Happy birthday, Ron
by David Safier Ronald Reagan. Raised taxes. Grew government. Negotiated with enemies. Advertisement Not that I have a problem with that kind of thing. But his conservative mythologizers do. Ah, well, Reagan was an expert at communicating nonsense. Great at it, according to his nickname. Why shouldn't his hagiographers do the same? Advertisement
The coming week: Legislative Edition. Chapter 1 – Arizona Senate
By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings As usual, all info gathered from the website of the Arizona Legislature or other internet sources, and subject to change without notice (and given the time of year, expect changes)… Normally, the committee schedules of both the House and Senate are combined into one post. However, the week, … Read more
Ethnic Studies Community Forum
by David Safier I just came back from the forum on Ethnic Studies held at the El Pueblo Center. Very moving. It was clear, the program is the real deal, and losing it or even watering it down would be a serious loss to Tucson in general and the students who participate in particular. Among … Read more
AFS Press conference on prison privatization
by David Safier This notice for a February 15 press conference in Phoenix organized by the American Friends Service Committee is a bit early, but they're organizing carpools for Tusconans to participate, so I'm putting it up now. PRISON PRIVATIZATION PRESS CONFERENCE 2-15 The American Friends Service Committee will send delegations of volunteers to meet … Read more
Mouth-dropping data on U.S. income inequality ranking
by David Safier Let's start with the assumption that the CIA doesn't have an ax to grind against the U.S. So I'll assume the CIA World Factbook isn't going out of its way to make this country look bad. But income inequality in the U.S. looks pretty damn bad on the Factbook's Distribution of Family … Read more
High stakes tests?
by David Safier Here's a comment from Phillip D, spotlighting a recent article on education in Finland — high scorer on international tests yet virtually standardized-testing free. And recess! And art and music! And high paid teachers! (If you read the article, look at the very telling comparison between Finland and Norway.) I am encouraged … Read more
Update: Neoconfederate insurrectionists in Arizona Legislature are destroying Arizona
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: I have already told you about our de facto governor, Sen. Russell Pearce, and his attempt to revive the long since discredited "nullification" theory to effectively secede from the United States. Neoconfederate insurrectionists in Arizona Legislature revive discredited 'nullification' theory. But the Looney Tunes insanity doesn't stop there, oh nooo. Proponents, including Gov. … Read more
