Health Care Bill Passes House

Call it the Congressional Saturday Night Special.  In a 220 – 215 vote Saturday night, the House of Representatives  passed sweeping and historic health care legislation.  HR3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, passed with 219 Democrats voting in favor and 39 voting against.  All House Republicans voted against the bill, with the exception of Representative Joe Cao (R-Louisiana).

The bill now goes to the Senate.  The Senate may choose to vote on the bill as passed by the House, or may choose to vote on its own version of the bill.  If the Senate passes its own version, the two versions would need to be reconciled and voted on again.  It will be interesting to see how those 100 men and women hold up under the intense pressure sure to come down on them from the government and from the public.  Be sure to let your senators know where you stand on this issue.

The Republican National Committee released the following statement after the vote:

“Today with help from their liberal House allies, President Obama and Nancy Pelosi finally got what they have been creating behind closed doors these past months — a government-run health careexperiment that will increase families’ health care costs, increase the deficit, increase taxes on small businesses and the middle class, and cut Medicare.”

The camel just squeezed its way further into the tent.

Shurtleff Suspends Senate Campaign

Mark Shurtleff today announced that he is suspending his campaign for US Senate in order to care for his daughter, who is experiencing health difficulties.

“I have chosen to take pause because my daughter’s health is very fragile,” Shurtleff posted on his senate campaign site. “She is struggling with emotional issues and has recently been placed in a treatment center.  Her recovery depends on the focus and energy we give her as parents over the next several months.  In the time since I announced my candidacy for the U.S. Senate, she has started experiencing severe mental health problems and is now in a treatment center. M’liss and I have been told by her doctors that we will be needed in numerous counseling sessions to give our daughter a chance of recovery.”

Shurtleff went on to say, “Many of you know that I had a serious motorcycle accident a few years ago, and I would have lost my leg if I had not paused and taken the time to receive medical treatment to take care of it. I am not willing to lose my daughter, so I am suspending my campaign to care for her and my family. Most folks understand physical illness; it is my hope that people will learn how serious and dangerous mental illness can be.”

The full letter of explanation can be found on Shurtleff’s Senate Site.  Shurtleff assured Utahns that he will continue to serve in his capacity as state Attorney General.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Shurtleff family, as do our well-wishes for their daughter’s speedy recovery.

Provo / Orem General Election Results

The results are in for Tuesday’s Provo and Orem Municipal Primary Elections.   Voters elected the following candidates (designated with a *):

Orem Mayor: (95.45% of votes reported)
*Jerry Washburn (6,106 votes)
(Philip Hornberger – 1,993 votes )

Orem City Council: (3 seats)
*Brent Sumner (5,150)
*Karen McCandless (5,085)
*Mary Street (3,553)
(Dean Dickerson – 3,322)
(Shiree Thurston – 3,098)
(Steven Diamond -2,440)

Provo Mayor:
*John Curtis (53%)
(Steve Clark 47%)

Provo City Council Citiwide 1:
*Laura Cabanilla (57%)
(Coy Porter 43%)

Provo City Council District 5:
* Sterling Beck (53%)
(Cindy Richards 47%)

Provo City Council District 2  (not part of the Leg 61 boundaries):
*Rick Healey (%57)
(David Acheson 43%)

Provo City has a nifty election map link that lets you mouse over each voting precinct to see how many people voted and for whom.  Orem also has a nice election results page with good info.

In Provo, the total voter turnout (as calculated for the city-wide seats) was approximately 18%.  In Orem, total voter turnout was approximately 16%.

VOTE TODAY

Today  is the Provo and Orem municipal General  Election.  Remember to get out and vote!  Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.  To find your polling location, visit the Lieutenant Governor’s webiste.

Be aware that a recent change in Utah law requires ALL voters to provide identification, so don’t leave home without it (valid identification includes a photo ID issued by the state or federal government, such as a Utah driver license or US passport; or two other forms of ID showing the voter’s name and address, such as a current utility bill or bank statement). Remember that federal law requires employers to allow employees time to vote.

Following is a list of the candidates pertaining to Legislative District 61 (you may wish to view the Provo City Council district map for Provo council district boundaries).  Also included below is a website address or email address for each candidate, if available:

OREM MAYOR CANDIDATES

• Philip Hornberger — phil4mayor.com
• Jerry C. Washburn — jerry4mayor.com

OREM CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

• Steven C. Diamond — www.stevencdiamond.com
• Dean Dickerson — www.deandickerson.com
• Karen McCandless — www.karen4council.com
• Mary Street — marystreet4citycouncil.com
• Brent Sumner — brentsumner.com
• Shiree A. Thurston — shireeforcouncil@gmail.com

PROVO MAYOR CANDIDATES

• Steve Clark –  www.stephendclark.com
• John Curtis — johncurtis.org

PROVO CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES (CITYWIDE 1)

• Laura Cabanilla –  laura4provo.com
• Coy Porter — www.coyforcouncil.com

PROVO CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES (DISTRICT 5)

• Sterling Beck — www.sterlingbeck.com
• Cindy Richards — votecindy.com

It looks like Provo City’s election map link is up and ready to begin recording election results as soon as they begin tabulations this evening.   Orem’s election results page also looks like it’s ready to go.

Please fulfill your privilege and responsibility to GET OUT AND VOTE!  And please remind your neighbors!

Health Care Reform Bill: Trick, or Treat?

Trick, or treat?  That’s the big question this week as Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats released their complex health care reform bill.  HR3962 is a 1,990 page bill called the “Affordable Health Care for America Act”.  The title sounds great (they always do), but what will this legislation mean for the average American?  Following are a few Republican assessments and references to help us begin to digest what the Democrats are serving:

According to the House Republican Policy Brief, we can expect to see a “massive federal involvement in the health care of every American,” including:

• Creation of a government-run insurance program that could cause as many as 114 million Americans to lose their current coverage;
• Abolition of the private market for individual health insurance, forcing individuals to purchase coverage in a government-run Exchange;
• Stifling insurance regulations that would raise premiums and encourage employers to drop coverage;
• Trillions of dollars in new federal spending that will exacerbate the deficit and imperil the nation’s long-term fiscal solvency;
• Taxes on all Americans—individuals who purchase insurance, individuals who do not purchase insurance, and millions of small businesses—that will kill jobs and raise health care premiums; and
• Cuts to Medicare Advantage plans that will result in higher premiums and dropped coverage for more than 10 million seniors.

GOP.gov Policy News lists several components of the bill and includes page numbers for reference.  Among the list are:

• Page 94 – Section 202(c) prohibits the sale of private individual health insurance policies, beginning in 2013, forcing individuals to purchase coverage through the federal government
• Page 225 – Section 330 permits—but does not require—Members of Congress to enroll in government-run health care
• Page 110 – Section 222(e) requires the use of federal dollars to fund abortions through the government-run health plan—and, if the Hyde Amendment were ever not renewed, would require the plan to fund elective abortions
• Page 520 – Section 1161 cuts more than $150 billion from Medicare Advantage plans, potentially jeopardizing millions of seniors’ existing coverage

House Republican Leader, John Boehner, posted an article this week on his website entitled “10 Facts Every American Should Know About Speaker Pelosi’s 1,990-Page Gov’t Takeover of Health Care”, which is worth a look.  Some of the points included in his analysis are:

• Raises taxes on middle-class families
• Increases the cost of health insurance
• Misses an opportunity to curtail junk lawsuits

This convoluted monster of a bill will take time and effort to understand, and we can expect more information to come to light as the House digs deeper into this legislation.  We can also probably expect the beast to morph as amendments add to its mass.  It is likely that the Democrats will hold to their strategy of trying to rush this bill through the legislative process before the public can mount a fight.  Keep an eye on this issue, and be sure to let your Representatives and Senators know what you think.

Poll Finds Conservatives are the ‘Dominant Ideological Group’

Are conservative Utahns becoming trend-setters?  We live in the one of the most conservative counties in one of the most conservative states in the nation, and it appears the rest of the country is now following our lead.  The Gallup organization released a poll Monday showing that 40% of Americans describe their political views as conservative, confirming poll numbers from June which tagged conservatives as the ’single largest ideological group’ in America.

The 2009 data are based on 16 separate Gallup surveys conducted from January through September, which included more than 5,000 national adults per quarter. Conservatives have been the dominant ideological group each quarter, with between 39% and 41% of Americans identifying themselves as either “very conservative” or “conservative.”  Between 35% and 37% of Americans call themselves “moderate,” while the percentage calling themselves “very liberal” or “liberal” has consistently registered between 20% and 21% — making liberals the smallest of the three groups.

Additionally, Gallup is finding that a higher percentage of Americans are expressing conservative views on some issues in 2009 than in 2008.   Specifically:

• Perceptions that there is too much government regulation of business and industry jumped from 38% in September 2008 to 45% in September 2009.
• The percentage of Americans saying they would like to see labor unions have less influence in the country rose from 32% in August 2008 to a record-high 42% in August 2009.
• Public support for keeping the laws governing the sale of firearms the same or making them less strict rose from 49% in October 2008 to 55% in October 2009, also a record high. (The percentage saying the laws should become more strict — the traditionally liberal position — fell from 49% to 44%.)
• The percentage of Americans favoring a decrease in immigration rose from 39% in June/July 2008 to 50% in July 2009.
• The propensity to want the government to “promote traditional values” — as opposed to “not favor any particular set of values” — rose from 48% in 2008 to 53% in 2009. Current support for promoting traditional values is the highest seen in five years.
• The percentage of Americans who consider themselves “pro-life” on abortion rose from 44% in May 2008 to 51% in May 2009, and remained at a slightly elevated 47% in July 2009.
• Americans’ belief that the global warming problem is “exaggerated” in the news rose from 35% in March 2008 to 41% in March 2009.

Changes among political independents appear to be the main reason the percentage of conservatives has increased nationally over the past year, with 35% of independents now describing their views as conservative (up from 29% in 2008).

According to Gallup, conservatives are outnumbering moderates for the first time since 2004. Of course, it was found that conservatism is most prevalent among Republicans.  In 2009, the poll found that 72% of Republicans call their views conservative.  This is an interesting statistic, considering that some prominent GOP leaders are calling for the Party to move away from conservatism and instead lean toward moderate views.  The data seems to support the notion that the GOP will find more success if it sticks to its conservative roots and core conservative principles than if it meanders in other political directions.

The report summarizes, “All of this has potentially important implications at the ballot box, particularly for the 2010 midterm elections. The question is whether increased conservatism, particularly among independents, will translate into heightened support for Republican candidates. Right now, it appears it may.”  Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

For more information, you may view the poll report at the Gallup website.

Early Voting Begins Today

Early voting for the municipal Election begins today, October 20, and runs through October 30.

The municipal Primary Election day will be Tuesday, November 3.  Be aware that a recent change in Utah law requires ALL voters to provide identification, so don’t leave home without it (valid identification includes a photo ID issued by the state or federal government, such as a Utah driver license or US passport; or two other forms of ID showing the voter’s name and address, such as a current utility bill or bank statement).

In Orem, early voting will be available at the Orem City Recorder’s Office (56 N. State, Ste 200) weekdays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

In Provo, early voting will be available at the Provo City Recorder’s Office (351 W. Center) Tuesdays through Fridays from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Legislative Cottage Meeting Wednesday

All District 61 delegates are invited to meet with your legislators this Wednesday, October 21st, from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the home of Senator Margaret Dayton (97 Westview Drive (1925 South) in Orem).   Come hear about the latest legislative events and news, and ask questions.

If your schedule does not permit you to attend  this meeting, please be aware that our Legislative District plans on organizing quarterly events to provide opportunities for you to connect with the the elected officials who represent our district.  Hope to see you there!

FrontRunner Commuter Rail Update

It is estimated that Utah’s population will increase by about a million people by the end of 2030, and most of these residents will settle right here along the already crowded Wasatch Front.  To help accommodate the transportation needs of so many, UTA has been working on the FrontRunner South commuter rail line, which runs right through District 61.  You’ve probably seen the bulldozers, stacks of track sections, and new concrete barriers being poured recently.  Since this topic greatly impacts our district, here is an update on FrontRunner’s progress:

UTA broke ground on the FrontRunner South line from Provo to Salt Lake City in August 2008. The FrontRunner South line will provide high-capacity commuter rail transit on 45 miles of track stretching along the existing Union Pacific Railroad freight corridor from the Provo Intermodal Center to the Salt Lake Central Station in downtown Salt Lake City. The FrontRunner South project is committed to be operational by 2015, but will open earlier if finished ahead of schedule. This project was originally part of the Wasatch Front Regional Council’s 2030 Long-Range Plan, but the$.0025 sales tax increase approved by voters in 2006 allowed this project to commence approximately 15 years earlier than originally projected.

FrontRunner commuter rail is different from the light rail TRAX trains we see in Salt Lake.  Light rail is powered by overhead electrical wires and can reach a top speed of 65 mph, while the FrontRunner commuter rail project will use diesel locomotives and two-level passenger coaches to carry passengers at a top speed of of 79 mph.  Commuter rail is touted as a fast and efficient alternative to a congested freeway commute.

Five FrontRunner stations are proposed for Utah County (Click here to view a map of the FrontRunner line).  Each will have a platform for boarding, park-and-ride lots and bus staging. Proposed Utah County station sites include:

- Lehi: Near Thanksgiving Point
- American Fork: South of Main Street
- Vineyard (future station)
- Orem: University Parkway
- Provo: University Avenue

UTA is making safety upgrades at crossings in order to implement “quiet zones.”  This means that freight and commuter rail trains will not be required to sound their horns at upgraded crossings (safety upgrades include the installation of 60 to 100 foot raised medians and active warning devices at each applicable crossing). More than 2 dozen Utah County crossings will qualify as quiet zone crossings (click here to find a list of these crossings).

This month, UTA received notification that it will receive a $250,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration for the design and engineering of an intermodal transit center in Orem.  The Orem Intermodal Center will serve FrontRunner, UTA buses, and a proposed bus rapid transit line connecting UVU, BYU, and downtown Provo.  Plans for this station include the FrontRunner station, 14 bus bays, and amenities such as shelters, benches, bike facilities and 400 parking stalls.

For more information regarding FrontRunner South, visit the UTA website.

Additional Orem Meet the Candidates Event Scheduled

The Daily Herald has scheduled a Meet the Candidates event for Orem mayoral and city council candidates.  This event will take place Tuesday, October 20, at 7:00 p.m. at the Orem City Library.   Space will be provided for candidates to display campaign materials and to mingle with voters.  The Daily Herald has also asked for information from each candidate to be published on their E-Edition Website beginning on October 19th.   This is another great opportunity to meet the candidates in advance of the November 3rd election.