Numbers for January 20. 2025

I don't know what these numbers will look like on January 20, 2029, so bookmark this post.

Summary:

Unemployment rate - 4.1%

Gas prices - $3.125 (national average)

Crime Rate - down

Inflation rate - 2.9%

Egg Prices - down

Mortality rate - 798.8 deaths per 100000

Covid rates - down

All numbers are the latest available from the sources; they may not be for December 2024.

Unemployment rate - 4.1%

From the BLS -

Gas prices - $3.125 (national average)

Crime Rate - down

Full report here.

Inflation rate - 2.9%

Full BLS report here.

Egg Prices - down

From the USDA -

USDA report on egg markets here.

Mortality rate - 798.8 deaths per 100000

From the CDC -

Covid rates - down

Also from the CDC -

My guess is that most or all of these metrics will be worse once Cheeto's term is done, though he and acolytes may lie about the data they control.

"Separate but equal" may make a return in Arizona

Only this time, the Rs in the legislature want it to apply to women.

Maybe I should have titled this post "What's Old is New Again"...

Republican House member Lisa Fink has proposed/sponsored, and fellow Rs Rachel Keshel, Khyl Powell, and Michael Way have cosponsored, HB2062.

The bill itself is a bile-filled attack on trans people.

But "bile-filled" wasn't bad enough for this bunch.

They put a rather sweeping clause into the bill.

The bill will undergo consideration  by the House Government committee this week.

Last year, most of this bill's language (the anti-trans stuff, anyway) existed as SB1628.  It didn't include the separate but equal stuff.

It was vetoed by Governor Hobbs.  Her veto letter is here.

My guess, and it's only a guess:

1) This year's bill will pass both committee and floor consideration (in both chambers) on party line votes.

2) The measure will serve as a stalking horse of sorts, with Rs hoping, that when Hobbs vetoes it again, she'll miss something that is marginally less bad (but still very bad).

Legislative schedule - week starting 1/19/2025

Most bills being proposed by the Republicans in the Arizona State Legislature are filled with bile.

Sometimes they try to be subtle and sneaky about it.

Sometimes they're less subtle.

Sometimes they multitask.

The proposals being considered by committees this week run the gamut.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

On Monday, 1/20  

-

 

Nada.  

On Tuesday, 1/21 

-

Joint Committee on Capital Review meets at 9:30 in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills, and all items under consideration are part of a consent agenda a will be voted on as a group/one item.

House Appropriations and Senate Appropriations jointly meet at 10 a.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: no bills.  They'll be receiving Governor Hobbs' budget proposal.

Senate Natural Resources meets at 1:30 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: one bill, and one presentation.  Seems harmless.

House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: four insurance-related measure that I don't understand well enough to comment on.

House Education meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: four bills.   They don't seem tooooo bad (but someone who knows more about this stuff should look at them), but it's still early in the session -- the anti-public schools, anti-books, and anti-teacher stuff is coming.

House Natural Resources, Energy & Water meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: three presentations and two measures.

Senate Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: one presentation and three bills.

On Wednesday, 1/22 

-

House Government meets at 9 a.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: eight bills, including some very bad ones.  HB2051 would require the governor to appear before the legislature as a supplicant an answer questions posed by legislators; HB2062 seeks to put some anti-trans language into state law.  Not only that, there's a sneaky bad clause in the bill.

I can't make this stuff up.

2062 will be subject to a striker that is the polar opposite of bad, but it's proposed by a Democratic member (Rep, Betty Villegas) so I expect it to fail on a party line vote.  If they even consider it - it isn't even listed on the agenda.

HB2099 would direct the governor and state AG to aid and abet embrace the hate that Cheeto has for immigrants (except the ones he marries); HB2113 seeks to allow Confederate/MAGA flags to be flown on public property.

House International Trade meets at 9 a.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: no bills, two presentations.

House Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in HHR4,  On the agenda: four bills, HB2022, a guns in schools bill that was passed by House Education on 7-5 vote and HB2043, which seeks to narrow the definition of "harassment" by requiring that the harasser *intend* the harass the victim.  It's proposed by Rep. Alexander Kolodin, a practicing attorney, and I expect that one or more have charged with harassment.

House Ways & Means meets at 9 a.m.in HHR3.  On the agenda: one bill.

Senate Health and Human Services meets at 9 a.m. is SHR2.  On the agenda: one industry presentation and two bills.

Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency meets at 9 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: five bills, including SB1037, John Kavanagh's scheme to financially hamstring boards regulating health care and SB1071, another of Kavanagh's schemes, to impose state-level eligibility disclosure requirements on federal SNAP and TANF programs.

House Appropriation meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1,  On the agenda: two bills.

House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections meets at 2 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: eight measures, all bad, except for one.  Maybe..

House Science & Technology meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: no bills.

Senate Education meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: two bills and two presentations, one from Tom Horne and one from the ED of the State Board of Education.

Senate Public Safety Committee of Reference meets at 2 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda:  no bills, just an audit review of a Transportation Excise Tax in Gila County.

Senate Public Safety meets at 2:10 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: five bills, including SB1060, adding a secrecy provision to administrative investigations of law enforcement officers.

On Thursday, 1/23 

-

Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee of Reference meets at 10:15 a.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: no bills, two sunset reviews.

No agenda lists any effort to address the financial boondoggle that is the ESA/school voucher scam program.

I know who Cheeto will pardon first

Rape? Florida? 

Definitely in Cheeto's wheelhouse.

If it even gets that far - Pam Bondi, Cheeto's pet AG nominee may simply tank the case before it ever gets to that.

From AP -

NY federal judge denies bail for two real estate brokers and their brother in sex trafficking case

Two luxury real estate brokers and their brother accused of raping dozens of women over two decades will remain in jail to await their trial on sex trafficking charges, a federal judge in New York City ruled Wednesday.

Judge Valerie E. Caproni heard bail arguments before agreeing with two federal magistrate judges in Florida who previously ruled that the three brothers should remain locked up as a danger to the community.

The men, who all reside in Miami, were not in Manhattan federal court because they remain jailed in Florida. They have pleaded not guilty. Caproni also found that they were a risk to flee.

[snip]

In an indictment unsealed last month and a detention letter, New York prosecutors alleged that Oren Alexander, 37, and Tal Alexander, 38, using their wealth and influence they gained by brokering deals on high-end properties in New York City, Miami and Los Angeles, teamed up with sibling Alon Alexander, 37, to rape and sexually abuse women from at least 2002 to 2021. Several of the victims, a prosecutor said Wednesday, were minors.

Flying drones: playthings of folks who don't give a damn about their effects on others

Their owned and/or used by people who are selfish and seeking entertainment.

From LA-ist -

Water-dropping Super Scooper aircraft is grounded after colliding with a civilian drone

A water-dropping Super Scooper aircraft sent from Canada to battle fires ravaging the L.A. area has been grounded after colliding with a civilian drone on Thursday, officials said.

The collision took the aircraft, which was being used to fight the deadly Palisades Fire, out of commission to repair a fist-sized hole in its wing at a time when firefighters are struggling to increase containment. No injuries were reported and the plane was slated to return to service on Monday.

Those who interfere with firefighting efforts can be (and should be!) prosecuted.

From KABC in LA -

FBI working to piece together drone that damaged super scooper while battling Palisades Fire

The FBI released new photos of a damaged water-dropping super scooper firefighting aircraft that collided with a drone over the Palisades Fire.

According to officials, the plane collided with a privately-owned drone, causing significant damage to it. The drone put a 3x6 hole in the aircraft, causing a 20- to 30-minute delay in the aerial firefight.

[snip]

During a news conference Thursday, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman reiterated that anyone caught flying a drone faces severe consequences.

"If you're thinking that it's fine to send a drone up in the area for your own amusement, or you want to get information that nobody else can get, and you do it in one of these areas that for which drones are not permitted ... you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted and you will be punished to the full extent of the law," he said.

According to the FAA, you can still be arrested and fined, even if TFRs are not in place.

"Even if a TFR is not in place, drone pilots should avoid flying near wildfires," the FAA states. "It's a federal crime to interfere with firefighting aircraft regardless of whether restrictions are established, and violators can face stiff penalties."

And it's not just flying drones over wildfires and obstructing efforts to combat the devastation caused by the fires.

From Athlon Sports via MSN -

Drone Costs Justin Fields Chance To Play in Steelers' Loss To Ravens

[snip]

Fields played two non-consecutive snaps in the first half of his NFL playoff debut, but when he was about to get a chance for a big moment later in the game, it was stolen by a drone.

The audience watching exclusively on Prime Video was left in the dark when a Steelers play was blown dead before the snap in the third quarter and the game was sent straight to commercial break with no explanation. 

Alternate broadcast footage posted by an account on X showed that Fields had entered the game under center for the 2nd and 1 play as Pittsburgh attempted to rally, down 28-7.

Fields did not come back on the field when they replayed the down. Four plays later, Wilson threw a 36-yard touchdown to George Pickens. Wilson failed to convert the momentum into a full comeback after that, but Fields did not play another snap in the game.

Sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung later confirmed on the broadcast that the Steelers-Ravens stoppage was after "NFL security spotted a drone over the top of the stadium."

Welcome to America in the 21st century.

Legislative schedule - week starting 1/12/2025

Well. the Arizona lege will be back in session...so it will be necessary to hide the children and small animals.

And to protect democracy from their depredations.

While most agendas are just about introducing committee members and staff, some very bad bills will be under consideration.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

On Monday, 1/13 

-

House Health & Human Service is on the calendar at 2 p.m. in HHR4, but their agenda states the committee won't be meeting.

House Public Safety & Law Enforcement is on the calendar at 2 p.m. in HHR1, but their agenda states the committee won't be meeting.

On Tuesday, 1/14 

-

House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: no bills; they'll be acting as the Commerce Committee of Reference and conducting a couple of sunset reviews of a couple of executive departments.

House Education meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: four bills after they act as the Education Committee of Reference and conduct a sunset review and an audit review.  The bills: HB2022. a guns in schools bill; HB2029, requiring schools to teach internet security/safety practices to students; plus a couple of bills related to the reviews that they are conducting.

House Natural Resources, Energy & Water meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: no bills, just some presentations.

Senate Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. is SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills, just a presentation from JLBC.

Senate Natural Resources meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1. On the agenda: no bills, just multiple presentations, mostly from industry lobbyists.

On Wednesday, 1/15 

-

House Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: no bills; it's meeting as the Committee of Reference and conducting a couple of sunset reviews.

Senate Government meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: three bills.  SB1013 would impose a requirement on municipalities and counties that would mandate that the council/board overseeing that entity pass a fee increase by a 2/3 majority.  The bill was proposed by Senate President Warren Petersen, so it'll pass. SB1015, from Wendy Rogers (R-bigot), would bar municipalities and counties from placing a tax or fee on blockchain technology.  SB1039 is John Kavanagh's annual effort to put a minimum time limit bon how long HOA's have to keep a recording of a meeting.

Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency meets at 9 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills.

Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency Committee of Reference meets at 9:10 a.m. (or upon the adjournment of the regular committee) in SHR109.  On the agenda:  no bills; a couple of sunset reviews.

House Ad Hoc Committee on Election Integrity and Florida-Style Voting Systems meets at 1 p.m.in HHR4.  On the agenda: no bills, just a discussion of inflicting Florida-style election practices on Arizona.

Senate Education meets at 3 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: Two bills and some presentations about education funding in AZ.  The bills - SB1021, Wendy Rogers' move to have ROTC students classified as "in-state" students and SB1028, John Kavanagh's proposal relating to high scool graduation requirements.

Senate Judiciary and Elections meets at 3 p.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: one bill, and it's BAD.  SB1011 from Warren Petersen (and co-sponsored by most of the Rs in the state senate) is the latest anti-democracy effort to place restrictions on early voting.  My guess is that Petersen plans to run for Congress as a MAGA candidate or is angling for a spot in the Trump administration.

Senate Public Safety meets at 3 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills, just a presentation.

On Thursday, 1/16 

-

House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee of Reference meets at 11 a.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: no bills, just a sunset review (interestingly, both this committee and Senate RAGE.COR will be conducting a sunset review of the Arizona Exposition and State Fair Board). 

On Friday, 1/17 

-

Senate Health and Human Services and House Health & Human Services Joint Committee of Reference meets at 9 a.m.in HHR1.  On the agenda: no bills, just five sunset reviews and one special audit.

Apparently, I touched a nerve...

...but while they may have ruffled certain sensibilities, my statements are still true.

A couple of days ago, I wrote a post criticizing the content of a two proposals to be considered by the state legislature.

This roused the ire of the author of the two proposals, State Sen. John Kavanagh.

Actually, the bill's language *does* add more than animal control officers and elected officials to statute -

He still hasn't refuted my actual criticism of his proposal.

Are "poison pill" clauses issued to all AZ legislators, or does John Kavanagh keep some in his desk drawer?

He sure seems to put them into any bill that he proposes that might otherwise be considered decent.

For example, he's proposed SCR1005, which, if approved by the voters, would index compensation for legislators to inflation.  The biggest issue with that?  He specifically exempts other state-level officials from that.

His phasing - "B. The salaries of those holding elective state offices OTHER THAN THE OFFICE OF STATE LEGISLATOR..."

Note - ALL CAPS is his proposed new language.

Still, while bad, that pales next to the depravity of his SB1038.

That includes language that would classify assaults of certain public transit employee, railway workers, airport workers, employees of law enforcement agencies, animal control officers, and all elected officials as aggravated assaults (not the "depraved" part).

Nope.  The depraved parts (and *yes*, I said "parts")  -

"D. IF A PERSON IS CONVICTED OF COMMITTING AGGRAVATED ASSAULT ON A PEACE OFFICER PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION AND THE TRIER OF FACT DETERMINES THAT SECTION 13-701, SUBSECTION D, PARAGRAPH 17 APPLIES, THE PERSON SHALL BE SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS MORE THAN WOULD OTHERWISE BE IMPOSED FOR THE OFFENSE. THE ADDITIONAL SENTENCE IMPOSED UNDER THIS SUBSECTION IS IN ADDITION TO ANY ENHANCED PUNISHMENT THAT MAY BE APPLICABLE UNDER THIS SECTION OR CHAPTER 7 OF THIS TITLE. THE PERSON IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR SUSPENSION OF SENTENCE, COMMUTATION OR RELEASE FROM CONFINEMENT ON ANY BASIS, EXCEPT AS SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZED BY SECTION 31-233, SUBSECTION A OR B, UNTIL THE SENTENCE IMPOSED IS SERVED THE PERSON IS ELIGIBLE FOR RELEASE PURSUANT TO SECTION 41-1604.07 OR THE SENTENCE IS COMMUTED."

This seems to be the "all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others" part.

"H. AGGRAVATED ASSAULT PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION A, PARAGRAPH 1 OR 2 OF THIS SECTION COMMITTED ON AN EMPLOYEE OF A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IS A CLASS 2 FELONY...."

Class 2 felonies include (but aren't limited to) things like manslaughter, rape, sex trafficking, and child molestation, and Kavanagh wants to equate some assaults of police officers to those acts.

My guess is that if this one is approved by the legislature (possible, given the composition of the state legislature), and makes it past the governor's veto pen (unlikely, but she could have a bad day), this one may run into Constitutional issues.

Something that Kavanagh has run into before with his pro-police/anti-society legislation.

Arizona's ESA scam: the names may change, but the grift goes on

In at least one instance, the name *did* change, but the grift did not.

From ProPublica, dated 12/31/2024 -

Reporting Highlights

• An Opaque System: Arizona imposes no transparency or accountability requirements on private schools that receive taxpayer dollars through the state’s voucher program.
• Buyer Beware: Voucher parents shopping for a school say it’s hard to obtain independently verified information on the quality of instruction or financial stability of private schools.
• Opposed to Reform: As other states replicate Arizona’s program, voucher advocates oppose requiring publicly funded private schools to meet the same educational standards as public schools.

One afternoon in September, parents started arriving for pickup at Title of Liberty Academy, a private Mormon K-8 school in Mesa, Arizona, on the eastern outskirts of Phoenix.

Individually, the moms and dads were called in to speak to the principal. That’s when they were told that the school, still just a few months old, was closing due to financial problems.

[snip]

For instance, the state never informed parents who were new to Title of Liberty and were planning to spend their voucher money there that it had previously been a charter school called ARCHES Academy — which had had its charter revoked last school year due to severe financial issues. Nor that, as a charter, it had a record of dismal academic performance, with just 13% of its students proficient in English and 0% in math in 2023.

[snip]

Arizona does no vetting of new voucher schools. Not even if the school or the online school “provider” has already failed, or was founded yesterday, or is operating out of a strip mall or a living room or a garage, or offers just a half hour of instruction per morning. (If you’re an individual tutor in Arizona, all you need in order to register to start accepting voucher cash is a high school diploma.)

There is “nothing” required, said Michelle Edwards, the founder and principal of ARCHES and then of Title of Liberty, in an interview with ProPublica. It was “shocking how little oversight” the state was going to provide of her ESA-funded private school, Edwards said.

ARCHES is now Ethos Foundation (actually, when using the website of Arizona Corporation Commission [ACC], clicking on ARCHES inactive listing pulls up Ethos' information), and Edwards is listed as a director, President, and CEO of Ethos.

Also from the article -

One mom had even discovered the school by window shopping: It was in the same strip mall as her orthodontist’s office, next to a China Palace, and she’d noticed the flags outside with Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints imagery. (The school was not formally affiliated with the church.)

[snip]

For instance, the state never informed parents who were new to Title of Liberty and were planning to spend their voucher money there that it had previously been a charter school called ARCHES Academy — which had had its charter revoked last school year due to severe financial issues. Nor that, as a charter, it had a record of dismal academic performance, with just 13% of its students proficient in English and 0% in math in 2023.

A storefront operation with earlier financial and academic issues continuing to have issues?  And the taxpayers picking up the tab?

Is anyone shocked that it continued to operate?