Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #utpol

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"Good for me, but not for thee." In 1968, Burgess Owens was only the third African American to be offered a scholarship to play football at the University of Miami. Two years after President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the United States Office of Education
ordered the desegregation of collegiate athletic programs. Ray Bellamy was the first to desegregate the University of Miami football. Even though the Brown v Board of Education decision desegregated public facilities, many schools around the country and not just in the South,
were slow to do so. @BurgessOwens benefited from the activism of civil rights leaders and the United Black Students (UBS) group at the University of Miami that pushed the university's administration for higher enrollments in the number of black students as well as scholarships.
Read 6 tweets
"Just finished reading the final Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It will cut taxes for working Utah families. I will proudly vote for it." @SenMikeLee 2017
How did it work out?
1. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cut taxes substantially from 2018 through 2025. The resulting deficits will #utpol
add $1 to $2 trillion to the federal debt, according to official estimates. The debt increase will be larger if some of TCJA’s temporary tax cuts are extended. Republicans want to make them permanent. The CBO has estimated the cost of making TCJA cuts permanent to be
~$3.5 trillion over the next 10 years.
2. Erodes the EITC. Over time, will raise taxes across the board. And for low- andmoderate-income families, it means the maximum EITC will increase more slowly.
3. Ended the CTC for 1 million children — overwhelmingly “Dreamers.”
Read 7 tweets
Here we go again. In case you're like @RepBurgessOwens and don't know, the middle class in the US was made possible by unions and collective bargaining. Also, Owens was able to join NFL players lawsuit against the NFL over brain injuries because of its players union. #utpol
Worth noting, thousands of former Black NFL players stand to benefit from the $1B concussion settlement. Black retired football players who were initially denied payments for dementia because of the NFL's use of race-norming, were able to be retested or have their claims rescored
to eliminate racial bias in the testing and payout formula, under a revised plan. The established fund has paid out more than $800 million to players with the average dementia awards to be about $600,000. So, for all the NFL players who were compensated
Read 4 tweets
I completed, The House on Mango Street. Conclusion: This is a beautifully written book that contains no material that warrants this post by @UTBoardofEd member Natalie Cline. There’s no way she or the ‘concerned parent’ read the book. It would be my guess Ms. Cline acted on #uted Image
existing implicit biases rather than offer an educated and thoughtful critique of a book. I read the book looking for material that warranted the harsh declaration of 'disgusting.' I found none. Written as a series of vignettes, the book is a collection of lyrical prose in the Image
voice of its protagonist, a pre-teen Chicana (Mexican-American girl) named Esperanza.

Ms. Cline has repeatedly shown herself to be extremely biased against multiculturalism while expressing religious intolerance, bigotry toward the LGBTQ community, and harboring extreme right-
Read 12 tweets
This story from @metzsam on how the Chinese government has cultivated influence among Utah lawmakers is damning.

Pro-China advocates appealed to lawmakers' affiliations with the LDS Church, which has long dreamed of expanding in China #utpol #utleg

apnews.com/article/china-…
Lawmakers delayed action for a year to ban Chinese-funded Confucius Institutes at state universities. The programs have been described as propaganda instruments #utpol #utleg

apnews.com/article/china-…
In 2020, Chinese leader Xi Jinping sent a letter to a class of Utah fourth graders, prompting praise from a GOP legislator on the floor of the Utah Senate.

One China expert said Utah lawmakers are "acting as mouthpieces" for the CCP #utpol #utleg

apnews.com/article/china-…
Read 7 tweets
China's efforts to win friends & influence people has found traction in states like Utah, where advocates have gotten lawmakers to delay legislation & nixed resolution that conveyed displeasure with Beijing and show support in ways that enhanced its image.apnews.com/article/china-…
.@AP's investigation from @AlanSuderman & I found that Utahns with links to what experts said were Chinese Front groups—the son of a former lawmaker & a Weber State prof—worked for years to influence policy, taking lawmakers on trips to China & opining on legislative actions.
Utah offers a case study into how China tailors its "subnational influence efforts" (which nat'l security agencies have warned of for years) to local communities. China's allies joined the Senate president's Ward and reference the Book of Mormon in overtures about legislation.
Read 5 tweets
What is at issue here is that @VoteTrevorLee isn't just a random Twitter personality. He's a state representative who's district is in a county (Davis) that's home to a school district that's been found by the Department of Justice to have committed serious and widespread #utpol
racial harassment of Black and Asian-American students. The investigation revealed persistent failures to respond to reports of race-based harassment of Black and Asian-American students by district staff and other students between 2015-2019, and
standard.net/news/education…
continues to be plagued by reports of racism. Trevor's district includes Layton, which places that district 16th on this list for percentage of population who are Black and is adjacent to Hill Air Force Base. The installation of the air force base drew Black people to northern
Read 14 tweets
And @RepBurgessOwens voted NAY on American Rescue Plan that included money to address the systemic racism against socially disadvantaged farmers. Owens then turned around and called it “reverse racism,” and sponsored a bill to not allow it. Never-mind, the USDA admitted #utpol
discriminating against Black farmers.
And, never-mind that the MAGA hat wearing @BurgessOwens never acknowledged that Black farmers received almost no money during the Trump Administration.

thecounter.org/usda-trump-tra…
Donald Trump’s tariff war with China cost many farmers their livelihood. So Trump jumped in to bail them out. The farm bailout was between 23-32 billion dollars. Of that money, Black farmers received just 0.1%.
politico.com/news/2021/07/0…
Read 5 tweets
Digging into this VERY confusing bill reveals how dangerous it is. We know that African American women are 3-5 times more likely to die of pregnancy or delivery complications than white women. #HB451 would make it illegal to gather that data. #utpol #utleg
le.utah.gov/~2023/bills/st…
If my understanding of this bill is correct, we know that financial institutions have charged minorities higher interest rates on home loans despite having the same down payment and credit score than their White peers. This bill would make it illegal to capture that data.
If this bill is an attempt to defeat Affirmative Action, because they believe it gives advantages to undeserving minorities, the biggest benefactors of affirmative action are white women. vox.com/2016/5/25/1168…
Read 7 tweets
With dangerously low temperatures expected overnight, Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City have partnered to open the Central City Recreation Center for unsheltered residents.

I’m inspired by county staff who stepped up and worked after hours to help our most vulnerable.🙏

1/
While there have been beds available in the Salt Lake Valley Coalition to End Homelessness system recently, staffing shortages continue to make it impossible or unsafe for non-profit shelter providers to create additional capacity at identified winter overflow shelters.

2/
The Central City Recreation Center facility, located at 615 South 300 East in Salt Lake City, opened at 9 p.m. last night and will be opened based upon need while the dangerously cold weather persists.

3/
Read 6 tweets
The More You Know. When you watch this video, learn who the players are:
Allison Sorenson - Marketing Director of #UtahFitsAll and Executive Director of Education Opportunity for Every Child (pro-voucher/school choice nonprofit) is the daughter of Doug Holmes #utleg #utpol
Doug Holmes was the Chairman for Parents for Choice in Education. As she states on the non-profit's website, "Allison grew up discussing school choice at the dinner table and the passion has never left her. "
Connecting some other dots. Libertas Institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit that classifies itself as a “think tank” and educational organization on its website.
Read 14 tweets
Utah has a draft plan to address homelessness. Comments are due today, Jan. 8. We think that the plan misses a huge part of the issue. See the @sltrib story for more. 1/ sltrib.com/news/politics/…
@sltrib One of the main causes of homelessness is lack of money to pay rent. Yet this is not mentioned in the plan nor is it mentioned typically in public discussions. Some steps to increase income to prevent homelessness: 1. Increase affordable transportation. cyclingutah.com/columns/editor…
This would add more money to people's pockets and thus increase the ability for people to pay rent. Denver, California, and many other locations have had great success with ebike rebate programs. The @bicycollective is a key NGO in providing bikes to low income people.
Read 9 tweets
🚨 1/ New transcripts from the House Jan. 6 committee show the day the 2020 election was called for Joe Biden, Sen. Mike Lee was speaking with campaign lawyer Cleta Mitchell about how to reverse Trump's loss.

She said the alternate elector scheme was "Mike Lee's idea" #utpol
2/ The transcript clearly demonstrates Lee would have joined the objection to certifying Biden's win if states had sent competing slates of electors to Congress on Jan. 6.

Those electors never materialized #utpol
3/ Mitchell was asked about a Nov. 7 text message (the questioner misspoke) from Lee where he asked, "What should I be doing right now?"

"I suspect that the only way to win this election would involve identifying systemic fraud" #utpol ImageImage
Read 19 tweets
🚨 WHOA! 🚨

1/ Caroline Wren, an organizer of the "Stop the Steal" rally that led to the attack on the Capitol on January 6, said she lobbied Utah A.G. Sean Reyes to sign on to the Texas lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results in several states #utpol Image
2/ The lawsuit aimed to throw out the election results in four states won by Joe Biden.

It was quickly tossed by the Supreme Court #utpol

sltrib.com/news/politics/…
3/ Wren, a top Trump fundraiser, said in her testimony to the Jan. 6 committee that she helped raise money for the Republican Attorney Generals Association (RAGA).

That group sent out robocalls on Jan. 5 urging people to march to the Capitol #utpol

nbcnews.com/news/us-news/r…
Read 5 tweets
🚨WHOA!

1/ In a @January6thCmte transcript, Sidney Powell says Sen. Mike Lee invited her to a meeting to discuss what she "was seeing and finding."

Powell alleged deceased Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez had rigged voting machines to steal votes from Donald Trump #utpol
2/ It sure seems Sen. Lee met with Powell more than once following the 2020 election.

Q: If he said that he spoke to you several times regarding your claims or theories with respect to the election, would that jive with your memory?

A: I certainly wouldn't dispute it #utpol
3/ It also seems likely that Sidney Powell provided Sen. Mike Lee with some sort of proof to back up her claims #utpol
Read 4 tweets
The @January6thCmte report gives new details about the role Sen. Mike Lee played in the scheme to have states appoint alternate electors to help overturn Donald Trump's 2020 election loss #utpol

sltrib.com/news/politics/…
The report says Lee "spent a month encouraging the idea of having State legislatures endorse competing electors for Trump."

Lee has claimed he was investigating "rumors" of alternate electors, but the report concludes he had a more active role #utpol

sltrib.com/news/politics/…
Newly public text messages show Lee was in contact with senior Trump legal adviser Cleta Mitchell, who advised Donald Trump during the infamous phone call where he pressured Georgia election officials to "find" 11,780 votes.

sltrib.com/news/politics/…
Read 8 tweets
1/ The subpoenas are flying in the lawsuit claiming Utah's congressional maps are an illegal gerrymander.

A dozen people were served this week, including all four Utah Republicans in Congress and former Rep. Rob Bishop #utpol #utleg

sltrib.com/news/politics/…
2/ A source familiar with the case told me the subpoenas are seeking documents and other records relating to the drawing of the new maps during the redistricting process #utpol #utleg

sltrib.com/news/politics/…
3/ A separate court filing requesting information from the #utleg asks for draft maps not approved by lawmakers, communications with current or former members of Congress and contacts with Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson #utpol

sltrib.com/news/politics/…
Read 6 tweets
"Man arrested for breaking into Provo temple, claiming he was just cold"

This is a 🧵on homelessness in Utah County (and Utah), the Church of Jesus Christ, and housing affordability

1/

ksl.com/article/505341…
My cousin and one of my bests friends growing up served an LDS mission in Baltimore, MD. On his mission he had a psychotic episode and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Eventually he became homeless and lived homeless in the Rio Grande area

sltrib.com/news/politics/…

2/
My cousin died by suicide 2 years before the controversial "Operation Rio Grand. Schizophrenia is a complex illness, but housing insecurity undoubtedly played a major role in his passing.

3/

premierfuneral.com/obituaries/Nat…
Read 20 tweets
So it appears that the first actual thing the Utah Inland Port Authority is building is a truck parking lot. Tax dollars at work. 😐 #utpol
The *new* Utah Inland Port Authority Strategic Business Plan is 10 pages long double spaced. And it’s as vague as those few words would suggest. #utpol
The Inland Port staff discuss their extremely vague new business plan and then talk about how they’re going to use metrics- except they haven’t defined what they’re measuring. #utpol
Read 5 tweets
Ways to still vote in Utah:
1. Take your mail ballot to a drop box.
1a. If you must use the post office, walk your ballot up to the attendant and have the ballot hand-stamped with the date on the postmark. 1/
#Utpol
2. Election Day: Salt Lake County has 47 voting centers: slco.org/clerk/election… Bring one form of ID to vote (already registered) and two forms if you need to register.
3. Utah is both a same-day registration state and a voter ID state. Here is the list of acceptable identifications: vote.utah.gov/voter-id-requi…
Read 7 tweets
BIG DEAL: Actual legal expert, recent DC Circuit Court judge, and former BYU gen. counsel, Thomas Griffith joined with others in an amici curiae brief AGAINST the spurious independent state legislature (ISL) theory used by @SenMikeLee to justify his efforts to...(1/3) #utpol
overturn the 2020 Presidential election. ISL theory claims that state legislatures can disregard their own state constitution & state supreme courts to do pretty much whatever they want re: elections - which is so clearly absurd. It's an affront to our form of government ...(2/3)
and our tradition of peaceful transitions of power. Lee is wrong for Utah in so many ways but the facade of constitutional expertise and loyalty is now gone and Utah voters should show him the door. (3/3)

The amici curiae brief: supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/2…
Read 3 tweets
Big action yesterday for the Utah Inland Port Authority. UIPA Board and Salt Lake City Council vote same day to approve Authorizing the SLC Mayor to execute the Interlocal Agreement between the City, the Redevelopment Agency, and the Utah Inland Port Authority. #utpol #utleg
BIG WIN if Mayor Mendenhall and Exec Director Ben Hart get the Health Impact Assessment, Traffic Assessment, and Community Impact Assessment completed by 12/31/23. Big nail in the coffins of their careers if they waffle too much along the way.
Kudos to SLC Council and lawyers. Each seems genuinely committed to their districts and the process. They are also gaslit repeating the port is getting built anyways. The port is getting built because the #utleg is subsidizing it to the tune of $40 million to date.
Read 7 tweets
One thing that fascinates me about @EvanMcMullin is he was so eager knee-jerk oppose anything Trump did that he ended up taking a lot of stupid positions.

But opposing killing Soleimani as he was planning to kill Americans was a required position for MSNBC talking heads. #utpol
Mike Lee worked hard for a strong conservative Supreme Court majority.

@EvanMcMullin joined conspiracy theorists like Michael Avenatti to smear them.

Go back 6 years - you won’t find a conspiracy theory McMuffin didn’t jump on so he could get booked on TV.

#utdebates #utpol ImageImage
Of COURSE @EvanMcMullin went all in on the Steele Dossier.

Why would anyone believe anything this snake oil salesman had to say about anything? #utpol #utdebates
Read 4 tweets
I'm here at @IECHS for the @UTBoardofEd district 8 seat debate tonight, between @audryn_d and Christina Bogess. Full disclosure, I am Team Audryn all the way. And my battery is low. But I will love tweet as best I can as long as I can and link the YouTube recording later. #utpol Image
Election day is in 4 weeks, but ballots will come in the mail soon. 2 minute opening statements. Questions from the moderator and 90 s to respond. Option to rebut responses, as desired. Last half hour will be audience and viewer Qs. Candidates do no know Qs. CB goes first.
CB a mom of 3 young boys and an educator. 21 years experience teaching in a variety of schools. Deeply rooted understanding of education. Education and secondary, rural and urban, active shootings and aftermath, award winning schools. Been there for 20 years. Touched every facet.
Read 55 tweets

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