Wallis Wins

I spent this evening glued to the computer refreshing the election website every 10 seconds. I saw Brent go from 10 percent down to WIN the election!

What an upset! I am sure Ed Allen broke out in a rash from all his sweating. I know a good doctor who can help him if he needs one.

Congrats Brent! What an amazing man. District 10 has been held by the Democratic party for 18 years. But no longer. Here comes Brent Wallis.

Why I support Brent Wallis?

Each political season I go in with the most open mind possible. I know what my core values and beliefs are. Each time I look for a candidate, I try to find one that fits my values. Sometimes this is Republican, sometimes it is not. In a post from many months ago (See Here) I didn't know Brent Wallis, but had heard of Ed Allen. I wasn't sure who to vote for.

I met Ed Allen and Brent Wallis months later (See Here). Within minutes I knew that Brent Wallis was a different sort of man. As time has gone on I have had a number of conversations with him about his ambitions and goals. I have grown to really admire and respect him.

What is it about Brent? Is it his experience in education? Sure that is a big thing for me. I have kids, I want them to have a great educations system. Someone with 36 years experience in the education system is important to me. But that is not it. Is it his fiscal knowledge? Sure the fact he managed million dollar budgets at the ATC and thousand dollar budgets at the Ogden Country Club are important. But that is not it. Is it his business connections and experience? Sure his experience with business leaders and being named to the chamber of commerce hall of fame is important. But that is not it.

One day, talking to Brent, he said, "Every person who has ever worked for me; went on to run their own ATC." I realized Brent is not only a leader; but more importantly--a mentor. He would love to serve in the House, but in the end he hopes to inspire and mentor others to do the same. I have met a number of great leaders, but this was very inspiring, he is an educator at heart and I am excited to have such a person in the House of Representatives to represent our district.

Still don't know whom to vote for? Read what I have posted about Ed Allen and Brent Wallis. I think it is very clear. Vote for a true leader, a mentor, and educator, a businessman; vote for Brent Wallis for District 10.

The Ogden Weber ATC

I had an interesting experience on Saturday.  I was talking to a neighbor about how things were going.  I knew the economy would be a concern for him; he normally lives paycheck to paycheck and has struggled in the past to put food on his table.  He told me today things are going pretty well.  He took a job at the local Deseret Industries and through the LDS Church they got him into classes at the Ogden-Weber ATC.  He now has learned HVAC systems and is doing very well in heating and air conditioning.  What an amazing program!  He was very thankful for the ATC and all it has done for him.

  This brings me to an interesting point.  I received Ed Allen's brochure in the mail on Friday.  His first paragraph mentions how supportive he is of the ATC and how amazing it is.  I am sure as a member of the LDS church he has seen this first hand.  He probably had similar experiences of sending people to work at Deseret Industries for a food order; whom later were given training at the Ogden Weber ATC. 

 The most interesting part about his statement of ATC-ism support, is the contridiction his statements make with what he has said verbally to everyone else.  On my own door step, on August 28th, 2008 (See Here), he told me that the ATC was a waste.  He mentioned a number of times he didn't think the ATC was all that great.  I have also heard him say these same things to other people as well. At the Chamber of Commerce "Meet the Candidate Night" he said the same and tried to discredit the ATC.

 Why is he saying these things?  Because his republican challenger - Brent Wallis was president of the Ogden-Weber ATC for 36 years.  This has been a pathetic attempt at discrediting Brent Wallis and all he has done for Weber County.

This is a classic example of a person, who wants to be a career politician, saying what he has to say to get elected.  Ed Allen came out against the ATC thinking he would win with voters.  Once he realized the popularity of the ATC and people love what it does, he had to back off and send a mailer and pledge his love to the ATC gods.  In a sense, he lied to people to win votes and now has changed his position.  We call this a "Flip-Flop" in the politcal world.

Ed Allen is a career politician wanna-be.  I am sorry but he is!  He lost his senate seat and couldn't get re-elected.  Now his running for the house.  He is dying to get back in so bad he will say anything to win.

A Democrat's view of Brent Wallis

For those of who read a lot of blogs in the Weber County area, you may know about the Weber County Forum.  They had a very intersting post about Brent Wallis and Ed Allen from a Democrats view point.

http://wcforum.blogspot.com/2008/10/this-democrat-is-supporting-brent.html by Dan Schroeder

Also here is one from Dorrene Jeske - Ogden City Council

http://wcforum.blogspot.com/2008/10/another-strong-brent-wallis-endorsement.html

Laser Pointers and Ed Allen

What do laser pointers have to do with Ed Allen?  Besides the obvious uses of a laser pointer like: giving a presentation or burning off a wart when you come to his office; Ed Allen has found that laser pointers can be dangerous.  He must have learned this back in 2000, due to some interesting legislation he wrote regarding the subject.

    I have spent the last few weeks reading over every bill that Ed Allen wrote while in the senate. He sponsored or co-sponsored a number of bills during his time.  Some of these included, updating criminal code, creating stiffer penalties for killing a "seeing eye dog", eliminating sales tax for electricity sales (he floor sponsored this for Rep. Shurtliff) and other such bills.  But the one that really caught my attention was his "Unlawful Use of a Laser Pointer Bill".

To read the full legislation go to this link (See Here).

Ed Allen wisely used legislative time and tax payer money to curb a very important need in our society.  Apparently laser pointer attacks were at their highest level in the year 2000.  Law enforcement was at a loss on how to prosecute someone with a laser pointer.  Police were on guard, moving cars were at risk.  Have no fear, Ed Allen is here.  The "Unlawful Use of a Laser Pointer" bill makes it a Class C Misdemeanor to point a laser pointer at the following:

1. A moving car
   
2. A law enforcement officer, whether he/she is in uniform or not and you know it or not.
   

That is it!  Are you as excited as me?  No! Confused? I am too, what is this bill and why does it exist.  Therefore I pose the following questions: 

• Isn't it reasonable to assume that using a laser pointer improperly would be wrong?  I mean, I could stick you in the eye with a toothpick and even thought there is no law against toothpicks; I would still be in trouble.   
• Did we really need to use up important legislative time debating this?  In fact this was debated twice!  It must have been hot issue at the time.   
• How much did this cost tax payers?
• Was Ed Allen just so desperate for an issue to debate and to get his name on the records books he came up with this bill? 
• Has laser pointer attacks gone down since its passing? 
• Has creating this law scared laser pointer gangs from being formed?

My concern is if Ed Allen is elected to House District 10, is this the kind of legislation we can expect?  What we need is real representation!  We need someone who will tackle real issues affecting our community or district, not someone who is just dying to be back in the legislature.  If we can look forward to more legislative bills like the "Unlawful Use of a Laser Pointer," then I would be concerned.

Update on the Ed Allen Letter

Spoke to some people who live in North Ogden.  They are long time patients of Ed Allen and they admitted they have not received a letter from him.  Sounds like a campaign letter to me!

For more info see my post here: http://www.fromwhereisitblog.com/2008/09/ed-allen-did-he-break-law.html

Ed Allen - Did he break the law?

Ed Allen recently mailed out a very interesting letter.  Another reader of the blog was happy to forward a copy my way for deep analysis.  This is not your average mailer.  This mailer came as a letter directly from Dr. D. Edgar Allen.  At a glance, one might think this is simply a letter from their doctor talking about the upcoming election.  After closer study, you will see this is a campaign letter and could be breaking election laws or even more?

This letter was sent to this person and their elementary age son. 

The letter states (the grammatical errors are Ed's not mine):

Dear Patient,

As many of you know I am running for the Utah State Legislature.  Some of you are also aware; I served for four years in the Utah State Senate several years ago.  There may be some confusion about how this affects my practices.  The legislature includes a significant commitment of time and resources which I am happy to do because it is so important.

The annual legislative session begins around the 20th of January and lasts for about six weeks.  In addition there are monthly interim meetings which usually last one day.  From time to time the Governor may call special sessions.  Beyond this there are other responsibilities and commitments in serving my constituency.

Currently there are no physicians serving in the Utah State Legislature.  One other physician in the state is running for the House of Representatives this year.  Governor Huntsman and the legislature have formed a legislative task force to consider changes in our system for providing health care.  persons from a variety of backgrounds serving in the legislature are on this task force.  I believe this is very appropriate, but I do feel that the citizens need at least some representation from the medical field.  Also, I believe that there is need for more representation from individuals with a scientific background in the makeup of our legislative body.

During my prior service I had colleagues who were happy to provide coverage for my patients while I was in Salt Lake City with my legislative duties.  That situation will be even better this time.  Coverage will primarily be provided by my associate and son, Dr. Davide M. Allen, who will be assisted by our very capable Physicians Assistant, Galen R. Jones, PAC.  In addition trusted colleagues in Dermatology in our community are happy to provide support and coverage.

I have had many patients express support for this effort for which I am deeply grateful.  I also appreciate their patience and understanding.  I enjoy and have been grateful for the opportunity to serve whether it is in my practice or in the community.  Do not hesitate to contact me with questions and suggestions.

D. Edgar "Ed" Allen, M.D

-----------------------------------------------------------

Here is where it gets interesting!

Thanks to the quick study of some of our community members, you may note the following:

1. Ed Allen has used his patient list and the patient list of his son’s to send out this mailer. The recipient of this mail is (was) a patient of David M. Allen.

 A signed release was not signed for the use of this name for political purposes. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 prohibits information being used for things like sales and advertising without permission.  Talk about unethical use of patient information. Is this against the law? Should the licensing board be contacted?

 2. This is clearly a campaign mailer. Mr. Allen can send them to whomever he pleases as long as he follows election code: http://le.utah.gov/~code/TITLE20A/htm/20A11_090100.htm

The code states:

1) (a) Whenever any person makes an expenditure for the purpose of financing an advertisement expressly advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, or solicits any contribution through any broadcasting station, newspaper, magazine, outdoor advertising facility, direct mailing, or any other type of general public political advertising, the advertisement:

(i) if paid for and authorized by a candidate or the candidate's campaign committee, shall clearly state that the advertisement has been paid for by the candidate or the campaign committee;"

There is no mention this was paid for by Ed Allen or his election campaign committee, but it is clearly a campaign letter.  Was this political advertisement paid for by Dr. Allen's practice?  What would the Lt. Governor say about this kind of letter?

3. Also, did anyone outside of District 10 receive this letter? If not, then we know for sure this was an election mailer.

In the end, don’t you love that he is stating, “Coverage will be provided…” instead of “If elected, coverage will be provided.”  I love how he assumes he already won.  If he doesn't win, will he have to send out a mailer to all [District 10] patients letting them know he will be in his office all of January?  We would hate people not showing for appointments thinking he is in the Legislature.

Ed Allen Sighting

With the Leg District 10 race heating up, and only two months left to go.  It is no wonder that we are seeing lots of Ed Allen signs all over the neighborhood.  I have actually seen him on one or two walking campaigns over the past two weeks.  But the most interesting sighting I have seen, was this weekend.  The South Ogden LDS Stake held their annual 5k Fun Run on Saturday.  It is always a great event and very exciting.  My whole family participates every year and really enjoy the event.    At the beginning of the race they announced where the nurses station was, they also mentioned a doctor would be on hand if there was any problems.  The announcer quickly announced that Dr. Ed Allen was here.  That is strange.  Why is he here!  According to his voter profile on votesmart.org he lives at 4317 Fern Drive, which is not in the South Ogden Stake; infact that would put him in the Weber Heights Stake.  Was he invited to attend by someone?  Also isn't he a dermotologist?  I might break out in a rash from sweating but I think I can handle it.  Well Mr. Allen spent most of the time behind the time keepers table.  He messed up putting peoples times in the correct order and we all had to go back and personally put them in the correct order.

Thanks for the visit to our stake Mr. Allen, I hope it won you a vote or two.  Gotta love campaigining at church events.

Ed Allen vs. Brent Wallis - Legislative District 10.

We have an open seat for Legislative District 10 this election. The democrats have chosen D. Edgar "Ed" Allen as their candidate. The republicans have chosen Brent Wallis. Interesting enough I was able to meet both of them this week. On Tuesday I was invited to a BBQ to meet with Brent Wallis and hear about his platform. Just as I was preparing to go to the BBQ, Ed Allen knocked my door with some of my neighbors. What a coincidence that I would meet both of them minutes apart from each other.

First, my Ed Allen Meeting:

The first thing mentioned was he was a Stake President for the LDS Church. This was also mentioned about five times by his companions. Then I asked about his senate experience; he told me he tried to pass a bill, he called the Gadianton Robber's Bill. (This is an LDS term used to describe people who believe in secret combinations and meetings - he was refering to the republicans in the senate). Most of the conversation kept going back to the LDS theme, his service, etc. I felt that he and his companions wanted me to know he was "worthy" of the position. The only issue he talked about was education and he kept making comments about how the Weber ATC isn't that great. (I wonder why? Maybe because Brent Wallis was the president of the Weber ATC).

Now for the Brent Wallis Meeting:

When I got to the home he was speaking at, he was at the door introducing himself. He asked me my name and I told him. He quickly mentioned he knew where I worked, he knew my boss, and then said, "don't you live on Raymond Ave?" "Yes," I replied. In the 30 minutes we got to talk, he blew me away. There were nearly 40 people at this meeting and he knew a TON about ME! He had taken the time to learn about me, where I worked, who I had worked for, where I lived, etc. I was very impressed with his approach.

Well I left impressed with Brent Wallis. I will post more as time goes on about this race, for I am sure it will become very interesting.

Here are the candidates respective websites to learn more:

www.brentwallis.com
www.voteedallen.com