LOS ANGELES (AP) – Dave Matthews Band saxophone player LeRoi Moore, one of the group’s founding members and a key part of its eclectic jazz-infused sound, died Tuesday from sudden complications stemming from injuries he sustained in an all-terrain vehicle accident in June. He was 46.

Get ready for GOP legislative leaders to take on the state’s referendum law — and a big fight with Democrats who vow to protect the current system.

In November 2007, Utahns soundly rejected the GOP Legislature’s private school voucher law in a voter referendum, 61-39 percent. It was a real rejection of conservative GOP lawmakers’ stand (no Democrat voted for vouchers). Some GOP House and Senate incumbents who voted for vouchers (especially in Salt Lake County) are facing this year constituents who voted 2-to-1 against vouchers.

As GOP lawmakers may look to making the referendum law more restrictive, the first plank of the state Democratic Party’s platform, titled “Good Government,” calls for “the people (to have) recourse through constitutionally established means of the courts, initiatives and referendums, and through freedom of expression.”

And Democratic leaders have complained that Republicans, in control of governorship for 25 years, in control of the Legislature for 30 years, have become arrogant in power.

Monday, Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble, R-Provo, told the Deseret News editorial board that government doesn’t work best when elected representatives are constantly, and frivolously, overruled by the citizens they are elected to make decisions for. In other words, the pure democracy of initiatives and referendums doesn’t work well compared to the republican form of government of elected representatives.

More…

Senator Bramble’s quote, “that govenment doesn’t work best when elected representatives are constantly, and frivolously, overruled by the citizens they are elected to make decisions for.” is one of the most arrogant statements ever made by a Utah elected official.

From Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Frivolous:
1 a: of little weight or importance b: having no sound basis (as in fact or law) frivolous lawsuit>
2 a: lacking in seriousness b: marked by unbecoming levity

Is Senator Bramble stating that 62.1 percent of Utah residents who voted against vouchers did so frivolously? That we had no sound basis to do so? That our opinion was of little weight or importance and was lacking in seriousness?

I think most citizens might agree with Utah Democratic Party Executive Director Todd Taylor’s quote from the same, above article, “The referendum process is so hard that Utah Democratic Party leaders were stunned voucher opponents were able to secure enough signatures in time to make the ballot.

“What they performed is nothing less than a miracle…The referendum process is far too difficult in the state of Utah. It’s the arrogance of power — they think it should all reside in the Legislature.”

To those who agree with Senator Bramble I will once again post Article VI, Section 1 of the Utah State Constitution [Power vested in the Senate, House, and People.]

(1) The Legislative power of the State shall be vested in:

(a) a Senate and House of Representatives which shall be designated the Legislature of the State of Utah; and
(b) the people of the State of Utah as provided in Subsection (2).

(2) (a) (i) The legal voters of the State of Utah, in the numbers, under the conditions, in the manner, and within the time provided by statute, may:

(A) initiate any desired legislation and cause it to be submitted to the people for adoption upon a majority vote of those voting on the legislation, as provided by statute; or

(B) require any law passed by the Legislature, except those laws passed by a two-thirds vote of the members elected to each house of the Legislature, to be submitted to the voters of the State, as provided by statute, before the law may take effect.

(ii) Notwithstanding Subsection (2)(a)(i)(A), legislation initiated to allow, limit, or prohibit the taking of wildlife or the season for or method of taking wildlife shall be adopted upon approval of two-thirds of those voting.

(b) The legal voters of any county, city, or town, in the numbers, under the conditions, in the manner, and within the time provided by statute, may:
(i) initiate any desired legislation and cause it to be submitted to the people of the county, city, or town for adoption upon a majority vote of those voting on the legislation, as provided by statute; or

(ii) require any law or ordinance passed by the law making body of the county, city, or town to be submitted to the voters thereof, as provided by statute, before the law or ordinance may take effect.

Utahns deserve representation that is not jealous of the people’s right to be equal with our representatives and representation that will listen to our voice, and not disrespect our rights.

(KCPW News) This week, Utah Democrats will be packing up and heading out to Denver for the Democratic National Convention, which starts next Monday. State party co-chair Rob Miller runs the Democrats’ Utah Amicus blog. With six other bloggers joining him on the road, his goal is to cover the convention differently than major media outlets.

“We’re gonna be working with our delegates; we have such a great bunch of people, both Hillary and Obama delegates, that are coming on this adventure,” said Miller. “We’re gonna try to really tell their story, try to tell the story of Utah Democrats from our perspective.”

Salt Lake City, Utah – Rob Miller, owner of the political blog The Utah Amicus, and Vice Chair of the Utah State Democratic Party, has assembled a team of Utah political bloggers and activists to travel to Denver for the Democratic National Convention next week.

In 2008, the Democratic National Committee is opening their Convention to more people than ever before. Democrats, independents, and Republicans from around the country have been invited to attend. Bloggers, especially members of the DNCC State Bloggers Corps, will have unprecedented access to Convention activities.

In an effort to make their Convention coverage more responsive and interactive, The Utah Amicus Team will be holding an open house / kick off party on Wednesday, to coordinate and plan covered activities and meet with Democratic Party activists and other community members.

What: The Utah Amicus DNC Bloggers Kick Off Party

When: August 20 at 7 p.m. (MDT).

Where: 7119 West 8050 South, West Jordan

The media and community are encouraged to attend.

Jeff Bell – Owner of JMBell.org; host of KSL’ s Left of the Dial.
http://www.jmbell.org/blog

Jason Williams – Co-Owner The Sidetrack
http://thesidetrack.blogspot.com/

Craig Blanch – Co-Owner The Sidetrack
http://thesidetrack.blogspot.com/

Aaron Thompson – Utah Amicus Writer
http://utahamicus.blogspot.com

Bob Aagard – Owner, The World, According To Me
http://bobaagard.blogspot.com/

Ohio, having dealt a blow to its payday loan industry by enacting a usury law, is teeming with charges of deceit in a petition drive to reverse the law.

HB 545 was signed in June by Governor Ted Strickland, and will go into effect in early September. Under the law, the APR for a payday loan will be capped at 28%, and an Ohioan would be limited to four loans per year.

More…

Interesting, it seems that petition gatherers are using some of the same tactics that PCE used last year during last year’s voucher battle.

“Petitions to reverse HB 545 are currently circulating. An Ohio Public Radio program airing August 12 exposed signature collectors who were incorrectly representing the petition as one that would lower the interest rate cap further. Residents of a Butler County homeless shelter also alleged that they were offered money for their signatures.

Payday loans are a debt trap, charges advocacy organization END 391, which notes that 90% of revenues from payday loans are from repeat borrowers, and about 50% of repeat loans are initiated on the same day a previous loan is paid off. Americans spend $4.2 billion in payday lending fees per year.”

- August 2007 Deputy Attorney General Richard Hamp invites Sam E. Antar to speak at the 14th Annual White Collar Crime Conference, Antar agrees to do so at no cost to Utah taxpayers.
Approximately two weeks later Hamp contacts Antar requesting that Antar not mention Overstock.com in his presentation and only discuss Overstock if he is asked a direct question about the company.

- October 30, 2007 – Overstock.com makes a $5,000 campaign contribution to Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.

- October 31, 2007 – Antar presents at the conference; the program lists him as “ Sam Antar – Former CPA and Former CFO of Crazy Eddie, Inc. Mr. Antar helped mastermind one of the largest securities frauds of its time.” Chief Deputy Attorney General Kirk Torgensen later praises Antar, calling him a “rock star”

- November 2, 2007 – Antar receives an email from Deputy Attorney General John Kimble complementing Antar on his presentation at the conference.

- November 8, 2007 – Attorney General Mark Shurtleff writes an open letter to Overstock.com claiming that “(he was unable) to post this letter as a comment on his blog,” and that he was “warned that Mr. Antar might use this speaking engagement to suggest that (his) office or (Attorney General Shurtleff) personally endorse or support his accusations against Overstock.com or some other public company.”

- November, 2007 – Antar is contacted by Torgensen alerting him to the fact that Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne was “tee’d off” about Antar’s presentation.

- November 13, 2007 – Hamp attempts to contact Antar via voicemail but is unsuccessful. In the voicemail Hamp again compliments Antar but states in the voicemail that “we know our boss (Attorney General Shurtleff) has probably not been as appreciative but John and I sure are.”

- November 14, 2007 – Overstock.com issues a press release claiming that Antar refuses to post Shurtleff’s blog post.

- November 15, 2007 – Antar receives Shurtleff’s letter for what he claims to be the first time at 11:40 AM EST and posts the letter at 2:45 PM EST, immediately after presenting another free fraud presentation.

Later in the day Antar receives a call from Hamp confirming that Shurtleff lied about Antar and that he was never consulted by Shurtleff about any agreements made by Hamp and Antar relating to Antar’s presentation. In the same conversation Hamp disagrees with Shurtleff and that he was treated poorly by the office.

Antar attempts to contact Shurtleff via phone and email regarding the situation, but is unable to receive a response, this, despite the fact that Shurtleff had a correspondence with blogger Tracy Coenen wherein he refuses to retract his statements regarding Antar.

Torgensen contacts Antar asking what Torgensen can do to rectify the situation; Antar requests a full apology from Shurtleff that is sent out on the same channels as the original press release. Torgensen requests a day to see if he can get approval for a press release to “clarify the inaccuracy.”

November 16, 2007 – Antar contacts Torgensen asking about the status of the press release. Antar is told that he has “gotten and (sic) apology from three people in my office.” Antar responds that the lack of a correction “casts a shadow on your office and casts a shadow on the ethics and integrity of your office.” Torgensen responds by saying that he “understands where you are coming from, Sam.”

- December 25, 2007 – In an interview in Fortune Magazine Shurtleff, when discussing Antar’s allegations that Shurtleff is “doing the bidding of a wealthy backer” replies that it is “bullcrap” and continues to insult Antar, stating that “to a thief everyone looks like a thief.”

- February 9, 2008 – Byrne claims that Antar invited himself to a meeting with Shurtleff, met with him, and agreed not to spin the presentation or blog as Shurtleff agreeing with Antar’s views on Overstock.com. Byrne claims that “Sam had this meeting then immediately welched n that promise.”

- August 18, 2008 – Antar posts on his blog, whitecollarfraud.blogspot.com about these events and signs it “Sam E. Antar (former Crazy Eddie CFO and a convicted felon).”

For further details, again, please visit Antar’s blog.