Either the Reps don't have a clue as to how much they are crippling the state's ability to thrive in a modern society, or they've run the numbers and have figured out that they are screwed in next year's elections and have collectively decided to rampage through the tax code and social compact, wreaking as much havoc as they can before they are kicked to the electoral curb.
...Thus far, whether it's from the governor's office or from the back rooms of the lege, every idea hatched to help the state out of its fiscal mess is either short-sighted or places the burden squarely on the backs of the poor and working-class residents of Arizona.
The latest scheme from the governor - sell state assets and lease them back for continued use - would result in only a one-time benefit to the state's cash flow and a long-term degradation of the state's balance sheet (there was also talk of making the sale/lease-back into a sale/buy-back scheme, which just shifts the long-term pain back to the state's cash flow).
This is just an apt follow-up to her plan to hold a special election for raising the state's sales tax and to crack open the Voter Protection Act measures that protect certain programs and initiatives from legislative interference. Programs and initiatives that include Clean Elections, a raise in the minimum wage, statewide smoking restrictions, increased Medicaid eligibility, and education funding.
Of course, the lege is trying to out-irresponsible the governor. In addition to the attempts to further cut revenue with attacks on the state's equalization property tax (dedicated to education) and others, they're now floating a plan to "reform" the state's tax structure.
In this context, "reform" is short for a strike-everything amendment to a bill that would "slash the state's corporate and business taxes and jack up the state's sales tax." (Fact sheet on the strike-everything amendment here)
The striker was proposed for the purpose of bringing the issue up for discussion during February 23rd's meeting of the House Ways and Means Committee (meeting audio available here).
During the discussion, the Republican chair of the committee, Rep. Rick Murphy, made it clear that the only tax increase that he would support would be an increase to the ever-regressive sales tax, *and* that any increase should be matched with equal cuts to corporate and business tax rates.
Even if one ignores the fact that sales taxes (sometimes known as consumption taxes) is perhaps the most regressive tax in use (a fact that the Reps usually ignore, gleefully), the sales tax is a notoriously unreliable source of revenue, and the over-reliance on it has contributed greatly to AZ's budget crisis.
It wouldn't be surprising if Brewer finds that the lege's price for signing off on a special election to raise the sales tax is Brewer's signature on a bill to cut business taxes.
If that is the situation, while there's no guarantee that any special election questions will pass, no matter what happens the state will be worse off.
That is *not* what any of them -Brewer or the lege - were hired for.
Actually, on review of the opening paragraph, there is a third option -
They know how much damage they are causing, are proud of it, and believe that their rampage is the ticket to remain in office.
That's truly scary.
Later...
David Safier's take on recent developments is available at Blog for Arizona here.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Join The Weekend Protest Against Arpaio
From a press release from the Arizona Advocacy Network -
Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine calls on fans to join him in marching against Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s human and civil rights violations
Will lead Noche Cultural/Open Mic on Fri. 2/27, March in Phoenix, AZ on Sat. 2/28
PHOENIX, AZ --Zack de la Rocha of the internationally renowned rock band Rage Against the Machine has gigs in Phoenix this Friday and Saturday. But instead of standing on a stage he will be marching with people from all over the country who are asking the federal government to revoke Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s 287(g) agreement and stop the raids of workplaces and immigrant neighborhoods. The 287(g) agreements allow local law enforcement to arrest people if they are suspected of being in the U.S. without proper documents.
"To witness what is happening in Arizona and remain neutral is to be implicated in human rights violations that are occurring right here on US soil against migrants. History will not be kind to Joe Arpaio,” de la Rocha said, “He will be remembered with other infamous sheriffs like Bull Connor who subjugated and terrorized communities for shortsighted political gain. I hope everyone will join me in protesting Sheriff Joe."
"Recently the nation witnessed the ritual humiliation of migrants in a spectacle evocative of some of the most horrific episodes of human history," explains Pablo Alvarado, Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. "People across the country are outraged at the shameful violations of human rights perpetrated by the Maricopa County Sheriffs and they are being moved to action."
In the last month Sheriff Joe Arpaio intensified his on-going escalation of attacks against Latinos by segregating the county jail and parading undocumented migrants shackled in a chain-gang into "tent city." He erected and surrounded the tent with an electric fence in a grotesque display of human degradation.
The march is being organized by the National Day Laborers Organizing Network, Puente, Somos America/We Are America Coalition of Arizona, Arizona Advocacy Network and others at the request of groups all over the country that want to publicly denounce Sheriff Arpaio’s actions.To get marchers pumped up, de la Rocha will be headlining a Noche Cultural / open mic at Tonatierra, 802 N. 7th Street in Phoenix from 8pm to Midnight on Friday
2/27. For more information go to this Facebook page, or contact us at StopTheRaids@azadvocacy.org.WHAT:- Noche Cultural / Open Mic with Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine, Fri. 2/27 8pm to Midnight at 802 N. 7th St.-
March with Zach from Steele Indian School Park at 9am on Sat. 2/28.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
So how's that whole "lowering taxes creates jobs" thing working out?
On Monday evening, over 300 people met at ASU to speak to members of the Democratic caucus of the lege about the devastation caused by the Republican cuts to human services and education in Arizona. Cuts brought on by plummeting state revenue.
Coincidentally, earlier in the day, the House Ways and Means Committee considered further reducing revenue by passing HB2073, a proposal to repeal the state's equalization property tax, a source of revenue devoted to funding education. The committee passed the measure on a 5 - 3 party-line vote, with Reps voting to further cut revenue while the state is in a massive fiscal hole (Republican mantra - "There's no hole you can't make bigger").
Most of the big names in the Big Business Lobbyists - Arizona Chapter showed up to make certain their apologists on the committee (Reps. Andy Biggs, Debbie Lesko, Rick Murphy, Michelle Reagan, Steve Yarbrough) toed the party (and company!) line.
From the AZ Republic article linked above -
{start tired cliche}
In fact, they shamelessly harped on that talking point many times, clinging to it as a drowning man clings to a life preserver.
{end tired cliche} :))
Anyway, their repeated pounding on that point made me wonder.
The equalization tax that they want to permanently repeal has been suspended for three years. Surely there's going to be some evidence by now of a direct correlation between "no equalization tax for education" and "increased employment."
Right?
A quick search of the website of federal Bureau of Labor Statistics provides an answer to that question. (Arizona summary page here.)
In December of 2006, immediately prior to the suspension of the equalization tax, there were
2,888,648 people employed in Arizona;
In December of 2008, that number had risen to 2,945,861, an increase of 57,213.
That proves McCarthy's point, and the point of every Rep in the lege, right?
Not so much.
What that simple comparison doesn't show is that over the same period, the employable workforce also increased, by 159,806. In other words 64% of new workers haven't found jobs, and that statistic bears out in the changes in the state's unemployment rate.
In December 2006, the unemployment rate in AZ was 3.9%; in December 2008, it was 6.9%.
Let's be clear - since the equalization tax was suspended, Arizona's unemployment rate has increased 77%.
Another figure that illustrates just how bad the economy has gotten since the suspension of the equalization tax is the increase in Mass Layoff Events (50+ people laid off from one employer) -
In December 2006, there were 4 MLEs in AZ; by December 2008, that number had risen to 13.
Additionally, last month, there were 24 Mass Layoffs in Arizona.
And there will be still more in February (I know this because my company just had one at the beginning of the month, and is almost certain to have another by the end of spring. If not sooner.)
I know that regular commenter Thane or perhaps somebody from ATRA will point out that I provided no evidence directly linking the suspension of the equalization tax and the increase in the state's unemployment rate.
To that I will respond "Perhaps not, but neither have you provided a evidence of a direct link between defunding public education and increased job opportunities."
Later...
Coincidentally, earlier in the day, the House Ways and Means Committee considered further reducing revenue by passing HB2073, a proposal to repeal the state's equalization property tax, a source of revenue devoted to funding education. The committee passed the measure on a 5 - 3 party-line vote, with Reps voting to further cut revenue while the state is in a massive fiscal hole (Republican mantra - "There's no hole you can't make bigger").
Most of the big names in the Big Business Lobbyists - Arizona Chapter showed up to make certain their apologists on the committee (Reps. Andy Biggs, Debbie Lesko, Rick Murphy, Michelle Reagan, Steve Yarbrough) toed the party (and company!) line.
From the AZ Republic article linked above -
Joining the chamber in supporting House Bill 2073 were Pinnacle West Capital Corp., the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties and the Arizona Manufacturers Council. Representatives from the Arizona Tax Research Association and Americans for Tax Reform also supported the bill.I listened to the recording of the meeting (available here; due to technical difficulties, no video is available). One of the most vocal supporters of HB2073 was Kevin McCarthy of the Arizona Tax Research Association. He (and Biggs, Yarbrough, and Murphy, his parrots on the committee) stressed that lowering taxes would create jobs.
{start tired cliche}
In fact, they shamelessly harped on that talking point many times, clinging to it as a drowning man clings to a life preserver.
{end tired cliche} :))
Anyway, their repeated pounding on that point made me wonder.
The equalization tax that they want to permanently repeal has been suspended for three years. Surely there's going to be some evidence by now of a direct correlation between "no equalization tax for education" and "increased employment."
Right?
A quick search of the website of federal Bureau of Labor Statistics provides an answer to that question. (Arizona summary page here.)
In December of 2006, immediately prior to the suspension of the equalization tax, there were
2,888,648 people employed in Arizona;
In December of 2008, that number had risen to 2,945,861, an increase of 57,213.
That proves McCarthy's point, and the point of every Rep in the lege, right?
Not so much.
What that simple comparison doesn't show is that over the same period, the employable workforce also increased, by 159,806. In other words 64% of new workers haven't found jobs, and that statistic bears out in the changes in the state's unemployment rate.
In December 2006, the unemployment rate in AZ was 3.9%; in December 2008, it was 6.9%.
Let's be clear - since the equalization tax was suspended, Arizona's unemployment rate has increased 77%.
Another figure that illustrates just how bad the economy has gotten since the suspension of the equalization tax is the increase in Mass Layoff Events (50+ people laid off from one employer) -
In December 2006, there were 4 MLEs in AZ; by December 2008, that number had risen to 13.
Additionally, last month, there were 24 Mass Layoffs in Arizona.
And there will be still more in February (I know this because my company just had one at the beginning of the month, and is almost certain to have another by the end of spring. If not sooner.)
I know that regular commenter Thane or perhaps somebody from ATRA will point out that I provided no evidence directly linking the suspension of the equalization tax and the increase in the state's unemployment rate.
To that I will respond "Perhaps not, but neither have you provided a evidence of a direct link between defunding public education and increased job opportunities."
Later...
Arpaio's mantra - "It's everybody else's fault"
A prisoner escapes from Superior Court while in the custody of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, so naturally, Joe Arpaio doesn't objectively assess the incident, he just blames the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
From an AZ Republic story regarding the Court's efforts to examine what happened and to prevent future escapes (emphasis mine) -
Arpaio has had run-ins with the courts in the past, at times refusing to transport prisoners to their court appearances (he was slapped down quickly for that one, since that's a basic part of any sheriff's job), so it isn't surprising that the court felt it was appropriate to seek an objective analysis of what went wrong last week to ensure the safety of the public and court personnel in the future.
It's unfortunate in this time of budget crises at all levels of government that Arpaio and his lack of professionalism is causing the expenditure of more scarce resources.
And despite claims that he needs more deputies for court security, Arpaio has the option of transferring some from his anti-immigrant putsch squads.
Of course, that'll never happen - he doesn't get enough of a media coverage fix for mundane things like doing his job right.
From an AZ Republic story regarding the Court's efforts to examine what happened and to prevent future escapes (emphasis mine) -
The Maricopa County Superior Court has hired an outside consulting firm to investigate last week's escape of a convicted child rapist while he was on trial, court officials said.
Adrian Cruz was convicted in 2005 of sexually assaulting his girlfriend's 9-year-old daughter in his ice-cream truck. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 35 years. But he was back in court on trial for two unrelated rapes.
On Feb. 17, he slipped out of handcuffs during a lunchtime break and evaded the Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies who were supposed to be guarding him. His escape was captured by surveillance cameras as he walked unchallenged out of the downtown Phoenix court complex.
{snip}
"I smell some politics involved in this," Arpaio said of the consultants. "If they're not happy with the service, maybe they can hold the Board of Supervisors in contempt for not giving us the money for hiring the necessary deputies."
Arpaio has had run-ins with the courts in the past, at times refusing to transport prisoners to their court appearances (he was slapped down quickly for that one, since that's a basic part of any sheriff's job), so it isn't surprising that the court felt it was appropriate to seek an objective analysis of what went wrong last week to ensure the safety of the public and court personnel in the future.
It's unfortunate in this time of budget crises at all levels of government that Arpaio and his lack of professionalism is causing the expenditure of more scarce resources.
And despite claims that he needs more deputies for court security, Arpaio has the option of transferring some from his anti-immigrant putsch squads.
Of course, that'll never happen - he doesn't get enough of a media coverage fix for mundane things like doing his job right.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Education Rally At The State Capitol - March 4
Next Wednesday, March 4, there will be a massive rally in support of education at the State Capitol.
From the website of the Arizona Education Association -
From the website of the Arizona Education Association -
March4Schools - Sign up today!
On March 4, thousands of parents, teachers, education support professionals, and taxpayers will converge on the Capitol to demonstrate Arizona's broad and deep support for our public schools.
This rally at the Capitol will be the largest mobilization of education supporters in our state's history. AEA Education Day at the Capitol participants will be joined by thousands sharing their stories about the impact of budget cuts on education.
March4Schools
March 4
4 p.m.
Arizona Capitol
1700 West Washington
Here's the response, DSW...
...and for the record, you served up a BP fastball...
I normally don't counter-post, but since DSW at Sonoran Alliance has misrepresented what I said in an earlier post, a counter-post is an appropriate response.
Especially since DSW himself (or herself; it's an anonymous blog) chose to go the counter-post (both to me and to David Safier at Blog for Arizona) route instead of simply commenting on my original post.
The post in question criticized Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Gilbert) for rationalizing his anti-education funding vote by saying that ' "Education does not create jobs," he [Biggs] said. "Entrepreneurs and businesses create jobs." '
My response was thus - "Apparently he believes that entrepeneurs and businessmen don't need educations, nor do they need a workforce knowledgeable enough to adequately staff their businesses."
DSW's response to my criticism?
On a couple of points he is correct - having an excellent education does not guarantee one a job, nor, generally speaking, do teachers create jobs.
They just give people the tools (knowledge, ability to think critically and learn more) to create jobs or to fill those jobs adequately. In other words, they give people the tools they need to succeed in our society.
And a commenter (John) on DSW's post does bring up the success of college dropout Bill Gates and uses it as a bulwark to the argument that education isn't necessary for success.
That commenter might have had a point, except for a few things - Gates is highly intelligent, had access to oodles of investment capital via family connections (hat tip to commenter Ron on DSW's post for reminding everyone of that fact) and Gates had access to highly educated people to write Microsoft's software and do its accounting and legal work, and so forth.
Now, I'm not disparaging John's point completely - people without much formal education *can* succeed greatly if they have enough drive and intelligence (Gates is a case in point) and people with a lot of formal education and not much active intelligence can fail spectacularly (to whit: George W. Bush of the two Ivy League degrees and the lowest Presidential job approval ratings ever. To be fair to the Ivy League schools though, legacy admissions and "gentlemen's Cs don't motivate people to learn, especially when the Friends of Dad and Granddad are around to smooth the way.)
BTW - DSW should update his post - Tedski at R-Cubed is on the Biggs quote, too. :)
I normally don't counter-post, but since DSW at Sonoran Alliance has misrepresented what I said in an earlier post, a counter-post is an appropriate response.
Especially since DSW himself (or herself; it's an anonymous blog) chose to go the counter-post (both to me and to David Safier at Blog for Arizona) route instead of simply commenting on my original post.
The post in question criticized Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Gilbert) for rationalizing his anti-education funding vote by saying that ' "Education does not create jobs," he [Biggs] said. "Entrepreneurs and businesses create jobs." '
My response was thus - "Apparently he believes that entrepeneurs and businessmen don't need educations, nor do they need a workforce knowledgeable enough to adequately staff their businesses."
DSW's response to my criticism?
"Maybe this is a good time to chime in and remind our liberal bloggers that there are many highly educated Ph.D’s employed by our fine university system who could only find jobs within the university system. They have created no jobs. Simply put, having an excellent education does not guarantee you a job."
On a couple of points he is correct - having an excellent education does not guarantee one a job, nor, generally speaking, do teachers create jobs.
They just give people the tools (knowledge, ability to think critically and learn more) to create jobs or to fill those jobs adequately. In other words, they give people the tools they need to succeed in our society.
And a commenter (John) on DSW's post does bring up the success of college dropout Bill Gates and uses it as a bulwark to the argument that education isn't necessary for success.
That commenter might have had a point, except for a few things - Gates is highly intelligent, had access to oodles of investment capital via family connections (hat tip to commenter Ron on DSW's post for reminding everyone of that fact) and Gates had access to highly educated people to write Microsoft's software and do its accounting and legal work, and so forth.
Now, I'm not disparaging John's point completely - people without much formal education *can* succeed greatly if they have enough drive and intelligence (Gates is a case in point) and people with a lot of formal education and not much active intelligence can fail spectacularly (to whit: George W. Bush of the two Ivy League degrees and the lowest Presidential job approval ratings ever. To be fair to the Ivy League schools though, legacy admissions and "gentlemen's Cs don't motivate people to learn, especially when the Friends of Dad and Granddad are around to smooth the way.)
BTW - DSW should update his post - Tedski at R-Cubed is on the Biggs quote, too. :)
Republican Schmuck Alert
And no, I'm not talking about the former GOP candidate for the AZ House. :)
This is the first in an irregular series of posts, one that I expect will have unfortunately frequent entries.
Today, there are two candidates for schmuck-hood.
First up, the ever-loony Rep. Andy Biggs of Gilbert (thanks go out to David Safier at Blog for Arizona for spotting this one). From the AZ Daily Star -
Apparently he believes that entrepeneurs and businessmen don't need educations, nor do they need a workforce knowledgeable enough to adequately staff their businesses. I expect Biggs to be a regular honoree here.
Also up for consideration is State Superintendant of Public Instruction Tom Horne.
From the Yuma Sun story about the House Education Committee's vote to kill Rep. David Schapira's bill to raise the minimum age for dropping out of school to 18 -
Prior to his current gig, Horne, the chief educator in the state, was a lawyer. (Note: he's already formed a committee to "explore" running for AZ Attorney General next year.)
Prior to *his* current gig, Schapira, a member of the House Ed Committee, was a teacher.
When it comes to matters of teaching and education, that difference creates a credibility gap that only a full-blown schmuck would dive into, and dive into head first, at that.
Sad to say, but there will be more entries in this series sooner or later.
And probably sooner than later.
This is the first in an irregular series of posts, one that I expect will have unfortunately frequent entries.
Today, there are two candidates for schmuck-hood.
First up, the ever-loony Rep. Andy Biggs of Gilbert (thanks go out to David Safier at Blog for Arizona for spotting this one). From the AZ Daily Star -
"Education does not create jobs," he [Biggs] said. "Entrepreneurs and businesses create jobs."
Biggs added that it wouldn't matter whether Arizona has the best-educated work force in the country if higher taxes drive companies out of business.
Apparently he believes that entrepeneurs and businessmen don't need educations, nor do they need a workforce knowledgeable enough to adequately staff their businesses. I expect Biggs to be a regular honoree here.
Also up for consideration is State Superintendant of Public Instruction Tom Horne.
From the Yuma Sun story about the House Education Committee's vote to kill Rep. David Schapira's bill to raise the minimum age for dropping out of school to 18 -
Horne even poked some fun at Rep. David Schapira, D-Tempe, who is sponsoring the legislation.
"I think there should be a bill that says no one can propose it unless they spend a year teaching kids who don't want to be there,'' he said.
Prior to his current gig, Horne, the chief educator in the state, was a lawyer. (Note: he's already formed a committee to "explore" running for AZ Attorney General next year.)
Prior to *his* current gig, Schapira, a member of the House Ed Committee, was a teacher.
When it comes to matters of teaching and education, that difference creates a credibility gap that only a full-blown schmuck would dive into, and dive into head first, at that.
Sad to say, but there will be more entries in this series sooner or later.
And probably sooner than later.
Last night's budget forum at ASU
For nearly three emotionally-wracked hours on Monday evening, 14 members of the Democratic caucus of the state legislature listened to Arizonans tell of the devastation to their lives caused by the draconian budget cuts imposed on the state's education and human services structure.
Hosts Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill and Reps. David Schapira and Ed Ableser (all representing LD17, the home of ASU) were joined by colleagues from all over the state - Sen. Jorge Luis Garcia and Representatives Rae Waters, Kyrsten Sinema, David Lujan, Pat Fleming, Lynne Pancrazi, Daniel Patterson, Matt Heinz, Chad Campbell, Tom Chabin, and Christopher Deschene, who all graciously took the time out of their lives to visit Tempe.
While there were folks from all parts of society there, the developmentally disabled community was particularly well-, and heart-breakingly, represented.
ASU Web Devil coverage here; AZ Republic coverage here. In addition, Rep. Patterson's blog entry covering the event is here.
I'll have more later after I get the pics of the event uploaded, but Patterson's blog post touches on something I want to mention now.
On Thursday, there will be a rally at the State Capitol from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. to support saving services for Arizona's Children with Disabilities.
Everyone is urged to attend to make your voice heard.
More later...
Edit to add (info courtesy Rep. Steve Farley's latest Farley Report):
Next Thursday, March 5, there will be a similar forum at U of A in Tucson.
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Location: U of A Student Union, South Ballroom, 1330 E. University Blvd., Tucson
Hosts Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill and Reps. David Schapira and Ed Ableser (all representing LD17, the home of ASU) were joined by colleagues from all over the state - Sen. Jorge Luis Garcia and Representatives Rae Waters, Kyrsten Sinema, David Lujan, Pat Fleming, Lynne Pancrazi, Daniel Patterson, Matt Heinz, Chad Campbell, Tom Chabin, and Christopher Deschene, who all graciously took the time out of their lives to visit Tempe.
While there were folks from all parts of society there, the developmentally disabled community was particularly well-, and heart-breakingly, represented.
ASU Web Devil coverage here; AZ Republic coverage here. In addition, Rep. Patterson's blog entry covering the event is here.
I'll have more later after I get the pics of the event uploaded, but Patterson's blog post touches on something I want to mention now.
On Thursday, there will be a rally at the State Capitol from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. to support saving services for Arizona's Children with Disabilities.
Everyone is urged to attend to make your voice heard.
More later...
Edit to add (info courtesy Rep. Steve Farley's latest Farley Report):
Next Thursday, March 5, there will be a similar forum at U of A in Tucson.
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Location: U of A Student Union, South Ballroom, 1330 E. University Blvd., Tucson
Monday, February 23, 2009
State Rep. David Schapira: column on education and the state budget
State Representative David Schapira (D-LD17) wrote a column that was published by the Arizona Republic in Saturday's edition of the community news section in Tempe. There's no link available - I couldn't find it on their website. It was there though - I read it.)
Fortunately, however, he sent it out as part of an email reminder of tonight's budget hearing at ASU (6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., Ventana Room (#241), Memorial Union).
From the email -
See you at tonight's hearing!
Fortunately, however, he sent it out as part of an email reminder of tonight's budget hearing at ASU (6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., Ventana Room (#241), Memorial Union).
From the email -
Last week, in a Tempe Republic column, Editor Tom Spratt wrote that legislators owe it to constituents to share budget updates.
I couldn't agree more.
Legislative leaders have broken their promise to be open and transparent, and they have not addressed the impact of deep budget cuts to the people they will affect.
The fact is that the legislators who voted to pass the 2009 budget had not publicly discussed the impact of their decision with constituents, K-12 students, parents and teachers or with the universities.
They didn't even discuss it with legislative Democrats or rank-and-file Republicans before it was up for votes on the House and Senate floors.
Spratt wrote that legislators could do more - travel around their districts, meet with constituents, hold forums, answer questions and explain exactly what people should expect as a result of the cuts for this fiscal year and the proposals for the next fiscal year, which starts in July.
Legislative Democrats have hosted six public budget hearings in the last two months to discuss the impact of the deep budget cuts and to hear concerns of citizens in the community about the impact of the budget.
We've held these hearings in Casa Grande, Phoenix, Yuma, Tucson, Prescott and Flagstaff. Our seventh in this series will be on Monday at Arizona State University in Tempe, followed by hearings in Sierra Vista and at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
We hope to continue to hear from constituents and community members about how these cuts will impact their lives and the concerns they have about the 2010 budget.
I share the concern of many Arizonans with regard to the deep cuts to education for this fiscal year and those that are being proposed starting in July.
I have worked hard in recent weeks to get the word out about the education cuts. I meticulously detailed the proposed cuts in public Education Committee meetings and budget forums in Flagstaff, Tucson and Phoenix, and I will do so again at the public budget hearing on Feb. 23 in Tempe. At each forum, I went into great detail in publicly questioning school administrators and university presidents as to the impact of the proposed cuts on their schools.
In addition to participating in public meetings, I appeared on Channel 8's "Horizon," submitted an commentary regarding the budget to The Republic and responded to many reporter inquiries on the proposed education cuts, speaking extensively about potential impacts.
I also have made all of this information available on my website and in email updates to constituents who sign up there.
I fought hard for education on the House floor in the middle of the night, doing my best to convince my Republican colleagues that thousands of jobs will be lost and we would lose major parts of ASU, our community's economic engine. I also pleaded with them to consider the impact on student learning in our state.
I have worked hard to protect education in District 17 and in Arizona, and I always will.
I encourage all constituents to attend our public budget hearing on Monday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at ASU's Memorial Union in Ventana Room 241. We will present detailed information on the budget and seek public comment.
Also, please take a moment to sign up on my website, www.DavidSchapira.com, to receive future budget updates and information.
State Rep. David Schapira, D-Tempe, represents District 17.
See you at tonight's hearing!
2009 Legislative Loon Award
It's been tough finding a "winner" of this year's Legislative Loon Award. The problem hasn't been a dearth of candidates, because the rightward lurch of the GOP caucus in the lege has created a surfeit of them. (And so ends this blog's Thesaurus sentence of the year :) )
As in previous years, the likes of State Sens. Russell Pearce and Jack Harper were frontrunners for this award, as was Representative John Kavanagh. In addition to their nativist enthusiasms, Pearce and Kavanagh are the chairs of their respective chambers' Appropriations Committees, and have the influence to further the more radical parts of their ideology. Harper is, well, *Harper,* the man who never met a bill or utterance too outlandish or ignorant for him to put his name to it.
In a normal year, there would be no more than one or two others in serious contention (Trish Groe will be missed...OK, not really.)
But this year, a huge percentage of their colleagues have given free rein to their inner whackjob, in ways that go beyond the usual "appeal to the wingers back home" bills that go nowhere, and were never meant to.
Before we even enter into a discussion of some of the horrific bills proposed this session, there's the "colorful" utterances of some of the legislators to consider -
- Rep. Frank Antenori, a resident of Tucson and elected to represent part of Tucson, expressed objections to newspapers designating him as "R-Tucson." Apparently, he has a problem with the "hippies" that run the city.
- Sen. Pam Gorman, from her blog, on the prospect of devastating budget cuts for education and the rest of the state's budget (emphasis mine) - "Essentially, we will get to sit around in small groups brainstorming on ways to cut government spending instead of the normal nauseating disputes about how to spend more. Yippee! Now, where’s my party hat? "
- Sen. Jack Harper, responding to a story that Arizona, the rate of people applying for food stamps is rising at twice the pace of the U.S. as a whole (from Seeing Red AZ) - "One of the reasons so many people are signing up for welfare is due to so many welfare offices being opened up by the state and making it easy:," followed by a listing of all DES offices in the state.
No acknowledgement that maybe the reason that more people are applying for food stamps and other assistance is that more people *need* the assistance.
- Rep. John Kavanagh, speaking gleefully on the effects of cuts to the state's universities - "Since our cuts are going to send ASU back to the Middle Ages, the question is how many monks will they need?"
And that's just skimming the surface.
Then we move on to the transparency of the budget process (and balancing the state's budget in the face of the current fiscal crisis), something that the wingers complained about on an annual basis, when the moderate Republicans in the lege worked out a budget with then-Governor Napolitano and were able to garner enough support for it on both sides of the aisle to pass it. So what do the wingers do now that they've ousted most of the moderates in the Republican caucus and have fellow traveller Jan Brewer in the Governor's office?
Determine which programs to cut, and how savagely, behind closed doors.
They've even made their blog, Capitol Ideas (http://azhousegop.blogspot.com/), available to "invited readers" (i.e. - "true believers" in their view, "fellow Kool-Aid drinkers" in mine) only.
And then there are the bills.
In addition to their now-annual moves to repeal the state's equalization property tax, a dedicated funding source for education (SB1107, among others) or moves to repeal other taxes (HCR2034, et. al.), they've got the bills with the usual nativist pablum (with Russell Pearce lending his name to at least 16 of them), the anti-choice screeds (such as HB2564), and, of course, the gun fetish bills (SB1270, HB2171, and others).
But wait, there's more -
- The myriad bills against the use of photo radar, the most colorful of which may be Rep. Andy Biggs' HB2124, which won't allow photo radar to be used to issue tickets for going less than 35 mph in a school zone or less than 85 mph on a freeway. (Thanks to blogger Mike McClellan at AZCentral.com for the heads-up on HB2124)
You know, I can understand the 85 mph requirement in the rural portions of the state, where the speed limit is 75 mph, but 35 mph in a school zone? If there is one area that calls for strict enforcement of speed limits it's school zones.
- Sen. Ron Gould's SB1359, which would allow cities and towns to "construct, operate and finance the construction of toll roads within the corporate limits of the city or town."
- Sen. John Huppenthal's SB1393, a measure written so broadly that it would turn the public school system into a religious school system.
- Rep. Warde Nichols' scheme to disband the Arizona Board of Regents, HCR2002.
- SB1123, a Republican move to make Tucson's municipal elections non-partisan, mostly because Democrats win in Tucson.
- SB1147, which would bar state agencies from adopting any rules or policies regarding greenhouse gases or fuel economy without the express direction of the lege. The same lege that is run by Republicans who think that scientific evidence regarding global warming and human impact on the environment is a fraud.
There are more, but the point is made - Pearce, Kavanagh, and Harper have a LOT of company this year down on West Washington.
As such, the winner of this year's Legislative Loon Award is...
The entire Republican caucus of the Arizona Legislature.
God help us all.
Note: to be fair, I should note that there are still a few members of the Rep caucus who take the idea of public service seriously, however, most of them have to keep silent or face a primary challenge from hardliners. And in today's AZ Republican Party, the reality is that few of them are safe from such a challenge.
As in previous years, the likes of State Sens. Russell Pearce and Jack Harper were frontrunners for this award, as was Representative John Kavanagh. In addition to their nativist enthusiasms, Pearce and Kavanagh are the chairs of their respective chambers' Appropriations Committees, and have the influence to further the more radical parts of their ideology. Harper is, well, *Harper,* the man who never met a bill or utterance too outlandish or ignorant for him to put his name to it.
In a normal year, there would be no more than one or two others in serious contention (Trish Groe will be missed...OK, not really.)
But this year, a huge percentage of their colleagues have given free rein to their inner whackjob, in ways that go beyond the usual "appeal to the wingers back home" bills that go nowhere, and were never meant to.
Before we even enter into a discussion of some of the horrific bills proposed this session, there's the "colorful" utterances of some of the legislators to consider -
- Rep. Frank Antenori, a resident of Tucson and elected to represent part of Tucson, expressed objections to newspapers designating him as "R-Tucson." Apparently, he has a problem with the "hippies" that run the city.
- Sen. Pam Gorman, from her blog, on the prospect of devastating budget cuts for education and the rest of the state's budget (emphasis mine) - "Essentially, we will get to sit around in small groups brainstorming on ways to cut government spending instead of the normal nauseating disputes about how to spend more. Yippee! Now, where’s my party hat? "
- Sen. Jack Harper, responding to a story that Arizona, the rate of people applying for food stamps is rising at twice the pace of the U.S. as a whole (from Seeing Red AZ) - "One of the reasons so many people are signing up for welfare is due to so many welfare offices being opened up by the state and making it easy:," followed by a listing of all DES offices in the state.
No acknowledgement that maybe the reason that more people are applying for food stamps and other assistance is that more people *need* the assistance.
- Rep. John Kavanagh, speaking gleefully on the effects of cuts to the state's universities - "Since our cuts are going to send ASU back to the Middle Ages, the question is how many monks will they need?"
And that's just skimming the surface.
Then we move on to the transparency of the budget process (and balancing the state's budget in the face of the current fiscal crisis), something that the wingers complained about on an annual basis, when the moderate Republicans in the lege worked out a budget with then-Governor Napolitano and were able to garner enough support for it on both sides of the aisle to pass it. So what do the wingers do now that they've ousted most of the moderates in the Republican caucus and have fellow traveller Jan Brewer in the Governor's office?
Determine which programs to cut, and how savagely, behind closed doors.
They've even made their blog, Capitol Ideas (http://azhousegop.blogspot.com/), available to "invited readers" (i.e. - "true believers" in their view, "fellow Kool-Aid drinkers" in mine) only.
And then there are the bills.
In addition to their now-annual moves to repeal the state's equalization property tax, a dedicated funding source for education (SB1107, among others) or moves to repeal other taxes (HCR2034, et. al.), they've got the bills with the usual nativist pablum (with Russell Pearce lending his name to at least 16 of them), the anti-choice screeds (such as HB2564), and, of course, the gun fetish bills (SB1270, HB2171, and others).
But wait, there's more -
- The myriad bills against the use of photo radar, the most colorful of which may be Rep. Andy Biggs' HB2124, which won't allow photo radar to be used to issue tickets for going less than 35 mph in a school zone or less than 85 mph on a freeway. (Thanks to blogger Mike McClellan at AZCentral.com for the heads-up on HB2124)
You know, I can understand the 85 mph requirement in the rural portions of the state, where the speed limit is 75 mph, but 35 mph in a school zone? If there is one area that calls for strict enforcement of speed limits it's school zones.
- Sen. Ron Gould's SB1359, which would allow cities and towns to "construct, operate and finance the construction of toll roads within the corporate limits of the city or town."
- Sen. John Huppenthal's SB1393, a measure written so broadly that it would turn the public school system into a religious school system.
- Rep. Warde Nichols' scheme to disband the Arizona Board of Regents, HCR2002.
- SB1123, a Republican move to make Tucson's municipal elections non-partisan, mostly because Democrats win in Tucson.
- SB1147, which would bar state agencies from adopting any rules or policies regarding greenhouse gases or fuel economy without the express direction of the lege. The same lege that is run by Republicans who think that scientific evidence regarding global warming and human impact on the environment is a fraud.
There are more, but the point is made - Pearce, Kavanagh, and Harper have a LOT of company this year down on West Washington.
As such, the winner of this year's Legislative Loon Award is...
The entire Republican caucus of the Arizona Legislature.
God help us all.
Note: to be fair, I should note that there are still a few members of the Rep caucus who take the idea of public service seriously, however, most of them have to keep silent or face a primary challenge from hardliners. And in today's AZ Republican Party, the reality is that few of them are safe from such a challenge.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Republicans: Opposed To Big Government Helping People...
...But Not Opposed To Big Goverment Restricting People...
...Thanks go out to That's My Congress! for pointing this one out...
This may be a shock, but it turns out that not all Republicans are supporters of the ideal of smaller government.
Well, under specific circumstances, anyway.
Senator John Cornyn and Congressman Lamar Smith, both representing Texas, have each introduced identical bills to end and criminalize anonymous use of the internet.
Under the guise of fighting child pornography, Cornyn introduced S.436 and Smith introduced H.R.1076, the "Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today's Youth (SAFETY) Act of 2009."
Most of the Act does, in fact, address child porn and exploitation of minors.
However, both bills have the same overreaching section.
And as Declan McCullagh, chief political correspondent for CNET points out -
At a press conference touting the bills, Cornyn said (quoted in the CNET article) -
Umm...yeah.
If all Cornyn and Smith were interested in was restricting child porn, there would be specific safeguards in the bill's language to limit the availability of records retained under section 5 to child porn investigations.
No such provisions exist in the bills.
This is a rather hypocritical "pro-Big Brother/Big Government" turn from two Republicans who joined all but three D.C. Republicans in voting against the economic stimulus that was passed to try to aid the average American during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
You know, the economic stimulus package that has provisions to help kids with their educations...oh wait...that's "helping," not "restricting."
I understand now.
Another take on this from CrooksandLiars.com here.
Later...
...Thanks go out to That's My Congress! for pointing this one out...
This may be a shock, but it turns out that not all Republicans are supporters of the ideal of smaller government.
Well, under specific circumstances, anyway.
Senator John Cornyn and Congressman Lamar Smith, both representing Texas, have each introduced identical bills to end and criminalize anonymous use of the internet.
Under the guise of fighting child pornography, Cornyn introduced S.436 and Smith introduced H.R.1076, the "Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today's Youth (SAFETY) Act of 2009."
Most of the Act does, in fact, address child porn and exploitation of minors.
However, both bills have the same overreaching section.
SEC. 5. RETENTION OF RECORDS BY ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION SERVICE PROVIDERS.
Section 2703 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(h) Retention of Certain Records and Information- A provider of an electronic communication service or remote computing service shall retain for a period of at least two years all records or other information pertaining to the identity of a user of a temporarily assigned network address the service assigns to that user.'.
And as Declan McCullagh, chief political correspondent for CNET points out -
The legal definition of electronic communication service is "any service which provides to users thereof the ability to send or receive wire or electronic communications." The U.S. Justice Department's position is that any service "that provides others with means of communicating electronically" qualifies.
That sweeps in not just public Wi-Fi access points, but password-protected ones too, and applies to individuals, small businesses, large corporations, libraries, schools, universities, and even government agencies. Voice over IP services may be covered too.
At a press conference touting the bills, Cornyn said (quoted in the CNET article) -
"While the Internet has generated many positive changes in the way we communicate and do business, its limitless nature offers anonymity that has opened the door to criminals looking to harm innocent children."
Umm...yeah.
If all Cornyn and Smith were interested in was restricting child porn, there would be specific safeguards in the bill's language to limit the availability of records retained under section 5 to child porn investigations.
No such provisions exist in the bills.
This is a rather hypocritical "pro-Big Brother/Big Government" turn from two Republicans who joined all but three D.C. Republicans in voting against the economic stimulus that was passed to try to aid the average American during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
You know, the economic stimulus package that has provisions to help kids with their educations...oh wait...that's "helping," not "restricting."
I understand now.
Another take on this from CrooksandLiars.com here.
Later...
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Public Forum On The State Budget At ASU On Monday
From a press release -
...In other LD17/Tempe news, on Tuesday, State Senator Meg Burton Cahill and State Representatives David Schapira and Ed Ableser will appear on Tempe cable channel 11 in this month's edition of Let's Talk Tempe. The program is hosted by Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman. The program is taped before a live audience at the Pyle Center (SW corner of Southern and Rural in Tempe) from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The public is invited to watch and participate in the discussion.THE ARIZONA STATE LEGISLATURE HOUSE AND SENATE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES
Invite you to Public Hearings on the State Budget
Members of both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will be in attendance to hear citizens’ questions and concerns about the state budget shortfall and proposed solutions:
Arizona State University - Main Campus, Tempe
Monday, February 23rd, 2009, 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Memorial Union (MU) building, Ventana Room, Second Floor, Room 241
Paid ($2/hr) Visitor
Parking available in Parking Structure 1
Located at Apache Blvd. and College Ave.
For additional information contact:
Cynthia Aragon, Community and Constituent Liaison, House of Representatives, 602-926-3591 or caragon[at]azleg.gov
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wonder if Jan Brewer is a fan of The Rolling Stones...
...because they must have had her and the situation in Arizona in mind when they cut the song "Rock And A Hard Place."
The morphing of the GOP into the "Grand Obstructionist Party" isn't confined to all but three members of the Republican membership in Congress.
Across the country, a number of Republican governors have announced that they are considering not accepting some or all of the federal economic stimulus money.
From AP via MSNBC -
The article goes on to note that some of those governors have the luxury of proving up on their "True Conservative" Republican bonafides (apparently, screwing over your constituents is a Republican "principle"), because while *they* may not accept federal stimulus money, they can count on their states' Democratic legislatures to do so for them.
Jan Brewer, Arizona's newly-minted governor (coming up on her one-month anniversary - whooo hooo...right Jan?) doesn't have that luxury - not only does her own party have a majority in both chambers of the state lege, it's the radical, anti-everything positive wing of her party that's in charge.
Which places Brewer, the person who is supposed to be in charge of Arizona's government, in a tough position.
If, as the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) says, she is the one who decides if federal stimulus money is accepted and how it is spent, then her constituents (you know, the ones who will be voting next year), will expect her to look out for their interests. Sen. Russell Pearce, one of the leaders of the radicals, disagrees, but so far he is being polite about it (read the article linked to "says").
So on one hand, if Brewer plans to run for a full term as governor, refusing stimulus money for especially hard-hit Arizona could alienate economically-ailing voters and cost her a general election win.
On the other hand, accepting the money will almost certainly motivate a primary challenge from Pearce's radical wing of the GOP, and given the wingnuts' defeat of moderate Reps last September, such a challenge could very well generate a high enough turnout of the radicals to unseat Brewer even before the general election.
So she's got problems either way she goes, if she pursues a full term.
If she chooses not to seek a full term, that would free her from factoring electoral considerations into her decisions on stimulus money. However, even if electoral considerations are removed from the decision equation, that would leave the best interests of Arizonans competing with her own partisan ideology.
Arizonans - be afraid, very afraid.
Having never met Governor Brewer or any of her advisers, I don't know if they are smart enough to figure a way out of this for Brewer that leaves her with a political future. The tap dancing should be fun to watch though.
That dance has already started, awkwardly, with her trial balloon of a special election to raise the state's sales tax.
That one seems to have had a unique effect of uniting both caucuses of the lege - the Reps have pledged to only cut programs, not raise revenue, and many Dems (including the non-legislator writing this post :) ) find that raising the most regressive tax in the state (one whose instability as a revenue source is a major factor in the state's budget crisis) is the absolutely worst approach for addressing the state's budget shortfall.
BTW - am I the only one who finds that the Governor's move to put it out to referendum, without even *trying* to get it through the lege, smacks of craven political cowardice? One of the things that a governor has to do is make tough, even unpopular, decisions.
Later!
The morphing of the GOP into the "Grand Obstructionist Party" isn't confined to all but three members of the Republican membership in Congress.
Across the country, a number of Republican governors have announced that they are considering not accepting some or all of the federal economic stimulus money.
From AP via MSNBC -
GOP govs consider rejecting stimulus money
Opponents say move puts conservative ideology ahead of constituents
BATON ROUGE, La. - A handful of Republican governors are considering turning down some money from the federal stimulus package, a move opponents say puts conservative ideology ahead of the needs of constituents struggling with record foreclosures and soaring unemployment.
Though none has outright rejected the money available for education, health care and infrastructure, the governors of Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alaska, South Carolina and Idaho have all questioned whether the $787 billion bill signed into law this week will even help the economy.
The article goes on to note that some of those governors have the luxury of proving up on their "True Conservative" Republican bonafides (apparently, screwing over your constituents is a Republican "principle"), because while *they* may not accept federal stimulus money, they can count on their states' Democratic legislatures to do so for them.
Jan Brewer, Arizona's newly-minted governor (coming up on her one-month anniversary - whooo hooo...right Jan?) doesn't have that luxury - not only does her own party have a majority in both chambers of the state lege, it's the radical, anti-everything positive wing of her party that's in charge.
Which places Brewer, the person who is supposed to be in charge of Arizona's government, in a tough position.
If, as the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) says, she is the one who decides if federal stimulus money is accepted and how it is spent, then her constituents (you know, the ones who will be voting next year), will expect her to look out for their interests. Sen. Russell Pearce, one of the leaders of the radicals, disagrees, but so far he is being polite about it (read the article linked to "says").
So on one hand, if Brewer plans to run for a full term as governor, refusing stimulus money for especially hard-hit Arizona could alienate economically-ailing voters and cost her a general election win.
On the other hand, accepting the money will almost certainly motivate a primary challenge from Pearce's radical wing of the GOP, and given the wingnuts' defeat of moderate Reps last September, such a challenge could very well generate a high enough turnout of the radicals to unseat Brewer even before the general election.
So she's got problems either way she goes, if she pursues a full term.
If she chooses not to seek a full term, that would free her from factoring electoral considerations into her decisions on stimulus money. However, even if electoral considerations are removed from the decision equation, that would leave the best interests of Arizonans competing with her own partisan ideology.
Arizonans - be afraid, very afraid.
Having never met Governor Brewer or any of her advisers, I don't know if they are smart enough to figure a way out of this for Brewer that leaves her with a political future. The tap dancing should be fun to watch though.
That dance has already started, awkwardly, with her trial balloon of a special election to raise the state's sales tax.
That one seems to have had a unique effect of uniting both caucuses of the lege - the Reps have pledged to only cut programs, not raise revenue, and many Dems (including the non-legislator writing this post :) ) find that raising the most regressive tax in the state (one whose instability as a revenue source is a major factor in the state's budget crisis) is the absolutely worst approach for addressing the state's budget shortfall.
BTW - am I the only one who finds that the Governor's move to put it out to referendum, without even *trying* to get it through the lege, smacks of craven political cowardice? One of the things that a governor has to do is make tough, even unpopular, decisions.
Later!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
"Bush league" behavior isn't confined to the minor leagues
...and this post is *not* about George W. Bush...
Perhaps inspired by the commencement of baseball's spring training season (reporting dates here), I've been struck (not for the first time, nor am I the first to make this observation), that politics is has a structure that is very similar to professional baseball.
School committee and city council seats and the like are analogous to A-level minor ball. For many, if not most, of the holders of these offices, these are entry level positions where they spend most of their time learning their professions.
Mayors and state legislators are politics' AA leagues. There are some entry-level participants, and a few are ready to make the jump to the bigs, but most have some experience but still need to hone their craft. Lower level statewide offices tend to fall into this category, too.
Higher-level statewide offices and most seats in the U.S. Congress are the equivalent of AAA. Most of the participants have major-league ready skills, but are in search of an opportunity to move up.
At the major league level are a few Congressfolks (Speakers, Majority and Minority Leaders and Whips, etc.), most U.S. Senators, and, of course, the President of the United States.
The categories are a little flexible, as politics is more about influence wielded than about the office occupied. For example, for the longest time, the most powerful elected official in Massachusetts wasn't the governor or one of the U.S. senators. Instead, the mayor of Boston was often held that distinction. Must have been something about controlling when the State House was plowed out during the winter. :)
Arizonans, Democrats and Republicans alike, should be grateful that Phil Gordon doesn't have the big stick of snow removal available to him. :))
All of which serves as a set up to this - while most political offices and office-holders are "minor league", with the colorful imagery that name can bring to mind, few are "bush league."
"Bush League", courtesy Princeton University - "a league of teams that do not belong to a major league (especially baseball)"
One of the common characteristics in both baseball and politics is that while players are learning the basic skills of their respective professions as they rise through the levels, they also learn the 'soft' skills, the behaviors that lead to long-term success at the next level.
Behaviors that have less to do with knowing how to hit curve balls or how to initiate a quorum call to block a bill, and more with acting like a professional.
The movie Bull Durham has a couple of good scenes about shower shoes and interview cliches that illustrates this phenomenon.
It looks like many Republicans, even putative "major leaguers," have forgotten that as much as anything else, professionalism influences how long someone stays in the big leagues.
Sometimes it's something as trivial as threatening to kill a fellow legislator's bills in a given session of the AZ lege because that legislator (a Dem, of course) dared to publicly and on the record, debunk the Reps' talking points about the state's budget crisis. (Hey guys - it's not Janet Napolitano's fault, no matter how much you want people to ignore the lege's creation of every budget) Still, the AZ lege is definitely a minor league, and that sort of behavior isn't exactly unheard of in the minors.
Some Republicans however, don't have that mitigating circumstance to fall back on.
This week, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) put together a web ad crowing about the solidarity of the House GOP in it's opposition to the economic stimulus package that President Obama signed into law today in Denver.
It was set to the song "Back in the Saddle" by Aerosmith.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the lyrics of the song, it's about a guy...ummm... "expressing his happiness" at getting back together with a favorite hooker and some of their ensuing activities.
Which, coincidentally, are the same things that the Reps in Congress have been doing to America for years.
It's pretty bush league to crow about screwing your employer.
The video had been posted on YouTube, but was later pulled down due to a copyright complaint from the band's management.
Copyright infringement for political gain is pretty bush league, too.
HuffingtonPost coverage here.
Cantor hasn't been having a good month - just last week, his office sent out an obscenity-laden anti-union (AFSCME to be specific) video (SF Chronicle). He defended it by saying it was a satire, but later apologized for it.
It's pretty bush league to attack your employers (yes, union workers are citizens, taxpayers, and voters) as profane thugs.
I'll be nice and ignore the fact that the employer of the wife of the stridently anti-bailout Cantor received millions of dollars from the bank bailout. (HuffingtonPost)
Piling on would be so bush league. :))
Of course, some of the bush league stuff is closer to home.
Both of Arizona's U.S. Senators, John McCain and Jon Kyl, are ignoring the President's visit to one of the state's areas that is most impacted by the collapse of the housing bubble.
They have "other plans."
Ignoring the needs of your constituents because the President isn't a member of your party is pretty bush league...oh wait. They were doing that even when fellow Rep George W. Bush was in the White House.
Never mind. :)
Anyway, not quite falling into the "bush league" category was former Congressman (and eternal blowhard) JD Hayworth's appearance on MSNBC yesterday on the show "Hardball with Chris Matthews."
It was more in the category of "faded player hanging around the independent leagues [i.e. - talk radio] pathetically trying for one more shot at glory."
He insisted that Republican policies of endless deregulation and tax cuts for the wealthy weren't the problem with the economy, it was Sen. Charles Schumer and George Soros.
I'm not making this up. Watch the video.
Anyway, it's hardly unheard of for players who don't want to fade quietly into retirement to sign on with an independent league to showcase/maintain their skills while seeking another chance at a season in the sun.
Rickey Henderson, one of the all-time great, perhaps the single greatest, leadoff hitters ever played in a number of indy leagues while waiting for one last call from a major league club. That call didn't come, but he was a first ballot electee to the Baseball Hall of Fame this year.
On the other hand, JD was and is no Rickey. About the only thing they have in common is their ability to talk a good game.
However, unlike JD, Henderson could actually *play*.
Of course, Hayworth's appearance may not have been a case of a "pathetic attempt to regain former glory".
It could have been a case of "the Republicans are scraping the bottom of the barrel of people who can spew their anti-average American BS with a straight face."
The take of Tedski at R-Cubed on this, with embedded video, here.
Later!
Perhaps inspired by the commencement of baseball's spring training season (reporting dates here), I've been struck (not for the first time, nor am I the first to make this observation), that politics is has a structure that is very similar to professional baseball.
School committee and city council seats and the like are analogous to A-level minor ball. For many, if not most, of the holders of these offices, these are entry level positions where they spend most of their time learning their professions.
Mayors and state legislators are politics' AA leagues. There are some entry-level participants, and a few are ready to make the jump to the bigs, but most have some experience but still need to hone their craft. Lower level statewide offices tend to fall into this category, too.
Higher-level statewide offices and most seats in the U.S. Congress are the equivalent of AAA. Most of the participants have major-league ready skills, but are in search of an opportunity to move up.
At the major league level are a few Congressfolks (Speakers, Majority and Minority Leaders and Whips, etc.), most U.S. Senators, and, of course, the President of the United States.
The categories are a little flexible, as politics is more about influence wielded than about the office occupied. For example, for the longest time, the most powerful elected official in Massachusetts wasn't the governor or one of the U.S. senators. Instead, the mayor of Boston was often held that distinction. Must have been something about controlling when the State House was plowed out during the winter. :)
Arizonans, Democrats and Republicans alike, should be grateful that Phil Gordon doesn't have the big stick of snow removal available to him. :))
All of which serves as a set up to this - while most political offices and office-holders are "minor league", with the colorful imagery that name can bring to mind, few are "bush league."
"Bush League", courtesy Princeton University - "a league of teams that do not belong to a major league (especially baseball)"
One of the common characteristics in both baseball and politics is that while players are learning the basic skills of their respective professions as they rise through the levels, they also learn the 'soft' skills, the behaviors that lead to long-term success at the next level.
Behaviors that have less to do with knowing how to hit curve balls or how to initiate a quorum call to block a bill, and more with acting like a professional.
The movie Bull Durham has a couple of good scenes about shower shoes and interview cliches that illustrates this phenomenon.
It looks like many Republicans, even putative "major leaguers," have forgotten that as much as anything else, professionalism influences how long someone stays in the big leagues.
Sometimes it's something as trivial as threatening to kill a fellow legislator's bills in a given session of the AZ lege because that legislator (a Dem, of course) dared to publicly and on the record, debunk the Reps' talking points about the state's budget crisis. (Hey guys - it's not Janet Napolitano's fault, no matter how much you want people to ignore the lege's creation of every budget) Still, the AZ lege is definitely a minor league, and that sort of behavior isn't exactly unheard of in the minors.
Some Republicans however, don't have that mitigating circumstance to fall back on.
This week, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) put together a web ad crowing about the solidarity of the House GOP in it's opposition to the economic stimulus package that President Obama signed into law today in Denver.
It was set to the song "Back in the Saddle" by Aerosmith.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the lyrics of the song, it's about a guy...ummm... "expressing his happiness" at getting back together with a favorite hooker and some of their ensuing activities.
Which, coincidentally, are the same things that the Reps in Congress have been doing to America for years.
It's pretty bush league to crow about screwing your employer.
The video had been posted on YouTube, but was later pulled down due to a copyright complaint from the band's management.
Copyright infringement for political gain is pretty bush league, too.
HuffingtonPost coverage here.
Cantor hasn't been having a good month - just last week, his office sent out an obscenity-laden anti-union (AFSCME to be specific) video (SF Chronicle). He defended it by saying it was a satire, but later apologized for it.
It's pretty bush league to attack your employers (yes, union workers are citizens, taxpayers, and voters) as profane thugs.
I'll be nice and ignore the fact that the employer of the wife of the stridently anti-bailout Cantor received millions of dollars from the bank bailout. (HuffingtonPost)
Piling on would be so bush league. :))
Of course, some of the bush league stuff is closer to home.
Both of Arizona's U.S. Senators, John McCain and Jon Kyl, are ignoring the President's visit to one of the state's areas that is most impacted by the collapse of the housing bubble.
They have "other plans."
Ignoring the needs of your constituents because the President isn't a member of your party is pretty bush league...oh wait. They were doing that even when fellow Rep George W. Bush was in the White House.
Never mind. :)
Anyway, not quite falling into the "bush league" category was former Congressman (and eternal blowhard) JD Hayworth's appearance on MSNBC yesterday on the show "Hardball with Chris Matthews."
It was more in the category of "faded player hanging around the independent leagues [i.e. - talk radio] pathetically trying for one more shot at glory."
He insisted that Republican policies of endless deregulation and tax cuts for the wealthy weren't the problem with the economy, it was Sen. Charles Schumer and George Soros.
I'm not making this up. Watch the video.
Anyway, it's hardly unheard of for players who don't want to fade quietly into retirement to sign on with an independent league to showcase/maintain their skills while seeking another chance at a season in the sun.
Rickey Henderson, one of the all-time great, perhaps the single greatest, leadoff hitters ever played in a number of indy leagues while waiting for one last call from a major league club. That call didn't come, but he was a first ballot electee to the Baseball Hall of Fame this year.
On the other hand, JD was and is no Rickey. About the only thing they have in common is their ability to talk a good game.
However, unlike JD, Henderson could actually *play*.
Of course, Hayworth's appearance may not have been a case of a "pathetic attempt to regain former glory".
It could have been a case of "the Republicans are scraping the bottom of the barrel of people who can spew their anti-average American BS with a straight face."
The take of Tedski at R-Cubed on this, with embedded video, here.
Later!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Events calendar...
Haven't done one of these in a while, but it's been a while since we had a week this event-full :)) ...
Tuesday, February 17 - The Arizona Latino Legislative Caucus is holding a press conference to call on the U.S. Department of Justice and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to investigate Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio for racial profiling and other civil rights-related violations.
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: House Lawn, 1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ
Tuesday, February 17 - U.S. Reps Gabrielle Giffords (D-CD8) and Harry Mitchell (D-CD5) will be holding a forum on economic recovery, focusing on "science, technology and renewable energy."
Time: 12 noon - 1:30 p.m.
Location: Pima Room, Memorial Union, Tempe campus of Arizona State University
Wednesday, February 18 - President Barack Obama will speak at Mesa's Dobson High School on his plan to address the epidemic of mortgage foreclosures.
Time: 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Location: Dobson High School, 1501 W. Guadalupe Road, Mesa
Tuesday, February 17 - The Arizona Latino Legislative Caucus is holding a press conference to call on the U.S. Department of Justice and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to investigate Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio for racial profiling and other civil rights-related violations.
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: House Lawn, 1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ
Tuesday, February 17 - U.S. Reps Gabrielle Giffords (D-CD8) and Harry Mitchell (D-CD5) will be holding a forum on economic recovery, focusing on "science, technology and renewable energy."
Time: 12 noon - 1:30 p.m.
Location: Pima Room, Memorial Union, Tempe campus of Arizona State University
Wednesday, February 18 - President Barack Obama will speak at Mesa's Dobson High School on his plan to address the epidemic of mortgage foreclosures.
Time: 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Location: Dobson High School, 1501 W. Guadalupe Road, Mesa
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