October 2007, www.utdemocrats.org | Signs of autumn in the Wasatch, (© Willie Holdman, www.willieholdman.com) A PRE-ELECTION EDITION | TAKING ON VOUCHER CROWD Can you believe anything they say? INTIMIDATION TACTICS? In an open letter, business owners and leaders throughout Utah attempted to explain why Referendum 1 is good for Utah's children, taxpayers, and economy. What they couldn't and didn't explain was why they resorted to this intimidation tactic. "I think when it comes to politics, businesses have to be very, very careful before entering into the arena on any one side," said Utah State Valley College ethics professor Elaine Englehardt."When a business does give political advice, workers will often feel pressured to go along with that political advice even though it says this is only a suggestion." ABOUT THIS OUT-OF-STATE STUFF ... While the voucher crowd parachutes professional activists into Utah and spends untold millions (untold because they won't tell us) from out-of-state millionaires, can we at least get one thing perfectly clear? That NEA union money they rant about? Literally thousands of Utah educators (You know them. They are teaching your child math tables and about the Constitution, Jefferson, and Lincoln right now, everyday. And you know what? They're grading homework while we're watching "Desperate Housewives," the Rockies vs. Red Sox, or something. PLEASE RESPECT WHAT THEY DO, but tell them what you think. They are public servants. Teachers of the voucher crowd would not be) contribute to a national fund to defend our neighborhood public schools from wealthy out-of-state conservatives and their secretive hirelings who would come in and tinker with our schools. Utah educators are merely dipping into a pool of money they've contributed to for a long time. And those hirelings? PCE has offered a $10 per vote bounty. That's how low they'll go. (Just for fun, when they knock on your door tell them your vote is worth a $5 rebate payable up front and see what they say. If they agree, turn them over to the attorney general. It can be your own sting operation. They'll be be headed for Draper U. or the Martha Stewart federal campus. They're trying to buy your democracy.) Don't believe us? Call us (328-1212). They tried to hire one of us. VOUCHER CROWD'S ADS | A HODGEPODGE OF "TRUTHINESS" PCE has been airing commercials it says will encourage Utah voters to improve education by voting for vouchers. And pigs will fly ... The first ad features a recent story on KSL ( click to see the full story ) that says choice improves funding and reduces class size in public schools. It is full of errors and half-truths. The Democratic Party dissects KSL-TV's report in an e-mail to the reporter (second blog) titled "Did KSL-TV's 'Truth Test' pass the truth test in its report on vouchers?" Be part of the Democratic conversation. The second ad features Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. with excerpts from a press conference he gave recently. The news conference made news because he never endorsed vouchers. He said, "Whatever you think is right, whatever you can justify, is the right answer for you." This is the part the voucher crowd edited out of its ad. GIVE VANILLA WAFERS (FORGET OREOS) THIS HALLOWEEN Trick-or-treating this year takes place tomorrow, just six days before election day. The voucher crowd encourages you to give out Oreos (It has no racial undertones) as a way to remind parents of the importance of education. Instead, we encourage you to give out Vanilla Wafers, to remind parents that public schools exist to educate ALL kids not just a privileged few. GET OUT AND VOTE Polls are now open for early voting across Utah. Visit www.Utahnsforpublicschools.org for more information on why you should vote AGAINST Referendum 1. The fate of it will be decided by turnout. Vote AGAINST 1. The voucher law is the most expansive of its kind in the country, and the country will be watching what Utahns do with this FLAWED PIECE OF LEGISLATION HANDED TO US BY REPUBLICANS.
The Democratic Party of Utah 455 S. 300 East, Suite 301 | Salt Lake City, UT 84111 | 801-328-1212 www.utdemocrats.org THE MESSAGE is published monthly and compiled by the staff of the Utah Democratic Party as a way to build a community of Democrats commited to political reform and common sense solutions to public policy. Submissions related to events, facts, figures, trivia, and idle chit-chat are welcome. Please contact Bill Keshlear, communications director, at bkeshlear@utdemocrats.org. Call (801) 328-1212, ext. 206 or (801) 699-7773. Paid for by the Utah Democratic Party, www.utdemocrats.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidates' party. |