News Highlights

Hogle Zoo bond proposal gets on the ballot, but for only half as much money (Salt Lake Tribune, and Deseret News).

Mayor Lewis Billings says Provo could be facing a tough fiscal year because of the slowing national economy (Daily Herald).

Quote of the Day

"We are excited to finally see this day. It's been in the works for over 10 years and, at one point, we planned for it to be open for the (2002) Olympics, so to finally realize this is great."

-- Nile Easton, Utah Department of Transportation spokesman, noting the opening of the south Davis segment of the Legacy Parkway on Saturday, Sept. 13.

Utah Priorities Project

Utah Foundation Releases Transportation Brief
By Steve Kroes, President, Utah Foundation
Today, Utah Foundation will release a research brief on the Utah's current transportation situation. This brief is part of the Utah Priorities Project, which is focused on generating discussion about the most important issues facing our state in this election year. The topic of transportation and traffic has increased in importance over the last four years; it ranked 9th in the 2008 Utah Priorities Survey, whereas in 2004 it was the 11th ranked issue.

Gas prices reached a record high in July 2008 and have been rising for several years, forcing many Utahns to reevaluate their transportation habits and travel plans. This change in behavior is reflected in decreased demand for Utah’s roads as growth in vehicle miles traveled slowed over the past year and actually declined in recent months. This brief presents current and historical data on gas prices in Utah and the U.S. and briefly evaluates some of the factors affecting gas prices. One interesting finding: the only increase in profits seems to be for those extracting oil from the ground, not for refiners or retailers.

The brief also focuses on Utah’s congestion and road quality. For instance, Salt Lake City drivers experience an average annual delay of 27 hours and drive on road conditions that result in additional average annual vehicle maintenance cost of $323 per motorist (according to the research group TRIP).

Looking at highway safety, it turns out that Utah has twice as many deaths from aggressive driving than from driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. There is much more in the brief, so come along for the ride!

UDOT Project is Finalist for Award

The 4500 South Bridge Replacement in Salt Lake has been selected as one of ten finalists for the prestigious "America's Transportation Award." The ten signature transportation projects "reflect the best in management and innovation by state departments of transportation. ... The competition is cosponsored by AAA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and AASHTO to bring public attention to transportation projects around the country that make a positive difference to people, businesses and communities" (see press release).

New DMV Office

The Utah Division of Motor Vehicle office serving South Salt Lake County vehicle owners will begin operations at a new Draper location Aug. 18. The current South Jordan office at 10433 S. Redwood Road will close on Thursday, Aug. 14. The new South Valley office at 14555 S. Minuteman Drive, Draper, will open for business on Monday, Aug. 18.

To centralize state agencies, the new facility will house the Division of Motor Vehicle and the Driver License Division in the South Valley office. The offices will offer extended hours and be opened Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. The new location also features a drive-through for vehicle renewals. DMV continues to add on-line services to alleviate the need for citizens to visit the office personally, including registering on-line at www.dmv.utah.gov.

Today in Political History

Aug. 13, 1960: The first two-way telephone conversation by satellite takes place with the help of Echo 1, a balloon satellite.

Aug. 13, 1981: Pres. Ronald Reagan signs an historic package of tax and budget reductions in a ceremony at his California ranch. (Source: NY Times)

Wise Words

"Let us recollect that peace or war will not always be left to our option; that however moderate or unambitious we may be, we cannot count upon the moderation, or hope to extinguish the ambition of others."

-- Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 34 (Source: Patriot Post)

Campaign Tip

Websites Should be Interactive
A good campaign web site is even better when it has the ability to dynamically collect feedback from supporters and potential supporters.

By making it easy for people to sign up for mailing lists or volunteer activities, RSVP for events, or submit electronic credit card contributions, campaigns at all levels have found it easier to do donor and volunteer management by utilizing their web sites.

Many campaigns have found great success by using custom web-forms for specific fundraising events or volunteer activities. Used in conjunction with customized broadcast e-mails and an integrated back-end database, these campaigns have been able to contact more supporters in less time than ever previously possible. (Source: Complete Campaigns)

National Politics

Best Stories From . . .
-- New York Times: "The intensifying warfare in the former Soviet republic of Georgia has put a new focus on the increasingly hard line that Senator John McCain has taken against Russia in recent years, with stances that have often gone well beyond those of the Bush administration and its focus on engagement."

-- National Review: Columnist Victor Davis Hanson discusses the "sinister brilliance" of Russia's invasion of Georgia.

-- Politico: "While excitement is building for a Democratic Party convention capped by Barack Obama's historic acceptance speech before a sold-out, 75,000-seat football stadium, the GOP convention the following week is shaping up to be a considerably more staid affair, marked by the conspicuous absence of many of the usual convention attendees."

-- The Hill: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) may be ready to allow a vote on offshore drilling, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to make it easy on the Republicans who've been goading her for weeks on energy."

-- Wall Street Journal: In provocative essay, Charles Murray says college is a waste of time for most people. College degrees should be replaced with certifications, he writes.

Blog Watch

-- Rep. Steve Urquhart says: "Special interest groups, blogs, and Big Media are lambasting the Utah Legislature and the Utah Labor Commission for a bill and rules (p. 127) concerning workers compensation benefits. The Tribune reports, 'Thanks to the Republican, employer-friendly and developer-heavy Utah Legislature, [etc.].' Golly. Those information outlets argue that the statute and rules will unfairly hurt illegal aliens. The reality, however, is that the bill and the rules won't change a thing for illegal aliens regarding workers compensation benefits. Not a single thing. ... So, the relevant inquiry to this little drama is -- why the misinformation? Is it mistake or agenda? To determine the ultimate reliability of sources of information, it is helpful to see how they respond when they were in the wrong and they misled the public. So, I'll invite the ACLU, JM Bell, BrownViews, and the Tribune to print whatever rephrasing or retractions they deem appropriate to garner the same amount of attention, in order to illuminate, rather than mislead, the public."

Lighter Side

Regarding the Longmont, Colorado, man who claimed to be a police detective in the "age verification unit" who demanded free X-rated videos "to make sure the performers weren’t underage," James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal writes: "In the hope that the man will come forward, the cops are putting out word that he's up for promotion to 'federal bikini inspector.'" (From James Taranto’s Best of the Web at OpinionJournal.com)

Elected Officials Birthday List

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