Jan Brewer: Metaphors are not her friend.

Pretty near everyone in AZ remembers Governor Jan Brewer's major "brain freeze" during the 2010 election where she just totally lost her train of thought during a televised gubernatorial debate.

She became a national punchline, bringing another heaping helping of ridicule down upon the state.

She avoided a repeat of that embarrassment by making that debate the *only* debate of the cycle, following the advice of Abraham Lincoln**.

** - From BrainyQuote.com -

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/abrahamlin109276.html#4cc4ecQjVM4KhIMP.9

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/abrahamlin109276.html#4cc4ecQjVM4KhIMP.99

 

Sounds weird, but it worked - she won that election.

However, she seems to have forgotten that advice.


She held a press conference on Monday regarding the ongoing scandal at Child Protective Services.

From KNAU.org, written by Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services (emphasis added) -

The governor said she does not believe the problem originated with Clarence Carter, director of the state Department of Economic Security, parent agency of CPS. But she clearly wants to know where the policy did begin.

“I think that we need a complete, full investigation,” said Brewer. “We need to know where all the bodies are buried, if you will, no pun intended. But we’re not going to start attacking people until we know that we’ve got a basis to do that.”

Given that the scandal is that more than 6500 reports of child abuse were ignored by the agency, her choice of metaphor is unfortunate, to put it mildly.

I just hope that it doesn't prove prophetic as well.

Andy Biggs' evaluation of the CPS records scandal: Child abuse isn't a problem, opportunities to report it are.

Apparently, when State Sen. Andy Biggs (R-Gilbert), the president of the Arizona State Senate, hears about "uninvestigated reports of child abuse", he thinks that there's a problem.


Not with "child abuse".

Not with "uninvestigated".

Nope, he has a problem with "reports".


From the Arizona Daily Star, written by Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services -

Biggs did not dispute that caseloads have increased in the last four years. But he said that’s the result of a “false positive” due to additional funding.

“Instead of taking the money and using it to solve cases, they went out and advertised for more,” he said. While that may have turned up more legitimate cases of abuse, Biggs said it also resulted in more false reports.

Wow.  What brilliant insight.

If we apply that insight to other areas, think of the quality-of-life improvements that could be made in our society -

- Remove phone lines from police stations; fewer reports of crimes means fewer crimes, right?

- Eliminate anti-corruption "whistleblower" hotlines; fewer reports of corruption means less corruption, right? (Actually, it seems that in AZ, we are already on top of this.  In other words, couldn't find one to link to.  May help explain why there is so much corruption in AZ politics
- Eliminate domestic violence hotlines; fewer reports of domestic abuse means that there's less of it, right?

- Could keep this going all night, but the point is made - not talking about bad behavior doesn't mean that the bad behavior stops.

Not hardly.


I've been told by people who know Biggs and disagree his politics as much as I do that he is, in fact, a very intelligent man.  In this situation however, that works against him.

He's not Sylvia Allen or Jack Harper (lege types from years past who were more known for speaking without thinking than for insightful discourse) or Brenda Barton or Bob Thorpe (current lege types, but otherwise ditto).

He knew exactly what he was saying, and in many ways, he's worse than the people who were directly responsible for burying the CPS cases.

He's protecting and enabling them.

His attitude of contempt toward human life permeates the upper levels of the political class at the Capitol and will continue to do so until we make some changes at the Capitol.  The recall of Russell Pearce wasn't enough of a wake-up call for them - the ones that remain still don't believe that it can happen to them.

And they won't until we start voting them out of office.

CPS records scandal: Is "sacrificial lamb" a commonly-accepted resume entry?

...Because someone should be updating his resume...

By now, most folks in AZ have heard of the confession by the director of the department that oversees Child Protective Services (CPS) that the agency dealt with its heavy workload the simplest way possible -


It ignored more than 6000 reports of possible child abuse.


Additionally, some CPS records related to those reports were found dumped in an alley.

There have been calls (and here) for that director of the Department of Economic Security (DES), Clarence Carter, to resign or be fired by Governor Jan Brewer (mostly by Democratic legislators).

There have been counter-statements "pooh-poohing" the concerns as much ado about very little (mostly by Republican legislators).

Now, Carter says that he isn't going anywhere, but he may not have much say in the matter.

Even before Governor Jan Brewer and the Republicans in the legislature gutted the state personnel system, making all state employees subject to the whims of the political class (aka - Brewer and the Republicans in the lege), agency heads were political appointments hired as much for their willingness to fall on their swords for their benefactors when it becomes necessary as for their competence in the area covered by their agency.

In short, he's going to take the fall for this mess.  He's gone by the end of January; sooner if it turns out that some of the reports that the agency metaphorically buried concern kids who ended up buried, and not-so-metaphorically so.

Part of the reason that he's got to go is that it goes with the job.  As the head of the agency, he is ultimately responsible for its operation.  A failure as big as this one becomes his personal failure, regardless of the level of his personal involvement with it.

However, the bigger part of the reason that he will go is that the Governor and Republicans in the legislature need someone to shield them from their culpability in this.

They've spent years demonizing poor Arizona families and using their own unsupported rhetoric (OK - lies) to justify taking resources from the social safety net and redistributing them upwards to corporations and wealthy persons.

Reports state that currently, CPS faces a backlog of approximately 10,000 cases, and that isn't counting the 6000 that were just made public.

Under the previous conditions (backlog = 10K cases), CPS workers were considered "overworked and underpaid", and considering what Brewer, et. al. think of state employees and the poor Arizonans, that was "good enough" by the lights of Brewer and her compatriots.

However, the current conditions (backlog is 60% higher at 16K cases) indicate that the agency isn't just overworked, it's overwhelmed because it doesn't have the resources to do their job.

Carter, as department director, is responsible for ensuring that the agencies under his direction do their jobs.

He's failed at that mission, and he probably will lose his job over it.  As he should.

Brewer and the lege are responsible for seeing that the agencies have the resources necessary to do those jobs.

They've failed at that mission, and while they should lose their jobs, too, they probably won't.

Hell, they probably won't accept any responsibility for the impact of their policies, they will probably find a way to justify the sacrifice of abused children on the altar of increased corporate profits.

On the other hand, we have some say on the subject, some direct influence to exert.

And we can do so, clearly and unequivocally, by firing them next November.


Disclaimers:

I have seen no evidence that Mr. Carter is professionally incompetent, nor have I seen any indication that he had direct knowledge of the practice of simply ignoring reports of abuse, much less directly participated in it.

I still think that he should still lose his job; he should not be the only person to do so, however.

Affordable Care Act forums and town halls

...of the "real" variety, not the Republicans' "half-truths, misleading statements, and outright lies" variety...

First, the forums -

Other forums, also involving the LD19 legislators above -

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013 
Time:  6 to 8 p.m.  
Place: Desert West Community Center, 6501 W. Virginia Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85035
 

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013

Time: 6 to 8 p.m.

Place: City of Tolleson Building, Parks and Recreation Center, multi-purpose room, 9555 W. Van Buren St., Tolleson, AZ 85353 

Other events can be found here, at the website of Cover Arizona.

Now, the town halls (actually, tele-town halls).  Info courtesy State Rep. Andrea Dalessandro (D - LD2) -

Call-in information:
Call 559-726-1200 and use the code 322773. 

Please note: this call is not toll free. Long-distance charges may apply.

Tele-Town Hall (English)

Date: Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Times: 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Herb Schultz, the regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will join Dalessandro for both calls on Dec. 3.


Tele-Town Hall (Spanish)

Date: Thursday, December 5, 2013
Times: 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Dr. Betsy Thompson and Roberto Diaz with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be available for both calls on Dec. 5.


These events are open to the public and the press. To RSVP, email adalessandro@azleg.gov or call 1-800-352-8404, ext. 65342.

Funeral arrangements for former state representative Ben Miranda

Highly respected attorney, community activist, and former state legislator Ben Miranda passed away suddenly last week.  His funeral services will be held tomorrow, Monday, November 25, 2013.

Picture courtesy Arizona Capitol Times

Details, courtesy his wife, Rep. Catherine Miranda -

Date: Monday, Nov. 25

Services -

Place: Saint Agnes Catholic Church, 1954 N. 24 St, Phoenix, AZ 85008

Time: 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. followed by mass. 

Burial -

Place: National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 23029 N. Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, AZ 85024 

Time: 2 p.m. 

Reception/Memorial -

Place: American Legion Post 41, 715 S. Second Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85003 

Time: Following the burial

Miranda was elected to the governing board of the Maricopa County Community College District in 2012.  From his bio page there:

Ben Miranda was born in Texas into a migrant farm worker family. In his younger years, the family traveled across the United States harvesting throughout the year. They finally settled in Gila Bend, Arizona, prior to moving to the inner-city projects of Phoenix. On this journey, he attended one room rural schools and resided in labor camps with up to 5,000 immigrant farm workers. He proudly served 13 months in the Vietnam conflict where he was awarded the country’s Bronze Star. After attending Phoenix College and undergraduate studies at Arizona State University (B.S. Political Science), he graduated with the Deans Award from ASU Law School (Juris Doctorate-Law), where he led a recruitment effort that increased minority law student enrollment by 50 percent.

In 1994, he received the City of Phoenix’s First Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Living the Dream” Award. He oversaw over $100,000 in donations from the firm and contributed hundreds of hours in support of Cesar Chavez of the United Farm workers. He served on the Roosevelt School Board where he has been recognized for the hundreds of volunteer hours that he contributes to children. He was elected to the State Legislature in 2002, he served with his brother senator, the first brothers elected to serve together as state level office holders. He has twice been selected by his peers to serve as Chair of the Arizona Latino Caucus of the State Legislature.

He has also served on the boards of the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, American Red Cross, and Valle del Sol. He has represented the city of Avondale, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Local 383 Union. His passion for helping the underserved has led him to establish Proyecto Manzana which is focused on increasing access to a higher education for all youth in need.

He has acquired a well-deserved reputation for devoting countless hours of free legal advice to people in our community who could not otherwise obtain legal services.

Finally, and most important to him, he is married to Catherine, Arizona House of Representatives District 16 Member, and is a devoted father to his daughters Maritza and Elisa, son-in-law Aaron and grandfather to Mariella, Abraham, Erin Marie and Naomi.

 Deepest condolences go out to his family and many friends.

Short attention span musing

...What do Anthony Weiner, Bob Filner, and even Congressman Trey Radel have in common as we approach Thanksgiving?

They are all glad that Toronto mayor Rob Ford is around to distract everyone from their own "issues".

Ford is the gift that keeps on giving in his apparent quest to explode the stereotype held by Americans that Canadians are "boring, but really nice".


...Speaking of exploding that particular stereotype ("boring, but really nice"), New Mexico, via its state police force, have accomplished the same thing.

In late October, an officer of the New Mexico State Police pulled over a minivan with a mother and her four children for speeding.

The stop didn't go smoothly.




The above video shows that the mother, Oriana Farrell, was completely in the wrong...up until the point where the officers got violent toward her and her children, including an attempt to kill them all (starting at approximately the 12:35 mark).

The prosecutor in NM has filed a number of charges against Farrell, most of which she apparently deserves.

However, she has also been charged with child abuse because the police officers shot at her and her family.

While she was completely wrong for most of the encounter by the side of the road in New Mexico and should be held responsible for her bad acts, she should NOT be held responsible for the bad acts of the officers involved.

Nothing she did during the encounter, including driving away from the police officers, endangered the officers or anyone else.  The use of lethal force was not warranted.

Period.

...For the "responsible gun owners" file:

From the Austin American-Statesman, written by Claudia Grisales -

Texas State Rep. Drew Darby is facing a felony charge after he attempted to take a weapon through a security screening at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport this month, according to court documents.

Darby was shown as booked into Travis County Jail at 7:22 a.m. on Nov. 14 after he was found to be carrying a .38 caliber Ruger and six rounds of ammunition in a magazine during the security screening that morning, the affidavit said.

Don't be surprised if the NRA ponys up funds to cover his "legal fees"...even though he is an attorney (hey, he could bill himself for services rendered, then pay himself, the be reimbursed by the NRA for money that he paid...to himself).

Cynicism is charming, right?  :)

...Lesson learned today:  Arizona's term limits law does not cover all state-level offices equally.

Joe Hart, the current State Mine Inspector, has filed for another run at the office.  Since he was first elected to the office in 2006, and term limits in AZ are eight years, this was a little surprising.

Then I read the section of the Arizona Constitution that covers term limits.

From Article 5, Section 1 (emphasis added) -

Section 1. A. The executive department shall consist of the governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, and superintendent of public instruction, each of whom shall hold office for a term of four years beginning on the first Monday of January, 1971 next after the regular general election in 1970. No member of the executive department shall hold that office for more than two consecutive terms.

Not to worry though - we aren't stuck with Hart forever.

From Article 19, Section 0 of the state constitution (emphasis added) -

No mine inspector shall serve more than four consecutive terms in that office.

Whew!!! :)

...OK, so who had "before the end of the year" in the George Zimmerman Arrest Pool?

From CNN, written by Steve Almasy -

George Zimmerman was charged Monday with felony aggravated assault after allegedly pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend, according to Dennis Lemma, chief deputy with the Seminole County, Florida, Sheriff's Office.

Zimmerman, who was acquitted earlier this year of murdering teenager Trayvon Martin, was arrested after the incident at the home of Samantha Scheibe, Lemma said. He also was charged with two misdemeanors -- domestic violence battery and criminal mischief -- in connection with the same incident, Lemma said.

I just hope he ends up in prison before he adds to his body count...

50 years ago this week, part 5...

Instead of capping the week by focusing on the end of the JFK presidency, I would rather focus on the beginning, when he represented the hopes of a generation.

Courtesy UCSB, John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural address -

Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice president Nixon, President Truman, Reverend Clergy, fellow citizens:

We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom--symbolizing an end as well as a beginning--signifying renewal as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe-the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

This much we pledge--and more.

To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do--for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.

To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom-and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.

To those peoples in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required--not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge--to convert our good words into good deeds--in a new alliance for progress--to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.

To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support--to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective--to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak--and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.

Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.

We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.

But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course--both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.

So let us begin anew--remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.

Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.

Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms--and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.

Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.

Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah--to "undo the heavy burdens . . . (and) let the oppressed go free."

And if a beach-head of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.

All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.

In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.

Now the trumpet summons us again-not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need--not as a call to battle, though embattled we are--but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"--a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility--I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it--and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.

For people who would rather hear speeches than read them....

50 years ago this week, part 4: The others

When JFK was shot while riding in his limousine in Dallas, he was not alone; he wasn't even the only one shot.

The other five people in the car that day - 

...Bill Greer, the Secret Service agent assigned to drive that day, came in for a heavy dose of criticism for slowing down upon hearing the first shot, instead of immediately accelerating away from the scene.  He passed away in 1985 after a fight with cancer.

...Roy Kellerman, the senior Secret Service agent in the limousine, eventually rose in the ranks of the Secret Service before retiring in 1968.  He passed away in 1984.

...Nellie Connally, the wife of then-Texas governor John Connally, survived that day, and for many years more.  She was the last to pass away of the people in the limo that fateful day, living until 2006.  She was the author of a critically-lauded book about that day, "From Love Field: Our Final Hours with President John F. Kennedy".

...John Connally, the governor of Texas, was seriously wounded during the assassination, but later recovered from his wounds, going on to serve as Texas' governor until 1969.  He continued on in business, politics and government for many years, passing away in 1993.

...Jacqueline Kennedy, JFK's wife, survived that day.  She later moved on, marrying Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis in 1968.  When Onassis died in 1975, she became a widow for the second time.  She had a second career, becoming a publishing executive (actually, an editor) until her death in 1994.

Portrait courtesy C-SPAN

Note: the brevity of the bios is for the purpose of just that, brevity, only.  Their lives were far more interesting than I could truly convey in a few sentences.  However, as with the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination and its aftermath, writing about them in-depth would keep me writing until the 100th anniversary.

50 years ago this week, part 3: TV news comes into its own

A "where were you when" moment is one that is an almost universal cultural touchstone, one where pretty much everyone who was alive at the moment in question remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about a particular event.

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy was the first "where were you when" moment of the television age, and when most people recall that day, one of the things that they recall is the emergency news bulletin from CBS' soon-to-be legendary newscaster Walter Cronkite.

50 years ago this week, part 2: The picture

It's not often that one can say that the New York Daily News did, or does, journalism proud, but they did with this, a picture of John F. Kennedy Jr. saluting the casket of his slain father.

This picture became one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th Century. 

The Daily News has an article about the photograph here.

Another of the most iconic photographs of the 20th Century won the Pulitzer that year, a picture of Jack Ruby shooting and killing Lee Harvey Oswald.  However, looking back, as significant as that one was, I think that this one has a far greater emotional impact.

50 years ago this week, part 1: The Warren Commission report

50 years ago this week, on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX.

While many outlets, blog and MSM alike, are putting forth retrospectives of the days and events leading up to that fateful day in Dallas, here I'll be switching things up a little and starting with the aftermath.

Tonight:  The Warren Commission report into the assassination.

The report was, and in many respects remains, controversial.  The thousands of hours of testimony and pages of documents were summed up into a single conclusion:  Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone when he killed President Kennedy.

Many people, including some who were insiders themselves, called the report a cover-up.

Many books have been written about the report (in many ways, the report was almost as historically significant as the assassination itself), so I'm not going to rehash the controversy in its entirety (I'd still be writing when the 100th anniversary rolls around :) ).

If you want to read about the controversy, use Google (the search terms "warren commission cover up" generate 1.8 million results); links to the actual report are below.

The Government Printing Office has released a digitized version of the report; it can be downloaded here.

That .pdf file is more than 900 pages long; if you prefer your reading in more digestible bites, the National Archives offers a web-based version here.

The list of the members of the commission included the names of some of the major players in American politics of the mid- to late 20th century.  While some of the names have faded in prominence over the many years since, some of the people are major parts of American history.

Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court and chair of the commission.

Gerald Ford, then a member of the US House of Representatives from Michigan, later to become Vice President when scandal-plagued Spiro Agnew resigned, after that became President when Watergate-plagued Richard Nixon resigned.

Hale Boggs, a member of the US House from Louisiana for more than a quarter-century, and House Majority Whip at the time.

Richard Russell, a member of the US Senate from Georgia for nearly four decades; most famous as a leader of the anti-civil rights forces in the Senate.

John Cooper, a member of the US Senate from Kentucky.

John McCloy, a lawyer and former president of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development after World War II.

Allen Dulles, a lawyer and director of the CIA early in the Kennedy administration.

J. Lee Rankin, general counsel to the commission, a former Solicitor General of the United States.


In short, a list of insiders' insiders.

Picture courtesy PBS.  (L-R) Ford, Boggs, Russell, Warren, Cooper, McCloy, Dulles, Rankin

If at first you don't succeed, give up...at least, if we are talking about healthcare reform

There have been glitches in the rollout of Obamacare, so the Republicans in Congress, aided and abetted by 39 Democrats, have moved to completely gut healthcare reform.

Because, ya know, any problem with something new means that we should end that something new.

If the Congress in 1895 had the same mentality that it has now, America would have the best horse-and-buggy-based transportation system in the world.

From Ohio History Central -

World's First Automobile Accident

The world's first automobile accident occurred in Ohio City, Ohio in 1891.

Throughout most of the twentieth century, the city of Detroit, Michigan, was synonymous with American automobile manufacturing. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, that was not the case. Instead, Ohio innovators in Cleveland and elsewhere were at the forefront of this new form of transportation technology.

 As most people are aware, that accident didn't stop the development of the automotive industry.

Per the US Department of Transportation, as of 2011 (a mere 120 years later), there were more than 253 million motor vehicles on US roads.


...Of course, if buggy makers had a PAC in 1895...

Candidate and committees update

First, the toughest news to this point of the election cycle, the toughest news at any point of any election cycle -

...Manny Cruz, Democratic candidate for state mine inspector, and a former candidate for that office (2010) and mayor of Glendale (2012), has ended his candidacy in order to devote his time to dealing with lung cancer and being with his family.

Whatever your preference for situations like this - prayers, good thoughts, best wishes, etc. - send them in the direction of Manny and his family.  Please.  They have a tough fight on their hands and can use all of the help that they get.


On to more mundane developments...

...Doug Little, Republican, has filed for a run at a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission.  He's the chair of the LD23 Republicans.

...Randy Pullen, Republican, has filed for a run at the state treasurer's job.  He's a former chair of the AZGOP and treasurer of the national GOP (aka - insider's insider).  His interest in the job has been public knowledge for months; this is just making things official.

...Linda Gray, Republican, has filed for a run for a House seat from LD1 (Prescott).  She's a former legislator, previously representing Glendale.


Otherwise, things have been fairly quiet on the local (meaning Tempe and Scottsdale) and federal fronts (meaning that any new candidates are "minor" ones until, and if, they gain some electoral traction)...

Santa's gonna need body armor when he visits the homes of Valley Republicans this year...

Normally, I'm not one to give free publicity to a GOP fundraising effort, but this one is way too juicy to accord a free pass...

As the calendar closes in on the end of the year, many groups are looking to do one last major fundraising effort before the election season fully ramps up.  While there is always pressure to raise funds felt by political groups, the ideal is to have most of the money needed to pay for outreach/campaigns raised early, because as election day gets closer, campaigns prefer to focus on spending, not raising, money.

Occasionally, that leads to some "colorful" fundraising efforts.

Like this one, from the Legislative District 26 Republican Party, based in Tempe and Mesa here in Arizona -

We are approaching Christmas (December 25), a time supposedly about sharing peace and love, and the one-year anniversary of the mass murder of 26 students and teachers in Newtown, CT (December 14), and the LD26 Rs want to make money off "sharing" a weapon similar to the one used by the killer in Newtown.

Take note of the delicious bit of insanity in the way that they are conducting background checks on potential recipients of the assault rifle that they are raffling off.

Hint: it's the kind of "background check" that even someone like Jared Loughner could pass.

I know that I'm a Democrat and we are talking about Republicans here and we don't agree on much of anything, but at what level of raging misanthropic insanity is this appropriate?

Maybe they're trying to appeal to the "let's stock up on reindeer meat so we can save our money to buy more meth" crowd?

To be fair to the LD26 Rs, this may not be a holiday fundraiser for them.  There's no date listed for the drawing, which may mean that this is a "forever" raffle where they are going to keep this going until they stop making money from it.

Something that would be worthy of a post of its own...and possibly a fraud indictment.

PS - If Santa decides to brave the skies over AZ, perhaps he should see if State Rep. Bob Thorpe can hook him up with some state-of-the-art gear.  Thorpe "knows" some people...


Picking nits part of the program:

Whoever runs/maintains their website needs to learn to spell, or at least how to use spell check -

More than one Reagan facing a primary in 2014

It's early yet, so things could change, but for some reason, one non-statewide race is already shaping up to have the most active primary, of the non-statewide races anyway.

In Maricopa County, some of the safest seats are among the lowest-profile seats - Justice of the Peace.

There are 26 of them, each with their own district (justice precincts), and other than one or two, all are "safe" districts, in partisan terms.

In many of the districts, the only real races are in the primaries, and often even those don't happen unless the seat up for election is vacant or the incumbent is an embarrassment (and given that the Arizona judiciary is actually pretty good at policing itself, the embarrassments are usually weeded out before their next election).

Which brings us to the McDowell Mountain Justice Precinct.  The JP there is Michael Reagan, the father of State Senator Michele Reagan (R-LD23), a 2014 candidate for Arizona Secretary of State.

He has filed to run for reelection, so the seat isn't "open", and while his politics are objectionable (hey, I'm a D :) ), his conduct in office has not been embarrassing, so far as I know, anyway.

Yet three (count 'em!) people have already signed up for a primary run at him -

Christina Weisman ($500 Threshold Committee)

Gayle Lee

Kathryn Shearer


On this one, I am genuinely curious. 

What's going on up there (north Scottsdale)?  Have some folks gotten the idea that Reagan isn't running for reelection, something that Reagan himself doesn't know about, since he has filed for reelection?  Is there something embarrassing about his conduct in office, something that apparently isn't widely known?  Is there just something in the water there?