Arizona
updated
3:48 a.m.
Contains only posts that are ID'd as non-local content. An explanation.
Beginning Of The End: Sarah Palin Hijacks The Tea Party Movement Op-Ed Columnist - America Is Not Yet Lost - NYTimes.com The Tea Partiers: Fraudulent Fiscal Conservatives - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan Palin Gubernatorial email archive See what you can find in the 300K email archive... ...
Blog For Arizona - 12:09 a.m.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: It was bound to happen. The logical extension of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC is the First "Corporate Person" Runs for Political Office — YES! Magazine: Taking the implications of Citizens United......
Blog For Arizona - Mon 4:09 p.m.
by David Safier Republican politicians hate the stimulus money. I know, because they tell me so whenever they get a chance. Terrible idea. Typical reckless Democrats spending us further into debt. Then they turn around and use the money to......
Blog For Arizona - Mon 1:09 p.m.
Just coming over the wires is the news that John Murtha has died. He was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in a special election in 1974, which made him the first Vietnam Veteran to do so. I am not going to pretend that I was a huge fan of everything he did [...]...
Rum, Romanism and Rebellion - Mon 12:10 p.m.
The six Republican ideas already in the health-care reform bill When some one claims that Health Insurance Reform needs to be abandoned for a more bipartisan bill, point to these examples. Smoke the Bigots Out of the Closet Why now is politically a good time to push for the repeal of Don't Ask, ......
Young Democrats of Arizona Blog - Mon 10:50 a.m. - 2 clicks 
Heartfelt congratulations to the New Orleans Saints and to the folks in Louisiana for last night’s exciting and well-deserved win. Geaux Saints, and Laissez les bon temps rouler! Can nothing be untouched by politics? The Tebow ad had already stirred up pre-game partisan controversy but it was at least (tangentially it turned [...]...
Democratic Diva - Mon 10:50 a.m.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal created a P.C. Police faux scandal over Rahm Emanuel calling progressive Democrats "retarded" in a closed meeting recently. Seriously? That was probably the least offensive thing Emanuel had to say (he is......
Blog For Arizona - Mon 8:06 a.m.
After a one-week hiatus due to other things needing my attention, it's time for another one of these. A separate post on the activities of the AZ legislature is here . As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies, except where noted, and subject to change without notice. First up: Congress, where they have a short week with nothing scheduled for Monda...
Random Musings - Sun 5:49 p.m.
This popped up in my comments section today from my most dedicated troll, Alan: Donna, ” That said, I must have filled their desire (”need”?) to raise a child since they didn’t give me back to the orphanage. Isn’t choice a beautiful thing, Alan? ” Certainly your parent’s choice was. Perhaps I read things that are [...]...
Democratic Diva - Sun 3:12 p.m. - 4 clicks
Daily Kos: How Dare You Say We Believe This Stuff! Born Poor? | Santa Fe Reporter Are you "Guard Labor" for the wealthy? Notes From the Tea Party Convention - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com The American Conservative -- No Exit The redoubtable Mr. Bacevich is always worth listening to t r u t h o u t | Bush, Cheney and the Great Escape Post-Term Impeachments all aro...
Blog For Arizona - Sun 12:08 p.m.
by David Safier ANOTHER OOPS UPDATE: Looks like I have another correction to make, again relating to the Goldwater Institute. According to Craig, Clint's wife, Shawna Bolick, is the one running, and Clint is her treasurer. Once again, I regret......
Blog For Arizona - Sun 11:47 a.m. - 6 clicks
I've been hammering at Bank of America and other big banks for their predatory lending and awful customer service. Seems I'm not the only one: Italy Seizes Bank of America Assets - Fraud Is Finally Catching Up With Wall St./Bankers From what I can tell, the bank near me that has done the best is TD Bank. I am switching to TD and so far I am happy. They avoided predatory lending (probably bec...
DailyKos (Arizona) - Sun 9:22 a.m. - 18 clicks
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: For thirty years this country bought into the faith based supply-side economics of the Republican Party. Our manufacturing base disappeared, shipped overseas in the name of free trade corporate globalism. It made China an economic powerhouse and......
Blog For Arizona - Sun 8:22 a.m.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The Political Calendar is posted on Sundays. Please send us notice of your political events prior to the Sunday before your event (7 days would be most helpful). See the calendar icon in the right-hand column of......
Blog For Arizona - Sun 5:07 a.m.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Time once again to update candidate filings. Rep. Sam Crump resigned this week to run for Congress in CD 3. We are still waiting on Sen. Jonathan Paton to resign to run for Congress in CD 8.......
Blog For Arizona - Sun 5:07 a.m.
Edit on 2/7 to correct a factual error: An anonymous emailer, begged39704, alerted me to the fact that Clint Bolick is not listed as the candidate, his wife Shawnna is. Clint is the treasurer for her committee. I apologize to both Bolicks for the mistake. Thank you, begged39704. Apparently, using most of the Republican caucus of the legislature as surrogates is too slow - now they're goi...
Random Musings - Sat 7:55 p.m. - 2 clicks
by David Safier Thanks to Sonoran Sam for catching this. I guess the tweet I posted criticizing Antenori wasn't from the Goldwater Institute after all. According to Dawn Teo, G.I. tweets under GoldwaterInst, and the one I referred to comes......
Blog For Arizona - Sat 9:05 a.m. - 3 clicks
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The ruling of U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn Silver holding that the matching funds provision of Citizens Clean Elections is unconstitutional, based upon U.S. Supreme Court precedents, was appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge......
Blog For Arizona - Sat 8:26 a.m.
Due to some discoveries made by scientists at Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems and Veridian Dynamics, a device called the Tachyon Capacitor will be invented allowing for limited time travel. It is through this device that a visitor from the future has provided me with this wire service story: WASHINGTON (AP) – Despite being dismissed by critics, it [...]...
Rum, Romanism and Rebellion - Sat 6:46 a.m. - 2 clicks
Poll: Republicans Prefer Having A Deficit With Tax Cuts, Over A Balanced Budget And Higher Taxes | TPMDC So it's not just their politicians who are duplicitous Report: Shelby Blocks All Obama Nominations In The Senate Over AL Earmarks | TPMDC Why the fuck do we put up with this? Democracy? I don't think so... Medical groups assail patenting of human genes - USATODAY.com G...
Blog For Arizona - Sat 12:20 a.m.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: For the past year we have been entertained by the media villagers and Beltway bloviators covering the uncivil antics of the tea partiers as if it was a WWE WrestleMania event (and just as fake). The conventional......
Blog For Arizona - Fri 6:27 p.m.
From an email from Congressman Harry Mitchell (with minor changes to links to clean them up, but no changes to content) - Each year since being elected to Congress, I’ve introduced legislation to block the annual raise for Members of Congress. With all the economic challenges our country is facing, and so many families struggling to make ends meet, I believe it would be simply unconscionable fo...
Random Musings - Fri 6:06 p.m.
H/T to Joe.My.God. The photo on the left is the one that a Florida Christian group used to illustrate their objection to a lesbian couple adopting a child in an alert to members. The photo on the right is the actual couple. Sigh. But wait, there’s more! Scott Maxwell, editorialist for the [...]...
Democratic Diva - Fri 4:15 p.m. - 4 clicks
by David Safier Colorado Springs residents don't like taxes much. So here's what's happening in the town. More than a third of the streetlights in Colorado Springs will go dark Monday. The police helicopters are for sale on the Internet.......
Blog For Arizona - Fri 12:07 p.m.
by David Safier AN OOPS! UPDATE: Looks like I got this one wrong. The tweet isn't from the Goldwater Institute after all. Note to self: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. I regret the error.......
Blog For Arizona - Fri 12:03 p.m. - 2 clicks
The GOP’s Top 10 Best Opportunities To Pick-Up Senate Seats In 2010 | Right Wing News GOP likely to pickup 4-6 seats in Senate this year White House Prepares for Possibility of Two Supreme Court Vacancies - ABC News Daily Kos: AZ Republicans tring to take Public Transit money away from Public Transit SB 1416 RELATING TO THE REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY Vershoor...
Blog For Arizona - Fri 8:43 a.m. - 2 clicks
I’m not easily shocked by anything these days but some of the findings in Gallup’s latest poll have me floored. They asked Americans to indicate approval for broad political and economic themes. Many of the responses were predictable – “small business” enjoys near unanimous approval, for example – but other responses, well, take [...]...
Democratic Diva - Thu 11:38 p.m. - 6 clicks
Large Portion Of GOP Thinks Obama Is Racist, Socialist, Non-U.S. Citizen: Poll The GOP Poll What do Republicans believe now? Gold - China's End Game? Is China attempting to make the Yuan the world's reserve currency? Corporation Says It Will Run for Congress - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com GOP Leaders’ National Security Attacks On Obama Increasingly At Odds With Defe...
Blog For Arizona - Thu 2:05 p.m. - 2 clicks
Word is that Juanito Gutierrez, operator of a new taco truck on S. 12th Ave, is generating quite the buzz in town. His business was highlighted as a showcase for the extraordinary economic development achievements of the past year. The truck serves authentic Mexican tacos, burritos, tamales, and quesadillas featuring a secret recipe "to die for" salsa packing enough heat to make a Corona tas...
Sustainability, Equity, Development - Thu 1:22 p.m. - 18 clicks
As President Obama, VP Joe "Amtrak" Biden, and SecTrans LaHood will tell you, America needs more Public Transportation. Public Transit stimulates economic growth, cuts down carbon emissions, and increases the livability of the area around it. This of course means that it is a sin in the eyes of Conservatives. Yet even the state that thinks Barry Goldwater is someone to look up to, and has sent Jo...
DailyKos (Arizona) - Wed 10:23 p.m. - 3 clicks
Little late this week getting the newsletter to Daily Kos. Some parts might be outdated, but most is up to date. I also want to draw attention to a fellow Culture Kitchen blogger, Leo Igwe, whose attempts to further reason and oppose fundamentalism in Nigeria have gotten him beaten up by a mob and harassed by cops. Here are his two most recent articles regarding Nigeria: Humanism and the Ques...
DailyKos (Arizona) - Wed 6:13 p.m. - 10 clicks
From today’s NYT Business Section: “There is no financial sense in staying,” Mr. Koellmann said. With the $1,500 he is paying each month for his mortgage, taxes and insurance, he could rent a nicer place on the beach, one with a gym, security and valet parking. Walking away, he knows, is not without peril. At [...]...
Democratic Diva - Wed 2:48 p.m. - 3 clicks
Back in October Mark and I watched HBO’s SCHMATTA: Rags to Riches to Rags, a documentary exploring the rise and fall of the US garment trade. The Garment Center is the heart and soul of Midtown Manhattan and the backbone of the fashion industry. It was the gateway for many immigrants to the American [...]...
Democratic Diva - Tue 9:24 p.m. - 4 clicks
and a preview of Wednesday's possible activity in the House... ...The Senate, with most but not all Democrats on board, passed a series of bills meant to address the current fiscal year's state budget deficit. This includes the referral of a temporary increase to the state's sales tax to the ballot in a special election in May. ...The bills have been introduced in the House and were immediately ...
Random Musings - Tue 7:45 p.m. - 3 clicks
Sloppy post ahead, in "live blogging" style, but not with the constant updating. Done as one piece... Now they're on regular session stuff. Most of the agenda was mundane, so I didn't post on that. But now we are up to the good stuff. SCR1015, with a Pearce striker to refer TABOR-like restrictions on state revenues to the ballot. Pearce is talking about the bill as a way to prevent future ...
Random Musings - Tue 3:01 p.m. - 4 clicks
2:16 - Burton Cahill calls this a "very, very difficult" vote and is only for a band-aid. Votes yes, reluctantly. Bill passes 16 - 12. Senate adjourns. 2:15 - Aboud opposes because even if voters approve it, it won't balance the budget and that cuts are still coming. 2:13 - Gould opposes because he only wants to cut services. Cites pledge to Norquist, but says it is a pledge to the voters in ...
Random Musings - Tue 12:40 p.m. - 5 clicks
Caucus into order at 11:01. SCR1001 - Sales tax hike referral to voters. No comments SB1005 - Deduction adjustment for out of state filers. Gray wonders if this is ex post facto because it is retroactive to the beginning of the tax year. It isn't. Gould says it is an ex post facto tax. Something tells me he will be voting against this one. SB1001 - Special election. Some questions, bu...
Random Musings - Tue 10:48 a.m. - 4 clicks
While waiting for the R caucus meeting... 1. Apparently, it may not matter what happens in the Senate this time - House Speaker Kirk Adams has told MSM types that he doesn't think they have enough votes in the House to pass the package. 2. Sen. Jack Harper (R-Surprise!) has said that he will vote against all of the measures except the education money rollovers when they reach the floor. That ma...
Random Musings - Tue 10:24 a.m. - 4 clicks
This meeting is mostly a rubberstamp - they've already approved SB1001, 1002, 1003, 1005, and SCR1001. Now, they are mulling a possible Prop 105 conflict with SB1004. Passes. Meeting over in 3 minutes. ...
Random Musings - Tue 9:48 a.m. - 5 clicks
The room was being used and that meeting ran right until 9:30, so the Natural Resources meeting to consider the special session's budget bills hasn't started yet, though it looks like it will within the next few minutes... For those of you watching at home. :) ...
Random Musings - Tue 9:09 a.m. - 6 clicks
10:12 - Landrum calls the issue one of fairness and votes aye. Passes unanimously. Adjourned. 10:10 - Consider amendment to make the change retroactive to tax year 2010. Some confusion if amendment is OK as written. After discussion, it is determined to be fine. Adopted. 10:09 - SB1005, tax deduction adjustment for out of state filers. 10:08 - SB1004 passes unanimously. This train is now runn...
Random Musings - Tue 9:09 a.m. - 2 clicks
...and not just for fiscal reasons. A lot of tea leaf reading is going into the makeup of this post, so everything in it should be read with that in mind - this post is taking the bones of a few possibly related facts and putting them together. And hoping it all doesn't come out looking like Frankenstein's monster. :) It's looking more and more like the budget package had better pass this week...
Random Musings - Feb 1 - 3 clicks
Lost in the hubbub over the special session and the regular session's committee schedule is a meeting of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee at 8 a.m. on Tuesday in SHR109. The agenda looks interesting, but don't rush to the lege on Tuesday expecting to witness governance in action - the agenda is split between an executive session and a public session. The 11 items on the public agenda are...
Random Musings - Feb 1 - 4 clicks
So CBS is going ahead with the Focus on the Family ad featuring Pam Tebow and the son she gave birth to in 1987 against the advice of doctors who told her she ought to have an abortion due to her medical issues. The boy was born healthy and went on to some sort [...]...
Democratic Diva - Feb 1 - 5 clicks
Credit to the blog Just JoeP ( a non-political blog ...who knew such crazy things existed? :)) ) for the heads-up on this article... From the BBC - Last year, in a series of "town-hall meetings" across the country, Americans got the chance to debate President Obama's proposed healthcare reforms. What happened was an explosion of rage and barely suppressed violence. Polling evidence suggest...
Random Musings - Feb 1 - 3 clicks
President Obama Full Q&A President Obama answering questions from congressional republicans. It's long, but every moment is worth it. The State of the Union: Just the policy A short version of the SOTU that outlines just the policies mentioned. Three Myths about Political Independents A great explanation of independent voters and how many media figures ......
Young Democrats of Arizona Blog - Feb 1 - 4 clicks
A quick-hit, non-political post ahead... Many supermarkets now have one or more "self-checkout" lanes. The cynic in me understands that one of the purposes of such unstaffed checkout lanes is to limit the stores' need for more employees, particularly those employees that are members of unions. On the other hand, when I just have a few items to pay for (like yesterday), and the store's regular...
Random Musings - Feb 1 - 4 clicks
Apparently, that is how long it takes for a Kansas jury to wade its way through a line of radical B.S. From AP via AZCentral.com - A jury took just 37 minutes Friday to convict an anti-abortion activist of murder for putting a gun to the head of abortion doctor George Tiller and pulling the trigger in the foyer of a church. Attorneys for Scott Roeder had hoped to argue for a lesser conviction...
Random Musings - Jan 29 - 4 clicks
Everyone knows the upcoming Super Bowl between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints has all the makings for a great game, and everyone also knows that for some the Super Bowl can be less entertaining than the cutting edge (and most expensive bar none) advertising that occurs during the game. A gay dating services site, ManCrunch , offered $2.5 million for a thirty second spot tha...
Sustainability, Equity, Development - Jan 29
I've received emails about my That’s All Folks! on New Year’s Day. At the time I’d been stricken with a "blogger malaise" I could not distinguish or understand. I knew that it was there and had to stop, unable to do "IT" anymore. Of course, what is "IT"? What "voice" did I lose? The answer was not simple and involved months of pondering. At a comment exchange mostly between myself and F...
Sustainability, Equity, Development - Jan 28
Coal ash destroyed house in Tenn. WASHINGTON -- For years U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publications and reports about uses and dangers of coal combustion waste have been edited by coal ash industry representatives, according to EPA documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) . Not surprisingly, the coal ash industry watered down official rep...
Daniel's News & Views - Jan 27
Following up on the January 18 AZ CD-8 Website Post , the Jonathan Paton site is now up, although barely, consisting of three pages and minimal content. His campaign may have rushed a quick template online because someone was being obnoxious about his lack of a site over at Sonoran Alliance. Brian Miller's site has just undergone a significant upgrade that now features slide show content and ...
Sustainability, Equity, Development - Jan 27
Rep. Steve Farley keeps us abreast of this week's happenings at the State Legislature: Howdy, Friends O'Farley... It's been a quiet week in State Wobegon... Actually, it has been anything but a quiet week. More legislators are declaring their intentions to run for more offices, committees are pumping out some really suspect bills, House Republicans are trotting out their corporate-bailout def...
AZNetroots - Jan 26 - 2 clicks
We Americans put our trust in the Democratic Party in the 2008 election. What has happened between then and now that has caused so many new supporters to sit out elections and others to vote with another Party? An exit poll taken by Research 2000 at the Massachusetts election shows that the election was not a [...]...
DFA-MC - Jan 25 - 2 clicks
