Situational Analysis | July 23, 2021

It's Friday! I hope you enjoy your Pioneer Day (or Pie and Beer) Day weekend. May all the events you attend be COVID-free and not super-spreaders.

Also, if you missed National Ice Cream Day last weekend, never fear. Today is also National Vanilla Ice Cream Day, my favorite (when I can taste, that is.)

Be in the Know

By official declaration, today is M. Russell Ballard day, in recognition of his continuing support of "This is the Place" Heritage Park, his push to “share the story of the sovereign tribal nations,” his help with creating the “Walk of Pioneer Faiths” and his work as a continual bridge builder.

Frank Pignanelli and LaVarr Webb write about the Pioneer Day floats they'd like to see, including: Anti-vaccination protesters with a giant grim reaper under the banner “Science, Schmience, who wants a sore arm anyway?” and Congressman John Curtis atop a float pulling a giant ostrich head out of the sand under the banner, “Climate Change, is there any question after the last 60 days?” Go ahead and read the article - lots more where those came from....

The opening ceremonies began at 5 am, Utah time. They are expected to go 3 1/2 hours, so you can watch this morning while you wait for the Days of 47 parade, or catch them tonight at a more reasonable hour.

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Policy News

Gov. Spencer Cox and Attorney General Sean Reyes announce $26 billion agreement with opioid distributors/manufacturer

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Attorney General Sean D. Reyes today announced a historic $26 billion agreement that will help bring desperately needed relief to people across the country who are struggling with opioid addiction. The agreement includes Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen – the nation’s three major pharmaceutical distributors – and Johnson & Johnson, which manufactured and marketed opioids. The agreement also requires significant industry changes that will help prevent this type of crisis from ever happening again. The agreement would resolve investigations and litigation over the companies’ roles in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic.
Utah’s portion of the settlement is 1.1889%, for a total of $309,114,000 dollars to be paid over 18 years. (Read More)

Utah Senate requests public comment on judicial nominee, H. Craig Hall, Jr.

The Utah Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee is seeking public comment on attorney H. Craig Hall Jr., who Governor Spencer J. Cox appointed as a judge for the 2nd District Court.
Those who desire to comment should contact Utah Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee staff, Jerry Howe at the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, by 5:00 p.m. Thursday, August 5, 2021, at the Utah State Capitol, House Building, Suite W210, PO Box 145210, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-5210. All statements should include the respondent’s name, telephone number and mailing address. (Read More)

Romney serves JDawgs, highlights Utah’s food industry at lunch with colleagues

U.S. Senator Romney (R-UT) served a selection of his home-state foods at a lunch he hosted today for his fellow Republican senators. Jayson Edwards, founder and owner of JDawgs in Provo, flew in from Utah with his gourmet hot dogs to personally grill for the group. At lunch, Jayson served the senators JDawgs with their signature “Special Sauce” and assorted toppings, which were accompanied by a selection of Pioneer Chips, including the flavor “Funeral Potatoes.” The senators enjoyed a dessert of Graham Canyon ice cream, mint brownies, and chocolate milk from the Brigham Young University Creamery. (Read More)

Senate unanimously passes Romney, Bennet resolution supporting Team USA at 2020 Tokyo Olympics

The Senate today unanimously passed a resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) commemorating the past success of the United States Olympic and Paralympic teams and showing support for Team USA in the 2020 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. The resolution was cosponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Chris Coons (D-DE). (Read More)

Congressman Blake Moore leads bipartisan, bicameral FIRESHEDS Act to improve wildfire prevention efforts

Today, Congressman Blake Moore was joined by Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) in introducing the Forest Improvements through Research and Emergency Stewardship for Healthy Ecosystem Development and Sustainability (FIRESHEDS) Act, which would allow for the establishment of fireshed management areas. These areas, created in close partnership with state governors, would allow the Secretary of the Interior to designate one or more landscape-scale fireshed areas within a state to conduct fireshed management projects and use advanced technologies and wildfire hazard models to reduce threats to public health, critical infrastructure, wildlife habitats, and watersheds. (Read More)

Go Utah’s new targeted industries director: Lance Soffe

The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (Go Utah) is pleased to announce Lance Soffe as its targeted industries director.
Soffe will oversee Utah’s targeted industries, cultivating Utah’s business-friendly environment through corporate retention and recruitment. His efforts will focus on the state’s strategic growth industries, including advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense, financial services, life sciences and healthcare innovation, outdoor products and recreation, software and information technology. He’ll also liaise with the Utah Office of Energy Development on energy sector initiatives and the Utah Office of Tourism at Go Utah on tourism and film industry support statewide. (Read More)

Utah State Board of Education leadership statement on R277-328 public hearing

As required for each administrative rule, the next step is for R277-328 to be posted for its official 30-day public comment period, which started July 1, 2021. As allowed by law during the public comment period, members of the public may also request a public hearing. This hearing is a forum where further comments regarding a rule can be provided by the requestors of the hearing. The Board received requests from six different groups. These six groups were provided a forum today with equal time to present and the Board welcomed each group’s additional feedback regarding the proposed draft of R277-328. Several individual members of the public also spoke at the hearing.
The public comment period for R277-328 will continue through July 31, 2021. (Read More)

Number of the Day

Commentary: Yes, you can be a strong conservative and still get vaccinated

By LaVarr Webb

My wife and I got vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as our age group was allowed. I strongly recommend that everyone eligible for vaccination get it done ASAP. You might save yourself from sickness or death, and you won’t be transmitting the virus to family, friends or neighbors.

It is highly unfortunate that so many eligible people refuse the vaccination. Those who don’t want to be vaccinated tend to be in demographic groups – young people who think they’re invincible; minority and lower-income people who might not know the facts about the virus, and who might be distrustful; and some strong conservatives who, for almost ideological reasons, rebel against the “experts” and the politicians who are pressuring them to be vaccinated.

I can’t do much about the first two groups, but I do have some advice for the last group. After all, I’m a conservative. I don’t like shutdowns or mandates. But I do believe everyone eligible should voluntarily get the shot.

Here’s the truth: You can oppose mandatory vaccinations and still get vaccinated. You can oppose mask mandates and still get vaccinated. You can oppose vaccine passports and still get vaccinated. You can resent the preachy “experts” for issuing contradictory information and still get vaccinated.

Remember, it was conservative hero Donald Trump who rallied and cajoled the pharmaceutical world to develop remarkably effective vaccines in record time. He deserves a lot of credit for that. His fast work probably saved millions of lives. Trump himself has encouraged everyone to get vaccinated.

Popular conservative media personalities are partly to blame for the vaccination slump because they continually downplay it, focus on the mixed signals, and talk as though the governing class is attempting to force everyone to be vaccinated.

However, if you listen carefully, most of them will note that they, themselves, have been vaccinated and they will often say, as an aside, that they’re not trying to discourage people from voluntarily being vaccinated.

Again, I don’t like mandates. I don’t like the “big brother” pushy approach to get people vaccinated. The rhetoric and mixed signals of some of the holier-than-thou experts and liberal commentators absolutely rub me the wrong way.

But none of that should prevent me – or you – from doing the smart thing to protect our health and our families.

You absolutely can be a strong conservative – even a proud right-wing activist – and still get the shot. Just do it.

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On This Day In History

From History.com

Wise Words

"We can become the masters of our own destinies by practicing self-discipline and by setting worthy goals that will lead to higher ground"
-M. Russell Ballard

Lighter Side

“And, meanwhile, as if all the Covid concerns around the Games aren’t bad enough, a bear was spotted inside the softball stadium and is still on the loose. What an Olympics this is going to be. I mean, between the bears and getting a disease, it’s like we sent our athletes to a game of ‘Oregon Trail.’”

— JIMMY FALLON

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