Online learning done right, 20th anniversary of 9/11 coming up, a tornado touches down and the 100 Deadliest Days ends with 6 more deaths | | | 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 | September 7, 2021 Welcome to Tuesday, and Shana Tova to our friends celebrating Rosh Hashanah! May 5782 be a great year. Be in the Know School via video conferencing? Asynchronous learning? Navigating online education suddenly became necessary in the spring of 2020, causing no small amount of turmoil. But Mt. Heights Academy had been doing it for years and they were ready. Under the leadership of Dr. DeLaina Tonks, enrollment was already rising. With the pandemic, it soared. At Mountain Heights, staffed with teachers and administrators trained and practiced in the art of online teaching, âwe did not miss a beat,â said Tonks. Saturday will be the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and a Day of Service. Do you have a story of 9/11 and how it impacted you? Email me so we can share it with our readers. I was on my computer when my brother called and said "World War III has started." Less than 2 months later, my husband and I were in Kazakhstan - and felt totally safe the entire time, even though friends and family had dire warnings for us. How about you? Utah had a tornado last week that impacted Woods Cross and North Salt Lake, an EF1, with winds as high as 110 mph. The tornado first touched down in North Salt Lake, at Redwood Road and 900 west, then traveled northeast, making a second touch down around 800 West in Woods Cross. Utah tornadoes are rare, averaging 3 per year. Six more people died on Utah roads this weekend, closing out the "100 Deadliest Days." The Utah Highway Patrol was still tallying the exact numbers (they'll be released on Thursday,) but according to ABC4, the amount of fatalities is taking a toll on the troopers who respond and investigate. âItâs been a tough year on officers,â said UHP Sgt Cameron Roden. âOfficers barely have enough time to recuperate from the last major fatal crash a lot of times before they have to go handle the next one so itâs tough on them." | | |
Utah Headlines General Rosh Hashana: A spiritual and practical guide to the Jewish New Year (Deseret News) Utah Jews enter High Holy Days with high-minded goals: to better themselves and the world (Salt Lake Tribune) âEerily silentâ: 9/11 brought U.S. airports to a standstill, then changed airline travel forever (Deseret News) 6 more people die in crashes as Utah closes out the â100 Deadliest Daysâ (ABC4) Joel Peterson: The chairman of trust. One of Americaâs most successful entrepreneurs talks about taking a stand (Deseret News) Politics How 9/11 changed American Muslimsâ relationship with religious liberty. For many Muslims, 9/11 was a wake-up call about the fragility of Americaâs constitutional protections (Deseret News) Texas abortion law, Afghanistan withdrawal, & social security insolvency (Political as Heck podcast) What do you do when democracy is too much of a good thing? The answer is in the U.S. Constitutionâs inspired balance between popular rule and centralized power (Deseret News) One-on-one with Mayor Erin Mendenhall: She talks mask mandates, Gov. Cox, the Legislature and whatâs next for Salt Lake City (Salt Lake Tribune) Inside Utah Politics: The latest on the Point of the Mountain development and whatâs next (ABC4) COVID Corner Friday's numbers: 1635 new cases, incl. 453 in school-aged kids, 6 new deaths âThat was difficult to seeâ: Utah Lt. Gov. gets view of St. George hospitalâs COVID-19 situation, with the ICU at 144% of capacity, and patients who are 95% unvaccinated (St. George News) Utah parents frustrated as COVID-19 cases rise in schools (Salt Lake Tribune) Grand County High School cancels classes, activities due to COVID-19 outbreak. A 30-day mask mandate for students of all grades goes into effect Wednesday, regardless of vaccination status. (Salt Lake Tribune) Micron to require all employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by November 15 (Fox13) Proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or a negative test result, will be required to attend Utah Symphony and Utah Opera shows, takes effect Sept. 16 at Abravanel Hall and Capitol Theatre performances. (Salt Lake Tribune) Comic Patton Oswalt cancels concert at Kingsbury Hall, due to rules against requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination (Salt Lake Tribune) Anti-mandate groups target Orem business owner who required COVID vaccinations for employees (Salt Lake Tribune) 2 major reasons vaccine efficacy is going down: the delta surge and the loosening of mask requirements (Deseret News) ER physician: "There's so much misinformation out there, we are drowning in people who are dying with this illness, but I have yet to admit a single person because of a vaccine-related incident." (KUTV) U.S. hospitalizations more than double last Labor Day (Washington Post) Economy Women-run pocket knife business brings feminine touch to industry. Brighten Blades takes inspiration from positive phrases to make knives designed for women. (Salt Lake Tribune) Environment Easy choices, difficult changes at the Great Salt Lake. Lawmakers, industry, scientists and conservationists are joining forces and seeking changes before itâs too late. (Nature) National Headlines General Taliban special forces bring abrupt end to womenâs protest with gunfire and tear gas (AP) Taliban crack down on protest led by women in Kabul, demonstrators are beaten, forced off the streets and detained (Wall Street Journal) Taliban crush protest as women march for rights (New York Times) US-built databases a potential tool of Taliban repression (AP) Curtains separate male and female Afghan students as new term begins under Taliban rule (CNN) Politics Blinken: Taliban not blocking departure for U.S. passport, visa holders (Politico) Trump builds âturnkeyâ campaign operation for 2024 (Politico) Jill Biden resuming in-person teaching at Virginia community college (The Hill) Courts Ohio judge reverses another judge's decision ordering hospital to treat patient with ivermectin (The Hill) Economy There are 10 million job openings, yet more than 8.4 million unemployed are still actively looking for work. (Washington Post) U.S. workplaces look to college fights as return to work 'turning point' looms (Reuters) Education A generation of American men give up on college: âI just feel lostâ (Wall Street Journal) Security McCabe says law enforcement should take upcoming right-wing rally 'very seriously' (The Hill) | | |
Policy News U.S. Senate candidate Becky Edwards announces 9/11 event to honor first responders U.S. Senate candidate Becky Edwards (R-UT) is teaming up with former college football coach Ron McBride to honor 10 military veterans, first responders and their guests at a private event on September 11th in Provo, UT ahead of Utahâs premier college football rivalry game. The Edwards campaign is asking Utahns from across the state to nominate those veterans, first responders, and front-line healthcare workers that inspire them, who have served selflessly both at home and abroad. Those who nominate their heroes are encouraged to invite friends and family to vote for those stories they find most inspiring. Submissions and voting will be open until Wednesday, September 8th at 11:59 pm. Winning nominees will receive special college football memorabilia, tickets to the rivalry game, and an invitation to a pre-game event at the home of Patti and LaVell Edwards in Provo. (Read More) Congressman Blake Moore cosponsors the Care for Her Act to ensure equal opportunities and resources for expecting mothers and children Congressman Blake Moore joined his colleagues in cosponsoring Congressman Jeff Fortenberryâs Care for Her Act to establish a commitment to care for expecting mothers and their unborn children through expanding the Child Tax Credit, providing state and federal resources, and distributing grants for housing, job training, and more. (Read More) Gov. Cox, Mayors Wilson and Mendenhall give remarks at headquarters Grand Opening of national builder Prominent state and local government leaders in Utah joined with Jacobsen Construction Company employees on Friday to cut the ribbon on the acclaimed general contractorâs new headquarters in Salt Lake Cityâs International Center. Honored guests Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Salt County Mayor Jenny Wilson and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall all shared remarks at the celebration, describing how the contemporary new headquarters symbolizes the construction industryâs success achieving business growth and powering Utahâs nation-leading recovery from the COVID-19 economic crisis. (Read More) | | |
How about we shore up existing entitlement programs before creating new ones? By LaVarr Webb Hereâs a simple statement that even someone as dumb as me should be able to embrace: Before creating massive new entitlement programs, perhaps we should shore up existing programs that millions of people depend on â and that are quickly running out of money. The Social Security and Medicare Trustees, charged with keeping these two critical programs solvent, recently issued their annual report and the news wasnât good. âSocial Security and Medicare both face long-term financing shortfalls under currently scheduled benefits and financing,â the report said. The report notes that the Trustees project the Medicare hospital trust fund will run dry in 2026, a year earlier than was reported just a year ago. The combined two Social Security trust funds for disabled individuals and seniors will be exhausted in 2034 â only 13 years from now. After that, recipients will receive only 78% of scheduled benefits. Some 61 million Americans collect Social Security benefits each month, about one in five citizens. For about one-quarter of seniors, Social Security provides at least 90% of income. For half of seniors, it provides at least 50% of income. A similar number of seniors receive Medicare benefits, which provide the bulk of their health care services. There are few government programs more important than Social Security and Medicare. Nearly everyone, except the ultra wealthy, depend on these programs. The Social Security Act was signed into law in 1935, 86 years ago. Medicare has been operational for 56 years, since 1965. Most recipients pay into these programs their entire working lives. Over the years, responsible members of Congress have acknowledged that these trust funds must remain solvent, either by increasing taxes or reducing benefits â or both. But Congress has done very little to stanch the bleeding, no matter which party is in control. Instead, the Biden administration and the Democrats are now pushing hard for broad new entitlement programs, including lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 60 from 65 and adding dental, vision and hearing benefits. In other words, they would make millions more people eligible, and broaden benefits, for a program that is already in financial trouble. And they would add more expensive entitlements, like generous paid family and medical leave, child care, universal pre-kindergarten, and free community college, including living expenses. Personally, I donât think these new programs are needed with the economy recovering nicely and the danger of higher taxes and deficit spending. But even if these programs could be justified, it only makes sense to secure existing entitlement programs that are critically important before enacting new ones. Congress ought to focus hard on Social Security and Medicare, ensuring they remain solvent for future generations, before spending $3.5 trillion on new programs. | | |
On This Day In History From History.com 1813 - The US gets its nickname âUncle Sam.â 1860 - Anna Mary Robertson Moses is born. Known as âGrandma Moses,â she did not begin painting until she was 76, when arthritis made it difficult for her to embroider. She produced nearly 1800 works before her death at age 101. 1888 - Edith Eleanor McLean becomes the first baby to be placed in an incubator at State Emigrant Hospital on Wardâs Island, New York 1892 - Elizabeth Coit is born. An architect who tackled affordable housing for people of limited means, she collected and analyzed information for the Federal Public Housing Authority and developed more than 150 projects 1916 - Congress passed the Workmenâs Compensation Act. 1927 - Idahoan Philo Farnsworth demonstrates the first electric television. 1936 - The Boulder Dam (now the Hoover Dam) begins operations. 1977 - US agrees to transfer the Panama Canal to Panama 1979 - ESPN channel launched 2013 - Chinese President Xi Jinping announces plans to develop a new 'Silk Road Economic Belt' (part of the Belt and Road Initiative) during a visit to Kazakhstan Wise Words âLife is what you make it. Always has been. Always will be.â -Grandma Moses Lighter Side Why did Humpty Dumpty have a great fall? To make up for his miserable summer. | | |
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