Read ’em and weep

by David Safier

Legislative news from today's Star:

• SB1097, mandating that schools submit the names of children who are not in the country legally to the DOE, was approved by its Senate committee. Another bill says the state will not give any money to schools for students not here legally, though I'm not sure of its current status.
• Homolovi Ruins State Park is set to close. It was made a state park in 1993 to protect the fragile ruins from looters, who will no doubt return. (Some of these idiots tried to take paintings off the rock walls. They came up with nothing but worthless pieces of rock, and the paintings were destroyed. Others brought in backhoes to try and uncover precious and fragile pieces of history Thank God we don't have idiots in Arizona anymore, so we don't need to protect our history!)
• HB2441, which says presidential candidates have to prove they are "natural born citizens" to our Secretary of State, was approved by its House committee. Primary sponsors of the bill include Vic Williams (who couldn't resist putting his fingerprints all over the birther bill) and Gowan. Co-sponsors include Melvin, Antenori and Stevens. In all, 40 of the 75 Republican legislators have signed on, proclaiming themselves birthers or birther wannabes.
• Cutting state health care funds will cost jobs, drain federal money from the state and endanger the quality of health care for everyone. So says Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona State Chamber of Commerce.
• The Star's editorial condemns HB2701. Among other things, the bill would add nuclear energy to the list of renewable energy resources along with solar and wind. The result will be a virtual halt to new solar and wind efforts, chasing businesses and jobs from the state. The entire Corporation Commission opposes the bill, with Republican Chair Kris Mayes bemoaning the "disconnect" between some Republican lawmakers "unfortunately from my party" and the rest of the state. Antenori is a primary sponsor. Melvin, Williams, Paton, Stevens and Gowan have co-sponsored the bill.

Read 'em and weep. Or read 'em and act. The crazies are in charge. Even their natural allies are furious.

Vote 'em out!