A few colorful observations on ethics, more

With colorful autumn leaves dropping everywhere, I offer a few colorful droppings of my own:

So now a prominent state senator, Republican Lyle Hillyard, says he won't be able to continue in office if a citizen initiative on ethics becomes law. I've known Hillyard for many years and respect him as one of the saner voices on Capitol Hill, but that sort of pronouncement isn't likely to slow the initiative's momentum. A lot of people would be happy to see old lawmakers leave, simply because they failed to pass meaningful ethics reforms on their own.

Lawmakers say if the initiative passes it would be political suicide for them to try to amend it. Really? If I've learned one thing after 23 years of following Utah politics, it is that Republican lawmakers are like the coyote in the old Roadrunner cartoons. They can get mangled, blown up or run over by a truck, but they always seem to bounce back in time for the next scene.

All health-care reform arguments seem to revolve around one mostly unspoken question: Do Americans have a right to health care?

If we do, shouldn't we also have a right to other things that are essential to life, such as food? That question never comes up because we have a great system for making sure people don't go hungry. The free market supplies affordable products to grocery stores and government operates programs, through the states, that supply food to those who are too poor to afford it. Counties even run a meals-on-wheels program for those who can't get out to buy it.

Hmmm. Sounds like a model worth copying.

Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon is rumored to have higher political aspirations, perhaps including a run for governor. If so, his county budget proposal is a bit of a gamble, because it includes a dreaded tax increase. Even if it would amount to only $20.85 per year on the average homeowner, it's still a tax increase.

But when you consider the challenges of running a county during a deep recession, including huge declines in sales tax receipts, and the fact he would cut all county employees' pay by 2.75 percent, eliminate 401(k) contributions, raise health-insurance costs and eliminate 300 jobs, it's hard to argue this isn't a last resort. Cutting jail space or eliminating recreation centers isn't good politics, either.