Upcoming Meeting Notice

It's time to mark your calendars for our next meeting!  We are pleased to be hosting BYU Political Science Professor, Dr. Donna Lee Bowen, on Friday, March 18th.  Dr. Bowen's area of specialty is the Middle East with an emphasis on the Middle Eastern woman.  Her presentation will be highly educational and interesting.  Please invite a friend to attend.

The cost of the meeting (which includes lunch) is $30.  The price is higher than usual to help pay for the room and podium/microphone charge at the Market Street Grill in Cottonwood.  We have secured a private room that seats 60.  We want a good turnout for this event.

We will also be having a prize raffle.

You need to RSVP to me or Val Ziegler asap.   You can send your check to Val now, or pay at the door.  Val's address is: 2642 Partridge Way, Sandy, UT 84093.  Please indicate how you'd like your name printed on a name tag, and if you haven't already paid your dues this year, this would be an excellent time to do so.  Annual dues are $30 for renewing members, and $35 for new members.

WRC of SLC Meeting

Friday, March 18th

11:30 AM - 2:00PM

Market Street Grill (Cottonwood)

Speaker:  Dr. Donna Lee Bowen (BYU Professor)

Lunch Cost:  $30 per person

Prize Raffle

February 9th Day at the Legislature

Yesterday's "Day at the Capitol" was so much fun, that I wonder why we don't do it more than once a year?  What an amazingly beautiful building it is.  The energy there was palpable.  Everyone hustling and bustling about.  We were able to spend some time in the Gallery of the House of Representatives to watch them as they cast votes on various bills.  There was so much activity everywhere.

A a beautiful lunch was set up for the legislators in the Rotunda.  The decorations were so pretty.  I know that the hard-working legislators appreciate the meals.  Here's a picture taken of their luncheon, although it doesn't do it justice.

We met in Capitol Room 130 at 11:30, along with the Utah Valley Republican Women.  From there, we were escorted to the chambers of Senator Margaret Dayton.  She hosted us in the Rules Committee room.  We heard about 2 Navajo WWII code-talkers who had addressed the legislature that morning.  Senator Dayton became emotional as she re-counted their amazing story and presentation.  She discussed the proposed State Gun legislation and defended it as she reminded us how John Moses Browning's contribution had assisted in swiftly ending the two World Wars.  She was gracious to answer some questions, also.

We also heard from new Representative Holly Richardson (aka Holly on the Hill).  She filled us in on the past 10 days of her very busy life, and walked us through a typical day as a legislator.  The days are very long; they begin at 5AM, and go until 7 or 8:00 every night.  One of Holly's daughter's died last week, and it has been an emotional roller coaster for her.  As a club, we extend to her our condolences.

After meeting with Senator Dayton and Representative Richardson, we ate lunch together in the cafeteria.  I'd never eaten there before and was pleased with the taste and price of the food.  I took my 8 year old son with me, my 8 year old nephew and my mother, too.  Everyone had such a nice afternoon.  The only downside is the parking.  It does take a while, so it pays to go early, which we did.  Also, I backed into a car on my way out.  Of course.  Bad ending to a really fun afternoon.  I backed into my garage door a week and a half ago, too.  Sheesh.

Here are a couple more pictures.  I wish I'd taken more.  Not all of the photos are from my camera, so thanks to others for sharing.  :)

January Meeting Re-Cap

Thank you to everyone who attended our meeting last week.  Attendance was great, and enthusiasm is palpable.  2011 is going to be another amazing year for conservative women.

A nominating committee has been selected:  Tanya Lewis, Sarah Nitta and Julie Dole with Sharon Anderson as an alternate.  The nominating committee will meet within the next 30 days to begin selection of candidates to fill officer positions for 2012 and 2013.  We will be voting on these next officers in April.

The Salt Lake County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner is Thursday, February 3rd at Little America.  The WRC of SLC is purchasing a table.  If you'd like to attend, please let us know and make your check payable to the WRC of SLC.  We thought it would be fun to sit together.  There are 8 seats at the table.  Cost is $125 per person.  Please let me or Val know asap if you'd like to sit at our table.  I believe half the seats are already spoken for, so let us know quickly.  First come, first served.

The monthly Women's Leadership Seminars start THIS WEEK!  I am very excited about this.  The seminars will be held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month @ 12PM at Merit Medical in South Jordan.  Lunch will not be served, but you are invited to bring your own.  All seminars will last for one hour.  This month's seminar will be held on Wednesday, January 19th.  The speaker is Thomas Wright, and he will be discussing the importance of networking and how to effectively do it.

Reminder that Wednesday, February 9th is our day at the legislature.  Please plan on attending.  We will be joining the newly formed Utah Valley Women's Republican Club at 11:30 in the cafeteria.  Please watch this space for more information as the date approaches.  We want as many members there as possible.

Also, our March meeting will be tentatively held on FRIDAY, March 18th to accommodate guest speaker BYU Political Science Professor Dr. Donna Lee Bowen.  Details TBA.  She will be discussing the plight of the middle-eastern woman.  If anyone has any suggestions for a location, please let me know.

Many thanks to this month's speaker, Todd Weiler.  He shared lots of wonderful information regarding how to become  an RNC national delegate, how to get elected to the State Central Committee, etc...

Upcoming January Meeting Notice

The next club meeting of the WRC of SLC will be held on Thursday, January 13th.  Our featured topic will be "An Insider's View: How the Republican Party Operates in Utah".  This will be presented by attorney and conservative political activist, Todd Weiler.   

Todd is a former Utah GOP Vice-Chair, Davis County GOP chair, RNC delegate and president of the Davis Co. Chamber of Commerce.  We've been fortunate to host many excellent speakers and presenters, and are pleased to continue in this tradition.  


Please let me know if you'll be in attendance so we can make sure there is ample seating.  Thank you.

Where:  Market Street Grill (South Jordan)

10702 South Riverfront Parkway
South Jordan, UT 84095
(801) 302-2262

Mingle: 11:30 AM
Lunch: 12:00 PM

Speaker: Todd Weiler

Cash-For-Clunkers Math

Was "Cash-for-Clunkers" a success?  Well, think about it this way:  

A clunker that travels 12,000 miles a year at 15 mpg uses 800 gallons of gas a year.  A vehicle that travels 12,000 miles a year at 25 mpg uses 480 gallons a year.  So, the average Cash for Clunkers transaction will reduce US gasoline consumption by 320 gallons per year.

They (the U.S. Gov't.) claim 700,000 vehicles, so that's 224 million gallons saved per year.  This equates to a bit over 5 million barrels of oil.   5 million barrels is about 5 hours worth of US consumption.  

More importantly, 5 million barrels of oil at $70 per barrel costs about $350 million dollars.  So, the government paid $3 billion of our tax dollars to save $350 million.  

We spent $8.57 for every dollar we saved.  Wow!

Makes you really confident about the future of health care, doesn't it?

2010: The year of GOP women By: Women members of the House GOP Caucus December 15, 2010 04:42 AM EST

“In politics,” former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher noted, “if you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” That’s exactly what voters did this year. They’ve asked Republican women to represent them in Congress. Across the nation — from Washington state to Tennessee to New York — GOP women prevailed in this historic midterm election. Republicans gained at least 63 House seats — more than in 1994 and the largest GOP midterm gain in more than 70 years. And it wouldn’t have been possible without Republican women. They’ve made 2010 the “Year of the Republican Woman.” Republican female candidates spoke out against the Obama administration’s failed “spend, borrow and bailout” policies. They fought vociferously for the repeal of Obamacare and showed how government-funded health care is likely to hurt women across the country. They offered proposals to cut spending, create jobs and get America’s fiscal house in order. And they’ve shown that they can — and will — open the door to a better future for our children and grandchildren. They campaigned as compassionate women and fiscally responsible Republicans — and won. Here’s how it happened: The story began more than a year ago, when House Republican leaders made a concerted effort to reach out to GOP women and seek their participation. A record 128 GOP women ran for the House, and 17 filed for the Senate. This is twice the number of Republican women who ran for the House during the previous election cycle. After the primaries, 47 GOP women advanced as candidates for the House and six for the Senate. In addition, 14 Republican women ran for governor, and hundreds of others sought statewide positions. These numbers are unprecedented: Never have we witnessed such tremendous momentum for GOP women. Women were instrumental in achieving the largest House Republican majority in more than 60 years. Exit polling data reveal that the GOP overcame the gender gap by winning female voters by 2 percentage points, 51 percent to 49 percent. This was the first time House Republicans carried the female vote since exit poll data were first used in 1982. Moreover, Republicans gained a 12-point advantage with women over age 60 — and made solid strides with younger women as well. The momentum for Republican women has swept through the House, where we will welcome nine new GOP women in January — beating the previous record of seven Republican female newcomers in a single election (1994). But we’ll also greet one new female senator, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire; and three new GOP female governors — two of whom are minorities. In addition, Republican women gained more than 100 seats in state legislatures. But the story is about so much more than numbers. It’s a compelling story — comprising individual stories of women in Montgomery, Ala.; Syracuse, N.Y.; rural Missouri; and western Washington. It’s a story of Sandy Adams, a former deputy sheriff who had joined the U.S. Air Force at age 17. She won her Central Florida seat with nearly 60 percent. It’s a story of Nan Hayworth, an ophthalmologist and small-business owner whose knowledge of medicine can help her lead the fight against Obamacare next year. It’s a story of Diane Black from the Tennessee state Senate. She is a former nurse and educator who talks about fighting the arduous battle against Big Government and working to create jobs for the people of Tennessee. These are the stories that made 2010 the year of the Republican woman. They’re about farmers, attorneys, teachers, nurses, doctors, small-business owners, law enforcement officials, entrepreneurs, wives and mothers. They’re the stories of the dynamic and driven women who will be sworn in as members of the 112th Congress. We joined with Republican National Committee Co-chairwoman Jan Larimer and the National Republican Congressional Committee in September to welcome most of these extraordinary women to Washington. As we sat with them, we were struck by their extreme love of the United States and their desire to make it better. They want to get our country back on track again — to stand against the policies that have taken away our freedoms and fight for the ones that will restore them. As the era of Republican women begins, we know their contributions to the next Congress will be invaluable. Thatcher was right: If anyone can get the job done, it’s the women. And we have no doubt that these are the women who can make it happen. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, Judy Biggert of Illinois, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, Lynn Jenkins of Kansas, Candice Miller of Michigan, Sue Myrick of North Carolina, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida are all GOP members of the House.

Thank you to everyone who came to our meeting this past week.  It was truly one of the most energizing and exciting WRC meetings I've ever attended.  2011 is going to be an amazing year for the WRC of SLC.  We have more new members, too.  Please extend a warm welcome to Tanya Lewis, Dana Bentley, Kathie Johnson and Jolynne Alger.  We are thinking of changing our meeting days to the second Wednesday of the month beginning in January.  I will make an official announcement within the next week or so.  Below are some pictures from this week's meeting:

Arlene Nelson and Jennifer Scott

Myranda Holgerson, Marianne Stoddard and Julie Dole

Val Ziegler, Sarah Nitta, Elissa Foutz and Julie Dole

Arlene Nelson and Jennifer Scott

Back Row: Julie Dole, Elissa Foutz, Myranda Holgerson, Arlene Nelson, Jolynne Alger, Kathleen Handy, Val Ziegler and Marianne Stoddard.  Front Row: Jennifer Scott, Sarah Nitta and Dana Bentley