Month: August 2014

Barber Rally for Education on Saturday

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   Ron Barber and Southern Arizona education leaders will speak about the importance of investing in public education. Ron also will make an important announcement at the event. Details: Barber Rally for Education 10 a.m. Saturday, August 9 Sam Hughes Elementary School, 700 N. Wilson Ave. (at Third St., west of Tucson Blvd.) *Kids are very … Read more

9th Circuit Court of Appeals strikes down the ‘Kochtopus’ Anti-ObamaCare Prop. 106

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Image: Supreme Court Upholds Obama's Affordable Care ActIn 2010, Dr. Eric Novack was the front man for “The Health Care Freedom Act,” aka the Arizona Health Insurance Reform Amendment, Proposition 106. Proposition 106 was proposed to amend the Arizona Constitution by barring any rules or regulations that would force state residents to participate in a health-care system, i.e., “ObamaCare.” The proposed amendment would also ensure that individuals would have the right to pay for private health insurance. The Arizona legislature referred the measure to the ballot. Voters approved Prop. 106 in 2010.

Dr. Eric Novack was the front man of an organization called the U.S. Health Freedom Coalition, which was financed almost entirely by the “Kochtopus” organization Center to Protect Patient Right.

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Arizona Court of Appeals rules on ‘dark money’ disclosures (expect an appeal)

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dark_moneyThe Arizona Court of Appeals has held that the Committee for Justice and Fairness, financed by the Democratic Attorney Generals Association which spent about $1.5 million attacking Republican Tom Horne in the 2010 attorney general’s race, can be forced to disclose the source of their cash even if their commercials don’t specifically advocate for anyone’s election or defeat.

This case requires some background.  An Administrative Law Judge ruled that the Committee for Justice and Fairness violated state laws by not registering as a campaign committee. Its television ads urged viewers to contact Horne’s office at the Arizona Department of Education and voice their concerns, though it made no reference to his attorney general campaign or his Democratic opponent, Felecia Rotellini.

That ALJ opinion was appealed to the Maricopa County Superior Court. Superior Court Judge Crane McClennen ruled that two provisions of Arizona statutory law were unconstitutional in reversing the ALJ.

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Income inequality is a drag on economic growth – time for ‘trickle up’ economics

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Well now it’s official: even the Wall Street ratings agency Standard & Poor’s says income inequality is damaging our economy. Inequality Is Damaging the U.S. Economy, S&P Study Says (Wall Street Journal blog):

U.S. income inequality is harming U.S. economic growth by excluding large swaths of the population from its cumulative benefits, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services says in a new report.

Tackling an unusual subject for a credit-rating firm, S&P combines a review of recent studies on inequality with its own analysis to find that the gap in earnings between rich and poor can have lasting economic consequences.

Income

“The current level of income inequality in the U.S. is dampening GDP growth, at a time when the world’s biggest economy is struggling to recover from the Great Recession and the government is in need of funds to support an aging population,” the firm said in the report published Tuesday.

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A Comment on Comments

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My buddy Thucky recently went on the radio to complain that we had deleted many of his comments, including his most scholarly ones. At the same time, I’ve noticed a few things related to comments that bear mention. I speak only for myself, although my fellow writers may be in about the same place. Regarding … Read more