UtahOwl's blog

Pluralism and Idealism

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:52:12 -0600

Pluralism is the concept that politics and government are in their essence the result of activities of groups - the maligned "special interests." Nicholas Lemann celebrates the book that defined pluralism, and its relevance here and now:

2008 is the centenary of a curious and mesmerizing book that was long considered the most important study of politics and society ever produced by an American - "The Process of Government: A Study of Social Pressures" by Arthur Fisher Bentley....Its point can be stated quite simply:All politics and all government are the results of the activities of groups. Any other attempt to explain politics and government is doomed to failure.... Bentley, who seems to have shared the Progressives' goal of using government to curb the power of big business,....believed that [city political machines] had a more accurate understanding of how politics worked than the... liberals did....[He presents] politics as a never-ending, small-bore struggle for advantage among constantly shifting coalitions of interest groups...For Bentley, every political force that matters is an interest group, regardless of whether it cops to the charge.

But the really interesting element of Bentley's theory is that it forces us to take a hard look at our Cinderella visions of pure political actors:

Pluralism, in the tradition of Bentley, requires that one see one's own political passions, and those of such unimpeachable actors as winners of the Nobel prize,...as representing something other than the promptings of pure justice....One has to get over the habit of assuming that "interests", and worse, lobbying and corruption, are the province only of one's political opponents,and not one's allies. Pluralism means dialing down the moral stature that we attach to universalist arguments, and dialing up the moral stature of particularism....

THESE are the times that try men's souls...

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:02:32 -0600

to paraphrase Tom Caine..."These are the times that try men's souls. The electioneering soldier and the lapel-pin patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country."

The polidiots are proposing a summer gas-tax holiday to appeal to the electorate. Yes, gas prices have risen to hurtful levels. Why not give us a break on gas taxes?

Well,the current uptick in oil prices doesn't reflect a tight supply - it reflects speculation triggered by the news from Nigeria & Britain on temporary supply problems (pipeline attack, strike). However, given a gas-tax decrease, people will then drive more this summer, and this increased demand will guarantee even worse prices come fall(or post-election...since we could expect any tax holiday to extend through election day in November).

Must-See Website for Homebuyers

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:30:32 -0700

Gretchen Morgenson

Two entrepreneurs have devised a Web site that helps consumers protect themselves from excessive fees and hidden relationships that can drive up the costs of buying a home. The site is www.FeeDisclosure.com. By giving borrowers a way to compare early on what they will probably pay for a mortgage in commissions, points, interest rates and fees, the founders of FeeDisclosure.com hope to bring transparency to what is not only a mind-numbing process but also the biggest financial commitment a consumer typically makes....

Ben Stein: Wall Street corruption is undermining America

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:33:39 -0700

Conservatives have steadfastly blocked any attempt to hold accountable Wall Street's major investment banks and blue-chip brokerage houses for corrupt market practices. They ignore the evidence that these firms have repeatedly abused the trust of investors by deceiving them about the value of investments and placing their own profits above the interests of investors (think Drexel- Milliken junk bond scam; Savings-and-Loan debacle; tech-stock bubble of the 1990s; today’s subprime disaster). Ben Stein says Wall Street corruption threatens free-market capitalism itself:

Without trust, there can be no free-market capitalism. [Fiduciary duty] standards of care required that those handling someone else's money behave with extreme rigor and honesty. Trustees always had to behave with the interests of the trustor [investor] uppermost. In the United States, the trustee had to disclose every fact or belief that might influence an intelligent, reasonable investor. But by the 1980s, the laws of fiduciary duty started to break down in a major way. Basically, a crossroads was passed in the Drexel-Millikan scandals. Although hundreds and perhaps thousands of men and women were profiting from misconduct, only a few went to prison. Today, in the midst of the mortgage mess, we see people breaching their fiduciary duty and getting away with it, while the ordinary stockholders are pauperized because of the losses. We surely cannot remain a republic under law if there is no law except the axiom from Richard II that "they well deserve to have, that know the strong'st and surest way to get."

Navigating the Fog Around School Vouchers

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 08:04:15 -0600

A veritable mailstorm of flyers is arriving on my doorstep from proponents and opponents of Referendum One. So far, this is what I've concluded about the conflicting claims:

What is the average private school tuition – the $8000 claimed by opponents or the $4000 claimed by proponents?

Most of the difference appears to come from whether you use figures for Gr.1-12, or whether you use figures for just elementary school. The opponents are using Gr. 1-12 data. The proponents are using elementary-grade data, although I haven’t yet determined just which grades are included. Tuition at private schools usually rises substantially with grade level, so calculating from different data accounts for most of the $4000 disparity.

Ideas coming from 2008 Presidential Candidates - Joe Biden

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:51:12 -0600

I'm starting with Joe Biden, Senator from Delaware - because Delaware is the First State & because I was born in Claymont DE (where Biden moved when he was 10) & know his background better than the others. Biden has served in the US Senate through 7 presidencies, the end of the Vietnam War, the Iran hostage crisis, and the fall of the Soviet Union. He is current chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Biden has been a hardworking Senator who has displayed the capacity to learn from his mistakes (remember the Clarence Thomas hearings?) and - GASP- actually admits to making them. Two takehomes that impressed me from Joe Biden's interview on OnPoint radio :

The Good Guys ARE Winning Some

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 02:48:49 -0600

The Human Security Brief 2006" confirms that when we act together, we can make changes in the state of the world:

The post–Cold War decline in armed conflicts reported in Human Security Report 2005 has continued, says the new study. The 2005 Report argued that the decline could be attributed in large part to an upsurge in international activism, spearheaded by the UN, that sought to stop ongoing wars, help negotiate peace settlements, support post–conflict reconstruction, and prevent old wars from starting again...

Write those LTEs, folks - D4U Secretary got one published

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:41:03 -0700

today in the Deseret News. It even seems to have picked up an Opinion Comment - at least, John Florez pinched June's original letter title, "The Real Deal." But hey - see, we CAN get a voice. June wrote hers to get rid of serious rage at the Lege antics last week.

Speak up for tax reform in Utah now!

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 06:42:17 -0700

The Utah Legislature session begins next week. There is an even bigger record surplus this year than last year. However, prudence calls to mind the Biblical story of seven fat years, followed by seven lean years. Budget surpluses can be used to restore balance to the state budget and repair damage done in the lean years. The large surplus also creates a climate in which tax reform can occur. Keep a close eye on those boring committees dealing with Revenue and Taxation, folks!

Nerd Snark attack - TGIF, you need a laugh!

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 22:17:06 -0600

From the I-net:

New Element on Periodic Table

A major research institution has just announced the discovery of the densest element yet known to science. The new element has been named "Bushcronium." Bushcronium has one neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 224 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 311. These particles are held together by dark forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Wallowing in Mud

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 15:26:57 -0600

Sent to Deseret News Readers Forum, not published:

I am truly sick of the debasement of political discourse in this state and this country. The past week I've heard Dick Cheney say that Connecticut voters who supported Lamont's antiwar campaign in the Democratic primary were giving "the Al Qaeda types" exactly what they wanted, and that the Democratic Party now stands for a wholesale retreat in the broader campaign against terror. Now our own Sen. Orrin Hatch is saying Middle East terrorists are "waiting for the Democrats here to take control, let things cool off and then strike again."

How we know there is now a civil war in Iraq

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 14:55:44 -0600

..if you define civil war as the condition of a divided society engaged in a destructive armed conflict. From the Sunday New York Times:

The armed insurgency started while Iraq was under official occupation by the U.S.-led coalition, but it intensified since the handoff of sovreignity. The fighting has been continuous. Violence affects all sides, and there have been a huge number of civilian and military deaths - more than 30,000. The violence is uprooting increasing numbers of Iraqis.

How to look charitable while avoiding your share of taxes

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 12:57:04 -0600

The Washington Post broke a story on Ex-Utah Gov Mike Leavitt's family charitable foundation. [To see the entire article, go here]
In August 2000, the Leavitt family used nearly $9 million of their assets to set up the foundation under an obscure provision of the federal tax code. But unlike standard private foundations, which are required to give away at least 5 percent of their assets to charitable causes, the Leavitt organization donated less than 1 percent of its assets in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The donations jumped to 6.3 percent of total assets last year, after the sale of family water interests that also allowed the foundation to increase its lending to Leavitt business interests. As owner of roughly 15 percent of the water rights, Mike Leavitt was entitled to around $1.2 million in tax write-offs. And he took 'em.

Camera! Action! D4U Tables at UPP Barbecue

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 11:59:07 -0600

[From the personal blogs]

The Utah Poverty Partnership Barbecue last evening was a good scene - props to Bill Tibbets and Linda Hilton for a well-organized, well-publicized event. An estimated 150 folks came to meet, greet & eat (vegan & carnivore burgers provided!). They quizzed candidates on their positions on social policies, especially on support for drug and vision benefits for Medicaid beneficiaries.

D4U was there - David, Leon & June got 5 pages of sign-ups and suggestions: "I am so bugged about _____X___ that I want to get active!" Sheryl & John F also attended. We got a nibble from KCPW for some media coverage - how neat is that?!

Candidates in attendance included TWO Republicans:

MoveOn.org is asking Congress to Take The Pledge

Mon, 19 Jun 2006 21:52:25 -0600

The pledge is, take no more money from Big Oil.

"With gas prices off the charts, an unstable situation in the Middle East and scientists warning that global warming is at a tipping point, it's fair to wonder, why aren't our representatives doing something about our dependence on oil? The answer is that politicians get a lot of money from oil companies not to.

"...we're asking every member of Congress to go "Oil-Free" and sign a pledge not to take any money from the oil industry. Can you sign onto this letter telling your representative to take the pledge?