Utah House Majority Leader Kevin Garn has resigned. Earlier this week, Garn admitted that he spent time nude in a hot tub with a 15-year-old female, Cheryl Maher, 25 years ago. Garn was 29 at the time of the incident. He said that Maher worked for him.
Although Garn paid Maher $150,000 in 2002 (when he ran for Congress) to remain silent, she recently publicized the event to media. This caused Garn to go public.
Garn, a Republican, received applause and support from other lawmakers after he acknowledged the incident. Nonetheless, he decided it was best that he resign. Coincidentally, Maher stated today that she and Garn shared a hot tub twice and that the first incident occurred soon after she turned 15.
This is the second scandal to rock Utah Republicans this year. In January, Utah Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack resigned after a DUI arrest.
Showing posts with label utah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label utah. Show all posts
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Utah Lawmaker Admits to Nude Hot-Tubbing With Teen
Utah House Majority Leader Kevin Garn (Republican) shocked colleagues with a recent floor speech, during which he admitted to a nude hot-tubbing incident with a 15-year-old female over 25 years in the past. Garn is now 55; he was 28 at the time.
Garn paid the woman, Cheryl Maher, $150,000 not to disclose the incident in 2002 -- the year that he launched an unsuccessful bid for Congress. According to Garn, however, Maher has recently come forward to reveal the story. Garn says that both the incident and paying Maher were mistakes.
Garn says that he did not have sex with Maher. Instead, he claims that they both just "sat there." Garn says that Maher "worked for him in a warehouse."
Utah is a conservative "family values" state. While the Republican-dominated state house applauded Garn for his "honesty," it is unclear what impact this incident will have on his political career.
Source: CBS News
Garn paid the woman, Cheryl Maher, $150,000 not to disclose the incident in 2002 -- the year that he launched an unsuccessful bid for Congress. According to Garn, however, Maher has recently come forward to reveal the story. Garn says that both the incident and paying Maher were mistakes.
Garn says that he did not have sex with Maher. Instead, he claims that they both just "sat there." Garn says that Maher "worked for him in a warehouse."
Utah is a conservative "family values" state. While the Republican-dominated state house applauded Garn for his "honesty," it is unclear what impact this incident will have on his political career.
Source: CBS News
Monday, February 15, 2010
Utah Proposal: Cut the State Deficit By Cutting 12th Grade
Senator Chris Buttars, a Utah legislator, has offered a controversial plan for trimming the state's budget deficit. Buttars wants to make 12th grade optional in the state. Originally, Buttars wanted to get rid of the senior year altogether, but produced a "compromise" plan after receiving a torrent of criticism from parents, teachers, and students.
Source: Los Angeles Times.
Source: Los Angeles Times.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Earth to Congress: Keep Your Hands Off of College Football and Pay Attention to Real Issues!
Earlier this week, Senator Orrin Hatch (Republican, Utah) whined in an opinion essay (for Real Clear Politics) that the Senate needed more time to review the "large and complex record" of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Perhaps Hatch and the other members of the Judiciary Committee could devote more attention to Sotomayor if they canceled a hearing, scheduled for next week, to investigate the College Bowl Champion Series (BCS). The upcoming hearing is a colossal waste of time.
Hatch, who sits on the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, sought the hearing to determine whether the BCS violates any antitrust laws. Keep in mind that the Judiciary Committee must first approve Sotomayor before the process moves to the full Senate.
Although reviewing Sotomayor's record has supposedly stymied Hatch, he found time to write yet another essay (published in Sports Illustrated), which explains his theory of the possible antitrust issues related to the BCS. Hatch believes the automatic bid for the major NCAA conferences might violate the law. This sounds preposterous to me, but I am not an antitrust scholar. Neither is Orrin Hatch.
BCS Is the New Wasteful Obsession for Congress
Next week's BCS hearing is the second to take place in Congress this year. In May, Representative Joe Barton (Republican, Texas) hauled BCS officials into the House to testify before the Committee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Barton has sponsored legislation that would prohibit "the marketing, promotion, and advertising of a post-season game as a 'national championship' football game" unless the victor was chosen through a playoff system. And if the NCCA fails to comply, Barton's proposal would allow the Federal Trade Commission to prosecute the organization for an "unfair or deceptive act or practice."
Apparently, the First Amendment means nothing to Barton. Neither does the need for serious legislation. Also, calling the victor of the BCS Championship game the "national champion" cannot deceive the public when the public already knows that the BCS does not utilize a playoff system. Barton, however, says that calling the victor the national champion is "patently deceptive" because a computer chooses the competitors. Barton's statement distorts the selection process that the BCS utilizes.
Furthermore, under Barton's logic, Major League Baseball violates consumer protection laws because it sponsors the World Series and calls the victor the "world champion." Many professional baseball teams exist outside of the United States, but the MLB world champions do not compete with any of them (except for the one Canadian team that remains a part of MLB). Even if baseball only existed in the United States, the MLB champion cannot accurately claim a "world" title for a geographically localized sport. In fact, doing so seems far more deceptive than picking a national champion under the BCS system.
Conservatives Sponsoring "Big Government"
Despite the economic crisis, Barton apparently believes that the FTC should expend resources forcing the NCAA to select a champion in a way that the federal government deems appropriate. Perhaps Congress could hold hearings next year to redesign the uniforms worn by NCAA football teams as well.
The BCS hearings demonstrate that Congress continues to have an unhealthy fascination with sports figures and athletic organizations. Every year, some athlete makes the trek to Washington to deny (or fail to recall) using steroids. Steroid use by wealthy athletes is hardly a vital national issue that warrants intense congressional scrutiny. The manner that the NCAA picks its championship team also fails to warrant a hearing in Congress.
Finally, it seems extremely contradictory that Barton and Hatch, two "limited government" conservative Republicans, would support this wasteful and invasive process. But if hypocrisy disqualified people from politics, Washington would become a ghost town. Also, Barton and Hatch are lawmakers from Texas and Utah. The University of Texas and the University of Utah both believe that they received a raw deal from the BCS this year because they were not selected to play in the highly profitable and prestigious championship game. Barton and Hatch have discarded their purported conservative values in order to gain points with the folks back home and, possibly, to direct some cash to their states. Apparently, big government is not a problem for Barton and Hatch if it can win them some votes. Great!
PS: Earlier this year, President Obama foolishly placed his voice in this debate as well, calling explicitly for a playoff system.
Hatch, who sits on the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, sought the hearing to determine whether the BCS violates any antitrust laws. Keep in mind that the Judiciary Committee must first approve Sotomayor before the process moves to the full Senate.
Although reviewing Sotomayor's record has supposedly stymied Hatch, he found time to write yet another essay (published in Sports Illustrated), which explains his theory of the possible antitrust issues related to the BCS. Hatch believes the automatic bid for the major NCAA conferences might violate the law. This sounds preposterous to me, but I am not an antitrust scholar. Neither is Orrin Hatch.
BCS Is the New Wasteful Obsession for Congress
Next week's BCS hearing is the second to take place in Congress this year. In May, Representative Joe Barton (Republican, Texas) hauled BCS officials into the House to testify before the Committee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Barton has sponsored legislation that would prohibit "the marketing, promotion, and advertising of a post-season game as a 'national championship' football game" unless the victor was chosen through a playoff system. And if the NCCA fails to comply, Barton's proposal would allow the Federal Trade Commission to prosecute the organization for an "unfair or deceptive act or practice."
Apparently, the First Amendment means nothing to Barton. Neither does the need for serious legislation. Also, calling the victor of the BCS Championship game the "national champion" cannot deceive the public when the public already knows that the BCS does not utilize a playoff system. Barton, however, says that calling the victor the national champion is "patently deceptive" because a computer chooses the competitors. Barton's statement distorts the selection process that the BCS utilizes.
Furthermore, under Barton's logic, Major League Baseball violates consumer protection laws because it sponsors the World Series and calls the victor the "world champion." Many professional baseball teams exist outside of the United States, but the MLB world champions do not compete with any of them (except for the one Canadian team that remains a part of MLB). Even if baseball only existed in the United States, the MLB champion cannot accurately claim a "world" title for a geographically localized sport. In fact, doing so seems far more deceptive than picking a national champion under the BCS system.
Conservatives Sponsoring "Big Government"
Despite the economic crisis, Barton apparently believes that the FTC should expend resources forcing the NCAA to select a champion in a way that the federal government deems appropriate. Perhaps Congress could hold hearings next year to redesign the uniforms worn by NCAA football teams as well.
The BCS hearings demonstrate that Congress continues to have an unhealthy fascination with sports figures and athletic organizations. Every year, some athlete makes the trek to Washington to deny (or fail to recall) using steroids. Steroid use by wealthy athletes is hardly a vital national issue that warrants intense congressional scrutiny. The manner that the NCAA picks its championship team also fails to warrant a hearing in Congress.
Finally, it seems extremely contradictory that Barton and Hatch, two "limited government" conservative Republicans, would support this wasteful and invasive process. But if hypocrisy disqualified people from politics, Washington would become a ghost town. Also, Barton and Hatch are lawmakers from Texas and Utah. The University of Texas and the University of Utah both believe that they received a raw deal from the BCS this year because they were not selected to play in the highly profitable and prestigious championship game. Barton and Hatch have discarded their purported conservative values in order to gain points with the folks back home and, possibly, to direct some cash to their states. Apparently, big government is not a problem for Barton and Hatch if it can win them some votes. Great!
PS: Earlier this year, President Obama foolishly placed his voice in this debate as well, calling explicitly for a playoff system.
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