Senate wants education to take more hits
March 15, 2011
by David Safier Get ready for the Russell Pearce budget bill from the Senate. They want to cut $400 million more than Brewer proposed. (It's amazing how far to the right you have to move to make Brewer look like a moderate). The cuts: "$172 million from K-12 schools, $65 million from universities and $67
A Way Forward: Initiative, Referendum and Recall
March 15, 2011
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: What are the disenfranchised voters of Arizona to do about a radical Tea-Publican Arizona Legislature that only listens to its radical fringe base? Use the tools that Arizona's Progressive Founding Fathers gave us in the Arizona Constitution: initiative, referendum and recall. (When Arizona became a state its constitution was a model constitution
Corporate tax break, Part 2
March 15, 2011
by David Safier Remember that $500 million-plus corporate tax break the Republicans rushed into law? Remember how it was first the "jobs bill," then the "competitiveness bill," and it was going to cause a stampede of new businesses crazy to set up shop here? And remember how it's backloaded to start around 2015 so it
Arizona legislature gets sneaky in its embrace of a nuclear future for Arizona’s public schools
March 15, 2011
By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings An agenda for a meeting of the Senate Rules Committee for Tuesday has been posted, with the committee scheduled to meet upon adjournment of the Senate floor session. There are two items on it: 1. Permission for the late introduction of 13 budget-related bills. Given yesterday's news that Senate
Before redistricting, consider increasing the number of districts
March 15, 2011
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Before you get upset and spit out your coffee over the mere thought of the idea of adding more elected representatives to the Arizona Legislature, hear me out. I have always believed that there should be a per capita formula for the number of residents served by state legislators. As the population
LWV of Cochise County on Arizona Competitive Districts Coalition
March 15, 2011
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Members of the League of Women Voters of Cochise County (LWVCC) Invite you to join us March 19, 2011 at 10:15 AM Sierra Vista Library Mona Bishop Room 2600 E. Tacoma St., Sierra Vista, AZ Guest speaker: Mr. Ken Clark, Chair, Arizona Competitive Districts Coalition Topic of discussion: The Arizona Competitive
AZ budget action Wednesday?
March 14, 2011
By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings From AP, via the Arizona Capitol Times – Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce says the Senate will act Wednesday on a proposed state budget even though it doesn’t have an agreement with Republican Gov. Jan Brewer. Pearce says Republican senators are anxious to approve a budget and that
Danger increasing at nuclear reactors
March 14, 2011
by David Safier From a NY Times article, 9pm, our time: Japan’s nuclear crisis verged toward catastrophe on Tuesday . . . [skip] . . . most of the 800 workers at the Daiichi facility had been told to leave to avoid exposure to unhealthy levels of radiation at the plant. They said 50 workers
