The National Republican Senatorial Committee has sent many Utahns a survey on what policy issues good Republicans are concerned about.
Many surveys, however, were sent to people who aren't Republicans.
But their money, apparently, is still good.
The survey asks what issues are the most important, and gives the respondent choices. It asks if the federal government should keep bailing out failing businesses, whether the age of eligibility for Social Security should be raised and whether the nation should achieve energy independence from imported fossil fuels, to name but a few.
The last question, however, makes the responses not count unless a donation is sent.
It gives the respondent the option of sending in the survey, plus a "generous" donation of $500, $250, $100, $50, $25 or "other."
Another option is to decline participating in the survey, but you still can send your "generous" donation.
You also can sign a box indicating you do not want to participate in the survey or donate to the Republican Party. But you still are supposed to send a contribution of $11 to help cover the cost of tabulating and distributing the survey. So even though the survey was unsolicited and you are not interested, you still must pay the GOP committee for its trouble.
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Gingrich and health care reform » Former House speaker and conservative commentator Newt Gingrich has finally unveiled his health care reform plan as an alternative to Obamacare.
His plan is to be a huckster for a private credit card company.
Local hospitals and their doctors received an invitation from LifeNexus, Inc. to attend an event Feb. 18 where Gingrich is the featured speaker.
"Transforming Health Care in the 21st Century" is the name of the event, promising those who attend "breakthrough mobile technology that promises to put personal medical information where it has always belonged: with physicians and their patients."
LifeNexus is a full service company offering insurance cards, debit cards, credit cards and software that stores medical information separate from a patient's personal information.
Hospitals and related facilities were sent free tickets to the event at the Salt Palace Convention Center. But the University of Utah School of Medicine, for one, sent the tickets back after officials determined that accepting them would be unethical.
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Blessed are the tobacco sellers » The Utah State Senate has a tradition of opening its daily session with prayer and the Senate has tried to open up the opportunity for all faiths and persuasions.
So it only stands to reason that Tuesday's opening prayer was given by a lobbyist.
After all, just like big corporations, lobbyists are people, too.
The praying lobbyist was Dave Davis, who in this case, used the language common to LDS prayers. He is a lobbyist for grocery stores and retailers -- which as a lobbying group is one of the strongest opponents of cigarette tax increases .
