Congress Must Stand Fast in Rejecting Bush’s Assault on the Constitution
by John Adams The US House of Representatives is right to reject the Administration’s cynically crafted version of the extension of the FISA amendment, the so-called Protect America Act of 2007. Rather, our House acted wisely in passing its own version of the extension, which deletes immunity from prosecution for telecommunication providers who abetted secret … Read more
Sinema Reveals Hypocrisy of GOP on Gay Marriage
Link: Same-sex marriage measure dealt blow. Rep. Krysten Sinema managed to maneuver an amendment onto the GOP proposed anti-gay marriage referendum that would have granted certain legal rights to domestic partners. The amendment is widely seen as effectively killing the bill because many GOP lawmakers have now withdrawn their support as a result of the … Read more
McCain Hasn’t Examined 21st Century G.I. Bill
by David Safier Democratic Senator Jim Webb and Republican Senator Chuck Hagel are cosponsoring a bill that would update the G.I. Bill so its educational benefits cover today’s tuition and living expenses. More than 50 Senators have signed on, Democrats and Republicans. Both Obama and Clinton are among them. But Arizona’s own war hero John … Read more
Do Schools Improve When States Take Them Over?
by David Safier Yesterday I wrote about a bill in the legislature to have the state take over Phoenix’s Roosevelt School District for 3 years. Is it a good idea? I asked. Has it been done elsewhere? I did some research. Yes, it has been done elsewhere. Sometimes the state takes over a school district, … Read more
In Education, Make Peace With Uncertainty
by David Safier This is a longer follow-up to yesterday’s short, “I needed to get this off my chest,” post, For the Record. That whole post read: 1.Teaching is tough; 2.Teaching children who grow up in poverty is tougher; 3.Test scores are not a reliable indicator of whether a teacher or a school is effective; … Read more
Drinking Liberally Welcomes Mark Stegeman
Tonight, 4/2/8, Drinking Liberally’s Special Guest will be Mark Stegeman, a professor at the UofA’s Eller School who is running for TUSD school board. Mark was appointed to the audit committee of the Board last year, and has now decided to deepen his involvement with the financially troubled district. Come on down to the Shanty … Read more
RenziGate Roundup 4/3
In a rare nod to reality, Dick Renzi has shut down his leadership PAC; presumably because according to Congressional power rankings, he has absolutely no leadership capacity any longer. Also, the name of the PAC, The Patriot Fund, is an uncomfortable reminder of Patriot Insurance, his family insurance company Dick is accused of embezzling $400K … Read more
For the Record
by David Safier Teaching is tough. Teaching children who grow up in poverty is tougher. Test scores are not a reliable indicator of whether a teacher or a school is effective. Anyone who claims to know the “answers” to our school’s problems is a damn liar or a damn fool. There. It needed to be … Read more
