To Jack Harper I say this: Thank You.

One of the biggest complaints that I hear from independent voters concerns the divisively rancorous of partisan politics these days, and how they place the blame for that on both parties equally.

Then someone comes along to show everyone precisely where that blame belongs...


State Rep. Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) has been making a strong early push in the race for the 2008 Legislative Loon award, what with his efforts to 'de-citizenfy' babies because he doesn't approve of their parents and his now-abandoned run at Rep. Jeff Flake's seat in the CD6 Republican primary (from the *right* of all places!).

However, the winner of the 2007 Legislative Loon award, state Sen. Jack Harper, isn't giving up his title without a fierce fight.

From Amanda Crawford at the AZ Republic's Plugged In -

Sen. Jack Harper is responding to the outcries of constituents, he says, in a bill that will allow independents to vote in presidential primaries while sticking it to the Dems at the same time.

The bill, which Harper filed today, would allow unaffiliated voters, Repubicans and members of minority parties to choose which primary they vote in, Democrat or Republican. Registered Democrats, however, would only be able to vote in the Democratic primary.

When asked by a reporter, Harper declined to defend his proposal to grant Republican voters more freedom than Democratic voters. The only thing that he stated, over and over, was "that the independents are no longer disenfranchised."

Harper's bill, SB1064, would allow someone (emphasis mine) "who is registered as independent, as no party preference, as a member of a political party that is not entitled to continued representation on the ballot pursuant to section 16-804 or as a member of a political party that is entitled to continued representation on the ballot pursuant to section 16-804 and that has the highest number of registered voters as of the last day on which a person may register to be eligible to vote in the presidential preference primary..." to cast a ballot in any party's presidential preference primary.

As of October 1, 2007 (the date of the most recent voter registration count on the AZ Secretary of State's website), the Republican Party has a voter reg advantage of just over 141,000 voters.

Even the cosponsor of the bill, Sen. Jim Waring, was surprised by anti-Democratic (and anti-democratic) language (apparently he didn't read the bill before signing on as a cosponsor - how foolish is that?), stating that he won't vote for the bill unless it is changed to a fair one.

...For proposing a bill that is so beyond the pale that even one of his fellow conservative Republicans has publicly stated his opposition to it...

...For finding a reservoir of shamelessness within himself that is deep enough to both propose a bill that is so completely contemptuous of democratic principles *and* to avoid publicly standing behind it...

...For giving the Arizona Republican Party a public face that truly represents the party's core values...during an election year...

...For helping to illustrate in stark contrast the differences between the two major parties...

...For all that and more (check out his SCR1007, another attempt to create a state-funded vigilante force), I say this to Jack Harper -

Thank you.



The funny thing is, if he had just proposed a clean bill, one that allowed independent or non-affiliated voters to vote in any presidential preference primary that they wanted to, he would have been hailed by independents and maybe even earned a little respect from Democrats (yes, even me :) ).

Guess he's more interested in winning the Legislative Loon award again than in winning respect.

2009 Legislative Loon Award

It's been tough finding a "winner" of this year's Legislative Loon Award. The problem hasn't been a dearth of candidates, because the rightward lurch of the GOP caucus in the lege has created a surfeit of them. (And so ends this blog's Thesaurus sentence of the year :) )

As in previous years, the likes of State Sens. Russell Pearce and Jack Harper were frontrunners for this award, as was Representative John Kavanagh. In addition to their nativist enthusiasms, Pearce and Kavanagh are the chairs of their respective chambers' Appropriations Committees, and have the influence to further the more radical parts of their ideology. Harper is, well, *Harper,* the man who never met a bill or utterance too outlandish or ignorant for him to put his name to it.

In a normal year, there would be no more than one or two others in serious contention (Trish Groe will be missed...OK, not really.)

But this year, a huge percentage of their colleagues have given free rein to their inner whackjob, in ways that go beyond the usual "appeal to the wingers back home" bills that go nowhere, and were never meant to.

Before we even enter into a discussion of some of the horrific bills proposed this session, there's the "colorful" utterances of some of the legislators to consider -

- Rep. Frank Antenori, a resident of Tucson and elected to represent part of Tucson, expressed objections to newspapers designating him as "R-Tucson." Apparently, he has a problem with the "hippies" that run the city.

- Sen. Pam Gorman, from her blog, on the prospect of devastating budget cuts for education and the rest of the state's budget (emphasis mine) - "Essentially, we will get to sit around in small groups brainstorming on ways to cut government spending instead of the normal nauseating disputes about how to spend more. Yippee! Now, where’s my party hat? "

- Sen. Jack Harper, responding to a story that Arizona, the rate of people applying for food stamps is rising at twice the pace of the U.S. as a whole (from Seeing Red AZ) - "One of the reasons so many people are signing up for welfare is due to so many welfare offices being opened up by the state and making it easy:," followed by a listing of all DES offices in the state.

No acknowledgement that maybe the reason that more people are applying for food stamps and other assistance is that more people *need* the assistance.

- Rep. John Kavanagh, speaking gleefully on the effects of cuts to the state's universities - "Since our cuts are going to send ASU back to the Middle Ages, the question is how many monks will they need?"

And that's just skimming the surface.

Then we move on to the transparency of the budget process (and balancing the state's budget in the face of the current fiscal crisis), something that the wingers complained about on an annual basis, when the moderate Republicans in the lege worked out a budget with then-Governor Napolitano and were able to garner enough support for it on both sides of the aisle to pass it. So what do the wingers do now that they've ousted most of the moderates in the Republican caucus and have fellow traveller Jan Brewer in the Governor's office?

Determine which programs to cut, and how savagely, behind closed doors.

They've even made their blog, Capitol Ideas (http://azhousegop.blogspot.com/), available to "invited readers" (i.e. - "true believers" in their view, "fellow Kool-Aid drinkers" in mine) only.

And then there are the bills.

In addition to their now-annual moves to repeal the state's equalization property tax, a dedicated funding source for education (SB1107, among others) or moves to repeal other taxes (HCR2034, et. al.), they've got the bills with the usual nativist pablum (with Russell Pearce lending his name to at least 16 of them), the anti-choice screeds (such as HB2564), and, of course, the gun fetish bills (SB1270, HB2171, and others).

But wait, there's more -

- The myriad bills against the use of photo radar, the most colorful of which may be Rep. Andy Biggs' HB2124, which won't allow photo radar to be used to issue tickets for going less than 35 mph in a school zone or less than 85 mph on a freeway. (Thanks to blogger Mike McClellan at AZCentral.com for the heads-up on HB2124)

You know, I can understand the 85 mph requirement in the rural portions of the state, where the speed limit is 75 mph, but 35 mph in a school zone? If there is one area that calls for strict enforcement of speed limits it's school zones.

- Sen. Ron Gould's SB1359, which would allow cities and towns to "construct, operate and finance the construction of toll roads within the corporate limits of the city or town."

- Sen. John Huppenthal's SB1393, a measure written so broadly that it would turn the public school system into a religious school system.

- Rep. Warde Nichols' scheme to disband the Arizona Board of Regents, HCR2002.

- SB1123, a Republican move to make Tucson's municipal elections non-partisan, mostly because Democrats win in Tucson.

- SB1147, which would bar state agencies from adopting any rules or policies regarding greenhouse gases or fuel economy without the express direction of the lege. The same lege that is run by Republicans who think that scientific evidence regarding global warming and human impact on the environment is a fraud.

There are more, but the point is made - Pearce, Kavanagh, and Harper have a LOT of company this year down on West Washington.

As such, the winner of this year's Legislative Loon Award is...


The entire Republican caucus of the Arizona Legislature.


God help us all.


Note: to be fair, I should note that there are still a few members of the Rep caucus who take the idea of public service seriously, however, most of them have to keep silent or face a primary challenge from hardliners. And in today's AZ Republican Party, the reality is that few of them are safe from such a challenge.

Rep. Judy Burges (R-LD4) making an early run for the Legislative Loon Award

It's early (since the 2010 session hasn't actually started yet), but Rep. Judy Burges is making a spirited declaration of her candidacy for the 2010 Legislative Loon Award.

Let's see...

She's a primary sponsor of...

...HB2001, creating a voluntary tax fund for taxpayers who feel that they didn't pay enough. Call this one the "F--- you Arizona" Act.

...HB2005, creating a special license plate for the Arizona Masonic Fraternity, with 68% of the revenue from the fees for that plate going to the Masons. Call this the "43 Special Plates Isn't Enough" Act.

...HB2015, expanding the definition of justifiable use of deadly force to allow deadly force to be used in situations where only the mere display of a weapon ("defensive display of a firearm") had been justified. Call this one the "Violent Paranoiac's Free Pass" Act.

...HB2016, allowing convicted felons with concealed weapons permits from other states to possess and carry firearms in AZ if their rights have been restored in that other state. Not sure what to call this mess.

...HB2017, specifying that firearms instructors working in K-12 schools be certified by either the Arizona game and fish department or the NRA. Changes current language that only specifies "a national association of firearms owners." Call this one the "NRA Employment Act."

...HCR2001, a concurrent resolution asserting the state's sovereignty over the federal government under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Call this one the "Go Away Feds, We Don't Need Your Civil Rights Act, Environment Regulations, Worker Safety Laws, Or Product Safety Laws. Just Leave Lots Of Money Before You Go" Resolution.

Yes, Rep. Burges is making a serious play for the Award, but if she is going to be a real contender, she needs to expand her activities to all areas of legislation. She needs some nativist proposals, some anti-balanced budget stuff, maybe some anti-choice proposals, and, of course, massive tax cuts for the wealthy and for corporations.

Her emphasis on appeasing the gun lobby is admirable (in a "well, it helps identify the wingnuts" sort of way), but she needs to embrace the all around lunacy exhibited by her Senate colleague from LD4, Jack Harper, if she wants a real chance to take the LLA home this coming year.

Later...

Rep. John Fillmore - a late entry into the race for the Legislative Loon Award

Fillmore may be something of a backbencher in the Arizona Legislature, but he also has checked most boxes on the R hate list; the breadth of his hatred is simply breathtaking.

His quest for the coveted Legislative Loon Award may be rewarded, though he has a *lot* of competition for the award.

So far, his proposals attack education -

HB2276, making legislators the determiners of what is legal or Constitutional in schools

HB2277, giving large property owners in a given change area veto power over school district boundary line changes

HB2279, increasing the total number of students that are in a school district before it can be declared "lapsed" (from eight to 150)

HB2286,  adding an additional layer of parental approval needed for a student's participation in a survey

HB2597, requiring students in grades K - 6 to recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the US and further requiring students in grades 4 - 12 to take a minute to "engage in quiet reflection and moral reasoning" (good luck with that.  It has been <ahem> a while since I was a teenager, but as I remember, telling one that they must do something is a sure way to get one to NOT do that something.)

He also attacks democracy and the administration of elections -

HB2287, barring the establishment of combined voting locations in adjacent precincts

HB2288, barring the establishment of emergency voting centers and emergency voting itself (I think; a lot of language is redlined [deleted] here).  

HB2296, stipulating that government-issued forms of ID are the only forms of ID that are valid for voting

HCR2025,  a proposal to change the state constitution for the same

HCR2011, a proposal to change the state constitution so that legislators decide who the candidates for U.S. Senate are

HB2596, banning early voting and mandating that all votes must be counted by hand and totaled within 24 hours (and other things - there are a lot of additions to language and deletions to language here)

He also attacks the LGBTQ+ community -

HB2285, barring schools from discussing sex ed or AIDS without specific parental permission (to be fair, this one could have been included in the schools section, but this one seemed more like an LGBTQ+ attack) (to be fair2 - this caveat could be included with many of these measures, and not just the anti-LGBTQ+ ones)

HB2292, requiring that birth certificates include a gender of male of female of any child's birth so documented

HB2293, barring public schools from requiring any employee of that school from referring to a student by a gender pronoun of a gender other than what is stated on the student's birth certificate

HB2294, requiring that all government-issued documents that indicate a gender for the recipient have such indication be limited to "male" and "female"

He's not limited to those; he multitasks for Faux News watchers -

HB2291, an anti-CRT measure

HB2282, barring the use of photo radar

HB2280, barring social media websites from controlling the content on their websites

HB2281, an anti-vaxxer measure

Yup, Fillmore is like Mikey in the old Life Cereal ads.

He hates EVERYTHING.

And the winner is...

Jack Harper, 2nd Runner Up for the 2008 Legislative Loon Award, made a late push today for a recount, with his promise/threat to inflict his brand of lunacy on the entire state, not just LD4.

From the AZ Republic's Political Insider -

Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, was working on pumping up a crowd of loyal Mike Huckabee supporters (like maybe 20) in the state capitol courtyard this afternoon. And, you know, when Mr. Harper has a mic in his hand...you've just got to pause to listen.

{snip}

"I will run for a statewide seat in 2010," Harper announced, adding later that he believes "there is no personal sacrifice too big to stand for your beliefs."

Harper can't officially announce his campaign for an office unless he is prepared to resign from the senate. But he told Insider after his announcement that the positions would either relate to his concerns about election integrity (Translation: running for Secretary of State) or how he's not a big fan of Sen. McCain (Translation: running for U.S. Senate.)

He gets points for a valiant effort, but this isn't Florida circa 2000 or Ohio circa 2004 - all votes count, and they only count once. He's still 2nd Runner Up.

Nope, the decision the judges have reached is final...


Your 2008 Legislative Loon is...


State Representative Russell Pearce!!


OK, so that's not really a surprise; he's always a prime contender for this award. In last year's competition, he fell short because "[h]is brand of lunacy seems to be singularly focused."

He seems to have taken that observation to heart.

Not only does he have his usual slew of immigrant-bashing bills (11 and counting), he's expanded his focus, spitting his venom on the state budget, public safety, public universities, schools, municipalities and the state's voters themselves.

Some of the highlights -

Sponsored HB2220, a permanent repeal of the state equalization property tax. That's a quarter billion dollar hit to school funding annually (legislative fiscal note here)...

...Sponsored HB2339, a bill to create a voluntary tax fund to balance the state's budget...

...Cosponsored HB2603, a bill to bar the use of photo-enforcement generated speeding tickets as a basis for MVD suspending a driver's license or as a basis for an insurance company to raise premiums or withdraw coverage from a driver...

...Sponsored HB2637, a bill to bar municipalities from imposing a sales tax (or something similar) on a laundry list of business activities and services while cosponsoring HB2641, a bill that would redirect some state-shared revenues from municipalities to property owners who live in unincorporated areas. So, one one hand he is reducing the amount of money that cities and towns receive from the state while on the other hand he wants to restrict their ability to make up the difference.

Note: this bill refers to A.R.S section 43-1072.02, but I couldn't find that particular section. There is a section 43-1072.01, but not a section .02. I'm not sure if it's a mistake in drafting the bill or a failure in my research abilities.

...Sponsored HB2678, a bill to require drug testing of all welfare recipients and applicants for welfare...

...Sponsored HCR2019, an amendment to the state constitution to bar legislators from holding a position on a local school board. The most interesting part about this one is that a brief search of legislative bios showed that one of the people that would be affected by this is Rep. Rich Crandall (R-LD19), one of Pearce's fellow Mesa Republicans.

...Sponsored HCR2044, an amendment to the state constitution to allow the lege to ignore voter-approved limitations on legislative appropriations, if the lege certifies in writing that it needs to do so in order to avoid a budget deficit.

...Sponsored HCR2049, an amendment to the state constitution to create a crime victims restitution fund (sounds good, right? Hang on...) by diverting monies awarded as punitive damages awarded for death or injury.

The victim to whom the punitive damages were initially awarded would then receive not the amount awarded, but only the amount his/her attorney spent on punitive damages research, plus 10 percent.

...Cosponsored SCM1002, a Senate Memorial (aka - letter to the U.S. Congress) supporting an amendment to the U.S. Constitution ending the direct election of U.S. Senators by the voters of the various states and reinstituting the election of U.S. Senators by the legislatures of the various states.

And then, of course, there is his crowning achievement in legislative lunacy -

SB1214, the now-infamous bill to allow concealed weapons on school campuses.

Overall, he has sponsored or cosponsored at least 8 measures that would limit or reduce state revenues during a legislative session where he'll be helping to deal with a billion dollar budget deficit.

...So why is he the chair of the House Appropriations Committee?

Besides his legislative proposals, he still spouts off on a regular basis, and not he doesn't limit he pronouncements to only the subject of immigrants. He's spread his rhetorical wings.

For example, at the same January 23 meeting of the Joint Appropriations committee cited in Harper/2nd Runner Up post, Pearce advocated that, instead of funding institutions of higher education, the state should just give out vouchers that students could use wherever they chose to. (Check at approximately the 1:57:00 mark of the longer January 23 Joint Appropriations meeting on this page.)

So, for leaving his single-minded obsession behind, for expanding his bile-spreading efforts to include poor people, voters, students, fellow Republicans, higher education in general, municipalities' financial stability, and more, State Representative Russell Pearce (R-National Alliance) is the Arizona Legislature's

2008 Legislative Loon.

Addendum: There were a couple of Pearce's bill that looked like they might be bad news, but I'm not sure what they really do. He sponsored SB1139, a bill to change some of the rules for the state treasurer, including one that allows him to charge higher administrative fees in the various investment pools overseen by the state treasurer. Also, he sponsored HB2600, a bill that requires the state to purchase performance management software that meets very specific criteria. I don't know if this is a good bill or something that is geared to direct a lucrative state contract to a particular software vendor.

Have a good night...

Criticism where criticism is due: A bad Democratic proposal in the Arizona lege

Never let it be said that I don't criticize legislative measures offered by Democrats when I think that they are as bad as anything an R would come up with...


Vaulting into contention for this year's Legislative Loon Award is State Sen. Ken Cheuvront (D-LD15).

He has proposed an amendment to the Arizona constitution, SCR1038, that if approved by the voters, would reduce legislative salaries by 20% for the years 2011 and 2012.

The annual salary for Arizona legislators is $24,000; Cheuvront wants to reduce it to $19,200.

I actually sympathize with the obvious sentiment - state services and state workers have been slashed by the Rs in the lege while the lege has taken almost no cuts to its budget.

However, this is the wrong approach. The lege is already underpaid, a fact that has impacted the quality of candidates interested in running for it. Cutting the pay to even lower levels won't do anything to improve that. It will just allow some people to exercise some vindictiveness.

And to that particular point, one of those people could be Cheuvront himself.

He isn't running for reelection to the Senate this year, instead choosing to mount a primary challenge to a sitting Democratic Justice of the Peace.

Because he can't afford to remain in the Senate. It just doesn't pay enough.

And this is his going-away gift to his soon-to-be-former colleagues? Niiiiiice...


OK, to be honest, a single measure won't elevate Cheuvront to the top of the Loon heap; it won't even put him in the top 5. It is a good start, however, if he plans on mounting a serious run.

The Senator should note that the Loon Award doesn't come with a financial award; it offers something far more valuable than mere cash to the winner - the prestige of being in a club so exclusive that only Russell Pearce, Jack Harper, and the entire 2009 Republican caucus in the lege are members.

OK, so maybe that club isn't all that exclusive.

:)

Jack Harper - brazenly hypocritical or cluelessly ironic?

You know, I was going to write a couple of quips (succinct but witty ones, of course :) ) about the Phoenix New Times' piece on Russell Pearce's history of domestic violence. Turns out that in 1980, his wife filed for divorce, citing among other reasons, that Pearce has "...a violent temper and has from time to time hit and shoved his wife..." (courtesy the New Times' upload of the court documents).

I'm certain a crack that pondered the possibility that Pearce has sublimated his documented anger toward women into a hatred of Mexicans (more socially acceptable in LD18, that) was imminent, but it turns out that Jack Harper (helped along by Democratic senator Ken Cheuvront) is around to save Russell Pearce from some biting sarcasm (for now anyway :)) ).

Turns out that while the legislative session is over, it isn't *over.*

From the Arizona Republic -

An end-of-session maneuver that cut short a Democratic filibuster and paved the way for lawmakers to refer the same-sex marriage ban to the fall ballot is now the subject of a rare formal ethics complaint.

Democratic Sen. Ken Cheuvront of Phoenix has asked the Senate ethics committee to issue a formal reprimand against Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise. Cheuvront accuses Harper of conspiring with other Republican leaders to intentionally break the rules of the Senate by turning off microphones and allowing the Republican majority leader to make a motion in the middle of a debate between Democratic senators.

Harper, a previous winner of (and permanent contender for) the annual Legislative Loon Award, bemoaned the complaint as "partisan," while ignoring the fact that it was his own partisan maneuvers on the last day of the Senate's session that precipitated the complaint.

I'd say that his pronouncement on his latest troubles, whether rooted in hypocrisy or simple cluelessness, gives him a leg up on another Legislative Loon award, but there's no guarantee that he will return to the next session of the lege - he's facing a strong opponent in the person of Robert Boehlke.

Anyway, the complaint will be ruled on by Sen. Jay Tibshraeny, who admonished some of his senate colleagues for their "loss of decorum" during the final moments of the legislative session.

It should be noted, however, that Tibshraeny's concern over his colleagues' antics wasn't so strong that he couldn't vote for the anti-same sex marriage measure that Harper was so intent on railroading through that late night/early morning.

In short, while there might be a faux reprimand discussed for appearances' sake, nothing significant will come of this. Even if Tibshraeny finds merit to the complaint, it would take a majority vote of the senate to issue a reprimand, and the senate isn't scheduled to meet until the new lege is seated in January.

Later!

Rep. Jake Hoffman may have been democratically elected by the voters in LD12, but he's using his position to get his hate on for both voters and democracy

He's been heavily involved with efforts to overturn the 2020 election and install Cheeto against the will of the voters of the US, as AZ BlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona has documented here and here.

But that doesn't qualify him for the Legislative Loon Award.

Nope, only stuff that he does and says while the lege is in session does that.

Rest assured, though, he's accomplished a lot there, 

Already he has proposed (with a rogue's gallery of co-sponsors) -

HB2236, Barring the registration of voters unless the voter specifically asks to be registered.

HB2237, Barring same-day voter registration and making it a felony to so.

HB2238, Barring the use of ballot drop boxes.

HB2239, Barring electronic vote "adjudication".

HB2240, Barring centralized voting centers.

HB2241, Requiring voters to present ID to deliver an early ballot.

HB2242, Making it a felony to not "validate" the registration information of a new voter.

HB2243, Adding to the verbiage required to be on voter registration forms (to be fair to Hoffman, this one seems like it may be the least bad of all of his proposals).

HB2491, Requiring that an as yet to be determined number of factors be used to verify each signature on an ealy ballot.

HB2492, Mandating that proof of citizenship be provided when registering to vote with a non-federal form, and making it a felony to fail to do so.

HB2493, Appropriating money from the state's general fund for an "election integrity fund".

HB2494, Requiring that the AZSOS  and county recorders document any attendance at voter registration events that they attend and work, and do so on their websites.

His fans shouldn't worry - while there's a definite pattern to his lunacy and hatred, he's something of a Renaissance Man (though he and his fans may long for serfdom and despise the renaissance).

He's also proposed

HB2235, In only counties with 500K people or more (In AZ, that's the counties of Maricopa and Pima (both of which Biden/Harris won in 2020..[start sarcasm} but I'm sure that's just a coincidence {/end sarcasm]), beginning in 2025, making county supervisors the lowest-paid county-level elected officials.

HB2495, An anti-LGBTQ+ measure, banning the use of "sexually explicit materials" in public schools.  Basically, all sex-ed classes would banned under this measure.

HB2496, Creating a list of exemptions for student activity fees at public universities.

HB2497, the latest attempt to thwart the will of the voters on income tax rates.

HB2498, Banning Covid vaccine mandates.

Yup, Rep. John Kavanagh may be the early favorite for the Legislative Loon Award, but Hoffman is a definite contender for the title.

And the race is on...

...for the most coveted annual award in blogdom, the Random Musings Legislative Loon Award...

Perhaps the challenge of upstart Legislative Loon candidate Judy Burges has served to inspire previous winners Jack Harper and Russell Pearce, but they are getting an early start on their efforts to regain the title (last year's award went to the entire Republican caucus).

They've teamed up on a couple of pretty rancid pieces of "legislation."

One is SCR1006, a proposed amendment to the AZ Constitution to repeal the right of folks to sue to recover damages in the event of death or injury. This is the localized AZ expression of the GOP's obeisance to the insurance industry.

AKA the "their constituents aren't as important to them as are big business lobbying groups" act.

The other is SB1011, a bill to complete the "turning Arizona into an armed encampment" trifecta that they started last year. Last session they passed guns in cars and guns in bars. Next session, they will be trying for guns in schools. Specifically, SB1o11 would allow faculty members to carry concealed weapons on the campus of their university or community college.

If this one passes, students should duck if they show up to class late... as should Appropriations chairs who visit the campuses of the universities whose budgets they are gutting.

In normal years, this kind of nuttiness would barely rate a line, much less an entire post, but given the train wreck of a session this past session and the obvious lack of focus on the parts of Pearce and Harper and the other GOPers on addressing the state's worsening fiscal crisis in the coming session, the complete fiscal insolvency of Arizona looms ever more likely.

Legislative Loon Award: early frontrunner Rep. John Kavanagh

 It's time to bring the award back, and while previous winner John Kavanagh is the early favorite to win it again, I expect that there will be many contenders for it.

The award will be based on bill proposals, votes, and statements made during the legislative session.  If the criteria were more expansive than that, almost the entire GOP caucus would be up for the award.

If simply being craven and/or corrupt was enough, all of the GOP caucus (as well as some of the Dems) would be eligible but this will be reserved for the nuttiest of the nuts.

Having said that, Rep. Kavanagh is still carrying the water for the bigoted grifter over at the Center for Arizona Policy.  He also wants to censor police body camera footage.

Lastly, he already wants to greatly expand the the definition of what constitutes illegal residential picketing.

It's early, and I'm sure he will provide other examples for his eligibility for the award, but for these things alone, he's the early frontrunner for the award.

Sen. JD Mesnard: probably not going to win the Legislative Loon Award, but he's trying

Former House Speaker JD Mesnard is in the state senate now, and while he may have switched chambers, he's still bad news.  He may not win the Legislative Loon Award (he faces LOTS of competition there), but he's doing his level best to undermine AZ, both in revenues and democracy.  He's already proposed

SCR1011, asking the voters to reduce the amount of revenue available to school districts by taking large swaths of property and exempting such property from property taxes.  He has proposed other measures affecting property taxes, but since I'm not certain of their net effect on revenue, they're not included here

SB1094, invalidating signatures on initiative and referendum petitions unless a specific condition is met

SB1096,  with a couple of very specific exceptions, taking all "non-custodial federal monies" from the recipients and giving the funds to the legislature to appropriate any way it wants to.  This one is proposed in nearly every session of the legislature.

SCR1012, asking the voters to expand the membership of the House of Representatives from 60 to 90.  Each representative would be elected from a separate district, while each senate district would contain three house districts.  As written, if approved by the voters, this change wouldn't take effect until 2033.

Sen. Kelly Townsend makes her case for the Legislative Loon Award

Senator Townsend is already a full-on trumpkin (displaying the lack of sanity that goes with it) but she's definitely looking to enhance her "nutty" street cred with a Legislative Loon Award.

She's prolific in her insanity, proposing 16 bills for 2022 even before the end of 2021.

Already, this session she has proposed -

SB1052, a broadly-written measure that would bar all requirements for a medical procedure with possible negative complications, including vaccinations.

SB1011, barring school districts from using tax money to pay for membership in a state or national school board association

SB1012, giving access to the state's voter registration database to both the legislature and any entity designated by it; also creating a requirement that county recorders report on voters in their respective counties who can vote only in federal elections

SCR1005, a measure to ask the voters of Arizona to impose a proof of immigration status requirement on federal-only voters

SB1054, a measure to give the legislature the authority to inspect "election equipment security" in counties with more than 500,000 people in them (only Maricopa and Pima counties meet that standard)

SB1056,  invalidating ballots (early and provisional) that are "misplaced" at counting centers and/or polling places.

Rep. Mark Finchem may tell and believe "The Big Lie" but have no doubt - most of all, he wants to win the R primary that he's part of.

Yes, he was part of the January 6th insurrection, and yes, he thoroughly hates (see the proposals he has sponsored and cosponsored) citizens, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, Covid mitigation measures and, of course, voters (which is interesting, because the office that he's running for, Arizona Secretary of State, oversees the state's elections.  So I guess that means he only hates voters who don't agree with him.)

He's running in the R primary for AZSOS against "Beau" Lane and fellow legislators Shawna Bolick and Michelle Ugenti-Rita.  The winner of the D primary, Adrian Fontes or Reginald Bolding, waits in the general.

The culmination of his hate is his sponsorship of HCR2033, wherein he seeks to overturns the 2020 presidential election, but only in Maricopa, Pima, and Yuma counties.  Biden won Maricopa and Pima, and Trump barely won Yuma, and, if they're overturned, combined, the margins in those places would be more than the margin of Biden's victory in AZ.

Finchem is doing his level best to help...Democrats win in 2022, even though they are widely expected to lose control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.

From Politico's Playbook on 2/7 -

[snip]

DOUG SOSNIK of Brunswick Group argues that “there would need to be a series of developments in order for the Democrats to defy history”:

1. The virus needs to be contained with the country returning to a new normal.
2. Inflation needs to start going down by summer.
3. The economy and the stock market need to maintain steady growth, particularly as interest rates begin to rise.
4. The supply chain needs to return to normal.
5. There is not a global crisis.
6. Biden’s job approval rating needs to be in the high 40s by summer.
7. Republicans need to nominate unelectable general-election candidates and run lousy campaigns. They are capable of this and have done this in recent past cycles, choosing far-right candidates such as TODD AKIN or CHRISTINE O’DONNELL who ended up losing in the general election.
8. Trump and Republicans need to keep talking about the 2020 election.

1 seems to be happening already; 2 will happen (I hope); 3 and 4 are already happening and, I expect, will mirror 1; 5 could be a problem, especially if Putin invades Ukraine; 6 will follow 1, 2, 3, and 4; and 7 and 8 are where Finchem comes in.

I don't know if he's "unelectable" in the general, but, while whining about the election in 2020 and treason may show well in an R primary, it doesn't look good in a general election.

In and of itself, the events of January 6th, and Finchem's part in both it and continuing the "Big Lie" don't make him eligible for the coveted Legislative Loon Award..

Nope, like the Darwin Awards, there are rules for the Legislative Loon Award, and the events of that day caused the deaths of others during and after the events.

2008 Legislative Loon - 1st Runner Up

In a slight change from the previously announced format, instead of four posts announcing the three finalists for the 2008 Legislative Loon Award and the winner, there will be three posts listing the final results.

State Sen. Jack Harper (R-Surprise!), the subject of my previous post on this topic (and last year's winner), is 2nd Runner Up.

Tonight's subject, State Rep. John Kavanagh (R-LD8), is 1st Runner Up.

He's a real 'up-and-comer' - as an incoming freshman legislator a year ago, he was an almost totally unknown quantity and was unranked.

What we did know a year ago was that he came from a district (north Scottsdale) that is known for sending socially moderate, pro-business Republicans to the lege (i.e. -Sen. Carolyn Allen and Rep. Michele Reagan.) In addition, it was known that he was a retired police officer and current college program head (Scottsdale Community College.)

A year ago, expectations...hopes, anyway...were that while he was a loyal Republican, his careers as a public servant and educator would give him an understanding of the damage that blind ideology can wreak upon public service and infrastructure, and that he might pass that understanding on to a couple of his caucus-mates.


What a difference a year makes.


Let's look at his 'rabid ideologue' credentials -

He hates immigrants with the passion of a Pearce or Tancredo -

He is the sponsor or cosponsor of seven anti-immigrant bills (and counting), operates an anti-immigrant website called ProtectAZBorder.com (Google it if you want to look at it; I'm not going to link to it), and he has an anti-immigrant radio show on KFHX 1620 AM airing Fridays at 8 a.m. (I think it's a low power station based in Fountain Hills, but it streams its audio. Google it if interested.)

Coverage of some of his public expressions against immigrants here.

He's anti-public education -

He's sponsored or cosponsored seven bills that undermine public education, from a bill that makes permanent the corporate tax credit for donations school tuition organizations (STOs) for private and charter schools (HB2098) to barring the assessment of development fees to pay for school construction or maintenance (SB1138).

...He's not unusual in this regard - most of the Republican caucus in the lege works against public ed; however, very few actually work in public ed at the same time. Isn't it interesting that someone who works for a publicly-funded school (SCC) is dedicated to undermining the viability of public education?

He's a fiscally irresponsible (but oh-so-fervent) anti-tax crusader -

He has sponsored or cosponsored five bills that would decrease the state's revenues when it's already laboring under a budget deficit that exceeds a billion dollars. Perhaps he believes that the state can balance its budget with a voluntary tax (HB2339).

31 other Republicans have signed on to HB2339; apparently, they hope that the average citizen will step in to pick up the revenue slack while not noticing that the state's revenue problems were exacerbated by those same Republicans when they forced through yet another huge tax cut for corporations.


Highlights of some of his recent utterings and press coverage -

He wants to balance the state's budget on the backs of needy students.

From the Sierra Vista Herald (January 10, 2008) -

The proposal Wednesday by Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, would require universities to charge students at least 40 percent of what it costs to attend the schools. Now, some students can get fullride scholarships, including room and board, while others get a major percentage of their tab picked up. Kavanagh said the current policy essentially amounts to those without a college degree subsidizing the education of those who will get one.

And if you don't already see his plan as a carefully planned attack on financially-needy poor students (in the name of the state's own financial needs, of course), his proposal would exempt students on academic or athletic scholarships.

Or how about this gem, from the AZ Republic's Political Insider (aka - Plugged In) (the entry is quoted in its entirety because the entire entry *is* a quote) -

"Can we do that to prevent the decimation of our forests, the herniation of our postal workers and the pillaging of our budget?" - Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, asking Secretary of State Jan Brewer if her office could save money by sending ballot information electronically, instead of through the U.S. mail.

In case this isn't clear (somebody should take his thesaurus away, right now! :) ), let me clarify - he wants to use the state's budget problems to disenfranchise those who aren't Web users.

Why doesn't he just say what he really means? "Elderly folks who haven't adapted to an online world yet - you don't need to know about the ballot. You've already voted enough in your lifetimes. On election day, you just get in the way of busier, more useful people anyway. Poor people who can't afford web access - Just get to work and quit wasting time on civic niceties like informed voting."


What elevates Kavanagh about the rest of the Republican caucus (and above 2nd Runner Up Jack Harper) in the race for 2008 Legislative Loon isn't that he's a raving ideologue and frothing-at-the-mouth bigot (most of them are both).

It's the fact that he *is* well-spoken, well-educated, and highly intelligent, and quite capable of crafting and pushing well-thought out and responsible bills. He can even "work across the aisle" on some good bills (i.e. - HB2396, Steve Farley's ban on texting while driving, HB2557, a bill that specifies that schools cannot reduce or eliminate PE, music, or art instruction to meet academic standards in required subjects).

He's the 1st Runner Up because he's capable of being better. He could be a dedicated and hard-working legislator who could be disagreed with on policy issues (he *is* a Republican after all :) ), yet could be respected for at least trying to bring an air of intelligence and professionalism to his job.

Instead, he's just Loon in professional attire, nothing more than a polished Kool-Aid drinker.

...Next up - the Winner!

Of course, most regular readers can guess who that's going to be... :))

Hint: Even without the rest of his resume, the whole 'guns in schools' proposal (SB1214) put him over the top.

Not that he hasn't always been "over the top..."

Later!

The Arizona Legislature: 2010 preview

The next session of the Arizona Legislature is shaping up to be a lot like the last session, only more so.

...One of the harbingers of the discord took form last December, even before the session started. In a major surprise, the House Republican caucus deposed Jim Weiers as Speaker, installing Mesa Republican Kirk Adams in his place. According to the R blog Sonoran Alliance, there's a possibility that Weiers is going to try to return the favor, but don't hold your breath. It will probably be a year, and by then, the Democrats will be in charge. (Hey, I freely admit I put the "partisan" in "partisan hack." :) )

...Adams pledged to have a "transparent" process. Yet by the end of his first few weeks in his new position, the pattern had already been set - GOP leadership (Adams, Senate President Burns, Governor Brewer) would nestle themselves behind closed doors and negotiate budget packages that catered to the whims of their own caucus' membership while ignoring the input and ideas of Democratic legislators and even average constituents. Then they would present those packages for a public vote, passing them with only Republican votes and no real public hearings (Approps committee hearings with minimal notice don't qualify a "real." No matter how loudly the Rs claim that they do.)

By the time the Fifth Special Session of the lege rolled around in December of this year, they weren't even bothering with the pretense.

And still not getting the job done.

Anyway, to sum up the 2009 legislative session: Things started off badly, and went straight downhill from there.

First, some summaries of the 2009 session of the lege that are more neutral and dispassionate than mine -

Arizona School Boards Association



Arizona Capitol Times



Arizona Catholic Conference (OK, these folks are less "dispassionate" and more "really, really, really conservative)

Arizona Municipal Water Users Association

(State of) Arizona Land Management Department

A tax law firm's summary for CPAs

Arizona Game and Fish Department

Arizona Department of Health Services



Arizona Department of Revenue



Arizona Department of Insurance



Arizona Department of Transportation



Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club





Now that the "neutral" part of the post is over, on to the more partisan part - the 2010 predictions...


2009 Legislator of the Year, Arizona Capitol Times version: Rep. Ray Barnes (R-LD7)

2009 Legislator of the Year, County Supervisors Association of Arizona version: Sen. Sylvia Allen (R-LD5)

2010 Legislators of the Year, Random Musings version, or "Legislators who should stay away from cameras if they want a chance at being repeat winners of more mainstream awards" - Ray "Bisexual Principals" Barnes and Sylvia "5000 Years" Allen.

Not to be confused with the Legislative Loon Award, which is based on bill filings, this one is based on crazy utterances. While other contenders are certain to step up (Russell Pearce, John Kavanagh, Jack Harper, et al,) those two seem to have a lock on the award.


Most likely area of contention: What else? The budget. They haven't finished the current year's budget, which will take up the first few weeks of the new session, and hopefully no more than that. After that, they will start work on the FY2011 budget, which looks to have a deficit that's even larger than this year's. And most of the one-time fixes will have been used up already.


Bad bill most likely to make a comeback, non-revenue category: Guns in schools. A version directed at universities and community colleges has already been filed for next year's session, so a K-12 version can't be far behind.

Bad bill most likely to make a comeback, revenue category: Repeal of the equalization tax. The Rs have made it clear that they want to destroy public education in Arizona; getting rid of a dedicated revenue source for public education is a step in that direction.

Good bill most likely to pass: None. There may be a few "harmless" bills ("technical corrections" and the like), but nothing good is expected to come out of next year's legislative session...making it a lot like this year's session.


Institutional memory, elected/insider category: Rep. Jack Brown (D-LD5). First entered the lege in 1963, before many of his colleagues were potty-trained (and in more than a few cases, before they were born) and has served continuously since 1987. Has more knowledge and wisdom than most of the rest of the lege combined. Norman Moore, Chief Clerk of the House, was in contention for this one, but after three decades of service, he has retired to go into the private sector as a lobbyist.

Institutional memory, "outsider" category: Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services. He *is* Capitol Media Services, working as its sole employee. Every media outlet in the state uses his stories. Has been covering the Capitol for more than a quarter century. "Outsider" is in quotes because with his longevity, he isn't really an outsider, but he doesn't work for the lege, so he falls into this category.


Legislator most likely to piss off his own caucus: Who else could it be, but Sen. Ron Gould? With his stomping out of his own party's Governor's speech and spending the spring, summer, and fall working to scuttle any balanced budget deals, he's had this one sewn up for months. The runner up, and the House's "winner": Rep. Sam Crump. A second-termer, he was briefly stripped of a committee chairmanship early in the 2009 session for trying to out-harsh his own Speaker, Kirk Adams. He had been "exploring" a run for AG, challenging State Superintendent of Public of Instruction Tom Horne and (rumored) Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas. He has announced that he is seeking reelection to the House, however. Democrat Jack Brown could gain some traction in this category because he is easily the most conservative Democrat in the legislature, but there is so much respect and affection for him that no one really objects when his votes don't always gibe with his caucus-mates'.

Legislator most likely to piss on the other caucus: One could make a case for most (though not all) of the Rs in this category, but the hands-down winner in this category is our old friend, Sen. Jack Harper. A complete list of his credentials for this award would take up the rest of the post, but the highlight of his year was when he equated legislative Democrats with a pre-Iraq War Saddam Hussein and the ruling Sunnis in Iraq.

Legislator most likely to claim at one point to only follow the "will of the voters" while at another point to claim that the "will of the voters" is meaningless: Russell Pearce. Basically, it all matters if he agrees with the "will of the voters." If the matters under discussion are nativist measures approved via referendum, he believes that the voters are brilliant; if the matters under discussion are voter-mandated social spending, he thinks they are misguided, or worse, and seeks to overturn the Voter Protection Act so that he can kill all social spending in AZ.

And the winner is....

Last week, I mentioned in a post that I was going to do a "loon report" post for the current legislature. My plan was to analyze bill sponsorships and co-sponsorships and determine who is the "looniest legislator" in this, the 48th session of the Arizona Legislature.

Turns out it was pretty easy - one name kept popping up on the worst of the worst bills.

It wasn't Sen. Ron Gould (R-Lake Havasu City, LD3); he has co-sponsored just a few bills, and the only bill he is a primary sponsor of is SB1347, the Teenage Driver Safety Act, an act that looks like it is sensible. Not something we're used to from an elected official who flies the Confederate flag at home in Lake Havasu City while objecting to people of Mexican descent waving the Mexican flag.

It wasn't even the always reliably nutty Rep. Russell Pearce (R-Mesa, LD18), though he made a good run at the title. His brand of lunacy seems to be singularly focused.

He REALLY hates immigrants. He's introduced at least a dozen bills targeted at undocumented immigrants and their children (HB2471).

He can claim his email to his supporters with a link to the National Alliance website was a mistake at the time, but my guess is that he's a whole-hearted fan of the group, even if he isn't openly a member.

While Rep. Pearce made it a race, the winner for his well-rounded brand of lunacy is, unsurprisingly, Sen. Jack Harper (R-Surprise, LD4).

I'd love to say that he's a typical reactionary Republican, but looking at some of his bills, that statement might be an insult to Republicans.

Try this comparison, call it a "tale of two bills" or something else equally laden with literary pretentions: :)

On one hand, we have HCR2016: a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would limit the number of initiatives questions submitted to the ballot by the state legislature to three per election.

On the other hand, we have SCR1001, a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would require that any measures submitted to the ballot must have been first considered by the state legislature within three years prior to the submittal.

HCR2016 restricts the legislature; SCR1001 restricts the citizenry.

The surprising-in-a-partisan-stereotype-way part?

HCR2016 is sponsored by Representatives Ableser, Kirkpatrick, Saradnik and Schapira, Democrats one and all.

SCR1001? Sponsored by Senators Harper and Huppenthal.

As in "staunchly conservative" Republicans Harper and Huppenthal.

Other bills from Harper that are surprisingly un-Republican and un-Democratic (both capital 'D' and small 'd' democratic):

SCR1009, a bill to give members of the lege a raise, and to make raises automatic on an annual basis, totally removing the voters from the approval mix.

SCR1015, a bill that would allow [edited and corrected thanks to a comment from grannuaile] legislative tinkering with an enacted initiative after a five year period. The bill also eliminates the current requirements of a 3/4 vote in the lege to change the act in question *and* the requirement that any legislature-originated change "furthers the purposes of the initiative or referendum."

Add in Sen. Harper's sponsorships of bills creating a vigilante force (SB1132 and SCR1006), limiting criminal appeal rights (SB1236), and the same anti-immigrant bills that Pearce supports, and we have the complete resume of the winner of this session's Legislative Loon Award.

Heartfelt congratulations go out to Senator Harper.

:))

The Top Priority Of Arizona's Republicans...

Want to hazard a guess what it is?

Here's a hint - in spite of the widening deficit, their first priority won't be fiscal responsibility, and in spite of their protestations that they respect the "voters", their first priority won't be following the will of those voters.

First perennial contender for the Legislative Loon Award, Republican Senator-elect Russell Pearce of Mesa announces that the he and the lege won't be able to balance the state's budget unless it gets the authority to interfere with voter-mandated programs.

From the EV Tribune -

But Pearce said voters should be allowed to reconsider limiting the power of lawmakers to alter voter-approved measures given the state's current fiscal crisis.

"I don't think they expected to raise taxes or to grow government ... when we can't even pay our bills," he said. Pearce also said voters have been "fooled a little bit" into believing the additional spending mandates would pay for themselves.

In Republican-speak, "the voters were fooled" means "the voters approved something we don't like."

While the Reps want to override the wishes of the voters in this period of budgetary distress, they want to ignore that same budgetary distress in favor of their *own* priorities.

Also from the EV Tribune -

State lawmakers will consider whether to continue spending tens of millions of dollars a year to arrest illegal immigrants when the legislative session begins next week with Arizona’s government in a $3 billion hole.

{snip}

However, Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, pledges to protect money for operations that target illegal immigrants and to provide additional cash for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s controversial crackdowns.

“Sheriff Joe (Arpaio) is going to get his $1.6 million back to go after human smuggling,” said Pearce, incoming chairman of the Senate appropriations committee.

So education, health care, arts, and public services will all face heavy (perhaps terminal) budget cuts, but officially sanctioned immigrant-bashing will get a blank check? Or at least a $1.6 million check, with more to come?

You know, the AZ Reps got exactly what they wanted in November's elections - a (slightly) larger majority in both chambers of the lege and, with Barack Obama's victory and designation of Janet Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Security, a fellow traveler in the Governor's office.

They may just end up learning the lesson of the old saying "Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it."

They used to be able to say to their base "Hey, we passed the {pick your lunacy here} bill, but that @#%#@$ Napolitano vetoed it."

No longer, not with Jan Brewer stepping in to protect Arizonans from legislative depredations with her brand of matador defense.

The campaign season for 2010 is already looming and not having John McCain on the ballot as a presidential candidate combined with what looks to be two years of Republican placing their ideology and bigotry above the state's fiscal and political reality could set the stage for some significant changes on West Washington.


Republican State Rep. John Kavanagh (R-Scottsdale), not exactly a slouch when it comes to riding the Wingnut Express, is the incoming chair of the House Appropriations Committee and he offered an unexpectedly apt observation.

From the Trib's story on overriding voter wishes -

But Kavanagh questions whether voters, having tied the hands of lawmakers in a 1998 ballot proposal, will be willing to remove the fiscal handcuffs. "They seem to have a lingering mistrust of the Legislature," he said.

"Lingering mistrust"??? After stunts like these, that may turn out to be the understatement of the entire session of the 49th session of the Arizona Legislature, and it hasn't even started yet.


NB - In case you think I'm overstating, in this post and others, how ideological the Republicans in the lege have gotten, take a look at the list of Rep members of the Senate Appropriations Committee -

Sylvia Allen, newby and a friend of Russell Pearce.

Pamela Gorman - Hardcore social conservative and wiggy enough to hang with anyone else in this post, but only rates a "B" from the Goldwater Institute, perhaps because she occasionally does things such as sponsor bills like a cell phone bill of rights (the bill was killed by the full Senate). The other returning members all received "A's" from the Goldwater Institute.

She was out of town when the budget came to a vote, but hurried back to see that the anti-same sex marriage amendment made it on to the ballot. Guess a little thing like the main reason the lege exists isn't important to her. Still, she may qualify as the least loony of this ready-to-bay-at-the-moon bunch.

Ron Gould, most noted for flying a Confederate Flag in his back yard and opposing any idea that post-dates Abe Lincoln taking office.

Jack Harper, famous for violating Senate rules to protect people who send text messages while driving and to help anti-same sex marriage folks to shoehorn a constitutional amendment on to last November's ballot.

Al Melvin, Vice-Chair - newby who's most famous for taking out Pete Hershberger, one of the few "moderate" Republicans in the lege, in the fall primary. Actually, Melvin called him a liberal. Like Allen, he's also an ally of Pearce.

Russell Pearce, Chair - A listing of the reasons for his notoriety is far too long for this post. Check the crAZyspace entry linked to his name for more details.

Steve Pierce - newby who took out another Tom O'Halleran, another moderate Republican (by AZ standards, anyway). Most famous for buying the seat. A hardcore social and fiscal conservative endorsed by the likes of U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, Congressmen Jeff Flake and John Shadegg, the NRA, AZ Right to Life PAC, a couple of chambers of commerce, etc.


In short, the next state budget would be horrific even without the state's budget crisis. Given that the wingnuts have that crisis to use as cover, expect the worst budget in memory, perhaps ever.

But hey, it'll have plenty of corporate tax cuts and anti-immigrant provisions, so that will make it OK, right?


This is going to be a loooooooong two years, even if rhe agony eventually does lead to the election of some responsible public servants to the lege and statewide offices.

Later...

Arizona is back to being the laughingstock of the U.S.

It has been said that state legislatures are the labs of democracy; Jon Stewart famously described the Arizona Legislature as the "meth lab of democracy."

He was correct.

From The Hill -

Arizona bill would allow legislature to overturn election results

An arch conservative member of Arizona’s state House of Representatives has proposed a mammoth overhaul of the state’s voting procedures that would allow legislators to overturn the results of a primary or general election after months of unfounded allegations and partisan audits.

The bill, introduced by state Rep. John Fillmore (R), would substantially change the way Arizonans vote by eliminating most early and absentee voting and requiring people to vote in their home precincts, rather than at vote centers set up around the state.

Jeremy Duda of the AZMirror wrote it up approximately 12 hours earlier -

The newest GOP election proposal would allow lawmakers to reject election results

It would also do away with on-demand early voting and require ballots to be counted by hand — in 24 hours

Lawmakers would have the power to reject election results under a sweeping piece of legislation that would make seismic changes to the way elections are conducted in Arizona. 

Rep. John Fillmore’s House Bill 2596 would eliminate no-excuse early voting, which is used by the overwhelming majority of Arizona voters, and would require that all ballots not only be counted by hand, but that those tallies be completed within 24 hours of the polls closing on Election Day, among other changes.

Perhaps the biggest change, however, is that the legislature would be empowered to accept or reject election results in legislative, congressional and statewide races. Under the proposed law, the legislature would be required to call itself into session after an election to “review the ballot tabulating process.” Once that review is completed, lawmakers would decide whether to accept or reject the results. If the legislature rejects the results, any qualified voter can go to court to ask a judge to order a new election.

 

Fillmore's bill is here; it's a long bill, 35 pages long, and the stuff about the legislature overturning elections is on page 33.

I *did* mention this bill in my post about Fillmore's candidacy for the Legislative Loon Award, but I have to admit that I didn't read the entire thing and missed the language about the legislature.

My mistake, and lesson learned.

Legislative Loon Award: Retired

...at least for two years...

Not because of recent calls for a civil discourse that is more "civil" but because there are too many candidates to choose from, and there will be until the next election (at least!).

Here we are, only into the 2nd week of the legislative session, and 564 bills have been proposed in the House, and another 186 in the Senate.  Highlights include, but are not limited to, the following bills -

HB2001, Rep. Jack Harper's move to turn college classrooms into armed encampments

HB2006, Harper's scheme to allow firearms within game refuges

HB2070, Harper's establishment of a state-sanctioned vigilante force to hunt brown-skinned people near the border with Mexico

HB2077, Rep. Chester Crandell's proposal to require federal agencies to register with the sheriff of any county they operate in, pay a fee, and forward any fees/fines/penalties that they collect to that sheriff for forwarding to the state's General Fund

HB2179, Rep. Carl Seel's plan to require school districts to identify students of parents whose immigration status is undocumented and report the numbers to the state.  It also has criminal and financial penalties for inaccuracies

HB2182, Seel's plan for screwing over teachers by allowing districts to withhold contract offers until July 1 of each year

HB2221, Rep. John Fillmore's bill to put the state in the banking business.  Seriously.  It would mandate the creation of a state-operated bank, accepting deposits and making loans.  Guaranteed by the state's General Fund

HB2222, Fillmore's plan to take the limits off of school tuition tax credits

HB2288, Rep. Jeff Dial's move to require the state's airports to abandon the Transportation Security Administration and hire private security contractors to handle all aspects of airport security

HB2313, Rep. Russ Jones' proposal to allow taking, under eminent domain, of federally-owned land

HB2333, Harper's move to allow former legislators to immediately become professional lobbyists (currently, they have to wait a year)

HB2337, Rep. Justin Olson's proposal to require school districts that still offer full-day K to charge tuition for a half day of that full day

HB2340, Olson's proposal to end the state's equalization property tax (which goes directly to fund education)

HB2472, Another "eminent domain of federal land" bill, this one from Rep. David Gowan

HB2479, a "guns in schools" bill, from Gowan

HB2505, Seel's (and Sen. Russell Pearce's) scheme to cut state education aid to school districts for students whose parents cannot prove their child's immigration status

HCR2011, Seel's proposed amendment to the AZ Constitution to reduce the income eligibility level for AHCCCS

HCR2023, Rep. David Burnell Smith's plan to allow wealthy candidates to skip the bother of talking to voters and gathering nominating signatures in lieu of buying their way onto the ballot

HCR2024, Smith's proposed amendment to the AZ Constitution to end Clean Elections.  Smith was the first legislator removed from office due to violations of Clean Elections' rules.  Think he's still holding a grudge?  Naaahhhhh...couldn't be!  :)

SCR1010, Sen. Linda Gray's proposed amendment to the AZ Constitution to bar state courts from considering the "legal precepts of other nations or cultures" when rendering their decisions.

This isn't meant to be a comprehensive listing of bad bills proposed so far (there are some anti-choice and anti-immigrant bills, but I don't have time to cover them right now - and we haven't seen the "birther" or 14th Amendment stuff yet), but this is just a good start at documenting the beginning of what is shaping up to be an ugly year.