Short Attention Span Musing...

...From the "good things happening to good people" department -

It's taken more than six months, but one of the victims of Jared Lougher's shooting rampage in Tucson finally made it back to work.  With the aid of a cane, but under his own power.

From the Arizona Republic, written by Amanda Lee Myers -

A staffer for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords returned to work Tuesday for the first time since being seriously injured in the Tucson mass shooting nearly six months ago.

Ron Barber, 65, was shot in the cheek and thigh during the Jan. 8 attack that killed six people and injured 13, including Barber and Giffords. The shooting killed Barber's colleague, Gabe Zimmerman, and John Roll, Barber's college buddy and a federal judge.

Barber has spent the past six months undergoing extensive physical therapy and coping with the trauma of the shooting and the loss of his friends. He returned to work at Giffords' Tucson office on a part-time basis Tuesday as he continued rehab and his struggles with fatigue and pain.

...From the "they should have just reprinted the phone book" department -

With the announcement from Hugh Hallman that he won't seek reelection, the speculation about who will run for the job is revving up.

From the Arizona Republic, written by Dianna M. Nanez -

The 2012 race for Tempe mayor could prompt a state legislator to resign his seat and pit current and former council members against each other.

But potential candidates and their supporters are hopeful that an early vetting of candidates will narrow the field to include a strong, but collegial bunch committed to improving their city's standing.

Mayor Hugh Hallman's surprise announcement last month not to seek re-election sparked a political buzz.

The story went on to list possible candidates:

Ed Ableser, a current state representive (LD17)
Neil Giuliano, a former mayor
Shana Ellis, current Tempe City Council member
Onnie Shekerjian, current Tempe City Council member
Corey Woods, current Tempe City Council member
Mark Mitchell, current Tempe City Council member
Robin Arredondo-Savage, current Tempe City Council member
Joel Navarro, current Tempe City Council member (he stated he was NOT running.  The others didn't answer the question or left open the possiblity)
Linda Spears, former member of the Tempe City Council and community activist
Laura Knaperek, former LD17 state representative and current lobbyist-for-hire (like Navarro, she stated that she was not running)
Dick Foreman, a lobbyist for Southwest Gas
Michael Monti, a restaurant owner
Cliff Jones, retired Tempe fire chief (also a "no")
Ross Robb, Kyrene school board member and a real estate developer (also a "no")


In fact, about the only person they didn't name was me.  And I don't actually live in Tempe.


...From the "good things happening to bad people" department -

From the Arizona Republic, written by the AP's Kyle Hightower -

Casey Anthony's eyes welled with tears and her lips trembled as the verdict was read once, twice and then a third time: "Not guilty" of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.

Outside the courthouse, many in the crowd of 500 reacted with anger, chanting, "Justice for Caylee!" One man yelled, "Baby killer!"

Somebody needed to remind the jurors that the standard of proof is "beyond a reasonable doubt," not "beyond ALL doubt."  And that is all I'll write about this topic.

Happy 235th Birthday America!

Ya don't look a day over 180, trust me... :)

Pic above and transcript below courtesy the National Archives -




The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.


The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,




When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.






We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.






He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.


He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.


He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.


He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.


He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.


He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.


He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.


He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.


He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.


He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.


He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.


He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.


He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:


For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:


For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:


For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:


For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:


For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:


For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences


For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:


For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:


For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.


He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.


He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.


He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.


He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.


He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.






In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.






Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.






We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.


Note to Michele Bachmann and her followers:  Read the actual document.  John Adams signed it.  He's a Founding Father.  John Quincy Adams is the son of that particular Founding Father.  He is not a Founding Father himself, no matter what the list of campaign talking points says.

Republicans looking to kill the goose that laid the golden egg

As with many bloggers and other observers of the political scenes both national and state, one of the research tools I use is the "Google Alert".  That is an automatically-generated email notifying me of a new mention of a given subject (one that the user defines) somewhere on the internet.  It isn't quite comprehensive, but Google's 'bots can reach far farther across and deeper into the web than I can.


One of the alerts I have set up is for David Schweikert, the member of Congress from Arizona's 5th District (Tempe, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Salt River Pima/Maricopa Indian Community, and bits of other municipalities).


A week ago, there was a Schweikert Google Alert highlighting this bit from The Practising Law Institute, a continuing legal education non-profit from the State University of New York (SUNY) -

...Our friends at Morrison & Foerster sent in a great memo summarizing the various bills pending in Congress and what they might mean for companies like Facebook.
On June 14, 2011, Representative David Schweikert (R-AZ) introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would raise the threshold for mandatory registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) from 500 persons holding equity securities of record to 1,000 persons for all companies.[1] This bill would also exclude accredited investors and securities held by persons who received such securities pursuant to employee compensation plans from counting against the 1,000-record holder threshold.

The proposal they reference is H.R. 2167, euphemistically titled as the "Private Company Flexibility and Growth Act."


A better title would be the "Increasing Opaqueness For Investors Act."


However, before becoming sidetracked on this particular well-covered subject (Schweikert and his colleagues favoring big-money interests over the interests of average Americans isn't exactly breaking news), I should be clear that this is only a small part of this piece and rates a mention for just two reasons:


1.  It *is* relevant to the topic, and it involves an Arizona Congressman, and I'm an Arizona writer.


2.  It helped bring into focus some thoughts and observations on the topic, though the following piece is more scattershot than I would prefer.


Aesop, the famous Greek writer, is credited with writing down a number of fables*.  One of the most well-known of those was The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg.  In that one, a farmer and his wife owned a goose that laid one golden egg per day.  Because of that golden egg per day, they were able to live their lives very comfortably.  However, that wasn't enough for the farmer and his wife, so they killed the goose in an attempt to acquire vast wealth immediately.  They opened up the carcass of their now-dead goose, and found

Nothing.

Their greed-inspired short-term thinking and decision making led to their complete downfall.

That's basically where the U.S. economy is today. 

The people running it, the corporate influence peddlers and the elected-but-easily-swayed-by-bribes "campaign contributions" people in D.C. and state capitols across the country are now dedicated to siphoning the economic activity and value of the county into the pockets of the well-connected few, ignoring the reality that the US economy grew because of long-term thinking and an understanding that the best investments often take years or decades to pay off.

Republicans have spent decades striving to dismantle Social Security, Medicare and any other social safety net program, decrying the "socialism" inherent in such programs.  They fight any programs or expenditures that don't directly benefit large corporations and the already-wealthy.
They've spent decades fighting against American infrastructure projects, except for things like the infamous bridge to nowhere championed by former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens (to be fair, that one was so obviously egregious that even some of the most shameless Rs found that they couldn't hold their noses and support it), preferring to spend money on unjustified wars that seemed to be more dedicated to funnelling money to big contractors/campaign contributors like Halliburton who were armed with no-bid and cost-plus contracts while American servicemen and women went into combat with defective body armor and vehicles and (my personal favorite) even showers that electrocuted users.

These efforts are continuing today, more brazen and shameless than ever.

Some are high-profile, like Republican Paul Ryan's scheme to turn Medicare in "corpra-Care" by ending Medicare and issuing vouchers that patients could use to partially pay premiums for health insurance policies issued by private companies.

Some are low-profile, such as the current move by the Republicans in the US Senate to block the passage of some free trade deals, not because they oppose the deals because they'll result in the export of yet more American jobs (jobs seem to have been our number one export since the Reagan adminstration), but because they don't want the workers who lose their jobs as a result of the deals to be eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance (essentially education and retraining opportunities offered through the US Departments of Labor, Commerce and/or Agriculture).

Some, like Schweikert's (and many other Republicans') efforts to stymie the nascent solar power industry on behalf of Big Oil have the effect of protecting a status quo that is profitable for the Republicans (and their campaign contirbutors) at the cost of sacrificing the country's future energy security...and "security" is the right word in a world where wars have been, are, and will be fought over oil.

Others, like Schweikert's bill above, don't directly affect the American middle and working classes, but they absolutely place the short-term interests of deep-pocketed special interests above the long-term  stability and credibility of the American economy.

At all times, the focus of the Republicans (aided and abetted by more than a few corpraDems, I'm ashamed to say) has been to protect and enhance the short-term bottom lines of major "campaign contributors."

They, along with most of what pass for modern "captains of industry," have forgotten or are ignoring the fact that the American economy was built on truly long-term investments, and the public sector played a pivotal part in the economic success.

Do we dare imagine what America would look like today without things like...

...the national highway system that eased the movement of people and goods across the country?

...utility projects like the Tennessee Valley Authority that helped modernize the infrastructure and economy of a huge swath of the country?

...water projects like the Hoover Dam that secured the water supply necessary to allow the Western U.S. to grow as a population and economic center?

...any of the hundreds of other public works projects over the decades that built and buttressed the infrastructure that forms the foundation of the American economy?

And I can't even begin to predict where the current trend of undermining the effectiveness of public education in order to justify redirecting funds away from public schools, and public school students, and toward "private educational enterprises" is going to lead our society.  I'm willing to be it won't be a good place though.

The historical economic "rising tide" that lifted and grew America's middle class, particularly in the period between WW2 and Vietnam, also benefitted America's corporations and super-wealthy (when consumers have good jobs and money to spend, consumer products companies do well).  However, the current economic downturn illustrates that the reverse isn't true - America's corporations and their CEOs are doing very well, thank you, while most of the rest of us are still suffering deeply from the effects of the economy.

Enough.

Arizona and America cannot afford to continue electing people who don't hold the long-term interests of the country paramount.  People may disagree on what is best for the country (or state, or county, or city, or whatever), but "the best interests of my country/state/county/city/whatever" should be the guiding principle for all elected officials.

Every candidate for every office, at every level, must be evaluated on this criteria before any votes are cast.

This may occasionally mean having to choose a well-meaning schmuck over a poised and polished schemer.

So be it.

The schmuck will have to learn from his mistakes, or his successors will.  The schemers never seem to learn the real lessons from their misdeeds, instead just finding ways to not get caught the next time.


*There are some questions as to whether Aesop was an actual individual or an amalgamation created by subsequent generations to simplify the collection of and reference to widely-known fables, but that discussion is too academic for this blog (and I am woefully unqualified for such a discussion) and more importantly, it's utterly irrelevent to the above subject.

If politicians hold a campaign event/meeting and the press doesn't cover it, did it really happen?

Thursday, the "Senate Ad Hoc Task Force On Forest Management 2011" was scheduled to hold a special public meeting at the Show Low High School.

The "Task Force" is made up of seven of the most stridently anti-environment members of the Republican caucus of the Arizona State Senate.  They were scheduled to discuss the factors behind the slew of massive wildfires that have burned (and are burning) hundreds of thousands of acres in Arizona.

Essentially, Sen. Sylvia Allen, the chair of the task force, and her merry band of political cutthroats were going to find ways to blame the fires on environmentalists, undocumented immigrants, and probably environmentalists again.

To be fair, the list of scheduled speakers at the meeting included at least one representative from the Center for Biological Diversity and from other legitimate organizations, so there was at least the possibility that Allen's anti-environment screeds wouldn't go unchallenged.

I was unable to make that meeting, but looked forward to reading accounts of the meeting from the press (yes, I'm a political geek :) ).

So imagine my surprise when I searched for something on the meeting and found

Nothing.

Not in the Arizona Republic.  Not in the Arizona Capitol Times.  Not in the Arizona Guardian.  Not even in the White Mountain Independent, the outlet that actually covers Show Low specifically.

I couldn't find press releases from the participants, so I don't even have evidence that the meeting actually took place.

Now, I've been doing this and being just generally politically active long enough now to know that most politicians would rather face loud disagreement than be quietly ignored (not that they exactly crave disagreement).

Apparently, Daniel Scarpinato, the press guy for the Republicans in the House knows this too.

Hence the hastily-called meeting of the House version of the same "task force," the "House Ad Hoc Committee On Arizona Forests Restoration Management."  The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 5, at 2 p.m. at the Capitol.

I refer to the meeting as "hastily-called" because it wasn't on the schedule on Thursday but it was there Friday.  In addition, most of these meetings are set up with advance notice of at least a week or two, not a business day or two.

The House meeting announcement touts the attendance of Congressman Paul Gosar (R-DDS), who I'm guessing has no forest management knowledge or insight that goes much beyond "campers should floss before carefully extinguishing any campfires."

While I don't expect any great ideas to be offered at the meeting, I do expect it to be covered by the Capitol press corps.

If only because getting to the House meeting will take a brief five minute walk from the Executive Tower, not the epic 3.5 hour drive to Show Low required to attend the Senate meeting.

AZ Legislature slapped down by federal court for overreaching with anti-Tohono O'odham law

From the Arizona Republic, written by Cecilia Chan -

A federal judge Thursday struck down a newly minted state law that aimed to derail a proposed West Valley casino.

U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell ruled that federal law preempted the state legislation, which gave Glendale the right to annex tribal land near 95th and Northern avenues. Annexation would have effectively voided the federal government's move to place the property in the reservation system. The Tohono O'odham Nation seeks reservation status so that it can build a casino.

The state law's "clear purpose and effect would be to block the Department of the Interior from taking the land into trust, contrary to the express command of Congress," Campbell said.

This doesn't end the case, or the cost to the taxpayers to defend this dog of a law - AZAG Tom Horne has pledged to appeal the ruling.  I expect the Tohono O'odham nation to prevail, but stay tuned.

HB2534, the bill that became the law that was struck down, is here.

The House's final vote on the bill is here - all the Rs but one (Farnsworth) supporting; all Ds opposing.

The Senate's final vote on the bill is here - all the Rs but four (Allen, Biggs, Gould, Barto) supporting, all Ds opposing.

Legislative leaders rat-hunting at the Capitol

...unfortunately, they're only going after the four-legged variety, and then only because they can't stand the competition...

From the Arizona Republic, written by Mary Jo Pitzl -

The state Capitol has seen a surge of rats and mice in recent weeks.

Nothing new, you say? We're talking the four-footed kind.

The House of Representatives, the Senate and the executive tower where the governor works have been magnets for the little (and not-so-little) rodents, who have been reported scurrying across floors and nibbling on food left on office desks.

I admit it, I'm not too proud to go after an obvious punch line.  As if you couldn't tell that already.  :)

Clean Elections Ruling: The Roberts' Supreme Court sides with deep pockets against average citizens

From the Arizona Republic, written by Mary Jo Pitzl -

In a 5-4 opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court Monday struck down a key provision of Arizona's public campaign-finance law.

The court's decision means candidates running under the Arizona Clean Elections system in next year's state elections will not be able to tap public dollars to match the funds raised by their opponents.

Matching funds were created to try and level the playing field between candidates running with public funds and those funding their campaigns with traditional fund-raising tactics.

"I'm delighted," said state Sen. John McComish, R-Phoenix, who was celebrating the court's ruling with attorneys at the Goldwater Institute, which challenged the Arizona law during the 2008 campaign cycle.

Linda Brown, executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network Foundation, said regarding the decision “Voters want elected officials to be accountable to them, not wealthy donors.  Unfortunately this Court favors the money over the many.  They are pushing our country, and more importantly our democracy, down a dangerous path.”

In the dissent portion of the court's decision, Justice Elena Kagan wrote "So they are making a novel argument: that Arizona violated their First Amendment rights by disbursing funds to other speakers even though they could have received (but chose to spurn) the same financial assistance. Some people might call that chutzpah."

Justice Kagan is a lot more tactful than I am.

I would have just called it what it is.

Bullshit.

Sen. Frank Antenori responds to DPS hacking incident by advocating for a Sharia-like punishment

By now, most folks have heard of the incident where the hacker group LulzSec accessed then released some confidential records from the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Arizona's new House Speaker Andy Tobin (R-bleepin' Yankees fan) responded with predictable outrage, stating that the hackers should be "prosecuted to the full extent possible."

Sen. Frank Antenori (R-Don't say I represent Tucson, even though I live there!), responded just as predictably, advocating for a massive expansion of "full extent possible."

From the Political Insider in today's Arizona Republic -

Quote of the week: "We should cut off their fingers." - State Sen. Frank Antenori, R-Tucson, suggesting the appropriate punishment for those who hacked into DPS e-mails.

Ummm...the last time I checked, Arizona criminal law doesn't call for the amputation of body parts as punishment.

However, Sharia law does.

Campaign committees update

Still slow on the committees front, but a few have formed since the last update...plus I'm going to engage in a little speculation at the end of the post...

...Republican State Sen. Ron Gould (R-Confederate Flag) of Lake Havasu is termed out of the Senate next year, and has made some noises about running for Congress or Yuma County supervisor but hasn't yet officially announced his post-state senate plans.  Not to worry, however, Lake Havasuans (not sure if that is even a word) will still have the opportunity to vote for a Kool Aid drinker.

Salvatore Luke "Sam" Scarmardo has opened a committee for the Republican nomination for LD3 state senate.  Scarmado was a candidate for Congress in 2002, failing to make it on to the ballot at the time.  In his announcement, he called Gould his "good friend" and decried "Republicans in name only" and Democrats in the lege for all that ails the state.


...Republican State Rep. Terri Proud has formed a PAC called called the Southern AZ PAC.  Not sure what is going on there.


...In Maricopa County news, one Jennifer Fichera has formed a $500 Threshold committee for a run county supervisor.  No district is listed, but based on her Scottsdale address, she lives in Don Stapley's current district.

...Also in Maricopa County, a committee has been formed for the recall on one Jimmy Welch, president of the Nadaburg Unified School District in Wittman.  Not sure what is going on out there, but a recent meeting was "colorful".

...Finally, the outright speculation part of the post - Sara Presler, mayor of Flagstaff, has announced that she will not seek another term as mayor.  She stated that she remains "committed to public service," fueling speculation that she is eyeing a run for Congress next year.

Has anybody noticed...

...that despite Russell Pearce's claims of massive support for him in LD18, his campaign finance reports from the 2010 election cycle show that he received a grand total of 7 contributions from LD18 residents, amounting to less than 2.5% of his total for the cycle?  He actually received more money from Fiesta Bowl-affiliated contributors.

Even more telling was the fact that, as far as I can tell, he didn't receive any contributions from his neighbors in his home precinct, Mesa 16.

Hmmm...

...that Arizona is lagging behind most other areas in the country economically, even in this rather tepid national recovery?   The folks at Brookings Mountain West, a joint effort from the DC think tank Brookings Institute and UNLV have in the most recent edition of the Mountain Monitor (Phoenix snapshot here; Tucson snapshot here; snapshots of 100 metropolitan areas available here).

Some Arizona-specific numbers, courtesy the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, dated today, here.

Simple summary of both:  Arizona's economy, while showing occasional signs of growth, is basically stagnant, and it is stagnant at the bottom of the trough.


...that former Alaska governor Sarah Palin (R-Half term) has ended/suspended (depending on who you ask) her (in)famous national bus tour...brace yourselves...about halfway through?

Insert your own punchline here.


...that (allegedly) corrupt Republican former Congressman Rick Renzi (R-Mantech) failed in his gambit to block a trial on corruption charges?  He argued that his corrupt activities were Constitutionally-protected and he can't be prosecuted for them.  A federal appeals court disagreed.

...Not really a political topic, at least not to the average Arizonan, but the holder of the number one spot on the FBI's most wanted list (ascending there upon the death of Osama bin Laden), James J. "Whitey" Bulger was finally captured in Santa Monica, California on Wednesday night.

Bulger has numerous bodies on his tally sheet, as well as being the main force behind the near-complete corrupting of the Boston office of the FBI in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Even though by all accounts he had been maintaining a low-profile in Santa Monica, society is a safer place tonight.

Later...

Schweikert reaching...into some deep pockets

From Huffington Post, written by Paul Blumenthal -

Of all the ways that Congress finds to make Americans cringe, the creation of leadership political action committees (PACs) -- campaign finance vehicles that provide yet another avenue for special interest influence and test the furthest limits of the English language with unwieldy acronyms -- may induce the strongest grimaces.

{snip}

The House Financial Services Committee, a well-known feeding ground for money-hungry lawmakers, is the most represented committee among GOP freshmen with PACs and includes Reps. Robert Hurt (Va.), Dave Schweikert (Ariz.), Jim Renacci (Ohio), and Michael Grimm (N.Y.). The campaign committees of these four lawmakers have all received an inordinate amount of contributions from financial PACs. Now those financial PACs, some of the biggest donors to Congress, have another avenue to contribute to new committee members overseeing their industry. Republicans, as well as Democrats, place vulnerable members on the committee so they can raise funds from the industry the panel oversees.

Interesting article.  It inspired me to do a little research on the FEC's website.

A "leadership" PAC to benefit freshman GOPers Schweikert, Hurt, Steve Stivers and Francisco Canseco named "Freshman Majority" was formed late April/early May and hasn't filed any reports yet.  However, Schweikert's latest campaign filing shows that he has been the recipient of a lot of bribes campaign contributions from industries that have matters before the Financial Services Committee in the US House.

He reported $166K in contributions during the three month period ending March 31; more than 25% $43,000 came directly from insurance, banking, and real estate PACs (or, in a couple of cases, lawyer/lobbying firm PACs where they firm self-identifies as working primarily for interests in those areas; other lobbyist firm contributions were not added into this total).

Another 15%, or $26K, came from individual donors who self-identified as working in the same businesses.

Think it's a coincidence that Schweikert opposes regulation of financial industry activities and supports destroying Medicare and replacing it with a corporate Vouchercare program?

Brewer and legislative Republicans kiss and make up: Arizonans still screwed

From the Arizona Republic, written by Ginger Rough -

Gov. Jan Brewer spent some time last week mending fences with some key Republican lawmakers, days after her hastily called special session on extending unemployment benefits ended abruptly with no action.

The Legislature's adjournment - and the governor's comments on the impasse - had prompted speculation that relations between her executive branch and legislative Republicans had turned sour.

On Thursday, Brewer and House Speaker Andy Tobin, R-Paulden, sat down for an hour to discuss the session and pledged to work on their respective communication styles.

Given that what we saw from West Washington when they got along - pension "reform" that devastates public employees, an official state gun instead of an official state jobs bill, corporate tax cuts that push more of the state's tax burden onto middle-class homeowners - could basically be summed up as "screwjobs by acts of commission", should anybody be surprised that what we saw from West Washington when they weren't getting along could be summarized as a "screwjob by act of omission"?

Either way, Arizonans, at least those who cannot abbreviate their last names "corp", "inc", or "LLC" are seriously underrepresented at the Capitol.

Clarence Clemons passes away

Clarence Clemons, the physically imposing (6' 5", 270 lbs) saxophone player with a smile and personality that could brighten the darkest corners of any club, arena, or stadium, has passed away due to complications from a stroke he suffered a week ago.

While a noted and in-demand musician in his own right, he is easily best known for his decades of work with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, where his soaring solos became the hallmark of Springsteen's sound.

Many people have something to say on Clemons' passing -

USA Today has an obit/story here.

Rolling Stone has a story here.

From Bruce Springsteen's website -

It is with overwhelming sadness that we inform our friends and fans that at 7:00 tonight, Saturday, June 18, our beloved friend and bandmate, Clarence Clemons passed away. The cause was complications from his stroke of last Sunday, June 12th.


Bruce Springsteen said of Clarence: Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage. His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years. He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band.

All I can say is -

Damn.


My deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, and many, many fans.

Short Attention Span Musing

...Is Frank Antenori angling for a promotion...or just another electoral beat-down?

H/T to The Range at the Tucson Citizen (Mari Herreras and Dan Gibson) , AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona and Tedski at Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion for spotting this...

State Sen. Frank Antenori (R-Tucson)  has all but announced that he will run for Congress next year by posting a faux-poll on his Facebook page asking for "advice" from readers.

He wanted to know if they thought he should run for Congress or stay in the Arizona Legislature.  Maybe someone should remind him what happened the last time he ran for Congress.

In 2006, he came in fourth in a five-way R primary in CD8, looking to replace the retiring Jim Kolbe, a spot eventually won by Democrat Gabrielle Giffords.

He received 4.12% of the vote.


...It looks as if Hugh Hallman is getting out of Tempe while the getting is good...

From the East Valley Tribune, written by Garin Groff -

Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman said he’ll stay involved in civic issues and is open to seeking another office after stepping down next June.


Hallman announced he won’t seek a third term while decrying the state of politics in Arizona. He’d like to address challenges he sees at the state and federal levels, though he hasn’t decided just how yet.

It's long been rumored that Hallman has his eye on higher office.  It appears as if he is setting up a statewide run for 2014, though run for Congress or Fulton Brock's seat as a Maricopa County supervisor next year isn't out of the realm of possibility.

Note: Neither Hallman nor Antenori has an active campaign committee at the federal, state, or county levels that I can find, as of this writing.


...Russell Pearce may not be toast yet, he's definitely feeling the heat.

Word has gotten out that the Maricopa County Recorder's Office has unofficially validated more than enough petition signatures to force a recall election.  Most electeds in his position would at least pretend to care about their images, but not Pearce.

Nope.  He went on KAET's Horizon on Thursday and started spouting outrageous, and more importantly for the people who have united to unseat him, easily disproven lies about those people.

This on top of a week spend dealing with criticisms over his handling of the "special session to nowhere," the special session called to change a single word in Arizona law that would have allowed 15,000 Arizonans to continue receiving federally-funded unemployment benefits?

The "special" session where the Republicans in the legislature refused to act to help average Arizonans who need the help, unless the corporate benefactors of those Republicans got another big tax cut?

Not a good week for Pearce.


...Not a good week for John Huppenthal, either.

To great fanfare, the man who is Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction pronounced that Tucson's Mexican American Studies program is illegal and must be changed or shut down.

As part of his supporting "evidence" he cited an audit conducted by a private firm.

The problem?  The audit he cited actually found that the program didn't violate the law.

Though as Huffington Post's Jeff Biggers points out here, Huppenthal may have done so himself.

Oopsie.

Later...

Arizona Legislature abandons unemployed Arizonans

On Friday, we know this was coming, but there was always a spark of hope that someone would sit them down this weekend an gently explain to them the PR benefits of making a one word change to Arizona law so that 15,000 of Arizona's long-term unemployed could collect extended unemployment benefits.

Or maybe someone would explain to the legislative types how the money wouldn't come from the state but would add more than $3 million per week to Arizona's cratered economy.

Note that I'm not mentioning the fact that it was simply the right thing to do, because that's a moral and ethical argument, and those hold no sway at 1700 West Washington.

From the Phoenix New Times, written by Stephen Lemons -

The state Legislature recessed indefinitely today from its special session without making a minor change in state law that would allow some 45,000 unemployed Arizonans to continue to receive unemployment checks.


Around 15,000 out-of-work Sand Landers will receive a check this week, and then no more. The Arizona Department of Economic Security estimates that another 30,000 would qualify for the federal extension by the end of the year.

From the Arizona Capitol Times, written by Luige del Puerto -

...Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City, was even harsher in criticizing the governor.


“She did it just to spite us,” he said. “She’s created a bunch of grief for us by calling us into a special session that had no deal, on 24 hours’ notice, (on) the day before the deadline, so she could throw us under the bus on Saturday morning.”

{snip}

But Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, said it would be disingenuous for legislators to complain about federal overspending but take every dollar offered to the state.


“Almost every day we’re here, we complain about the federal government spending,” he said. “But when they’re willing to give us some of that money, we say, ‘Oh, we’ll take it.’”

The vote to adjourn the special session was along party lines, with 16 Republicans voting to go home without working to help their constituents, 5 Democrats voting to stay at work until the job was done right, and 9 members from both sides of the aisle absent for one reason or another.

I wonder if the 45,000 Arizonans thrown under the ideological bus by the Republicans in the legislature (15K now, and another 30K by the end of the year) will remember this when they have a ballot in their hands next year?

Bonus "I wonder":

I wonder who's going to break the news to Rep. Farnsworth that he's part of the *Arizona Legislature,* not the *U.S. Congress*?

Later...