Featured Stories
Republic agrees: charter school performance no better than district schools
September 27, 2011
by David Safier It's nice to see the Republic confirm what I've written here frequently: If you don't cherry-pick your charter schools, their student achievement is more-or-less the same as district schools. The occasion was a fact check of a statement made by Joe McCord, a governing board member of the Peoria Unified School District.
AIRC public hearing in Tucson this morning – your testimony is requested
September 27, 2011
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Bad facts make bad law. Compromise solely for the sake of compromise leads to bad results (and unintended consequences). Compromise is only a means to an end, not an end unto itself. I am speaking to AIRC chairwoman Colleen Mathis who proposed on Monday what is being dubbed a "donut hole" congressional map which
The Koz says the ‘do nothing’ State of Maricopa-appointed Rio Nuevo Board is the problem
September 27, 2011
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Will the Tea-Publican candidates for mayor and council continue to sing the praises of Steve Kozachik (The Koz) and cite in their campaign materials this most recent in a series of guest opinions in the Arizona Daily Star placing the blame for downtown squarely on the "do nothing" State of Maricopa-appointed Rio Nuevo Board? "Rio
Federal Judge rules Arizona’s ‘paycheck deception’ law (SB 1365) is unconstitutional
September 26, 2011
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The only people who did not see this coming were the Tea-Publican Arizona legislators, their handlers at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), anti-union think tanks like the Goldwater Institute, and anti-union media in Arizona like The Arizona Republic. "Paycheck Deception" is right-wing speak for voluntary union deductions some of which is used
DOJ finds Texas redistricting plan purposefully discriminatory against Hispanic voters
September 26, 2011
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The Department of Justice (DOJ) made the same objection to Arizona's redistricting plan a decade ago in 2001. This is why it is so important for you to stand up to the Tea-Publican intimidation of the current Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) in an attempt to maintain the unfairness of noncompetitive districts
Pima Dems file complaint over Rawson’s money flip
September 26, 2011
by David Safier The Pima County Democratic Party has upped the ante on Republican City Council candidate Jennifer Rawson's campaign contribution antics. After commenting last week on her "I pay you, you contribute to me" scheme, the party has filed a complaint with the Tucson City Clerk's office. It seems six contributors gave money to
Happy Banned Books Week
September 26, 2011
by David Safier Banned Books Week is here: September 24-October 1, celebrating noting the ignoble tradition of banning books, and, as the American Library Association puts it, "Celebrating the Freedom to Read." (Ever notice, no matter how quiet and mild mannered a librarian may be, how heated s/he gets when it comes to the topic
Don Bivens declares candidacy for U.S. Senate
September 26, 2011
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Former Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Don Bivens officlally declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate today. When you are first, you get national news coverage (hint). Bivens becomes first Dem to enter Arizona Senate race – The Hill's Ballot Box: Democrats finally have an official candidate for Senate in Arizona: Don Bivens, a former
