| Show OPINION The Sidt Lake Tribune Sunday February a 2004 Republicans enjoy bullying minori LY--party legislators 0 - Like a playground bully kicking sand This year an election year House on the neighborhood runt and taking Majority Leader Greg Curtis Is running a bill to repeal that unpopuaway his toys Republican legislators have ignored Democratic initiatives lar tax So the tax imposed last year has they didn't like and took a Democrat as the sponas their own the minority sor — even though every party's ideas that they "VAsenator Democratic favored kkao4000 voted and all it against ma- Enjoying a but two Republican sen1441 jority in the House and a ators voted for it — and a 22-advantage in the SenRepublican will sponsor 4tv ate the Republicans can t the repeal of the tax want to do anything they Mayne tried once Democrats And they oØ') this year to run a again seem to enjoy it bill repealing a number One blatant example of of sales tax exemptions bullying was the RepubliBut during a committee Sen Ed can treatment of meeting last week when to enrich attempt Mayne's PAUL ROUX supporters of his bill tes state coffers by tens of tilled before a group of doof dollars millions by s legislative sales with and away ing and yawners hangman use tax exemptions on everything from players the meeting concluded without steel manufacturing to ski passes to airthe committee taking a position one way line snacks Last year as the West Valley City or another The measure Senate Bill 31 is exDemocrat's bill languished in the legislative session's fmal days Republican pected to die of natural causes leaders hijacked Mayne's bill and Mayne feels the pain of such fellow turned it into a tax levy on cable and Democrats as former Rep Grant Protzsatellite television service man of Ogden who spent months 56-1- 9 7 '0010444 nose-picker- ROUX REPORT working with officials of the LDS Church and state and local government brass several years ago to put together a comprehensive rewrite of Utah's liquor laws Once Protzman won the approval of all the relevant parties RPresident Arnold Christensen in an identical bill the Sandy sponsored Senate which was the one that passed But not before Christensen had to summons Protzman to a committee meeting to answer questions Christensen couldn't answer about his own bill Former Democratic Sen Robert Steiner of Salt Lake City sponsored a measures that number of usually were aborted early But one bill which would have imposed civil and criminal penalties for the negligent storage of firearms that fell into the hands of a minor and resulted in death or injury finally passed the Senate and was pushed out of the House Rules Committee two days before the end of the session then-Senat- e gun-contr- The president's marriage vow The following editorial appeared in Wednesday's Chicago right to equal protection under the law as all citizens do and should not be denied legal rights and protections offered to other citizens How to define and protect those rights though should be a matter for the state legislatures This page firmly opposes a constitutional amendment to defme marriage as the union of a man and a woman Were such an amendment to be adopted it would render moot a process of debate and decision-makinthat the American public through their legislatures must be permitted to have in the years ahead Yet those who were outraged by Bush's announcement on Tuesday must remember this: The president wasn't spoiling for this fight Until now he had avoided an endorsement of the campaign for a constitutional amendment on marriage The events of recent weeks have forced the issue It seems to have been lost on those who celebrated the Massachusetts ruling that a backlash was inevitable The court took decision-makinout of the hands of the people and made a decision that Jumped far ahead of public consensus Tribune: Three months ago the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court stripped that state's legislature of any power to decide whether the law of the land should accept and embrace marriage by same-secouples The court ruled that mara prohibition on same-sewas unconstitutional riage Two weeks ago officials in San Francisco began to issue marriage licenses to gay couples in open defiance of state law which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman Now we have seen the inevitable backlash President Bush announced Tuesday that he will support a constitutional amendment to prohibit same-semarriage The shame in all this is that the United States has been on a course toward greater acceptance and legal recognition of gays and lesbians That process has been all but tossed aside as the country erupts in a cultural war that most Americans don't particularly want and certainly don't need Gays and lesbians have the x x d I 1 Is then-Hous- e n n NEWS TIP HOT LINE Moreover if the proponents of gay marriage are to head off a constitutional amendment they will have to recognize that actions such as that taken in San Francisco are damaging to their cause If they are to achieve their goal they will have to win the confidence and support of the public — See or know of something we need to be covering? Call the future 1 I of your business worth two hours? I t 4:414tfee (3 1' 6 k It171 itMitIO ' 257-874- 2 I A 4 IJG1 1 Bishop containing the exact language Atkinson had proposed When Atkinson proposed another bill on a waiting period for women seeking abortions it was gutted by leadership then replaced with a bill sponsored by Republican Sen Le Ray McAllister containing exactly the same language Lake ran a Rep Ralph Becker bill last year to clarify how legislators are replaced if they die or otherwise leave office before the end of their terms The bill failed but this year it is sponsored by Republican Rep Craig Frank of Pleasant Grove and is expected to pass Former Democratic Rep Frank Pignanelli sponsored a bill to set up a strategic planning commission to recommend ways the state could deal with population increases and other future problems It failed in the House but was resurrected a year later and passed under the sponsorship of Republican Kim Burningham of Bountiful And one last kick in the face: The Legislature's budget ftmds a public relations person for the Republican majority out of taxpayer funds The Democrats have a public relations person too but they have to pay for it themselves The House never voted on it howevSpeaker Rob Bishop now a congressman withheld it from the voting list for two days Bishop later became a paid lobbyist for a gun rights group that had opposed that legislation On another occasion Steiner was told by Republican leaders that all his bills would be kept in the Rules Committee throughout the session unless he abandoned his effort to pass a bill banning guns carried by concealed weapons permit holders from schools and advochurches Later after gun-bacates circulated a petition to put the issue on the ballot Republicans leaders said they would deal with it in the next session Gun-babackers failed to get the necessary signatures and the Legislature did nothing on it in the next session Former Rep Kelly Atkinson outlined his "Centennial Schools" plan to give financial incentives to schools for extraordinary achievement during an education committee meeting several years ago Later the Republican House leadership unveiled a bill sponsored by er because woitTOIFJ40:fir iii (fcTrositiolr4tiiiii4D-- ) g x "There is experience and then there is expertise At St Mark's it's not just the g surgeons who provide care We have an entire team and tOsIo)o-11- i 40 0 zyttob they all contribute to the We are seeking volunteers for a study that will evaluate two FDA approved high blood pressure medications for use in combination or individually in the treatment of high blood pressure These well-bein- medications bave been approved for individual use You nnly if you: Are male or female aged 18-8- of our gastric g si bypass patients" 0 Have a diagnosis of "essential hypertension" Can attend 9 study visits over a 15 week period $725 to qualified subjects for time & travel Offices located in Sandy Murray Holladay and Magna Study related medical exams laboratory tests and blood pressure measurements provided at no cost a - ' --!L - N 1Rt1( — Sherman Smith MD Independent Physician — Gastric Bypass Surgeon Rocky Mountain Associated Physicians WI )) (jr6-- 1 ec no a uiilIl'ui EXPERIENCE ON YOUR SIDE Bs nsin a MAKE SURE YOU HAVE Before you consider surgety for the treatment of morbid obesity find out how many gastric bypass procedures your hospital and your physician have performed 1 The gastric bypass surgeons at St Mark's Hospital have the combined experience of over 50 years of perfoming this specific procedure !(!EtLick:onitraliin: ' 1 i i b 1' 1 1 N 0 i St Mark's Hospital t 'tli MOUNTAINSTAR HEALTHCARE 1200 East 3900 South 1E 4I4- - Salt Lake City Utah 84124 8012687111 wwwstmarkshospitalcom Sr MARK'S LAKEVIEW - r " - HOSPITAL HOSPITAL IN IN SALT LAKE CITY BOUNTIFUL I 1120421w0k0000 to 20 OGDEN REGIONAL TIMPANOGOS REGIONAL toil001222 12200200 h meg MEDICAL HOSPITAL 11212022122010 120100000 qgSmens CENTER IN OREM at deo 00222 00100fis BRI(iFIAM CITY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL MOUNTAIN IN PAYSON aft mom so et VIEW HOSPITAL 1022 2001 j I A copy' i 0 4 |
