...And "games" may be the key word here...
As reported by AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona and elsewhere, the Republicans in the lege have begun the public pas de deux with the Governor over the state's budget (and both sides are hoping that they don't have to ask the legislative Democrats for a spin around the dance floor).
The House Rules Committee met this morning to rubberstamp the House Republicans' budget proposal, and Senate Rules is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. to do the same for the Senate Reps' proposal.
Now, so far the Governor and the Reps in the lege seem to be in disagreement, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was all a lot of posturing - the Governor's budget proposal is harsh enough toward public education and public services to suit most of the Rep base in AZ, and it is just different enough from the legislative proposals to be sold to a disgusted-with-the-whole-thing public as a "compromise."
My primary reason for suspecting that the "conflict" between the governor and her ideological colleagues in the lege may be a put-up job?
Neither side's budget proposals contain cuts for either the Governor's office or for legislative operations.
Everybody else - teachers, students, poor and working class families, the Democrat-held Attorney General's office, government employees, and more - takes a major hit, but not "Our Gang."
Free prediction: There will be loud words exchanged, and possibly a vetoed budget, leading up to a last-minute (as in just before a government shutdown) compromise to "save the day" with all of them up on a stage somewhere patting each other on the back in front of some TV cameras.
Free prediction2: The script for next year may contain different lines of dialogue, but the basic plot will be the same.
Later...
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Post 9/11 GI Bill Informational Workshops in Mesa and Phoenix
An email from CD5's Congressman Harry Mitchell -
A lengthier press release regarding Saturday's workshops and the new GI Bill is here.
Last week, we celebrated Memorial Day, a day honoring our servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. We can never fully repay, nor can we ever fully express our thanks for their sacrifice. When I arrived in Congress, I sought out a seat on the House Veterans Affairs’ Committee because I believe the best way to honor the sacrifices of our military personnel is to treat our veterans with the care and dignity that they deserve and have earned.
Last year, I had the honor of partnering with Senator Jim Webb of Virginia, to pass a new and much-improved GI Bill, known as the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. We promised our service members the opportunity of a higher education when they joined, and it's our responsibility to see that they get it when they become veterans. As a former teacher, I know how empowering and transformative a quality education can be. This new GI Bill is now law, and will extend educational benefits to members of the military who have served on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001, including – for the first time – activated reservists and National Guard Members. Career service members will also be able to transfer some or all of the new benefit to their spouses and children.
Still, many veterans may have questions, or may not be aware that they are eligible for the new GI Bill. Interested veterans and family members can join me, VA education experts and officials from local schools at:
Post 9/11 GI Bill Informational Workshop
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday, June 6
Mesa Community College – Student Union
1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa.
Near the Clock Tower
For National Guard Members or veterans who are unable to attend the afternoon event, there will be an additional GI Bill workshop earlier the same day from 11:00 a.m. to noon at the Arizona National Guard Headquarters. Feel free to contact my office at 480-946-2411 for more details.
It is my hope and firm expectation that this new GI Bill will provide veterans with a greater chance of success while transitioning back into civilian life. After World War II, the original GI Bill empowered veterans to expand the American middle class and catapult our country into a period of unprecedented economic productivity.
I believe that the new Post-9/11 GI Bill will give those who have served in uniform an opportunity to spur a new period of solid growth and shared prosperity in our nation.
Sincerely,
Harry
A lengthier press release regarding Saturday's workshops and the new GI Bill is here.
The silence is deafening...
Remember when, less than two months ago, the former Governor of Arizona and current Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano came in for some rather vicious criticisms from Republicans and the right-wing echo chamber over the release of a study on the rise of right-wing extremism and the growing threat of right-wing-based domestic terrorism?
The wingers ignored the facts that the report in question was commissioned by the Bush administration while it was in office and that a similar report on left-wing extremism and possible domestic terrorism was done in January.
Even "responsible" and "professional" members of the GOP (i.e. - elected officials) called for her resignation.
AZ's Trent Franks called the report "disgraceful" and demanded an apology from Napolitano.
So, in light of the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in Kansas by a member of extreme anti-government and anti-choice groups, the "responsible" Republicans must be reconsidering their previous outrage, right?
Look at all of the mainstream conservatives quickly jumping to condemn the violence and express their support of Secretary Napolitano -
...Yeah, I couldn't find any either.
Later...
The wingers ignored the facts that the report in question was commissioned by the Bush administration while it was in office and that a similar report on left-wing extremism and possible domestic terrorism was done in January.
Even "responsible" and "professional" members of the GOP (i.e. - elected officials) called for her resignation.
AZ's Trent Franks called the report "disgraceful" and demanded an apology from Napolitano.
So, in light of the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in Kansas by a member of extreme anti-government and anti-choice groups, the "responsible" Republicans must be reconsidering their previous outrage, right?
Look at all of the mainstream conservatives quickly jumping to condemn the violence and express their support of Secretary Napolitano -
...Yeah, I couldn't find any either.
Later...
Monday, June 01, 2009
Joining the parade, Jan Brewer releases her budget proposal
I don't have time to look through it all, but based on her transmittal letter to the lege, I can say this, unequivocally -
Yawn.
While there are more details (like, you know, actual numbers), her plan is essentially the five point plan that she promulgated in March.
Highlights (so to speak) of that plan - raise the sales tax on the average Arizonan, give blanket tax cuts for corporations, cut spending on services to Arizonans (and lay off employees), and open up voter-protected revenues and expenditures to legislative whim.
Anyway, you can find some details of the plan from the Governor's website here.
Later...
Yawn.
While there are more details (like, you know, actual numbers), her plan is essentially the five point plan that she promulgated in March.
Highlights (so to speak) of that plan - raise the sales tax on the average Arizonan, give blanket tax cuts for corporations, cut spending on services to Arizonans (and lay off employees), and open up voter-protected revenues and expenditures to legislative whim.
Anyway, you can find some details of the plan from the Governor's website here.
Later...
Jeff Flake doesn't think that AZ is getting its fair share of federal spending...
...Perhaps somebody should tell him that the situation might be more equitable if our entire Congressional delegation, instead of just the Democrats, worked to represent Arizona.
Or perhaps he'd find the situation more equitable if only he'd pay more attention to Arizona reality instead of his personal ideology.
Over the last few months, AZ Congressman Jeff Flake, when not proposing anti-earmark amendments or calling for investigations of his Democratic colleagues, has been co-authoring (with a member of the Heritage Foundation) a number* of op-ed pieces on the topic of "donor states" and federal highway funds. "Donor states" are states that pay more in federal gas taxes than they receive back in federal highway funds.
* = "number" is a misnomer here. Actually, it's only one article used as a template, with the numbers and names changed to adapt to the locale of the piece's publication - Texas here, Georgia here, Florida here, Arizona here.
Flake and his co-author argue that the solution to this perceived inequity is to remove federal bureaucracy from the federal interstate highway system. He wants to keep the federal fuel tax in place, but all of the revenues collected in a particular state would stay in that state, to be administered by that state's own transportation department.
Just a reminder, the Arizona Legislature sets the budget and the priorities for the Arizona Department of Transportation. For the sake of brevity, we'll leave for another day the discussion of the utter foolishness of the idea of letting the AZ legislature control the upkeep of the federal highways in AZ. Let's just say that relying on the AZ lege to make sure AZ's interstate (and intrastate) roads are well-maintained and safe isn't a terribly bright idea.
While Flake's idea is more subtle than Texas Governor Rick Perry's call for Texas' secession from the United States, it may be even more indicative of the current wave of Randian selfishness and divisiveness that constitutes conservative political discourse. Here, instead of outright political secession, they're advocating ideological, economic, and social secession.
It's no coincidence that the states that they're targeting with this message are states that are either Republican-leaning already or are states that the Reps hope to reclaim in 2010 and 2012. Or that the states that they criticize by name - Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York - are pretty solidly Blue.
They're appealing to the "Us vs. Them" mentality that percolates just under the surface of all of us (yes, even me :) ), they're ignoring the fact (and hoping that readers similarly ignore) that the interstate highway benefits everybody, and everybody benefits from the funds expended on interstate highways.
Simply put, federal money spent on highways in New York benefits drivers from Arizona, just as money spent in AZ benefits drivers from New York.
And while the conservatives/Republicans have been crying about America's "descent into socialism," they're using the incorrect word.
The proper word is "society."
It should be noted that while Flake's articles have been appearing for just a few months, his scheme has been percolating for a while, as witnessed by the proposed (but stalled) Senate Concurrent Memorial advocating the precisely the same idea, sponsored by Ron Gould at the start of this year's AZ lege session. Gould pushed this last year, too.
It should also be noted that Flake and his compatriot are being very selective in their use of statistics. A study from the non-partisan Tax Foundation, ranks Arizona as 21st in terms of federal spending received vs. federal taxes paid ($1.19 received for every $1.00 paid in 2005).
That overall picture, no matter how much more accurate its evaluation of AZ's economic benefit from federal spending, is far less ideologically convenient for Flake than the numbers associated with highway spending alone. Hence, he ignores it.
Later...
Or perhaps he'd find the situation more equitable if only he'd pay more attention to Arizona reality instead of his personal ideology.
Over the last few months, AZ Congressman Jeff Flake, when not proposing anti-earmark amendments or calling for investigations of his Democratic colleagues, has been co-authoring (with a member of the Heritage Foundation) a number* of op-ed pieces on the topic of "donor states" and federal highway funds. "Donor states" are states that pay more in federal gas taxes than they receive back in federal highway funds.
* = "number" is a misnomer here. Actually, it's only one article used as a template, with the numbers and names changed to adapt to the locale of the piece's publication - Texas here, Georgia here, Florida here, Arizona here.
Flake and his co-author argue that the solution to this perceived inequity is to remove federal bureaucracy from the federal interstate highway system. He wants to keep the federal fuel tax in place, but all of the revenues collected in a particular state would stay in that state, to be administered by that state's own transportation department.
Just a reminder, the Arizona Legislature sets the budget and the priorities for the Arizona Department of Transportation. For the sake of brevity, we'll leave for another day the discussion of the utter foolishness of the idea of letting the AZ legislature control the upkeep of the federal highways in AZ. Let's just say that relying on the AZ lege to make sure AZ's interstate (and intrastate) roads are well-maintained and safe isn't a terribly bright idea.
While Flake's idea is more subtle than Texas Governor Rick Perry's call for Texas' secession from the United States, it may be even more indicative of the current wave of Randian selfishness and divisiveness that constitutes conservative political discourse. Here, instead of outright political secession, they're advocating ideological, economic, and social secession.
It's no coincidence that the states that they're targeting with this message are states that are either Republican-leaning already or are states that the Reps hope to reclaim in 2010 and 2012. Or that the states that they criticize by name - Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York - are pretty solidly Blue.
They're appealing to the "Us vs. Them" mentality that percolates just under the surface of all of us (yes, even me :) ), they're ignoring the fact (and hoping that readers similarly ignore) that the interstate highway benefits everybody, and everybody benefits from the funds expended on interstate highways.
Simply put, federal money spent on highways in New York benefits drivers from Arizona, just as money spent in AZ benefits drivers from New York.
And while the conservatives/Republicans have been crying about America's "descent into socialism," they're using the incorrect word.
The proper word is "society."
It should be noted that while Flake's articles have been appearing for just a few months, his scheme has been percolating for a while, as witnessed by the proposed (but stalled) Senate Concurrent Memorial advocating the precisely the same idea, sponsored by Ron Gould at the start of this year's AZ lege session. Gould pushed this last year, too.
It should also be noted that Flake and his compatriot are being very selective in their use of statistics. A study from the non-partisan Tax Foundation, ranks Arizona as 21st in terms of federal spending received vs. federal taxes paid ($1.19 received for every $1.00 paid in 2005).
That overall picture, no matter how much more accurate its evaluation of AZ's economic benefit from federal spending, is far less ideologically convenient for Flake than the numbers associated with highway spending alone. Hence, he ignores it.
Later...
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Terrorists in Kansas
From AP via AZCentral.com -
Look for speeches on the floors of the US Senate and House tomorrow by two-faced wingers disavowing the violence while implying that the doctor got what he deserved.
They're already going to town in the winger blogosphere, here, here (this writer actually goes after Tiller's church for accepting him into their congregation), and here (a commenter here blamed both the victim and Satan. I kid you not.)
Later...
Media outlets are reporting that late-term abortion doctor George Tiller has been shot and killed at his church in Wichita, Kan.Something tells me that this killer (or killers) doesn't quite fit the stereotypical profile of "terrorist" promulgated by Rep. Trent Franks and his ilk (less "dark-skinned Allah-worshiping Muslim" and more "pasty-faced Bible-thumping fundie Christian").
Anonymous police sources told The Wichita Eagle and other media that the 67-year-old doctor was killed Sunday morning at Reformation Lutheran Church.
Look for speeches on the floors of the US Senate and House tomorrow by two-faced wingers disavowing the violence while implying that the doctor got what he deserved.
They're already going to town in the winger blogosphere, here, here (this writer actually goes after Tiller's church for accepting him into their congregation), and here (a commenter here blamed both the victim and Satan. I kid you not.)
Later...
The coming week...
As usual, on info gathered from the websites of the relevant agencies and political bodies, and subject to change without notice...
...In the U.S. House, the agenda is getting back to normal. They've got post office namings to attend to. :)
Of course, as important as such namings are to our national well-being, there are other issues that they'll be considering this week too.
- H.R. 325, the Avra/Black Wash Reclamation and Riparian Restoration Project, sponsored by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ7).
The CRS summary for H.R. 325 -
The bill is on the suspension calendar, which means that the leadership expects to get the 2/3 support for the bill needed to pass it under a suspension of the rules.
- H.R. 2200, the Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act. This one has a lot of money tied to it, so there will be a lot of debate over it. Jeff Flake has proposed an anti-earmark amendment to the bill.
- H.R. 626, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009. CRS summary here. Expect some serious Republican bloviating over this one.
- Possible consideration of a conference report on H.R. 2346, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009. $$$ = arguments. 'Nuff said.
- And in the "keep in mind for future reference" category, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs' Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, chaired by AZ5's Rep. Harry Mitchell, will be holding a hearing on VA hospital mistakes that led to veterans becoming infected with diseases like HIV and hepatitis. The hearing is scheduled for June 16 in Washington.
From AP -
The VA's webpage on the issue is here.
...Back in AZ in the legislature, most of the *really* interesting action is budget-related and is taking place behind closed doors.
There is some public activity, though.
The House has what looks to be a fairly non-controversial Third Read calendar posted for Monday and a somewhat more controversial Committee of the Whole (COW) calendar posted for Tuesday.
The COW calendar includes HB2198, a bill to create a "full and final settlement of claims" provision in AZ law regarding workers' comp cases. Provisions in the bill shift the liability for long-term medical expenses from the insurance carrier to the injured workers.
Also on the COW calendar is HB2628, the bill name by the sponsors as "the Parents' Bill Of Rights Act." While there are a few reasonable clauses in this one, those clauses exist to serve as concealment for a bunch of "my rules are better than society's rules" clauses.
- In committee action, House Rules is meeting on Monday (1 p.m., HHR4) to consider a couple of very controversial bills including HB2099, which would make charter schools subject to the same zoning laws as public schools (in other words, make it much easier for the charter school operators to shoehorn their businesses into neighborhoods over residents' objections) and HB2203, which seriously harshens the penalties faced by recipients of TANF, or Temporary Assistance For Needy Families. Any sort of non-compliance with any of the rules of TANF, including simple paperwork glitches by parents, would result in an escalating series of suspensions of benefits received by the children. Brought to you by the same Nancy Barto who is soooo dedicated to protecting the profits of private health insurers.
Nice priorities there, Rep. Barto. Remind me again - whose interests were you elected to represent?
House Health and Human Services is meeting on Tuesday at 10:30 in HHR4.
Over in the Senate, no committees are scheduled to meet at this time.
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is going to have a busy week.
- On Monday at 10 a.m., they will be holding their "informal" meeting. It looks to be pretty simple and mundane, except for item #4, yet another executive session.
- On Wednesday at 9 a.m., they will be holding their "formal" meeting. It also looks pretty mundane, but *long*. Of course, there will be an executive session following this one, too. (According to the posting notice, anyway.)
...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will be meeting on Thursday, June 4 at 10 a.m. The agenda includes a number of items related to tax rates and other stuff to prepare for the coming fiscal year.
...The Scottsdale City Council will be meeting on Tuesday night at 5, and they have a very full agenda. Included items include the appointment of a new City Auditor (Sharron Walker), a Truth-In-Taxation hearing on the property tax levy for the coming fiscal year (city property tax rate: $0.79, unchanged from last year), and a second and final hearing on the city's FY2010 budget.
...The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, the Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, and the Tempe City Council are not scheduled to meet this week.
Later...
...In the U.S. House, the agenda is getting back to normal. They've got post office namings to attend to. :)
Of course, as important as such namings are to our national well-being, there are other issues that they'll be considering this week too.
- H.R. 325, the Avra/Black Wash Reclamation and Riparian Restoration Project, sponsored by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ7).
The CRS summary for H.R. 325 -
Avra/Black Wash Reclamation and Riparian Restoration Project - Amends the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with Pima County, Arizona, to participate in the planning, design, and construction of water recycling facilities and to enhance and restore riparian habitat in the Black Wash Sonoran Desert ecosystem in Avra Valley west of the metropolitan Pima County area. Limits the federal share of the project's cost to 25%. Authorizes appropriations. Permits federal funds provided by this Act to be used only for the design, planning, and construction of water-related infrastructure.
The bill is on the suspension calendar, which means that the leadership expects to get the 2/3 support for the bill needed to pass it under a suspension of the rules.
- H.R. 2200, the Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act. This one has a lot of money tied to it, so there will be a lot of debate over it. Jeff Flake has proposed an anti-earmark amendment to the bill.
- H.R. 626, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009. CRS summary here. Expect some serious Republican bloviating over this one.
- Possible consideration of a conference report on H.R. 2346, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009. $$$ = arguments. 'Nuff said.
- And in the "keep in mind for future reference" category, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs' Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, chaired by AZ5's Rep. Harry Mitchell, will be holding a hearing on VA hospital mistakes that led to veterans becoming infected with diseases like HIV and hepatitis. The hearing is scheduled for June 16 in Washington.
From AP -
A congressional panel will question Department of Veterans Affairs officials about mistakes that put patients at risk of possible exposure to HIV and other infectious body fluids at three VA hospitals.
The VA recommended more than 10,000 former VA patients in Miami, Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Augusta, Ga., get follow-up blood checks. Five have tested positive for HIV and 43 have tested positive for hepatitis, according to an update on the VA Web site Friday.
{snip}
The subcommittee chairman, U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell D-Arizona, said Thursday in a phone interview that veterans who are testing positive for HIV and hepatitis, "whether it came from these improper procedures or not, the VA has a responsibility to take care of these patients."
The VA's webpage on the issue is here.
...Back in AZ in the legislature, most of the *really* interesting action is budget-related and is taking place behind closed doors.
There is some public activity, though.
The House has what looks to be a fairly non-controversial Third Read calendar posted for Monday and a somewhat more controversial Committee of the Whole (COW) calendar posted for Tuesday.
The COW calendar includes HB2198, a bill to create a "full and final settlement of claims" provision in AZ law regarding workers' comp cases. Provisions in the bill shift the liability for long-term medical expenses from the insurance carrier to the injured workers.
Also on the COW calendar is HB2628, the bill name by the sponsors as "the Parents' Bill Of Rights Act." While there are a few reasonable clauses in this one, those clauses exist to serve as concealment for a bunch of "my rules are better than society's rules" clauses.
- In committee action, House Rules is meeting on Monday (1 p.m., HHR4) to consider a couple of very controversial bills including HB2099, which would make charter schools subject to the same zoning laws as public schools (in other words, make it much easier for the charter school operators to shoehorn their businesses into neighborhoods over residents' objections) and HB2203, which seriously harshens the penalties faced by recipients of TANF, or Temporary Assistance For Needy Families. Any sort of non-compliance with any of the rules of TANF, including simple paperwork glitches by parents, would result in an escalating series of suspensions of benefits received by the children. Brought to you by the same Nancy Barto who is soooo dedicated to protecting the profits of private health insurers.
Nice priorities there, Rep. Barto. Remind me again - whose interests were you elected to represent?
House Health and Human Services is meeting on Tuesday at 10:30 in HHR4.
Over in the Senate, no committees are scheduled to meet at this time.
...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is going to have a busy week.
- On Monday at 10 a.m., they will be holding their "informal" meeting. It looks to be pretty simple and mundane, except for item #4, yet another executive session.
- On Wednesday at 9 a.m., they will be holding their "formal" meeting. It also looks pretty mundane, but *long*. Of course, there will be an executive session following this one, too. (According to the posting notice, anyway.)
...The Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project will be meeting on Thursday, June 4 at 10 a.m. The agenda includes a number of items related to tax rates and other stuff to prepare for the coming fiscal year.
...The Scottsdale City Council will be meeting on Tuesday night at 5, and they have a very full agenda. Included items include the appointment of a new City Auditor (Sharron Walker), a Truth-In-Taxation hearing on the property tax levy for the coming fiscal year (city property tax rate: $0.79, unchanged from last year), and a second and final hearing on the city's FY2010 budget.
...The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District, the Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, and the Tempe City Council are not scheduled to meet this week.
Later...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Which sounds better - "30th Best" or "21st Worst"?
Either way, we're the worst in the Southwest, and 2nd worst in the West, ahead of only California.
The results are in for the 2009 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test, ranking drivers' knowledge based on how they answered questions drawn from actual DMV tests from across the country.
As for state rankings, Arizona came in 30th, immediately ahead of Maine, Delaware, and New Hampshire, and immediately behind Illinois, West Virginia, and Nevada. We did shamefully worse than the other four corners states -
Utah came in seventh, Colorado fifteenth, and New Mexico nineteenth.
Even Texas (Texas?!?) did better than AZ, coming in at 24.
Some bright-eyed and bushy tailed type at the AZGOP will look at these numbers and exclaim "Hey!! We're better than California!! Lower taxes and spending on highway safety make this a better place!"
Yeah, right.
The results are in for the 2009 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test, ranking drivers' knowledge based on how they answered questions drawn from actual DMV tests from across the country.
As for state rankings, Arizona came in 30th, immediately ahead of Maine, Delaware, and New Hampshire, and immediately behind Illinois, West Virginia, and Nevada. We did shamefully worse than the other four corners states -
Utah came in seventh, Colorado fifteenth, and New Mexico nineteenth.
Even Texas (Texas?!?) did better than AZ, coming in at 24.
Some bright-eyed and bushy tailed type at the AZGOP will look at these numbers and exclaim "Hey!! We're better than California!! Lower taxes and spending on highway safety make this a better place!"
Yeah, right.
Short Attention Span Musing
The work week was hectic this week and cut into posting time, so here are brief thoughts on some stuff that came up this week..
...Sen. Jack Harper (R-Surprise!) is a gift to snarky writers.
From AZCentral.com -
Jack, Jack, Jack - you want to run statewide next year and yet you are picking on churches, perhaps the one group of voters that might be reliably on your side if you make it to the general election?
...Now Sheriff Joe Arpaio is complaining that the federal investigations of him and MCSO are politically motivated.
From the Washington Post -
Well, if anyone should know of politically-motivated investigations, it's our resident expert on the topic.
...The Republican blogosphere is all aflutter over word that Governor Jan Brewer plans a PR campaign to build support for her budget plan. They're worried that she might be "going after" Republican legislators.
Given that this is the first "governor-like" thing that she has done since she ascended to the office, maybe they're just now learning that the governor's job description does *not* include the line "acts as a lackey of the legislature."
...As expected, the lege passed and Brewer signed into law the proposal to give corporations $5 million in tax breaks and ensure Steve Yarbrough's income at the same time.
My only question is if it fact turns out that Yarbrough's STO has violated the IRS' rules governing 501c3 organizations, does the fact that the Governor called a special session solely to funnel money to Yarbrough and his organization mean that she is an accessory to any of the violations? What about the people who officially sponsored the bills (Rep. Rick Murphy, Sens. Thayer Verschoor, Sylvia Allen, Bob Burns, Chuck Gray, Jack Harper, and John Huppenthal)?
OK, probably not. Elected officials have a way of writing laws in ways that protect themselves (witness this one), but in a just world...
Later...
...Sen. Jack Harper (R-Surprise!) is a gift to snarky writers.
From AZCentral.com -
There was fresh debate on Friday about a controversial letter written to Arizona voters by Republican State Sen. Jack Harper. A church organization weighed-in on Harper's letter, calling it "unthinkable." Harper defended the blunt language of the letter, saying it was a necessary reality check to Arizonans.
{snip}
Harper said he believes members of churches should increase their charity donations to make up for bad economic times.
"If they want to reach people for the values they believe in, reach people in the name of Christ, it's time for them to step up and show generosity to the church," Harper said.
Jack, Jack, Jack - you want to run statewide next year and yet you are picking on churches, perhaps the one group of voters that might be reliably on your side if you make it to the general election?
...Now Sheriff Joe Arpaio is complaining that the federal investigations of him and MCSO are politically motivated.
From the Washington Post -
The lawyers representing a controversial Arizona sheriff who is under investigation for his treatment of Latino residents accused officials in the Justice and Homeland Security departments yesterday of political motivations in pursuing probes against their client.
{snip}
[Attorney for Arpaio Robert] Driscoll wrote in his letter, referring to the sheriff's office, "When one law enforcement agency becomes subject to three federal investigations in a matter of weeks immediately after a shift of political control in Washington, it is difficult not to speculate that politics played a role in the decision or that policy differences related to hot-button topics such as local law enforcement's vigorous enforcement of immigration related crimes are being litigated through enforcement actions."
Well, if anyone should know of politically-motivated investigations, it's our resident expert on the topic.
...The Republican blogosphere is all aflutter over word that Governor Jan Brewer plans a PR campaign to build support for her budget plan. They're worried that she might be "going after" Republican legislators.
Given that this is the first "governor-like" thing that she has done since she ascended to the office, maybe they're just now learning that the governor's job description does *not* include the line "acts as a lackey of the legislature."
...As expected, the lege passed and Brewer signed into law the proposal to give corporations $5 million in tax breaks and ensure Steve Yarbrough's income at the same time.
My only question is if it fact turns out that Yarbrough's STO has violated the IRS' rules governing 501c3 organizations, does the fact that the Governor called a special session solely to funnel money to Yarbrough and his organization mean that she is an accessory to any of the violations? What about the people who officially sponsored the bills (Rep. Rick Murphy, Sens. Thayer Verschoor, Sylvia Allen, Bob Burns, Chuck Gray, Jack Harper, and John Huppenthal)?
OK, probably not. Elected officials have a way of writing laws in ways that protect themselves (witness this one), but in a just world...
Later...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Corporate Bidding Day at the AZ lege
...as in "Doing Corporate Bidding Day," not "Bidding on Corporations Day"...
Even though the lege's official "events" calendar didn't list it, based on the available evidence, Tuesday, May 26 was Corporate Bidding Day, as the lege devoted itself to introducing, discussing, and/or passing measures devoted to protecting corporate interests over the interests of Arizonans.
...The day started with the House Health and Human Services Committee passing Rep. Nancy Barto's bill to protect the profit margins of private health insurers on a party-line vote.
...Then they moved on to "special session" activities, with the House Ways and Means and Rules Committees passing a bill to preserve the revenue stream for Steve Yarbrough's school tuition organization, also on party line votes (WM here, Rules here).
The House plans to run the bill through Committee of the Whole (COW) and Third Read (final passage) on Wednesday.
The Senate Appropriations Committee passed their body's version of the same bill, also on a party line vote.
The Senate is also scheduled to run the bill through COW on Wednesday.
Assuming that the Senate schedules Third Read for its bill this week, the Rep caucuses of the lege should be able to conference, come up with a final bill, and get it to the governor's desk by the end of the week or sometime next week. I say "the Rep caucuses" because this shameless bit of ideological and financial featherbedding will be passed without Democratic support.
Senate Approps issued a press release crowing about the passage, claiming that the bill will help disabled and foster children yet save the state money because it will mean that there will be fewer special ed students in public school systems.
The House Democratic caucus issued its own presser that pointed out that the Reps in the lege already cut $91 million in aid for foster and disabled children in the 2009 budget fix (with even deeper cuts expected in the FY2010 budget). In addition, this bill will further reduce state revenues by $5 million.
As Rep. Steve Farley points out in his latest Farley Report (certain to be posted online at R-Cubed or AZ Netroots), it will also reduce per-pupil state payments to schools while *not* reducing the costs the schools incur (teacher salaries, utilities and other fixed costs) that are the same whether there are 15 special ed students in a class, or 12, or 10, or just one.
...Today's capper was back in regular session when the House COW session passed HB2610, a bill to severely limit corporate product and civil liability exposure (the text of the bill here, and the text of a floor amendment added during COW here; the amendment made a bad bill even worse).
All in all, the lege had a productive day...unless your idea of "productive" for the legislature is "looking after the interests of all Arizonans."
In that case, it was a lousy day.
Anyway, Thursday should be interesting. The Democratic caucus is promising to have its budget proposal ready for release by around 10 a.m.
It will be available at http://www.StrongerArizona.com, and it's proof that at least some of the members of the lege are still focused on the job that their constituents elected them to do.
Later...
Even though the lege's official "events" calendar didn't list it, based on the available evidence, Tuesday, May 26 was Corporate Bidding Day, as the lege devoted itself to introducing, discussing, and/or passing measures devoted to protecting corporate interests over the interests of Arizonans.
...The day started with the House Health and Human Services Committee passing Rep. Nancy Barto's bill to protect the profit margins of private health insurers on a party-line vote.
...Then they moved on to "special session" activities, with the House Ways and Means and Rules Committees passing a bill to preserve the revenue stream for Steve Yarbrough's school tuition organization, also on party line votes (WM here, Rules here).
The House plans to run the bill through Committee of the Whole (COW) and Third Read (final passage) on Wednesday.
The Senate Appropriations Committee passed their body's version of the same bill, also on a party line vote.
The Senate is also scheduled to run the bill through COW on Wednesday.
Assuming that the Senate schedules Third Read for its bill this week, the Rep caucuses of the lege should be able to conference, come up with a final bill, and get it to the governor's desk by the end of the week or sometime next week. I say "the Rep caucuses" because this shameless bit of ideological and financial featherbedding will be passed without Democratic support.
Senate Approps issued a press release crowing about the passage, claiming that the bill will help disabled and foster children yet save the state money because it will mean that there will be fewer special ed students in public school systems.
The House Democratic caucus issued its own presser that pointed out that the Reps in the lege already cut $91 million in aid for foster and disabled children in the 2009 budget fix (with even deeper cuts expected in the FY2010 budget). In addition, this bill will further reduce state revenues by $5 million.
As Rep. Steve Farley points out in his latest Farley Report (certain to be posted online at R-Cubed or AZ Netroots), it will also reduce per-pupil state payments to schools while *not* reducing the costs the schools incur (teacher salaries, utilities and other fixed costs) that are the same whether there are 15 special ed students in a class, or 12, or 10, or just one.
...Today's capper was back in regular session when the House COW session passed HB2610, a bill to severely limit corporate product and civil liability exposure (the text of the bill here, and the text of a floor amendment added during COW here; the amendment made a bad bill even worse).
All in all, the lege had a productive day...unless your idea of "productive" for the legislature is "looking after the interests of all Arizonans."
In that case, it was a lousy day.
Anyway, Thursday should be interesting. The Democratic caucus is promising to have its budget proposal ready for release by around 10 a.m.
It will be available at http://www.StrongerArizona.com, and it's proof that at least some of the members of the lege are still focused on the job that their constituents elected them to do.
Later...
Kerry Martin, wife of State Treasurer Dean Martin, dies during childbirth
From AZCentral.com -
Details are still emerging about today's tragic events, and I'll update when things become clearer.
My deepest condolences go out to Dean Martin and the friends and family of Kerry Martin on their loss.
State Treasurer Dean Martin's wife died of complications from childbirth Monday after delivering the couple's first child.
The child, Austin Michael Martin, is in critical condition.
Kerry Martin, 34, had been married to her husband for 13 years.
Details are still emerging about today's tragic events, and I'll update when things become clearer.
My deepest condolences go out to Dean Martin and the friends and family of Kerry Martin on their loss.
Thank you, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors
Thank you for making me look far more prescient than I really am... :))
In Sunday's "coming week" political schedule post, I mentioned that the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors wasn't scheduled to meet this week, but that was subject to change.
Well, that change has happened.
On Wednesday at 10 a.m., there will be a special/executive session meeting. The public session of the meeting agenda is an item to appoint Susan Cooper as acting Public Fiduciary. Ms. Cooper is currently Guardian Administrator Supervisor in the Office of the Public Fiduciary. She has been working as a public fiduciary for many years, however, and there have been some criticisms of her job performance (as a fiduciary in general, not necessarily as one who is employed by the county) in the past, as illustrated by this Phoenix New Times' story from 1998.
A call out to the supes' press secretary Terri Mulholland, concerning the status of the current Public Fiduciary, Richard T. Vanderheiden, earned a quick call back. It turns out he is one of the county employees who is part of the early retirement program implemented to cut costs at the County.
The topic for the executive session isn't listed, but through my super-secret sources, I've narrowed down the possible topics to two -
1. Discussion of pending/ongoing litigation involving the County and/or the supes; or
2. The supes' weekly cribbage tournament.
:))
Later...
In Sunday's "coming week" political schedule post, I mentioned that the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors wasn't scheduled to meet this week, but that was subject to change.
Well, that change has happened.
On Wednesday at 10 a.m., there will be a special/executive session meeting. The public session of the meeting agenda is an item to appoint Susan Cooper as acting Public Fiduciary. Ms. Cooper is currently Guardian Administrator Supervisor in the Office of the Public Fiduciary. She has been working as a public fiduciary for many years, however, and there have been some criticisms of her job performance (as a fiduciary in general, not necessarily as one who is employed by the county) in the past, as illustrated by this Phoenix New Times' story from 1998.
A call out to the supes' press secretary Terri Mulholland, concerning the status of the current Public Fiduciary, Richard T. Vanderheiden, earned a quick call back. It turns out he is one of the county employees who is part of the early retirement program implemented to cut costs at the County.
The topic for the executive session isn't listed, but through my super-secret sources, I've narrowed down the possible topics to two -
1. Discussion of pending/ongoing litigation involving the County and/or the supes; or
2. The supes' weekly cribbage tournament.
:))
Later...
Sotomayor is the nominee
...and AZ's most rabid GOPers get to step back from brink of full-out foaming at the mouth, paralyzing, delirious rage incited by the oft-mentioned consideration of Janet Napolitano for the Supreme Court.
Instead, they'll just experience their normal level of rage, this directed at the idea that a Hispanic woman got the nod, not one of the neanderthals they prefer.
From AP via Yahoo! News -
The White House has a summary of her background here.
Basics of that summary - Grew up in poverty in the South Bronx, attended Catholic high school, earned an undergraduate degree from Princeton and a law degree from Yale, worked as an assistant Manhattan DA and an intellectual property/corporate lawyer, and was nominated as a judge on the US District Court by President George H.W. Bush. She was later appointed to the Appeals Court by President Bill Clinton.
The text of President Obama's remarks during his announcement of Judge Sotomayor's nomination here.
A resume-like background page from Pace University (she was a commencement speaker there in 2003) is here.
More later...
Instead, they'll just experience their normal level of rage, this directed at the idea that a Hispanic woman got the nod, not one of the neanderthals they prefer.
From AP via Yahoo! News -
President Barack Obama named federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor as the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice on Tuesday, praising her as "an inspiring woman" with both the intellect and compassion to interpret the Constitution wisely.
Obama said Sotomayor has more experience as a judge than any current member of the high court had when nominated, adding she has earned the "respect of colleagues on the bench," the admiration of lawyers who appear in her court and "the adoration of her clerks."
"My heart today is bursting with gratitude," Sotomayor said from the White House podium moments after being introduced by Obama.
The White House has a summary of her background here.
Basics of that summary - Grew up in poverty in the South Bronx, attended Catholic high school, earned an undergraduate degree from Princeton and a law degree from Yale, worked as an assistant Manhattan DA and an intellectual property/corporate lawyer, and was nominated as a judge on the US District Court by President George H.W. Bush. She was later appointed to the Appeals Court by President Bill Clinton.
The text of President Obama's remarks during his announcement of Judge Sotomayor's nomination here.
A resume-like background page from Pace University (she was a commencement speaker there in 2003) is here.
More later...
Monday, May 25, 2009
More 2010 campaign committees...
Yes, it's still early, but more and more folks are starting up campaign committees for next year.
...For governor, one Kent Couchee of Gold Canyon, party affiliation "resident of Arizona." His campaign email addy is listed as drillercustomhomes@cox.net. I couldn't find out much about Mr. Couchee via a Google search, but apparently he has a nice house, he competed in long-drive golf contests and his wife Diane is a real estate agent.
...Also for governor, Johnnie Robinson III of Casa Grande, Republican. Lousy name for an internet search, but it appears that he made some noises at a third party run for governor in 2006, but he wasn't on any ballot, and he didn't receive any votes.
...For state representative, LD16, Dr. Cristy Lopez, Democrat. Apparently, she is a psychologist, so she is a PhD. doctor, not an MD doctor.
...For state representative, LD15, Lela Alston, Democrat. A former state senator and statewide candidate.
...For state representative, LD12, Angela Cotera, Democrat. A former candidate who looks to be *way* more intelligent and educated than anyone the Reps will run in the district (and that's not a dig at the Reps for once - a PhD in physics gets a lot of respect from me). That's far from a guarantee of victory, however.
She did a credible job against Republican John Nelson in 2008 and the Rep voter registration advantage in the district has shrunk. The Dems could pick up a seat here next year. The incumbents are Republicans Jerry Weiers and Steve Montenegro.
...Ummm, is it just me, or does anyone else notice the difference in the intelligence, education, and accomplishment levels of the Democratic candidates compared to the Republican/third party candidates?
...In other committee news, as has been covered elsewhere, the Republicans in the lege have formed their own independent expenditure committees separate from the state GOP and Randy Pullen. They formed the House Victory Fund (filer ID 201000113) and the Senate Victory Fund (201000118).
Later...
...For governor, one Kent Couchee of Gold Canyon, party affiliation "resident of Arizona." His campaign email addy is listed as drillercustomhomes@cox.net. I couldn't find out much about Mr. Couchee via a Google search, but apparently he has a nice house, he competed in long-drive golf contests and his wife Diane is a real estate agent.
...Also for governor, Johnnie Robinson III of Casa Grande, Republican. Lousy name for an internet search, but it appears that he made some noises at a third party run for governor in 2006, but he wasn't on any ballot, and he didn't receive any votes.
...For state representative, LD16, Dr. Cristy Lopez, Democrat. Apparently, she is a psychologist, so she is a PhD. doctor, not an MD doctor.
...For state representative, LD15, Lela Alston, Democrat. A former state senator and statewide candidate.
...For state representative, LD12, Angela Cotera, Democrat. A former candidate who looks to be *way* more intelligent and educated than anyone the Reps will run in the district (and that's not a dig at the Reps for once - a PhD in physics gets a lot of respect from me). That's far from a guarantee of victory, however.
She did a credible job against Republican John Nelson in 2008 and the Rep voter registration advantage in the district has shrunk. The Dems could pick up a seat here next year. The incumbents are Republicans Jerry Weiers and Steve Montenegro.
...Ummm, is it just me, or does anyone else notice the difference in the intelligence, education, and accomplishment levels of the Democratic candidates compared to the Republican/third party candidates?
...In other committee news, as has been covered elsewhere, the Republicans in the lege have formed their own independent expenditure committees separate from the state GOP and Randy Pullen. They formed the House Victory Fund (filer ID 201000113) and the Senate Victory Fund (201000118).
Later...
Sunday, May 24, 2009
The John Sydney McCain Memorial Crappie Award
Throughout the Bush Administration, AZ Senator Jon Kyl carried the Bush's water on Capitol Hill in many ways, but particularly in trying to shepherd Bush's judicial nominations through the Senate. One of his favorite tactics to try to intimidate Democrats who made noises about filibustering the worst of the worst was to cry about "obstructionism" and demand an "up or down" vote on the nominees.
A lengthy Kyl speech on the topic, courtesy his own Senate web site, is here; a written piece is here.
It's clear from the speech and other sources, Kyl considers filibusters a case of Senate minority members "running roughshod over its [the Senate's] traditions."
So what does he do as a member of the now-minority party in the Senate faced with the likelihood that a Democratic president will nominate a liberal to the Supreme Court?
Threatens a filibuster.
Of course.
A lengthy Kyl speech on the topic, courtesy his own Senate web site, is here; a written piece is here.
It's clear from the speech and other sources, Kyl considers filibusters a case of Senate minority members "running roughshod over its [the Senate's] traditions."
So what does he do as a member of the now-minority party in the Senate faced with the likelihood that a Democratic president will nominate a liberal to the Supreme Court?
Threatens a filibuster.
Of course.
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