Lieutenant Governor predicts a big change
Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell spoke to Utah State students about the Utah economy, the “fascinating” political situation, and the importance for students to get through school quickly.
“I am delighted to be on this beautiful campus,” Bell said. “I truly love the environment, there are so many assets in Logan, not the least of which is our world class university.”
Bell said students should appreciate the education they are getting here at Utah State because it is providing them a means to build a “wonderful” life. He attributed his success to his Utah education and the taxpayers who helped pay for his tuition. He said taxpayers help pay for students’ tuition, and even though students feel the weight of paying for their percentage of the costs, the public is still paying the bigger part of the bill. It is because of this help from the public that students should focus on getting through school.
“I hope you are using your time wisely to get through,” Bell said. “We need you to graduate as fast as you can, it gets pricey to keep students in school for their sixth or seventh year. We really need to hustle people through.”
He said it is more important than ever to get an education beyond high school, and if you start college, finishing it should be the goal.
“We are finding a lot of young people who are not finishing their college experience. We don’t ask everyone to go to college but you certainly need a post-high school certificate. The job market is requiring that of us,” Bell said.
As Bell emphasized the importance of education, an audience member asked why there isn’t a long term plan for education and what Utah leaders are doing about it.
He said Utah has two unique challenges that other states don’t have to deal with which factor into a long term plan for education. First, Utah has a lot of public land that can’t be taxed or developed. The other challenge is the state has 25 percent more children than the national average. He said if you took away that 25 percent, it would take away a lot of challenges.
However, despite these challenges, Bell said Governor Gary Herbert has been holding monthly meetings lasting three to four hours, and out of these meetings is a long term plan for education. Bell said Republicans and Democrats should be excited about this plan. Herbert will be heading it up but it will have the “fingerprints of other educational leaders.”
Along with education, Bell spoke about the political season and how it is well underway, the time when people start to pay attention to the races.
“In the summer people are distracted, but Labor Day traditionally marks the commencement of the political season and of course we have a fascinating season this year,” Bell said.
The discontent of American citizens was a topic of discussion. Bell said there are supporters of Obama who are “about ready to give up on the president,” as well as the Tea Party being frustrated with traditional Republicans.
“Whether it is the left or the right, things are on wheels,” Bell said. “Citizens are not happy. You know as well as I do there is a very high level of discontent on the national level.”
Bell said he doesn’t remember when there was such division between parties and it will be interesting to see what the ultimate effects are. He said he also has come to the conclusion that people around the state are frustrated with two main things.
First, is the economic standing, and the fact that it hasn’t been improving much despite various promises. He said that one message “was prevalent throughout the political discourse.”
“Economy is a major issue in Utah today, if you have a job life is not too bad, if not, it is a grim and fearful time,” Bell said.
He said many people’s careers have just ended because they haven’t been able to renew themselves.
“Employers don’t tell them they are too old, they say they are overqualified,” he said.
He said the problems pertain to both Democrats and Republicans. Both are nervous and realize the country can not sustain the budget.
Despite these issues, Utah is still the “most fiscally fit in the nation,” Bell said, according to Forbes Magazine. He said Utah is number one in quality of life and number two in education settings.
“Utah has a lot to brag about,” Bell said. “Utah is doing well economically in relative terms.”
Bell said in the past, incumbents usually have a huge advantage in the political race, but that is not necessarily the case this year. He said the best chance of getting elected, the “sweet spot”, would be a Republican who is not an incumbent. He said it will be interesting to see in a month how the federal elections are going. He also said statewide there are “some real hot races.”
He said one interesting aspect of this race is the fact that people are voting early. He said political timing is everything and the fact that a projected 50 percent of people would have already voted before Nov. 2 will “create very interesting results.”
Bell also spoke on immigration and Utah’s position on the issue. He said there are currently seven immigration bills, maybe more, that will be debated. He said the Hispanic population have become major influences. He said no party is willing to take a stance on immigration because of the Hispanic vote and the fact that it could come down to them to decide on a winning party.
“I went down to Arizona and I was astonished at their divide in their community. It has been one of the most polarizing issues in my opinion,” Bell said.
One of the main problems, according to Bell, when it comes to immigration is the lack of stability in Mexico. The economic and political situation in Mexico doesn’t allow for jobs, so men are coming to the United States to make a living for their families, Bell said.
“We have this lack of equilibrium in Mexico that is causing the rise in immigration. We are not having Canadians sneaking into our country because we both have cultural and economic equality,” Bell said. “So, that being the context, how do you address that economic problem? It is a very difficult, rough-cut situation. The Governor said we need to consider the law, be mindful and sensitive and let’s not destroy Utah’s economy, we need to be intelligent in what we do.”
–megan.b@aggiemail.usu.edu