AZ 12th best state for business
by David SafierCNBC has its 2008 rankings of states for businesses. Arizona comes in number 12 overall. How do our neighboring states rank? Texas is number 1, and Utah is number 3. New Mexico is at 38, and Nevada is way, way down at 45. Advertisement Arizona, then, ranks pretty well, despite the howlings of … Read more
Update: Blue Dog temper-tantrum over, negotiations resume
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: After stomping out of a meeting earlier in the day and taking their ball to go home, the Blue Dogs got all pissy, whined and threw a temper-tantrum until they got the attention they so much crave. Their childish behavior worked, unfortunately, and was rewarded with concessions from the House leadership. Leadership … Read more
State has to return candy to baby
by David SafierWay back in February, the Rs decided to take $7 million from First Things First, a fund created by the voters to pay for childhood education and child health issues. Sure, the fund was approved by voters and so it can't be touched by legislators, but the Rs figured, the $7 million is … Read more
The data-driven education dilemma
by David SafierOK, this is a tough one. There are so many on-the-other-hands here, I'm running out of hands. The Obama administration took aim on Thursday at state laws — adopted after heavy teachers’ union lobbying — barring the use of student achievement data to evaluate teacher performance. The federal Department of Education proposed rules … Read more
House negotiations with Blue Dogs breaks down
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: These Blue Dog Democrats remind me of my brother-in-law. He's a member of the family so I'm supposed to be nice to him (my sister tells me so) so I try to tolerate him to the extent that I can, but man, he doesn't make it easy. He can be a major … Read more
The FASTER Times
by David SafierHere's a news site I just bookmarked and plan to keep my eye on: The Faster Times. It looks like a serious attempt at creating something that resembles a print newspaper, but totally online. My best guess is that it aims to fill a spot somewhere between HuffPo and a daily print newspaper. … Read more
Ain’t it the truth!
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Healthcare Cartoons – Political Cartoons About Healthcare Reform
