Despite a recent ruling by 3rd District Court Judge Robert Adkins that Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller cannot charge a fee to a specific defendant for evidence such as witness interviews, Miller continues to charge other defendants for “discovery” materials. She argues that the ruling applied to only one case, but defense attorneys have now filed a motion with Adkins to make the ruling applicable to all defendants. Another justification Miller uses for the charges, which start at $25 and escalate from there, is that they will only be charged until all documents in her office are electronic, which is expected to happen by the end of the year. Waiting for electronic records, however, does not change the fundamental policy that allows Miller to determine the price of justice.
Sen. Dennis Stowell, R-Parowan, plans to sponsor a bill that will require school districts to include instruction about gun safety, focusing mostly on a message that guns are for adults, and if children find a gun they should tell their parents. Stowell said during a recent legislative interim committee hearing that he wants to prevent accidental shootings by teaching students “how to react” around guns. It’s an admirable goal, and one that should be applied to other curriculum, such as sex education.
Dave Glissmeyer, an independent candidate for the 2nd Congressional District running against Rep. Jim Matheson and Morgan Philpot, announced on his blog that he was ending his campaign because he had to return to full-time work at the telecommunications company he founded. Yes, he will still be on the ballot in November, but without a campaign his alternative voice has been lost from the debate. Glissmeyer’s platform had elements that could be attractive to voters on both ends of the political spectrum—he supports health-care reform and also supports “locking down” the border and ending social benefits for illegal immigrants—but he was especially vocal about the need for election reform and ending the special-interest control of candidates. Now, without a strong third-party candidate, Matheson and Philpot can continue to pander to their top campaign donors without reprisal.
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Josh
Loftin:
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