Arizona earns another low rating when it comes to protecting children

This time, it's the state's Congressional delegation that has let children down.

The Children's Defense Fund Action Council has released its 2007 Congressional scorecard. The scoring was based on 10 key votes each in the House and Senate (the list of votes was slightly different for each chamber.)

Arizona's delegation ended up tied for 44th with Louisiana's.

Hey - at least we beat Nebraska, South Carolina, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.

On the other hand, Georgia, Texas and Mississippi beat us, and that's not exactly something to brag about.

By comparison, my old home state of Massachusetts ranked 3rd, with an average score of 97%; the only negative marks were due to absences, not bad votes.


As could be expected, the Arizona delegation split along party lines -

In the House, Democrats Ed Pastor and Raul Grijalva each scored 100%, Gabrielle Giffords 80%, and Harry Mitchell 60%.

On the Republican side, Rick Renzi scored 60%, Trent Franks and John Shadegg scored 10%, and the ever-reliable Jeff Flake earned a big ol' goose egg (he's like Mikey from the Life cereal commercial - he hates *everything.*)

It seems that John Shadegg's 'expertise' on health care doesn't extend to healthy children, only healthy corporate bottom lines. As for Trent Franks, apparently his concern for children stops once they are born.

As for Renzi's 60%, well, you knew that there had to be a real reason that a Republican U.S. Attorney pursued an indictment of a Republican Congressman - I mean, there was no way a Bush appointee would go after a Republican for simple extortion and fraud, right?

:))

And as for Harry Mitchell's 60%, I supposed he can take heart in the high-wattage company he's keeping - Nancy Pelosi was also at 60%, Joe Biden was at 50%, Barack Obama 60%, Hillary Clinton 70%.

Over in the Senate, Jon Kyl scored at 30% and John McCain earned a 10%.

Of course, given that McCain missed 8 of the 10 key votes, maybe his grade should be 'Incomplete.' However, according to the 2006 Scorecard, he made all of the 10 key votes that year, and scored a resounding

10%.

Come November, that's something that parents all over the state might want to think about before they cast a 'favorite son' vote in the general election.

Later!

Press Release of the Day

...Haven't done one of these in a while, but this is the creepiest press releases in, well, *ever.*

Thanks for the heads-up goes out to (of all people!) Jay Leno.

From the Senate website of U.S. Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) -

Craig Accepting Applications for Summer Interns

Deadline Quickly Approaching

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Idaho Senator Larry Craig is currently seeking intern applications for the summer term, which runs from May to August. The application deadline is March 15, however if more time is needed for the application process, please contact Senator Craig's office for an extension. Craig offers paid internships within the Washington, D.C., office. Preference is given to Idaho applicants attending Idaho schools who are in their junior or senior years of college (including graduating seniors).

'"Interns have the chance to be an essential part of a working congressional office," said Craig. "They participate in the legislative process as well as ensure that constituent services run smoothly. For those interested in politics, it is an incredible opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at how our government functions while serving the people of Idaho."

Interns are paired with staff members based on experience and interests, in order to best utilize their talents...

Rumor has it that good candidates will get their own cubicles; special candidates will get their own stalls.

The Priorities Of House Republicans -

1. Retroactive telecom immunity.

2. Failing that, heavily armed communities.

Not a priority -

1. Public housing.


Today, the House debated H.R. 3521, the Public Housing Asset Management Improvement Act of 2007. According to a summary from the Congressional Research Service, the bill concerns a number of rules regulating public housing authority (PHA) management and PHA asset management.

The fun part was when Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) moved to recommit the bill to the Financial Services Committee with instructions to amend the bill by substituting to become S. 2248, the FISA amendments bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecom companies that participated in George Bush's warrantless wiretapping of Americans program.

That motion was determined to be out of order because the proposed amendment wasn't relevant to the underlying bill. Rep. Smith moved to appeal the chair's ruling to the whole House; the whole House voted to table the appeal by a vote of 218 - 195, with the Reps voting mostly along party lines. (AZ delegation: Pastor, Mitchell, Grijalva - Yea; Renzi, Shadegg, Franks, Flake, and Giffords - Nay)

After that, under the rules of the House, the Republicans could still make a motion to recommit, and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) did so.

Her motion included instructions "inserting provisions that state that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall not accept as reasonable any fees for enforcing any provision of a dwelling lease agreement or other similar agreement that requires the registration of or prohibits the possession of any firearm that is possessed by an individual for his or her personal protection or for sport the possession of which is not prohibited, or the registration of which is not required, by existing law."

Further proceedings on that motion, as well as the underlying bill, were postponed (not sure why yet.)

Nice to see that even with a week off to think about the error of their ways, the House Republicans still place corporate interests and ideological purity above human interest.

Wonder who they're going to blame when they have their butts handed to them in November? Undocumented immigrants?

...Oh wait - undocumented immigrants don't vote.

It should be noted that after regular legislative business was completed that Trent Franks (R-AZ2) took to the floor of the House to talk about the significant issue of the day.

Which, given that it was Trent Franks speaking, of course that issue was abortion.

Later!

There's lazy journalism...

Edit on 2/29 to change a comparison to a more "apples to apples" comparison. Change marked by italics.

...and then there's journalism that's so lazy it becomes a hack job...

Generally, I leave serious criticism of the MSM to Greg over at Espress Pundit; he's passionate about the subject, and he's good at it.

Once in a while, however, a story (or, as in this case, a series of stories related to each other only by timing) is aired or published that just screams professional laziness.

On Thursday night, KPNX-TV in Phoenix (Channel 12) ran what appeared to be a local story about a girl who experienced a reaction to Gardasil, the vaccine for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV).

The video of the story, Mother says HPV vaccine paralyzed her daughter, consisted of Channel 12's Lin Sue Cooney doing a stand-up intro to the piece, followed by footage of the girl, Brittany, and her mom, Christina Bell, with the mom telling the story of her daughter helped along by Cooney's voice-over. A doctor, Guy Benrubi, spoke of how he trusted the vaccine so much that the recommended it for his own daughter.

The interestingly lazy part?

Cooney never appeared on screen with the girl and her mother, nor did the story ever state that they live in Arizona.

Those facts, combined with the story's regular reference of the "moral debate" surrounding Gardasil, made me wonder if the story was a plant from one of the "moral" groups that opposed Gardasil because they think that the immunization encourages promiscuity in adolescent girls.

This called for a little research. Turns out it wasn't such a plant. Well, not by a right-wing, anti-science group, anyway.

The story was generated by First Coast News, a Florida-based subsidiary of Gannett, which also owns KPNX. The written story makes it clear that the family is from Florida; in addition, a quick Google search of the doctor's name (Guy Benrubi) turns up an ob/gyn in Jacksonville, FL.

In short, KPNX in Phoenix, Arizona repackaged a Florida story to make it appear as if they had done a locally-based and locally-produced piece.

It was certainly lazy (and rather cynical in its contempt for the perceptiveness of its audience), but probably nothing more than that. It's also a trend that we must get used to in this environment created by the FCC's loosening of corporate media ownership rules - generic stories that can be packaged for many local markets are cheaper than actual local media market newsgathering.


However, "lazy" is perhaps the best thing that can be said about a story that KNXV-TV (Channel 15 in Phoenix) ran the following night.


That story breathlessly advised of an epidemic of conflicts of interest at the legislature (Conflicts abound in Arizona Legislature), an epidemic that "could shake your trust in the system."

The thrust of the story was that since Arizona's legislators are "citizen legislators" - aka "so underpaid they need 2nd jobs", a number of legislators sit on committees that could influence their fields of expertise. The report objected (in soft terms) the idea of teachers sitting on education committees, human services professionals sitting on human services committees, and ranchers sitting on natural resources committees.

Among those singled out was Democratic State Representative Jackie Thrasher (LD10). In her other job, she is a music teacher at Lookout Mountain Elementary School in Phoenix. The video story criticized her for voting for a $46,000,000 pay raise for teachers, and asked her if she had received some of that money. She answered that she was "sure" that she had and that it wasn't a conflict because the raise affected all 54,000 other teachers in the state.

Next, the story went after Rep. David Bradley (D-LD28) for operating a family services company that receives state contracts. There, the conflict alleged is less direct in that Bradley's committee, House Human Services, doesn't award contracts, just writes laws for the agency that does.

Finally, the story gave voice to Republican Rep. Steve Yarbrough (LD21), who doubles as executive director of a private school tuition organization (STO). An STO exists to funnel money from the state's treasury into private schools by soliciting private contributions to private schools, for which the donors receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit (up to a limit.)

I say "gave voice" because the reporter made it clear that Rep. Yarbrough had been given enough time to prepare for their interview (apparently, Thrasher and Bradley just sat down and talked. Note to all public officials and candidates: in general, TV reporters aren't your enemies, but they aren't your friends either. Always prepare.)

He showed up with a letter from the lege's in-house counsel absolving him of any legal conflicts, and then proudly talked about the three STO bills that he is sponsoring this session.

The story also used some verbal tricks to make the legislators sound sneaky or like criminals thriving within the margins of legal technicalities.

My favorite passage highlighting this tactic -

Arizona legislators seem to hang their hat on a law known as the "rule of ten."

It means that if a bill impacts at least ten people it's not considered a legal conflict, even if the lawmaker is one of the ten.

It also disingenuously ignored things like the fact that while teachers such as Jackie Thrasher may sit on an education committee and propose and/or approve education-related matters, only the Appropriations Committee can approve funding.

She doesn't sit on Appropriations.

There was a little partisan bias in the story, besides allowing the one Republican in the video to prepare for his interview - 2 out of the 3 of the legislators in the video of the story are Democrats, as are 62.5% (10/16) of the legislators cited in the written version of the story.

In the whole legislature, only 40 out of 90 (44%) are Democrats.

The report exhibits also exhibits bias in that most of the Democrats cited in the story are public service types (teachers, counselors) while most of the Republicans cited are businessmen (insurance agents, ranchers).

The fact that it equates an ASU faculty associate like Rep. Ed Ableser with a businessman like Steve Yarbrough illustrates this -

...The organization that Yarbrough works for, the Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization (ACSTO), pays him $96,000 per year (per the organization's 2006 Form 990).

...The compensation received by Ableser that Channel 15's reporter was so aghast at because Ableser sits on the House Higher Education Committee? $4000 per year.

In other words, the whole thing was an exercise in "let's pretend that we are investigative journalists...without doing any actual investigating."

The story only served to unjustly smear working legislators, the vast majority of whom are honest public servants.

It should be noted that on Monday, Channel 12 ran a story about how Sheriff Joe Arpaio is having all sorts of financial problems at the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office, causing hit to cut services and staff, yet he has enough money available to send his Chief Deputy Dave Hendershott and a number of other staffers to the Honduras for a vacation...errr..."a goodwill/training trip."

Channel 12 should be applauded for such a hard-hitting report, really, but they lose points because of one small, but very important point -

Stephen Lemons of the New Times has been on this for over a month.

Lemons' most recent piece on this issue here.

It sure looks like that the major corporate-owned KPNX's investigation was actually conducted by the local alternative weekly.

Apparently, a post that I wrote over a year and a half ago concerning the state of investigative journalism in the Phoenix area is still accurate - it's the New Times and a whole big bunch of "not even pretending anymores."

Later!

Groundwater treatment update presentation - City of Scottsdale

Just received the following from Vicki Rosen, the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator for the North Indian Bend Wash (NIBW) Superfund site. It concerns the Central Groundwater Treatment Facility (CGTF) operated by the City of Scottsdale (in other words - *not* the facility that has had all the issues recently, the one operated by Arizona American Water) -

Dear NIBW CIG:

Here's an invitation from the City of Scottsdale regarding the Central 

Groundwater Treatment Facility.  Please feel free to contact Suzanne 

Grendahl directly with any questions.

Vicki


The City of Scottsdale would like to invite you to an 

informal presentation and discussion of the control systems in place at 

the CGTF.  Since the incident in January at the MRTF, we have been 

questioned about whether this could happen at the CGTF.  We hope 

to explain the redundant systems and alarms that are in place at the 

CGTF to address any concerns.  In addition, the City will give 

a brief description of some additional treatment (TDS reduction) 

that will be added to the CGTF over the next two years, unrelated 

to the remedy. The presentation will be held Thursday, March 13, 2008

at 9:30 a.m. at the City of Scottsdale Water Campus (8787 E. Hualapai Drive).

We look forward to seeing you.

Suzanne Grendahl, Water Quality Director
City of Scottsdale
480-312-8719sgrendahl[at]scottsdaleaz.gov

Any questions should be directed to Ms. Grendahl at the above address or to
Vicki at Rosen.Vicki[at]epamail.epa.gov.

Later!

Musings on a community meeting

Edit on 2/26 to add link at the bottom of the post...

Last night, I took the opportunity to attend a meeting of the Community Council of South Scottsdale at the Granite Reef Senior Center in Scottsdale.

One could tell it was an election year, as there were five members of the City Council or candidates for the council present (Jim Lane, Tony Nelssen, Ron McCullagh, Nan Nesvig, Joel Bramoweth), as well as one candidate for Congress (Laura Knaperek).

The main topic of the meeting was a presentation and discussion of a development/redevelopment project proposed for south Scottsdale. One of the components of the project was 'income-restricted' housing units, targeted at lower-income, first-time home buyers. This generated one of the highlights of the meeting.

The discussion of income restricted housing immediately set off a few people in the audience, spouting off about illegal immigrants and subsidized housing and ruined neighborhoods.

That, in turn, sparked council candidate Joel Bramoweth into taking exception to the bigotry being spewed forth. He was shouted down with cries of "she has the floor", but he still impressed me - most candidates for office today won't go against the tide in a gathering such as that one.

I haven't decided who I'm going to vote for, but he went a long way toward earning my vote (and he sure as hell went a long way toward making up for some of the rather rambling speeches that he gives during Council meetings :)) .)

It should be noted here that this is the same group that last year invited State Rep. John Kavanagh to one of their meetings, inspiring me to right this post, comparing Kavanagh to his friend and ideological hero, Russell Pearce. The anti-mmigrant rhetoric present on Thursday night wasn't a surprise.

Other highlights -

...I spoke with Councilman Ron McCullagh for a few moments before the start of the meeting and research into the possible addition of Arizona American Water Company's Scottsdale customers to the Scottsdale municipal water system. Personally, I don't think it will happen during an election year, especially one where most federal, state, county and municipal budgets are stretched to the max, but stay tuned.

...Laura Knaperek spent some time introducing herself and shaking hands. So far, she's been the only Rep candidate that I've seen working the community gathering circuit in south Scottsdale and Tempe (she was at the Tempe City Council forum earlier this month), but that's said with a couple of caveats - I've only been to a few non-partisan events this month, and I don't attend the 'big money' events such as those put on by the Chamber of Commerce and their ilk.

Race for CD5 note - If Knaperek is any indication, the Republican contenders in CD5 learned at least one lesson from Harry Mitchell's 2006 upset of JD Hayworth - they're stressing their 'fiscal conservative' bonafides while minimizing their harsher 'social conservative' credentials. For instance, Knaperek has be Executive Director of a right-wing organization called United Families International for more than a year. That organization is so far right that it opposes UN efforts to outlaw forced marriage and gender-selective infanticide because such efforts demean the value of traditional marriage. (Knaperek's take here.)

On her website's "Meet Laura" page, she has a 6-paragraph, 336-word bio. She devotes a full paragraph to being a fiscal conservative (two paragraphs on her work with the disabled!) and all of one sentence to her work with UFI, and that sentence has no details on the organization.

Ahhh yessssss...the selectively-edited resume. It serves the same purpose in politics that coverup makeup does with tattoos.

...To be fair to the bigots at the meeting, Mexicans weren't the only targets of their ire. During a discussion of the status of the SkySong development at the old Los Arcos Mall location, there were criticisms over the number of non-American companies that have leased space there. A number of the tenants are from countries such as Turkey, Singapore and China, and a group of audience members felt that was "unAmerican".

I'm not making this up.

Later!

Edit on 2/26 to add -

Ari Cohn of the East Valley Tribune was at the meeting; his coverage is here.

End edit.

To the family, friends, and constituents of Rick Renzi:

File this away...

FCI Safford contact info -

Inmate Mail/Parcels

INMATE NAME & REGISTER NUMBER
FCI SAFFORD
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
P.O. BOX 9000
SAFFORD, AZ 85548


Physical Address (Do not use for mail unless it is the same as the mailing address listed.)
Use this address for in-person visits

FCI SAFFORD
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
1529 WEST HIGHWAY 366
SAFFORD, AZ 85546

Phone: 928-428-6600
Fax: 928-348-1331

MapQuest® Map and Directions


I know that it's early, and that there are many possible eventual outcomes to this situation that don't include prison time for Renzi - the DOJ could drop the charges, he could beat the rap, or be convicted but not receive a prison sentence - but I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts. :))

Oh, and for those of you who ask "Why FCI-Safford?" Simply put, it's the only federal corrections facility in AZ-CD1.

Later!

Ralph - Just Say No

From AP, via the AZ Rep -

Ralph Nader could be poised for another third party presidential campaign.

The consumer advocate will appear on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday to announce whether he will launch another White House bid. Nader kicked off his 2004 presidential run on the show.

I ask this to Mr. Nader as someone who has admired much of his work through the years:

Mr. Nader -

Are you a jaw-droppingly arrogant egomaniac, or are you simply nuts?

Hasn't the country suffered enough because of your hubris?

If you had a snowball's chance in Phoenix (in July!) of winning in the fall it would be one thing. However, the only thing you can do is take votes away from the eventual Democratic nominee.

On Sunday, when you sit down with Tim Russert, tell him whatever you need to to salve your ego - tell him it was a mistake, tell him you hit your head and were delusional when you agreed to appear on the show, tell him it's all part of an early and elaborate April Fool's joke, but tell him anything other than that you are running for President again.

Renzi Indicted

From AP -

Republican Rep. Rick Renzi was indicted Friday on charges of extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other matters in an Arizona land swap scam that allegedly helped him collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in payoffs.

{snip}

The indictment accuses Renzi of using his position as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee to push the land swaps for [business partner James W.] Sandlin, who was also charged. It comes after a lengthy federal investigation into the land development and insurance businesses owned by Renzi's family.

The lengthy legal document says Renzi refused in 2005 and 2006 to secure congressional approval for land swaps by two unnamed businesses if they did not agree to buy Sandlin's property as a part of the deal.

About damn time.

...Not yet sure what this means in the CD1 race - if Renzi resigns, there will be a special election to fill his seat for the remainder of his term; however, there's no guarantee that he will resign before he's convicted.

Later!

Shadegg makes it official -

He's a flip-flopper.

From the AZ Republic -

Shadegg changes mind, will run again

U.S. Congressman John Shadegg announced Thursday that he will run for re-election, changing a surprise decision he announced last week that he would retire.

In his original announcement, he cited a desire to spend more time with his family; in his recantation, he cited a discussion with his wife.

Perhaps while he wants to spend more time with his family, they may not want to spend more time with him.*

Democratic challenger Bob Lord's reaction -

"I've been looking forward to running against John Shadegg since day one, and I am still excited," said Bob Lord. "His behavior over the last 10 days calls into question whether he cares more about pleasing Washington insiders or serving the people of Arizona."

This all should make for an interesting summer, because not only does Shadegg have to convince CD3 that he's actually interested in working for them, many of the sitting legislators that expressed an interest in the race (State Sens. Gorman and Waring, among others) have to convince their constituents of the same thing.

* = That's just me being a wiseass. :))

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing

...In the most telling indicator of where the Republicans' heads are at, during yesterday's hubbub surrounding the NY Times' revelations that John McCain had an affair with a lobbyist and gave preferential treatment to her clients, Republican pundits seem to be most concerned with the "marital infidelity" allegation, not the "blatant corruption" allegation.

From Bay Buchanan, campaign advisor to presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-WD) and sister of Pat Buchanan, speaking on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 -

But going to the point that David [Gergen, a CNN political analyst] raised, I will tell you there is a problem. This is not the Democratic Party. This is the party of values. And we assume that our candidates have been loyal to their families. We assume that. We don't ask them that question.

But, when the issue is raised, when somebody suggests you haven't been loyal to your wife and your family, then we expect them to be outraged, to be out there saying, for one thing, "I want you to know, without question, I have always been loyal to my wife and my children. And that I want to be understood clearly."

And, so far, I think John McCain has not made that strong enough. He is going to have to make that point very, very public, if he wishes to galvanize Republicans.

Umm, folks, let's be clear - any issues relating to marital fidelity are issues to be resolved between John and Cindy McCain, and no one else.

However, if the allegations of preferential treatment for lobbyists are true, the story could (and should!) really play havoc with the political ambitions of someone who has positioned himself as an icon of ethical propriety in D.C...

On another note, the McCain campaign has derided the Times' story as a "smear campaign" but the timing of the story actually benefits McCain - it has come out too late in the election cycle to influence the primaries and early enough that the story will fade and have no influence on the general election.

McCain and his supports may not like the story, but the timing is almost a personal favor to him.

The full NY Times' story here.


...A few short weeks ago, the inevitability of Hillary Clinton's nomination seemed unquestionable; today, Barack Obama seems to be the 'inevitable' one, with his jump into the fundraising lead and winning 10 states' primaries/caucuses in a row.

It's not about who receives the most donations or who wins the most states; it's about who wins the majority of delegates.

The Democrats' practice of awarding delegates on a proportional basis make it unlikely that, short of a serious blowout in Texas or Ohio, either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton will pull away.

Having said all that, Clinton needs big wins in Texas and Ohio, and needs them far more than Obama. She's starting to hemorrhage superdelegates; another big win for Obama would only inspire more defections.

Expect both campaigns to continue operating at full throttle through March 4 and on to the convention...


...In a move that is sure to surprise no one, the New Times has made the preliminary moves to a lawsuit against Maricopa County and the various actors (Joe Arpaio, Andrew Thomas, Dennis Wilenchik) in October's arrests of two New Times' founders for publishing stories critical of Arpaio and Thomas.

A lawsuit is necessary and deserved, but since the taxpayers of Maricopa County are the ones who will pick up the tab for any settlement/jury award, they'll keep doing what they want to do to stifle dissent.

The best way to teach Arpaio and Thomas that their desperate tinpot despot tactics are wrong is to vote for Dan Saban for Sheriff and Gerald Richard (or possibly Tim Nelson) for County Attorney.

Later!

Keep Digging

While the presence of John McCain at the top of the ticket this November may stave off the effects here in Arizona until 2010, the Republican Party is in an inexorable slide into electoral irrelevance for at least a generation.

One can cite many reasons for this trend (wholesale corruption, basic incompetence, etc.), but those are just symptoms of their problem. The underlying cause of their fall is the fact that that majority of Republicans, especially the majority of *elected* Republicans, are devoted to serving an idealogy more than their constituents.

This tendency can be seen at all levels of government.

- - In the days, weeks, months and years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Republican government, led by Bush, his Administration and his water-carriers on the Hill (and, unfortunately, aided and abetted by some Democrats) has suspended or blatantly ignored civil rights here and abroad (Gitmo, habeas corpus, warrantless wiretapping of Americans, etc.). However, during the anthrax attacks immediately after 9/11, when it was realized that the main anti-anthrax drug used in the U.S., Cipro, was in critically short supply, the Bush Administration ardently defended the patent of its manufacturer Bayer against calls that the government override the patent because of the public health crisis in order to allow other manufacturers to make a generic version.

- - Lost in the hubbub over John Shadegg's decision to retire and his later (and still ongoing) reconsideration of that decision because of a letter from most of his Republican colleagues in the House is the fact that nothing in the letter talks of how he is a dedicated advocate for CD3, which is, after all, what he was ostensibly hired to be when he was elected.

Instead, the letter raves about what a good and inspirational conservative he is and how his colleagues respect him. The letter closes with the line "[t]he Republican Conference needs
you here, the Conservative Movement needs you here, and the country needs you here."

Sounds like someone who is better qualified to be chair of the Arizona Republican Party or the RNC than CD3's elected representative in Congress.

- - Then, of course, there is everyone's (least) favorite anti-immigrant bigot, State Rep. Russell Pearce (R-LD18).

Not only does he gleefully push for harsh laws that destroy families, many of which live in his district, all in the name of his ideology of national 'purity,' he's extending his contempt for his constituents with bills like the one to repeal the state equalization property tax (HB2220), a direct attack on public education or the one to redirect state-shared revenue funds from municipalities to private land owners (HB2641). [Note: An EV Tribune story on this phenomenon here.]

His disdain for his constituents and his district is nothing new, as documented in this 2006 post about a candidate forum in Mesa.

A forum that Pearce blew off to spend time with J.D. Hayworth (a fellow traveler in the anti-immigrant bigot crowd) at a meeting of the LD18 Reps.

Pearce also likes to pimp...errr..."promote" bill ideas from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a front group for right-wing corporate interests while at the same time he disparages the City of Mesa's desire to protect state-shared revenue as part of its legislative agenda for the year.

From the EV Trib in November -

Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, said that cities and towns have refused to participate in past tax reduction efforts, “so it’s hard to be real sympathetic.”

Pearce is chairman of the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee.

When it comes to cutting spending, Pearce said the state constitution states an obligation to public safety, education and transportation.

In short, his district only matters to him so long it follows his ideology; when there is a separation between his ideology and his district's needs, he throws his district under the bus.

- - Even when Republicans criticize other Reps, it's always for not being "conservative enough", never for failing to represent their constituents.

...John McCain with his 82%+ lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union is on the receiving end of harsh criticisms from the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and even some Arizona LDs. They call him too 'liberal.'

82% from the ACU? He's not even 'moderate', much less liberal.

...Here in AZ, Republicans like State Senator Carolyn Allen, State Representative Bill Konopnicki, and Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes and a couple of others are subjected to never-ending vitriol from self-appointed guardians of Republican orthodoxy for the heresy of being dedicated public servants.

In their cases, a "dedicated public servant" is someone who works for his/her constituents, sometimes protecting their interests over those out-of-state corporations (a post on Mayes doing just that here); sometimes they upset their Republican colleagues by occasionally working with (horrors!) Democrats on issues that generate support across partisan lines.

Unlike good conservatives like, say.... House Speaker Jim Weiers, who, on an annual basis, refuses to craft a state budget with input from Democratic legislators.


When Republicans look at the hole they're in and admit to themselves that perhaps they aren't striking a chord with the American people, they tend to conclude that the solution is to "get back to basics"; in other words, do more of what isn't working for them now.

As a Democrat, a taxpayer, and a citizen I say this:

Keep digging.

Sunday Morning Crappie

The idea for this was blatantly, shamelessly, and gratefully stolen from Desert Beacon's "Sunday Deck Bass" series...thanks DB!

This intermittent series will highlight those politicos, mostly but not exclusively Arizona-based, who flip-flop on significant issues, much like a fish does after being reeled into the bottom of the boat.

I've wanted to do something like this for a while and was searching for a title. Not being schooled in the finer points of fishing in Arizona, I asked a coworker about which species of fish was Arizona known for.

Her first choice, bass, was already taken by DB.

Her second choice was crappie.

It was obvious that the gods of snarkiness were smiling upon me. :))

Oh, for those of you whose minds are in the toilet, she pronounced the word "craw-pee."

Anyway, on to this week's award for sometimes convenient, frequently creative, and always astounding flip-flopping.

3rd Place goes to Harold Ickes, senior adviser to the Clinton for President campaign. A few months ago, he supported the DNC's move to strip Florida and Michigan of its delegates because those states decided to hold their primaries before February 5.

However, now that his candidate is in the fight of her political life and needs every delegate she can lay her hands on, he wants the DNC to seat the delegates from those states.

His stated reason for this is pure - he doesn't want to see the voters in those states "disenfranchised."

Of course, the fact that his candidate won the primaries in both states (she was the only major candidate even on the ballot in Michigan) has nothing to do with it.

Story: AP via Yahoo! News.

2nd Place goes to Arizona Congressman John Shadegg (R-AZ3) for first announcing his retirement from Congress (citing family reasons) before reconsidering his decision (citing a letter from his Republican colleagues in the House.)

He may be the #2 Crappie, but he's the #1 tease - State Sens. Pamela Gorman and Jim Waring were both considering runs at the CD3 seat, but now their announcements are on hold, waiting for Shadegg to make a final decision.

Well, "final" until he changes it.

Both Ickes and Shadegg made strong runs at this week's award, but the winner, in a near walk-over, is Arizona Senator and Republican presidential front-runner John McCain.

McCain, a former prisoner of war, victim of torture and long-time opponent of torture voted this week against banning the torture technique of waterboarding.

I'm torn between closing this with "Torture - McCain was against it before he was for it" and "John McCain on torture: 'bad when it's applied to me; good when it's applied to the rest of you saps.' "

Whatthehell - why not use both?

Later!

Short Attention Span Musing

...The forces of ignorance and bigotry are rejoicing tonight...

From the AZ Republic -

A controversial scholarship that benefited Arizona State University students who are in the country illegally has quietly faded away.

As many as 200 students who graduated from Arizona high schools received the private scholarship money through the university this year.

But now, the money is spent, and ASU is advising students who depended on it to "seek private funding sources."

{snip}

State Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, is thrilled ASU will no longer be providing money to these students.

"The university should never have been complicit in bypassing the will of the voters," Kavanagh said. Prop. 300 passed in 2006 with the support of nearly seven out of 10 voters. "They were giving tuition breaks to illegal immigrants."

Wonder how much Kavanagh is going to revere the "will of the voters" when he votes on bills like HCR2066 and HCR2044, both of which would allow to lege to override the "will of the voters" under certain circumstances, as determined by the legislature itself.


...Does this mean that Bob Lord gets to call John Shadegg a 'flip-flopper'???

From the East Valley Tribune -

U.S. Rep. John Shadegg said Thursday he will reconsider his decision to retire at the end of his term.

He began wavering after learning that more than half of the Republicans in the House have signed a letter asking him to stay. Shadegg, 58, unexpectedly announced his retirement Monday.

...Breaking news: One rich, old, white Republican male endorses another rich, old, white Republican male.

From the Houston Chronicle -

GOP presidential front-runner John McCain is continuing to sweep up establishment Republican support as former President George H.W. Bush is expected to endorse the Arizona senator Monday in Houston.

What the hell, it's not like anyone expected him to endorse Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton...

Local election financial reports

Much like the higher-profile candidates for Congress, candidates for local office have to meet financial reporting requirements.

Scottsdale -

An overview of reports for October 2006 - December 2007, due January 31, 2008:

Council candidates -

Lisa Borowsky - Filed her organizational paperwork on January 29, 2008; no financial reports due yet.

Joel Bramoweth - total raised $21,273, cash on hand $12,853, candidate loans to campaign $8000; interesting contributors - former council member Kevin Osterman ($200).

Betty Drake - No activity.

Suzanne Klapp - total raised $6865, cash on hand $6753, candidate loan $5000; interesting contributors - Donna Reagan, mother of State Rep. Michelle Reagan (R-LD8) and former LD8 Republican chair ($390), Joel Bramoweth, candidate for City Council ($50).

Ron McCullagh - total raised $23590, cash on hand $16881; interesting contributors - Virginia Korte, Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce ($390), Jim Pederson, developer and 2006 candidate for U.S. Senate ($390).

Richard Mueller - total raised $40.33, cash on hand $25. All funds from self.

Nan Nesvig - total raised $2568, cash on hand $1721; interesting contributions - Jim Derouin, former candidate for mayor ($390), Bob Littlefield, member of the City Council ($390), Tony Nelssen, member of the City Council ($100).


Candidates for mayor -

Jim Derouin - total raised $2500, cash on hand $2390, candidate loan $2500. Has withrawn from the race.

Jim Lane - total raised $7725, cash on hand $7521; interesting contributors - Henry Becker, local, somewhat legendary, thorn in the side of the Council ($390), Jim Bruner, former Maricopa County Supervisor ($250).

Mary Manross - total raised $4552, cash on hand $2940.


Notes:

Nothing too surprising here yet - obviously, Mr. Mueller is going to have to step up fundraising to have an impact in this race. Of course, his lack of funds is balanced by McCullagh and Bramoweth's full coffers.

Other candidates could still enter the races (though another entry into the mayoral contest would be something of a surprise). Nominating petitions are due June 4, 2008.

Scottsdale's campaign finance reports can be found here.

Deadline for the next report - June 30, 2008, covering the period from January 1, 2008 to May 31, 2008.


Tempe -

January 31 reports...

Mayor -

Hugh Hallman - total raised $79152, cash on hand $23906; interesting contributors - Jeff Hatch-Miller, formerly with the AZ Corporation Commission and current candidate for Congress ($390). There were probably others, but there were too many pages to go through for a race I can't vote in. :)

City Council -

Hut Hutson - total raised $56055, cash on hand $52302.

Darryl Jacobson-Barnes - total raised $3744, cash on hand $3440.

Julie Jakubek - total raised $1815, cash on hand $524, candidate loan $1000.

Mark Mitchell - total raised $30034, cash on hand $40433.

Joel Navarro - total raised $28899, cash on hand $23033.

Rhett Wilson - total raised $12080, cash on hand $3524.

Corey Woods - total raised $24877, cash on hand $9207.

Notes:

In Tempe, early balloting has already started; the election is March 11, 2008. The runoff/general election is scheduled for May 20, 2008 (if necessary.)

Tempe's campaign finance reports can be found here.

Later!