Featured Stories
School sports: the first big cut
February 14, 2009
by David Safier Last year I wrote a series of posts half seriously, half facetiously suggesting we should cut all competitive sports from high schools so we can put more money in the classroom. Now I'm absolutely serious. Every superintendent and school board should have the courage to say, "We'll cut everywhere else before we
Cut Rio Nuevo?
February 14, 2009
by David Safier I'm out of my area of whatever-expertise-I-may-have here, but the idea of cutting funding of Rio Nuevo as a state cost cutting measure seems both wrong and harmful to the greater Tucson area. From what I've seen, the first years of Rio Nuevo planning were a joke, courtesy of the Republican majority
Overwhelmed
February 14, 2009
by David Safier So many topics, so little time! All week I've been bookmarking articles and telling myself I'll write about them. I've put together an answer (in my head) to the Goldwater Institute on their "education tax credits save money" talking point. I've talked with people who've talked with other people and learned all
As easy as stealing cigarette (taxes) from a baby
February 11, 2009
by David Safier I'm going to miss Billie Stanton when the Citizen folds next month, a lot. She combines passion with research. Good combination. Stanton's latest column is about the Republicans stealing money from a fund, First Things First, designed to pay for early childhood education and health issues with a tobacco tax. Voters approved
Brewer on vouchers
February 11, 2009
by David Safier From the East Valley Trib: Jan Brewer spoke to a rally at the Capitol called to support the education measures already approved and to lobby lawmakers to expand existing tax credits. The same groups that organized this event also backed a limited voucher program enacted in 2006 to help children with special
Is Al Melvin soft on parks?
February 11, 2009
by David Safier Looks like Senator Al Melvin has a soft spot for state parks, at least those in his district, LD-26. It couldn't have anything to do with politics, could it? Melvin is far too principled for that! An Explorer story has Melvin commiserating with a group of people about the possible closure of
Is Kavanagh somewhat warped?
February 11, 2009
by David Safier I know nothing about John Kavanagh except what I've learned during this budget cutting debacle, so I'm not sure I'm right, but, is he a bit warped? The first time Kavanagh used a death metaphor to defend the budget cuts, I thought it was just a spur of the moment thing. "There are
“The fix is in”
February 11, 2009
by David Safier A friend forwarded an email that began with this ominous line: My DC contacts say "the fix is in" to cut education funding and increase tax cuts in the stimulus package in the conference committee. I don't know the basis for that, but let's hope that's not true. Education has already taken
