Town Hall Meeting With Karen Hyer, Democrat for 3rd Congressional District

Come to a Townhall Meeting with KAREN HYER
Democratic Candidate for Utah’s 3RD District
Thursday, August 26th, 7 p.m., Orem City Council Chambers, 56 N. State
Ethics in Government: Breaking the Cycle of Professional Politicians, Interest Money and Corruption
You can trace almost every problem in Washington to incompetence or “corruption.” Instead of looking at everything through partisan or ideological lenses, we need to start looking at things through ethical lenses. Special interests and/or poor decisions take over when fame, fortune, power, or ambition are more important than honestly serving the people. If we really want to see change for the better in Washington, we need to quit electing professional politicians (in either party) and go back to the idea of a citizen legislature in the spirit of Cincinnatus.

Karen isn’t a professional politician worried about her next election; she’s an American first with real-life experience! Her core values are conservative, but ethics, competence and intellectual honesty are more important to her than party. She’ll think outside the box, work with others, and find solutions to our most critical problems!

Some of Karen’s Experience

· Operated her own businesses; consulted nationally for the SBA & Chambers of Commerce
· Taught Ethics at BYU. Has taught school at all levels, elementary - post-graduate
· Owned & Managed a hunting and cattle ranching operation, where they also produced cotton, feed and crops
· Spent years as a top researcher at a pre-eminent medical center; has taught and advised on health policy
· Got a law degree & led the cause for small farmers & the environment, against the feds & special interests
· Has helped empower millions of the disadvantaged through educational programs both home and abroad
KAREN WILL . . .
* HELP GROW OUR ECONOMY
* ENSURE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
* BRING ETHICS TO GOVERNMENT

D.C.Voting Rights Group Targeting Jason Chaffetz

From Salon:

When a bill to give Washington, D.C., voting rights in the House died this week, thanks to a Republican-supported amendment that would have stripped the city's ability to pass gun laws, one local activist figured the best way to get even was with a little long-distance revenge.

"D.C. may not have a vote in Congress, but we have the highest concentration of political donors and politically savvy people here," says Mike Panetta, the District's "shadow representative" to the House. That's a citywide elected office, but it basically just makes Panetta D.C.'s chief lobbyist for voting rights.

So as the 2010 elections heat up, Panetta is trying to get Washingtonians and those who support D.C. voting rights to give money to opponents of the Republicans who have helped keep the city unrepresented in Congress. His "Free and Equal D.C. Fund," a registered political action committee, will direct contributions through Act Blue to try to defeat targets. First on the list? Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, the ranking Republican on the House subcommittee that oversees D.C. affairs. Chaffetz not only opposed the bill that died this week, but he also tried (and failed) to block the District's new same-sex marriage equality law, and has been making noises about doing the same thing if D.C. passes a law allowing medicinal marijuana. Panetta's fund will kick off its effort with a fundraiser next month dedicated to sending Chaffetz back to Utah. If the PAC is able to raise enough money, it might also run ads in Chaffetz's district.

"He's spending lot of time meddling in local affairs," Panetta says. "We could spin that in such a way that he's not doing his job representing the 3rd district of Utah."

Beating Chaffetz may be tough; the freshman doesn't even live in the district, but he won easily in 2008, and his district may be one of the most Republican-friendly ones in the nation. (A Chaffetz aide didn't respond immediately to a request for comment.) His Democratic opponent, Karen Hyer, isn't really on the national party's radar. But Chaffetz has been so ostentatious in his attempts to manage D.C. affairs that Panetta said he was a natural target anyway. The Free and Equal D.C. Fund will also try to elect Democrats to open Senate and House seats; Paul Hodes, the Democratic candidate for New Hampshire's open Senate seat, will be another recipient of Act Blue funds. (A similar effort in 2008 only raised a few hundred dollars, but Panetta says he'll work much harder at it this year.)

Utah's House Democrats Out Fundraised Republicans

Granted, most of it is Jim Matheson, but still.....

From the FEC:

Republicans:
Receipts: $502,913
Disbursements: $344,579
Cash on Hand: $280,752
Debts: $49,859

Democrats:
Receipts: $996,218
Disbursements: $265,548
Cash on Hand: $1,435,175
Debts: $642

-Bob

Bennion Spencer on immigration

Dear Friends,

Long ago, pioneers came to a remote part of Mexico seeking freedom and opportunity. The country changed forever. It grew prosperous and earned its place in the United States . That place was Utah , and it’s our home.

Now, Jason Chaffetz wants to round up immigrant families and put them in tent cities surrounded by barbed wire - just for seeking the blessings we enjoy.

Intolerance is not a Utah value. I will fight to secure our borders without violating the principles we hold dear. I believe there is a solution.

Four points on illegal immigration that I will take to Congress:

1. Stop illegal immigrants at the border by properly funding security measures. America has a right to control its borders. In a post 9/11 world we must know who is entering our country.

2. Crack down on employers who hire undocumented workers.

3. Bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows and put those who are in good standing on a pathway to citizenship so that they can contribute to society by paying their fair share of taxes.

4. Work with nations, like Mexico , to find a solution that will stem the flow of illegal immigrants on both sides of the border.

I need your help to make this a reality. Please go to my campaign Web site, www.bennionspencerforcongress.com, and make a contribution to my campaign.

All the best,

Bennion Spencer

Cannon Fired Over Issues Other Than Immigration

Salt Lake Tribune:

Roughly the same number of voters who were highly concerned about immigration in 2006, when Cannon won his last primary, showed up this time, when Cannon got whipped. Exit poll results show that more of those who said they had a tougher view on undocumented immigrants voted for Cannon's opponent, Jason Chaffetz, but a majority of those who backed plans like a guest-worker program also favored Chaffetz.
Poll numbers point to voters' overall dissatisfaction with government and their own situation. Nearly 70 percent of respondents said the nation was on the wrong track, and a full one-third said their family's financial situation was worse off than a year ago.
Moreover, large majorities of those who said the country was on the wrong track and said their families' finances were worse voted for Chaffetz over Cannon.

A 70% wrong track in one of the most conservative districts in the country? That's when you know things are bad.

-Bob