These are classic discussions published back in December 2007
Mitt’s Mormon Speech
I liked Mitt’s Mormon speech. America does well when it openly discusses its prejudices and divisions. Regardless of parties and positions, it is exciting that our leading candidates include a Mormon, a woman, and a black man with a humdinger of a name. We’ve come a long way, baby.
How to Cripple Utah’s Economy
For decades, Utah has worked hard to bring in better paying jobs. St. George provides a good example of this work – and a good example of how to bring economic progress to a halt.
Realistically, the economies of states largely follow the national economy. However, there are a few things state governments can do to boost or undermine their own fate. One specific thing Utah could do to hurt its economy would be to increase energy prices.
In south St. George, some enterprising individuals teamed with the City of St. George, the State Trust Lands Administration, and the Dixie-Escalante Rural Electric Association, to create the Fort Pierce Industrial Park. Without manufacturing, touristy places like St. George can develop very unhealthy economies. Through Fort Pierce, largely because of fantastic energy rates, St. George has placed itself on the map for clean manufacturing. The jobs that are being imported and created in the industrial park are fantastic, and, through the multiplier effect, those... (read more)
I Heart St. George (Part 4)
Sara and I are throwing our annual Christmas party tonight. (For any newbies, we are serious about you performing a number; no exceptions). Things are beautiful, ready, and calm. Nine years ago, that was not the case.
Sara was in the hospital, in Salt Lake City, with a pregnancy that had gone awry. I was in St. George with our three young kids (our oldest was 4 ½), traveling up twice a week to visit her and trying (unsuccessfully) to keep all the balls in the air down here. At a church Christmas party, JoLynne Miller asked how I was managing. “Fine.” Her suspicions having been raised by the way my girls were dressed and “styled,” she stopped by the next day. Looking at the chaos, she said, “You lie. This is not ‘fine.’”
So, JoLynne arranged things, and, for the next few weeks, she and a brigade of other saints would show up to clean, cook, tend, and help us manage.... (read more)
The Budget