Today the Supreme Court showed that the Judicial Branch is completely separate from the Legislative Branch of U.S. government with its ruling that is completely contrary to Congressional sentiment and its environmental policy that has been the subject of adversial and argumentative discussion for years. Below is a release I received today I thought I'd share with you fellow bloggers. What do you all think about it?
Diluting higher education resources by approving Utah Valley State College to acquire university status is irresponsible. Lawmakers are all but ready to approve the move that would take away up to $25 million annually from the other state universities.
After the article came out on Saturday announcing the applicants for the Iron County Commission appointment, I became hopeful, especially upon seeing Ken Esplin’s name on the list.
Continue reading " Appoint Ken Esplin to Iron County Commission " »
FIFTH ENTRY (11:30 to midnight): The 2006 election is nearing a close and Iron County experienced a few glitches, again. It wasn't as severe as last year when the counting machine broke down and County Clerk David Yardley had to take a trip to Provo to receive assistance in completing the tallies, but precinct reporting wasn't able to happen in a timely manner when a couple of them had discrepancies with the amount of ballots cast and the actually number recorded. Audits had to be conducted, which caused the remaining precincts to report late - very late.
By 12 a.m., 30 of the 33 precincts had reported. Though three precincts were still not accounted for the results that were in showed clear cut victories for Mark Gower as Iron County Sheriff, David Ayers as Iron County Assessor (his sixth term), Lois Bulloch as Iron County Commissioner and Barbara Corry as a school board member. The race between LynAnn Ellsworth and Curtis Crawford for school board was too close to call with only 50 votes between them - Ellsworth in the lead.
Interestingly, Jim Matheson lost to LaVar Christensen in Iron County. Though Matheson retains his Congressional seat by garnering the most votes statewide, it must've been disappointing to lose in the county that his ancestors founded.
More noteworthy was the flip-flop by Washington County voters and the tax leeway. Proposition 1 that failed in June, passed this time with 13,144 votes in favor and 12,285 against. This will enable the school district to recruit and retain teachers, pay for reading programs and other necessities. An estimated $4.59 per month increase on taxes on a $200,000 home will now be instituted and help educate Washington County students. Kudos! That's a change of heart that will have significant rewards.
The only disappointment I have is in the number of registered voters who exercised their right to vote. Approximately 30 percent of Southern Utah's registered voters turned out to the polls. I don't understand why we don't have 100 percent. There is no reason not to vote, aside from natural disaster or medical emergency. If you are one of those voters who elected not to cast a ballot, make a resolution to vote next time. You really do count!
Continue reading " A Perspective of Southern Utah Elections — Stay Tuned ... " »
Sharon Palmer’s last two Writer’s Group columns asserting, “Men should be allowed to be men and women should be allowed to be women,” is the most sexist remark I have read in context with her supporting claims as evidence - which is where I want to begin with basic definitions of sex and gender she has confused.
My heart literally sunk and my stomach churned at the images of a burning apartment building in New York. It was reminiscent of five years ago, when I instantly feared for my children’s future and shed uncontrollable tears for innocent civilians and emergency workers who lost their lives in the worst terrorist attacks ever to hit American soil. The world changed on 9/11. I changed.
Continue reading " Plane crash in New York reminder of 9/11 " »
I received a response to my last column printed in The Spectrum & Daily News, Sept. 18, which I found intriguing. Particularly because the woman responding is a former victim and child bride from the FLDS Church in Hildale, Utah. I spoke to her on the phone and received permission to post this on the blog for readers to chime in. While she and I disagree about federal intervention in the polygamous sects of Utah and Arizona, we do both agree that more intensive investigation, protective services and other resources need to be conducted to protect abused women and children of both sexes. The main point is that it is the 21st Century and no child, whether in a polygamous, monogamous or other familial arrangement, should be left in a household of abuse and degradation. Please read the following and give your point of view. Keep your eyes open for a print op-ed from Flora Jessop, too.
Continue reading " Federal intervention with polygamous sects " »
Last week, I went the rounds through e-mail with a reader about two letters to the editor I published that were found to be offensive – at least to the disgruntled reader. I was criticized for not discerning their inappropriateness since both basically called for the annihilation of all Muslims.
Continue reading " Call for genocide protected free speech? " »
Early childhood education begins from the moment a baby is born; the first lesson being social interaction and learning to nurse. From there, infants adjust to their new environment with stimulus that teaches them who their parents and family members are, and they will recognize them – especially their mothers – immediately.
Continue reading " Preschool initiative good start – Part 2 " »
The good news is the weight is coming off. The bad news is that it is taking a long time. There is no quick fix for me. When those diet pill advertisements show an asterisk next to that skinny person who shed 30 pounds in only eight weeks, and in tiny print near the bottom it reads, “Results not typical” – they’re not kidding.
Continue reading " Shedding four pounds took nearly six weeks " »
Yep, I did it like I said I would. I switched from regular Coca-Cola to diet and then onto water. I’ve had a headache for two days. My body is missing the caffeine. I can hardly wait for it to be out of my system. Would you believe I’m even shaking?
Continue reading " Hydration with water isn’t kicking caffeine fix " »
My battle with the bulge has enemies that are making some headway – Coca-Cola and Hershey’s chocolate. Quitting these vices is throwing me into withdrawals. I never thought food could be so addictive, but it seriously is. When I’m stressed, all I want to do is eat and I’ve been wired lately with life’s trials that are so distracting that I can’t think straight - but I can certainly eat.
Continue reading " My enemies are Coca-Cola and Hershey's chocolate " »
Figuring out topics to write about can be grueling sometimes. That’s why I’ve decided to stick to one – weight loss. I’m embarking on a journey of losing 60 pounds. It’s taken me two years to lose 30 pounds so I know I’m going to need some patience, as well as some encouragement.
When Andrea Yates was found not guilty by reason of insanity Wednesday in her second murder trial for the bathtub drownings of her five young children, I was shocked and disappointed. I think the justice system is crazy, not Yates.
Columnist and author Ann Hart Coulter told CNBC host Donny Deutsch on Wednesday that former President Bill Clinton has "some level of latent homosexuality," because he has a rather high sex drive and liking for the ladies.
She said, "I think that sort of rampant promiscuity does show some level of latent homosexuality."
I think she’ll say anything to keep her name in the limelight and continue with multiple appearances on national television to soak every second of her 15 minutes of fame that she can.
Yes, I know she has earned her notoriety as a syndicated columnist, best selling author and constitutional attorney, but the self-proclaimed "polemicist" who thrives to "stir up the pot" is doing nothing more than whatever necessary to draw attention to herself.
That tells me there’s some deep seeded insecurity tucked deep inside her narcissistic personality that is evident by her unruly attacks that include the World Trade Center widows of 9/11 in her book, "Godless: The Church of Liberalism."
She claims they actually reveled in their husbands’ deaths. Where is this woman’s heart? I’m beginning to question whether she has one or not, even though her very name proclaims it.
Her ranting to garner some form of validation is jeopardizing her credibility. She needs to seek professional mental health counseling before her reputation as an outspoken conservative quickly turns into that of a raving lunatic.
What has happened to honest salesmanship? Could it be that all a person cares about is getting ahead or capturing just one more sale to achieve a hefty commission?
I sold advertising for the Newspaper Agency Corporation for six years in the early 90s. It was inside sales and involved handling incoming calls, cold calling, re-solicitation and up-selling of line and display ads in the classified section. I had a base wage of $6 an hour plus commission as a full-time employee. If I didn’t make my goal each month, I didn’t get a commission.
If anyone understands the financial strains and pressures that go with accomplishing a sales goal to get paid — I do. Not making my goal meant no tuition money for college, which from time to time meant I took a semester off. It also forced me to do some strict financial planning so I didn’t rely on the commission entirely since I was out on my own as a struggling college student and the last thing I was going to do was run home to mommy.
I sold Mary Kay cosmetics on the side to pad my budget when my commission didn’t come in. I put half of my monthly commission checks I did earn in savings, which were two to three times larger than my base pay. I had the usual expenses of rent, utilities, car payment, insurance and a credit card bill. I made do, and was able to go on some fun trips with my friends, too.
My previous experience as a salesperson is why I can’t understand the way I was treated on a recent visit to a video game store in the Providence Center in Cedar City. I’m still livid.
The day before Father’s Day I took my children to pick out a new video game for their father. My husband loves to play them to release stress and it’s a pastime he shares with my kids on occasion.
I’d met this particular salesman on several occasions in other capacities and knew he was friendly and well mannered. I asked him for assistance by telling him the type of games my husband enjoys playing on our X-box while my children began busily sorting through the used Nintendo cartridges.
The salesman handed me what I thought would be the perfect video game for my husband because it was similar to "Civilization," which my husband had mastered. My kids found two used games that were inexpensive — $2.99 and $12.99 — so I added those to my purchase of a new $40 game.
The return policy explained to me by the salesman sounded more than reasonable. If within seven days I was dissatisfied for any reason, I could return the games and do a straight exchange or receive a full refund. He even offered me a membership, but I declined.
Father’s Day came and my husband appreciated the new watch, shoes, and yes, the new video game. For the next two days he played around with it and basically got bored. It turned out to be too much like, "Civilization," and as I mentioned, he’d mastered that. Also, one of the used games didn’t work at all and needed to be returned.
I gave my husband the receipt that also had the return policy printed on it so he could return it. About 30 minutes after he’d made the trek to return the unwanted game, he came home with an exchanged used game but the new game I’d bought him in hand saying the salesman told him the return policy for new games only permitted a $9 store credit.
I thought for sure there had been some mistake. I asked my husband for the receipt to read over it again and he said the salesman had kept it during the exchange for the broken used game. I decided to call the store and go over what I had been told only three days earlier. The salesman that helped me got on the phone and immediately was defensive, which sent me into an outrage.
He said I did buy used games and he’d correctly explained to me the used game return policy. I agreed with him there, but reminded him that I also bought a new game that he’d even helped pick out for me, yet neglected to tell me about the differing policy in regards to returning it, and thus, I wanted — and felt I rightfully deserved — a full refund.
He begged to differ and we went the rounds yelling at each other like juveniles, not accomplishing anything. I asked to speak with the manager and, of course, the manager wouldn’t be in until the next day.
By the next day, I was emotionally spent and not willing to set foot into that store ever again. I felt deceived, manipulated and outright lied to. You can bet I will tell everyone I know about it, too.
I don’t know if the salespeople get commissions or not in that video game store but if they do, I sure hope it was worth it to the salesman.
I pity him. The almighty dollar was more important to him than doing the right thing, or even acknowledging that he’d made a mistake, which was probably innocent from simply forgetting to relay the new game return policy.
You know an apology would’ve sufficed even if that meant I wouldn’t have gotten my money back, which I didn’t any way. Now, that store will never get my business again and I will steer people away from it every chance I get.
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