Today the Salt Lake Tribune featured a story about Representative Jason Chaffetz taking $26,000 from postal unions for his re-election campaign this year.  Of course, the angle of the story is that it is unusual for an extreme right wing Republican to be given money from unions.  It also implies that unions are somehow more powerful in financial contributions than corporations.  The opposite is true.  Corporate political action committees give far more to their favored candidates than unions to their favored ones.

But the real problem is pointed out by Karen Hyer, our Democratic candidate opposing Chaffetz this year.  And that is the ugly nexus of political campaigns, money and lobbying.  Interest groups give money to incumbents who control legislation related to them and, in turn, expect access and favorable legislation from that incumbent.  

We all know that electoral campaigns cost money.  And those costs have risen dramatically in recent years.  I've made several pitches on this blog for financial support and our candidates are doing so as well in various ways.

However, the individual who gives $10, $25, or $100 to a campaign or a party typically isn't getting anything in return except the satisfaction of knowing that they've helped their party or candidate to succeed.  That isn't the same story with an interest group, particularly one whose livelihood is directly affected by members of Congress or state legislators.

While most of us are enjoying summer activities, our county party candidates already are walking, attending house parties, organizing volunteers, meeting with their campaign committee, etc.  And the county party has been active as well.  We put together a beautiful float for the Freedom Festival parade.  We have hired campaign interns.  We're training candidates. We're fundraising and organizing volunteers and planning activities for the fall.

You may remember last election the county party ran advertisements in the Daily Herald, had signs up around the valley, conducted polls, and gave money directly to the candidates.

This year we're doing even more, as you will see.

Would you give a little to build the party and make the Democratic party once again a viable organization in Utah County?  Would you give a little to assist these candidates to win this year?

The release of a list of people who are alleged to be illegal immigrants who registered with the state was the hot topic in the state last week.  The release of the list was condemned by many political leaders.  But not all.  Senator Margaret Dayton said that people should focus on the names on the list rather than who released the list.  Representative Stephen Sandstrom said release of the list was inappropriate.  Of course, it was more than inappropriate.  It was... illegal.  

It is ironic that the main point of those who illegally released the list, and some like Dayton who want to accomplish the objectives of those who released the list, is that these people on the list are breaking the law.  Does that oxymoron of breaking the law to identify lawbreakers occur to those who released these names or those who abet the leakers?  

Illegal immigration is a problem today.  The cure is not to fan heated rhetoric about how illegal immigrants are the source of most of the crimes committed or the myth that illegal immigrants are the biggest danger to society. Or Representative Chaffetz's call for placing illegal immigrants in tent cities.  That kind of rhetoric has been common among those who have pushed for an Arizona-style law in Utah. It shouldn't be a surprise that some of the followers of the  instigators of such rhetoric, such as those Utah government employees, decided it was time to take things in their own hands, vigilante-style.

A new study released last month by Education Week provided some disturbing news for Utah.  Over a ten year period, the nation's high school graduation rate rose by 3.1 percent.  That's good news.  Across the country, more of our children are staying in high school to graduate.

However, during that same period, Utah's high school graduation rate dropped by nearly two percent.  Fewer Utah children are getting the basic diploma they need to survive in our economy.  That's bad news for all of us.

Here's another disturbing statistic from the Utah Foundation.  In 1980, Utah was 8th in the nation in the percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree.  By 2008, the state had fallen to 18th.

Then, there's the number we're all familiar with.  Utah spends the least of any state in per pupil spending.  But most people may not realize that Utah has fallen further behind the other states and is now more than $1,000 below the next lowest state.  

Why is this happening?