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GOP
Delegates Hold Confiscation Collaborators Accountable
(News
for 5/10/04)
Summary: Your hard work
over the last few months has paid off in a very significant
way. Republican officials who supported attacks against
innocent property owners have already paid a heavy price this
election cycle.
Topics:
1. Delegates
Soundly Defeat Walker, Stephens, & Hellewell
2.
Pro-Confiscation Senators Have a Rough Ride
3. Former
Confiscation Collaborators Get the Boot
1. Delegates Soundly Defeat Walker, Stephens, &
Hellewell
Read the results of Saturday's GOP state convention
elections. The
Salt Lake Tribune hit on the truth of the demise of
not only Governor Walker, but several other ignominious public
officials:
"…Other delegates were
angry with the governor for signing legislation that returns
the proceeds of assets seized in criminal cases to law
enforcement agencies."
Governor Olene Walker
signed Senate Bill 175, which effectively gutted Initiative B
(passed by 69% of Utah voters in 2000). Walker showed complete
disregard for citizens, announcing her approval of the bill
before the public had meaningful opportunity to review it. She
also refused to consult with any citizens leading opposition
to the legislation prior to signing it into law. Thanks to her
actions, innocent Utah property owners will again be at the
mercy of federal property confiscation (forfeiture) statutes
that deny them basic due process and justice.
Note: For more
information, read an analysis
of SB 175 & Confiscation Statutes/Abuse by Mr. Arnold
Gaunt, volunteer with Forfeiture Endangers American Rights,
at the recent debate at BYU. To
learn more about this ongoing battle, see the
Property Rights section of our Issues & Alerts page.
Walker’s defeat signals the end
of the Michael Leavitt legacy of:
- Gun control;
- Higher taxes and spending;
- Abuse of innocent parents
and families;
- Corporate welfare;
- Preferential status of
illegal aliens over Utah citizens;
- Thought crimes;
- Electronic voting fraud;
- Government immunity for
criminal behavior;
- Government-run health
care;
- Abuse of the mentally ill;
- Smart card privacy
invasions and the Matrix program; and
- Many other symptoms of
abusive government.
In the words of
Senate President Alma Mansell:
"I'm sad, because I like Olene
a lot. But I think that she was carrying some of the baggage
of 11 1/2 years in office. And I think this delegate group
really preferred some changes."
For more information on this era
of indecency and corruption, see
Governor Leavitt’s Pink Slip Report.
 House
Speaker Marty Stephens
portrayed himself as a
constitutional statesman and champion of property rights and
due process. In reality, despite his years of political
experience and involvement, he failed to do what was required
to stop SB 175, a cruel and insidious attack on your most
fundamental rights. While Stephens voted no, he provided no
meaningful leadership to stop the bill, abdicating his
responsibility as House Republican leader to persuade and
educate Republican House members on their constitutional duty
to change their votes.
Rather than obstructing the
passage of SB 175, he greased the skids. Under Speaker
Stephens’ monarchial oversight, his appointees on the Rules
Committee and House Judiciary Committee quickly and
efficiently took action to move the bill from Rules, to
Judiciary, back to Rules, and then to the house floor before
the session ended.
If Stephens had obstructed the
process (as he might claim), the bill would not have made it
to the house floor except after a majority vote of the entire
house had occurred to bring it there.
While less experienced observers
might be fooled by Speaker Stephens' actions, those who have
been on the receiving end of his nefarious political
manipulations have a different understanding. Fortunately, the
majority of state delegates were not deceived by Stephens’
shameless accommodation of the confiscation lobby at the
expense of political integrity and the rights of citizens.
Stephens received a
lifetime rating of only 4% from Accountability Utah. He is
particularly infamous for using his near-dictatorial powers as
Speaker to regularly manipulate, deceive, and undermine other
house members and citizens.
Note: For more
information on his corrupt administration and manipulation of
SB 175 S2, see our Issue in Focus:
"Rule By Monarchy: How the House Speaker Manipulates Your
Representative".
 Senator
Parley Hellewell also
portrayed himself as a constitutional statesman and leader,
upholding the noble traditions and ideals of our American
Republic. However, we can’t determine, from his record,
whether he purposefully misrepresents himself to earn flattery
from certain uncritical supporters, or can be better
understood as nothing more than a benevolent mooncalf.
Hellewell received a
-71% score on Accountability Utah’s 2003 Performance Report
— the same score as his ultra-leftist colleague Democrat
Senator Patrice Arent. In the
2004 session, he improved his performance slightly by
tying leftist Democrat Senator Paula Julander’s -36% score.
Despite his slight improvement, Hellewell, who has a lifetime
score of -54% (tying Olene Walker), perhaps should not be
content until he beats AFL-CIO President and Democrat Senator
Ed Mayne’s lifetime score of -46%.
And it may well be that there is
some competition now between Senators Mayne and Hellewell.
Consistent with his votes on other issues,
Hellewell voted for SB 175 on its second reading along
with his like-minded fellow Senators Arent and Julander. On
the
third reading, however, both he and Senator Mayne changed
their votes from yes to no.
Top
2. Pro-Confiscation Senators Have a Rough Ride
Senate proponents of property
confiscation without due process also received challenges:
 Senator
Chris Buttars, sponsor of SB 175, barely escaped a primary by
two votes in the Salt Lake County Republican Party convention.
His escape was made possible by "automatic delegates" who were
added to the race by GOP county leaders to skew the results in
his favor, and deny you an opportunity to have representation
to protect your rights. Senator Buttars now faces a Democrat
challenger who is opposed to the passage of SB 175.
Buttars has a
lifetime score of -61%. The only senators who have a
worse lifetime score are leftist Democrats Patrice Arent, Gene
Davis, and Karen Hale.
 Senator
Curt Bramble, the only senator in Utah County to vote for
the final passage of SB 175, narrowly escaped a primary by
five votes. Like Buttars, his escape was made possible by a
reported 36 "automatic delegates" who were added to the race
by GOP county leaders to skew the results in his favor — and
deny you an opportunity to have representation to protect your
rights.
These automatic delegates made
up 16% of the 232 total delegates in that race (18.5 % of
those who actually showed up to vote). Automatic delegate
stacking is an assault on representation and political
accountability and to those delegates who are legitimately
elected by citizens at local neighborhood mass meetings. Of
note,
Senator
Bramble’s wife conveniently serves as the Utah County GOP
Secretary.
Top
3. Former Confiscation Collaborators Get the Boot
Two former legislators and
enemies of property rights were also defeated in their
candidacy to return to the legislature:
Former House Speaker Mel
Brown was conspicuously absent on two bills to expand
property confiscation without due process in 1996 (SB 253) and
2000 (HB 173), and oversaw government largesse and corruption
during his term as House Speaker.
Former Representative Byron
Harward voted in 1996 to expand property confiscation
without due process (SB 253) and, prior to being removed from
office, had a dismal voting record on property rights and
freedom in general.
Top
Accountability Utah
recipe: Take our information and opinion, research their
information and opinion (if it is available), and then examine
the law and draw your own conclusions. If you have comments or
suggestions, please email us at
info@accountabilityutah.org.
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