West Valley City, following the path of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, and a few other cities, has passed an anti-discrimination ordinance (see Tribune story). To explain why, as a Republican and a Mormon, he supports the oridinance, West Valley Mayor Mayor Mike Winder has posted his comments made in April when he backed the Salt Lake City ordinance.

Among other things, Winder said:

“In West Valley City we have residents who have been discriminated against n housing and employment who have shared their stories. These citizens don’t need special treatment, but they deserve the opportunity to seek shelter and to thrive or fail in a job based on their merits, and not be prejudged because of their orientation.

“Some have been perplexed that a Republican mayor like me would be in favor of these anti-discrimination ordinances. To that I say they do not truly understand the potential of the party of Abraham Lincoln, who taught us about human dignity and civil rights – that when the Declaration announces that all men are created equal and entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that it applies indeed to all Americans. We may disagree with a neighbor’s lifestyle or preferences or acting on tendencies they were born with, but a Lincoln Republican would not seek to make second-class citizens out of anybody.”

Read all of Winder's comments here.

Like I always say . . .

Every political battle is a communications battle. Every political success is a triumph of communications. Every political failure is a failure of communications.

And today, the global warming alarmists are losing the communications battle. All over the world, people are having doubts about climate change, making it harder for political leaders to impose carbon taxes and get citizens to take steps to reduce their carbon footprints.

The New York Times has published an interesting story. Here's an excerpt:

LONDON -- Last month hundreds of environmental activists crammed into an auditorium here to ponder an anguished question: If the scientific consensus on climate change has not changed, why have so many people turned away from the idea that human activity is warming the planet?

Nowhere has this shift in public opinion been more striking than in Britain, where climate change was until this year such a popular priority that in 2008 Parliament enshrined targets for emissions cuts as national law. But since then, the country has evolved into a home base for a thriving group of climate skeptics who have dominated news reports in recent months, apparently convincing many that the threat of warming is vastly exaggerated.

Read the full story here. 

(I have used these before, but I like them.)

• Give a guy a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a guy to fish and he’ll always want to borrow your boat and he’ll drink a lot of beer and throw up in it.
• Before criticizing someone walk a mile in his shoes. Because then when you criticize him you’ll be a mile away and you’ll have his shoes.

The primary election is June 22, but with voting by mail, early voting, and absentee voting, lots of people will be casting ballots in only a few weeks.

U.S. Senate candidate Mike Lee recently sent a message noting deadlines and early voting opportunities. Here is the message:

Even though the primary election is several weeks away, the deadlines for being able to vote in that election are fast approaching! Here is some important information you need to be aware of.

Deadline to register to vote by MAIL: May 24th, 2010! Which is ONLY A FEW DAYS AWAY.  You must register to vote as a Republican to vote in the primary. If you are unaffiliated, you can register at the poll locations on Election Day.  

In-Person Registration: You may register in-person at the County Clerk's Office by June 7th, 2010. You will not be eligible to vote early.   

When to Re-register:  Your Voter registration is valid for life, unless you

• Move
• Change your name, or
• Wish to affiliate with a different party

You must be registered as a REPUBLICAN to vote in this Primary. To change your voter registration status for any of the above reasons, simply fill out a new voter registration form available here.

 How do I register to vote?

Download and print the Utah Voter Registration Form. Once completed, mail the form to your county clerk's office. Must be postmarked by May 24th for vote in this election.  

Early Voting

 Early Voting usually starts 15 days before the Primary Election Day. Check with your county clerk's office for dates and locations in your county. You can vote at any of the locations that are provided for early voting. 

What is an absentee ballot?

An Absentee Ballot is just a ballot that is mailed to your home address.  This is an excellent idea to do as the election is held during the summer when many people are away on vacation or otherwise busy on election day. 

A separate absentee ballot application must be filled out for each election unless you become a permanent absentee voter. To become a permanent absentee voter, check Yes in the permanent absentee section of the application.  

The absentee application form is available online. Must be postmarked by May 24th, 2010. 

For regular general/primary elections (held in even-numbered years), this application must be filed by mail or in person in the office of the voter's county clerk. 

When is the deadline?

Deadline for applying for an absentee ballot - For regular absentee voting, the ballot application must be received no later than the Friday before the election, June 18th, 2010.

Deadline for returning an absentee ballot - The ballot is only valid if it is clearly postmarked before (not on) election day, and received in the county clerk's office before noon on the day of the official canvass, June 22nd, 2010.

If you want to get away from politics and enjoy a terrific family camping experience, plan a trip to the aptly-named Kodachrome Basin State Park, a few miles outside of Cannonville, about a half hour away from Bryce Canyon National Park. We spent the weekend there and enjoyed gorgeous spring weather in the desert.

The wildflowers were blooming, especially Indian paint brush and prickly pear cactus. It’s amazing how such a thorny, hostile cactus can have such a delicate, beautiful flower.

Kodachrome features most of the comforts of home. The bathrooms even have hot water and showers, and there’s a little store with everything you forgot to bring.

We went on some great hikes, including the Yellow Rock hike about 25 miles down the Cottonwood Creek road, past Grosvenor Arch. There are a lot of other fun hikes right in Kodachrome. The little children love playing in the sand and climbing around the sandstone formations. It was nice to sit around a campfire and talk.

Political News Notes: Josh Spencer and John Huntinghouse have formed a Facebook group whose members will encourage Rep. Jason Chaffetz to run against Sen. Orrin Hatch in 2012. The group had 39 members as of Wednesday evening. ... BYU's Center for the Study of Elections & Democracy is conducting a post-convention survey of Republican delegates. The results should be very interesting. A series of questions asks delegates about a last-minute mail piece on Utah values that included a lot of Mormon-oriented language and images. ... The conservative Patrick Henry Caucus is holding picnics across the state to "engage in a discussion ... on state and federal issues pertaining to the 10th Amendment ..." Nine picnics are scheduled from May 21 to June 19 in Delta, Cedar City, St. George, Taylorsville, Tooele, Provo, Vernal, Roy and Logan. For more information, click here. ... "Civil resistance training" for progressive activists will be held Saturday, May 22 at the Quaker Meeting House, 171 East 4800 South, from 1-5 p.m., facilitated by Circle Dynamics.

Here is this week's compilation of the 10 top developments in federalism, as compiled by Cody Stewart, legislative director for Congressman Rob Bishop:

Here is this week's compilation of the 10 top developments in federalism, as compiled by Cody Stewart, legislative director for Congressman Rob Bishop:

1) Official Launch of the 10^th Amendment Task Force.  The Republican Study Committee’s 10^th Amendment Task Force will officially launch on Thursday, May 6, at 1:00 p.m. at a press event held at the House Triangle, located on the East front of the U.S. Capitol.  This event is open to the public. 

2) Spotlight:  “Restore the Tenth.”  The Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) and the State Policy Network (SPN) have launched a visit-worthy new website dedicated to the Tenth Amendment.   
       
3) “These guys still believe this stuff?”  With some hard-to-hide skepticism (especially noted in the comments), left-leaning blog Talking Points Memo catches wind of the 10^th Amendment Task Force.

4) Arizona’s immigration laboratory.  Among the deluge of commentary on Arizona’s new immigration law, George Will points to one overlooked aspect of the debate.  Whether you approve or disapprove of the new law, Arizona’s experience will provide the nation with “information about whether judicious enforcement discourages illegality.”  Bold policy experimentation is just one of the many virtues of decentralized government.     
       
5) Immigration, Greenhouse’s Gas, and Gender Benders. Jonah Goldberg, one of the most entertaining conservative commentators writing today, makes the case for greater state policy experimentation.  Also, almost nine years ago to the day, Goldberg authored one of the most enjoyable and insightful short pieces written on the virtues of federalism (No, this is not the wrong link.  Yes, it deals with transgender issues).   
       
6) Commerce Clause out of control.  One of the largest impediments to limited  government today is an overly expansive interpretation of the Commerce Clause.  Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, a co-founding Member of the 10^th Task Force, has developed two draft pieces of legislation that would limit Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause.  The draft bills are included below for consideration and review.   
       
7) One Amendment to save them all.  Roman Buhler, a long-standing advocate for federalism, recently penned a letter-to-the-editor in the Wall Street Journal arguing for an amendment to Article V that would give states the power to call a Constitutional Convention limited to just one amendment. 
       
8) Speeches and Forums.  Former Speaker of the Florida State House and Member of Congress, Tom Feeney, recently addressed a gathering of state legislative leaders at The Heritage Foundation entitled “Federalism Under Attack.”  Meanwhile, the Sutherland Institute in Utah hosted a forum entitled “Why Balanced Federalism is Good for Utah.”     
       
9) Candidates are catching on.   In the attached document, Tim Bridgewater, a candidate for U.S. Senate, points to passage of the 17^th Amendment as one of the leading causes of massive power consolidation in Washington D.C. , and offers eight suggestions to restore the balance of power between the various levels of our federal system. 
       
10)  Flashback:  Mike Leavitt, former Governor, Secretary of HHS and EPA Administrator, wrote an article in the Fall 2009 “Ripon Forum” describing his active role with a movement in the early 1990’s to rejuvenate federalism.  The article offers a good reference point for today’s federalism debate and serves as a reminder that the discussion over federalism has been ongoing since the founding of this nation. 

“The 10” is a weekly summary of 10 noteworthy developments in the world of federalism and the 10^th Amendment.  If you have an item you would like to include in the next “The 10” email, please contact Cody Stewart at 202-225-8411.