BlogForArizona Best of 2007

I took a look back at what I have written here at BlogForArizona in 2007. Some is eminently forgettable and ephemeral, but a lot is actually still worth reading. Following are some of the ‘still worth reading’ category in no particular chronological order.

It may seem like a goodly amount of material to you, but for me, compiling it has been humbling. I resolve that next year I will try to produce more of lasting value and less flapdoodle.

First up is Mike’s 2007 Predictions. Take a look and see how I did. I actually got a number of them right (or partially right), though I can’t say they were all predictions so much as just pessimism projected into the future. Keep an eye out for my 2008 predictions coming soon.

Analysis:

• The Rosemont Mine’s Rose-Colored Polling – I caught Augusta misrepresenting their polling data.

• Government by Control Fraud – I formed a postulate as to the real reason the Bush Administration won’t end the occupation of Iraq.

• Leaders vs. Climbers – My comparison of two different leadership styles which implicitly criticizes some of our current political leaders… OK, most of them… OK, almost all of them.

• Never Again – I look at the abject failure and hollowness of modern conservatism.

Activism:

• Can Tim Bee Amass a Campaign War Chest Without Declaring His Candidacy? – My initial analysis of the legality of Tim Bee’s stealth campaign.

• BeeTraying Arizona’s Constitution – I further get my back up over Tim Bee’s abuse of Arizona’s campaign laws.

• My Complaint Against Senator Tim Bee for Violation of Arizona’s Resign-To-Run Laws – I tried to make the case to our Attorney General that Tim Bee was violating Arizona’s laws in his Congressional campaign.

• How To Become a Local Political Power Broker Using 15 Simple Strategies – My take on best practices for local political activism.

• The Insurgency on the Right – This post characterized the Ron Paul movement as the best hope of the GOP, and a good thing for Democrats, too. It got a tremendous response and was picked up by Andrew Sullivan’s blog.

State Politics:

• AZ GOP Oppressing Democratic Minority in Arizona House – When the Dems won a significantly greater minority in 2006 the GOP denied an equitable distribution of committee positions.

• I Pull for Pullen – Why I heartily supported Randy Pullen’s chairmanship of the Arizona GOP.

• Why is This Letter from the Goldwater Institute, not the Democratic Party? – Why is using tax breaks as a substitute for good economic development policies by Arizona’s local governments an issue for the right, but not for the left?

• Busted Budgets – I wondered why the GOP seems incapable of creating realistic budget priorities and pulling Arizona off the bottom of the barrel on so many social and economic metrics and gave a preview of the 2008 budget fight that will soon unfold in the capital.

Original Reporting:

• The Pima County Election Integrity Blues – The beginning of my coverage of election integrity issues in Pima county.

• The Pima County Election Integrity Trial Homepage – A one-stop location for the latest news on Pima County Democratic Party v. Pima County.

Holding Democrats Accountable:

• Mitchell Seeks Cuts to Wealth Taxes – Mitchell’s co-sponsorship of bill seeking to lock in the worst of Bush’s tax cuts drew my fire.

• Mitchell crosses party line on tax plan. Again. – I criticized Harry Mitchell for prioritizing tax cuts for the wealthy over tax relief for working people.

• The Arizona Delegation’s Vote on Cheney’s Impeachment Resolution – Giffords and Mitchell were wrong-footed on the Cheney impeachment inquiry.

• Why Does Giffords Hate the Estate Tax? – I asked the still-unanswered question, "Why did Giffords vote in favor of killing the estate tax?"

• Mitchell Continues to Call for Capital Gains and Estate Breaks… for the Good of the Middle Class!? – I continued question the veracity of Mitchell’s championing tax breaks for the wealthy and claiming he intends to help middle class families. His staff has still not produced any evidence to support Harry’s claims.

• I am not a Politician – I repudiated the idea that Democrats should think like political tacticians and settle for candidates and office-holders unwilling to stand up for our beliefs. We are citizens first, and that means demanding what we believe to be right from our elected representatives.

• Nancy Pelosi Should Go – I argued that Speaker Pelosi has been a disaster for Democrats and should step aside.

Immigration:

• Why Interior Border Patrol Checkpoints are Happening, Despite Giffords’ Best Efforts – I defended Giffords’ record on this issue and explained the politics behind interior checkpoints in the Arizona sector.

• Kolbe Makes His GOP Retirement Confession – Analysis of the agricultural trade policies that underlie the immigration issue, and how Kolbe never seemed to catch on.

• GOP Planning to Campaign Again on Immigration Issue – To those on the right who think they can win elections by bashing immigrants, I have just one thing to say: Bring it on!

• Anchors Aweigh! – I took on the pejorative term ‘anchor baby’ and the social policies advocated by anti-immigration radicals who want to strip some infants of their citizenship.

• Prop 200 Suppressing Minority Voting – I marshaled the evidence that far from preventing voter fraud, which is nothing but a straw man of the GOP, the purpose and effect of the new voter ID requirements has been to suppress minority voting and turnout.

The Thomas, Arpaio, Wilenchik Scandals:

• Governor Andrew Thomas… NOT! – Why Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas’ chronic ethical and legal over-reach will prevent him from ever becoming Governor of Arizona.

• Andrew Thomas Greenlights Judge Ryan to his Thugs – I took a look at Thomas’ attempt to intimidate Maricopa’s judges when they refused to toe the line of his radical anti-immigrant agenda.

• The Andrew Thomas/Death Penalty Index – Thomas is wasting millions pursuing an unprecedented number of death penalty cases merely to bolster his political profile.

• Andrew Thomas’ Hasty Pudding – Thomas moved to hasten the imposition of the death penalty for those on his vastly bloated death row.

Miscellaneous:

• The Real Reason Cloned Food Animals Are Dangerous – Why cloned animals increase the risk to our industrialize food supply system.

• Taking the LEED in Energy Efficiency – Looking at the cost savings available from designing public buildings to higher environmental standards.

• Al Gore Unleashed – My speculations on Al Gore’s Presidential messaging strategy, including his books and film, when there still seemed to be a window in which he might enter the race.

If you liked this article, or any of those I’ve written this year, you can buy me a beer!
And you can drink it with me, too, at Drinking Liberally.