Featured Stories
Special Session Alert: Something Wicked This Way Comes
July 29, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The Arizona Guardian (subscription required) reports that "After weeks of closed-door meetings, GOP legislative leaders are trying to rush through a package of budget bills so fast that adequate public notice and participation will be all but impossible." "On Tuesday, Republicans in the Senate voted to suspend the rules in order to allow
Green Valley Couple Loves Voting… a Bit Too Much
July 27, 2009
By Michael Bryan According to a Federal indictment and local news outlets, a Green Valley couple, James and Karen Marshall, voted once too often in the recent Presidential election. They re-registered as permanent Arizona citizens and voted here, but also voted in their old domiciliary state of Kansas. The couple claim it was a mistake,
A doctor explains why the public plan works
July 27, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Dr. Patricia A Gabow, M.D., CEO of Denver Health, "an integrated public safety net health care system serving Denver," wrote this opinion for the Denver Post Public/private health debate (emphasis mine): America is immersed in an important discussion about how to reform our health care system. One proposed reform is the establishment
The Republican 10 Point Plan for Health Care
July 27, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: One of my favorite economics bloggers, Jon Perr at crooksandliars.com, has a detailed explanation of The Republican 10 Point Plan for Health Care; After Rep. Roy Blunt, leader of the supposed House GOP Health Care Solutions Group, suggested Thursday that Republicans won't offer a health care plan of their own, Minority Leader
Health Insurance Reform and The Economy
July 27, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Our health-care system today was created by accident during World War II. Because wages were frozen at the time, employers attracted workers with the lure of benefits such as health insurance. As a result, employer-based insurance became the foundation of the U.S. health-care system. This accident of history has become unsustainable. The
Health care op eds in the Star
July 27, 2009
by David SafierThe drum beat for strong health care legislation continues as the defenders of the indefensible status quo continue to fight to put off needed change for another day decade. The Star has two op eds this morning, from people I'm pleased to say, who spoke in my living room Sunday to a group
Krugman on Blue Dogs: An Incoherent Truth
July 27, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: (Copy of the official Blue Dog portrait, the original signed by members of the coalition). New York Times columnist and Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman tries to make sense of the Blue Dog's incoherent position on health insurance reform today in An Incoherent Truth: Right now the fate of health care
Special Session Update: A critical week
July 27, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The Arizona Legislature opens the fourth week of the Special Session on Monday with another "pledge and pray" session, and maybe some discussions on the budget. Political reporters are content to simply parrot the line given them by legislators of both political parties that "we are making progress" on budget negotiations (designed
