov. Jon Huntsman in federal court, they’ve decided to bribe the entire Utah State Legislature to enact legislation that would allow them to import foreign nuclear waste into Utah. The current offer: half of up to $3 billion in profit from foreign waste disposal, on top of the hundreds of thousands of dollars the company donates to various political parties, politicians, caucuses, and pet causes in the state.

EnergySolutions spread around $500,000 among 80 percent of the state Legislature last year. In addition, the company also has an impressive stable of professional lobbyists working Capitol Hill in order to advance its agenda. It’s also running a series of TV advertisements featuring CEO Steve Creamer discussing the generous ways in which the company will share the proceeds of foreign nuclear waste with the people of Utah.

The question we need to ask ourselves now is how much are our children worth? What price tag are we willing to place on our heritage, our environment, and our future? Apparently EnergySolutions has determined that $1.5 billion should be enough, and there are members of the Utah Legislature that agree. These legislators, elected to represent the best interests of the people of Utah, are preparing legislation to be ready to go as soon as they make the right deal with EnergySolutions.

Fortunately for Utah, Gov. Huntsman has stated in no uncertain terms that he will veto any action by the Legislature to allow foreign nuclear waste to be disposed of in Utah. Also expressing opposition to this ridiculous notion is Rep. Jim Matheson.

Now we are faced with a choice: Do we allow this corporation to bribe us all into ignoring the potential environmental and health issues associated with importing foreign nuclear waste into Utah? EnergySolutions cannot be allowed to turn Utah into the world’s toxic waste dump. The people of Utah, and of Tooele County in particular, need to stand up and be counted on this issue. We need to show EnergySolutions and our elected officials that our land and our heritage are more important than the 30 pieces of silver we are being offered to forsake it.

I have started an online petition against importing foreign nuclear waste at www.ipetitions.com/petition/foreignwaste/index.html, and I encourage everyone to read it and add their signatures. The only hope we have of fighting the money that EnergySolutions is committing to this effort is to stand strong and unified, and to make our voices heard. Tooele County is not the world’s toxic dumping ground. Our heritage, our environment, and most importantly, our integrity are not for sale.

Bob Henline is a Tooele resident and political activist. He can be reached at bob@nonpart.org.

by Bob Henline

Feb 17, 2009 | 17 views | 0  | 1 |  | 

At the end of January, a coalition of police officers, volunteers, and social workers scoured the county as part of a statewide effort to count the number of homeless present in both the county and the state. The results, while appalling, are not shocking. Homelessness in Tooele County is up 68 percent from this time last year.

The worst part of this statistic is what it does not include: people without homes who are staying with family or friends, “couch-surfing” as it is called. The Tooele County School District estimates there are currently 500 children enrolled in Tooele schools that fit this alternative definition of homelessness. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Tooele County has a population of 53,552, meaning that almost one of every 100 people in Tooele County is a homeless school-age child.

Anyone that has ever worked or volunteered for a relief agency understands that homelessness is a very complex issue. There isn’t a quick fix that can address this problem. However, as we look at the dramatic jump in homelessness over the past year and correlate that with statewide job loss figures, requests for relief and support services, and foreclosure rates, it becomes obvious that our current economic situation has contributed significantly to this epidemic.

The U.S. Senate recently voted to approve the president’s $787 economic stimulus package. While there is a great deal of debate about the potential effectiveness of this package, the concept behind a large portion of it — putting people back to work by creating infrastructure projects — is one that has worked for us before.

As this debate goes on, however, there are a few things that I don’t understand. First, how is it that Congress can pass an “emergency bailout” in under 48 hours that dumps $700 billion into banks and financial companies to protect them from their own mismanagement, yet it takes months to pass a package that may help working people over the course of the next year?

Just to add insult to injury, a group of conservative lawmakers right here in Utah wants to restore the state sales tax on unprepared food to its previous level of 4.7 percent. Their estimation is that this could generate an additional $180 million in tax revenue for the state. This movement, spearheaded by Rep. Kay McIff, R-Richfield, hopefully doesn’t have the steam to overturn a promised veto by Gov. Huntsman, who shares this commentator’s view that a sales tax on food is inherently immoral and poses an even further danger to the working people of our community and state. This is a group that fervently proposes tax breaks for upper-income people and corporations, but is more than willing to increase the tax burden on struggling families by taxing a basic necessity: food.

As the economy continues its downward trend, I applaud everyone who has volunteered their time and money to assist relief efforts and to all of the people that are helping to house friends and family that have lost their homes. We are in a time of dire need and it is obvious that our government is not going to be able to address these immediate concerns. Our community must come together and work to overcome the growing problem of homelessness in Tooele County.

Bob Henline is a Tooele resident and political activist. He can be reached at bob@nonpart.org.

The Tooele County Planning Commission recently tabled an application to rezone an area of the Stockton Bar to allow for a new gravel pit to begin operation, citing the need for additional study. I applaud the actions of the commission for considering the potential geological, historical and environment impacts of this request.

I’ve been in Tooele now for four years, and have watched the city and the county grow at a phenomenal pace. While some level of growth and development is necessary to maintain a thriving community and provide services to residents and opportunities for our children, growth can also be detrimental to the lifestyle that many of us looked for when choosing to live in Tooele County. Growth is something to be managed delicately, and finding that balance between economic growth, environmental protection and maintaining the quieter lifestyle most of us prefer is not an easy task.

All of our municipal governments are struggling with these issues on a daily basis. In Tooele, Mayor Patrick Dunlavy has done some phenomenal things to help expand the development of the city, yet still manage growth to minimize adverse impacts. The addition of new businesses such as Gold’s Gym, Big 5 Sporting Goods, Walgreens and Sears will greatly enhance the quality of life for Tooele residents and improve our business tax base. Also, these businesses have occupied locations that were quite frankly eyesores on Main Street. Grantsville is dealing with similar issues attempting to balance growth with the quality of life for its residents.

As it has been for several years, Tooele County is the place for the Salt Lake Valley to grow. The valley is full of people, businesses and houses, and many of those people look longingly at the quieter lifestyle that we have out here. Over the course of the next decade, the management of both population and business growth is going to be a primary concern for all of our city and county government offices. It is good to see that our current elected leaders are looking not just to the economic side of this equation, but also to the impact.

The loss of the Stockton Bar represents a loss that can never be replaced for historical and geological reasons. Experts have testified as to the potential environmental impacts of an additional gravel pit on that site, expressing concerns over worsening air quality and other environmental conditions.

However, larger scale impacts such as these, in my mind, are not as important as the views of the people that live in the area. Overwhelmingly the citizens have responded with opposition to another gravel pit. They cite reasons such as noise and dust pollution, as well as increased traffic. I am a big supporter of the rights of property owners to use their property in a manner they deem fit, however, in this case, the rights of several property owners must outweigh the right of one.

The Tooele County Planning Commission made the right choice in tabling this motion pending further review. While I would personally rather just see the application denied, the commission took a prudent step in slowing the process to such an extent as to allow for study and deliberation, perhaps even letting time take some of the emotion out of the discussion.

The Utah State Legislature is now looking for ways to trim roughly $1 billion from last year’s budget. The Republican majority is proposing an across-the-board ax of expenditures by 15 percent to make up the anticipated shortfall, attempting to avoid using the state’s “rainy day fund.” Gov. Huntsman is proposing cuts of roughly 7 percent, using bonding and some funds from the rainy day fund to backfill some of the cuts.

While the budget shortfall certainly needs to be addressed, the Legislature and the governor are looking in the wrong direction with a myopic vision.

First and foremost, any across-the-board budget cuts are ridiculous. This is akin to using an ax for brain surgery, cutting indiscriminately instead of actually making hard choices and determining the state’s real budgetary priorities. As is the usual case, necessary programs, such as aid for autistic children, meals for the elderly and other HHS programs could be decimated. It’s always those who can’t stand up for themselves that are victimized by “necessary” budget cuts.

Secondly, perhaps to make up for budgetary shortfalls we should be looking at new ways to increase the state’s incoming revenue. Over its 19-year history, the Idaho Lottery has raised $402.3 million for Idaho public schools. How much of that revenue comes from Utahns driving across the border to purchase lottery tickets? How much revenue do Utahns contribute to Nevada’s public schools by gambling in Wendover? I don’t think Utah is ready to legalize casinos, but we certainly need to take a hard look at the lottery as a revenue source.

Another way for Utah to raise much-needed funds would be to eliminate property tax exemptions for churches and fake non-profits. How much revenue would be raised if church properties actually paid taxes on their property? Take a look at Intermountain Health Care. How much property do they own in Utah that is exempt from taxation because of their non-profit status? This is an organization that collects hundreds of millions of dollars annually and pays no taxes. However, according to their 2008 disclosures, they could afford to pay contracted lobbyists $210,000 last year. That’s right, a non-profit that makes millions of dollars annually in “excess revenue” and doesn’t pay any taxes pays professional lobbyists to influence public policy.

Utah does have some expenditures that can be cut. I understand the importance of tourism dollars to Utah’s economy, but realistically we can trim our tourism advertising budget. The best thing we can do to help increase our reputation for tourism is to rewrite our liquor laws to be a bit more sensible. How about the $8.2 million Utah spent on anti-tobacco programs last year? While this is a nice, feel-good kind of expenditure, it’s really not a governmental necessity. If you want your kids not to smoke, teach them not to smoke. Be a parent, don’t rely on the government to advertise it for you. How effective is this advertising? How many people hear these ads and say to themselves, “Gee, smoking is bad for me? I had no idea. I better quit now.” People that want to smoke are going to smoke, end of story.

This Legislative session is going to be a tough one. Our legislators are going to need to make some difficult decisions about our budget priorities. It’s time to take off the blinders and look to real solutions instead of swinging an ax blindly across the budget.

As America welcomes a new president to the White House, we always hear about the most pressing issues to be covered in the first 100 days. This year, America faces more issues than usual with the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the economic crisis, terrorism, and America’s declining international reputation.

Unfortunately, the most important issue facing America today seems to have taken a back burner to these other issues. Education is the key to solving the vast majority of social problems facing America today. No, it’s not a quick fix. It’s an actual solution. Our social problems have been years, if not decades, in the making and they will not be fixed overnight, during a two-year congressional term, or during a four-year presidential one.

Right now, America’s education system is a shambles. We are failing to fulfill our most fundamental responsibility to future generations.

I read with great interest the story of Ernie Nix being selected as the first director of the county’s new charter school, Excelsior Academy (“Charter school names Nix as its new director,” Jan. 20). Over the past several years, I have been somewhat ambivalent about charter schools, fearing that they represented, at some level, an abandonment of our public school system. As I have read more and more about Excelsior Academy, however, I find myself becoming a supporter of charter schools.

We have seen a number of “reforms” to our educational system over the past several years, none of which has made any real difference in the quality of education we are providing our children. The entrenched education establishment of school districts, teachers’ unions, and government bureaucracies has prevented real change at almost every level.

Department of Education officials have long proposed different accountability standards to be tied to funding increases, which have been opposed by the teachers’ unions, creating an environment of stagnation. As this stagnation continues, I see out-of-the-box solutions such as charter schools as the only real hope we have of making change that is visible, tangible and real. We are now at a point where simply reforming education is not enough. We need to revolutionize the way we educate our children. We need new curricula, new standards and new methodologies. Our teachers and administrators need to be free, at the school level, to work with students in a manner best suited to them as individuals.

As I read Nix’s biography, I was impressed not only with his accomplishments but with his attitude and desire to be a part of something special, something that will positively impact the lives of Tooele’s children. I look forward to watching the development of Excelsior Academy and seeing the impact that it has on the quality of education in Tooele County.

As the quality of our education improves, the quality of our local economy will improve. Education is the life blood of our communities, our nation and our future. Our personal, local and national priorities need to reflect the importance of redesigning our educational system to enable our children to succeed in the modern world. Providing effective modern education must be our No. 1 priority moving forward — for ourselves, our children and generations to come.

The battle over the importation and disposal of foreign nuclear waste continues in Utah. On one side: EnergySolutions, owner and operator of a low-level nuclear waste disposal facility in Tooele County. On the other: Gov. Jon Huntsman, Rep. Jim Matheson, and thousands of American citizens that don’t want to see our landscape become an international dumping ground.

While part of the battle is being fought in the federal courts, another part is being prepared in Washington, D.C., where Matheson is pushing legislation to ban all foreign nuclear waste imports into the country.

EnergySolutions would have us believe there is no safety or environmental risk to this waste being transported across the country and then permanently deposited in their Clive facility. Granted, I’m not a nuclear physicist, but it’s obvious that these are dangerous materials, or else a secured disposal facility such as the one operated by EnergySolutions would not be necessary. How then can one say that there is no environmental or safety risk in transport? No transportation system is perfect, and accidents do happen.

While it may be true that the amount of foreign waste currently being discussed is relatively small, this situation represents a potentially dangerous precedent. At what point do we draw the line and tell the world that they need to be responsible for the disposal of their own waste? How much of our environment are we willing to sacrifice in the name of EnergySolutions’ bottom line?

Our line should be drawn right here and right now. Huntsman took a bold step when he used an interstate compact to block the importation of waste — a step that is currently being challenged in federal court by EnergySolutions. And Matheson is working on a more permanent solution through legislation in Congress. But every resident of Tooele County, Utah, and the United States should be standing firm with the governor and congressman in support of these measures.

This is an issue that transcends political party and impacts the lives of not only ourselves, but our children and grandchildren for generations to come. Tooele County should not become the world’s dumping ground for nuclear waste, nor should any other location in America.

Much has been made of the current economic crisis, especially in relation to banking, lending and the various financial companies that have been given multi-billion dollar bailouts. What continues to astound me is that there has not been a mass public outcry about this reckless and fiscally irresponsible new “plan.”

When liberals talk about redistributing the wealth with tax policy — i.e., increasing corporate and higher-bracket taxes in exchange for lower- and middle-class tax cuts — they are accused of being fiscally irresponsible. Some critics even suggest such liberals are socialists, trying to even the economic playing field.

However, we are not hearing any such accusations from corporate America today when hundreds of billions of tax dollars are being taken from every American taxpayer to finance the most massive corporate welfare scheme ever devised.

In addition to the obvious abuses of these funds, such as Chrysler taking out full-page ads in the nation’s largest newspapers to thank Americans for the bailout, what does this bailout mean?

It means that corporations that have been grossly mismanaged and engaged in shoddy — if not unethical or downright illegal — business practices are allowed to continue in business, with their expenses being paid by you.

How many small businesses in America go out of business or bankrupt every year? Even in Tooele County, we see businesses fail all the time. These are generally honest and hard-working people trying to live the American dream. I don’t see the Department of the Treasury swooping in on a white steed with a large checkbook to save these businesses.

The bottom line is this: We have a gross number of corporations that have been living beyond their means, inflating stock values, issuing uncollectable loans, and making generally bad business decisions. As was the case with Enron a few years ago, sooner or later this behavior will catch up to them — and it has.

The government’s role in this debacle should be to assist the innocent workers and other citizens that are adversely impacted by these businesses failing, not to toss our tax dollars at the feet of the “managers” who created this problem to start with. Even though the government prints the money, the supply isn’t limitless, and this bailout is the epitome of government (read: your) money being wasted.