Arizona’s new — and worse — voucher plan
by David Safier The "educational empowerment accounts" bill, SB1553, has gotten lost in the news shuffle, partly because there are so many jaw-dropping bills it's impossible to cover them all, and partly because it's pretty complicated stuff to explain and analyze. The Capitol Times just revived the story (subscription only). It looks like no one … Read more
Gosar to town hall: Forget what I own and what I make. I live like the rest of you folks.
by David Safier When Rep. Paul Gosar was up in Tusayan, near the Grand Canyon, at a town hall, he said, "I ain't wealthy. . . . I live like the rest of you folks." And you gotta believe him, because he said "ain't." Wealthy people don't say "ain't." Except . . . His building … Read more
NY-26: GOP loses referendum on Rep. Ryan plan to end Medicare as we know it
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Kathy Hochul ought to send Paul Ryan a thank-you note. Hochul pulled off a long-shot victory Tuesday in the heavily Republican 26th Congressional District largely by vowing to save Medicare. Hochul found political gold in Ryan plan – Donn Esmonde – The Buffalo News: The spending plan proposed by Ryan, Republican chairman … Read more
There’s a new third rail in American politics tonight
Posted by Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings Social Security used to be called the "third rail" of American politics, implying that any politician that tried to touch it would see their political career shocked to death. While Social Security is still vitally important to most Americans, a Republican in upstate New York learned tonight … Read more
Kirk Adams and Sal DiCiccio pass on the Kool-Aid in favor of a tall glass of Whine
Posted by Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings On Thursday, the Goldwater Institute, Arizona's corporate lobbyist organization masquerading as a right wing "think tank," will host Steven Greenhut, the writer of the anti-worker propaganda tome book called Plunder: How Public Employee Unions are Raiding Treasuries, Controlling Our Lives and Bankrupting the Nation. The "special guests" on … Read more
LD-26 goes Democratic!
by David Safier Misleading Headline Alert (by which one renders a misleading headline acceptable): The headline is talking about U.S. House District 26 in New York. Any resemblance to Arizona's LD-26 may be purely coincidental. Then again . . . Democrat Kathy Hochul shouldn't have stood a chance in hell. Democrats never — Never! — … Read more
AZ GOP’s Big Budget Lie
By Michael Bryan All you hear recently from the State Capital is how they "balanced the budget for the first time in years". The GOP leadership claims to have closed the budget deficit. Bullshit. Their budget relies on over $200 million in cuts to the state Medicare program (AHCCCS) which are blatantly unconstitutional under Arizona's … Read more
