Guilty by Association
This is a perfect example of why I said back in May of 2013 that John Swallow should resign even if he did nothing technically illegal
Category politics
A Cat Is Not A Dog
I know this seems like a painfully obvious and completely unnecessary statement to make but imagine with me for a moment what would happen if a society decided to remove the distinction between two things that are fundamentally different by…
Funding Education
When your car stops running the solution isn't always to put gas in the gas tank. Likewise, funding our schools isn't as straightforward as simply figuring out who should foot the bill.
Fighting the Right Fight for Marriage
We need to fight for a better version of marriage than the one society currently espouses and we might have to do that using some new terminology for what we are currently talking about.
Facts Aren’t Always Impartial
I was listening to Doug Wright this morning talking about the John Swallow situation and I found myself laughing at the linguistic gymnastics he was engaged in trying to discuss the situation without suggesting that impeachment might be the proper…
Impeachment isn’t the same as Removal from Office
Opening an impeachment proceeding is the same as opening an investigation, not the same as handing down an indictment. It is meant to be done in order to obtain evidence, not after the evidence has already been gathered. It seems obvious that there is enough smoke surrounding John Swallow to warrant looking into whether the smoke is from a fog machine or a fire.
Thoughts on Caucus System Reform
Curt Bentley has an excellent post in which he discusses the issue of reforming the caucus system. I really appreciate the methodical approach he has taken to examine the issue. I completely agree with each of his guiding principles and…
Don’t Be Fooled
John Swallow continues to insist that he will not step down because has done nothing illegal. He likes to use that red herring to make people sound unreasonable if they call for his resignation or impeachment. We need to be very clear that the standard for impeachment - "high crimes and misdemeanors" - includes some things which may not qualify as illegal. Swallow himself has admitted to things that show that he is unfit for the office to which the people of Utah mistakenly elected him.
Strengthening Our Caucus System
Instead of sidestepping our caucus system we should strengthen it by keeping what it is good at (leveling the playing field for candidates) and improving where it is weak (disenfranchising less popular political positions). We can do that by changing the way delegates are chosen.
Causes and Symptoms
There are still times when doctors are limited to treating symptoms but generally in modern times our doctors seek to treat the underlying cause of a problem rather than the symptoms. We need to do more of that in the healthcare industry - especially as it relates to our most pressing chronic condition in the industry: uncontrolled costs.