“The Fabulous Five” Mailing Causing Controversy

On Thursday, March 27th, I received this mailer from the Utah State Republican Party.

It contained a flier and a second small leaflet announcing “the Return of The Fabulous Five”,

and the donation instructions for The Fabulous Five PAC (below).

The flier says these five Republican members of the House of Representatives who joined the Utah Legislature in 2007 “will be at the forefront of a battle to retain their seats from others whose agendas call for more government intrusion, higher taxes and restricted freedoms.”

The “Fabulous Five” is comprised of (in order of their appearance on the flier):

• Representative Ken Sumison, District 56

• Representative Keith Grover, District 61

• Representative Carl Wimmer, District 52

• Representative Chris Herrod, District 62

• Representative Steve Sandstrom, District 58

It also says “Your attendance is sought at a special fundraiser to benefit the re-election of these patriotic and freedom loving men to office.” You can read the rest of the flier in the image above.

This mailer has raised concerns and has become visible in the press. The Deseret News ran an article on Saturday in the Utah County Edition entitled GOP flier raising a ruckus. The Salt Lake Tribune’s Political Writers’ Blog also posted about the topic on Sunday under the entry Trouble in paradise.

At issue is whether or not the State Republican Party violated the Party Officer Neutrality clause (7.2) of the Utah Republican Party Bylaws by sending it out and paying for the postage when four of the “Fabulous Five” are opposed for the nomination by candidates from within the Republican Party. Specifically:

• Jared Sepulveda (jws66m@yahoo.com) is running for the Republican nomination against Sumsion in District 56

• Lisa Shepherd (lisamshepherd@aol.com) is running for the Republican nomination against Grover in District 61

• David Starling (no web site or e-mail address listed) is running for the Republican nomination against Herrod in District 62

• Paul Newton (pnewton@backmantitle.com) is running for the Republican nomination against Sandstrom in District 58

I have not been able to located web sites for any of these candidates, and will amend this post to include them if they exist.

For your convenience I have included the Party Officer Neutrality clause of Bylaws below:

7.2 PARTY OFFICER NEUTRALITY

A. State Party officers, National Committee members, and paid staff shall assist and provide, without discrimination or restriction, equal access to Party information and services within their responsibility to all Republican candidates.

B. State Party Officers, National Committee members, and paid staff shall not publicly endorse or oppose any Republican candidate for partisan public office in Utah while the candidate is opposed by another Republican candidate for the same office.

How would you make the call?

With the disclaimer that I am not a lawyer, I wonder if a mailing label that says “Postage Paid by the UT State Republican Party” and a flier that says “Paid for by the Utah Republican Party” and calls for attendance at a fundraiser at a minimum constitutes a tacit public endorsement of candidates opposed by other Republicans. If so, someone in the Party made a mistake by doing this.

As a Party, I believe we all need to play by the same rules. What do you think? Please comment, and if you’re a Republican (or not) please let the Party know.

eBay Government Relations Says: “Tell Congress [to] Keep Tax Collectors off the Net”

I work in the technology sector, so I’ve seen more than my share of eBay scam e-mails, so I did a little reading before publishing this post. After the reading exercise, I decided to share the contents of the e-mail message (message text in italics) I received from eBay Government Relations:

From: eBay Government Relations <eBay@reply1.ebay.com>

To: [me]

Subject: Tell Congress: Keep Tax Collectors off the Net

Date: Thursday, March 27, 2008 7:08:50 PM

Make Your Voice Heard Today
Tell Congress: Keep Tax Collectors off the Net

Members of Congress are considering sales tax legislation that could change the way you shop on the Internet and through catalogs.

Luckily, creating a new sales tax collection system for Internet and catalog shopping requires Congressional approval. That means YOU have a say in how new tax systems apply to Internet commerce before sweeping changes are made.

The current federal rules on sales tax collection for Internet and catalog sales are pretty simple: if you buy something from a business operating in your state, the business is required to collect the sales tax and send it to the state revenue office.

The Supreme Court created an exception for most small Internet and catalog sellers because it would be very difficult for them to collect for 15,000 tax jurisdictions in the 45 states with sales taxes. This problem is less daunting to large retailers.

A number of state governments and big retailers want to change federal law to impose sales tax burdens on all Internet sellers, regardless of size. Many small business sellers believe a new tax collection system would drive up costs, be very difficult to comply with, and could reduce Internet business opportunities and affect consumer prices.

eBay has helped hundreds of thousands of small business entrepreneurs use the Internet to reach buyers across America and around the world. We oppose adding a new tax burden for those sellers.

Think creating a new sales tax collection system for Internet commerce is a bad idea? Make your voice heard today!

Sincerely,

eBay Government Relations

If you go to the eBay Government Relations website, you’ll see this is the real thing. Such legislation discussed in the message would wreak havoc on the entire eBay commerce model.

What do you think? Are we giving an undue advantage to individuals and businesses who conduct their sales transactions on the Internet? Perhaps this is a worthy question for our candidates for the US Congress House of Representatives’ 3rd District Seat.

Utah’s 3rd District: Candidate David Leavitt “An Evening with David Leavitt” Meeting Announced

Yesterday I received an invitation from the David Leavitt campaign to an evening meeting with him Thursday, March 27th at 7:00pm in Provo. Mr. Leavitt is a candidate for the Utah 3rd District US Congress Seat running against incumbent Chris Cannon.

Some of you may have received also received the invitation. They’re asking for the courtesy of an RSVP, by the way.

Here is the body of the message in italics below with the date, time and details for the meeting:

You and a guest are cordially invited to spend an evening with David Leavitt, Congress 2008.

“Bringing Back America’s Promise”

Thursday – March 27th
7:00pm
Wells Fargo Building
92 North University Avenue, Suite 225
(off the elevator and to the right)
Provo
~Refreshments will be served~

RSVP is not necessary but is appreciated
Lin Godown 801-649-5346 or by email lin@davidleavitt2008.com
(learn more about David by logging on to www.davidleavitt2008.com )

Paid for by Leavitt for Congress, Inc.

If you have questions or are interested in attending, contact them using the information above.

The Dirty Little Secret Everyone in Washington Knows

A good friend of mine in the OR27 precinct pointed me to something great and disturbing that aired on the CBS News Magazine 60 Minutes. It is a piece that ran in March of 2007 entitled “Wake-up Call.” It follows the efforts of David M. Walker–our nation’s now former top accountant–the then comptroller general of the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) to awaken the citizenry (not the politicians) to the “fiscal cancer” we face as a nation.

Started in September 2005, Walker’s Fiscal Wake Up Tour (go to this link and download the files NOW before they go away under a new comptroller’s leadership) is “a series of nationwide town hall-style forums to bring attention to the mounting federal debt as well the challenges posed by emerging demographic and economic trends.“

In short, as Walker sees it, the survival of our Republic is at stake. I’m trying to locate the full story on a CBS website, but until I do so, you can go to the YouTube website and view it.

Walker is sufficiently convinced of the importance of his own message that he (according to the previously referenced Washington Post article) “will lead the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a new think tank whose mission, according to its Web site is ‘to enhance public understanding of the nature and urgency of selected key sustainability challenges that threaten America’s future,’ including ‘unsustainable’ growth in entitlement spending, and energy consumption.’“

(Personal note: A couple of years ago I read Peter Peterson’s book, Running on Empty, and what I read caused me to get involved and try to make a difference.)

One of the great comments Walker makes in this video is that “[The American people] are absolutely starved for two things: the truth and leadership.“

Another interesting observation in the 60 Minutes segment is about the strange bedfellows–specifically the conservative Heritage Foundation, the progressive Brookings Institution, and the non-partisan Concord Coalition–in agreement with Walker’s conclusions.

To conclude this post, I’ll quote Walker from the 60 Minutes piece one more time: “Any politician who tells you that we can solve our problems without reforming Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is not telling you the truth.“

Questions for the Candidates

At the heart of this blog is the notion that “None of us is smarter than all of us.”

In trying to find candidates who can unite “the wide middle,” I want to understand where they come down on the issues. That said, I’m only one person here.

So, how ’bout you give me a hand and we can make a list of questions to ask and compile it here. I welcome any party, any candidate, any question–subject to the Rules of Etiquette for this blog.

To get your question in the dialogue, just make a comment and include the candidate(s) and office they seek, and the question you want them to answer. If you don’t know how to make comments, scroll down to the bottom of this post for instructions.

Comments allow everyone else to see your ideas and generate more discussion. Note that you can comment anonymously, or you can let people know who you are. If you’re more reclusive or private than this, you may e-mail your question to me directly by sending to kip dot meacham at comcast dot net.

Regardless of how you deliver the question to me, I will get it on here, gather the questions into a list, and invite the candidates to respond.

I look forward to your help, and to the responses of the candidates.

For those new to blogging…

If you look just under the title of each post (or entry) on this blog, you’ll see a number followed by the word “Comments.” You just click on this to enter the names of the candidates and questions you’d like to ask them.

Nods from SLCSpin and Pursuit of Liberty

Two blogs made mention of The Wide Middle yesterday: SLCSpin (authored by Ethan Millard of KSL Nightside hosting fame) and Pursuit of Liberty (authored by David Miller from Utah County).

Ethan’s post is simply an echo of The Wide Middle’s tagline: “A Vibrant Future for City, State and Country That We Create Together. One Mind at a Time.”

David’s post focuses on the Open Source Public Policy approach I’m trying to incubate here.

Thanks, gentlemen. Like the blog says: “One mind at a time…”

Upcoming Caucuses and the OR27 (Orem Precinct 27) Boundary Map

Hopefully everyone has on their calendars the Utah statewide caucuses taking place on Tuesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. Phil Windley, former CIO for the State of Utah and has a great post on his blog about the dates and the process for everything happening through the caucuses (with a Republican bent, of course) that is worth the read.

If you’re wondering where to go, you’re probably not alone. With the changes have been made to the boundaries of many precincts, some were eliminated and some were combined with others. In Utah County, for instance, the precinct I used to chair, Orem Precinct 54 (OR54) was eliminated and divided into precincts OR27 and OR28.

There are lots of resources available to find out the Utah precinct in which you reside. You can go to the Utah County online Interactive Voting Map and key in your address to find out which precinct you’re in, or you can call the Utah County Elections Office at 801-851-8128.

Once you find out which caucus you’re in, you can find out where your precinct is meeting on either the Utah County Republican Party website or the Utah County Democrats website. As for the location of the caucuses, if you’re a Utah County Republican, you can click here to find out

So as for me… in the upcoming caucus, I have been appointed chair for Orem Precinct 27 (OR27) which is part of Legislative District 60. Here are the details for the Orem OR27 caucus meeting:

Date:	Tuesday, March 25, 2007
Time:	7:00 PM
Location:	Mountain View High School
Room:	Cafeteria

I have also placed a copy of the OR27 precinct boundary map below:

I will publish an agenda before the meeting and post it on this blog and the Orem Precinct 27 blog. Please get involved, and I hope to see everyone from OR27 at the meeting!

Cause for Concern: Head of U.S. Central Command Admiral William Fallon Steps Down

In an article released at the end of the newsday yesterday, the AP reports that Admiral William Fallon is stepping down as head of the U.S. Central Command. Adm. Fallon’s role is that of Middle East military overseer. His resignation was announced by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (see the transcript).

I am increasingly concerned with the number of seasoned, military professionals who have retired under President George W. Bush’s watch.

Does this make anyone else nervous?

American Majority Concerned About Power and Influence in D.C.: Can You Say Validation for “The Wide Middle?”

Not that I’m looking for strokes here… And yes, I know it’s another poll.

That said, I think yesterday’s announced findings of the latest Harris Poll are quite significant.

What “The Wide Middle” (Americans, not the blog) thinks according to the 1,010 adults phone-surveyed between February 5 and 11, 2008 about who has too much and too little influence in Washington, D.C. is interesting. Also interesting (look toward the end of the announcement) how much Republicans and Democrats agree on, and where they disagree.

First, the list of those with too much power:

Big companies (86%)
Political Action Committees (PACs) (83%)
Political Lobbyists (80%)
News Media (74%)
Entertainment (69%)
Sports Celebrities (69%)
Radio Talk Shows (57%)
Trade Associations (57%)
Labor Unions (51%)
Opinion Polls (46%)

The announcement notes this is the first time celebrities made the list. Amazing start for them in the top five, huh? Now, the list of those with too little power:

Small Business (90%)
Public Opinion (74%)
Nonprofit Organizations (65%)
Racial Minorities (51%)
Churches and Religious Groups (52%)
Opinion Polls (44%)

We need to speak out to those small businesses we work with, the non-profits we volunteer for or otherwise support, to each other regardless of race, to those in our clergy and congregations, and to the people like Harris who call us during dinner and ask for five to ten minutes to capture our opinions.

And lets not forget those second from the top on the “too little power” list–ourselves. We MUST be on the phone more with our representatives…

P.S. I think it’s interesting to see the split in the data on the opinion polls.

What is “Open Source Public Policy?”

One of the key missions of what The Wide Middle is about is we the people “taking back” the government at all levels: city, county, state and federal.

So, this blog will serve as a policy and issues content gathering place. Here we will work together to make policy of the people.

How will this be done? It’s simple, really. Go to the “Open Source Public Policy” tab at the top of this blog, click on it, and put up your replies and comments.

1. We identify areas where there is a problem or a need for improvement in public policy.
2. We comment and collaborate on solutions.
3. We create policy recommendations.
4. We deliver the recommendations to the appropriate city, state and federal representatives.

Unfortunately, I can’t lay claim to the term “Open Source Public Policy.” Some other people have already done so (worth looking through, by the way).

What I have in mind is similar, yet smaller in scale. It’s more about community-based efforts to accomplish local, regional and national change.

So, let’s start with step 1. Reply or comment today!

Once we’ve got some of these rolling, we’ll move to step 2.

After that comes step 3. We’ll then take topics that “the wide middle” can agree upon (subject to the discussion and debate in the blog), and draft policy recommendations (perhaps even recommended legislation), and post it to the blog.

Last, we’ll go to step 4. We deliver the content we produce to our representatives and work together to bring it about.

How idealistic, you may say. Well, of course it’s idealistic. I believe in the positive power of ideas; however, ideas must be acted upon to bring about a vibrant future. I love the following quote (often erroneously attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe):

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”

William Hutchinson Murray (1913-1996)
Scottish mountaineer and author of The Scottish Himalayan Expedition

I have experienced the power of change that comes from having an active commitment to an idea. That’s why I’m doing this, and doing it now. Please jump in and help. Together we can change the world.

Let’s get started!