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Another GOP lie debunked: ‘Obamacare’ not ‘the largest tax increase in the history of the world’
July 2, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Those Tea-Publicans, always given to hyperbolic exaggeration. They have to describe everything in apocalyptic terms that just makes them look foolish. Ezra Klein debunks the latest GOP lie: No, ‘Obamacare’ isn’t ‘the largest tax increase in the history of the world’ (in one chart): Since the Supreme Court decision, Republicans have been … Read more
District 9 House Democrats Citizens Clean Elections Debate
July 2, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Yeah, yeah — it was a week ago. It was a busy week! Here is the Arizona Daily Star write up Dist. 9 Dem hopefuls decry cuts to public ed, aid to private schools. The video replay of the debate is below the fold.
The next Citizens Clean Elections debate in Baja Arizona is the District 10 House Democrats Debate on Tuesday, July 9 at 6:00 p.m., Pima Community College District Office, 4905 E. Broadway Blvd.
Robert Robb diminishes The Arizona Republic as a credible news organization
July 2, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Robert Robb has been an editorial columnist for The Arizona Republic since July 1999. Before becoming a journalist (sic), Robb served on the executive committees and boards of directors for the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce (as vice president for public affairs and as vice president for governmental affairs and publications), and the Goldwater Institute for Public Policy Research. Also prior to joining The Arizona Republic, Robb ran his own conservative public affairs and public relations agency for 13 years. In 2000, Robb was a media fellow with the über-conservative Hoover Institution. RobertRobb.com.
On his web page, Robb cites "The Wall Street Journal has called Robb the “dean of (Arizona’s) political reporters.” Riiight. Howard Fischer at Capitol Media Services would dispute Robb's claim to that title.
Robb is no journalist. He is a polemicist. Robb never lets facts get in the way of his über-conservative rantings, like this post today. Obama's 'open door' shows no leadership:
President Barack Obama recently told a gathering of Latino public officials that his "door has been open" to congressional Republicans on comprehensive immigration reform. "They know where to find me, " he said. That's leadership? How about doing something, like proposing a bill? You know, like he promised to do last time he was running.
Robb must have been on vacation to Libertarian Land in May 2011 when President Obama announced his immigration reform bill. Still, you would think Robb might have read about it in the newspaper for which he works.
Here are the Remarks by the President on Comprehensive Immigration Reform in El Paso, Texas (May 10, 2011), and the video of the President's speech below the fold.
You would think the self-aggrandizing "dean of Arizona's political reporters" would have discovered "the Google" by now, and actually done some research before spouting his polemic nonsense. I can't believe this guy actually gets paid for writing this crap. He diminishes The Arizona Republic as a credible news organization.
Rio Reconsidered
July 1, 2012
By Michael Bryan
With the current controversies and investigations and audits and partisan bickering around Rio Nuevo, one can hardly fault some folks – even Tucson Democrats – for wanting to wash their hands of the whole vexing thing and just kill the program.
Let me try to convince you that it is a grave error to give up on Rio Nuevo, and we can and should fault those who want to kill the program.
What is Rio Nuevo? Most folks would describe it as an attempt to 'revitalize' Tucson's downtown. Some folks would recognize that it is a very large investment in that goal: about $250 million, so far. A slightly smaller number might know that it is a Tax Increment Finance district dedicated to that goal which has generated that investment.
What do I hope you will think about Rio Nuevo? That it is Tucsonans investing in Tucson's future.
Consider:
Tucson has never had a vital downtown as a major metropolitan city. We had a downtown that worked for a large town many years ago, but that has long since died. We are not trying to 'revitalize' anything; we are now trying to create a vital urban core, essentially from scratch. That is a difficult project for which no one has a rulebook or blueprint. Many have tried in other cities – even here in Arizona – and failed far more miserably than we.
Where does the money come from? Tucsonans paying sales taxes in the TIF district. It's our money. And we have decided how to spend it – and should continue controlling that spending locally, not by remote control from Phoenix. We are spending the Rio Nuevo funds here in Tucson, on Tucson's future – and that is an unalloyed good thing.
Where would the money go if not for the Rio Nuevo TIF? To the general fund in Phoenix for whatever our wackadoodle legislature decided to spend it on. Probably for more tax cuts for the wealthy and powerful. Think that's a better use of our money? I sure don't.
Was the money really spent with "little to show for it" (as is so often claimed) if it was spent locally on local jobs, local ideas, and local contractors on infrastructural improvements, buildings, and projects right here in Tucson? Hell, I would rather dump a quarter billion down our sewers here in Tucson than send it to Phoenix.
Let there be no mistake: those who continue to support the Rio Nuevo TIF are fundamentally supporting the future of Tucson. Those who want to kill it, want to harm Tucson. If a local politician wants to end the Rio Nuevo TIF, they are no friend to the people of Tucson, nor of the people of Southern Arizona who look to Tucson as their metropole. Don't ever forget that, and don't let them use your frustration with the process and priorities so far undermine your support for Tucson's future.
More discussion after the click…
Obamacare’s Victory a Poison Pill For Democrats?
July 1, 2012
By Michael Bryan
I opined that Obamacare being sustained by the Supreme Court may have been a victory for conservatives in the long term. I discovered someone who laid out the case more eloquently than I ever could, Dr. Marcia Angell, a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School, who recently posted at HuffPo. Her views are required reading, so I have reposted here in entirety. Enjoy:
The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, puts me in mind of the old proverb: Be careful what you wish for. Democrats on a victory lap should watch their step, because John Roberts may have given Mitt Romney a gift. The impact on the health system will be much smaller than the political fallout, because with or without Obamacare, the American health system will continue to unravel — quickly if Romney is elected, slowly if Obama is re-elected.
First the policy, then the politics:
Close down the Tent City Jail: Part Deux (video)
July 1, 2012
On Saturday, June 23, 2012, thousands of protesters from Puente Arizona, the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly, the United Church of Christ, and left-leaning activist groups held a rally and vigil at the infamous Maricopa County Tent City Jail– while Phoenix Tea Party and militiamen held a counter rally.
Immigrant rights protesters, bathed in candle light, sang and listened to speeches about standing up to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his forces of hate– while militiamen dressed in camouflage uniforms brandished their weapons and shouted angrily about their rights.
Predictably, amateur videos and photos were uploaded as the scene unfolded, but for a more in-depth view of the demonstration, check out this video by Phoenix independent videographer Dennis Gillman, after the jump.
Be careful what you wish for: China’s high stakes college entrance exam
July 1, 2012
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by David Safier Ah, if we could only be more like those Asian countries whose students top the charts on international standardize tests! Maybe so, maybe no. The NY Times has an article about China's national college entrance exam, which, unlike our SAT, is the sole (or almost sole) determiner of what college high school … Read more
Barber’s Media Release on his civil contempt vote
July 1, 2012
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by David Safier
The "Dear Representative Barber" post I put up yesterday criticizing Barber's vote for civil contempt against Attorney General Holder has gotten lots of comment and discussion. Some commenters have said Barber didn't explain his vote. In fact, he put out a Media Release June 28 on the subject. You can read it below the fold.
