Here are a few shots from Silver Reef, just outside of St. George, UT. I didn’t even know this place existed until this weekend.

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Mount Timpanogos, taken on my iPhone from my office window.

Usually in the spring, I can look out my office window and see the beautiful melting snow on Mount Timpanogos. However, today, this is what I’m seeing. I’m hoping the weather man is right and we’ll get some clearing by the end of the week.

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Last weekend I had the opportunity to photograph a couple of neighborhood boys who will be receiving their Eagle Scout award later this month. I grew up in the Scouting program and am an Eagle Scout myself. For this portrait I decided to just go with a simple grey background. Here’s an example of the work.

Eagle Scout Portrait

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I saw this video on Jasmine Star’s blog and had to share. It made my day.

Rhett Olson Uncategorized, Video

Seems my posts lately have been more about politics than photography. Here’s one that blends them both.

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Update from the commercials I used to see when I was a kid. Rings a different bell now that I’m a dad.

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In a comment to my last post, a friend of mine asked what I would do. I think there are really 2 things that could be done immediately. They are as follows:

1. Decrease the amount of federal spending
2. Decrease taxes, all taxes

Unfortunately, our representatives in congress feel the only way to stay elected is to ensure money is spent on projects in their home states. I’m reminded of this quote from a book I just read.

Of course the Founders would understand exactly what this generation is doing to itself. It is the very essence of human nature to pursue this disastrous course once the appetite has been created to demand it. As a result, American taxpayers now discover themselves playing a role almost identical to that of an addict on hard drugs. The addict denounces his “habit” and despises the “pusher” who got him into it, but when he is confronted with the crisis of needing a “fix” he will plead tears of anguish for the narcotic remedy.

The “fix,” of course, is not a remedy at all. The real remedy is “withdrawal.” The addict must escape from the tortuous cycle of vicious repetition witch is not solving his problem but compounding it. If withdrawal is painful, at least it is not prolonged. The problem is primarily a matter of will power—the determination to change.(Cleon Skousen, The 5000 Year Leap)

We are trying to get out of a problem caused by spending money we don’t have, by spending money WE DON’T HAVE. If we can go through that withdrawal period, and stop spending money we’re either printing, or borrowing from the Chinese, (BTW, China just announced they aren’t going to buy any more 30-year US bonds. So who’s going to buy our debt? The Fed? Yup! Holy crap!) we can take care of this problem now rather than passing it on to our children and their children.

This bill is not a stimulus bill, it is a spending bill. In fact, it’s my understanding a large part of the money won’t be spent in the first 4 years, how can that be considered stimulus? It is taking money from the citizens of the country and redistributing it. This “spending” bill is a step toward socialism.

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If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I’ve been in Australia for the past couple of weeks. While there, it was interesting to watch the news and talk to people about the election of Barrack Obama. I found it interesting that the people in Australia (and I assume the rest of the Western world) see him as the savior of the world. He’s going to right every wrong. If that’s the case, he has a long, uphill battle. Especially considering the leadership of congress that he has to work with.

I personally think the government is making a mistake with this $800 Billion bailout and I call on my representatives not to endorse it. Why is Obama trying so hard to get Republican buy in? He doesn’t need it to get the bill passed. I concede that there may be some part of him that is trying to prolong the honeymoon and build a bipartisan consensus. However, I also believe a dominating reason is to make sure he can distribute blame to Republicans, as well as the Democrats, when the plan doesn’t work. I’m hoping Republican reps. will un-CY his A by not voting for it. I don’t thing the first big bailout has done much, and another is not going to be any different. We can’t fix the mess by doing what got us here in the first place, overspending.

I’ve been thinking about this after hearing the following quote by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md, made to President Obama during a meeting yesterday:

“Mr. President, I probably come at this from a slightly different perspective. I remember when FDR beat Hoover in 1932. So I remember the Great Depression very well. I don’t remember any of the many government programs affecting the course of the Depression. Government programs didn’t work then, I don’t know why we think they would work now. Mr. President, I think our obsessive borrowing has fully mortgaged my kids and my grandkids. Now we’re working on mortgaging my two great-grandkids. Mr. President, I think it’s more than a little bit selfish to try to solve our economic problems which we created by burdening future generations yet to be born.”

This prompted applause.

I agree with Rep. Bartlett.

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Can you see anything wrong with this picture? Today while checking the news back home, I saw this story on a restaurant in Park City that is only serving locals during the Sundance Film Festival. I thought it was funny because my wife and I tried to eat there, on the recommendation of a local, and found the store closed because the owner was ill. Anyway, along with the article was the ad to the right. I thought it was ironic since KSL is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the church to which I belong), which has been so outspoken on Prop 8 and other gay marriage initiatives. It seems they would be a bit more careful about the ads they serve up.

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I made it to Sydney today after a 24-hour trip. Being on a plan across the Pacific was a drag. But I’m told the best way to get the body clock on schedule is to stay up the first day. So, I went to lunch and walked around the Rocks and figured out the train system for tomorrow’s commute. I snapped this picture from the Circular Quay station. I’ll be heading back over to the opera house for better pictures later today.

Rhett Olson Travel, Uncategorized