Charles Trentlemen Article about Campaign Donation

http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/10/31/if-campaigns-really-want-help-try

Here is the link to the Charles Trentelmen Article in the Standard Examiner about the campaign giving away our last $500 to Kanesville Elementary. Thank You Charlie!

NRA

http://votesmart.org/interest-group/851/rating/5565

Earlier today an attempt was made to brand me a liar.  A person from Roy wrote a letter to the editor claiming that I outright lied on my postcard flier. They claimed that I lied about the statement that the NRA gave me an A- rating. I have been completely above board this entire campaign, and those type of accusations disgust me. I know that my opponent is getting nervous, but come on. The above link shows that the NRA did just as I said they did.

Donating to Education

 I donated the remainder of my Campaign funds to Kanesville Elementary this week. My campaign has been about drawing attention to education funding, and I am proud to be a part of that!

Putting Campaign Money where it does good

As Election Day gets closer and closer, we put a whole lot of thought into what we would do to finish out this campaign. The discussions ranged from buying ad space in the newspaper, to doing another mailer, to paying people to make phone calls.  Then a friend of mine asked me pointedly, “Was’nt your whole point for running to draw attention to education funding?” I replied that it sure was.  So Mark then asked, “Why don’t you give the remainder of your campaign money to your local elementary school then?” I proceeded to tell Mark that he was exactly right!  So that it is what we are doing on Monday October 29th at 11:00 am.  We are giving my last $500 to Kanesville Elementary. Everyone is invited to attend and support a decision to do something for our community.  I will have a news conference to announce this at the same time.  I am also calling out my Republican counterparts and asking them, “What are you doing with your thousands of dollars?”  Stay tuned.

Conversations

I’ve had several interesting conversations with people in our District over the past two weeks while going door to door.  I keep hearing how hard it is going to be, to introduce the idea of increasing funds for education, to the legislature. I have no doubt that this will be a hard fight, but I am adamant that this is a fight that must be waged now! We are at a tipping point in this State when it comes to Education funding. If we do not find ways to introduce more students into Math and Science related fields of study, and jobs, we will have major problems economically down the road. Utah must be on the forefront of attracting businesses and jobs that take a high expertise, in order for our economy to flourish. To do this, we MUST invest in Education to attract those jobs here to Utah. I call on Every Politician that is up for Election in Utah to present their ideas.

Here We GO!

  We have started going door to door and meeting everyone in District 12. We knocked over 250 doors on Saturday, only another 10,000 or so to go.  We have signs going up all over Roy, Hooper, and West Haven.  If anyone would like to help out the Pales campaign, please let me know.  If you would like a sign for your yard, I only have 200 left, so come and get them quick!  Please tell your neighbrs about what we are trying to do with Education in this State and get the word out!

Latino Caucus

Welcome to the Latino Caucus!  The Latino Caucus had its Kickoff Barbecue yesterday and I am pumped up to help them succeed!  They meet every Wendsday at the Weber County Library.

Here they Go Again! Utah joins Healthcare Compact. Medicare Age? You might want to read this.

Are you familiar with the amount of money that Utah spends, or more importantly, does not spend, on Education?  Well our Governor and Legislature now want to administer funds for Seniors on Medicare.  If that does not scare the living poop out of you, I don’t know what will.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/53757475-78/bill-care-compact-federal.html.csp

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert recently signed a controversial measure to replace Medicare and Medicaid with a block grant to the states.

SB208 would have Utah join an interstate “Health Care Compact” designed to allow states to opt out of federal health reform without forgoing billions in federal funding.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, believes states can manage Medicare and Medicaid more efficiently without harm to the tens-of-thousands of seniors and low-income and disabled Utahns’ who depend on them.

But hospitals and consumer advocates warned the bill risks tying Utah’s fate to states with poorer health and higher health costs.

It also would also mean sacrificing $132 million in federal funding by 2014 and $1 Billion by 2022, because the block grants are not designed to keep pace with medical inflation, they said.

I have seen what our State Legislature is capable of handling.  Would you trust them with your Healthcare? I don’t!

Is Utah Shortchanging Our Children? Is Utah Giving Away Our Oil and Gas?

In thinking through where our State is when it comes to Education funding, it is painfully obvious that Utah needs to find additional sources of revenue to fund education.  While Governor Herbert and our Republican Legislature is busy suing the Federal Government to gain control of Federal lands, which Utah released in order to join the Union, I have found that our solution is right in front of us.  Utah is virtually giving away our Oil and Gas.  Compared to other western energy producers-Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and Wyoming-Utah has the lowest effective tax rate on oil and natural gas activity in FY 2011.  As a result, the State recieves the least value in tax revenue from oil and natural gas production.

In February 2012, Headwater Economics used a graphical analysis to offer a snapshot of Utah’s Oil and Natural Gas industry. The full report can be found here, http://headwaterseconomics.org/energy/western/utah-oil-and-gas/ it shows that Utah is not asking for the full potential tax revenue that we are entilted to from the corporations that are harvesting these natural resources. Utah has an effective tax rate of 3.3% for its Oil and Natural Gas, the average effective tax rate for other states is over 10%.  If Utah were to increase its effective tax rate to match that of other western states, we would bring in over $250,000,000 more per year, than what we now bring in.  That means that over the next 10 years, we could add another $2.5 Billion to our public schools.  That is a much better start than suing the Federal Government for lands and selling them to the highest bidder.

Utah Horse Sense

My Grandfather was a flawed man by many accounts. In his younger years after WW II, like many of his generation, he became a bit of an alcoholic. He had a 2 pack a day smoking habit for 40 plus years, and he could be a mean and awnry cuss. He was also one of the hardest working men I have ever known. I could relate many off colored stories that he used to tell my siblings and I when I was younger, but I’ll keep this one clean.
I can remember one morning vividly. We were sitting on the comfortable weathered bench seat of his Dodge Truck, listening to Country Music on the AM Radio, while the smell of Camel Cigarettes came drifting by. Paul Harvey came on with some story, and after a few minutes, he reached over and turned down the radio. As Paul Harvey faded away my Grandfather turned to me and rhetorically asked, “You know what’s wrong with most people today?” Not waiting for my reply; “They just don’t have any damn horse sense anymore.” The longer I live, the more I agree whole heartedly with my Grandfather.
As another Utah Legislative session winds down I see less and less good old fashioned Horse Sense up at the Capital. There is way too much political ideology, way too much what I want for me and my selfish interests, and not what is good for All of us.
Don’t get me wrong though, I think that some of our Representatives are very talented, they do many good and selfless tasks. Take HB 88 Aubree Jo’s Law, sponsored by Ryan Wilcox. A good bill that would hopefully help to prevent tragedies like this poor young girl’s death from occurring to other children. Many people thought that this good Horse Sense type of bill would cruise right through the process and become law. Nope. In steps the Eagle Forum and convinces several State Senators that since the Bill has the word Gender in it, that was reason enough to hold it up. Gayle Ruzica’s reasoning? Well, if we let this pass, then the State may have to legally define Gender, and that would have to include Transsexuals. Really? To me that’s another Horse Term.
Then there is my State Senator, Senator Jenkins. Mr. Jenkins felt that he’d had enough of these bleeding hearts, giving out tax breaks to everyone, including active duty servicemen. So he decided he was going to take a stand. “No More!” he emphatically yelled. Those service members get enough already!  I have rarely felt so ashamed and embarrassed of having someone represent me as I do of Senator Jenkins. I agree that some entitlements are out of hand, but this? This is where he decided to take his stand? On the backs of our Active Duty Service members? Especially since he is backing SB 96 a bill that would give Tax Exemptions to Private Golf Courses. Tax breaks for golf course owners, but not active duty service members. Once again, someone doesn’t have the sense to use the brains that the good Lord gave him.
In the past 2 years, we have had numerous bills pass that make me just shake my head. HB 477, the Legislatures ill fated attempt to hide State Governments dealings.  Our current Legislature’s attempt to use Eminent Domain to seize Federal lands here in Utah, even though our own State Constitution relinquishes all rights to those lands. The Legislature then sets aside a few million dollars for the upcoming lawsuit that has 0 percent chance of succeeding, and then to have the gall to say that they are doing it for Education?  Then there was SB 229 the Senate Bill that automatically takes a large percentage of revenue and forces that money to go directly to roads. If we did that with Education, we may actually get somewhere. Boy there’s some Horse Sense for you.
With Elections coming up again this next fall, I would like to propose, that instead of looking to see if a Candidate is a Republican or Democrat, let’s use a different litmus test. Let’s think local when we vote. Let’s not let undeserving Politicians stay in office by riding the coattails of a National Candidate. Instead of looking for the (R) or (D) next to a Candidates’ name, let’s all look before hand to see if the Candidates have some good old fashioned Horse Sense instead.