Ken Nelson

As part of the celebration of Montessori Education Week (Mar 9-12), the Dayspring Montessori school in St. George is hosting:

•   daily open houses during school hours.
    Mon – Thu.
• 9 March – 6 to 8PM: Family Appreciation Night
• 10 March – 6:30 – 8PM: Elementary Information Night
• 11 March – 6:30 – 8PM : Early Childhood Schooling Information
• 12 March – 6:PM – whenever:  Health lunch and snacks for kids

Childcare provided for all evening events.

Contact Dayspring for more info (info@dayspringmotessori.com) or 652-9200

P.S. My kids attend  Dayspring. I heartily recommend it.

http://www.vistautah.com/

At Vista academic success is magnified through an emphasis in performing arts and technology. Students are educated according to individual needs, skills, and talents. Vista is a school where academic instruction is presented clearly and thoroughly, so that students understand what is being taught, are motivated, and enjoy learning

Information meetings schedule:

Saturday, February 28, 2009 (Washington County Library, Santa Clara)

Saturday, March 7, 2009 (Washington County Library, Santa Clara)

Saturday, March 14, 2009 (Washington County Library, Santa Clara)

Saturday, March 21, 2009 (Washington County Library, Santa Clara)

Saturday, March 28, 2009 (Washington County Library, Santa Clara)

I’m writing to ask the members of the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee to vote NO on SB 227 (Concealed Firearm Permit fee amendments) that is scheduled for tomorrow.

Some will write you that the BCI has a surplus in this fund, and thus doesn’t need the fee increase.  I agree with that and feel that the fee increase will decrease BCI revenue from CFP permits.

But my reservations about this are less financially driven. I feel it is important for as many Utahans as possible to be responsible armed citizens.  I only want actions from the legislature that encourage responsible citizens to carry arms safely and for all of our benefit.

If anything you should lower or remove fees or channel what revenues are raised into promoting concealed firearms carry as something any responsible and civic minded Utahan should consider doing.

Thanks,
Ken Nelson

St. George, UT
P.S. For a brief overview of why I have a CFP see "Why I Carry" on my personal website.

Background: See USSC website information.

 
Please help… I can’t decide if I’m a pantywaist or a liar.

Here is a screen cap of Jim Matheson’s website:

Yet… Jim Matheson just voted for the Stimulus bill estimated to cost us 1.7 TRILLION dollars.

So is Matheson simply your typical lying scum politician

OR

is Matheson a pantywaist easily bulled around by Pelosi and Obama?

Neither version of Matheson is someone who should represent Utah in Congress.

 
Utah Governor Jon Huntsman. PSU Appeaser

Public Service Unions are a threat to all of our freedom and finances.

Who am I talking about here?  Teachers. Fireman. Police. State workers. City workers. Nice folks individually. Dangerous when traveling in packs.

They who vote in blocks and are paid by the government. They use their voting power to force us to pay them more.

They have too much power now and the are busy like bees adding to it.

The latest example, here in Utah, is the mandatory 4 day work week for state employees. Utah wanted to save costs. Rather than trimming dead weight from a bloated state staff, they cut public access to services like the DMV.  This “saves” money on energy, worker commuting and the state “carbon footprint”.  They claim it “improves” customer service, and they also said the that we “the public” love the idea.

Well, we the public don’t love the idea. It sucks. It is just another perk given to people who force money from us.

Our Governor, Jon Huntsman, is popular. But he is a facade. His Dad is an awesome dude who does much good.  Like Jim Matheson, Jon Jr. rode his papa’s name to office.  Now he seems to desire an office in Washington, so he does Democrat popular stuff like “reducing carbon footprint”, forcing me to honor gay marriages, and appeasing PSUs.

Well, I can’t wait to see you leave for that DC office in the sky Jon. You spend too much. You appease PSUs and you are stupid on energy policy (which should focus on nuclear and coal, not wind and not ready for prime time solar).

in the cosmic scale of political stupidity, Jon Jr. is a lightweight. He’s no Barney Frank. But this is Utah, the reddest state of the red. That we have such a fluff piece as our governor is testament to the power of PSUs, even in a state whose population fundamentally rejects what they stand for.

Occasionally I peruse the Utah Corrections website to see if anybody nefarious has moved into the neighborhood:

http://corrections.utah.gov/asp-bin/sonar.asp

The low was 1 (ah the good old days), but today it is 12 within a mile.

They range from darn odd looking (the bald dude 2nd from bottom in right column) to relatively normal and grandfatherly.  One lives in the retirement community where the in-laws used to live, and I’d let my kids walk over to visit.  The offenses range from receiving child pornography to stuff I’d just as soon not mention.

Scary stuff.  I’m glad the state puts this info up but I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with it.  I guess it helps me to know the Scoutmaster or father of someone the kids might visit or play with is not on the list. But beyond that, any direction they go, within 1/4 mile, somebody is on the list.

She looks unhappy 

In the Washington, D.C. area parents aren’t settling for griping at teacher-parent night or at the local PTA meeting. They are organizing and up against school board authority using e-mail, Facebook, websites and knowledge of their schools poor performance:

In recent weeks, parent-led campaigns helped bring down a long-established grading policy in Fairfax County and scale back the unpopular practice of charging fees for courses in Montgomery County. They have also stoked debates over math education in Frederick and Prince William counties.

What binds them is impatience with the school establishment and an aptitude for harnessing the power of the Internet to push for change

I wish parents in St. George would act more about the stupid stuff our school system does.  They did get up in arms about a change from Apple’ student information system PowerSchool to a Utah state developed system (that sucked). 

But the forced switch of an entire elementary school to Spanish speaking went largely unchallenged. Shocking. I was glad my kids were in private school.

But the private ( and expensive) solution ends next year when my boy becomes too old for his current school. He enters public school for the first time in 7th grade.  I’m trying to prepare him – how to deal with bully’s (walk away but if they won’t let you  then kick their ass) and what to do as a new kid (I was the new kid in school about 13 times).

But I think he will do fine with our without my expert tutelage….

Who I’m worried about is me. I HATE stupidity and I think I’m about to get  a bunch dumped on me from the Washington County School District.  From homework policy to requiring kids to be in school so schools can get attendance dollars, I know I’m going to butt heads with well meaning but “in it for the bureaucracy” fools.

It could get ugly!  Wish me luck. I’m sure they will win, but I’m not going down without a fight, and I do reserve the right to home school.

Or my fears could be unfounded. But if they will let an entire school speak Spanish, I doubt there are limits to their stupidity.

In any event, I think I better get fightwashingtoncountryschools.com just in case I need to get busy…

The Dave Clark Plan

Dave Clark, new Speaker of the Utah State House, handed out blank books to House members on Monday:

During his opening remarks Monday, Clark handed out blank books to House members, asking for each of them to fill 100 pages with ideas to help Utah’s future by July 24, Pioneer Day.

“I ask that you enlist all 2.8 million of our fellow citizens and constituents to fill this book with the energy of ideas,” he said.

I’ve met and like Dave Clark. I’ve voted for him since I’ve moved to Utah.  But the blank book move seems pathetic. Lead!  Say what you want to do and convince the rest of us it is right. Don’t shrug and ask somebody else to figure it out.  If you don’t know what you want to do, why bother to be Speaker of the House?

My big idea… well, I’ve got two:

1. The Rahm Emmanuel plan. You will recall he said “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste”.  Hence, I’d use this crisis to fundamentally change the way Utah education is staffed.  Use it to get rid of administrative dead weight. Use it to reduce the power of the teacher’s union. Use it to cut the spending and have the funds raised closer to the schools.
2. Power Power Power.  I would entice nuclear power plants to the west side of the Salt Lake with a mandate to build build build!  I want electricity to be Utah’s big export.  We don’t need to spend new money on this, just let them do it and direct existing infrastructure funds to it.

I’m confident leadership lacking Dave won’t do either of these. Or much else. Career politicians in Utah aren’t as bad as Chicago (for example) but that’s sort of like saying that Utah poo is slightly less oily and smelly that Chi-Town doo.

Not coming to an airport near me

Our town has an underused airport. It has two flights a day to Salt Lake City and one to LA. We’ve been told that our airport is underused because it can’t handle big planes like 737’s and larger.

Work is underway on an expensive replacement airport in a different part of town (unsurprisingly one that isn’t developed but that some landowners would like to see developed).  A feeder highway is being built. And a nice new airport with lots of room, charged parking and new runways.

Trouble is… the new runways won’t hold a 737.  But check out the pictures on their replacement airport website. All big planes – THAT can’t be used on the runways they are building – and this text:

The Replacement Airport became necessary when larger commercial service and business aircraft began to operate or were expected to operate in the near future at the existing airport.

but… but the runways won’t hold the planes shown or promised.

We are told the runways can be upgraded “easily” to accommodate bigger aircraft.  When needed.

Your own website ways it was needed now.

What happened is that local government in cahoots with local developers concocted a “what do we need to sell this” plan.  A big part of the drawback of the current airport is that it is served by turbo-prop airplanes. Propellers!  How quaint. Nobody likes those.

So promise us jets, get the new airport, but then woosh… pull out the rug and give us propellers again.

In a perfect world the fiends that foisted this on us would lose their jobs.  However, Utahns are renowned for sending the same frauds back into office for life, so I suppose I won’t hold my breath.

Gone

Normally on Friday, we might go to a nice steak dinner at Ruby River Steakhouse or the Gun Barrel.

But this Friday… I learned that Ruby River Steakhouse in St. George is shut down. Gone overnight. Just like Famous Dave’s.

But the Olive Garden was packed. And Target and Lowes were crowded on Saturday.

Ruby River should have priced their meals lower. Perhaps they thought that would taint their brand in other locations.  I enjoyed their food and I’m sorry to see them go.

 
Back when EVERYBODY was a contractor in St. George

It turns out that the number one geographical location searching for “men kissing” is Utah.  Interestingly, Utah also turns out to have the highest number of search requests for “kissing” alone.

The top searches coming from Utah since 2004 are:

I don’t know why Utah residents search for lyrics a lot. I suppose they like to kiss and sing.  Who doesn’t?  Interestingly, the list doesn’t change much going back the last 90 days only.

A 30 year storm for Vegas, probably that for us too.

 
Ken’s Pool. No swimming today kids!

 
Why hide the budget?

Apparently this year’s Washington County budget of $26.1 million is “frugal”:

The proposed 2009 budget has an increase of $67,300 over the 2008 budget and commission chairman James Eardley called it "frugal" at a meeting two weeks ago.

Salaries have been frozen for next year and many open positions will not be filled as the county looks at ways to make ends meet during these difficult economic times that are impacting residents, businesses and municipalities.

I believe Mr Eardley believes that. But how am I to tell?  Well, I could spend a bunch of time confirming it:

Eardley said public input on the budget is welcome.

Copies of the proposed budget are available at the county office.

But Mr. Eardley, if you want my input so bad, why not put the darned budget online? This isn’t proposed FY 1979…. is 2009!  Get it online!

Big Pensions Splash about to happen…

Richard Rider, of San Diego Tax Fighters, is VERY proud of his mayor:

But in the last 15 years I’ve never been more proud of a city politician than when Jerry said to the city council, “We don’t exist to fund employee pensions.”

Rider is pessimistic about San Diego doing anything about it because of the recent addition of “two more city labor union sycophants” to the San Diego City Council.

He favors contracting out most city functions.

I’m a bit worried about St. George ending up in this situation as well.  The town seems to have an inordinately large # of employees (over 1000)  for the size of our community.

Plus check out this jewel from the sgcity.org website:

Question
What benefits does the City offer its full-time employees?
Answer
The City provides full time employees with an excellent cafeteria benefits package including health, dental, vision, and flex spending accounts. In addition the City provides paid life insurance, AD&D, LTD, and an impressive retirement plan. Employees have the option of payroll deductions for 401 & 457K plans and direct deposit. All benefits are effective on the first day of employment. The city also provides 12 paid holidays plus 12 paid sick days per year.

That said, they seem to be doing some harder things like taking away Christmas bonuses and not hiring:

The assistant to the city manager Marc Mortenson says at the begining of the budget year the city decided to cut back every department about 10 percent.

Frugal… but that “impressive retirement plan” worries me…

H/T: Instapundit