Archive for category Civics
Provo – upcoming discriminatory Parking Permit program
Posted by Roger Brown in Civics, Provo on 2010/08/28
Does this old photo grab your attention?!
I hope so.
Have you heard about Street Parking Permits being required in a few small areas of Provo?
So far, the existing areas give out 2 street parking permits per residence. That part of it is ok.
But keep on reading…. have you all seen this news about the Joaquin Neighborhood?!
The current Municipal Council could choose to do nothing and let the permit program automatically begin Sept. 1, 2011, or they may opt to look at the program again to see if it needs modifying or changing.
Because of the likelihood that new council members will want to address the permit program, it too will have to be put on the fast track, if changes are made.
“I was very surprised to hear from the mayor the development was back on,” said Kurt Peterson, Joaquin neighborhood chairman. “There is no waiting, we have to address the South Joaquin neighborhood parking issues. We don’t want to do anything that will make it harder for the owner.”
Peterson said the north neighborhood was approved with the parking permit program set in place earlier. With the development a go, the south neighborhood, which has more owner-occupied homes, needs to have the parking permit issue addressed for their streets.
“They have to preserve the South Joaquin neighborhood residents,” Peterson said. “They don’t want it to be a parking lot.”
source: http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_5e5dff76-c835-5819-ac85-8c2a88d1f226.html – Aug. 12th, 2010
Where’s the problem?! The details are the problem — the details are different (see section 9.85.070) — they give more respect to owner occupants than they do to poor renters who can’t afford to buy their own property.
This ordinance is discriminatory. It does not treat all citizens as equals before the law.
Owner occupants get MORE parking permits than owner landlords or renters who are too poor to own property.
Very, very misguided and sad. Good goals are not justified by poor means and double standards! And this issue is related to the existing discriminatory zoning ordinances and bad feelings from some of the neighbors.
P.S. Their rationalization as treating some citizens as second class is very disappointing — sad once you consider what some of them profess to believe, or at least the church that they belong to. I think if they really believed what their church teaches, then they wouldn’t have such double standards enacted into law. We’re all equal before God and why shouldn’t we be equal before the law?! Stop the rationalization!
More on this later… for now see http://provocitizens.net/initiative/talkingpoints.html
Roger L. Brown
Provoans — your most important civic duty in 2010?!
Posted by Roger Brown in Civics, Provo on 2010/08/05
Hi, if you live in Provo in the South East part of town, specifically the Provost South Neighborhood (from 900 S. down to Springville — on the east side of State Street) — this is very important — check this out and my NOTE at the end:
Just a reminder that the meeting to elect a new neighborhood chair for Provost South will be tonight at 7 PM at Spring Creek Elementary.
Attending this meeting and casting a vote might be the most important civic duty you perform this year, as the new neighborhood chair will likely have major input on how State Street will be cleaned up and developed, when Bicentennial Park will be improved, and what types of new housing (high-density apartments vs. single-family homes) will be built in our neighborhood.
Obviously the better the turnout tonight, the better the chance we’ll be represented by someone who best reflects the sentiments of the neighborhood. So please make a point of attending, and bring a few of your neighbors along as well.
See you tonight.
Nick Mason
Provost South Neighborhood Chair
NOTE: Single Adults — please, please, please, please come tonight! There are basic rights issues at stake — i would call them human rights issues since I don’t know what else to call them.
Single Adults in current Provo City zoning law are treated as second class citizens effectively:
- Unlimited numbers of family adults can live together VS. 3 single adults — no limit on one class but a limit on the other class.
The Neighborhood Chair directly influences public policy/law by speaking before the city council.
We need to elect someone that treats single adults the same as family adults with respect to the law. Far too many neighborhood chairs in the past have treated single adults as second class — at least in the law they have. And good intentions don’t matter when it comes to the effects of the laws — what does the law say and what are its effects? — that is the question!!
Please, please come!!! This is urgent, really!! Come listen to the candidates speak tonight and then vote.
Meeting will probably last till 8:00pm is my guess, but might end much earlier. Come! 
-Roger L. Brown
Immigration Reform? Yes! AND with welfare reform!
Posted by Roger Brown in Civics, LDS, Personal on 2010/07/14
Wow, check out this article:
This part is sad:
“One woman on the list who spoke to KSL but asked not to be identified said she had a green card and would become a U.S. citizen next month.
“I have my papers,” she said. “Why did they put me on that list? Now it’s been 15 years since I got my residency. … I’m angry.”"
I’d like to make a few points:
- This country was mostly built on immigrants. As far as i know all of my ancestors immigrated here to the US from different countries all over Europe.
- The laws need to be obeyed while we are fixing them. I love this quote from Abraham Lincoln:
“Bad laws, if they exist, should be repealed as soon as possible; still, while they continue in force, they should be religiously observed.”
source: speech given Jan. 27th, 1838 - Yes, we need to reform the immigration laws but they go hand in hand with other laws:
- Labor laws like minimum wage
- Social Security benefits
- Other government welfare programs
Immigration laws need to be seriously relaxed.
Humans are an asset — look at all of the entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants over the past 400 years in America!
Also, those that complain about the laws need to remember #2 above. And if they’re going to directly or indirectly advocate breaking the laws they need to publicly admit that they are being “civilly disobedient”.
As long as we have massive corruption and inefficiency in our current government welfare systems including social security we can not adequately reform immigration law. They go hand in hand together. That’s at least one of the reasons that many want to immigrate here i think.
And employers need to be accountable.
Lastly, in case anyone misunderstands, I think that we should allow a whole lot more people to legally immigrate here — many, many, many, many more.
The only requirement should be a criminal background check i think.
Other than that, let’s let people move here that want to be part of the American experience!!! I know it has surely blessed my life and my family’s! Makes me think of my recent post on micro-credit or micro-loans.
Sincerely,
Roger
P.S. I almost forgot — the national and states’ debts!!! That goes hand in hand with immigration and welfare reform too!! We need balanced government budgets immediately!!! Cut up the government credit-cards!!!
P.P.S. What can you do about it?!
Find your state and federal legislators at the link below — EMAIL and CALL them TODAY!
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/
residents of Provo, stand up for property rights!!!
Posted by Roger Brown in Civics, Personal, Provo on 2010/07/12
HUMONGOUS Town Hall Meeting tomorrow, Tuesday July 13th @ 5:30pm @ City Hall
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
New amendments to existing state laws were recently passed and signed into law by the Governor on March 30th.
While many people have rejoiced because these amendments started to restore rights that were taken away — others have been fuming about it ever since it passed.
These people do not believe that you should have a right to be a wise steward over your own property — specifically they don’t believe you have the right to determine how many unrelated people live in your own home.
Check this out!
#1 – S.B. 45 Substitute – UTAH FIT PREMISES ACT AMENDMENTS
http://le.utah.gov/~2010/bills/sbillenr/sb0045.htm
*****QUOTE*****************
This bill:
. prohibits counties and municipalities from placing a specified limit on the number
of unrelated individuals allowed to occupy a single-family unit;
***************************
Wow! Sounds huge by itself — but if you keep on reading you get the details — actually the state legislators said they could have a “specified limit” and that limit is 3.
Don’t ask me why they contradict themselves! 
Anyway, why is this big for Provo?!
In 14 out of 34 neighborhoods in the city, there is a limit of 2 unrelated adults per “single-family home” — even if it’s a 3, 4, or 5+ bedroom house — CRAZY!
So any zoning officer or Provo City official that tries to tell you that you can’t have 3 single adults in your home is either ignorant of breaking state law! It is against the law to limit it to only 2!
#2 – H.B. 381 – MUNICIPAL LAND USE PROVISIONS
http://le.utah.gov/~2010/bills/hbillenr/hb0381.htm
I’ll let you read this one on your own — it’s very important but not as exciting as the one above.
To get a little background please read this article to be printed in Tuesday morning’s Deseret News:
*** http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700047661/Controversial-state-zoning-laws-subject-of-Provo-town-hall-meeting.html ***
PLEASE COME to the meeting!! Send a family member or friend if you can’t come.
This is of extremely serious import – please come!
Roger Brown
801-356-1032
http://ProvoCitizens.net
P.S. Here’s just one comment from those that oppose the partial restoration of rights — someone who is supposed to just pass on the facts without bias -
“Unfortunately, these bills limit the power of cities to engage in various activities
which can help neighborhoods and maintain safe places for people to live.”
source: July 9th email from Kurt Peterson, Joaquin Neighborhood Chair
People, your property rights are at stake!
***Please forward this email to at least 2 other Provo residents.
P.P.S. City Hall is at 351 W. Center St.
P.S. Know someone that wants to receive these emails?
Micro-loans to help our neighbors out of poverty?
Posted by Roger Brown in Civics, LDS, Personal on 2010/07/07
Wow, have you all seen this documentary!? I was reminded of it recently because of my friend DI who helps out people regularly through micro-loans:
Micro-credit and the Future of Poverty:
source: http://byutv.org
I hope to lend real soon. Check it out and get involved through a handful of different organizations such as:
Roger
our state legislators need to hear from us!
Posted by Roger Brown in Civics, Provo on 2010/02/03
Do you live in Provo?
Our local Utah state legislators – our state senator and representatives — have asked us to fill out a survey to help them decide where to cut state programs. Why? A deficit of $920 million is projected and the budget must be balanced!!!
Will you please take a few minutes of your time to help our legislators decide which direction to go?!
(if you live in another city in Utah, contact your state senator or representative for a link to their survey — see http://www.le.state.ut.us/maps/amap.html to lookup who they are)
Here’s the link to the surveys for the 4 districts that cover Provo:
- District 61, Rep. Keith Grover (roughly NW Provo)
- District 62, Rep. Chris Herrod (roughly NE Provo)
- District 63, Rep. Steve Clark (roughly East Central Provo)
- District 64, Rep. Becky Lockhart (roughly SE and SW Provo)
If you’re not sure which of the 4 districts you live in, please type in your address @ http://www.le.state.ut.us/maps/amap.html
Please spread the word! Our legislators have to make the tough calls on what to cut back on.
Roger Brown
P.S. Our legislators are available each of the Saturday mornings during the session @ 7:30 AM @ IHC’s Northwest Plaza 450 W 1230 N in Provo. It’s called “Eggs and Issues” — i think it’s free breakfast but i’m not sure — i’ll let you know!