Chrysler (State?) Bailout

I was bit surprised to read this story about the State Legislature considering stepping in to save local Chrysler dealers. Last week Chrysler sent notices to nearly 800 dealers out of a current network of about 3,200 that it was revoking their franchise rights.

I can understand why a business owner would be upset. They had been loyal franchisees many of whom had been selling cars for decades. But my issue with these guys is; didn't they see it coming? The company was restructuring in bankruptcy for crying out loud! Is this really an after-effect of the big Fed-Auto-Bailout? or the actions of the free market's invisible hand?

Chrysler has been in trouble for a long time. Case in point; the typical Chrysler dealership sold 303 vehicles per showroom last year. Toyota sold 1,292 and Honda did 1,219/per. Also, it's not like they didn't see new closures coming, the company has reduced dealerships from 4,320 in 2001 to 3,188 by the end of April this year.

If Chrysler now wants to open a new dealership within 150 miles of one they just closed down, the Legislature's proposal would require Chrysler to first offer the former franchisee the opportunity to (re)open the business. I suppose that's not all that bad, but it seems like that should be between Chrysler and it's dealers - I don't see a reason why the legislature should be involved. It's more of a contract issue in my mind that should be settled in the Judicial system - not Legislatively.

So why is the State Legislature getting involved? As much railing as the Legislature does against 'bailouts' and government intervention, it seems ironic for them to step into the fray at this point. Perhaps it's because one of their own - Rep. Patrick Painter is himself a Chrysler dealer who is now losing his dealership.

Ryan's takeaway: It doesn't look good for the Legislature or the State GOP when they apply conservative principles selectively.

Show Me the Money!

The State of Utah has come a long ways...

I remember as a college student doing an internship that required me to tabulate and record the voting records for a series of Senate Bills. Maybe this dates me (it was just in the late '90s), but none of the data was available electronically - not on the web or even available on a disk. I had to literally go up the Capitol and ask the grumpy old Senate receptionist lady for the record book and record the votes by hand (I did have a laptop so that helped somewhat).

Now look at us today! The State Legislature has an awesome searchable and (relatively) user-friendly website. And yesterday, our new 'Acting Governor' announced this new site - Transparent Utah. It's a gold mine of searchable budget related data. Ever wonder how much goes to education? roads? or the Health Department? You can see how much the state is spending by agency and department. It's not audited and much of the data is aggregated and not broken out by line item, but still what a great resource.

I much prefer this type of site to utahwastebuster, which was/is an effort by Representative John Dougall and Senator Steve Urquhart to uncover state spending waste. While I can appreciate the concern to prevent waste I felt that site was more about promoting personal agendas rather than actually solving significant waste issues. That site has not seen much traffic since the legislative session when it was initially promoted, and it doesn't appear any significant 'waste' was reported or investigated.

I come from the school of the thought that says give people access to the information and they'll find the issues, problems, and even good things being done in our governement. The premis of a wastebuster type site assumes not just waste but almost some type of criminal misdoing on the part of government employees. And I think conservatives make this mistake too often by assuming there is something criminal happening when in more cases than not, waste is simply the by-product of an ineffecient bureaucracy. That said, I think it would be appropriate for the State to actually have a whistleblower site/system to ferret out criminal acts. (Does anyone know if they already do - I would think so)

I believe transparency is a key element of a vibrant democracy. I'm pleased to see our elected officials acknowledge our right to know and have access to this type of information. So. All you government watchdog wannabes - get on there and dig to your heart's content. It's your government - make it better!

再见! (Goodbye) Jon. Hello Gary.

So with Governor Huntsman bolting the state for the lure of the orient we now have a new, yet familiar face in the Guv's office.

I think its great that Huntsman is opting for the Chinese Ambassadorship. I believe this is what he's wanted to do for some time. Had McCain won I have no doubt Huntsman would have lobbied for the same position. Interesting political dynamics though. With Huntsman often mentioned as a potential Prez challenger I guess the Obama Administration was thinking "keep you friends close, your enemies closer."

So I wish him good luck. His diplomatic approach to problems which may have recently caused him some minor heartburn with the conservative faction of the state, will now suit him very well in the art of international negotiation.

I wasn't always a fan, but the more I studied him and learned about where he was coming from I came to really respect him. I liked his approach. He avoided the negative and divisive language that can quickly muddle up complex issues such as; immigration and liquor laws. I think he often felt uncomfortable in political speak situations so I found his style refreshing. Because he wasn't a natural politician I think he gravitated towards his own style which is more statesmanship-like. I wish more officials would try to emulate his approach to the issues. The state would be better for it. Utah's citizenry would be less put-offish when it comes to politics if our leaders would take a cue from Jon.

So now, we look to Gary Herbert. I've had a couple of chances to meet with him. He's very personable, genuine, and pragmatic. My favorite meeting with him was at the Juab County Lincoln Day Dinner. It was held at a small senior citizen center in Nephi. Not a minute before we all dug into our dinners did the power go off in the entire place - not a single window to be found either! I guess it's a sign of our times, but soon enough everyone produced their cell phones and all the elected officials spoke by cell phone light. Gary didn't miss a beat.

It's those kinds of times, when you get to see people out of their comfort zones and guards down a bit that you learn about people's true colors. Gary came across very natural and seemed as if he was among friends. I think Utah is going to like him the more they get to know him.

Truth be told I really don't how he'll interact with the Legislature. He's got to run again in November 2010, so I suspect this next session everyone will be polite with neither the Legislature or the new Governor pushing too hard until they know who's going to be in the Guv's office on a more permanent basis.

So who else is in the mix for 2010? Former Senate President and current Senator John Valentine will run, Lane Beattie, also a former Senate President, and current CEO of the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce will likely run as well. If you know of others testing the waters let me know and we'll get the word out.

So, a very big Thank You to our outgoing Governor Huntsman, and a welcome and good luck to Gary Herbert.