Bell was right to let the petition go forward, the people have the right to start initiatives, even idiotic ones that lull the people to sleep engendering the dangerous attitude among us that a panel (an unelected panel) will do our watchdog work for us!

The panel will do the will of the panelPeople. PanelHunters or PanelDogs will watch you, find you, get you. If you join us and belong to the panelPeople supporters, you are good. Sign or don't sign, but we will know!

Why was there even a question? The petition leaves final authority with the legislature as required by the Constitution. I think it's the AG's office, again, bowing to the will of legislative leaders. We need this ethics initiative, but we also need an ethical Attorney General. Too bad the initiative doesn't cover that office.

provides for public taking of private property, makes the use of foul language a felony, provides special benefits for the sponsors of the initiative, provides a blank check for attorneys fees, and defines most everyone who petitions their government for redress of grievences as a lobbyist.

The "recent" change to initiative law you "report" happened in 2003 and was in response to the Utah Supreme Court's 2002 determination in Gallivan v. Walker that the previous 15-of-20-counties requirement was unconstitutional. By the way, the Utah Supreme Court declared the 26-of-29-senate-districts requreiment constitutional in its 2004 Utah Safe to Learn-Safe to Worship Coalition, Inc. v. State opinion.

This is a terrible initiative. What a horrible way to take power away from the people of the state and put it into the hands of party appointees. It sounds like something from Communist China.

As soon as I saw that Kim Burningham, Rhonda Rose and the UEA are involved with Utahns for Ethical Government--that immediately makes it suspect. My advice is "Be Careful." The above mentioned are certainly not unbiased citizens.
Just be careful.

If I hear one more mildly debatable issue described as "socialist" or "communist" or "fascist," I'm going to spit. This sort of rhetorical overkill is so brainless, and people who use it have lost all credibility in my mind. If you don't like an idea, just explain why, in concrete terms. No need to drag your favorite bogeyman into the debate.

Hopefully when it comes time to vote on this issue of ethical government in one of the country's last holdouts for esthetically representation laws, its long past due. Most states have this same law yet Utah legislators have been too unethical to pass it on their own so let the power of the people prevail.

The Attorney General, Mark Shurtleff, is also one of the most unethical elected officials we have ever had in public office. And this petition will affect his job because he is an elected official, criminal but elected none the less.

Most lobbyist beet a path getting to his door to get him to support anything that he can make money on. Shurtleff has always gone to the highest bidder and the most unethical and dishonest man who has no morals.

How many of us get upset when we hear that our legislators or Congress Critters vote on bills that they don't read?

Take the time to read and understand this full 21 page initiative before signing the petition.

Also, ask the person with the petition if they have read they entire initiative.

Heard a legislator recently describe the contents of this initiative: it will presume the accused guilty and not even allow them to collect evidence of their innocence. The group judging the matter will end up being self appointed (those who started the peititon) since the "panel" it sets up will be unlikely to agree on anything. The first five petition signers will end up being judge, jury, and executioner with no oversight and no way for voters to remove them from the panel. If the accused has no option to defend himself from false allegations, then he/she is doomed from the start. The whole point of this initiative is to ensure that good, decent people do not run for office or stay in office. There will be no punishment for those making false allegations. This "ethics reform" will ensure that only those who submit to the wishes of the UEA will stay in office. Those five panel members will, for all intents and purposes, be Utah's Czars.