INSIGHTS
Originally published in the Deseret News. Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree. This quip, made by Louisiana Sen. Russell Long, captures Utah’s approach to the motor fuel tax. We’ve been kicking the can down the road for 17 years. It’s time for a serious and informed discussion about raising…
Originally published in Utah Business. I love the start of a new year. It’s a time to begin anew and take a fresh look at life. I find it’s also agood time to take a pause, learn from the past and build a better tomorrow. The Utah Legislature understands the value of this type of…
Originally published in the Deseret News. Twelve years ago today the Olympic torch was making its way to Utah. Like the Sochi Olympic torch relay crisscrossing through Russia today, the 2002 Olympic torch was on its 65-day journey from Olympia, Greece to Salt Lake City, Utah.
2014 is here and I love it. It’s a chance to begin anew, start fresh and adopt new found optimism. One of the new things I’m going to do is post my writings and reflections on this website. Each month I write a column for the Deseret News and Utah Business magazine. I also participate…
For many, the holidays are the best time of year. It’s a chance to relish a season of giving, celebration and tradition. But there’s also an ugly underbelly that we don’t often discuss—the sadness that many people feel during this time of year.
This week Gov. Gary Herbert released his fiscal year 2015 budget. He recommended $13.3 billion in spending – a cool $36 million a day to pay for Utah’s education system, transportation network, human services, public safety and other important public functions. I worked in the state budget office for 18 years, and I think the governor got it right. Here’s my take on state finances:
The English philosopher Thomas Hobbes observed that without government, the life of man becomes “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” Lately it’s seemed just the opposite—with government our economic lives are at risk. It’s as if we have a heart attack every three months, gradually ruining our economic health, causing self-imposed economic pain and diminishing…
Originally published in the Deseret News. Next week, Utahns will be summoned to the election booth to vote in municipal elections. Those who do will find far too few women on the ballot. And it’s not just at the ballot box: it’s in boardrooms and businesses. It’s even in our faith institutions. Women, for all…
Originally published in Utah Business. I can still remember the flyers plastered in the hallways of my junior high school: “Bonnet ball begins next month. Sign up now.” The flyers started a conversation between a good friend and me—should we sign up for bonnet ball or try an alternative sport known as soccer? The year…
Originally published in the Deseret News. In addition to cooler weather and fall colors, this weekend Salt Lake City hosts the Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For many in this state, it’s a time of reflection, a pause for the betterment of self, community and the world. Ecclesiastical…