Dr. Richard Carmona interview on Hardball
October 10, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Dr. Richard Carmona was interviewed by Tweety Matthews on Hardball on Tuesday.
Video below the fold.
Horizon (PBS) on Prop. 116 and Prop. 117 – Property Taxes
October 10, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Horizon Eight (PBS) looks at Prop. 116 which raises the personal property tax exemption on newly-acquired business equipment and machinery. The measure has no organized opposition. Farrell Quinlan, Arizona State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business, explains Prop 116, a constitutional amendment that was referred to the ballot by state lawmakers.
Horizon also looks at Prop. 117, a constitutional amendment referred to the ballot by the Arizona Legislature that would limit – to 5% – annual increases in property value which is used to calculate property taxes. Guests are Arizona Tax Research Association President Kevin McCarthy, who supports Prop 117, and Maricopa County Treasurer Charles “Hos” Hoskins, who is opposed to the measure.
Videos below the fold.
Pima County Democratic Party recommendations on 2012 Ballot Measures
October 9, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Since people keep asking me about this, you can find it online here. RECOMMENDATIONS ON 2012 BALLOT MEASURES » Pima County Democratic Party. Early voting starts Thursday.
Arizona Republic endorses Congressman Ron Barber (CD 2)
October 9, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The Arizona Republic has endorsed Congressman Ron Barber again. Barber deserves to retain job: Democrat Rep. Ron Barber is not Gabby-lite. After winning a special election to finish Gabrielle Giffords' term in Congress, Barber showed himself to be independent and willing to serve his constituents' interests — even if that means going … Read more
It’s Arithmetic
October 9, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Team Romney will swear until they are blue in the face that Romney's tax plan is revenue neutral and will not raise taxes on the middle class — while studiously avoiding providng you with any details on how they will achieve this magical result. Team Romney will reject all scientific data and … Read more
The GOP war on voting: Ohio to appeal early voting decision to SCOTUS
October 9, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Last week the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state of Ohio must make its early voting available to all voters of the state on an equal basis, and reinstitute early voting on the final weekend before election day. Equal protection . . . fairness . . . who would … Read more
(Repost) ‘Ideological Impairment’ Illness
October 9, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Reposted from June 14, 2011. The Arizona Daily Star today has a guest opinion from three former state legislators who used to represent me on the eastside of Tucson in the old District 14 – Ruth Solomon, Marion Pickens and Herschella Horton, all Democrats. That was in better times. The eastside of … Read more
Ted ‘tort reform’ Vogt
October 9, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Rep. Ted Vogt was a third year law student at the time he was appointed by the Pima County Board of Supervisors to fill the unexpired term of Frank Antenori, who had moved up to the senate. Vogt got his B.A. from Yale University, and clerked under U.S. Senator Jon Kyl and Vice President Dick Cheney on homeland security matters. Yikes!
For a guy who is a wet-behind-the-ears newly minted attorney, Ted Vogt has emerged in the Arizona legislature as the water carrier for "tort reform" measures propogated by ALEC and the Goldwater Institute. So I guess this makes him a self-loathing attorney? Dude, there's counseling for that.
Two of these ALEC/Goldwater Institute bills in particular were especially loathsome. Ted "tort reform" Vogt sponsored a bill for a "loser pays" theory of recovery of attorneys fees and costs. No chilling effect on a citizen bringing a lawsuit against a multi-national corporation with a team of over-paid suits there, nosiree. Arizona lawmaker wants lawsuit losers to pay all costs of the winner – East Valley Tribune:
Rep. Ted Vogt, R-Tucson, would let judges order someone who loses a lawsuit to pay all the costs and legal fees of the winner. He said it's only fair.
I guess he missed the day in class where he would have learned about the public policy reasons against such a standard. Or more probably, he was listening to his mentor, GOP politico John Munger. Bill would allow judges to make losers pay more often:
John Munger, a former chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, said loser pays has worked in contract disputes in Arizona for years and he has seen it at work in his own practice.
Munger, a proponent of the concept who worked with Vogt on the failed bill last session, said plaintiffs always think twice before proceeding to court after he advises them they might be on the hook for attorney fees if they lose.
“They think, wow, I might have some skin in the game,” Munger said.
Munger said it’s time for Arizona to go loser pays, pointing to Texas, which this year adopted its own version.
As a matter of fact, our Tea-Publican legislature did enact the scaled-back version of the Munger-Vogt loser pays, HB 2544, which was something of a defeat, since the law limits loser pays to claims that are "without substantial justification," i.e., that are groundless and not made in good faith. Yeah, we already have Rule 11 for that, so that was a swing and a miss.
