Regerrymandering Part VII: What do Bear Lake, Jeremy Ranch, and Flaming George have in Common?

What do Bear Lake, Jeremy Ranch, and Flaming George have in Common?

A member of the State Legislature, that's what.

Regerrymandering Part VI: What do Grantsville, Tremonton, and Southern Cache Valley have in common?

What do Grantsville, Tremonton, and Hyrum up in Cache County all have in common?

I'm stumped to find an answer.

Well, other than sharing the same State Senator for the next 10 years, that is.

There's a lot of commonality there, my friends. I'm just waiting for the GOP spin to find it.

Regerrymandering Part V: Senate District 12 -- Straddling the Oquirrhs

Senate District 12 is an interesting shape. In addition to having an interesting shape, it is naturally separated by the Oquirrh Mountains.

Yep, the Senator representing this district will have to drive outside his district to visit his constituents on the other side.

Another winning map brought to you by the Utah Legislature.

Regerrymandering Part IV: Equal Population at what cost? Oquirrh Edition

If you live in the Salt Lake Valley, and you are West of I-15 and South of about 4300 South, you live in the Purple district.

Well, unless you live in the Oquirrh neighborhood of West Jordan. Then you might be in the Yellow district.

Yep, if you live in this part of the subdivision, your congressman won't live in areas that share similar characteristics to yours. Your Congressman will live in Downtown Salt Lake. Or Bountiful. Or Tooele. Or St George. Or Blanding.

One thing's for sure: you probably won't ever see him campaigning in Oquirrh. Because you are separated from the rest of his district.

And that just isn't right. Surely, the Legislature could have found a neighborhood elsewhere along the border to draw into the neighborhood. I wonder who lives there that just got drawn into a different district.

Regerrymandering Part III: Equal Population at what cost? Holladay Edition

So, you think the Congressional Lines drawn by the Utah Legislature took some interesting turns around the Columbus Library, take a look at Highland Downs Ln in Holladay:

The dividing line between the purple and green districts from 4800 South to I-215 is Highland Drive.

Well, except for Highland Down Lane. Highland Downs Lane is a Private Lane that curves east from Highland Drive south to 5165 South. Compacted in the small space of this complex are 7 nearly identical duplexes. This small private lane (skinny enough that on-street parking is not allowed) is a dividing line between Congressional Districts. 3 duplexes are in the purple districts, and the other 4 are in the green.

Does this make sense to anyone?

Regerrymandering Part II: Equal Population at what cost?: Columbus Library Edition

There are some really interesting lines drawn in the Utah Legislature's 2011 Regerrymandering maps. They've got equal population in their Congressional districts, but at what cost?

Take, for example, the lines drawn around Salt Lake City's Columbus Library:

This is an area between roughly i-80 and 3000 South and 300 and 900 East. There are a few interesting lines here (like the fact that putting the golf course in the purple district make the lines look less puzzle like). Let's zoom in on the really interesting line:

The boundary here runs down 500 East. If you live on the east side of 500 East along here, you are in the yellow district and your Congressman will live somewhere between Bountiful and Blanding. If you live on the west side of the street, it gets a little more complex.

The first 5 houses south of the freeway are in the yellow district. Then we have 3 houses, the library, and two more houses in the purple district. Then there are six houses in the yellow district, and then purple again the rest of the way to 2700 South.

Why did they do this? It's simple: Even though there is some wiggle room (the districts don't have to be exactly the same), they wanted to make the districts exactly the same. They did this so that when the citizens of Utah pointed out that their maps were crazy puzzle pieces, they could say "well, they are equal."

Regerrymadering Part I -- Holladay City: 1 City, 3 Congressional Districts

Back in May, I tried my hand at redrawing Utah's Congressional map. I managed to do it without splitting any county into more than 2 (and only 3 Counties got split). In fact, I did it without splitting a city into more than 2 (and only 3 cities got split, and 3 of the 5 were split along an Interstate).

So, it can be done.

Because it can be done doesn't mean it will be done.

Take the latest version of the Congressional map that came out of the Utah Redistricting Committee today. There was point of interest to me. 3 districts join at an intersection that, while it has undergone significant changes over the past five years, is very familiar to me.

The intersection of Highland Drive and Murray-Holladay Road is the only Urban spot where 3 Congressional Districts come together. Let's take a look at the districts:

The north side of this intersection falls in the "yellow" district. Other locations in the district include Salt Lake City, Woods Cross, East Bountiful, Magna, Tooele, St George, Nephi, Green River, Blanding.

The Southeast corner of the intersection (former home of the Cottonwood Mall -- Now largely a weed pile surrounding a Macy's) is located in the "Green" district. Other locations in this district are Cottonwood Heights, Sandy, Draper, Eastern Utah County, Vernal, Price, Moab.

The Southwest corner of the intersection is in the "Purple" district. Other locations in the district include Murray, Midvale, Salt Lake County west of I-15, Utah County west of Utah Lake, and areas around the southern end of Utah Lake.

I realize that these districts have to come together somewhere. However, as I will post later, this is the most normal division of Holladay's 3 Congressional districts.

Release: Utah Democratic Party Announces LDS Dems

I got this in the email today. I was asking for this in early 2008. I'm glad to see a State Party Chair the recognizes that we shouldn't hide our light under a bushel.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Newly elected USDC chair Jim Dabakis has repeatedly stated that he wants more Latter-day Saints to feel welcome in the Utah State Democratic Party. Party organizers today announced the formation of LDS Dems which will soon be an official caucus of the Utah State Democratic Party.

“For far too long, too many of my fellow Latter-day Saints say that you must be a Republican in order to be a good Mormon. That’s just not true!” states Senator Ben McAdams, interim chair of LDS Dems. “We’re here as LDS Dems to show you that can be a good democrat and a good Latter-day Saint.”

Steve Olsen, chair of the Weber County Democratic Party and an LDS Dems member, agrees: “No official statement from the First Presidency is more ignored by Latter-day Saints in Utah than the counsel: ‘All major American political parties have values consistent with gospel.’ Our main purpose is to help our fellow Latter-day Saints wholeheartedly accept this counsel from the Brethren.”

The caucus’s first event will be a pre-General Conference Breakfast. The breakfast will be from 8:00 - 9:30 am on Saturday, October 1st at Pavilion #3 in Murray Park. Former Representative Trisha Beck is chairing the breakfast. Pancakes, bacon, and fruit from the local Murray Farmers Market will be prepared by currently elected democrat officials who are also LDS.

“I am truly excited for LDS Dems. I'm a democrat because I feel that democrats best reflect the values of charitable love, family, and community that are the basis of my faith,” states Utah Common Values Executive Director and LDS Dems member Craig Janis.

“Whether you’re a conservative, moderate, or progressive Democrat -- or you’re a moderate and belong to no party -- you’re welcome and invited to join LDS Dems!” says LDS Dems member Diane Stewart.

LDS Dems will host activities that allow its members to get to know each other and provide a means to introduce moderates to democratic ideas in a comfortable, LDS-based setting. It will also conduct a comprehensive outreach effort.

“As I prayerfully and seriously consider the issues facing our State and Country today, I'm convinced that as a ‘good Mormon’, I must be a Democrat. The values that I hold dear as a Latter-day Saint -- agency and accountability, charity, defending this promised land of America while respecting our role in the world, and respecting everyone's God-given rights -- are all more at home in the democratic platform than any other political party,” states Doug Hawks, chair of the Iron County Democratic Party and an LDS Dems member.

Concludes Erika Munson, also a member of LDS Dems, “My commitment to the Democratic Party answers the question ‘Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?’ One of the great blessings of democracy is that citizens can do more good for more people by working and sacrificing together than they can alone.”

To become a member of LDS Dems, go to ldsdems.org/join. The complete website will be launched on October 1.

______________________________________________________________________

LDS DEMS’ STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES:
Utah has a rich heritage and a bright future. Our families are the basic units of society, and their success determines the success of our communities. For this reason, our mission is to reduce economic stress, create safe neighborhoods, and provide quality educational and community resources. We take our stewardship over the natural world seriously. We strive to make our communities welcoming and safe for all of Utah's people without regard for when they first came to our great state. We recognize the hand of Divinity in the US Constitution, and we seek to ensure that the rights and freedoms it provides are available to everyone.

10 Year Bloggiversary!

Back in 2001, I was active on several LDS-themed forums. On one of them, I was known for rambling on about my views on various topics, including politics. It became somewhat of an irregular internet version of a "newspaper column" if you will. I had several complaints from people that those forums were not the appropriate place to pitch my thoughts.

I had a friend (one of the first people I knew to own his own domain) who had as part of his web site an area he called "Written Diarrhea" that was essential his ramblings on random topics. Using this as my inspiration, I decided to start my own version of "Written Diarrhea." I needed a name.

It took me a few days to come up with a name. Someone on the forum had been calling my posts "Bob's world" because they thought I was a little detached from the real world. Other people said things were "according to Bob."

Hence "The World, According to Me" was born on September 8, 2001. Unfortunately, that first version of "The World, According to Me" has been lost to time. (It was housed on GeoCities. Go ask your mom.)

The third post on this online journal (nobody would know what a "blog" was for another 2 years) was written on the evening of September 11. Writing it was more therapy than anything. Likewise for other posts that week, and over the last 10 years.

But, more on that in another post.

I wrote on that site through late 2003. In 2003, I was writing the Mormons for Dean blog, and had fallen in love with Blogger. So I moved "The World, According to Me" to Blogger and started fresh. Unfortunately, I deleted many of those old posts.

Over the 10 years, this blog has been my inroads to many friends and opportunities. Tops on both those lists was the trip to Denver for the 2008 Democratic National Convention with Rob, JM Bell, Misty, Jason, Craig and Aaron to write for Utah Amicus.

I've tried quitting several times. I've taken leaves for work. I even got a job once because of this blog. I've learned a lot that I probably would not have otherwise.

Thanks to my readers over the years for, well, reading. And thanks for the comments as well. I write this partly for my own benefit, so it's always amazing to me when people actually read.

So,it's upwards and onwards to many, many more years of this blog.

-Bob

P.S. - I'll post some personal highlights sometime soon. I started a new job this week, and it's been tougher on me than I thought it would be.

Paul Mero Whines about What's In The Scriptures

So, Sutherland Institute President Paul Mero wrote a post titled "Confused Mormons whine about ‘Zion curtain’" and this is an attempt to answer his post.

The basis for Mero's whining is a Facebook group called "Utah Mormons Against The Zion Curtain". I know the person who started the group. He started the group under a fake Facebook account, because his employer does not like him getting involved with politics.

From the post:

The “Zion curtain” is what Utah’s pro-liquor lobby – and now, it seems, confused Latter-day Saints – calls the physical partition in some eating establishments between the mixing of alcoholic drinks and the serving of them. Not quite a cause worthy of the ominous “iron curtain” metaphor, but a serious subject for some people.

Actually, since the sponsor of the bill used the term in his interview on X96, and lacking a better term for it, this is now what it is called. I agree that it is a little strong of a metaphor. However, "The wall to hide alcohol like it's pornography" doesn't exactly roll of the tongue.

And, I wish to know why he calls Latter-Day Saints who use the term "confused."

Rather than arguing alcohol-sales policies – which it looks like Sutherland will be forced to do if state legislators move to “privatize” liquor stores during the 2012 legislative session – I think it’s worth discussing right now why this libertarian claptrap is, much like a drunken driver’s judgment, the result of clouded thinking.

I can't wait to see Sutherland argue with themselves on alcohol next year. After all, it says right on their web site "every Utahn should support public policies that keep our markets free from unnecessary government regulation, prevent governments from competing with the private sector, encourage private-sector solutions to community problems, create incentives to work, and protect against fraud and unfair practices." Let's keep that in mind as we continue here.

Mero then quotes from the information page of the Facebook group:

“We do not believe it just to amingle [sic] religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied.” (D&C 134:9)

We feel like the new requirement that Utah Restaurants hide all of their alcohol is against free-market principles that Utah supposedly espouses. We feel that if Utah residents don’t want their children seeing alcohol being served, then those residents shouldn’t patronize those businesses.

We also recognize that the Zion Curtain harms the image of our state and our religion.

Then quotes a "friendly posting" that was written by me:

From Utah Constitution, Article I Section 4: “There shall be no union of Church and State, nor shall any church dominate the State or interfere with its functions”

And now, Mero makes the giant leap of interpretation:

Doctrinally, based on their interpretation of Latter-day Saint scripture, it seems this group is under the presumption that religious-minded people shouldn’t be involved in politics. Or at least Mormons shouldn’t be involved in Utah politics – probably the most immature, least realistic, least constitutional, least democratic-oriented thought in this Facebook group.

Actually, that is so far from the truth that it borders on being a lie. However, what the scripture that is being quoted here is saying is that if you are passing laws solely to benefit one religion, you are setting a dangerous precedent. What's to stop a state from banning dancing? Or Ice Cream? R-rated movies?

"We believe that religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others;" -D&C 134:4

Mero then goes on to whine about libertarians, like they have anything to do with it. Most of the people in that group that I know are far from libertarians. However, they do understand a very important doctrinal point:

God "has given us this experience on the earth so we can learn and grow. We can show our love for Him through our choices and our obedience to His commandments." (Preach My Gospel p. 31) "When we obey God, we follow the influence of the Spirit and choose to conform to His will. Obedience to the commandments brings us peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come" (Ibid. 72) "Part of the experience of this life is to learn to overcome temptation and to choose right over wrong." (lds.org Study by Topic -- temptation)

If you hide the sin from view, you hide the temptation. You hide the temptation, you hide the opportunity for people to grow by avoiding the Temptation.

Again, Sutherland claims that "every Utahn should support public policies that keep our markets free from unnecessary government regulation." If Paul Mero truly believed that, then he would join our group. After all, the Free Market should decide if alcohol should be mixed/poured in front of children (and adults who might be tempted). If Mormons don't want to see it, they shouldn't go there. I don't like breathing cigarette smoke while I shop. Rather than trying to get my Representatives to ban smoking at Gateway, I choose not to shop at Gateway. Nobody has become a better person by watching reality TV. Rather than wanting the Legislature to outlaw Reality TV, I choose not to watch it (except for The Amazing Race -- I'm not perfect). I wouldn't want my children to see the scantily-clad women at Hooters. I'm not going to ask the Legislature to require servers in restaurants to cover cleavage and wear knee-length shorts. I'm going to not take my business there. That's how the free market works.

In fact, I understand from people who have been to Hooters in multiple states that Utah's Hooters girls wear more clothes than they do in other states. Because that's what the market dictates.

If businesses are apt not to locate here because of anti-free-market principles, that is wrong. If local people who want to open restaurants fear that they are going to have to follow nonsensical regulations, that is bad for Utah.

And, by imposing regulations that favors one religion over the activities of those not in the religion, that makes Utah look like a Theocracy. Which is bad for Utah, and paints the LDS Church in a bad light. The church has recognized this in their not-to-subtle push to loosen liquor controls during the Huntsman administration. Hopefully, they don't need to get involved again.

-Bob

Rednecks for Obama

On my way into Day 1 of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, I saw something that I thought was funny:

Then, on Day 3, we saw them again, and Aaron Thompson, JM Bell and I all got our picture with them:

Well, it appears President Obama has run into them. From Very Demotivational:

Senator Valentine needs a Zion Curtain for his mouth

So, it turns out that the "Zion Curtain" not only restricts your from seeing a mixed drink prepared, but it will protect your kids from seeing someone pouring a beer.

Because, really, we all know that every kid who drinks does it because he saw a drink being prepared at Applebees.

Now, what's interesting is to see the arguments the Legislature is spitting out on this one.

First, from the Tribune:

Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, who supported backrooms to hide bartenders at restaurants serving wine and mixed drinks, said he did not push for partitions at beer-only restaurants — and he doesn’t know who did.

Waddoups suggested that Mothers Against Drunk Driving might have wanted the partitions, but MADD Utah chapter President Art Brown said he is unfamiliar with the requirement.

Does Waddoups think we're stupid? The provision got put in because someone wrote it in there. And last time I checked, Art Brown is not a member of the Legislature or a part of the Legislature's legal teams.

From the same article:

Despite the confusion over who spearheaded the change, Zion curtains are harming business, said Eric Slaymaker, president and founder of Wingers, which has 23 locations in Utah and 14 restaurants in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Nevada and Tennessee.

“The Legislature says it is business-friendly, but I have a hard time believing that,” he said. “Utah had made some great strides in becoming part of the real world, but now we’re making strides to let the world know they aren’t welcome here again.”

Really,if you don't want your kids to see liquor being poured, DON'T GO TO APPLEBEES! I thought that's what the Free Market was all about.

Then this morning, X96's Radio From Hell interviewed Sen John Valentine, who sponsored the bills. You can listen to the interview here. The part about the Zion Curtain starts about 4:30 in.

In the interview, Sen Valentine said that if you didn't hide the alcohol, then you'd have to ID everyone who comes into the restaurant. Which is stupid. You didn't have to before this law. But wait -- it gets better!

When asked about why the law was necessary, Valentine said it was to draw "a bright line between a restaurant and a bar."

I'm not a drinker, but I can tell when I'm in a restaurant and when I'm in a bar. Restaurants usually have better lighting for one. Bars often have someone at the door checking ID's. Kids are absent in bars. You have to order food in a restaurant, but you don't have to order either in a bar if you don't want to.

When asked about the anti-business image it shows to people outside of Utah, Valentine said ""If you want a true dry area, go to one of the places in the South."

When Valentine said that Utah's Liquor laws work (which makes me wonder why we need this change) because Utah has the lowest DUI rate, the hosts asked him if that wasn't because of the high number of religious non-drinkers here. The reply?

"If religious people are in the majority, shouldn't you reflect that religious value?"

Um, no. If people are really opposed to businesses preparing alcohol in front of their children, they should not take their children to businesses that prepare alcohol in front of children. Let the free market decide.

Besides, Mormon scripture is opposed to Valentine's reasoning:

"We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied." (Doctrine & Covenants 134:9)

Laws like this make Utah and Mormons look bad.

How Much House Does Mitt Romney Need?

How much house does one man need?

Well, if you are Mitt Romney, you need a lot of house. Because he's personally raising all 16 of his grandchildren.

Oh, he's not? OK, whatever. It's not like his kids can afford hotels when they come to visit mom and dad.

Oh yeah, they're Romneys. They can probably at least afford a Motel 6.

After all, Mitt owns a townhouse near Boston and a vacation home on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.

But, this isn't about those homes.

It's about his west coast home. Because Regular Americans have two east coast homes and a west coast home.

His west coast home is located in La Jolla, California. Hanging in at 3,000 square feet, it has 3 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms (because regular Americans have more bathrooms than bedrooms). Oh, and it's valued at $12 Million.

However, the Romney family home is "inadequate for their needs" according to a Romney campaign official quoted in The Salt Lake Tribune.

So, because the home is inadequate, they are going to tear it down and build a new one. The new house will come in at 11,062 square feet. For comparison, that's larger than 34% of Mormon Temples. That's not a Regular American house.

That's a La Jolla elite house.

-Bob