Utah Free Press

Has Obama Pulled a Madoff on America? At Least One Dem OUTRAGED!

 By Richard Okelberry (Note: This Post was originally published at KVNU’s, For the People Blog.) 

“Hours after ABC’s Jonathan Karl reported on government data showing hundreds of created jobs and millions of dollars spent in congressional districts that don’t exist, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., late Monday issued a blistering statement demanding an immediate fix to “ludicrous mistakes” on the Recovery.gov Website.

“The inaccuracies on recovery.gov that have come to light are outrageous and the Administration owes itself, the Congress, and every American a commitment to work night and day to correct the ludicrous mistakes,” Obey said. “Credibility counts in government and stupid mistakes like this undermine it. We’ve got too many serious problems in this country to let that happen.”

“Whether the numbers are good news or bad news, I want the honest numbers and I want them now,” Obey continued.” – ABC News   

Yep that’s right, according to the White House over $6.2 BILLION in Stimulus money has made it’s way into Congressional districts that well…  simply don’t exist!  

Is this a simple clerical error or is the money being used for kickbacks to union thugs and ACORN?   Who knows!  The White House has been tight lipped ever since ABC (not FOX) broke the story after reviewing the statistics at Recovery.org causing many like me to wonder again; where is this open government and administration that was supposed to be replacing the super secret Bush, White House?

 Even Utah got $1.2 million to create 26 non-existent jobs in its non-existence 4^th and 00 districts.  Or so the White House says.

Still, Congressman Obey really should be careful.  As one commenter smartly exclaimed on the ABC site following this story, “I’ll bet Rahm is busy chopping up fish to send out to those Democrats who dare stumble off the reservation…”  That certainly could be a lot of fish coming out of the White House budget if they can’t figure this thing out and quick. 

Obama: Faux News, Real News After All.

 By Richard Okelberry (Note: This Post was originally published at KVNU’s, For the People Blog.) 

As almost a slap in the face to liberals who have long contested the validity of Fox News, or as liberals like to say “Faux News,” as a legitimate news organization, President Obama has agreed to an interview that will air tonight with Chris Wallace on Fox News.

 Is this a sign of capitulation on the part of the White House?  Does it indicate that there is a serious divide among presidential advisors on how to deal with Fox News and the dissemination of their message? 

 Let’s be honest here, regardless of how “fair and balanced” you believe Fox News is, they reach more viewers than all the other cable news channels combined.  Additionally, a full third of their audience is liberal.  As such, I believe that the President is finally choosing the right path and taking his critics head on rather than trying to silence them with delegitimizing rhetoric or worse avoid them all together. 

 Now, if Obama would just pick up the phone that Glenn Beck installed directly to the White House on occasion, we might be getting somewhere.  Also, maybe this interview will finally make it OK for the rest of the media to ask questions that are outside of Obama’s comfort zone.

Logan City Should Consider New Winter Parking Ordinance

By Richard Okelberry (Note: This essay was originally published at KVNU’s, For the People Blog.) 

 In the debate over winter parking, I would like to add the following ordinance from Lincoln, Nebraska to the discussion.  

 Like many municipalities around the country, Lincoln decided to solve the need to remove cars during snow removal by adopting a system that allows the Mayor to alternately ban parking on even and odd sides of the street immediately following a snow event.  Also, this ordinance allows for a complete ban on both sides of the street following a major snow event. 

 Considering how controversial the winter long overnight ban is every year, the Logan City Council might want to consider giving this system a try. 

 “10.40.050 Prohibition of Parking on Residential Streets.

  The Mayor may order a parking prohibition on parts or all of residential streets by declaring an emergency exists on the basis of accumulated snow or other conditions making it necessary that parking on residential streets be prohibited or restricted for snow plowing or other purposes. Streets subject to a total parking prohibition on both sides of the street shall be established only by executive order of the Mayor. For all other streets, the Mayor may order that parking be prohibited on one side of the residential streets, designating either the odd or even address numbered side. In such orders the Mayor shall state the date and time on which such parking prohibitions shall take effect. The parking prohibitions or restrictions shall remain in effect until terminated by the Mayor. It shall be unlawful for any person to park or allow to remain parked any vehicle upon residential streets or parts of residential streets in violation of a declared parking prohibition affecting such streets. (Ord. 15645 §5; July 9, 1990). – ”

What has happened to our sense of Humor?

By Richard Okelberry (Note: This essay was originally published at KVNU’s, For the People Blog.)  

The other night, my wife and I sat down and watched the Family Guy Almost Live Comedy Show.  At one point they did this little gag about deaf actress Marlee Matlin singing a pop song.  To be honest, my wife and I could not stop laughing.  When I went to look up the video on the web, I found a barrage of critics calling the bit insensitive towards the deaf.  (Marlee Matlin spoofs self on Family Guy’s ‘Almost Live’ special: Funny? – EW.com) Worse, it appears that Microsoft was equally offended and decided to pull it’s advertising after viewing this bit. 

 Is there something wrong with me or have we as a nation begun to lose our sense of humor in a cloud of political correctness?

I can only imagine what the critic would have thought of Eddy Murphy doing Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood on SNL or God forbid the widely popular antics of Archy Bunker back in the day as he talked about homosexuals.  As for me, I am going to keep laughing at ourselves.  In my opinion, these types of comedic routines do more for breaking down stereotypes then any amount of guilt driven political correctness.

North Logan Employee Trespass Complaint May Fail.

By Richard Okelberry (Note: This essay was originally published at KVNU’s, For the People Blog.)  

 The other day CacheValleyDaily.com ran an article titled, “Former NoLo Council candidate files trespassing complaint against city” by Amanda Pierce.  The article explained how a man, L. Alan Collins who ran for City council this year in North Logan had filed trespassing charges with police against a city employee who he found on his property taking measurements for the city. Coincidentally, today as I was researching the powers of municipalities in Utah Law for an unrelated topic and came across this Utah State Statute; 10-9a-303 titled “Entrance upon land.”  It states: 

 “The municipality may enter upon any land at reasonable times to make examinations and surveys pertinent to the:
       (1)  preparation of its general plan; or
       (2)  preparation or enforcement of its land use ordinances.” 

 Considering all the discussion over the past many years in Logan regarding property rights and park strip restoration, I thought it might be worth including this incident in a discussion about perceived and real property rights.  

When I first read this story, my initial reaction was to side with Mr. Collins.  After all, don’t we all have a constitutional protection against unreasonable search and seizure under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  

 This situation begs several legal questions:  Does every arm of the government need to request a search warrant before entering private property without permission, or is that a restriction only levied against the law enforcement arm of the government.  Imagine for a moment that while making a survey of a piece of private property under this state statute that the North Logan employee had come across a small planting of marijuana.  Would the discovery be admissible in court without a warrant?  

 If it is admissible, then what would stop a government authority from using such non-law enforcement employees to essentially act as spies for the law enforcement arms of government as a loop whole around the requirement for a search warrant when there is not enough evidence for a judge to grant one?    

 In at least in one case, State of Idaho vs. Bran L. Brunting, 2006 Court of Appeals of the State of Idaho, the court ruled that evidence of a meth lab was not admissible, mainly because the attending officer instructed the firefighter to open a cooler where the evidence of the crime was discovered.  The court thus vacated the conviction.Still, this does not dismiss the question of what we as a society consider our right to privacy.  Where do we draw the line between the public good, the need of government to act on behalf of the whole and the rights of individuals to feel free from government intrusion in their lives and property? 

While I certainly am no attorney, as I regularly proclaim, and while I have not researched other rulings regarding the application of this statute, read plainly it would appear that Mr. Collins had no right under state statute to order the North Logan City employee to vacate his property and the city had every right, granted by state authority to enter the property and conduct the survey without the permission of the owner.  As such, I imagine the complaint of trespass will be dismissed under this statute.