Budget battles. Republican infighting?
by David Safier The sausage-making process of creating a state budget is a bit out of my area of expertise, but this item seems to foretell the world we have in store for us with a Republican legislature sending bills to a Republican Governor. The AP article is short, so I'm including the whole thing. … Read more
Update: Jdimytai Damour
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: I have been trying to follow-up on reader requests, with little success. Here is what I have been able to learn so far. Newsday, the daily newspaper of Long Island, reports that the family of Mr. Damour (pictured at right) has hired an attorney and is suing Wal-Mart and other entities for wrongful … Read more
The Community Food Bank
by David Safier Times are hard. Money is tight. Which is both a reason not to give money and a reason why giving money is even more important than usual. The need is greater than it's been in years. I mentioned the public school tax credit in an earlier post, where you can give money … Read more
Dr. Word: Impactful?
by David Safier In a Star article this morning about Republicans wishing Napolitano would just go to D.C. already and quit acting like the Governor, Incoming House Speaker Kirk Adams (R-Mesa) said about the proposed budget Napolitano intends to submit: "It wouldn't mean much or be very impactful." Impactful? People who use the word "impactful" want … Read more
Dr. Word’s award for most buzz words/phrases per column inch goes to . . .
by David Safier The president and CEO of Augusta Resource Corporation and Rosemont Copper Company wrote put his name on an op ed in this morning's Star defending the proposed Rosemont mine against attacks in another op ed a few days ago. The defense takes up about a third of the column. The rest is … Read more
“Teachers and unions only care about themselves”?
by David Safier Here's a true story from the annals of Oregon education. Every year or two, teachers unions and school districts square off for contract negotiations. The unions bargain for higher salaries, better benefits and stronger teacher protections, while school boards try to lowball all three items. Let's not argue who's right and wrong. … Read more
Educational “establishment” and “reformers”
by David Safier One of the big cabinet positions Obama has yet to name is Education Secretary. Naturally, people are asking who it will be. Journalists are beginning to mention names, and they're defining the two educational "camps" Obama's pick might represent. The people on one side of the equation, usually thought of as a … Read more
