Candidate Notes: John Morris – Utah County Commissioner
by Daryl AcumenOverview: From Lehi Undergraduate in forensic chemistry MBA law management Got started with Chaffetz campaign Member of iCaucus constitutional and fiscal conservatives County Commissioner has one line job description - defend Utah and US Constitutions Has done extensive research on county budgets and believes the answer to many of our issues is to cut spending and cut taxes Wears a tea Party pin We need ...
Continue ReadingCandidate Notes: Mike Kennedy – Leg. District 27
by Daryl AcumenOverview: Believes in "healthy legislation" (haha) Grew up in poverty received both state and church welfare knows the difference between a hand OUT and a hand UP Strict constitutionalist very big on local vs. distant control gives great example of a patient who had a heart attack because they couldn't get approval for a heart test from DC in time Supports education choice and accountability Pros: Degrees in ...
Continue ReadingCandidate Notes: Ross Ford – Leg. District 27
by Daryl AcumenOverview: From Lehi, lived in Highland since they were giving fruit baskets to new residents MBA and a degree in technology management Has owned a string of businesses. Sold the last one to semi-retire Decided to teach and go into education administration Now teaches at UVU and is an administrator at SLCC Pros: N/A Cons: N/A Questions: N/A Notes: Basically a former business owner and university teacher. Need ...
Continue ReadingBecoming a GOP Delegate (video)
by Daryl AcumenMy good friend Brandon Beckham put together this video with hints on how to become a GOP delegate. I like this video because it wasn't put together by an out-of-state pressure group in an attempt to manipulate our caucus system to further their own agenda. Enjoy and we'll see you on Thursday!
Continue ReadingAbsolute Dollar category spending increases since 1962
by Daryl AcumenIn absolute 2005 dollars, here are the percentage changes in federal category spending since 1962: Commerce and Housing Credit -39.4% (yes, that's a decrease) International Affairs +2.7% (from here down the numbers are increases) Defense +56% Science and research +210.8% Energy +89.6% Environment +127.4% Agriculture +125.9% Air transportation +261.1% Community Development +535.5% Veterans Benefits +552.9% Training and employment social services +919.0% Administration of Justice +1,416.1% Education +1,919.6% Housing assistance ...
Continue ReadingUnconstitutional Spending Growth 1962 – 2010
by Daryl AcumenInteresting: I've been playing around with budget trends by agency since 1962 today and I observed some interesting trends. Focusing on Unconstitutional government agencies: Total unconstitutional spending has jumped from 37.3% of the budget in 1962 to 62.3% in 2010. That's an increase of over 25 percentage points! Health and Human Services spending has jumped from 3.3% to ...
Continue ReadingUnderstanding the backlash against the GOP from within the GOP
by Daryl AcumenYou don't have to look too closely to observe that there is a backlash currently playing out against the GOP from within the GOP. The most visible of these mini-revolts is the effort to oust longtime super-conservative Senator Orrin Hatch in Utah. That fight actually seeks to remove a man who was once endorsed by Ronald Reagan ...
Continue ReadingMike Kennedy for State House of Representatives in LD27
by Daryl AcumenHad a nice conference call with Mike Kennedy the other day. mike is running for Utah House of Representatives in LD27 (obviously from the title). Good guy! Seems balanced, smart, strong background. He's a family practice doctor with a law degree, which means he has a firm understanding of how entitlements like Medicaid and Medicare are ...
Continue ReadingBottom 50% income tax percentage
by Daryl AcumenI've been playing around with IRS data between meetings conference calls today and bumping into some cool stats from the latest 2009 data. The bottom 50% of taxpayers in 2009 paid 2.25% of all taxes (on 13.48% of "adjusted" gross income which obviously includes a generous standard deduction). That's down from 6.46% in 1986. The average ...
Continue ReadingEmpower America is dead!
by Daryl AcumenNothing in this world annoys me more than ignorance or pisses me off more than lies. Tonight while checking Google I saw the following regionally targeted ad: "Orrin Hatch added $7.5 Trillion to our nation's debt. Retire Hatch!" Now, as an analyst and somebody who's been studying U.S. economic and fiscal policy for over twenty years, I ...
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