Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Last week the Arizona Board of Regents presented our Tea-Publican legislature with a cost estimate for its "guns on campus" bill. The Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) reported Universities: Guns-on-campus measure would have multimillion-dollar impact – Arizona Capitol Times:

Universities are offering one more reason to oppose a measure to allow guns on campuses — it would cost millions of dollars to implement.

A study by the state’s three universities shows that the legislation would cost the system $13.3 million in one-time capital expenditures, plus $3.1 million annually in operations.

That's a lot of money just to satisfy the irrational fears of those with "scared of their own shadow" phobias, or those with a superman complex ("only one man can save the world, me"), or those with a gun fetish (get a room if the two of you want to be alone together).

The fiscal analysis does not put a cost on a scenario in which the universities take a hands-off approach to the legislation and just let these kinds of people carry concealed weapons on campus.

Instead, the study estimates the costs of buying gun lockers, building gun-locker bays, purchasing and posting signs and paying for extra security – all of which are permissible under the bill to ensure universities have some level of control over firearms on campuses.

Of course the bill’s unhinged sponsor, Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City, who is running for Congress in CD 4, rejected the universities’ estimates — and wandered off on a tangent ranting about unisex bathrooms on campus. Yeah, he tends to wander off like that.

"Mr. Cut Guvmint Regulations" sings a different tune when it comes to guns. Gould is all for unfunded "guvmint" mandates to let the NRA get its way.

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Newt Gingrich campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond told reporters on Wednesday that the disgraced former House Speaker — who has only won South Carolina and his home state of Georgia so far — needs to carry both Alabama and Mississippi to remain a credible candidate. The campaign later tried to walk it back, … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The February jobs report is out and it shows that job growth momentum is building in the economy. The stable unemployment rate is due to the fact that unemployed workers now feel encouraged to reenter the job market — and that's a good sign. Steve Benen reports The Maddow Blog – Jobs picture … Read more

By Michael Bryan

This Sunday, Drinking Liberally will feature Chris Mooney, who is in town for the Tucson Festival of Books. Chris is the author of several books about the intersection of science and public policy, including 'The Republican War on Science' and his latest "The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny Science–and Reality" (a nice excerpt of the book here), blogger, and a host of Point of Inquiry. UPDATE: David Brin, one of my favorite authors, has a great description of Mooney's work on his blog.

So come on down to The Shanty this Sunday starting a 6pm and have a beer with one of the foremost experts on the anti-science movement in America.

Get a taste of Chris' latest work after the click…

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Today is INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY, a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. International Women's Day honors the work of the Suffragettes, celebrates women's success, and reminds of inequities still to be redressed. The first International Women's Day event was run in 1911. Last year was the … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Announcement from the Arizona Democratic Party: Women in Blue 2012 Breakfast and Lobbying Day Featuring Special GuestNicole Stanton and State Legislators:Rep. Lela Alston – Rep. Sally Ann Gonzales – Rep. Katie Hobbs Rep. Debbie McCune Davis – Rep. Lynne Pancrazi – Rep. Anna Tovar Sen. Paula Aboud – Sen. Olivia Cajero Bedford … Read more