The Second Weekly Legislative Report

More things that I have noted about the legislature (and myself):

1. I started to organize some of my thoughts this week as though they were a bill. I think I've been reading a lot of bills, what do you think?
2. Everyone I work with is very intelligent and they are excellent at quickly thinking of how to react to a situation. However, it does not seem that they consider very often whether what they are working on will be good or will have an impact. The implications of decisions and actions are rarely considered beyond the political ramifications and the fiscal notes.
3. I have greatly improved in my ability to parallel park.
4. Many at the capitol do not trust college students. Including the academic lobbyists that I work with, sadly. They don't want to be held "responsible" for the actions of students that seek to make higher education a priority with the legislature.
5. There is a new intern at the commissioner's office and we are now sharing a cubicle. He was at the last Utah System of Higher Education team meeting and we made introductions. I introduced myself as "Ali Sadler, we share a cubicle" since before the meeting he had actually already introduced himself and we had figured out that we would be working together. Dave immediately asked Greg (the new intern) if he was married. Greg somehow responded that he was not and Dave commented that we should date to the amusement of all of the male legislative liaisons that we work and meet with. Excuse me? Who says I'm interested? Although it was teasing, like Dave then apologized for as being inappropriate, I was not amused. Yeesh.
6. Not everyone thinks that education only has economic merit, thankfully. University of Utah President Pershing commented in a presentation to the Higher Education Appropriation Subcommittee, "I don't want you to get the impression that we only concerned with the economic impacts. Our priority is educating."
7. I should likely sleep and eat more.
8. Legislative interns aren't extremely warm to lobbyist interns (like me). But lobbyist interns sure get along well and I met this week the intern for the Canyons School District. She does nearly exactly the same thing that I do - what with attending committee meetings and tracking legislation - and she was very nice.

Well, on to a weekend to relax (and work on my documentary)!