http://www.wikio.com/search=Howard Stephenson Wikio - Howard Stephenson http://www.wikio.com/search/Howard+Stephenson?rinfoid=61999758 Frustrated Parleys Canyon motorists learned the hard way last week that when trying to find the least obstructed route, the folks at the Utah Department of Transportation traffic hot line may be the last ones to know. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:26:43 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Howard+Stephenson?rinfoid=61999758 2008-06-26T06:26:43Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Howard+Stephenson?rinfoid=61058948 By Paul Rolly, The Salt Lake Tribune Jun. 18--Frustrated Parleys Canyon motorists learned the hard way last week that when trying to find the least obstructed route, the folks at the Utah Department of Transportation traffic hot line may be the last ones to know. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:00:14 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Howard+Stephenson?rinfoid=61058948 2008-06-18T11:00:14Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Howard+Stephenson?rinfoid=61029519 Frustrated Parleys Canyon motorists learned the hard way last week that when trying to find the least obstructed route, the folks at the Utah Department of Transportation traffic hot line may be the last ones to know. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:56:38 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Howard+Stephenson?rinfoid=61029519 prolly@sltrib.com (Paul Rolly / Tribune Columnist) 2008-06-18T06:56:38Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Howard+Stephenson?rinfoid=60378157 From the mailbag. Please join us for a fund raising reception for Keith Gross, Democratic candidate for House District 80 on Tuesday, June 17, 2008, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Manuel's Tavern, 602 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta, GA 30307.... Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:04:57 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Howard+Stephenson?rinfoid=60378157 2008-06-12T17:04:57Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Howard+Stephenson?rinfoid=60238007 By Howard Stephenson Utah State Senator, District 11 Hearing the truth about erroneous, but deeply held beliefs is a painful experience for all of us. Nevertheless, truth can also be a powerful anesthetic for that pain. Truth about the ominous omnibus education bill, SB 2 , has been largely missing in reports about this important piece of legislation. That is why I would like here to debunk litigant's stories about SB2 before they reach the status of Utah political mythology. Maybe it's too late, but even established mythology should be challenged. As co-sponsors of SB2, the education funding bill also known as "omnibus", Representative Brad Last and I wrote an op-ed for the Deseret Morning News . We wanted to mop up some of the misconceptions circulated by the candidates who are suing the state for what we think must be political motives. We thought those who read this blog would also appreciate additional perspective. 1. The litigants make their first obvious blunder when they say that good bills were "held hostage" until the end of the session so they could be combined with "bad" bills in an omnibus package. The fact is that all fiscal note bills are held until the end of session. That is not a violation of our rules. It is exactly what our rules require and what we do every year. That is how we ensure a balanced budget each year. 2. Litigants are saying SB2 includes language from bills that didn't pass the first time through. HB200 was one of those bills. When its language was included in SB2, Rep. Karen Morgan tried to amend it out. The House debated it for 30 minutes. She couldn't persuade a majority to vote with her. Sen. Scott McCoy tried to amend the same provisions. He failed, too. There were more attempts to amend SB2, but you get the picture. The fact is that every single word in SB2 was subject to discussion and amendment. Welcome to an essential (and potentially frustrating) element of democracy: You need a majority vote to change the law. It seems the political message being taught here is if you can't attract enough votes by the force of your argument, you can always sue those who voted against you. 3. Our so-called omnibus bill was 42 pages . . . hardly the thousand-page congressional monstrosity the litigants try to invoke. 4. SB2 didn't happen in the dead of night. It was the result of an entire session of negotiations. The news media reported the details. We posted information on our official Web site and on our blog site. We passed out the details to all legislators, reporters and the interested public. We made staff available to answer questions. The two chambers and the governor's office were in constant communication. The entire chamber debate is archived online for everyone to witness. The only way this anti-democratic lawsuit makes any sense is as a campaign stunt. Sixteen of the plaintiffs are currently running for office. Others are reportedly running for leadership positions in their caucus. As the vice chair of the state Democrats recently said, "If some of the plaintiffs on this suit win their elections due to 'earned media' then so be it." I think that is pathetic. Let the money flow to the teachers and classrooms. We hope our board of directors (a.k.a voting citizens of Utah) will recognize this lawsuit as election-year grandstanding, pure and simple. I believe that the root cause of the litigation is not so much about process as it is about innovation and change. Public education is a sacred cow for many people. Attempts to modernize, incentivize or test new programs are usually met with resistance. Our goal is to provide a world-class education for Utah's families with the funding available. Sacred cows must be examined for efficiency and new ideas will be piloted where appropriate. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:12:00 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Howard+Stephenson?rinfoid=60238007 2008-06-11T03:12:00Z