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Show People, Politics & Policy Politicians prepare for next election By E. MARK BEZZANT Things are really popping in county politics and statewide. Last night local Republicans met to choose new people for area leadership. Last Saturday county Republicants met to select their leadership. The previous Monday the governor and Lt. Governor met with about 15 of us for some straight talk. In addition to that, a meeting with several of Orrin Hatch's researchers was most interesting. The meeting with the governor was very enlightning. Governor Bangeter is not your typical politician, and he has received a lot of bad press because of it. The lake pumping project is a good example of that. The tax hike is another good example. Education provides even another example. In every one of these areas the governor has taken affirmative action and yet is being criticized on many fronts for the action he took. The governor's position is not to blame his predecessor. He simply says that we have a problem and we are going to solve that problem. The governor knew it would take 500 million to do what he wanted to do. He knew the people would not support that and so he asked for just over $200 million in tax increases. He got just a tad more than $100 million. He knew that that tax increase in-crease would be the last serious one for five or six years. The governor has made it very plain that government is going to have to get along on less. The money just is not there to spend. The governor said that if the legislature had not raised taxes that for education the message would have been very negative to new companies who might locate in Utah. He knew a tax increase would not be popular but given the choice he sided with education. So both educators and taxpayers were unhappy. The problem comes in the fact that the Governor isn't explaining his position very well and so people are beating up on him pretty bad. The governor knows that. He is keeping his powder dry. Last Saturday over 200 Republicans voted to k eep a moderate at the helm of the county party. The incumbant chairman faced stiff opposition from conservative con-servative Mason Sherwood. Chairman Steve Shallenberger went on to win the election by about 30 votes. The other office seekers were unopposed and from the moderate wing of the party. Senator Hatch and Jake Gam did not attend the gathering Saturday. Their representatives did and both were smiling. I asked Hatch's representative if his opponent would be the former governor of Utah. The representative just smiled. They don't want to make the same mistake Jim Hansen made when he challenged Gunn McKay. He nearly lost the race and it cost him a bundle of trouble. I should not forget the county commissioners. Beck and Morris have been working hard since they were elected. They fended off a tax increase and have restored a lot of confidence to the commission office. What they quietly, but intentionally forgot to do, is cut the fat salaries that their predecessors voted in. I think that- they are hoping that people will forget all about it. When I met with the governor I asked if any administrators in the schools offered to take a cut in pay when he wanted 10 percent cut from administration. He said that n ot one administrator offered to take a pay cut. Not one. We have some of the finest public employees in the nation right here in Utah. What they need to learn is that there is not a goose that lays the golden egg. The public needs to learn there are no free services. It is a shame that in the last 52 years the federal government has spent more than it has taken in during 50 of those years. It's time we demand that the government live within its means! The local and state officials have had to. |