Comments about ‘Utah legislators to get new cell phones’

Seems like a pretty good perk, I can't afford that!

In Colorado a number of years ago an employee was fired because he conducted private business on a government phone.

Times have changed, now the government provides a phone so the employee can subidise his business with the government provided service. Now do they pax tax on the value received??

This is news?

If the tax payers are paying for these people's phones and phone service their phone records should be public record. When my company was paying for my phone service they had complete access to my phone records. Can someone explain to me how this is any different?

Hey why not get rid of the cell phones and laptops.
This way we can save some money and not raise taxes. Let the legislators buy their own. Why does our state do this for very part time employees? Sounds like they voted this perk for themselves. My hard earned tax dollars going to waste again. Sounds like a tea party needs to take place.

I was hoping that they'd get new cell PHOTO's. Full front & profile w/ accomponying numbers

What is scheduled for next year: 42 inch TV sets and a new car? Do school teachers get these perks too? NO

I'm glad cell phones are being purchased for our State Legislature, as long as I can call them anytime after I loose my job as a school teacher.

Times must be tough if they're switching to T-Mobile. Horrible company, hardly gets any receptio anywhere. 3G is always lacking.

I am so very grateful that our esteemed and so very people conscious legislators will have new cell phones with GSP capabilities. My only concern is whether these GPS facilities will help them find their way back to the real reality in which so many of us live each day. They currently live within a zip code totally unrelated to the real Utah even the real United States, yea, even the real planet Earth! They ascend that hill, park in their special places, and suddenly their reality has absolutely no relationship whatever to mine! They scare the oh my heck out me.

By the way, I'm canceling my own mobile service, a phone without even a camera because I can no longer afford the $50.00 per month!

Why should tax payers being forced to pay for these private use gadgets? They are wealthy enough and earn enough to pay for their own personal gadgets.

Second of all, these items belong to the state and citizens and are subject to exposure as public records. Anything on them, including business records they put on them, become public property.

Where are the checks and balances and oversight on what our legislators are spending on themselves for personal use? They vote themselves millions of dollars a year on perks and personal use tax funds. I don't call this minimal waste, it's gross abuse.

They have voted themselves and subordinates with free vehicles with gas and maintenance, business office in the capital building, phones, laptops, etc., all costing millions. Where are the ethics and morality they should have? And they wonder why the public wants accountability.

Approvals from last year or years before was on imaginary money. Perks and spending should be on available money, it's called a budget. Budgets should be planned on this years in the pocket income. Deficit spending only gets you in trouble, spend what you have, not what you hope for.

That we can't pay UHP Troopers, we're releasing inmates due to a shortage of prison guards, and we make other state employees use their personal cell phones for state business as they don't have a state cell phone.

But the part time state employees, who aren't on call, already get free health care for life, and have a reserved parking spot even when they're not in session, now get the fanciest phones they can.

Maybe the phones will distract them from their attempts to slice the retirement package of state employees....I imagine they're attracted to shiny things....and blackberry's are shiny.

Now if they would just answer calls from their constituents and return emails. All the gadgets in the world can't make up for responsive public service.

Really? You posters are so myopic. This is nothing. No wonder we don't have high quality legislators--dealing with the ignorant masses isn't worth the hassle. Cell phones and laptops are the least of our worries in this state. It's not like they are toys, in fact I'll bet the legislators would rather not have them at all, but they are necessary tools for the job.

Incidentally, I think the legislature was stupid to do things this way. They should have just approved a $75/mo reimbursement for each legislator and they could be responsible for providing their own private cell phone and service. Then they would probably save money and there would be no debate about public records at all.

Nice post there Rob, " Horrible company, hardly gets any receptio anywhere" ??? I bet Tmobile loves having people use their service that cant complete a sentance let alone a word. Keep throwing out the blanket statements as I'm sure Tmobile is more than happy to not deal with you and your IQ.

T-Mobile is an odd choice for a mostly rural state. I use it and it is great along the Wasatch Front, but coverage can be pretty spotty elsewhere. Well, I guess if the state really thinks they need this, I'm just glad they aren't paying for Verizon (great coverage, double the cost).

"I bet Tmobile loves having people use their service that cant complete a sentance let alone a word." The word is sentence. You probably should not criticize people for their spelling or grammar if you cannot spell yourself.

And the IRS will audit the tax funded cell phones to make sure they are only being used for business, and if not, fine them. The IRS forced all the colleges and Universities to either keep journals of all cell phone calls marking private vs work, or to have workers go get their own phones and personal plans, then give a stipend.

Not a fair deal. Come on IRS audit those phones.

They should buy their OWN laptops and cell phones! Give me a BREAK! Legisltures always looking out for #1.

I find it so interesting that they are willing to spend this money on themselves while trying to change all state employees retirement benefits including Teachers, Fire and Police Officers in an effort to save money!!! But the legislators are so sneaky about it that noone even knows what is going on. They are willing to take money from everyone except of course themeselves. Hey Deseret News please do a story on this!!!