Year: 2019

Donald Trump is the greatest national security threat to the United States

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In the chaos theory of governance of the Trump administration, so much craziness happens every day that it is easy to overlook important events in the din of noise. Which is really the whole point of chaos theory. Trump wants to overwhelm the senses with the vast volume of his craziness every day so that no one thing he does can hold the attention of the public or the media for long in what used to be a normal news cycle, and the public eventually becomes numb to the sheer volume of his craziness and stops paying attention. This has led to the warning not to normalize Trump’s chaotic behavior (which the media has to a large degree).

But something happened this week which clarified that Donald Trump is the greatest national security threat to the United States.

The national security team which Trump himself appointed to lead the national security community — Trump repeatedly said during the 2016 election that he would “hire the best people” for his administration — testified under oath before the Senate Intelligence Committee on the Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community, representing the work of thousands of professionals in the 17 U.S. intelligence agencies. The collective wisdom of the intelligence community in this threat assessment, and the testimony of the security chiefs under oath before Congress is that President Trump is wrong about every position he has taken on foreign policy.

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CD 2 Congress on Your Corner on Feb. 2nd

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“Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick will resume the tradition of holding one-on-one dialogues with residents of Arizona’s Second Congressional District. Rep. Kirkpatrick and district staff will be available to sit down and hear the concerns and opinions of community members.” Sat. Feb. 2nd, 10 a.m. to 12 noon Safeway, 6360 E. Golf Links Rd. Tucson https://www.facebook.com/events/390368241726244/ CD … Read more

Action Alert: Tell your state senator to vote no on GOP voter suppression bills

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In Arizona, nearly all municipal elections are now conducted by mail-in ballots.

For state and federal elections, in 2018 more than 80 percent of the votes cast in Arizona were by early ballots (which include mail-in ballots dropped off on Election Day).

Arizona should be following the lead of Oregon (2000), Washington (2011) and Colorado (2013) which hold all elections entirely by mail. (In California, some counties are permitted to conduct all-mail elections. After 2020, the option will be available to all counties in the state.) ALL-MAIL ELECTIONS (aka VOTE-BY-MAIL).  Arizonans previously rejected the “Your right to vote by mail act,” Prop. 205 in 2006, but given the overwhelming percentage of Arizona voters who are now comfortable voting early by mail-in ballot, it is time to revisit this election reform.

Instead, Arizona’s new reigning Queen of Voter Suppression, Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, wants to restrict your right to vote early by mail-in ballot, in particular, to eliminate your right to drop off your early mail-in ballot at a polling location on election day. She wants to make you stand in long lines on election day (a form of voter suppression because it discourages people from voting) to present a photo I.D. and to cast a provisional ballot instead, you slackers!

Ignoring the testimony of county election officials, Republican lawmakers voted to bar Arizona voters who receive their ballot by mail from turning them in by hand. GOP bill would restrict vote-by-mail options:

On party lines, the four GOP senators on the chamber’s Judiciary Committee advanced SB 1046 (.pdf), which would restrict how voters who sign up for the Permanent Early Voting List, known as PEVL, can cast a ballot. Current law allows them to return those ballots by mail, or hand-deliver them to election facilities at any time leading up to or on election day.

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ACLU of Arizona’s “Sixty Years of Daring to Create a More Perfect Arizona” exhibit opening at Arizona History Museum

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This traveling exhibit is closing at Etherton Gallery (135 S.6th Avenue) on Feb. 2nd, moving to the Arizona History Museum, 949 E. 2nd Street on Feb. 5 (to March 5), 2019. From Tucson the exhibit travels to Prescott, Flagstaff, Phoenix, Winslow, and  back to Tempe where it started.

“HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ACLU OF ARIZONA’S 60 YEARS OF DEFENDING CIVIL LIBERTIES

Since 1959, the ACLU of Arizona has worked in courts, the Legislature, and communities statewide to protect the constitutional rights of all people. With the help of nearly 20,000 members and tens of thousands more supporters, we are able to take up the toughest civil liberties fights. Our work is not about one person, one party, or one issue. It is about all of us, we the people, coming together and daring to create a more perfect Arizona. We are in this together.
More information.
This exhibit will be open from February 5th to March 5th 2019.
Opening Reception and Workshop about Civil Discourse February 6th 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.”

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Allen Sales Tax Plan to help fund Education is deemed “regressive” by many Democrats.

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Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said work needs to be done to “find sustainable and dedicated revenue streams to fund our schools.”

Education funding after last years Red for Ed Movement will continue to dominate discussions in Arizona Political and Economic Circles this year and next.

While the 20 percent raises for instructors and staff over two years and other increases in education funding  (like extending Proposition 301) passed by the legislature are certainly helpful, it still does not fully address the funding shortfall of public schools in Arizona in 2019. For that matter, it does not rectify the funding shortfall at 2008 levels.

What is to be done to bring public school funding up to 2019 levels?

Governors Ducey’s 2019 budget, according to Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman is a step in the right direction but work must be done to “find sustainable and dedicated revenue streams to fund our schools.”

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