This morning I went to the annual legislative breakfast put on by the Utah Technology Council.  In addition to a good breakfast, the program proved that the sky remains stable in Utah.  First, Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack addressed the current economic situation and made a compelling case for not avoiding short term pain by dumping our problems on future generations.  The Senate is resisting the call to spend the Rainy Day Fund and is taking steps to keep Utah's bond rating among the top in the nation.  Majority Leader Killpack also explained why Utah may not take the stimulus being offered by Washington (i.e. don't take the money until you know what strings are attached).

There was also a discussion comparing tax rates in California with those in Utah.  I think it is more and more likely that you will start seeing companies relocate to Utah rather than being taxed out of business.

In addition to hearing a politician give a rational response to our economic difficulties, the stability of the sky was further confirmed when one of the presenters asked who in the room had open positions in their companies that they were trying to fill.  More than half of the people in the room raised their hands.  One gentleman indicated that they had five positions they needed to fill.   Later in the day one of the attorneys in our firm was talking with one of our clients.  He too was looking to fill several positions.

So the good news - there are jobs out there and Utah is still being managed responsibly.  The bad news, few people want to report on the good news.