We've all heard the news reports about how the governor meets with various corporations and groups, receives campaign donations from them (often in the tens of thousands of dollars), and then they get awarded some government contract.  The governor claims there is no hanky-panky going on.

I'd like to believe him.  But I don't.  

Unfortunately, the problem is wider than Governor Herbert.  Here are just a couple other examples:

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, during the voucher fight Senate Republican leaders, particularly Curt Bramble, threatened lobbyists they wouldn't get their legislation passed that year if they didn't contribute to the anti-voucher campaign.  

Republican governors have a practice of holding a fundraiser for their campaigns right before the beginning of a legislative session.  Just as governors and legislators are considering legislation affecting businesses and various interests, these business representatives are expected to give to the governor's re-election campaign.

If you are politically interested, think about the media you pay attention to.  Is it cable news network programs?  Do you follow national politics closely?  Do you know alot about what President Obama or Congress is doing?  Do you think alot about who will control the Congress next year and whether the president will be stymied in his policy initiatives?

At the same time, how much do you hear about what your state legislator is doing?  How much do you hear about what is going on at the state or local level?   Aren't the headlines and and the stories of the press primarily directed at the president and the Congress and national elections?

We have a national media that covers politics and government extensively.  With 24 hour cable network news and talk radio programs and Internet news, in addition to national newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times, there is quite alot of attention to what is going on in Washington.

News reports came out recently about a Gallup poll that showed that Mormons are the religious group with the lowest approval of President Barack Obama.  

In a Salt Lake Tribune article on the poll, Senator Ben McAdams, a Democrat and an active Latter Day Saint responded to the poll by saying that the policies Obama is working on, such as expanding health care coverage, are in line with LDS values and that over time LDS voters will realize that.  McAdams added: "A lot of the work of Democrats in Utah is to get people to look beyond party label to what values individual candidates hold that are directly in line with the beliefs of the LDS faith."

But Hinckley Institute Director Kirk Jowers said that isn't going to happen because Republicans have a monopoly on faith.  Jowers, who is a Republican and was considered as a potential lieutenant governor pick by Gary Herbert last year, said that "Mormons are well known for the F's: families, frugality, and faith.  Traditionally, those values have been more closely associated with conservatives and the Republican Party."

This is exactly the mythology Republicans would like to spread about Democrats.  And it clearly is not true.

This week students will return to classes at Utah Valley University.  Since UVU was created as a technical school, it has served an important role in educating the county's children.  As that school grew to a college and now a university, it has played an increasingly critical role in Utah County's economic development.  Not only does it educate thousands of Utah County college students, but it also now draws students from across the state and even the world.   

I personally understand the importance of UVU in our community.  One of our children graduated from UVU and another is currently a student.  My wife and I are grateful there is a public higher education institution in Utah Valley available for our children to attend.

Utah Valley University is a jewel of Utah County.  However, that isn't thanks to our state legislators.  As students return to classes, once again the university will be bursting at the seams.  According to UVU president Matthew Holland, UVU student enrollment has grown 20 percent over the past two years.  At the same time, the state legislature has severely cut UVU's budget.