From Deseret News archives:
Lawmakers park $$ far away from poor
It's not necessarily that the individual legislators are warped. Well . . . OK, a few of them are.
Rather, it is that issues that in a regular 45-day general session may not rise to the importance of defining political moments are, in the bright spotlight of a single-day special session with only half a dozen issues on the table, suddenly twisted into monumental measures.
Such was the case this week.
The 104 part-time lawmakers met from 2 p.m. to midnight Wednesday to argue over around a dozen matters put on the special session call by GOP Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.
In the end, legislators decided in one of the twisted situations I speak about not to reallocate Health Department funds to spend $2 million for "emergency" dental work for poor and/or disabled Utahns.
Then using convoluted reasoning that sometimes hurts a listener's head, legislators spent an extra $15 million to build a new 270-car parking garage east of the Capitol Building.
Now, if you listen to the majority's arguments on these issues, you can come away saying . . . all right, I can understand what you are saying.
But if you stop for a moment and put the comments into a broader context, they don't make a lot of sense.
I mean, after all the talk, they ultimately denied dental care to some of the most needy among us and voted to spend seven times that amount on a parking garage.
Adding insult to injury, legislators pushed aside arguments for the Medicaid dental care, a program they've funded for years, and voted to spend $15 million on a garage they only first heard about 30 days ago, taking the recommendation of a group of University of Utah engineering students.
I mean, come on.
Here's an idea maybe the state could hire some of the disabled, poor Utahns to hand out parking passes at the new garage, or clean the garage, or wash visitors' cars in the lot, and as full-time state workers they could get the great health and dental benefits that state employees and part-time legislators and their families get.
And then you wouldn't need the $2 million Medicaid dental plan.
No, wait, that probably won't work because the $2 million, with federal match, would help something like 40,000 poor, sick Utahns.
And not even the incredibly myopic and self-centered Legislature would want to hire 40,000 people to take care of its parking garage.
Comments
- Mitchell called intelligent, controlling 1:19 a.m.
- Brems outlasts 2nd round of votes 1:04 a.m.
- 2 families divided over slaying 1:04 a.m.
- Teen shot in scuffle with trooper 1:03 a.m.
- Nature's Way leaving Utah County 1:03 a.m.
- 'Grandfamilies' a growing trend 12:31 a.m.
- 'Cyber Monday' sales top records 12:29 a.m.
- 2 citations issued at Y.-U. game 12:26 a.m.
- No drugs in driver of Am.F. band bus 12:15 a.m.
- Governor Mansion to begin free tours 12:14 a.m.
- Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
- Y. student vanished in China
- Utes won't respond to Hall
- Max Hall issues apology
- Hall reprimanded by MWC
- Cougs begin bowl preparations
- Teen shot in scuffle with trooper
- Mitchell called intelligent, controlling
- Matthews passes new Jazz tests
- Daughter: Mitchell fed me my pet
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
898 - Cougars beat Utes in overtime
481 - Max Hall issues apology
379 - Hall reprimanded by MWC
370 - Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
316 - Utes won't respond to Hall
257 - BYU is champion of the state
140 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
121 - Cave to be sealed with body inside
120 - Religion in politics is tiresome
110
Live 'Twittologue' Dec. 2, 4:00 p.m. with Jason Chaffetz. Click for more.
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