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:
- 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.
- 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.