One year ago, the first COVID-19 vaccines were give; international adoptees should be US citizens - a new law is needed | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. Send news tips or feedback to editor@utahpolicy.com. | | |
Situational Analysis | December 14, 2021 Happy Tuesday. Just 10 days until Christmas Eve! One year ago today, the Electoral College officially voted and confirmed Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Be in the Know Also one year ago today, the first Pfizer vaccines were given in the US. At last count, 95% of Americans 65 and older had had at least one shot. âIn terms of scientific, public health and logistical achievements, this is in the same category as putting a man on the moon,â said Dr. David Dowdy, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Not everyone agrees that COVID-19 vaccines are a "God-send." Vaccination rates vary across the country based largely on political affiliation. According to the CDC, the unvaccinated have a 14 times higher risk of dying compared to the fully vaccinated. It sounds like a no-brainer. All children who have been adopted from other countries should be US citizens. "Many adoptees have been shocked to learn decades later that their parents or legal guardians did not complete the naturalization process." Congressman John Curtis is the lead co-sponsor of the House version of HR1593, the Adoptee Citizenship Act. Rep Burgess Owens is also a co-sponsor. | | |
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Utah Headlines General Utah restaurant reeling after being robbed twice over the weekend (KSL) Bike theft in Utah is âoff the charts,â cyclists say, with bolder thieves and less police enforcement (Salt Lake Tribune) Politics Gender wage gap bills have stalled in the Utah Legislature. What can the private sector do? Women in the Beehive State earn about 30% less than their male coworkers, a statistic that has remained consistent over the years. (Salt Lake Tribune) Gov Cox budget, boycott of Chinese olympics, Biden polling in Utah (Political as Heck) COVID Corner Weekend numbers: 2669 new cases, 21 new deaths History made, millions saved: One year later, 'surreal' moments of COVID-19 vaccine debut live on (USA Today) Another grim Covid-19 milestone: At least 800,000 Americans have died
The country's first coronavirus deaths were traced to Northern California in February 2020. (NBC News) Poll: 71 percent support Biden's omicron travel ban (The Hill) Environment Utah may be overusing its Colorado River allotment. That could lead to unprecedented cuts in water use (Deseret News) New Colorado River report takes aim at St. George's Lake Powell Pipeline (The Spectrum) An "atmospheric river" is forecast to deliver up to a foot of rain and feet of snow to California (CNN) Education University of Utah launches scholarship for all Utah valedictorian, salutatorian graduates (KSL) Tech colleges poised to play bigger roles in Utahâs higher education landscape. (KUER) 3 students detained, West High School lockdown lifted after police investigate firearm threat (Salt Lake Tribune) Two students face charges for threats against Box Elder County schools (ABC4) Police investigating separate threats involving weapons at three school districts in Utah (KUTV) Teachers in South Dakota hit the floor to scoop up cash. Critics give the event an F, call it demeaning. (New York Times) National Headlines General Candle factory workers threatened with firing if they left before tornado, employees say (NBC News) "It just needed to be done." A man who drove from a few towns away traveled with his grill and a truckload of food to give out for free to the people of Mayfield, Kentucky, following the deadly tornadoes (ABC News) âI donât think weâll have seen damage at this scale, ever,â said Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky in the wake of the devastating tornadoes in the state on Friday (New York Times) Hereâs how rare that massive tornado in Kentucky actually was (Washington Post) Politics U.S. House panel recommends contempt charge for ex-Trump aide Meadows (Reuters) House Jan. 6 committee votes to hold Meadows in contempt, details panicked texts from Trump allies who wanted him to call off rioters (Washington Post) Meadows texts show Hannity, Don Jr. wanted Trump to stop Jan. 6 riot (The Hill) Trump: Netanyahu "never wanted peace" with Palestinians (The Hill) The federal agency that measures racial diversity is led mostly by white people (NPR) Courts Senate confirms first Korean-American woman as federal appeals judge (The Hill) International ð³ Russia says it may be forced to deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe (The Hill) Putin rues Soviet collapse as demise of 'historical Russia' (Reuters) | | |
Commentary: Balanced federalism continues to be ignored as part of the nationâs problem-solving agenda By LaVarr Webb A number of years ago, during the Obama administration, I wrote a column questioning why the nationâs leaders didnât even discuss federalism as part of the solution to big domestic problems facing the country. At the time, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, who was sort of a policy wonk, was developing a series of position papers outlining policy positions to show Republicans had realistic plans to address national challenges. Republicans called their political manifesto âA Better Wayâ. Topics covered include poverty, national security, the economy, the Constitution, health care, tax reform and other issues. However, the policy positions didnât suggest that some issues facing the country could be better handled at the state level instead of the federal level. A Better Way focused on how the federal government should address challenges. It ignored the proper balance that should exist between the federal government and state governments. If that oversight was a problem six years ago, itâs even a greater omission today. Consider the immense expansion of the federal government resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Biden administrationâs already enacted and pending proposals expanding entitlements and extending social benefits into nearly every aspect of life â not just for low-income people, but for the middle class. Conservatives are denouncing and opposing many of the administrationâs initiatives, but hardly anyone is doing so on the principle of federalism.... Federal officials arenât any smarter than state and local officials. The diversity and variety of public policies offered by different states and localities is healthy, not something to be feared. Let liberal states be liberal. Let conservative states be conservative. Letâs see who performs best in caring for the needy, protecting the environment, providing excellent education, creating strong economies and providing good jobs. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit 2022 - SLC Chamber â Jan 13, 2022, 8:30 am - 1:30 pm. Register here Utah legislative session begins â Jan 18, 2022, 10:00 am Utah legislative session ends â Mar 4, 2022, midnight | | |
On This Day In History From History.com 1799 - George Washington dies at Mount Vernon at age 67 1863 - Abraham Lincoln pardons his sister-in-law, the widow of a Confederate general 1897 - Margaret Madeline Chase Smith is born. She was the first woman elected to Congress in both the House and Senate (R-ME), serving 8 years in the House and 24 in the Senate. She was the first in the Senate to challenge Sen. McCarthyâs anti-communist crusade. 1889 - American Academy of Political & Social Science organized in Philadelphia 1900 - The birth of quantum theory as German physicist Max Planck publishes his study on the effect of radiation on a âblackbodyâ substance. 1902 - The first trans-pacific cable line is completed by the Commercial Cable Company. It connected San Francisco, CA to Honolulu, HI. 1911 - Roald Amundsen and his team reach the South Pole, the first explorers to do so. 1914 - President Woodrow Wilson signs the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act, to regulate and tax production, importation, and distribution of opiates and coca products 1939 - USSR expelled from the League of Nations 1961 - Presidentâs Commission on the Status of Women is established to examine discrimination against women and ways to eliminate it 1985 - Wilma Mankiller is sworn in as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma â the first woman in modern history to lead a major Native American tribe 1995 - The Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris by leaders of various governments ending the conflict in the former Yugoslavia including Slobodan MiloÅ¡eviÄ, Alija IzetbegoviÄ, Franjo TuÄman and Bill Clinton 2012 - Sandy Hook school shooting. Adam Lanza kills 20 students and six employees before killing himself. 2020 - US Electoral College votes 306-232 to officially affirm Joe Biden's presidential election victory Wise Words âI speak as a Republican I speak as a woman. I speak as a United States Senator. I speak as an American. I donât want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the four horsemen of calumnyâ fear, ignorance, bigotry and smear.â -Senator Margaret Chase Smith, of Maine, speaking out against Joseph McCarthy Lighter Side âBeing named person of the year is a big deal. Itâs basically âsexiest man alive,â but youâre competing against the Dalai Lama and the pope.â â JIMMY FALLON | | |
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