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Utah official on compact not budging on Italian waste

I cringe every time I hear the current name for the place where the Utah Jazz play. How can Larry Miller be so blind to allow his arena to be named for a company that has so little respect for Utah? The company's television ads are so misleading they make me sick.

Now we'll see if the rule of law and 'real' Democracy prevails here or if the machinations of the rich-n-privileged Corporatocracy twists, mangles and makes the tax payer foot the bill for something Utahns don't want and Energy Solutions really isn't carrying the financial liability for. Stockholder interests shouldn't trump Democratic interests and surely shouldn't be allowed to double and triple dip from State and Federal tax breaks, tax givaways, ruthless eminent domain seizures and special funding (typically interest-free) at tax payers expenses.

Believe it or not, this issue is not so much about bringing nuclear waste or not bringing nuclear waste from outside Utah to Utah, but is more about the battle between reverse-Socialism (the Rich-n-Privileged taking from the poor and working middle-class to benefit a few rich corporate stockholders) and the patriotic Democracy built by middle class Americans that does not believe in aristocratic elitism of any kind that takes advantage of poor, working middle class and plunders the tax rolls both through special interest-free funding and/or huge tax breaks that are not even available to the class of people who pay the Lions share of taxes... the working middle-class American!

Thank you Huntsman and the brave few.

Let them do it! The more nulcear waster the better! I've always wanted to get a super power and it seems that nuclear waste radiation is a good way to get one! The more nuclear power and waste in our country, the better for us and prospective superheros! Just move to Tooele!

This compact arrangement sounds unconstitutional. Why should these states be able to dictate to Utah what we can and can't do within Utah?

Perhaps Mr. Sinclair should look up the word extortion. Government extorts business time and time again. Government gets away with behavior that would never be considered acceptable or ethical in the private sector. Of course a business may have operated for a period of time under the compact when it is being extorted by the government. But, after enough abuses, it's time to stand up to the bullies. Huntsman's and Sinclair's behavior seem better suited to the Mafia than a freedom-loving country.

I cannot for the life of me understand why Utah, let alone the United States, import nuclear waste. It was bad enough that many years ago "they" were not allowed to shoot off the tests in Nevada - if the wind was blowing any where towards California, so they aimed at states east of Nevada including Utah. Remember what the innocent people of Southern Utah went through? If they use it in Italy or any other place, they should have the accomodations to get rid of it - no matter where. There is no control of which way the winds blow. Why is Utah and the people of Utah, the "scape-goat" for taking care of such poisonous materials? And think of what could happen when that waste is being transported!
It has to go thru at very least two other states and over the ocean where much of our sea food comes from. No thanks. All the money in the world is not worth it.

That's great- our basketball arena named for this company that is working so hard to bring radioactive pollution to our state- trying to turn Utah into the radioactive dump for the world.

ES runs those ads saying they are part of the solution. I think most of us agree that we need a safe place to store radioactive waste. However, we should be storing our own waste, not the waste from other states and other countries. It sounds like ES thinks Utah should be the radioactive dump for the world. And Larry H. Miller names his basketball arena after these guys? What's next- name the baseball stadium after a famouse Utah serial killer?

Come on, Larry- is making a profit really worth supporting these guys? It'a amazing that WVC refused to name it's arena after a beer company for moral reasons, yet Larry names his arena after a company actively working to turn our state into the radioactive dump of the world. How can we Utahns be anti-beer and pro-radioactive dump? That makes no sense.

Let's see if real Democracy prevails? What kind of threat is that? A democracy is nothing but mob rule. The US is a republic, not a democracy; where we also supposedly believe in protecting the rights of the minority and the rule of law.

Of course, don't look to your high school history class. The US Constitution is a more instructional resource.

What can we as citizens do to stop Energy Solutions???

I'm not talking of mob-rule based Democracy, and didn't even imply so. I tied my view of Democracy into RULE OF LAW according to the Constitution of the United States!

A whole class of individuals, who represent less than 1% of the population, with huge stock holdings in corporations, now manipulate and plunder the other 99% of the population through an insidious process we can call reverse-Socialism... where the real money and wealth flow from the 99% to the 1%, mostly taken from tax-free profits, tax funds, tax exemptions, etc., that impact the real wealth and well-being of middle class Americans. Example:

Not a single big league sports arena and team turns a real profit in terms of cash flow, but counts its profits and market values in terms of tax-free/interest-free loans from public and government bonds, huge exemptions from property and income taxes, etc.,... ALL AT TAXPAYER EXPENSES! In other words, taxpayers push market value of big league teams for the sole benefit of the few owners and the league, while the public get no benefit of a financial nature in return... in fact, these sports facilities are perfect monuments of Coliseums of Bad Capitalism.

You could always buy their stock and elect new directors to the board. This would be an appropriate way to change the business activities of a company.

You could promote the use of coal for energy production, rather than environmentally friendly nuclear power.

You could stop going to the Jazz games at ES Arena, sending Larry Miller, directly, and ES, indirectly, a message that you don't agree with their business practices.

Or, the popular default, you could encourage your governor and his administration as well as the legislature to be 2-bit thugs and do your dirty work to restrict the freedom of other individuals who are doing you no harm.

Whoever mentioned democracy being equivalent to mob rule is absolutely correct. My favorite line from the movie the Patriot was along these lines: "why would I give up 1 tyrant 3,000 miles away for 3,000 tyrants 1 mile away."

Our founding fathers were very fearful of democracies. Their purpose was to create a limited government that placed checks on power and protected freedom and liberty.

Just because the majority say something doesn't make it right or true.

Utah becoming a NAZI camp.

Don't bring Larry miller into this! I'd take millions of bucks from Energy Solutions to name my home the "Hazmat Half-life House" if they wanted to.

Bring on the waste! Its not like they're dumping it, they are processing it and cleaning it and keeping it contained. Let them do it and pump more money into our economy. I will issue a standing acceptance to any monetary offer (above 10 grand) made from Energy Solutions for the naming rights of my house.

"these sports facilities are perfect monuments of Coliseums of Bad Capitalism"

Actually these sports facilities are perfect monuments of Bad Government. The capitalists couldn't force us to fund these. Only government officials could force our participation.

Interesting you bring up sports facilities. Huntsman was the biggest advocate of the Real stadium, pushing Curtis and strong arming the rest of the legislature. Huntsman wouldn't let it die. He couldn't help but send tax dollars to help his friend Checketts.

Socialism, communism, and fascism all lead to the same thing -- tyranny.

It's time we recognize that the environmental and social do-gooders of the left and the religious elitists of the right are cut from the same cloth. Give them a little power and they use it to subjugate us. (Left-wing, right-wing, it doesn't matter.)

Ralph Nader, James Dobson, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, George Bush, John McCain are just different shades of the same power-hungry culture that the founding father feared.

They gotta have one to do business in Utah.

Yank it.

Be done with them.

"Actually these sports facilities are perfect monuments of Bad Government. The capitalists couldn't force us to fund these. Only government officials could force our participation."

The real point is being totally missed!

Who benefits from these sports facilities? It's not the government that caves into doing them. It's not the public at large who funds them with no real benefit to them. It's not even the surrounding communities and businesses because they eventually blight the value of surrounding properties (due to noise and traffic pollution). Why it's the scions of capitalism... the team owners and sports leagues...

So my point stands... since the capitalists cant get the 'free market' to do their bidding (because the deals are poor investment for communities and the public coffers) they strong arm our law makers and governors to use the executive perogative of bonding and eminent domain to force these capitalistic pigs private agendas on the public and when the opportunity arrises sell the teams and walk away rich while leaving the public holding the bag.

Bush did it with the Rangers baseball club, Steinbrenner has milked New York state and the federal government for Yankee subsides that would make a Russian communist blush.

Energy Solutions should of never been allowed to do business here in the first place. Utah was the only state to accept them without a fight. Not even third world countries want anything to do with them.

I did not miss the point, but you did. Business asks for the handouts (just like every other welfare recipients in the nation). It was the reckless government delivering it. Business only asks because stupid politicians fall all over themselves to take taxpayer money to give to them. Politicians love the control they get from redistributing other people's money.

Stop celebrating reckless, irresponsible government that take freedom. And stop blaming business people for the sins of the politicians.