Robert Gehrke writes today in The Salt Lake Tribune that records and minutes of former Utah governor Mike Leavitt's meetings with some of his staff discussing "holy and just" Mormon principles are public documents that should be released to the public. Leavitt had requested that the minutes not be released.
Writes Gehrke:
"The transcripts of a series of "Early Morning Seminary" meetings led by Mike Leavitt during his tenure as Utah governor should be available to the public, the Utah State Archives decided Monday.
"Leavitt had argued the meeting transcripts - in which his top staff and trusted advisers explored doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to extract "holy and just" principles that could be applied to government - documented private gatherings, since they were held before business hours and involved friends who were not state employees. . . "
"In a letter to The Tribune last week, Leavitt acknowledged "the role of faith in public policy is a legitimate story," but said the comments of other participants in the discussions should remain private because they expressed thoughts they "may deem to be personal, in some cases even sacred." "
That's the trouble with meetings of this kind. Whoever is the "king" dictates to subordinates what the moral and just principles are. Suppose you were assistant to then Gov. Leavitt and you were a non-believer, or worse yet, a secular humanist, you would be de facto compelled to bury your convictions and adopt the governor's religious attitudes. Either that or be demoted or fired.
No wonder our system of government as set forth in the U.S. Constitution calls for strict separation of church and state. But as we see in this Leavitt mess, there are some in authority who are always angling to get around it.
Showing posts with label MIKE LEAVITT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MIKE LEAVITT. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2007
FORMER UTAH GOV. LEAVITT HOLDS MORMON PRAYER MEETINGS WITH STAFF FOR GUIDANCE ON POLITICAL DECISIONS
Thursday, August 2, 2007
MIKE LEAVITT LOVED HEALTH INSURANCE FOR CHILDREN WHEN HE WAS UTAH GOVERNOR
Mike Leavitt used to be the governor of the state of Utah. Now he is secretary of Health and Human Services in George Bush's cabinet. Recently Leavitt came out and said that the president as well as himself, Leavitt, were opposed to an increase in funding for CHIP, the federal program that pays for health insurance for needy children in lower economic brackets on the basis of "ideology." By that, Leavitt means that he and Bush believe the federal government should stay away from insuring poor children and instead let the private insurance sector do the job of providing health insurance. But suppose a child's parents don't have the monies to pay for the health coverage? The answer to what would happen then is something Bush and Leavitt fail to answer or address.
Leavitt was gung-ho for the CHIP program during the time he was governor, Rebecca Walsh writes this morning in The Salt Lake Tribune.
"Mike Leavitt loved his props.
"As Utah's governor, Leavitt used to juice up his earnest budget and State of the State speeches with wooden apples and pie charts. But nothing worked as well as a poverty-stricken cherub. And Utah's former governor used not one, but two over the years to prove his commitment to taking care of children.
"In 1998, he cradled 7-month-old Bo, who was taken at birth from his heroin-addict mother. In 2001, Leavitt boosted 11-month-old Preston White, who was born with a bone abnormality. The State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) saved his parents from bankruptcy.
"Seems Mr. Leavitt has forgotten little Bo and Preston now that he's gone to Washington. Now that he's a front man for the Bush administration, Utah's former governor has rediscovered his opposition to state-subsidized health care for poor children."
So Mike Leavitt was for the CHIP program before he was against it? And if Leavitt thought that CHIP saved families from having to declare bankruptcy, why now would he advise Bush to veto an increase in a program that can only include more children who need the federal insurance?
Leavitt thought so much of CHIP when he was governor that he even got his wife, Jackie, to make TV commercials praising and espousing the program. Writes Rebecca Walsh:
"Besides using Preston and Bo, the former governor dedicated his 2000 conference for community leaders to the issue. He and first lady Jacalyn Leavitt filmed public service announcements for CHIP. "
The turn around in Leavitt's position is hard to believe. As governor, he loves CHIP. As secretary he hates it. Imagine the disgrace of CHIP - the federal government uses taxes to pay for health insurance for poor children.
Remember this is the same Mike Leavitt that has gladly taken in over $200,000 in federal farm subsidies over the last eight years. As he was going to the bank to deposit these federal farm hand-outs, I am unaware of any Leavitt objections to that federal hand-out the way he is objecting now to health coverage for sick children.
Leavitt was gung-ho for the CHIP program during the time he was governor, Rebecca Walsh writes this morning in The Salt Lake Tribune.
"Mike Leavitt loved his props.
"As Utah's governor, Leavitt used to juice up his earnest budget and State of the State speeches with wooden apples and pie charts. But nothing worked as well as a poverty-stricken cherub. And Utah's former governor used not one, but two over the years to prove his commitment to taking care of children.
"In 1998, he cradled 7-month-old Bo, who was taken at birth from his heroin-addict mother. In 2001, Leavitt boosted 11-month-old Preston White, who was born with a bone abnormality. The State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) saved his parents from bankruptcy.
"Seems Mr. Leavitt has forgotten little Bo and Preston now that he's gone to Washington. Now that he's a front man for the Bush administration, Utah's former governor has rediscovered his opposition to state-subsidized health care for poor children."
So Mike Leavitt was for the CHIP program before he was against it? And if Leavitt thought that CHIP saved families from having to declare bankruptcy, why now would he advise Bush to veto an increase in a program that can only include more children who need the federal insurance?
Leavitt thought so much of CHIP when he was governor that he even got his wife, Jackie, to make TV commercials praising and espousing the program. Writes Rebecca Walsh:
"Besides using Preston and Bo, the former governor dedicated his 2000 conference for community leaders to the issue. He and first lady Jacalyn Leavitt filmed public service announcements for CHIP. "
The turn around in Leavitt's position is hard to believe. As governor, he loves CHIP. As secretary he hates it. Imagine the disgrace of CHIP - the federal government uses taxes to pay for health insurance for poor children.
Remember this is the same Mike Leavitt that has gladly taken in over $200,000 in federal farm subsidies over the last eight years. As he was going to the bank to deposit these federal farm hand-outs, I am unaware of any Leavitt objections to that federal hand-out the way he is objecting now to health coverage for sick children.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
MIKE LEAVITT IS FOR FEDERAL FARM SUBSIDIES (FOR HIMSELF) BUT AGAINST FEDERAL HEALTH INSURANCE FOR CHILDREN
Mike Leavitt, Secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, was on C-Span yesterday morning defending Bush's threat of vetoing the increase in the program paying for health insurance for children, known as CHIP or S-CHIP.
Leavitt claims he and Bush want affordable health care for all. The one thing he does not address is how poorer families can afford to pay for their children's health needs. Leavitt and Bush believe the government should not provide the funds. That means that families in lower economic brackets will never obtain health insurance for their children.
Leavitt is a big hypocrite. The Salt Lake Tribune reported this past Sunday how Leavitt's family farms has received over $200,000 in government subsidies over the last eight years. Reports Dawn House for the SL Trib:
"Another Utah millionaire receiving farm subsidies is Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt, a former insurance executive. Leavitt owned a 13 percent interest in a subsidized farming operation in Wayne County, which received $200,887 in disaster, crop and dairy supports. The payments started in 1999, six years after Leavitt became Utah governor (he left office in 2003).
"Leavitt sold off his holdings in 2005 from his family's insurance business and cattle operations, valued at a minimum of $5.1 million, to avoid conflicts of interest once he became chief of the federal agency. He retains a 13 percent interest in Leavitt Land and Investment, valued at $1 million to $5 million, which received conservation subsidies on land in Clark County, Nev., in 2000, 2001 and 2005 totaling $32,340."
So here's Leavitt railing against the federal government paying for health costs for poor kids at the same time as he deposits the hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal farm subsidies into his family's bank account. How big a hypocrite is Mike Leavitt!
Leavitt claims he and Bush want affordable health care for all. The one thing he does not address is how poorer families can afford to pay for their children's health needs. Leavitt and Bush believe the government should not provide the funds. That means that families in lower economic brackets will never obtain health insurance for their children.
Leavitt is a big hypocrite. The Salt Lake Tribune reported this past Sunday how Leavitt's family farms has received over $200,000 in government subsidies over the last eight years. Reports Dawn House for the SL Trib:
"Another Utah millionaire receiving farm subsidies is Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt, a former insurance executive. Leavitt owned a 13 percent interest in a subsidized farming operation in Wayne County, which received $200,887 in disaster, crop and dairy supports. The payments started in 1999, six years after Leavitt became Utah governor (he left office in 2003).
"Leavitt sold off his holdings in 2005 from his family's insurance business and cattle operations, valued at a minimum of $5.1 million, to avoid conflicts of interest once he became chief of the federal agency. He retains a 13 percent interest in Leavitt Land and Investment, valued at $1 million to $5 million, which received conservation subsidies on land in Clark County, Nev., in 2000, 2001 and 2005 totaling $32,340."
So here's Leavitt railing against the federal government paying for health costs for poor kids at the same time as he deposits the hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal farm subsidies into his family's bank account. How big a hypocrite is Mike Leavitt!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
MEAN MIKE LEAVITT SAYS CHIP FUNDING IS "RADICAL"
Mike Leavitt, former governor of the state of Utah, now head of the Department of Health and Human Services, comes out and says the increase in funding for children's health insurance is "radical" and should not be allowed. I wonder how he would feel if his children needed health care but lacked insurance.
Thomas Burr writes today in The Salt Lake Tribune that Leavitt believes the government should not be involved in providing monies to pay for medical insurance for children.
"Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, Utah's former governor, is fighting a move by Democrats to boost children's health care by up to $50 billion. And he says he'd be against it even if he were still governor and looking at millions of dollars more in federal funds for needy children in Utah.
"Leavitt told a group of reporters Wednesday that the struggle between the Bush administration and Congress over the amount to fund the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is about an ideological battle over who should run health care: the government or the private sector."
In other words, Leavitt believes needy children should go without health care if they cannot themselves pay for health insurance. The government according to Leavitt should not be in the business of funding health care for its neediest children. This guy Leavitt turns out to be mean, real mean. He is after all a Republican, and maybe all Republicans think this way. Let the kids fend for themselves when they get sick.
Certainly Bush thinks the same way. He has threatened to veto the bill increasing federal financing for CHIP, the program that purchases health insurance for children. Bush apparently believes, as does Leavitt, that 50 billion dollars is too much, too excessive, too profligate. Yet Bush and his war-mongering gang think nothing about spending 100 billion or more per year on this unjustified and immoral war in Iraq. Not to mention the hundreds of billions the Bush team throws at the defense contractors and manufacturers who build the latest in bombs, war planes and other instruments of killing.
If Bush vetoes this CHIP authorization, there will be heck to pay for the Republicans. This is a no-brainer. The Democrats are on the side of the angels on this one.
Thomas Burr writes today in The Salt Lake Tribune that Leavitt believes the government should not be involved in providing monies to pay for medical insurance for children.
"Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, Utah's former governor, is fighting a move by Democrats to boost children's health care by up to $50 billion. And he says he'd be against it even if he were still governor and looking at millions of dollars more in federal funds for needy children in Utah.
"Leavitt told a group of reporters Wednesday that the struggle between the Bush administration and Congress over the amount to fund the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is about an ideological battle over who should run health care: the government or the private sector."
In other words, Leavitt believes needy children should go without health care if they cannot themselves pay for health insurance. The government according to Leavitt should not be in the business of funding health care for its neediest children. This guy Leavitt turns out to be mean, real mean. He is after all a Republican, and maybe all Republicans think this way. Let the kids fend for themselves when they get sick.
Certainly Bush thinks the same way. He has threatened to veto the bill increasing federal financing for CHIP, the program that purchases health insurance for children. Bush apparently believes, as does Leavitt, that 50 billion dollars is too much, too excessive, too profligate. Yet Bush and his war-mongering gang think nothing about spending 100 billion or more per year on this unjustified and immoral war in Iraq. Not to mention the hundreds of billions the Bush team throws at the defense contractors and manufacturers who build the latest in bombs, war planes and other instruments of killing.
If Bush vetoes this CHIP authorization, there will be heck to pay for the Republicans. This is a no-brainer. The Democrats are on the side of the angels on this one.
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