FOR or AGAINST VOUCHERS???  Between now and Tuesday, November 6, do yourself a huge favor and do ONE THING:

READ THE BILL!!!  (Or, bills that create the Educational Voucher Law).  Review and UNDERSTAND what you are voting for.

HB148 and HB174.

The bill language is relatively easy to read.  HB 148 is approximately 13 pages and HB174 is approximately 10 pages (and somewhat redundant to HB148).

If you’re one of my constituents (House District 57) please call me with any questions…the answers are simple and won’t take a lot of time. 

Catch this little piece on blogging by the D-News Editorial Board.  Click HERE.

Richard Piatt, from KSL 5, produced this TRUE/FALSE piece on Education Voucher Ads.  Thanks for taking time to get to the heart of the issue, Rich.  Maybe we could encourage the rest of your fellow reporters to follow suit!  Objective journalism is so rare these days…because it takes actual talent.

Click HERE for link.

Today at a lunchtime Press Conference in the Utah State House Building on Capitol Hill, Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. with Legislative Leadership explained to the citizens of Utah (and the multiplicity of mainstream media present) the facts related to the Educational Voucher proposal on November 6th’s ballot…and why you should vote FOR vouchers.

Sorry, there’s no link to a MSM news article, but this hot off the “press” stuff!

As the reports roll in for last month’s State Revenue Projections, it appears as though we’re looking like we’re going collect approximately $400 Million EXTRA of your tax dollars, again.  Money I’m sure you could spend more better on yourself and your family than we–your state government–can.  Click HERE for Bob Bernick Article.

Once again, the Legislature faces the unfortunate task of deciding how much of your money to return to you (if any), before we spend what we won’t return to you.  (Remember, I’m kind of a smaller, less intrusive, reduced budget, government sorta’ guy…so take it for what it’s worth!) 

With significant cost-of-living increases over the last couple of years (my Bear River car insurance just DOUBLED over last year…I have a teenage boy driver now…and…my most expensive car is my beaten up, broken down Toyota), and local school district bond increases, and property tax increases, and possible slowing of the job market (even in Utah)…is it time to consider giving back every last dime this time around???  Remember we have to SUSTAIN this spending spree from year-to-year.  Also, remember, we just finished spending nearly all of the over $2.5 BILLION surplus (your EXTRA money) from the last two years!

Comments?!

Having just returned from a Legislative Conference in Wyoming where it was called to my attention that the State of Wyoming functions just fine on a budget literally half the size of our own (approximately 500,000 residents and a $1+ Billion budget), which is about $12 Billion for 2.5 million residents, maybe we should just spend less this time around.