Why $144 million?
by David Safier Here's the answer to the question, "How did the legislature come up with the $144 million figure for cutting soft capital to schools?" It comes from an email sent by LEAN Parents for Education. In order to receive federal stimulus money, all US states had to agree not to cut education spending … Read more
Brewer and the “Keep Payday Loans” crowd: one degree of separation
by David Safier Where does Brewer stand on payday loans, or repealing the law that would get rid of payday loans in Arizona? She's not sure. Remember the ballot measure that would have kept payday loans here? The one that lost big time? Brewer said she couldn’t remember how she voted on the ballot measure … Read more
Good charter schools, bad charter schools
by David Safier The good news: good charter schools can be very good. For certain parts of the student population, they can be better than public schools. The bad news: bad charter schools can be just awful. They're run either by incompetents or profiteers — sometimes by incompetent profiteers — and the students are the … Read more
Does Mike Huckabee Have a “Willie Horton” Problem?
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Remember how Roger Ailes and Lee Atwater used this fearmongering ad to destroy the Michael Dukakis presidential campaign in 1988? (This was one version of the ad) George H. W. Bush's campaign manager, Lee Atwater, predicted that "by the time this election is over, Willie Horton will be a household name." Media … Read more
Way to win the women’s vote, Beck
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Sarah Palin had some nice things to say about America's "Fearmonger-In-Chief", Glenn Beck of Faux News. In an interview with right-wing Newsmax.com, Palin was asked, "Is a "dream ticket" of Palin-Beck ticket completely out of the question? " Palin-Beck Ticket? Sarah Doesn't Rule it Out: Palin initially chuckled when Newsmax broached the … Read more
The future of internet journalism?
by David Safier How do newspapers transition away from paper and still make enough money to survive? Here's one scenario I think might work. Create three levels of reading ease: Clunky with lots of ads (free), reasonably efficient and with fewer ads (moderate subscription cost) and smooth as silk (higher subscription cost). The free Level … Read more
Arizona’s twin embarrassments want no exit strategy for Afghanistan
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: After eight years of war, Afghanistan remains a failed state. Bush puppet Hamid Karzai is barely the mayor of Kabul; he has no control over the Afghan countryside. Voice of America Newsreported that the Taliban have a "permanent presence" in 80 percent of Afghanistan. "Permanent presence" in a province is defined as … Read more
