The D/R Ticket
By choosing Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, as his lieutenant governor candidate, Peter Corroon, the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor, demonstrates his willingness to work across party boundaries. It also focuses the campaign on two issues Corroon has repeatedly harped on: ethics and education, because those were the two issues in which Allen defined herself in the Utah House. Allen is not the type of running mate who will catapult Corroon into the governorship—really, the only moderates who could do that have the last names Huntsman or Matheson— but she is enough to make Gov. Gary Herbert slightly more nervous. And in Utah, a nervous Republican is considered a victory for Democrats.
Deadweight Babies
Two of the leading Republican candidates for Senate, Tim Bridgewater and Mike Lee, perpetuate a favorite anti-immigrant myth, so-called “anchor babies.” (To be fair, Lee removed a reference to this myth from his Website recently, but only after receiving criticism from KSL Radio’s Ethan Millard). In short, the argument is that immigrants give birth to children in the United States to secure the child’s American citizenship and help their own citizenship argument, thus exploiting a “loophole” in immigration law. The myth dehumanizes both parents and children, and implies that illegal immigrants build families for no reason beyond economic gain. For two candidates to have perpetuated this myth with delegates is fear-mongering and pandering at its worst, and it certainly lessens any claims they have to be pro-life.
Poor Bus
In an effort to better help low-income riders, the Utah Transit Authority is reaching out to charities and churches to better identify low-income riders who can qualify for discounts on monthly passes. Currently, UTA offers discounts to those with a state welfare card and to social service agencies, such as homeless shelters and refugee outreach groups. But spokesman Gerry Carpenter says UTA is trying to broaden the scope of low-income riders they help. Any changes are expected later this year, which is probably about the same time UTA boosts its executive salaries by $100,000 per head.
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