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Guv vetoes video-game bill

Nice to see that the Eagle Forum isn't all powerful in Utah. The voluntary system that has been put in place works. This bill only encouraged retailers to drop their age verification practices, and it was rightfully shot down.

Thank you Governor Huntsman, thank you. For reforming the liquor laws, for lowering the food tax and trying to get it removed, and now for this. Your one of the few bright spots in Utah politics along with Ralph Becker.

I like how being a moderate, caring about pollution, and treating people like people and not as a rancid disease are all bad things in the eyes of the bills sponsor. Who do you think is out of touch?

MR Morley.... you are a good example of what is wrong with this contry. you are a cheat. and us in spanish fork are on to you !!!!!

I love how conservatives want to "leave parenting to parents" when it comes to sex-ed (the U.S. is now #1 in teen birthrates), but have no trouble taking the reigns away when it comes to music, videos, and games. Get real. Kudos Governor.

They are not saying why the Gov vetoed this. It really doesn't have anything to do with fisrt amendment rights. He feels that if this passed some video game store chains would simple stop advetising that they don't sell to minors, because would only effect them if they do. The mentality of some of these stores is, "I would rather not advetise and remove the posability of being sued. That way if one of my employees makes a mistake, I don't have to pay a large sum of money."

I'm all for not allowing minors to purchase rated M games, but this bill will not serve the purpose that they think it will.

I think our legislators are frightening in their abuse of and infatuation with power. Anything the governor can do to stick a thumb in their eye I applaud!

Rep. Morley criticizes Gov. Huntsman of not being in the mainstream on Utah's population. What this bill does is bring in government control which is not a conservative tenet. If these legislators would keep religion out of governing the conservatives would be able to be conservative without being Mormon and liberals would not have to be non-Mormon. Let the free market dictate. Lower our taxes and stay out of our lives.

Huntsman is positioning himself as a centrist and will run for President in 2012.

It is good that the Governor vetoed it. When retailers are already enforcing the voluntary system 94% of the time in Utah, a bill like this only punishes those trying to provide parents with information. Their obvious choice is to stop giving parents information about games to avoid the law. Let's let parents learn about the games and do the parenting. The government has no rating system or way to tell about the games. I'm glad our Governor was able to look beyond the sales-pitch headline and see the true effect of this bill. Thank you Gov. Huntsman!

" Huntsman's veto of HB353, his "green agenda" and his support of the Common Ground Initiative "certainly give the impression that he is out of touch with mainstream Utah," said Morley, a noted House conservative. "He's a moderate, not a conservative. And his recent actions don't seem to square with the majority in the Legislature, either." "

What a joke....It would appear Rep. Morely's location in Utah County has clouded his judgement on what "mainstream Utah" really is...since most of us live in Salt Lake County and voted Obama (It may have only been 250 votes but still...). Also the legislature is far more conservative than the majority of Utahns.

Gov. Huntsman made a smart move vetoing HB353.

Rep. Morley is out of touch with mainstream America, who saw this bill as a joke and a bill that needed lies to get passed.

I would wonder why does some politicians think of themselves as mainstream Utah, when in reality most of mainstream Utah are not really politicians at all.

Saying that the governor is out of touch is a weak argument.

Perhaps the Gov is more like the Umpire of a Football match, and instead of wasting Tax Payers money on a weak and pitifully legislation, the Gov decided to veto it to save Tax payers money that would have been wasted,

It does not matter what John Bruce Thompson and the Eagle Forum say, they are in the minority and they are not used to it.

Stop being sore losers and realize that everyone has the right to the Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Expression, even children do.

If you can't understand that, then there is something wrong with your way of thinking.

Rep. Morley also showed himself to be the one out of touch, since a recent Deseret News poll gave Gov. Huntsman a whopping 84% job approval rating compared to the legislature's 64% approval rating.

11 comments - all in favor of the veto? No, I don't think this even CLOSELY reflects the average Utah voice. Let's fact it, the Gov has a significant left lean, it's just that most people from Utah haven't figured that out yet because of his hollywood look. We have never seen such a spendthrift. Nor have we seen anyone grab power like he does. 4 day work week without even discussing it with Utah's workforce (and yes it is unconstitutional - see the constitution Article XVI, Section 6 - "8 hours shall constitute a day's work on all . . . State, County or Municipal governments;") a simple edict and POOF - there goes the Utah Constitution. Scary

LiberalsReallyWatchDesNews:
How does your statement relate to the article? If you are trying to criticize the Governor, this is hardly the appropriate article to do it in.

HB353 boils down to "Thanks, Movie and Game industries, for voluntarily making this rating system for informing consumers. We will now make it the basis of fining and suing retailers of these products if our sting operations catch anyone off guard at the store/theater. Also, con-artists can now threaten retailers by buying games and then claiming kids bought them... GOTCHA!"

It is a weak, money wasting, chilling-effect bill that abuses the Truth in Advertising law to put more power in the hands of the state and take it away from individuals, namely parents. It also gives less upstanding citizens a means to extort retailers.

I thought real conservatives hated that sort of 'nanny state' mentality.

Regardless of what you think of the Governor's political leanings, vetoing HB353 bill was a smart, politically conservative move(in fact, the *conservative* media watchdog group "Media Freedom Project" also wrote to the Governor to encourage his opposition. Maybe he's more centrist than leftist, but that's a discussion for another article.

To TBoneTony: Apparently a lot of taxpayers' money was wasted on you. The education budget was clearly not enough to teach you spelling and grammar.

And yes, the legislature does reflect the general political sense of the state. Just because one bill was vetoed doesn't mean the rest of the legislative session was "out of touch" with Utah.

Honestly, some of these blogs are so silly.

Governor Huntsman saw through the lies of Rep. Morley and Jack Thompson and did the right thing.

*round of applause*

Hunstman has a significant left lean? He's still right of center but that gives him a significant left lean? I love Utah and generally like Utah politics but since when was it a sin to not be ultra conservative?I think you'd want a governor or other leader who doesn't just go along with party lines all the time. Sometimes what one party wants is not right; that goes for Republicans as well as Democrats.

It's painfully obvious that Huntsman is no longer a Utah Governor. He's pandering to a much bigger crowd now. For what purpose, I really don't know....but it's obvious his pandering is purely selfish.

Save your distaste unless you're willing to vote for someone else next go around.