Nothing makes my day like cracks in the conservative facade. So, I thought some of you might be amused by what's going down in the pretty, great state of Utah. The state legislature, which is made up of mostly super-duper GOP faithful and a handful of Democrats including
one awesome lesbian and a
a newly-appointed gay man, is instigating a folk rebellion against Bush's No Child Left Behind Act.
Although outsiders often see Utah as just an extension of the midwest--sort of an extremist Oklahoma with real mountains--Utah is different. Or spessshullll, in local parlance. Utahns are a lot more independent-minded and have more of that Montana-like free spirit than you might think. They like their guns, their god, and would have the state motto "Don't tread on me" if someone back east hadn't already come up with it. Back in Brigham Young's day (basically the guy who led the Mormons from Illinois to Salt Lake) there were even a lot of popular
anti-US government folk songs.
Then again, this is the state where Karl Rove grew up (no, he's not LDS).
From AP (via Yahoo!) Utah Gov. Seeks End to Bush Plan Rebellion
SALT LAKE CITY - Hoping a compromise might end Utah's rebellion against President Bush (news - web sites)'s education centerpiece, Gov. Jon Huntsman asked lawmakers Tuesday to wait before voting on a bill giving priority to state education goals over the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The House-passed bill could be addressed by the state Senate in a special session. In the meantime, Huntsman hopes state officials can work toward a compromise over what state critics say is an unfunded federal mandate.
The state legislation and a companion resolution represent one of the sharpest denunciations among 35 states considering measures on No Child mandates.
and the NY Times ...
Utah Delays a Challenge to Federal LawAfter weeks of legislative brinksmanship and behind-the-scenes negotiations with federal officials, Republican leaders in Utah said on Tuesday that they would delay action on a bill that has attracted nationwide attention as a bellwether challenge to President Bush's signature education law.
The bill would order state officials to give higher priority to Utah's educational goals than to compliance with the federal education law, known as No Child Left Behind. The Utah House approved it unanimously on Feb. 15, and the Senate gave its unanimous support in a preliminary vote on Monday...
The bill, sponsored by Representative Margaret Dayton, a Republican, is one of the most assertive of a dozen or more proposals before state legislatures that protest the federal law, arguing in various ways that its language and regulations have intruded on states' rights to control local schools...