Horne investigates ed crime of the century

by David Safier

You may recall in December, Horne sent an employee or two with a video camera down to Lukeville on the border to film kids getting on a school bus. Some of them may have been crossing over from Mexico, and Horne wanted it all on tape.

The timing of the video, a year before the 2010 elections when Horne plans to be in the running for Attorney General, is more than coincidental. Horne has been holding the case on his desk for over a year, and now is a good time for him to burnish his conservative bona fides by going after a few more Hispanic children. He's been running down to Tucson on a regular basis to trash the Raza Studies program. It's part of the same political plan.

I hear this week, a team of Horne's people from the DOE have been rifling through files in the Pima County School Superintendent's Office, checking through transportation records going back 4 or 5 years of kids who rode the Lukeville bus into Ajo, then poring over their proof of residency records.

Horne's people arrived Tuesday and worked through Thursday, and may continue working Friday. Let's see. Three people, working 3-4 days, 8 hours a day: that's between 72 and 96 working hours — lots of staff time that could have been used elsewhere. Add in the cost of transportation and Tucson lodging — want to bet they're not staying at a nearby Motel 6? — and you've got a chunk of change spent on this political posturing crime busting operation.

Either Horne's department is vastly overstaffed — "Got something for me to do, boss? I'm bored to death!" — or he thinks it's legitimate to send staff to Tucson while he neglects other pressing educational needs.

Next week, I hear the team will be heading down to Ajo to look through more transportation and residency records. Anyone know if there are any lakes in the area? The reason I ask is, these DOE staffers are clearly being sent on a fishing expedition.

Imagine if you will, Horne as our Attorney General. Where do you think his law enforcement priorities will lie? I think we should just cut out the middle man and put Joe Arpaio in the AG's office. I'm not sure it would be much different.