The truth is that gasoline prices are high and rising because worldwide demand is skyrocketing. When we fill up, you're bidding against hundreds of millions of drivers. Moscow alone has more than 3.2 million registered vehicles.

That we can fill up instead of facing widespread shortages is thanks to the oil companies. These are voluntary transactions, after all. Nobody put a gun to our heads and made us move to the exurbs and buy SUVs.

What, no talk of Dick Cheney conspiracies, blood for oil, right wing power brokers or religious kooks cruising teen girl chat rooms? What does Talton think he is--the business columnist at a major newspaper?

Actually, Talton only gets it half right. He mentions demand, but he forgets about supply. Here's a point out of the Wall Street Journal.

In fact, Mr. Schumer and most of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate--the very crowd shouting the loudest about "obscene" gas prices--have voted uniformly for nearly 20 years against allowing most domestic oil production. They have vetoed opening even a tiny portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil and gas production. If there is as much oil as the U.S. Geological Survey estimates, this would increase America's proven domestic oil reserves by about 50%.

They have also voted against producing oil from the Outer Continental Shelf, where there are more supplies by some estimates than in Saudi Arabia. Environmental objections seem baseless given that even the high winds and waves of Hurricane Katrina didn't cause oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico. In the 1970s the environmentalists and their followers in Congress even protested building the Alaska pipeline, which today supplies nearly one million barrels of oil a day. If they've discovered some new law of economics in which a fall in output with rising demand can cause a reduction in price, we'd love to hear it.

April 29, 2006

McCain on Imus

First Amendment, we don't need no stinkin' first Amendment.

"He [Michael Graham] also mentioned my abridgement of First Amendment rights, i.e. talking about campaign finance reform....I know that money corrupts....I would rather have a clean government than one where quote First Amendment rights are being respected, that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I'd rather have the clean government."

April 28, 2006

The Boycott is Back On.

Pro-immigration activists say a national boycott and marches planned for May 1 will flood America's streets with millions of Latinos to demand amnesty for illegal immigrants and shake the ground under Congress as it debates reform.

So are the illegal immigrants boycotting everything? Are they going to stop showing up at Emergency rooms for every sniffle because it's free? Are they going to pull their kids out of the free schools that we provide them? Could we get a refund on that day's portion of the average $8,000 we spend on at risk pupils each year? How about those free English classes? Are they boycotting those?

If they don't boycott those services, could they at least stop whining about them? Or will their advocates stop suing because those free services for illegal aliens are inadequate? Will they let me go to Home Depot without feeling like I'm at the midway at the fair?

Now that's a boycott that I can support. Viva la Revolucion!

Letters, we got letters.

I've had several letters concerning the response of the Governor's campaign to the charges that she started early. The "expenses are not incurred until billed" defense isn't going over very well.

Greg

I think if you check you will discover that Andy Gordon is making the same argument that Matt Salmon's people made about when a campaign expenditure should be counted or reported. The difference is that at the time of the Salmon campaign it was not clear whether you had to report something when the service was contracted for or when it ws billed. Since then, the Commission has by Rule and policy made it clear that campaign expenditures count the second a commitment has been made to provide them, you cannot wait until they have been "billed". This is the height of hypocrisy and arrogance for the Napolitano people to be arguing directly opposite of what they argued so vociferously for during her last campaign.

Name Withheld

This one's from an Attorney

Greg-

Napolitano's campaign also violated A.R.S. Section 16-902.01(A), which states: "Each political committee that intends to accept contributions or make expenditures of more than five hundred dollars shall file a statement of organization with the filing officer before accepting contributions, making expenditures, distributing any campaign literature or circulating petitions." (Emphasis added). "'Expenditures' includes any purchase..." A.R.S. Section 16-901(8).

In addition, if Camp Napolitano was active prior to January 1, 2006, which it may well have been given the work that went into the campaign that Napolitano officially launched in March, it was required to file a report with the Secretary of State by January 31, 2006. A.R.S. Section 16-913. Fines for this violation would only be $10 per day, with a maximum of $450. A.R.S. Section 16-918.

It's clear that, notwithstanding attempts at mental gymnastics by Napolitano's slick campaign lawyer, Andy Gordon, Napolitano has violated at least two or three separate election laws. It's also worth noting that if Gordon's interpretation were credited it would largely gut the matching funds provision of the Clean Elections Act because vendors could wait to bill for services until after the election, denying opponents matching funds. For a purported supporter of taxpayer-funded elections to take this position is the epitome of hypocrisy.

The only real question left is whether the Citizens Clean Elections Commission will do the right thing and enforce the law or live up to its reputation of favoring democrats and roll over for Napolitano.

Name withheld

Check out the Governor's new Campaign Website...

...Hmm, it looks a lot like her official Website.

Republicans have long charged that the Governor's frequent trips around the state are merely disguised photo ops. I am completely unsympathetic to that argument. She's the Governor; she has the right to travel; she draws big crowds and free media, and yes her staff takes pictures with local folks...get over it.

However, the Governor's campaign has crossed the line by stocking her campaign website with photographs taken while she is acting in her official capacity.

Here's a picture of the Governor "Speaking at the dedication of LasArtes de Maricopa County." Notice that the event is sponsored by the Arizona Republic. This picture was taken while she was acting in her official capacity, yet I copied it from her campaign website. I think the Republic would rather keep its role in her campaign, you know, behind the scenes.

Here's a shot of the Governor "Speaking at the Maricopa County Affordable Housing Summit at the Capitol." Those of you who have spent time at the Capitol will notice that the picture was taken in the second floor conference room that the Governor uses for official functions. Since she is acting in her official capacity and the picture was taken at the Capitol, it was almost certainly taken by her official DPS photographer. Again, this is from her campaign site.

If you check The Governor's Official Website, this picture has been removed. But Google maintains a "cached" section in which removed items are still available. Here's what used to appear on the Governor's official site. Scroll down and you will see that this "campaign" picture was taken on June 14, 2004.

Here's the picture off of the "cached" section of Google.

These are simply two examples. The Governor's new campaign site is filled with scores of pictures that were taken using taxpayer resources, at events paid for with taxpayer money and occurring before she filed as a candidate.

How much is a portfolio like this worth? Well, what's its replacement value? It would cost thousands of dollars and take hundreds of hours over many months for Don Goldwater, Jan Smith Florez, or Len Munsil to travel to each county and create a virtual tour of Arizona. Some of the pictures could not be replaced at any cost. The Governor had access to many of these events solely because she was Governor.

Some of the pictures are clearly inappropriate. For example, she has photographs with DPS officers. Republican mayoral candidate Randy Pullen was scourged for printing a campaign piece containing a picture of him with a city of Phoenix police officer. DPS officers can't be used as campaign props any more than Phoenix police officers can be.

Again, if she wants to put these pictures on her official site, that's no problem. She's the Governor. We know that she has the ability to tour Arizona on a state provided plane and with a state provided photographer, but simply transferring those pictures from the Official Government--taxpayer funded--site to her private campaign site lacks class at best and is illegal at worst.

Kids, Don't Try This at Home.

My commentary on the Napolitano campaign jumping the gun has been short on professional legal analysis. This letter from retired Judge and current Gubernatorial candidate Jan Smith Florez clears up some of the confusion.

Greg

I appreciate your getting the info out about the Napolitano campaigns amazing "early" spending. Page 60 of the "blue book" (Participating Candidate's Guide) says that a "[d]ebt is incurred by a candidate when the promise, contract or agreement to make an expenditure occurs." It also says, that "[c]andidates may not make expenditures exceeding the amount of monies in their campaign account. Before receiving Commission funding, a participating candidate may not incur debt with the intention of paying it off after receiving Commission funding." How could she have had "monies in her account" before beginning her campaign? I know you know that is the question, but I point this out to show how clear it is that her campaign erred.

Sec. 16-941 sets the limits on spending and contributions; Sec. 16-942 has the "shall be ten times the amount by which the expenditures or contributions exceed the applicable limit." In her case, there was no applicable limit except $0. But, in the law, "shall" doesn't always mean "shall" so the precedents would have to be researched. And, if the Arizona Republican Party, which filed the complaint, was dissatisfied with the penalty, they would need to file a suit against either the Commission or the Napolitano campaign. The suit in the superior court needs to be done is a way to get a prompt ruling from the trial judge, so that an appeals court can consider a special action. Accepting the special action, though, is usually discretionary with the court.

Sec. 16-943 also says that "knowingly" violating Sec. 16-941 is a misdemeanor. Sec. 16-942 says that a "knowing violation of Sec. 16-941, subsection a or subsection C, paragraph 1 shall repay from the candidates' personal monies to the fund all monies expended from the candidate's campaign account and shall turn over the candidate's campaign account to the fund." Disqualification or removal from office would be pretty hard to achieve under Sec. 16-491(C), unless the amounts are rather large ("must involve "an amount in excess of ten percent of the sum of the adjusted primary election spending limit and the adjusted general election spending limit for a particular candidate").

However, the Commission needs to see that the viability of the clean elections process rests on their careful handling of this matter. If the complaint is substantiated and the violations shown, the Commission has the opportunity to show its mettle. I do think the Party needs to be ready to go to Court on this one.

I do clearly recall that in the orientation sessions provided by Clean Elections, we were told that a campaign could not incur debt. That was amplified by the instructors to say that basically you could not make an obligation, contract, or promise unless you had money in the campaign account at the time the debt was incurred. When billing occurs is irrelevant. I am told that there is a secret field on the reporting form to allow the Commission to see if anyone overspent.

Here's what I think they are depending on. Page 60 of the blue book (Participating Candidate's Guide) says that the exception to the no debt limitation does not apply to "[r]egularly recurring administrative expenses such as rent, utilities and salaries are NOT considered to be debts until the payments are past due." (NOT is capitalized in the book.)

Now, the question is whether the contracts, described as "new, long-term contract" and as "continuing expenses," qualify for this special treatment. The examples in the book are "rent, utilities and salaries." If the vendor has many clients, it's unlikely he's an employee with a salary. It's a fine questions and I'm sure the courts will ultimately have to make the decision. And, that takes time--which is fleeting as November approaches.

I looks to me like the Napolitano campaign blew it big time.

Jan Smith Florez

It's Easy to Protect Speech that You Agree With

Teaching Tolerance

The Ninth Circuit sets a dangerous precedent

The federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals silenced one group of students in a national debate last week in a surprising, and arguably unconstitutional, opinion. The case involved Poway High School, near San Diego, which promoted a “Day of Silence” to teach tolerance, “particularly of those of a different sexual orientation.” But the school went a step further and prohibited dissenting students from wearing t-shirts opposing homosexuality.

The court held that students expressing their views against homosexuality were not protected under the First Amendment. It reasoned that anti-homosexual messages were not protected because the messages caused “psychological injury” and lowered the self-esteem of other students.

The Supreme Court has long upheld the rights of students to speak during school hours on issues of national debate. In 1969, the Court supported the right of students to express their views about the Vietnam War by wearing black armbands. Given the prominent national debate over gay rights, more speech, not less, should be welcome.

Dissenting Judge Kozinski warned about the danger of this precedent—precedent that applies to Arizona. Thought-provoking, controversial messages should be protected under the Constitution, no matter which side of a controversy they are on. Government should never be allowed to favor one side of a debate while silencing the other.

Benjamin Barr is a constitutional policy analyst with the Goldwater Institute Center for Constitutional Studies.

April 26 2006

The Republic's Dan Nowicki Proves He can Take a Joke

The Slippery Slope to Stalking

Life is about gradual transitions. When does interest become obsession and when does investigation become stalking? I thought long and hard before I printed this picture of of Talton's house, and I've never printed the picture of Pete Rios's Duddlyville trailer.

I took the Talton picture from the middle of the street, so I decided it's fine. I didn't take the trailer picture, and it's taken from a public right of way as well, but I've decided that it's just too...well, personal. Besides, he might follow through on his threat to "hit me in the gut."

This guy however, has crossed the line. He makes some interesting points until he gets to the close ups of Toni Hellon's curtains.

The Governor's Campaign Responds...

...and I must say that the response in an indication of serious trouble.

Napolitano campaign attorney Andy Gordon said the campaign did some planning and preparation before Napolitano's filing but that both the Web site and the e-mails were services provided by a vendor under a new, long-term contract. Continuing expenses like that aren't counted as campaign spending until they're billed, Gordon said.

Hmm, I'm not an attorney, but I think that's what's known as the "I-didn't-get-the-bill, so-I-haven't-spent-the-money trick. Clean elections got wise to that in like the first week.

The Director of Clean Elections seems like he's on top of things.

Ultimately the question is going to come down to 'Were they engaged in campaign activity' " before Napolitano formally became a candidate and whether any exceptions applied, Lang said.

Cases in which candidates spent early have been settled with fines, he said.

The statute says that the fine "shall" be ten times the amount of the violation. We will see if the Director knows what "shall" means. My kids learned that at about age 8. But this may be a tougher situation, what with Mr. Lang being a lawyer and all.

I've already received a letter on the topic.

Greg,

Notice what Gordon said. He is setting a new standard by saying a bill isn’t a bill until it is invoiced. The Clean Elections software requires us to estimate a bill, enter the estimate, and then enter the final bill once we get it. Napolitano’s campaign committed a serious violation. One possible remedy is that she could be disqualified from getting any clean election money.

Name Withheld

April 25, 2006

Media Alert:

I'll be on channel 8's Horizon tonight at 7:00 PM to discuss energy issues.

OUCH

Dan Nowicki should look into getting one of these for Christmas because JD Hayworth has surely torn him a new one.

Maybe it’s time for “Plugged In” to change its name to “Plugged Innuendo.”

The gang at “Plugged In” should be embarrassed at such a gratuitous cheap shot.

Read the whole thing

Mike Harris Responds

I mentioned yesterday that I thought Mike Harris's child support situation was fatal to his campaign. Here's his response.

Hello Greg,

If you would like to meet with me and determine the "rest of the story" to quote Paul Harvey, I am agreeable.

Meanwhile "the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated" to quote Samuel Clemmons.

I am not dropping out of this race, sorry to disappoint you.

In the past 2 weeks, I have been followed, photographed, burglarized, my computer has been compromised, and now, my character attacked, and this is just the beginning.

I am prepared for a very contested and bitter race. I knew this was coming and I am ready for it.

Now I understand why politics attracts the level of people it does. One must either have a perverse desire for power, or a true desire to make the world a better place.

In my case, I desire to make the world a better place. The business of the State will not wait another 4 years under Napolitano.

Illegal immigration is out of control, our schools are in trouble, healthcare cost are spiraling out of control, and proactive economic development has been neglected for several years.

Napolitano has vetoed many very good bills and has stunted the business of the State of Arizona, and has thwarted the will of the people.

As Governor, I will lead the State in the right direction, and for the right reasons.

In my opinion the business of Government is to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

In closing, I love my son very much, and I take exception to anyone who implies otherwise.

I am not the only person who has had to endure an acrimonious divorce, and I will not be the last.

There is nothing in this world I will not do for my son. He is my one and only child and truly a gift from God.

For the record, I have voluntarily paid my child support above the State requirements, and I continue to do so to this day. Yes, I can document this fact and I am willing to do so if you would like.

Best Regards,

Mike Harris

April 24, 2006

What's Good For the Goose...

On March 3rd. I pointed out that Gov. Napolitano's campaign appeared to violate campaign law by doing considerable groundwork before she filed her campaign paperwork.

But Governor Napolitano filed her paperwork yesterday and had her website up and her campaign was sending thousands of emails immediately. Her campaign is sending out thousands of additional emails today. How did she get such a head start? Len Munsil is widely regarded as the most organized of the Republicans and it has taken him months to develop the resources that she managed to initiate in a few hours.

A few days later, the Arizona Republic picked up portions of the story.

My friends in the media and Democratic Party are quick to nuke me when I'm wrong, but they have been silent on this issue.

Apparently someone else has been doing a little research on the issue as well. Republican Party Executive Director Glenn Hamer sent this letter to the Clean Elections Commission this morning.

VIA FACSIMILE & REGULAR MAIL

Re: Possible Violations of Arizona Election Law by Candidate Janet Napolitano

Dear Mr. Lang:

This letter respectfully serves as a request and complaint to the Citizens Clean Elections Commission (“the Commission”) that it conduct an investigation into, and reach findings concerning, the possible violation of Arizona election law by candidate Janet Napolitano. The specifics and basis for this request and complaint are as follows:

1. Media stories from the Arizona Republic newspaper and elsewhere have reported that Janet Napolitano announced her candidacy for reelection as governor on a date when, concurrent with her announcement, her campaign committee launched a sophisticated website/page, and sent to numerous individuals “spam” emails touting her candidacy.

2. Based on the foregoing media accounts, the following questions arise that implicate whether Ms. Napolitano complied with the letter and intent of Arizona’s election law:

(A) Did Ms. Napolitano or her agents enter into a contract with web page vendors to create a campaign web page before she became a legal candidate and her campaign committee legally opened under Arizona law.

(B) Did Ms. Napolitano or her agents commit her or a future campaign committee to debts and obligations before she became a legal candidate and legally opened her campaign committee under Arizona law?

(C) Were work or services provided to Ms. Napolitano or her future campaign committee by people or businesses that expected financial compensation, payment, or reimbursement before she became a legal candidate and her campaign committee legally opened under Arizona law?

(D) On the date Ms. Napolitano’s campaign legally opened under Arizona law, her campaign website contained a videotaped opening remark by Ms. Napolitano. Did she record her videotaped opening remark before she became a legal candidate and her campaign committee was legally opened under Arizona law? If so, did Ms. Napolitano enter a contract, agreement or understanding to pay, compensate, or reimburse the person or business that produced/taped the video’s opening remarks before she became a legal candidate and the legal opening of her campaign committee? If there were no compensation or commitment, were these in-kind contributions? If these were in-kind contributions, are they prohibited by law?

(E) When were the spam email addresses obtained by her campaign committee and entered into the computer system so that they could be sent out concurrent with the near exact timing of the legal opening of her campaign committee?

(F) How many emails were sent by the campaign committee?

(G) Did Ms. Napolitano enter a contract, agreement, or understanding to pay, compensate, or reimburse any person or business for obtaining various email addresses before she became a legal candidate and her campaign committee was legally opened under Arizona law?

(H) Did Ms. Napolitano or her agents email State and local governmental workers at their places of employment? If so, when and how did she obtain their email addresses?

Additionally, a number of individuals who claim that they are not supporters of the Governor apparently received an email from the Governor’s campaign on or around April 13^th alerting them that she had filed her petition signatures and five-dollar contributions. The email suggests that these individuals supported the Governor in some capacity. Were these emails sent in accordance with Arizona law?

Supporting documentation is attached to this letter.

The Commission is requested to investigate the foregoing and determine whether a violation of Arizona law occurred.

Sincerely, Glenn Hamer Executive Director, Arizona Republican Party

Turn out the lights

Some mistakes are survivable, some aren't. This campaign is over.

PHOENIX — Scottsdale businessman Mike Harris has put $100,000 of his own money into his campaign for governor just months after convincing a judge he was too poor to make full support payments for his only child.

Technically, he doesn't have to drop out before the signature deadline passes. But I'll predict that he's out within two weeks.

Wow, check this out.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

Review and Outlook

State of Surpluses
April 24, 2006

Add Arizona to the list of states flush with tax revenue and debating what to do with it. Thanks to an unexpected surge in income, sales and property tax payments, the state's budget surplus is $1.2 billion and growing, and now surpasses the legal rainy day fund limit of 7% of the total budget. That means Arizona lawmakers have only two options: Spend the money, or cut taxes.

In the spending corner is Governor Janet Napolitano, one of the celebrated "moderate" Democrats running a red state. Earlier this year she proposed a one-year 22% budget expansion to $10.1 billion from $8.2 billion -- with the goodies spread far and wide across the government and especially to the teachers unions. That's nearly three times the rate of increase that the spendthrift U.S. Congress is contemplating. Ms. Napolitano is also floating a tax cut, but one microscopic in size and sheer gimmickry: for example, a three-day sales tax holiday for purchasing school supplies and a tax credit for buying environmentally friendly cars.

Republicans in the Arizona legislature are taking a page from tax-cutting former Governor Fife Symington and proposing to cut the income tax. The state senate has passed a bill chopping the top marginal income-tax rate to 4% from 5% over five years, while the house wants a smaller reduction over three years. The GOP also wants to eliminate the state portion of the property tax, which would shave $125 a year off the tax bill on the average-priced home. That makes sense too: In only two years, property taxes have soared by 51% thanks to the hot local housing market.

Even these proposals are arguably too timid given that they would capture and return to taxpayers only about one-quarter of this year's surplus. Steve Voeller, president of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, calculates that "there's plenty of excess revenues to fund a 25% income tax cut immediately," rather than phase it in over three or five years.

But give the Republicans credit for learning the lesson of the previous state revenue booms of the 1980s and 1990s. States such as Arizona and Colorado that cut income tax rates enjoyed about twice the pace of new job creation, and about one-third faster income growth, than states like Connecticut, Illinois and New Jersey that raised their tax burdens.

Another lesson is that these revenue booms don't last forever, while the spending programs created during the good times nearly always do. Arizona would be far better off using its current surpluses as a political opportunity to construct a tax code with non-punitive tax rates to stimulate jobs, business and investment. This will make the state more resilient amid future national economic downturns.

Ms. Napolitano is threatening to veto the GOP tax plans, but she might want to rethink her economic development strategy. There's a term for states that try to tax and spend their way to prosperity: New York.

Jon Talton need not apply

Goldwater Institute is Hiring

Director of Development

As Arizona’s premier public policy organization, developing strong relationships with the individuals who support our mission is essential. In the past four years, the Goldwater Institute has enjoyed a 10-fold increase in the number of individual supporters. As director of development, you’ll build on this growth, directing the prospecting, cultivating and maintaining of donor relationships through direct mail, individual and grant solicitation, and related events. You’ll also initiate and develop avenues for giving including an endowment, chairs, and planned giving. Ideally, you’ll combine a minimum of five years’ experience in fundraising with a good knowledge of Goldwater Institute scholarship and a commitment to the principles of a free society. You should be creative and eager to develop novel, interesting and effective fundraising ideas. You must possess exceptional interpersonal skills, and be able to speak and write in a clear, compelling and consistent manner. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience and skills. Employees enjoy excellent benefits, including participation in medical, retirement, and Health Savings Account plans, and a collegial work environment. To find out more about the expectations and rewards of this role, visit our website at www.goldwaterinstitute.org. Please submit cover letter, resume, writing samples, salary expectations, and references by May 31 to Damon Chetson, Director of Special Projects, Goldwater Institute, 500 E. Coronado Rd., Phoenix, Arizona, 85004. Fax to 602.256.7045 or e-mail materials to jobs@goldwaterinstitute.org. No phone calls please.

Director of Administration

With a full-time staff of 12, an internship and externship program, and more than a dozen events per year and growing, The Goldwater Institute seeks an experienced administrator to keep the office running smoothly with handle a variety of important functions that support the staff. Ideally, you’ll combine a minimum of five years’ experience in administration with a desire to work in a small business setting and an appreciation of public policy issues. You should be familiar with all administrative aspects of a small office and enjoy organizing, streamlining and improving office functions. Responsibilities include orienting new employees, overseeing the benefits program, maintaining personnel records, organizing house files, ensuring legal compliance on personnel and operational matters, and supervising the maintenance and health of the building. Knowledge of current technology and network systems is also helpful. You should be professional and well-organized with an eye for detail, a strong sense of responsibility, and good interpersonal skills. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience and skills. Employees enjoy excellent benefits, including a top-rated health insurance plan with health savings accounts, long-term disability and life insurance, participation in a 403(b) retirement savings program of the employee’s choosing and a collegial work environment. Please submit cover letter, resume, salary requirements, and references by May 31 to Damon Chetson, Director of Special Projects, Goldwater Institute, 500 E. Coronado Rd., Phoenix, Arizona, 85004. Fax to 602.256.7045 or e-mail materials to jobs@goldwaterinstitute.org. No phone calls please.

April 20, 2006

A Matter of Integrity

Let’s say that I run for Congress on a platform of flat taxes. I get elected vowing to support a system of limited tax deductions and flat rates. While in Congress, I vote to support that plan, but alas, it is not implemented.

Years later, I release my tax returns and we find out that I have actually taken the tax deductions that I sought to eliminate, but to which I am entitled. I have deducted my mortgage interest, my IRA, my business mileage and my charitable contributions according to the law. What does that make me? A liar? A hypocrite? Have I broken my promise?

Would it be fair to say this about me. “If a guy campaigns on a platform of flat taxes, shouldn’t he practice what he preaches?”

Or would that just be a cheap political stunt?

Obviously it’s the latter. If I promise to support legislation in Washington and then I do so, I am under no obligation to abide by that legislation when no one else in the country has to abide by it. It would be crazy for me to be the only guy in America not to deduct the interest payments on my home simply because I think the law that makes them deductible is poor policy.

So why is the state Democratic Party attacking JD Hayworth for not “abiding by” term limits? Hayworth didn’t promise that he would only serve three terms. He promised to fight for term limits when he got to Washington and abide by them if they became law. He has fulfilled that promise and the Democrats know it.

Yet we get this cheap shot from the state Democrats.

“If a guy campaigns on a platform of term limits, shouldn’t he practice what he preaches?” state Democratic Party executive director David Waid asked in a statement. “It’s a matter of integrity.”

No, David, stealing campaign signs is a matter of integrity. Doing what you promised in Washington is an indication of integrity.

It's Over.

I'm calling the District 17 House race for the Democrats. There is just no way that the Republicans can compete with the talents of Democrat Ed Ableser. Ed Ableser has cut the Gordian knots of politics.

First, as you will recall, Mr. Ableser received campaign money from the Clean Elections system, but some of it was too late to spend on the campaign, so instead of, you know, like, returning it...he spent it on a huge margarita party. This solves the fundamental problem of keeping volunteers happy. Sure, he paid a small fine to the clean elections folks, for the way he handled the transaction, but I'm sure it was well worth the price.

Mr. Ableser is now Senator Ableser because he was appointed to fill Harry Mitchell's vacated Senate seat. And Senator Ableser has managed to solve another fundamental campaign problem. How do you generate campaign traffic?

Republicans generally put their campaign phone numbers, website address and other contact information on brochures and send them out through the mail. But this is so last century. And it's, you know, really expensive.

Senator Ableser solved the problem by putting his campaign contact information on his SENATE website. How cool is that? Want to talk to your Senator? Call his campaign office. Want to write him a letter? Here's a convenient PO Box. Campaign staff will be happy to respond.

Here's Senator Ableser's official Member page.

Notice the address at the bottom? Incredibly, it actually starts with "Ableser 2006." Wow, clever and honest, just what we expect from our elected officials.

Ableser 2006 • PO Box 27871 • Tempe, AZ 85285 • 1-877-868-3392

Here's how it's presented on his campaign site.

Ableser 2006
PO Box 27871
Tempe, AZ 85285
1-877-868-3392
info@edableser.com

Wow, keeping volunteers happy with state funded margaritas and directing web traffic from the Senate site to the campaign site. The guy is going to be unbeatable. Let's hope he saves some money for the fines.

UPDATE: Mr. Ableser or his friends must be espresso pundit fans, because the Senate website was corrected within 2 hours of this posting.

Punxsutawney Pablo...Looks like a long winter

The much ballyhooed sleeping immigrant giant woke up, marched to the Capitol and promptly went back to sleep.

The boycott has been canceled and the registration drive was bust. I'm stunned that the march only yielded 121 newly registered voters. Maybe they forgot their drivers licenses.

One Hundred and twenty one? That's about the same number of Mormon missionaries who return home each week. When they arrive at Sky Harbor, they only have two goals--register to vote and get married. They probably won't be voting for Janet.

More troubling for the Dems is that march organizer, former Senate Democratic leader and gubernatorial candidate Alfredo Gutierrez is urging Hispanics to register as Independents so that their votes aren't taken for granted.

Since nearly half of Arizona Hispanics voted for Prop 200, fully two thirds support school vouchers, and an overwhelming number oppose abortion and gay marriage, having a former Democratic Party big wig urging them to not register as Democrats is a stunning blow.

They may actually take his advice and then (gasp) compare the candidates in November and decide which candidate's views most closely resemble their own.

I'm often criticized for my opinion that the Republican party is the natural home for the Hispanic community and I am frequently reminded that there are indeed a majority of Hispanics who vote Democratic. But it doesn't take much Republican headway into this community to tip an election. Democrats need an Hispanic block to stay in power, Republicans only need a portion of that block and the evidence indicates that the block is not monolithic.

The Democratic monolith that used to be the American South has eroded along religious lines to the extent that legacy incumbents like Robert Byrd are among the last remnants of what was once a mighty edifice.

That transformation may have already occurred in the Hispanic community but its effects have not yet flowed through the electorate.

Meanwhile, the activist Latino community has tried to awaken the giant but he walked around for a while and then hit snooze.

Maybe they should change the motto to 'Hoy marchamos, manana dormimos'.

Well, there goes the centrist veneer.

We knew it had to happen sometime. As a blue Governor in a red state, Governor Napolitano has done a remarkable job keeping her liberal leanings in the closet.

Immediately after her election, the Governor said that she would sign a bill to give drivers licenses to illegal aliens. Now she talking about putting troops on the border.

She opposes any restrictions on abortion, including limits on late-term abortions and parental notification. These are extreme positions that place her well out of the mainstream.

Several years ago, I worked with a woman who was an adamantly pro- choice feminist. She also had a 13 year old daughter. I asked her about parental consent. She was red faced "there's no way in hell that someone should be allowed to perform an abortion on my daughter without my permission." Poll data indicate that her view is widely held.

After the 2004 election debacle in which moderate Republicans who sided with the governor were trounced at the polls, it was only a matter of time until the Legislature forced the governor to choose between her moderate image and her liberal beliefs. That time has arrived.

On Monday, Governor Napolitano vetoed eight bills that surely had overwhelming support in the general populace.

Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed legislation Monday that would have empowered police to arrest anyone not in this country legally on charges of trespass, no matter where they are.

My gosh, it's illegal to sneak into a movie theater. How is she going to explain to voters that it shouldn't be illegal to sneak into the country?

It has become obvious that the emergency declaration and the threat of troops on the border were political ploys. The emergency money hasn't been spent and the troops aren't being sent to the border--she's sending Donald Rumsfeld a bill for the troops that would have been on the border anyway.

I think Rumsfeld should show up with one of those giant checks that they give lottery winners; her publicity stunt becomes his photo op, and everyone's happy.

Here's the full list ( Howard Fischer in the Star)

VETO: A bill prohibiting public employee insurance coverage for abortions.

Your tax dollars at work.

VETO: A bill capping property taxes in some school districts.

So much for the tax cut rhetoric

VETO: A bill to allow charging illegal border crossers with trespassing.

Truly a no brainer. Can we at least make it illegal for them to harass me in the Home Depot parking lot?

VETO: A bill restricting the ability to order emergency gun regulations.

This one's classic, She acknowledged that police in New Orleans illegally took firearms from residents in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, but said the legislation "addresses a problem that does not and never has existed in Arizona."

It hadn't existed in New Orleans either. These things aren't problems, until they like, you know, become problems.

VETO: A bill prohibiting the sale of human eggs for cloning research.

Sounds like a Monty Python skit.

Come in, my little loves. I've got no option but to sell you all for scientific experiments.

VETO: A bill prohibiting governments from requiring builders to offer affordable housing.

She called this one "premature." When I served in the House, this was code talk for "I don't have a decent argument against your bill, but I really don't want to vote for it." You get bonus points if you stroke your chin and look pensive when you say it.

VETO: Requiring a notarized statement from parents for abortions for minors.

After all, kids don't ever forge their parent's signatures.

Setting the Record Straight

In addition to claiming bills are "premature," another cool trick that used to be a House favorite is to misrepresent the content. Here's what the proponents of the Immigration Trespass bill put out in order to clear up misconceptions about the bill.

SB1157 makes it a state crime to be in or enter into this state while in violation of the federal immigration law.

SB1157 gives local law enforcement the right to arrest someone for being in this State illegally, All too often, we hear that law enforcement cannot enforce federal law so nothing gets done. Under this proposal, they will not be enforcing Federal law, they will be enforcing the State law. The goal of this bill is to create a second line of defense if someone gets past the Border Patrol. This would give law enforcement the tools needed to effectively stop people crossing our border illegally.

Under SB1157, the arresting authority shall fingerprint a person who is detained under this law. The arresting authority would then have the choice of referring the person for prosecution as a Class One Misdemeanor or transfer the person to the Federal Agency with jurisdiction. That would be ICE or Border Patrol. If the person is arrested a second time, the person would be referred for prosecution as a Class 6 Felony. If the person is found with drugs, precursor chemicals to make Meth, weapons or property that could be used to commit a terrorist act, the person would be charged with a Class 2 felony.

The bill addresses the problem of "catch and release" which is happening everyday. When law enforcement finds a drop house or stops a vehicle filled with illegal immigrants, they do nothing if the federal authorities don't show up. They just let everyone go. They say they don't have the authority to transport the people. Now they would be able to arrest the people and either refer them for prosecution or transfer them to the federal agency with jurisdiction.

This bill gives law enforcement a tool to use. It does not force the police to do anything that they would not normally be doing. It is the duty of law enforcement to protect the public. Being forced to let illegal immigrants go free after finding them at a drop house or in a van is not in the best interest of the public.

April 17, 2006

Senators are without honor in their own land too.

The only thing slower than a newspaper that prints hard copies on dead trees, is a newspaper that prints hard copies on dead trees...once a week.

New Times has a long feature on Jon Kyl in which they point out that he is (gasp) Conservative as well as obscure for lack of self promotion.

Arizona has two U.S. senators: John McCain and that other guy.

The other guy is a decent man, so decent that in his 11 years as a senator in Washington, D.C., he has often seemed constitutionally incapable of promoting himself in the manner common of national political figures such as our hero, John McCain.

And in a remarkable example of poor timing, while New Times laments Kyl's obscurity, Time Magazine lauds his effectiveness. In fact, Time magazine has named Kyl to its list of top 10 Senators.

As the Miers fight showed, Kyl does not always find himself on the same side of the battlements as President Bush. The Senator was a leading opponent of the immigration reform compromise backed by the President that collapsed earlier this month. When the Senate returns from recess next week, the Judiciary Committee will take up the immigration debate again. Watch for Kyl to play a pivotal role—if perhaps not the most conspicuous one. "You can accomplish a lot if you're not necessarily out in front on everything," he says.

Now it's getting Personal

From the Chicago Sun Times

MEXICO CITY -- "Nothing gringo," warns the rallying cry of Mexican activists calling for a boycott of all U.S. businesses south of the border May 1.

The campaign was timed to coincide with the "Great American Boycott," in which illegal immigrants in the United States are urged to skip work and avoid spending money to show their importance to the U.S. economy.

The Mexican boycott was being promoted online and through e-mails, one of which warns that "people shouldn't buy anything from . . . Dunkin' Donuts . . . McDonald's, Burger King, Starbucks, Sears, Krispy Kreme or Wal-Mart."

This is despite the fact U.S. business supports legalization or guest-worker programs.

The article is on the Spanish side of azcentral, but it's not on the English side yet.

The Goldwater Institute finds a Conflict...OUCH

Last month, ASU’s Education Policy Studies Laboratory (EPSL) headed by Professor Alex Molnar unveiled a new Think Tank Review Project. “Many think tank reports are little more than ideological argumentation dressed up as research,” explained Professor Molnar.

One wonders whether Professor Molnar recalls whether those living in glass houses ought to throw stones.

In 2002, an EPSL report offered the concluding recommendation that: “No existing charter school or private school voucher program funded by public money should be expanded,” arguing, “The existing evidence fails to support such expansion.” That year, Columbia University researchers issued a report analyzing 35 empirical studies testing the effects of school choice. They found that “a sizable majority of these studies report beneficial effects of competition across all outcomes.”

One might wonder why Arizona taxpayers are being forced to pay for such questionable research. Worse still, it seems that Arizona taxpayers may be involuntarily teaming up with the National Education Association (NEA) to produce it.

Under new Department of Labor regulations, the NEA and other employee unions must file reports documenting how they spend member dues. We recently dug through the NEA’s 455-page filing. In addition to spending nearly $25 million on “political activities and lobbying,” the NEA awarded $250,000 to ASU’s “Office for Sponsored Research.”

What kind of research is the NEA sponsoring? We placed calls to the Office of Sponsored Research and the Education Policy Studies Laboratory, and the College of Education to ask whether it had received NEA funding for targeted research. The Office of Sponsored Research had no record of any NEA grants. And after four days, the EPSL still hasn’t responded.

Taxpayers deserve an answer.

April 15, 2006

AZ in the National Spotlight

This from the New York Times

In Arizona, the state's Chamber of Commerce sponsored a breakfast earlier this week with a Republican congressman, Jeff Flake, in Phoenix, and immigration was one of the hottest topics. Mr. Flake voted for the tough border security bill in the House, although he has long favored a guest worker program and was stymied in his efforts to offer an amendment along those lines.

Businesses in Arizona have long felt the acute tensions between border security and some type of temporary worker program. Farrell Quinlan, a chamber vice president, boasted that his state's delegation in Congress, led by Republican Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl, needed little prodding.

"There's a pretty broad consensus that this is the year we should tackle the issue," Mr. Quinlan said. "Do we want to see a wall or a fence go up on the border? I don't know. If that's what it takes to get a guest worker program right now, then that might be the price to pay."

Media Alert:

I'll be on channel 12's Sunday Square Off immediately after Meet the Press on Sunday morning.

Update: I thought Bob Grossfeld and Montini got the best of me, but a couple people emailed and said that I held my own.

That was the first time that I had met E.J. Montini and I must say that I was impressed. I've occasionally been critical of some of his columns, but he's no Jon Talton.

Let me add that I will never be critical of a TV reporter again. Reading from a teleprompter is surprisingly difficult. You only get to see about five words at a time and without the ability to see the whole sentence, it's difficult to get the inflection right. The first couple times I sounded like an automated answering machine--despite the fact that I had written the text. There is no way that I could stand in front of a blank green screen, look into a monitor and tell you that a cold front is moving across the upper Midwest.

Here's How They Handle Illegal Immigration Down South.

Folks here like to point at Representatives like Russell Pearce and whine about his support of "Draconian" immigration policies. But let's take a look at Mexican law.

“A penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of three hundred to five thousand pesos will be imposed on the foreigner who enters the country illegally.” (Article 123)

Foreigners who violate the terms of their visa may be sentenced to up to six years in prison (Articles 119, 120 and 121). Foreigners who misrepresent the terms of their visa while in Mexico – such as working with out a permit – can also be imprisoned.

Foreigners who are deported from Mexico and attempt to re-enter the country without authorization can be imprisoned for up to 10 years. (Article 118)

Federal, local and municipal police must cooperate with federal immigration authorities upon request, i.e., to assist in the arrests of illegal immigrants. (Article 73)

I thought it was just me.

Last week, I explained why I don't write about Carolyn Allen. I received this letter on Saturday.

Greg

I took great delight in reading that Carolyn scares you, too.

I've attached a copy of my column in which she ordered me out of Scottsdale. When I wrote that lobbyists were scared of her, she said that she and all her friends thought that was the silliest thing she ever heard. Oh yeah?

Becky Fenger

Sure enough, here's an excerpt from a column that she wrote nearly two years ago.

I have a confession to make. In my column writing of the last five years I have not taken aim at Sen. Allen the way I do other big-spending Republicans. She scares the hell out of me in the same manner a leopard with deadly claws does. This feeling is not singular to me. Big time lobbyists at the legislature have confided that she scares them, too.

April 13, 2006

Feeling strongly Both Ways

I try not to ever mention Senator Carolyn Allen because she, like, you know...really scares me.

But I thought her reaction to Senate Bill 1157, "trespassing by illegal aliens" was interesting

Six Republicans voted against the measure anyway, saying its provisions would be difficult to implement.

"I think it's totally unworkable," said Sen. Carolyn Allen, R-Scottsdale, who called the bill a "feel good" measure.

Golly, she probably should have thought of that before she sponsored it.

Lost in Translation

The Supreme Court has decided that you have a Constitutional right to burn an American flag, but don't try burning a Mexican one.

A Tucson man was arrested Tuesday for his role in the burning of a Mexican flag as part of a counterprotest at a pro-immigration rally.

At about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Tucson police cited Roy Warden, 58, on suspicion of assault, criminal damage and reckless burning, and then released him, according to Sgt. Decio Hopffer.

Teaming up Again...

Dean Martin on Taxes

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Dean Martin, a Phoenix Republican, supports property and income tax cuts, as well as a one-time expenditure to improve bottlenecks on Interstate 17 north of Phoenix and Interstate 10 in the West Valley.

Jerry Lewis on Spending

The chief culprits are the House Appropriators, led by Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis of California and his 13 subcommittee chairmen known as "cardinals." If Republicans lose the House--and they are well on their way--Mr. Lewis deserves the moniker of the minority maker.

The Dog that Didn't Bark

Tuesday morning, I walked to lunch along a portion of the march route and noticed an empty water bottle on the ground. The sight made me realize that it was the only evidence that 100,000 people had been there the day before. There was not one cigarette butt, no candy wrappers, in fact, Adams street was looking pretty trashy before the march...looks great now. Wow, I got a half day off and the street by my office is clean. We should have parades more often.

Former Republic Columnist Ruben Navarrette...

The Democrats Sell Out Latinos

Who killed immigration reform? The autopsy shows it was Senate Democrats.

It's tempting to put a pox on both parties. But it wouldn't be fair. Republicans were tireless in search of comprehensive, and bipartisan, reform. Sen. John McCain of Arizona joined with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., to draft the guest-worker legislation, and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter made that legislation central to what his committee sent to the full Senate. Sens. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina and Sam Brownback of Kansas were vocal in their support. Sens. Mel Martinez of Florida and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska offered a helpful compromise. And Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist showed leadership by reaching out to the other side.

Searching for a one armed Economist

We've heard all the rhetoric from politicians, but here's how economists discuss the wall.

Should we just build a big fence? To keep out Mexicans, that is.

For purposes of argument, let us say you are anti-immigration. And let us say the fence would cost nothing to build and maintain. You still might not want one.

Mexicans illegals enter the U.S. through two major channels. They run (or swim) across the border, or they buy illegal papers. Usually the papers cost more than the hiring the crossing guide. The papers make for an easier and safer journey, for obvious reasons. Mexican women, I might add, are more likely to use false papers, given their (their father's?) greater aversion to the physical strain of four days in the desert.

If you shut off the desert walks (assume the fence is impregnable, ha!), more Mexicans will use illegal papers.

Did I add I would expect the cost of the papers to fall, not rise? Many Mexicans don't trust the purchase of papers, as opposed to the desert walk. If the walk were impossible, networks for manufacture and sale of the papers would become much better developed. The illegal papers would become much cheaper and much more widely used.

In other words, more young women will come. Many of the Mexican men will have wives here, not back home. Many more young Mexicans will be born on U.S. soil.

Get the picture? Hispanamerica is coming, like it or not. Let's deal with it constructively.

April 12, 2006

Bush Announces the Invasion of Poland

Here's a not so subtle slam by the Associated Press. How hard do you think the photographer had to work to take a picture from this angle?

Prezelski on Mitchell...OUCH

I received a letter this weekend from David Waid, who is currently Executive Director of the Arizona Democratic Party. He is running for chairman of the party, which is highly unusual, but doesn't violate any sort of rules. Heck, he's been running the party for months anyway.

I'm a Moderate...Yeah, that's the Ticket.

If I ever run for public office I'm ready with an ad.

I'm Greg Patterson, I'm running for the United States Senate because I believe that our state is looking for centrist, moderate leadership. It's time that Arizona's leaders set aside partisanship and recognize that neither end of the political spectrum has the answer. We must have a Senator who can govern from the center, a man of ideas who will be a voice of moderation...for all Arizonans. I'm that man.

Announcer..."Greg Patterson...centrist leadership for troubled times."

Not buying it? You mean that I can't write espresso pundit for a couple years and then claim to be a moderate when I run for office? Dang, you guys are smarter than I thought.

Do you think I should just be honest and say that I'm conservative and stand by the things that I've said and written over the last several years? You know, be, like...honest?

So what's up with Jim Pederson's TV Commercial?

I’m Jim Pederson. I sponsored this ad because I don’t care if it’s a Republican idea or a Democrat idea. I’ll be an independent senator who gets results and puts the people of Arizona ahead of party politics.

Dude, Jim Pederson is the former head of the State Democratic Party, he has given over 6 million dollars to Democratic causes. He appeared on stage with Howard Dean when Janet Napolitano couldn't attend because she was too busy sorting her sock drawer.

Jim Pederson has the best Democratic credentials in the state...and more importantly, everyone knows it.

What kind of idiots does he take us for?

Why not just stand up and say that the country is going in the wrong direction since Republicans have been in charge and proclaim that he has devoted his life to the Democratic Party because he believes in what they stand for and he would like your vote in November?

You know, the honest approach.

As it is, that commercial is going to run three times and then a rooster is going to crow.

Do you ever Wonder About Your Legacy?

If, like me, you have already hit middle age, you may have come to the same realization that I have...I'm not going to be famous. The baseball player, president, actor thing didn't pan out. International arms dealing has become too competitive, the CIA thing is secret (well duh, I should have thought of that).

So, if I'm not going to be famous, then what, if anything, am I going to be remembered for? John Hay is remembered because he was Abraham Linclon's Secretary. Ralph Abernathy was famous for being Dr. King's right hand man.

I've decided that I'm going to be famous for subleasing office space from former Senate Majority Leader Rusty Bowers.

Folks are starting to notice the quality of Rusty's sculptures and his career as an artist is really taking off. He's going to be really famous once he's dead. Me too. My great grandkids are going to tell people that I used to rent an office from Rusty Bowers. THE Rusty Bowers.

But I can't completely sugar coat his legacy. Van Gogh had the ear thing; Da Vinci was a terrible procrastinator and Rusty Bowers solves most of his problems with duct tape.

Here's a picture of Rusty's truck...you may insert a Jeff Foxworthy joke here.

Duct tape only lasts so long and Rusty came to work one day without the door. He said felt a rush of wind and the last time he saw the door, it was coming to rest in the gore lane by his off ramp.

Still, I guess it's better than the ear thing.

April 11, 2006

We Got the Memo

My office is on the march route, so I was an eye witness to plenty of American flags but no Mexican ones. This was a good move on the part of the organizers.

God Bless America

I heard an interesting quote yesterday on Spanish station KIDR 740 AM. One of the callers finished his call by switching to English and saying "God Bless America."

The host responded by agreeing "God Bless America" and then switched back to Spanish and said "From Alaska to Patagonia, God Bless America."

Show me the Money

Goldwater institute on School Funding

The Census Bureau released a ranking of states according to their education spending, and Arizona ranks near the bottom. Time for a red alert?

Hardly. Such rankings erroneously put the focus on education inputs (dollars) when what we should be focused on education outputs (student performance). This is the equivalent of measuring steel mills by the amount of ore going in, rather than by the amount of steel products coming out.

Rankings of these sorts vary wildly according to which spending categories are included or excluded. When you include all revenues, however, Arizonans provide on average over $8,000 in revenue per pupil. In return for this, we receive a system which fails to teach approximately half our 4th graders basic reading skills. Meanwhile, average private school tuition in the state is less than $4,000.

Arizona’s public school officials often complain that capital costs squeeze operational and instructional spending in the state. Pity then, that they continue to oppose reforms such as expanded charter school, school voucher and tax credit programs which can put children in schools of their parent’s choice without the need to incur debt on new buildings.

If per-pupil spending rankings ensured student learning, Washington, D.C. would have the best school system in the country. To the contrary, it has one of the worst. Spending more money for the sake of spending more money gets us no where. We should instead focus on the value received for every dollar spent.

The Gray Lady is a Fickle Mistress.

The New York Times Crowd's love affair with John McCain is ending badly. McCain has appealed to the East Coast intelligentsia by voting against the Bush tax decreases, sponsoring the disastrous McCain Feingold bill and making life miserable for conservatives in the name of "straight talk."

Now that his presidential aspirations have forced McCain to openly support President Bush, mend bridges with Jerry Falwell and remind voters of his conservative pedigree, the NPR/New York Times Crowd is feeling jilted...and they don't like feeling jilted. The film Fatal Attraction comes to mind and McCain is going to come home one evening and discover that Maureen Dowd has boiled his rabbit.

Republic Blogger Dan Nowicki has been all over the story.

The East Coast media establishment isn't exactly known for its original ideas.

Witness the recent cycle of columns scrutinizing the question of whether Sen. John McCain is a "maverick" Republican or a regular conservative one.

(McCain's apostasy in reaching out to the Religious Right's Jerry Falwell really has some elements of the punditocracy and the blogosphere in a fury, but his press started taking a nosedive long before that.)

As Good As it Gets

The march went off without a hitch but the nice lady at the Industrial Commission Cafeteria took the day off so I didn't get my daily tuna melt. Thank goodness the lawn guy comes on Wednesdays or I would have been a wreck.

April 10, 2006

The Great Communicator

The mark of a good politician is his ability to get out his message. Reagan was the “Great Communicator.” Clinton could bite that quivering lower lip and make you think he was sincere. Bush…well maybe “nuculer” will someday be an acceptable alternate pronunciation...kind of like “tomata.”

The true communication expert can get a message to the intended recipient and maintain plausible deniability that he sent it. For example, immediately after one of his depositions, Bill Clinton met with his secretary Betty Curie to “clear up some confusion” by saying “I was never alone with Miss Lewinski, right?”

Governor Napolitano has been clearing up some confusion of her own. Check out this press advisory that her office issued last Friday.

She lists some helpful information, like these beauties:

Advisory: Incorrect information regarding Monday's march

Heavy traffic congestion is expected in the Capitol area in the afternoon.

State employees may also avail themselves of flex schedules and telecommuting.

Well duh.

But this little gem is tucked into the middle of the media advisory.

State employees who wish to participate in the march may do so, by using annual leave and coordinating with their supervisors.

How many civil servants does is take to connect those dots? After all, the march is one part protest, one part aerobic exercise and several parts voter registration drive.

Here's the description of the march from La Voz together with my rather amateur translation below each paragraph.

Joel Foster, portavoz de la coalición de organizadores recordó a las personas que lleven su licencia de conducir vigente, u otra documentación que sirva de comprobante de ciudadanía. Algunos de estos documentos incluyen el acta de nacimiento, o el número de inmigrante o “alien number” en el certificado de ciudadanía

Coalition spokesman Joel Foster reminded the participants to bring a valid driver’s license, or other proof of citizenship including a birth certificate, or an “allien number” from a citizenship certificate.

Con el lema “Hoy votamos, mañana marchamos” (sic) los organizadores esperan despertar el gigante dormido de la comunidad latina para que se exprese políticamente con su voto en las elecciones de noviembre.

With the motto “today we march, tomorrow we vote, the organizers hope to awaken the sleeping giant of the Latino community in order to express themselves politically by voting in the November election.

Entre una de las elecciones más contendidas se encuentra la del senador incúmbete, el republicano Jon Kyl y el demócrata Jim Pederson, ex presidente del Partido Demócrata en Arizona.

One of the most contentious elections is found between incumbent senator, Republican Jon Kyl, and Democrat Jim Pederson, ex chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party.

Although my Spanish is fairly lame, my political translations are quite fluent, let me translate the political code from the Gov’s press release.

State employees who wish to participate in the march may do so, by using annual leave and coordinating with their supervisors.

"Those organizers are going to need help registering all those Democrats. So if you are part of this Democratic Administration, we just want to clear up any misunderstandings and make sure you know that it’s absolutely fine with us if you take the day off and march."

In the vernacular, it sounds like this:

Go March: the you save may be your own.

Post Script

Immediately after her election, Governor Napolitano’s spokesperson indicated that the Governor would support giving drivers licenses to illegal aliens. The Legislators gave that bill a quick burial. That action is looking more prescient in hindsight.

She has yet to renounce this position.

Fire me before I write Again

Republic Business columnist Jon Talton's blog posts have become increasingly bizarre. They have run the gamut from mean and unprofessional to completely unhinged. How's this for stunning?

Then there's the remarkable hatred of fellow souls before God, while the right wing bombards us with "values," neo-Puritanism and WWJD -- when they're not cruising young girl chat rooms.

That's right, those guys with the "What Would Jesus Do" bracelets spend their off hours cruising young girl chat rooms.

Kind of like this guy.

My gosh, what spawned that level of venom? How could the business columnist of a major newspaper post an entry like that on the paper's website?

The bloggers at Zonitics have a theory: (scroll down to April 7th)

The thing is he’s been doing this for a long time and it has only gotten worse which leads me to the conclusion that this behavior is not only known but condoned by the paper because in all probability his views are similar to those held by the paper’s editors. It may be hard, if not impossible, to keep a media outlet completely bias-free but the major media outlets of our community do have a role in keeping our discourse both informative and civil.

The fact that Mr. Talton makes such mean-spirited comments and that they are tolerated by the paper tells us many things about their mutual outlooks and character.

I have my own theory. I think Talton to playing chicken with the management. When he was hired, he gave no indication that he was going to be a shrill leftist and now he's got the paper's equivalent of tenure. So he's becoming increasingly caustic and daring the new management to fire him.

He receives some grace because this type of extremism is tolerated when it comes from the left. A conservative columnist who was this bitter, nihilistic and vituperative would have been gone long ago.

Talton is mocking the management. He's like a computer programmer who refuses to shower or clean the food off of his desk because he knows that the firm can't live without him.

Talton's antics will grow more extreme until the publisher is forced to fire him. At that point, he will be a national hero of the left and get a mid six figure job at the San Francisco Chronicle.

That, or he is heavily medicated, or going insane.

Meanwhile, circulation falls every year.

Things are getting Nasty in the Old Pueblo.

Dozens of protestors and counter protestors showed up in front of Tucson’s Mexican Consulate as a Mexican flag was burned in a heated debate that saw tempers flare.

April 7, 2006

Kyl comments on Munsil

Inside Tucson Business has an interview with Senator Jon Kyl that yields this interesting tid bit.

Kyl was asked about Republicans’ difficulty finding a candidate to challenge Gov. Janet Napolitano:

“Two things. One is that Gov. Napolitano is a formidable opponent. Her numbers in the state are very good because the people here perceive that she’s done a good job, so it’s tough for anybody to take her on, especially in the Clean Elections context which favors the incumbent significantly. The second thing I would say, though, is there’s at least one candidate you shouldn’t sell short. His name is Len Munsil and I think at the end of the day you will see he will fare better than people might predict."

If you notice this happening, call your Doctor Immediately.

There's something happening Here, what it is ain't exactly clear.

Remember the word association games from Psychology 101? I'll say a word and you say the first word that pops into your head. The results can give some insight into the world view of the participants. Ink blot tests work the same way--nothing exposes an underlying paradigm faster than a concrete reaction to an abstract concept.

Earlier this week, Senator Ron Gould sent me a copy of a letter in which he requested that the National Guard be deployed to help with security for next Monday's march.

I thought it was a great idea. That's because when I think of the National Guard, I think of guys like this:

Two bloggers (here and here) read the Gould letter and came up with this.

I prefer my view of the guard--and the world view that accompanies it.

April 6, 2006

Spanish Coverage vs English Coverage

English media is covering the upcoming immigration march as an event. Spanish media is being used to coordinate the logistics. The contrast is interesting.

Here are the goals for the march and instructions to the participants from the Spanish media. (My Spanish is pretty lame, so if you translate better than I do, feel free to correct me.)

El movimiento a nivel nacional busca poner presión para que se apruebe un pronta reforma migratoria justa que incluya la legalización de los más de 12 millones de inmigrantes indocumentados que viven y trabajan en Estados Unidos

At the national level, the movement seeks to exert pressure in order to promptly approve immigration reform that includes legalization of the more than 12 million undocumented immigrants who live and work in the United States.

En Phoenix, los organizadores aseguraron que aprovecharán la concentración para hacer un registro de votantes bajo el lema "hoy marchamos, mañana votamos".

In Phoenix, the organizers contend that they will take advantage of the concentration in order to register voters under the motto "today we march, tomorrow we vote."

A través de los medios de comunicación, en especial la radio, el grupo Unidos en Arizona ha hecho un llamado para que la marcha sea un evento pacífico, y han pedido a los participantes que vistan de blanco y no porten las banderas mexicanas

Across the media, especially radio, the group "United in Arizona" has issued a call for the march to be peaceful and has asked the participants to dress in white and not to carry Mexican flags.

I found it interesting that one of the secondary goals is a massive registration drive and that they are worried about having too many Mexican flags.

Here is what they are saying to the Associated Press.

Jennifer Allen, executive director of the immigrant rights group Border Action Network, said she is not discouraging anyone from bringing the Mexican flag to Monday's march in Tucson. Rather, the protesters themselves are spreading the word.

Yeah right.

Secure our Borders? I would settle for securing the Capitol

Back in the Jurassic Period, I was Chief of Staff of the State Senate and I can tell you that the guards are top notch and do a great job. But the Capitol is not set up to withstand large crowds--unruly or not.

The Governor has indicated that she isn't going to dispatch national guard troops to protect the Capitol complex during next week's 100,000 person march. Does the Governor have a plan?

A stern look from the guard is enough to make me sign in with security, keep my feet off the seats in the gallery and turn off my cell phone. But I'm pretty wimpy. Just ask Pete Rios.

Phoenix PD and DPS are supposed to have it covered. I hope they are right.

Free School For White Guys

El Gringo found this terrific offer.

The nation's elite private schools are regularly doing what would once have been unthinkable: bypassing qualified women for less qualified male students.

So many more qualified women apply than men that admissions officers have to look at criteria other than grades and test scores to balance out the gender mix of the freshman class[.]

That's only fair, it used to be that all the books were written by dead white guys and everyone else went to school free. Now the dead white guy books have been replaced by newly-discovered classics (like ancient Incan poetry) but the white guys attend free. I can live with that.

The Bottom line on the Bottom line is the Bottom line.

I've been writing a lot about the bias and inaccuracy in the media treatment of the Bennett case and "John From Pima County" thinks I've missed the boat.

Greg,

I really appreciate your blog but let's face it, the Republic is a business and it makes money by selling adds. They sell adds by attracting readers and they do this by printing stories that people read. The story about Bennett is very visceral and strikes a nerve with people. All journalistic standards aside, they have a good story here (from the perspective of attracting readers) and they are running with it. Mr. Bennett gave them this story and they are not letting facts get in the way of good copy (i.e. yellow journalism.) To me this is not news. Papers have operated like this for years, and decades, even centuries. Perhaps that is why more and more people are turning to the alternative media of which you are a part.

John

April 5, 2006

Here's a letter from Senator Gould to Gov. Napolitano

(Read my note below and you will see that it's too late.)

Re: Illegal Alien March on April 10^th

Dear Governor Napolitano:

I believe there is a cause for great concern regarding public safety during the upcoming protest march. The promoters of this event claim that over 100,000 demonstrators will be in attendance. They also claim that this will be a peaceful event, but we cannot go on the assumption that it will be peaceful. The marchers may be peaceful, but outside agitators could disrupt the event. If this happens, the march could very easily turn violent.

With this in mind, I request that the Arizona National Guard be stationed in the area of the march. The presence of the Guard will have a stabilizing effect on the entire situation. In addition to stability, the guard would get real life experience in crowd control.

I hope that you will give my request serious consideration.

Sincerely, Senator Ron Gould

Sorry Senator, but she's already Decided

Spanish radio is indispensable for organizing the march. I was listening to KIDR 740 AM this morning and a caller indicated the Governor's office has already assured them that the National Guard will not be called out. I came to the call late, so I'm not sure who was speaking. I've called the station to verify the name and capacity of the caller.

Speaking of Spanish Radio, the folks at 1190 AM have a slogan that translates as "being an immigrant is not a crime." (Ser inmigrante no es un crimen)

That's obviously true. But I would respond Ser inmigrante indocumentado es un crimen. Being an undocumented immigrant is a crime.

The County Attorney Responds

The Yavapai County Attorney has been trying to set the record straight on the Bennett mater and yesterday I raised this issue.

We will see if the Republic allows them some space to correct the record in the paper itself, or if they will be forced to continue the rather lame practice of trying to respond in the comments section of azcentral.

The County Attorney's response was, indeed, in today's paper and for that the Republic needs to be congratulated.

Are they actually going to correct the information that the column seeks to correct? I doubt it. This seems to be the new standard for the Mainstream Media, when they print something that's wrong, they don't correct it, they simply let the other side respond. This is clearly inadequate because the paper has the moral authority of a neutral party and the correction by offended party looks tainted.

Oh, so you want me to actually be Clear...

Greg,

I didn't get the point of your reference to King's speech the day
before he died - I always thought the speech was rather prophetic -
almost premontionary in its character - as if Dr. King knew he was to
die soon.

So since I don't know the inner workings of your mind, can you spell
out what your point was??

Ron

My point was that we pay so much attention to famous works that we often completely ignore lesser, yet still great, works of the same author.

Actor John Gielgood made this point about Shakespeare and I think it's true for King. I was listening to a copy of the "Dream" speech with my kids in January and the cassette ended with the "If I had Sneezed speech." I studied it in college, but I had forgotten how good it was. The prophetic ending is truly stunning in light of what happened the next day. But the speech deserves to be remembered in its own right. Since the media always commemorates King's birth with the Dream speech, I thought I would use the anniversary of his death to remember the "sneezed" speech.

April 4, 2006

Yavapai County Attorney Thinks the Media Has it Wrong.

Every time a story about the Bennett plea deal has appeared in the Republic, the Yavapai County Attorney has responded in the comments section with a letter that seeks to correct the story. I've reproduced the letter below. The key conflict is that the paper says this:

Two men, including the 18-year-old son of Arizona's Senate president, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of aggravated assault for shoving broomsticks and flashlights up the rectums of 18 young boys last year.

The report from Yavapai County however emphasizes that these actions occurred through clothing and that:

No penetration occurred, either in the anus or rectum.

While the event is obviously reprehensible, there is a huge difference between the coverage that we read in today's paper and the official report. The County attorney is clearly trying to get the word out. We will see if the Republic allows them some space to correct the record in the paper itself, or if they will be forced to continue the rather lame practice of trying to respond in the comments section of azcentral.

Here's the full letter.

Dear Concerned Citizen:

The public has received a lot of misinformation about the Bennett and Wheeler case from the media. This Office, however, does not and will not hide the truth. Copies of the police reports (redacted to protect the victims) are available to the public for review on our website at: http://www.co.yavapai.az.us/departments/Aty/AtyHome.asp. I suggest that anyone that wants to decide between trusting this Office and trusting the distorted summary put forth by some members of the media should read these reports themselves.

If you review the police reports, you will find a terrible situation that can be summed up as follows: Eighteen junior high age kids went to a week-long camp in Prescott. The two defendants were their junior counselors and in charge of them. As a form of discipline, the defendants, then 17 and 19, performed a ritual on the campers referred to as “brooming.” Simply and somewhat graphically put, the defendants would use a broom stick or flashlight and push it into the crevice of campers’ buttocks over their clothes. Sometimes the victims were held and sometimes they were not. There is absolutely no evidence that this was done with a sexual motivation. No penetration occurred, either in the anus or rectum. The victims were not secreted away to a hiding spot while this was done to them. It was done in front of the other campers. In fact, several photographs were taken by other campers. This is hardly the work of sexual predators. Rather, it is the work of two young men repeatedly making poor decisions. We all have heard reports of this sort of thing throughout the United States over many years: hazing gone wrong.

Was their conduct a good thing? No. Was it appropriate? No. Are they being held criminally responsible for their misdeeds? Yes. But to call this “sodomy” or “child molestation” when it clearly is not, harms these victims, unnecessarily taints these defendants and harms the criminal justice system in general. Quite frankly, it is slap in the face to child molestation and sexual assault victims everywhere to put this conduct in the same category.

It is important that the public be aware of the real facts of this case in order to make a more informed opinion of the actions of this Office. It is also important that such facts come to light to reduce the damage caused by these inaccurate media reports. It is important to the victims, the defendants and the criminal justice system. Once fully and accurately informed, one may continue to disagree with the result. This is, after all, America. However, I am confident that a fully informed person will better understand the actions of this Office, agree or disagree as they might.

I take seriously the trust the public has placed in me as County Attorney. I carry out my duties according to the law and the ethical obligations placed upon me, and attempt to wisely use the discretion placed in this position by the law. I will not and do not bend to outside pressure, whether it be political, media or otherwise. Furthermore, the system has safeguards; in this case, it is the trial judge who represents an independent branch of the government. Based solely upon the facts of this case, he has already determined that the resolution of this matter was appropriate and serves the ends of justice.

Sheila S. Polk

Yavapai County Attorney

This video is really cool.

Cognitive Dissonance is a Powerful Force.

A survey by Rasmussen Reports gives Kyl a 56 percent to 33 percent lead over Pederson.

The same Rasmussen poll shows Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano with a 54 percent to 35 percent lead over Republican Don Goldwater.

Those numbers are essentially identical, but Republicans are sure to point out that Kyl is bulletproof and Napolitano is vulnerable.

While the Democrats, of course, will point out that Napolitano is bulletproof and Kyl is vulnerable.

Thirty Eight Years Ago Today...

Most people are familiar with the "I have a Dream" speech. But I would urge you to read--or better yet listen to--the "If I had Sneezed" speech which he gave the night before his death.

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop.

And I don't mind.

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!

And so I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!

Still Groovy after all these Years.

My wife and I saw the Spike Lee film Inside Man this weekend. I thought it was well done. Spike Lee films don’t usually appeal to me, which is surprising since as a 42 year old, tan-minivan-driving, white, Republican CPA from Phoenix, I’ve always been well within the demographic of his target audience

1,300 Words, B1 Above the Fold On a Sunday…

…Is that the Standard Now?

The Mainstream Media are doing a clinic on bias and we have front row seats. It is rare that a Republican and Democrat face similar personal tragedies simultaneously but we have been presented with the unique situation of Senate President—and Mormon Republican—Ken Bennett and Senate Candidate—and apparently untouchable—Jim Pederson’s children getting in legal trouble simultaneously.

Some would argue that the legal trouble of a politician’s adult child should be off limits, and in Pederson’s case that argument seems to be carrying some weight. State Senator Jack Harper was critical of Pederson’s family problems and was nuked by fellow Republican’s (including Bennett) and every major newspaper in the state. With the exception of nuking Harper, the Pederson story has been buried by the local media.

Ironically, the story of the arrest of the Senate candidate's son received quite a bit of national—and international—attention. Indeed if you step back and think about it, Pederson is much more prominent than Bennett.

But the Bennett story has been covered extensively. There was an initial feeding frenzy that contained dozens of stories. Every aspect of the case has been covered and the coverage is beginning to look like a course in Criminal Procedure. We are learning about arraignment, pleading, plea deals, and today we have the ultimate hit piece--1,300 words, B1 above the fold on a Sunday indicating that some people don’t like the plea deal that the younger Bennett has been offered.

Is this news? Obviously an obscure case from Yavapai County is only being featured in the Republic because the accused's father is an important politician. Ok, if that’s the standard, where are the Pederson stories?

Here’s the preamble to the Journalistic Code of Ethics. Try not to laugh too hard.

Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice. (emphasis mine)

Everything you've heard about Immigration and Politics is Wrong.

Conventional wisdom holds that stopping illegal immigration is an issue that primarily concerns the Republican base. Politicians like Russell Pearce and Andrew Thomas who advocate the more extreme measures--walls, employer sanctions, criminal trespass statutes—are among the most hardcore conservative elected officials in the nation. By energizing the Republican base, these officials have forced more mainstream Republican officials to veer sharply to the right. Republicans who succumb to this pressure risk turning off Hispanic voters in the same way that Republican Governor Pete Wilson did in California in the early 1990s. California has been solidly Democratic since then.

Governor Napolitano must risk alienating minorities in her base in order to secure her place among swing voters, thus she is forced to embrace proposals—like sending troops to the border—that were once unthinkable. Her strategy is a dangerous triangulation in which she must embrace enough hard-line proposals to pick up a significant portion of the independents and moderate Republicans while not ignoring her base to the extent that they stay home on election day.

I think that’s bunk.

This guy makes an interesting point that you won’t read in the Mainstream Media.

Blacks, Hispanics, Poor Favor Immigration Crackdown

Contrary to conventional wisdom, minorities and the poor overwhelmingly favor a get tough approach on illegal immigration - as they proved just two years ago by supporting Arizona's Proposition 200 in a landslide.

As the 2004 election approached, the immigration crackdown, which proposed denying state services to anyone who couldn't prove they were in the country legally, was decried by critics as "draconian" and "xenophobic."

The proposal was trashed by Arizona's business community. All the state's big newspapers came out against it. Governor Janet Napolitano, Sen. John McCain and Sen. Jon Kyl echoed their opposition. The Chamber of Commerce and the labor unions opposed Prop 200 as well.

Proponents of the measure were outspent by almost two to one in the final days of the campaign.

And yet Prop 200 passed by a landslide - 56 to 44 percent, with the measure garnering its strongest support from minorities and the poor.

Exit polls showed that 65 percent of blacks, Native Americans and Asians backed Prop 200. But they were pikers compared to the working poor.

Among those with family incomes of $15,000 or less, 72 percent wanted Arizona to use Prop 200 to crackdown on illegals.

What about Hispanic voters, who pundits repeatedly warn will punish illegal immigration foes in Washington by withdrawing their support?

Almost half of Arizona's Latino voters - 47 percent - cast their ballots for Prop 200.

March 31, 2006

A House (and Senate) Divided

This article is making waves in the local LDS community.

Washington pundits in the throes of post-election doldrums are notoriously eager to find a fresh face to crown the "early favorite" for the next presidential campaign. Even by those standards, however, the speed with which they flocked to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has been remarkable.

There's only one problem. Romney is a Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). Mormonism was never an issue when Orrin Hatch ran for president, but Hatch was never talked up with even a smidgen of the seriousness that accompanies the Massachusetts governor. Yet each Romney profile plays down the Mormon issue. In a typical treatment, under the headline "Matinee Mitt," John Miller admits in the National Review that some of Romney's Republican opponents might highlight a few of "Mormonism's doctrinal oddities," but concludes that "there is no telling how this will play out," and "it's even possible to think that Romney's Mormonism could become a hidden asset."

Howie Has a Point

PHOENIX - Gov. Janet Napolitano is increasingly charting a course on immigration and border security that puts her at odds with legislators of her own party, particularly Hispanics.

The latest schism came Wednesday when the governor pronounced her support for using state tax dollars to set up a radar system along the state's southern border to locate and help capture those who enter this country illegally.

As they say, read the whole thing.

Something's out of wack...

I'm getting praise from the Democrats and criticism from the Republicans.

Here's a letter about my "Culture of Corruption" post.

...and that's why, even though I tend to vote Democrat, as a voter I focus on the character of the person/politician and whether or not they're conservative on fiscal matters and more progressive on social matters. A crook is a crook regardless of their party. My hunch is that influence peddling is the second oldest profession, after whoring. It's like the poor, they'll always be with us. 8-)

I appreciate your blog, especially given your legislative experience. It's a good background for political commentary, an important ingredient to have in the debate.

Tim Slavin

And Here's a letter about "The Governor Keeps Her Word"

Greg

I don’t like your heading ‘The Governor keeps her word.” The Governor broke her word when she agreed to sign the corporate tuition tax credit last year, then failed to do so, and she can’t undo that failure to keep her word, which led directly to the distrust and poison at the Capitol.

Name Withheld

March 30, 2006

The Governor Keeps Her Word

From Today's Republic.

After two controversial vetoes and nearly a year of sniping with the Republican-led Legislature, Gov. Janet Napolitano on Wednesday closed the chapter on a nasty political fight by letting a new corporate scholarship tax credit become law without her signature.

On January 13th, the last time the Corporate Tuition Tax Credit bill was on her desk, I made this prediction.

I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that she lets it go into law without her signature. It's a measly $5 million in a $7 billion budget, so it's not the money that matters. Republicans feel like they trusted her and she lied to them. The bill now contains the provision that she complained was absent, so they believe that they have compromised further.

The relationship between the Governor and the Republican leadership is rocky, but it exists--there is a relationship. They may not like each other, but they can work together. If she vetoes the bills again, that relationship is over. Even the Republican moderates will have a tough time working with her.

I think she underestimated the reaction to the original vetoes. If she wants to get anything done this session, she needs a face-saving way to defuse the situation. Letting them become law without her signature is a good compromise.

Stand by Your Man

Now that we have a TV, I enjoy watching documentaries. If you are a history buff, I recommend Fog of War. If you are an obsessive parent, I recommend Spellbound. If you enjoy an inspiring story about quadriplegic athletes beating the daylights out of each other, I recommend Murderball.

If you want a really good laugh, watch the PBS Frontline History of Bill Clinton's Presidency. The video itself is interesting without being hilarious, but there is a famous scene that we all remember, but I had forgotten a key detail.

You remember the scene. After the Jennifer Flowers revelation, our heroes, Bill and Hillary, appear on 60 Minutes right after the Super Bowl. This is Hillary's moment to shine and for many of us it is our first introduction to her.

Since I wasn't familiar with her at the time, I didn't notice a detail that is now glaring in retrospect...the fake Southern Accent. My gosh, she made Reese Witherspoon's June Carter sound like a Harvard English professor.

Funny, but that seems to be gone now...actually, it seemed to disappear sometime between the election and the inauguration.

This was in my In basket

FROM: Cathi Herrod, Interim President, Director of Policy

SUBJECT: ACTION ALERT - Marriage Amendment Could Fail!

Yes, that’s true. Unless we start collecting more signatures quickly, the Protect Marriage Amendment could fail to make the ballot for lack of signatures. I am not an alarmist by nature. It’s time though for me to sound the alarm and call everyone to action – we need your help immediately to significantly increase efforts to get these signatures. Despite polls showing that the marriage amendment should win in November, we are having trouble getting the necessary signatures in a timely fashion. Despite tremendous, unprecedented efforts by volunteers, we’re falling short of our goals for signatures. Our opposition smells a potential victory here as they watch us struggle to get signatures and to raise the necessary funding. Virtually every initiative drive has to collect signatures both through volunteers and by paying for signatures. Our opposition has been able to “block” us in the paid signature market in ways that have made it more difficult to get signatures through paid circulators and that drive up the cost of the paid signatures. Some churches have refused or appear to be reluctant to hold petition drives.

Protecting and preserving the definition of marriage in our state constitution requires each one of us to do our part. It’s time to pray. It’s time to collect signatures. It’s time to speak up in defense of marriage.

We can’t let Arizona be the first state in which a marriage amendment is defeated! By July 6, the Protect Marriage Arizona Coalition must turn in 183,917 valid signatures of registered voters in order to qualify the amendment for the November, 2006 ballot. To reach this level, we need to gather 250-300,000 signatures. Only fourteen weeks remain for signatures to be gathered.

Here’s what I am asking you to do:

If you have PMA petitions with any number of signatures, please turn them in now. It is critical that we immediately get an accurate count on the number of signatures gathered to date. Mail them or drop them off at CAP's Office, located at 11000 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 120, Scottsdale, 85260. Call 480-922-3101 for directions.
If you have blank PMA petitions, commit to getting those petitions filled over the next 2-3 weeks.
Ask your church or other group to conduct a petition drive within the next 2-3 weeks. If your church already has gathered signatures, ask whether you can try one more time to get signatures. If you need help, we can send teams to your church to gather signatures. We can also send you an information packet on how to conduct a petition drive.
If you can join a team of volunteers to attend events and gather signatures, please e-mail Matthew du Mée at matthew@azpolicy.org.
Today, commit to gather at least 50 signatures. To have PMA petitions sent to you, e-mail us at info@azpolicy.org or call us at (480) 922-3101.
Donate to Protect Marriage Arizona to help us continue funding the paid signature portion of our effort. Donations may be sent to Protect Marriage Arizona, P.O. Box 3025, Tempe, AZ, 85280-3025. Individuals and corporations both may give unlimited amounts and there are no limits on the number of donations to Protect Marriage Arizona.

March 29, 2006

Do We Really Want to go There?

I’m disappointed that the Democratic Party continues to host the “Culture of Corruption” page on the Democratic Party website. The page makes various allegations about local Republicans and concludes that there is a “culture of corruption” among Arizona Republicans.

We could get into a he said/she said about the allegations, but it looks to me like they are baseless; several of the allegations refer to activities that are clearly legal and properly disclosed, several were originally alleged to be big deals but have been properly disposed of.

Of course, there are legitimate examples of political corruption in the United States; Duke Cunningham and Dan Rostenkowski come to mind. But it’s clear that no political party has a monopoly corruption, and the hypocrisy of the Democrat’s website has been highlighted in both the Republic and the Tribune.

I’m not going to debate the strategy or wisdom of the site and I’m not going to try to explain each alleged infraction.

My question is this. “Do we really want to go there?”

Do we want to examine where all the legislators live and work? Do we want to see who serves in the legislature yet illegally works for the state or a county? Do we want to get into the definition of “independent contractor”? Do we want to ask about legislators who carpool to the capitol but claim weekly mileage from their districts? Do we really want to verify who actually lives in their district—and drives back there every week? Do we want to bring up past allegations which have been ignored by authorities, or in which the legislator was acquitted?

I don’t want to go there. But if someone was going to put a “Culture of Corruption” page on the Republican Party website, it would have to include this.

State Rep. Tom Prezelski Jr. is the suspect in a Tucson Police Department felony fraud investigation and had a financial crisis after taking office that included an arrest warrant for a bad check, an Arizona Daily Star investigation shows.

A friend told police in May that Prezelski, 35, had stolen a blank check from her, made it out for more than $10,000 and forged her signature in June 2003, four months after he took office. That's around the same time the Democrat's Tucson home was being foreclosed upon.

Here's another example. Remember this little incident? Here's how it played out in the April 19, 2003 Arizona Republic.

A top aide to Gov. Janet Napolitano acknowledged telephoning a high-ranking Phoenix police officer to put pressure on the chairman of the State Board on Geographic and Historic Names after he balked at changing Squaw Peak's name to Piestewa Peak.

Surely this article from the November 2000 Arizona Republic would make the cut.

Mitchell, D-Tempe, admitted to removing dozens of election opponent Gary Richardson's campaign signs the weekend before their District 27 Senate race last November.

Richardson's signs, posted directly beneath Mitchell's signs, read "Voted for alt-fuels fiasco" and had an arrow pointing upward.

The signs referred to a costly program that allowed people to save thousands of dollars on new vehicles equipped to run on alternative fuel. The program was estimated to cost $10 million but is now expected to cost the state $124 million.

After we are done talking about Harry Mitchell stealing his opponent’s signs, are we going to talk about him illegally holding the public office of Democratic Party Chairman while holding the office of State Senator?

Are we going to discuss the Constitutional provision that prohibits Dr. Ted Downing from working as an administrator at the University of Arizona while serving in the Legislature? Are we going to discuss the times he voted on behalf of his employer?

How about the legislators who legally work for the state as teachers but still vote on education issues and budgets that affect them--is that on the table for discussion now? How about the fact that they earn two full time retirements from the same employer at the same time?

The Arizona Capitol Times pointed out last week that “Clean Elections laws prohibit candidates from going into debt, meaning they cannot purchase services until they have received money.” Are we going to look into that?

Did Governor Napolitano: register her campaign, collect her first donations, open a bank account, cash the checks, hire a web designer, get her site up and running and send thousands of emails to the Republican base...all on the first full day of her campaign? Or did she incur debt to consultants? And where did she get all those Republican emails? Did someone violate the privacy policies of previous campaigns?

Are the adult children of famous Democrats still off limits? Jack Harper was nuked for his tongue-in-cheek suggestion that Jim Pederson’s son’s problems are part of a “culture of corruption” in the Pederson household. Is that still off limits?

Speaking of adult children of sitting legislators, are we going to discuss Yuri Downing?

In July 2004, a state grand jury indicted Downing on six felony charges that described the entire 2002 campaign as a fraud. Downing faced up to 46 years in prison.

Representative Ted Downing’s son was admittedly a Libertarian Party candidate when he misused clean elections money, pled guilty to a felony and fled the state.

I’m obviously a Republican Conservative but I try not to let espresso pundit get overly partisan, or at least not overly personal. I defended Democratic Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox when I thought that Richard Ruelas was too hard on her. I criticized Republican Congressman Jeff Flake for breaking his term limit pledge and praised him for the work he has done on earmarks. I broke the story about the troubles in Republican Treasurer David Pedersen’s office—and I was the first one to refer to the now infamous memo in which he was nuked by his former assistant.

But a full blown "Culture of Corruption" battle? I don’t want to go there.

I don’t think the Republican Party wants to go there either.

Maybe Democratic Party Chairman Harry Mitchell would like to make a really good call as his last official act as Chairman.

Mr. Mitchell, take down this site.

Update.

I've had some feedback along the lines of "Hey, the charges against Mitchell were dropped." Of course they were. Is that the standard? Then the entire Democratic Party's site goes away. Mitchell was at least formally charged. The allegations against Republicans on the Democratic site didn't even rise to that level.

March 27, 2006

Things are getting tense on West Washington...

Here's an Interesting Letter

Greg,

For some unknown reason Mr. Huffman has decided to hold SCR 1025 property valuation limit. Strange behavior for a Republican Congressional Candidate.

Maybe Mr. Huffman doesn't understand the dynamic of a Republican primary.

Senator Ron Gould

Back Room Deals and Power Brokers

Clara M. Lovett, president emeritus of Northern Arizona University, wrote a My Turn column in today's Republic.

Give us credit for perseverance. Arizonans, like myself, who define themselves as "political moderates" and advocate for research-based, non-ideological public policy, first rallied around the Arizona Policy Forum, then around Mainstream Arizona.

We are trying again, this time with the Project for Arizona's Future.

Well and good, but she failed to point out that the Project for Arizona's Future is raising $3 Million while refusing to disclose its contributors.

Color me skeptical. She mentioned that she first rallied around Mainstream Arizona, but we now know that Mainstream raised $300,000 from corporations and unions and then spent money advocating on behalf of candidates, not issues. Mainstream paid a fine of $5,000 and disbanded.

According to Howard Fischer, This new organization is run by an out-of-state Democratic operative who said the organization would disclose its contributors "after the election."

Ziemba, who has been in Arizona a year, has done public relations for Democrats, including the 2004 presidential campaign of John Edwards.

Why after the election? After all, if Project for Arizona's Future is really a non partisan issues oriented group, then releasing the names of the contributors should be an easy call and the next election should be a meaningless factor in that disclosure.

Of course, if the real goal is to affect elections not issues then the current structure, leadership, secrecy and timing of Project for Arizona's Future makes a lot of sense.

If the real goal is to affect the election, I sure hope that none of the money they are collecting is from corporations or unions. What with that being a felony and all.

Of course, we aren't going to know that until it's too late.

J School Math

On March 10th, I mentioned that Rep. Colette Rosati had formed an exploratory committee for the state Senate seat occupied by Carolyn Allen. I predicted that she would get nailed in the Political Insider within a week. Actually it took two weeks. Sunday's hit was especially lame.

Legislative math at work . . . Apparently, at the Arizona Legislature, one plus one equals four.

Rep. Colette Rosati, R-Scottsdale, is in full campaign mode in her effort to unseat Sen. Carolyn Allen, R-Scottsdale. But her recent e-mail invite to a fund-raiser caught our attention.

"The decision to run for the Senate was a difficult one," Rosati said. "I have a comfortable seat in the House, having won all four of my elections."

Rosati was elected to the House in 2002. She was re-elected in 2004. That's two elections. Rosati is obviously counting her two primary victories in 2002 and 2004. At the risk of splitting hairs, primaries get termed elections for lack of a better word, but they are really just nominations. Rosati has been elected only twice.

Rosati never said that she has been "elected" four times. She said that she has won four elections. The Insider concedes that Rosati is talking about Primary Elections as well as General Elections--which in Rosati's case have all been hard fought.

So what is their excuse for trying to humiliate her? While admitting that they are splitting hairs, they claim that the Primary is technically a "nomination" not an "election."

I checked the archives and the Republic has used the term "Primary Election" 879 times in the last five years--38 times in articles that included references to "Rosati."

Funny, I couldn't find any reference to the "upcoming Primary Nomination." And I don't recall seeing any mention of the "winner of the recent Primary Nomination."

Rosati is despised by the local press and Allen is their hero. This race is going to be a clinic on mainstream media bullying tactics.

Look for the reporters to continue simply making stuff up.

"Primary Nomination" indeed.

Drunks in the Cheap Seats

The Republic changed its "Plugged In" blog format at the beginning of this year. Dan Nowicki does a great job writing the daily blog, and the Republic has democratized the process by providing a venue for all 90 legislators to have unedited space on the blog. Phil Boas was the architect of these changes and should be congratulated for putting this award-winning blog together.

I was originally skeptical of this “Virtual Legislature.” I thought “my gosh, the Republic is going to give legislators unlimited space on its website…there are not enough server farms in the Western Hemisphere to host the rants, raves, hit pieces and general musings of these 90 people.”

Nearly three months into the legislative session, exactly three legislators have posted to the site. The last post was over a month ago. What gives? Well, when the Republic changed the blog format, they included a forum for comments. The registration procedure forces the commentary to be anonymous and the masses have responded accordingly.

The original plugged in bloggers are still around and here’s a comment that was left on a Jana Bommersbach post.

I have never read anyone who is so bitter and just so mean. Not once have you ever had anything nice or decent to say. Maybe your weight is finally getting to you. Please a shake in the morning and one in the afternoon and a nice dinner. Jana you have got to be the most miserable person alive today. I am guessing this is why you are such a Liberal. I have yet to meet a happy Liberal. You get a flat tire Bush's fault, you burn your donuts Bush's fault, your clothes are too small again Bush's fault. Do you have anything to say except that? You are like a broken record. Please dust off the cookie crumbs from you keyboard and actually write something people want to read.

Wow, that's nasty. Comments on the legislative posts haven't been quite that critical, but they have been nasty none the less. The legislators originally took comments like this in stride, but then Representative Pamela Gorman—one of the sharper knives in the drawer—posted an entry about the tough choices that legislators have to make.

It was a great post—lighthearted yet making an important point. She pointed out the irony of receiving a letter urging her to avoid dipping into funds for pet projects while at the same time praising a pet project that had been built from a similar fund. It was great example of the difficult decisions that legislators must make, and highlighted the occasional inconsistency of constituent demands.

Unfortunately, her example included a reference to the Heritage Fund, so Republic Editorial writer Joel Nilsson bolted awake like grandpa after Thanksgiving Dinner and proceeded to take her to task.

Gorman is but the latest to see dollar signs and think that money, too, is hers to ransack just so an extra $20 million can be returned to the taxpayers. Never mind that the Heritage Fund is responsible for projects in virtually every legislative district. Never mind that the public voted it into existence because legislators had consistently failed to adequately fund wildlife protection and parklands.

Nilsson completely missed the point of her blog posting, but he insisted on providing a full lecture.

I hope I'm wrong. She's still wet behind the ears as a legislator, and I would hope she'd be amenable to a brief history lesson.

The Heritage Fund is different from the vast number of funds that legislators were fond of raiding when times were lean. Lawmakers didn't establish it.

Why can't legislators such as Pamela Gorman accept the public's decision and keep their hands off the Heritage Fund?

Yada yada yada…

This pedantic and condescending “history lesson” from a Republic Editorial writer who clearly had failed to read, or at least understand, the posting was the penultimate straw.

The final straw was a blog entry by Rep. Pete Rios about the process for choosing judges. He made some good points and was promptly nuked by an anonymous posting.

That was the last time a legislator posted on azcentral. End of experiment.

The virtual legislature was a worthy experiment. Can it be salvaged? The House and Senate have galleries where the public can watch the process. They can’t, however, stand up and yell “you’re an idiot.” That’s why there are security guards up there.

The Republic needs to either turn off the comment section, or police it like they do the letters to the editor.

Additionally, Legislators enjoy immunity for things they say on the floor. There should be an understanding that if legislators are going to provide free content to bring eyeballs to the Republic’s website, they should be immune from having those comments used as fodder for cheap shots by Republic personnel.

March 24, 2006

The Early Line

Some folks are naturally more perceptive than others. If you want to pick a stock, watch Warren Buffet; if you want to anticipate the latest trends, watch a hip hop artist; if you want to call an election; watch your Congressman.

The first task for any new Congressman is choosing Party leadership. It's a tricky game; pick too early and you risk backing the wrong guy, pick to late and you are just one more guy on the bandwagon. Make either mistake and you will likely sit on a Committee that oversees US trade relations with Mongolia--which coincidentally is where your Congressional office is located.

This logic applies to endorsing candidates as well. Republican Congressmen generally stay out of Primary Elections. In a tight race, you will hear the Congressmen and most Legislators saying that they will "support the Republican nominee."

So I thought these press releases were interesting

Secretary of State Brewer Gains Support of Entire Republican Congressional Delegation

PHOENIX (March 22, 2006) –– Arizona’s top Republican leaders, along with the Arizona Republican Party, are all strongly united in their support of Secretary of State Janice K. Brewer’s bid for reelection.

Brewer’s campaign announced today that Congressman Rick Renzi, Congressman Trent Franks, Congressman John Shadegg, Congressman J.D. Hayworth, Congressman Jeff Flake, and Congressman Jim Kolbe have all endorsed Secretary Brewer. Today’s announcement bolsters Brewer’s support list that includes Senator John McCain and Senator Jon Kyl who are serving as Co-Chairman to Brewer’s re-election effort. Additionally, the Arizona Republican Party has made a pre-primary endorsement of Brewer.

And this one from Len Munsil

Four U.S. Congressmen from Arizona – John Shadegg, Rick Renzi, Jeff Flake and Trent Franks – have issued a letter to Republicans statewide urging them to support our campaign for Governor! You can read a copy of the letter HERE

Putting the Pieces Together

Four items caught my attention today. See if you detect a pattern, or maybe a trend, possibly a movement...or dare I say it again, a watershed moment.

Here's the First

(TUCSON—March 23, 2006)—On Friday, March 24^th, the Southern Arizona Hispanic Leadership Council (SAHLC) will endorse Senator Jon Kyl’s campaign for reelection at a reception from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm, at the El Charro Restaurant, 311 N Court Avenue. Among the reasons for their support, the group pointed to Kyl’s work lowering taxes on families, his support for small business, and his commitment to common sense values.

“Senator Jon Kyl has been one of the most consistent leaders in the Senate on issues important to Hispanics, including keeping taxes low and protecting families from crime, and we are proud to support his reelection,” said Lea Marquez-Peterson, Chairperson of the SAHLC.

The SAHLC works to educate the Hispanic community about their shared values with the Republican Party. For more information, visit www.SAHLC.org.

Here's the Second

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

It has always been the mission of the Arizona Latino Republican Association (ALRA) to empower our members. With the 2006 election on the horizon where issues such as immigration and education will play a vital role it is key that all members of the organization are well-informed.

ALRA is honored to host Ken Mehlman, Chairman of the Republican National Committee at a special event designed to engage, educate and ultimately empower our members. We encourage you, your family and friends to attend.

www.latinogop.org

Here's the Third

From ABC News

According to a new report released by the Census Bureau, Hispanic-owned businesses now comprise one of the fastest-growing segments the U.S. economy. Between 1997 and 2002, the number of businesses owned by Hispanics grew by 31 percent — three times the national average for all businesses — hitting 1.6 million in 2002 and generating some $222 billion in revenue.

And this is From Yesterday's Business Journal

In February, 71 percent of Hispanics surveyed approved of Napolitano's performance. That number decreased to 50 percent approval among Latinos in March.

March 23, 2006

Paul Lynne to Block.

The Business Journal reports that:

Former state senator Gabrielle Giffords is picking up some more high-profile support in her bid to succeed retiring Arizona Congressman Jim Kolbe.

Former U.S. Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle is backing Giffords in the race to fill an open congressional seat that includes southeastern Tucson, Tombstone and Sierra Vista.

Giffords is also getting fundraising help this weekend from economist Robert Reich, who served as labor secretary under President Clinton.

Tom Daschle and Robert Reich? My gosh, Giffords spent her legislative career establishing herself as a dynamic centrist and then associated herself with sclerotic leftists. How about Ben Affleck? Maybe she could add him to the team...at least he's a good looking irrelevant leftist. Dang, too bad Dennis Weaver is dead; he would have been perfect. Actually, he would still be perfect.

What's next? How about Steve Huffman signing up Ted Nugent?

Of course, since Patty Weiss is going to win the Primary, the rest is just window dressing.

Black as the Pit from Poll to Poll

Mike Sunnucks is all over the poll story.

A new poll by SurveyUSA shows that, overall, 58 percent of Arizonans approve of the job Napolitano is doing as governor. That number is still pretty healthy but is down from a 67 percent approval rating for Napolitano in SurveyUSA's February polling.

The March numbers show a significant dip in support for the Democratic governor from Hispanic voters and liberals.

In February, 71 percent of Hispanics surveyed approved of Napolitano's performance. That number decreased to 50 percent approval among Latinos in March.

Here's the Tracking Poll from Survey USA

Check this out.

March 22, 2006

Vetoes Come Home to Roost...

Gov's Approval Rating Among Hispanics falls 21%.

Check out this 12 News Report. Choose "Governor's approval rating among Hispanics Drops."

A large number of Hispanics are pro-life, oppose gay marriage and favor school choice. The moveon.org wing of the Democratic Party has gone from tolerating these conservative Hispanics in the back of the bus to throwing them under the bus. Napolitano has mistreated them by promising to sign the corporate tuition tax credit and then vetoing it 4 times.

Legacy voting patterns only last so long. I mentioned earlier that the endorsement of the PMA amendment by the state's Catholic Bishops was a watershed event. I stand by that statement.

The Star's Version of School Choice...

Lie about your Address

You can't blame parents for wanting the best for their kids, even if it means breaking the rules once in a while.

The Star's Jeff Commings reported Monday on how Tucson school districts tackle the problem of illegal enrollments by children whose families live outside district boundaries.

The story serves as a reminder that while schools certainly play a big role in a youngster's development, parents often ignore a more important factor in the educational process — themselves.

Arizona's Open Enrollment law allows districts, if they choose, to accept out-of-district students. But some schools reach capacity and have to put Open Enrollment applicants on waiting lists.

When Open Enrollment isn't available or when waiting lists just won't do, that's when parents get creative and break the law. They will, as Commings reported, lie about the family's address, get bogus driver's licenses or sign over guardianship of a child to a relative or friend who lives in a particular district.

While we don't condone this kind of behavior, the impulse that drives parents to seek the best for their children is certainly understandable.

How much cognitive dissonance does it take for the Star to recognize that some schools are too full to accept students from outside the district, acknowledge that parents are desperate to leave their local school in search of a better education for their children, wink at the fact that parents lie about their addresses and even sign their children over to relatives for guardianship--and still oppose giving these desperate parents a voucher to attend the school of their choice?

The Goldwater Institute reports that Tucson Unified School District spends an AVERAGE of $8,568.50 in fixed and variable costs for each of its high school students.

Give each parent $6,000 and let them pick the best private school they can find. The child is better off and the state can keep the $2,500 left over.

The Star closes with a utopian shibboleth.

In a perfect world, all public schools would be equal. All schools would have similar resources, teaching talent and levels of parental involvement.

Notice they don't ask for quality, they ask for equality--least common denominator homogeneity.

No, in a perfect world, schools would be different. Some of them would have huge classes led by interesting teachers, some of them would teach Latin, some would emphasize math or chess, or Chinese culture. Some of them would be great and some of them would fail and parents would decided what is best for their children by choosing the school that's best for their child--not by lying about their address or signing their children over to guardians to bypass the public school monopoly.

I didn't know how good I had it...

I mentioned last week that it was annoying to have "John Greene" in my Google alerts because I got so many false positive emails.

Stacy Holmstedt, does a great job at azcongresswatch. She covers the race to replace Kolbe and unseat Hayworth, where several of the challengers have names that would really mess up your in box. She sent me this email

Greg

Heh. Try Larry King, and Alex Rodriguez...

March 20, 2006

Whew, I'm sure Glad Winter is finally Over.

Help Me Obi-Wan...

Check out "virtual Janet" on the Gov's website.

When I clicked the link and saw her walk onto the screen, I was sure that I knew what she was going to say....

General Kenobi: Years ago, you served my father in the Clone Wars; now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person; but my ship has fallen under attack and I'm afraid my mission to Alderaan has failed. I've placed information vital to the survival of the rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you're my only hope.

Goldwater Institute on School Funding

Fixed or Fixated?

Fixation with funding fails students in lowest performing schools

Over 26,000 Arizona children attended a failing public school last year, according to Arizona Department of Education data.

Some people think more money is the solution. For example, state Representative David Lujan told the Arizona Daily Star, “The reason we have the crisis is the failure of the Legislature to provide adequate resources to public schools.” However, in fiscal year 2004 districts containing those failing schools received an average of $9,300 per student, more than 10 percent above the statewide average.

Students shouldn’t have to wait for their schools to improve when quality education options exist at half the price. Giving vouchers to students worth $3,500 for elementary school or $4,500 for high school would enable them to attend most private schools in Arizona, and school districts could keep the savings.

School choice critics are quick to say vouchers are not the answer. But, research proves otherwise.

The results of “gold standard” random-assignment studies conducted by researchers from such leading universities as Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins found students in five cities using vouchers improved their performance in math and reading by six to 11 percentile points in as little as one year.

With 26,000 Arizona students in failing schools, we shouldn’t throw more money at the problem. We should throw the doors of educational opportunity open.

Arwynn Mattix is a Goldwater Institute Ronald Reagan Fellow.

Speaking of the Big Time

Representative Gorman on MSNBC

Legislators in Arizona, as well as other states around the country, are on their way to passing a controversial bill restricting abortions.

The Arizona bill requires "a doctor who will be performing an abortion on a woman who is at least 20 weeks pregnant to inform the woman that the unborn child has the physical structures necessary to experience pain.”

They are required to say that. But not all medical experts agree that fetuses feel pain at that point in a pregnancy if at all. Still the Arizona bill passed the House 36-21 on Monday. It goes to the Senate next. Four other states, Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota, Wisconsin have passed similar legislation, although Wisconsin‘s bill was recently vetoed by the governor.

March 18, 2006

Representative Stump Makes the Big Time

Greg

My bills on human egg procurement, and the topic of human egg sales, made front-page, above-the-fold news in USA Today on Thursday, I'm happy to report (which will be helpful in getting the dialog started). Barring any change in the network's program, I will be debating the "egg issue" on Fox News Channel's "Your World with Neil Cavuto," on Monday, March 20, sometime around 2:30-3:30. Hope you enjoy it, if you get a chance to tune in. It will probably be re-running throughout the day.

Bob

Here's the full story.

(I was in USA Today once, but I was "'denying all charges.")

March 17, 2006

A Million to One

I have set up my Google alerts so that whenever an elected official or other important figure makes news, I get an email. So, for example, when a newspaper in Turkey covers the story about Pederson's son, I know about it.

Thank goodness that John Greene is out of the race. You wouldn't believe the number of false positives I got on his name--baseball players, city councilmen, felons--half the planet must be named John Greene.

One name I really like is Treasurer David Schweikert. There's no way to get a false positive with a name like that.

But this article from the The Noblesville Ledger this just hit my inbox.

Additionally, Kurt Meyer will fill the vacant vice president seat, Janelle Cass will replace David Schweikert as treasurer and Amy Shankland will replace Judy Cass as secretary.

How could there possibly be two David Schweikerts who are both Treasurers?

Mitchell V. Hayworth is Getting Some National Attention

This from Congressional Quarterly

As a result of Mitchell’s planned candidacy, CQ is changing its rating of the Arizona 5 race to Leans Republican from Safe Republican. The new rating means that Hayworth is still favored but that the race is expected to be highly competitive.

Harry's going to have to work on his stump speech.

“All of my PAC money that I’ve ever had before have been from people I know and work with,” he said. “Who knows, maybe one of them will be arrested for something, but I don’t think it will come up to the level that Abramoff has been.”

So his point would be that he has taken lobbyist money, and some of the lobbyists might get arrested, but he doesn't think they are as bad as Abramoff.

That's right up there with "Ask not what your country can do for you..."

Saving Face

Running for Congress gives Mitchell a graceful exit from an impossible situation. It is not possible to be an effective Party Chairman and State Senator simultaneously. In fact, as I mentioned on February 7th, it's probably not even legal since Party Chairman is a public office and the state Constitution prohibits sitting legislators from holding another public office. Now he can resign from his Party Chairman position without making the party look like it's in disarray.

Really Saving Face

Ok, here's a long shot prediction. Mitchell's decision to run for Congress will allow him to gracefully leave the Democratic Chairmanship...and the vacant Chairmanship will allow Pederson a graceful exit from his floundering Kyl race.

When he drops out of the Kyl race and retakes his position as Party Chairman he'll say something like this...

"This is a critical election, I want to ensure Gov. Napolitano's victory, help with Goddard's re-election and work to convert the state House and Senate from their current out of step, knuckle dragging...yada yada yada."

You get the picture.

Living The American Dream

This gorgeous 2,423 square foot house is on an 11,000 square foot lot in the historic Willow neighborhood. It was built in 1910 and has a large pool, 2 car garage and 800 square foot guest house. The house was purchased in 2001 for $409,000 with $20,000 down and is now worth closer to $800,000.

The buyer was Republic columnist Jon Talton.

Talton only pays $1,480 in property taxes annually, but in the run up to the bond election, he gave us this nice little lecture on property taxes.

Their best shot is scaring people about property taxes. Human nature being what it is, we want the benefits of rising house values but wince from our responsibilities as property owners and taxpayers.

In reality, your property taxes -- which are among the lowest in the nation, anyway -- won't go down if the bonds are defeated.

I don't think my property taxes are among the lowest in the nation, but Talton's might be. First, Talton's property is classified as historic, so he is assessed at a rate that is half of the normal residential rate.

It also appears that his property is under assessed. We know that assessed values lag; I don't know of anyone who is willing to sell their house for the assessed valuation. However assessed value is supposed to be reasonably close to market value. Talton bought his house for $409,000 in 2001 yet the full cash value was only $223,000 in 2005. And his full cash value this year is only $441,000.

Furthermore, his neighbors have houses that are considerably smaller but are assessed at similar values. Maybe Jon should call Keith Russell and let him know there might be a problem. The little house next door to Talton's is assessed at $383,000 and despite also being classified as historic, pays the same amount of property tax.

While Talton's tax burden is low, his level of benefits is high. His downtown location--one block west of the Heard Museum--is near the main library, bus lines, light rail, arts center and the rest of the downtown amenities that the "Creative People" crave.

In fact, Talton and I pay the same amount of taxes despite his having a much nicer house in a much nicer location with more access to city amenities.

Talton continued his lecture on property taxes with this little missive.

There's no free lunch, and you get what you pay for.

No Jon, you get what we pay for.

Senator Mitchell Should be Ticked Off

Democratic Party Chairman and State Senator Harry Mitchell dropped a political bombshell when he announced that he is running against JD Hayworth. For political junkies, it was arguably the story of the week and the Republic placed the story in the obituary section.

When Gabrielle Giffords announced for the Kolbe seat, the story was B1 above the fold with a large picture--even though she was a lower profile Senator, running for an open seat that is out of the Republic's delivery territory. Of course, she did resign to run and she's, you know, really cute so I'm sure she sold a few papers.

Here's a Letter About Yesterday's Poll Results

Greg,

Great post on the NAU polling. Its funny how the Republic always prints polling on the front page when it is negative against the Protect Marriage Amendment, but they barely cover it when it is relatively positive.

The important thing about that poll is that Solop felt obliged to mention the prohibition against domestic partner benefits even though it isn’t mentioned in the language that will be on the ballot. He phrased half of his poll with ballot language and then editorialized what he thought was important. Even with that, PMA was up by 12% and 39% strongly support it. That is the floor of how bad PMA could do. The strongly opposed is 31% and that is with the domestic partner language. That doesn’t bode well for the other side.

The Republic polls are even worse b/c they are asked completely in a negative tone. For example, their poll says something like “there may be an initiative on the ballot in November that would ban gay marriage and also ban domestic partner benefits for homosexual and heterosexual partners of government employees. Would you vote yes or no on this initiative?” They phrase both parts in the negative. Therefore, a majority are opposed to a question worded completely in the negative.

Anyway, thanks for posting, b/c the Republic somehow didn’t think it was important.

Nathan Sproul

March 16, 2006

The Smell of Death Surrounds You

Bloggers are like cockroaches. Ask any reporter and he will be able to give you dozens of similarities, but I will point out one. Cockroaches and bloggers have an innate ability to detect impending disaster. That's why when the Earth is eventually engulfed in a cataclysmic Armageddon, there will only be roaches and bloggers left...and of course Cher.

While roaches can detect earthquakes and poison gas, bloggers can tell you when a campaign is in trouble. Jim Pederson's campaign is on life support.

I quoted Daily Kos last month when he pointed out that Pederson was reshuffling his staff to recover from a rocky start. Now the local Democratic bloggers are asking what's going on.

The Tribune's Paul Giblin was all over it earlier this week.

Pederson, the immediate past president of the state Democratic Party, needs to build name recognition among rank-and-file voters to have a chance in November.

But his campaign has yet to make a big splash — or even a moderate splash.

Giblin quoted Democratic pollster and blogger Earl de Berge

“It’s pretty amazing that we’re into March and the challenger to an incumbent hasn’t mounted a campaign of any kind that I’m able to see. I’m just frankly stunned that the campaign has been so low-profile, almost no-profile.”

The Republic's Dan Nowicki--who is doing a great job writing the Republic's blog--linked to the Giblin story and Stacy Holmstedt, who blogs at azcongresswatch left this comment.

I have to wonder if Pederson wants to stay in the race. Reminds me of Jack Jackson, who was also strangely quiet.

Jackson, as you will recall, was the shining star who was going to try to take out Rick Renzi. He dropped out last week.

Early spring is a critical time for campaigns; John Greene dropped out Monday. By spring, the initial euphoria has worn off and reality has set in. The contributions come in too slowly; signatures are hard to gather; district meetings are getting tiresome; your spouse wants to know why the bathroom still hasn't been painted...yet it's early enough that quitting is still an option. You start to rationalize..."It's not too late to find someone...I can make more of a difference from the sidelines."

Pederson may decide to hang on in order avoid the humiliation of leaving the Party in such a lurch, he may even spend a few million dollars to save some face, but the fire is gone and his campaign is effectively over.

Poll Results for the upcoming Initiatives

For the full report, click here.

Registered voters in Arizona were recently asked whether they support or oppose seven initiatives that may appear on the November statewide election ballot. The Grand Canyon State Visit the Social Research Laboratory website at: www.nau.edu/srl

Poll found widespread support for four of the seven measures. Eighty-one percent of survey respondents say they support an initiative that would raise the minimum wage in Arizona. Sixty two percent say they “strongly support” this initiative while 19 percent “somewhat support” this initiative, known as “The Raise the Minimum Wage for Working Arizonans Act.” Currently, the minimum wage in Arizona is $5.15 per hour. If passed, the Arizona minimum wage would rise to $6.75 per hour in 2007. A cost-of-living adjustment would increase the minimum wage each year after 2007.

Arizonans also express strong support for an initiative mandating better treatment of confined farm animals. Currently, most industrial farms house veal calves in confined areas called “veal crates” and house pregnant pigs in “gestation crates.” Seventy-eight percent of registered voters say they would vote for an initiative requiring pregnant pigs and veal calves to be given enough room to turn around and lie down freely in their pens. The “Humane Treatment of Farm Animals Act” is strongly supported by 57 percent of registered voters and somewhat supported by 21 percent of voters.

Two initiatives that would raise taxes on tobacco are each supported by 70 percent of registered voters. One initiative, known as “First Things First for Arizona’s Children,” would raise tobacco taxes to fund children’s health and early-childhood development programs in Arizona. The second initiative, known as the “Smoke-Free Arizona Act,” would prohibit smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces statewide, and add a cigarette tax of two cents per pack to pay for enforcement of these new restrictions. Several individual communities have already initiated public smoking prohibition ordinances.

THREE INITIATIVES WITH UNCERTAIN SUPPORT

Three initiatives that may appear on the November ballot in Arizona face uncertain futures. One ballot measure, known as “Protect Marriage Arizona,” would amend the Arizona constitution to define marriage as a union only between one man and one woman, and would prohibit benefits to domestic partners of government workers. “Protect Marriage Arizona” is the first initiative of this type to impact all domestic partners, including heterosexual and homosexual, in the state. Fifty-two percent of registered voters support this initiative and 40 percent oppose it. Survey respondents register very strong attitudes toward this initiative with 39 percent strongly supporting the initiative and 31 percent strongly opposing it.

Registered voters in Arizona are also conflicted about an initiative known as “Your Right to Vote.” This initiative would require elections in Arizona to be conducted primarily by mail. Every voter would receive a ballot in the mail, and only a small number of polling places would be kept open. Forty-six percent of registered voters support this initiative and 47 percent oppose it.

Another measure that may appear on the ballot would amend the Arizona Constitution to change the title of Arizona’s Secretary of State to “Lieutenant Governor.” This measure is supported by 45 percent of registered voters and opposed by 25 percent. Thirty percent of registered voters say they “don’t know” much about this initiative.

Fred Solop, survey director, commented, “Arizonans are beginning to evaluate initiatives likely to appear on the November ballot. Four of these initiatives are starting out on solid footing with strong support from registered voters in the state. One of the most controversial of the initiatives calls for amending the state Constitution to define what constitutes ‘marriage’ and would prevent domestic partners of government workers from receiving benefit coverage. The public is very conflicted over this measure. I expect a significant amount of money will be expended on both sides of this issue and the public will be inundated with campaign publicity.”

March 15, 2006

Chuck Gray Appointed to the Senate.

State Senate President Ken Bennett issues the following statement on the appointment today by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors of Representative Chuck Gray to the Senate to fill the District 19 vacancy left by the sudden passing last week of Senator Marilyn Jarrett.

“With our hearts still heavy from the loss of our wonderful friend and colleague, Marilyn Jarrett, the law requires that the business of the people of this state continues to move forward. Today the Senate is proud to welcome Representative Chuck Gray as a member of the Arizona State Senate.

Representative Gray has served the citizens of District 19 with dedication and hard work for the past 4 years. He has served as the House Federal Mandates and Property Rights Committee Chairman, and has been a leader on key issues concerning private property rights, small business, water conservation and forest health.

We are grateful to have Representative Gray join us in this chamber, and know that the people of District 19 and the state will benefit greatly from his representation in the Senate.”

It's the Demography...Stupid

From USA Today.

It's a pattern found throughout the world, and it augers a far more conservative future - one in which patriarchy and other traditional values make a comeback, if only by default. Childlessness and small families are increasingly the norm today among progressive secularists. As a consequence, an increasing share of all children born into the world are descended from a share of the population whose conservative values have led them to raise large families.

Need I point out that Len Munsil has 8 kids and Janet Napolitano...well, doesn't.

Spam-O-Matic Update...Maybe the Gov's a Genius.

Last week I mentioned that the Gov's campaign was sending thousands of "Thanks for the contribution" emails to Republicans who had never contributed to her campaign. The Republic provides more details.

Spamalot . . . Something very odd is going on inside Gov. Janet Napolitano's re-election campaign. Her campaign computer system has been spitting out fund-raising invites and thank-you letters to a whole lot of people it seems to think are supporters who, in fact, are anything but.

One of the first indications of trouble was a March 9 thank-you letter intended for supporters who had filled out an online $5 contribution form to help Napolitano qualify for Clean Elections public campaign funding.

It appears the e-mail went to a lot of folks who were not contributors, including members of the House Republican leadership staff (perhaps the most Napolitano-unfriendly environment on Earth) and The Republic Editorial Board, which is prohibited from donating to campaigns.

The Real Question

Mistakes happen. But the real question is where did she get this list and why is she spamming it? The list contains names of Republican activists and the addresses appear to have been gleaned from either the Republican Party or previous Republican candidates.

The logical place to start is Max Fose who has joined Napolitano's campaign after working as a web consultant for John McCain. Does Fose have a list that he has accumulated over years of working with McCain and other Republican candidates? Did he sell (or rent) it to the Governor?

Is the Governor mailing to John McCain's list in an effort to target Republicans with a "maverick" or independent streak?

If we assume that the contribution email was a mistake but that the other emails to these Republican are part of an overall strategy, then attempting to find crossover Republicans by harvesting the list that John McCain uses would be an excellent tactic.

March 14, 2006

Young, Talented and Wired.

Anonymous Mike at Zonitics is going to put me out of business. Be sure not to miss this fisking of Jon Talton.

Target Audience

How’s this for an example of bias from the Associated Press?

WASHINGTON (AP) Republican Legislators did not rebel against George W. Bush when he justified the Iraq war with false intelligence information. Neither did they do so when they learned that the NSA was spying on American citizens without warrants.

But an apparently insignificant measure provoked a mutiny in the ranks: authorizing a Dubai company to manage the operations at six US ports.

That’s straight out the Michael Moore wing of the Democratic Party. What’s it doing in an AP report? Why have the bloggers who make a living dissecting media bias not descended on the AP? Because the only format in which that AP story appears looks like this:

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Los legisladores republicanos no se rebelaron contra el presidente George W. Bush cuando justificó la guerra en Irak con informes falsos de inteligencia. Tampoco lo hicieron cuando se supo que la Agencia de Seguridad Nacional espiaba a los ciudadanos sin orden judicial.

Pero una medida aparentemente de poca importancia provocó un motín en regla: autorizar a una compañía de Dubai a manejar las operaciones en seis puertos de Estados Unidos.

Yassar Arafat used to say wonderful things about promoting peace and working with Israel when he was discussing issues in English, but the US diplomatic corps realized too late that he wasn’t saying the same things in Arabic.

The AP has learned that they can tailor their articles to their audience as well.

March 13, 2006

John Greene Drops Out of Governor's Race.

Greg

I wanted to give you the heads up that I will be announcing soon that I am withdrawing from the race for governor.

I am withdrawing because, at this juncture, winning the Republican primary realistically appears out of reach.

Many of my traditional supporters, especially in the business, women’s rights and gun-owner communities, did not step forward to help me as they have in the past. Many have simply written-off the governor’s race and ceded it to the incumbent. As a pro-choice Republican who supports individual rights for all Americans, including gay Americans, I cannot overcome the far right’s dominance of the Republican Party without adequate support from these communities.

I am withdrawing despite the fact that I firmly believe I (1) can provide the fiscally responsible, common-sense, decisive leadership Arizona so desperately needs and (2) am the only Republican who has stepped forward so far who can beat the incumbent governor in the general election.

I regret that by this action I might disappoint people who were counting on me to carry the banner for traditional Republican values of limited government, economic freedom, personal responsibility and individual freedom.

Best regards,

John

Spam-O-Matic

I'm still getting reports from Republicans who received emails thanking them for contribution to Gov. Napolitano's re-election campaign. The reports that I am getting are from party activists, and one source indicated that he received the email at an account that he only uses for Republican campaign activity. (Scroll down to Friday's entries for a copy of the email that her campaign is sending to apologize.)

Even if sending the contribution email was an innocent mistake, why would her campaign send thousands unsolicited emails to addresses that belong to Republican activists?

Here is a letter from one of the recipients.

Greg,

About the email from Veto Janet thanking me for my money. Both my wife and I got the same email. I responded back to my email stating that I did not and would not give money to her campaign. I got the reply you mentioned. The funny thing is, my wife didn't respond to hers and she hasn't gotten the follow-up email. I find that very interesting. It will be fun to see if my wife's name ends up on the final list of contributors.

I'm also wondering where they bought this list from...

The Truth Shall Make you Free.

Congratulations to David Schweikert for telling it like it is..

Maricopa County Treasurer David Schweikert says unequivocally, "If the election passes, homeowners will pay more property taxes."

"It's just that simple," he said. "I think it's unfair for people who are making economic decisions not to tell the story in a truthful manner. The discussion needs to be about spending."

I guess that answers John Dougherty's question.

Do you believe bond proponents' pitch trumpeted by Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon that the bonds can be sold "with no new taxes"?

Or do you think it's impossible to go that deeply into debt without someone, somewhere, getting stuck with the bill -- which almost always means higher taxes?

These bond issues will probably pass...maybe overwhelmingly; the Champagne will flow, ASU will build a campus downtown...but the tactics of the supporters will not be forgotten.

6.1 Million to Make 32nd Street--Narrower.

I received plenty of feedback about Friday's post in which I pointed out that Paul Johnson chaired the Bond Committee as well as the Political group that supports the bond while he is developing a project that will benefit from the passage of the bond. Here's a letter from Anonymous Mike who writes for a great blog. Zonitics.

I think the key phrase is "improvements would include reduced traffic lanes..."

Greg,

Intrigued by your post on the 32nd St matter as I have been going down that way for some church business and I had remarked that the streets seemed in good shape for such a lousy neighborhood.

I have been digging up information on the Phoenix bond proposals and I have been shocked at the poor quality of information on the City's site regarding the proposed projects in the bonds- in fact you have a very hard time getting past the line items to find what the projects will really do. I find if you dig through the public records database at the City's web site and have some patience and a fast Internet connection to download the huge TIF files (what no Acrobat with word searchable and smaller files?) you can piece together what the project is about.

Sandy Zwick of the City is paraphrased in her presentation to the bond committee as saying:

... presented the City Council/Public Transit request for the 32nd St. Pedestrian Improvement Project. This community supported project covers the area of 32nd St. between McDowell Road and Washington Street. The 32nd Street/Light Rail Station was not included in the original recommendation. This became a local grass roots project. The needs study revealed that this is a public transit dependent population. The existing conditions include a six-lane street, narrow sidewalks, no shade, pedestrian lighting, and no seating. Improvements would include reduced traffic lanes, shade trees, new curbs, seating, and lighting. The daily use of public transportation is a challenge for this neighborhood.

I would like to know more about the light rail station but what's strange is that while the committee fired away at many of the projects over their 4 meetings, they never came back to this despite the fact that it was 4th most expensive single project on that bond proposition for working on 1.2 mile of a street already in good repair. They came back to almost every other project on that list and had follow-up but that one.

If anybody can point to more information on these bond projects besides the brochureware that the City throws up, I would love to know. I would espcially love to get a hold of the IGA between Phoenix and ASU or the cost to the city of taking a big chunk of the downtown off the property tax rolls and giving it to ASU- but cannot seem to find it.

btw... cross-posted a version of this at zonitics.blogspot.com.

Like your work, keep it up.

Feel free to post this if you wish

Mike

March 10, 2006

I seen my opportunities and I took ‘em.

This is a picture of 32nd street and Van Buren. I live at 56th street and Thomas, so I often take this route to work. The neighborhood’s not so hot, but the streets are wide and smooth. Notice the six lanes, high curbs, sidewalks and bright stripes. I take Thomas to get to 32nd street. Thomas is a mess. When I drop the kids off at school, I take Camelback; 56th street and Camelback doesn’t have sidewalks--it doesn’t even have curbs. The lone and level sands stretch far away.

So you can understand why I was surprised when I read proposition 7 of the Phoenix Bond Program and discovered this.

32nd Street Pedestrian & Roadway Improvement Washington-McDowell $6,179,000

Doesn’t that seem odd? Does this roadway look like it needs much improvement? Six million dollars worth of improvement? It looks new to me.

The story takes an interesting twist when we learn who owns the corner of 32nd street and Van Buren.

This is from the February 3rd Republic:

Drive through the area around 32nd and Van Buren streets. Most folks would label it a slum. With abandoned buildings and vacant lots, chain-link fences, a homeless shelter a few blocks to the east, and in between, one of the seediest, run-down neighborhoods in all of Arizona, not just Phoenix.

Fortunately for residents of south and central Phoenix, former Mayor Paul Johnson, now a prominent real estate developer with properties in Prescott, Buckeye and Goodyear, sees something different.

Where others find blight, he perceives opportunity and potential.

Opportunity indeed.

Just last week, Johnson invited Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon to take a wrecking ball to the former prison site at 32nd and Van Buren streets to make room for 195 townhouses on 13 acres where streetwalkers once strutted.

The Republic makes a big deal about the fact that Johnson isn’t asking the city for incentives. This is from the February 10th edition.

Johnson didn't ask for public subsidies or incentives to get started. Of course, as a former mayor and City Council member, he probably didn't have a hard time booking meeting times with city zoning officials.

On February 9th, the Republic's Richard de Uriarte described the opponents of the bond program.

the anti-tax libertarian opponents can only manage a few handmade signs about property taxes and hint at dark conspiracies.

They are no match for the veteran campaign operatives in charge of the nuts and bolts of this campaign, much less Gordon and former Mayor Paul Johnson, who headed the Citizens Bond Committee and is now the titular head of the bond campaign.

Oh Richard, how right you are. The opponents are no match for veteran campaign operatives and men like Paul Johnson.

He's the former Mayor, head of the Citizens Bond Committee and chairman of the political committee formed to support the bond program.

He's also the one with $6 million of Pedestrian & Roadway Improvements gracing the street in front of his 13 acre, 195 townhouse development.

Somehow, I don’t think the public was a match for him either.

UPDATE I'm getting a lot of comments on this post.

Several letter writers have made the point that this is a good project and that it was on the books before Johnson got involved.

I would add that there are billions of dollars of improvements that are on the books somewhere, and they are all good projects. Every district needs a fire station, wider streets, narrower streets, more police etc. I pointed out that Camelback near my house doesn't have sidewalks or curbs. Fifty second street floods every time someone gets irrigation.

The bond committees winnow these projects down and the ones that are left are presented in the Bond Program. There are thousands of projects that are cut. The 32nd st project made the cut and Paul Johnson was the Chair of the Commission. He's also the Chair of the pass the bond committee. And now he has 6 million dollars of improvements on the streets near his development. Maybe it's a coincidence. Maybe he recused himself.

Even if the Republic has dismissed the conflict, it should be presented so the rest of us know about it. Especially when they made a big deal about the fact that he has a lot of influence and isn't asking for subsidies.

Remember the stink when ASU wanted to rent the Mercado while Fife was
Governor? That was peanuts compared to this and it was all over the papers.

This is going to be Interesting

If you are a political Junkie, you will understand the significance of this exploratory committee.

ROSATI, COLETTE SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85254 Office Sought: State Senator - District No. 8 Candidate Year: 2006

Be careful, this woman has a serious temper.

(I'll give the Republic's political team about a week before they trot out the quote they made up about Rosati, Abortion and Cancer.)

No way to Run a Railroad (or any other type of Machine)

Much has been made of the fact that as soon as Gov. Napolitano announced that she was running for re-election, her campaign began blasting emails to thousands of Republicans.

Here’s an interesting twist. Thursday afternoon I began getting reports from Republicans who had received emails from the Napolitano campaign thanking them for contributing $5. The trouble is, the folks receiving the emails hadn’t contributed to her campaign. Someone then sent me a copy of this email that they received from the Napolitano campaign.

Click here for the original.

You recently received an email from us that thanked you for completing an online five-dollar form for the Governor. This email was sent to you by mistake and we apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused.

We do hope you will consider supporting the Governor by visiting www.janet2006.com to help her qualify as a Clean Elections candidate.

Thank you for your understanding.

I’m assuming that this is a simple mistake and not a sign of nefarious activity.

March 9, 2006

The Mother of all Perfect Storms

Since what is said on the web remains on the web, predictions are a dangerous thing. But I will say that contrary to conventional wisdom, the Phoenix Bond Election may be in trouble.

A million home owners just got a letter in the mail from the County Assessor that says their property values have increased 50% to 70%. Somehow I don't think they are going to believe those shinny 4x8 signs on the street corner that claim the city can spend nearly billion dollars with no new taxes.

Here's ATRA's Kevin McCarthy

Clearly, the primary reason local governments continue to spin the "this is not a tax increase" story is that so many taxpayers still fall for it. Time and again, the strategy used to pass multimillion-dollar bond elections in Arizona is to soothe taxpayers by telling them it won't increase their taxes. The fact that those measures always rely on increasing property values, and therefore rising tax bills, never seems to resonate with voters.

If there is a silver lining to the dramatic growth in property valuations, it will be that taxpayers will become more knowledgeable about how government budgets, as well as bond and override elections, ultimately affect their property taxes. Instead of accepting the fantasy that all of the spending can be purchased for free, taxpayers will begin demanding greater accountability for those expenditures.

Bond elections generally fly under the radar and are approved overwhelmingly. (That's why they are held in mid March.) Proponents usually claim that the elections are about basic services--fire, police and libraries. But this election is about a state university that is based in Tempe using Phoenix money to build a downtown campus in order to make Jon Talton and Michael Crow proud to live here.

Taxpayers may finally realize that the goodies and trinkets in the bond package will come at a heavy price. They may finally wake up to the fact that their property taxes are going to go through the roof. And they may tell Crow and Talton to go back where they came from.

Then again, it's March...spring training, orange blossoms, March Madness...is there an election coming up?

Paul McCartney was in a group before Wings...

I guess I should have realized that he didn't get world famous for "Silly Love Songs"

In a letter mailed from his London offices and signed by the former Beatle, Paul McCartney asks Gov. Janet Napolitano to intervene in Chandler and stop a drug-testing company from building in the city. A spokeswoman in McCartney's London office confirmed the letter's authenticity.

The firm tests drugs for pharmaceutical companies and uses animals in some of those tests.

Isn't that the ultimate irony? The hip "creative class" crowd saw The Graduate and decided that instead of "plastics," the new word is "biotech." Then when the first company lured here doesn't fit their politically correct world view so the ultimate 60's hip icon calls them on the carpet.

Maybe they should reconsider the whole planned economy thing. After all, it's not working very well in the rest of the world.

March 8, 2006

The Plot Thickens

Last week I mentioned that Gov. Napolitano's campaign website was up and running within hours of her announcement. And since she waited to file her paperwork until just prior to the announcement, it is possible that she violated campaign law by incurring debt or spending money before she filed.

I received calls that offered an explanation--maybe the site was constructed by a volunteer. My response was--If so, he's really talented.

My response was half right. He's certainly talented. But he's not looking like a volunteer.

Perhaps the most surprising new face will be Web designer Max Fose. A Republican, Fose designed a campaign Web site that helped Sen. John McCain in his maverick 2000 presidential run.

So When did Max Fose start working for Napolitano's Campaign? Was it before she filed her paperwork?

Hmm, was it before December 2nd when the Republic's Chip Scutari went to Max Fose for this quote about Len Munsil?

Max Fose, a Republican consultant who is an adviser to Arizona Sen. John McCain, said Munsil's potential candidacy is bad news for the Republican Party.

"Len Munsil just gave every Democrat candidate in Arizona an early Christmas present," Fose said. "Every woman in Arizona should be afraid of Len Munsil's extreme right-wing agenda."

I guess that quote looks a little different now that Max is on Napolitano's campaign staff.

I wonder if the job generated the quote? Or maybe the quote generated the job? Or maybe they are random occurrences in the great circle of life.

I wonder what John McCain thinks about all this?

I wonder if either Chip or Max knew about Max's future employment when Chip described Max as a Republican consultant who is an adviser to Arizona Sen. John McCain.

I Received this letter from a buddy in Tucson

Hey Greg-man

As a Tucsonan and a long-time employee of the state's biggest biotech success story to date, I thought I'd comment on a couple of your recent entries.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

First topic: In your "Pima County News" blurb about Paul Eckerstrom quitting as Democratic Party Chairman, you gave readers a link to the Star's coverage of the resignation. The Star's lead paragraph read as follows:

"Paul Eckerstrom couldn't elect a Democrat as mayor of Tucson, but he helped the party regain control of City Hall by engineering the ouster of two Republicans from the City Council."

What the Star article didn't say -- and you didn't provide as background info for your readers -- is that Mr. Eckerstrom's "engineering" feat was accomplished against the background of Tucson's antiquated and unfair "at-large" voting system, whereby all Tucsonans vote for all City Council positions. For example, if I live in Ward 5, I am able to not only vote my preference for the Ward 5 race...I can also vote my preference in all other city wards. In a Democratic-majority city such as Tucson, this obviously translates into a continued unfair advantage for the Democratic Party.

I first learned of the term "at-large voting" in Mr. Davis' eighth-grade history class at Townsend Junior High (your alma mater), where we learned that it was one of the tools used in the Jim Crow South to systematically disenfranchise minority voters. With the advent of the Voting Rights Act, courts nationwide forced the overturning of such systems...but apparently if one is a member of the "minority group" known as "Tucson Republicans", systematic disenfranchisement is still A-OK.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Second topic: I heartily second Bob Robb's sentiments that all the money being thrown around in the name of bioscience by our Legislature is probably wasted.

My company -- Ventana Medical Systems, 800 people strong in Oro Valley -- did in fact get its start by virtue of cutting-edge legislation back in the late eighties, but with zero money changing hands. At that time (circa 1986), our founder, Dr. Tom Grogan, was attempting to create the startup that would become Ventana Medical. But state law at the time held that a state employee (such as Dr. Grogan was, as a professor at the UA College of Medicine) was committing a felony by attempting to start a spinoff business based on his research or work while employed by the state.

Dr. Grogan tells the story better (& funnier) than I do, but long-story-short, instead of jailing him, the state changed the law -- led, if memory serves, by the efforts of former UA President Henry Koffler and former legislative heavyweight Burton Barr.

What does this have to do with Robb's article? Plenty. It says that a legislature's role should simply be to allow an environment where biotech startups can take root and flourish locally, as opportunities naturally arise. It cannot make them happen by tossing $150 million at them. The existing biotech "hot spots" -- San Diego, Boston and the greater DC/Baltimore area -- did not get their status due to work on the part of their legislatures, anyway. It was San Diego's weather, Boston's status as home of the nation's finest health-care facilities (not to mention great universities), and DC/Baltimore's proximity to the National Institutes of Health...that did the trick.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's all for now. Thanks for the soapbox.

Your ol' hiking pal,

Darin

I had Mr. Pitre for 8th grade Government, so I forgot about the discriminatory effects of Tucson's at large voting structure.

My Number One Fan.

Last week, I mentioned that the Catholic Church's official endorsement of the Protect Marriage Amendment was a watershed event.

This guy disagrees.

    It really is a watershed event, isn't it? I think it nearly
ranks right up there with Pearl Harbor almost. Three local Catholic
Bishops oppose gay marriage!!!
       Trouble is, Greg, the Catholic church pandered to homosexual
pedophile child molestering priests for decades, covering up for them
and enabling their disgusting behavior. The Church doesn't even have
the tiniest scrap of credibility or moral authority left on any issue
involving homosexuality. Of course the Church opposes gay marriage.
They don't want gay men to behave responsibly and declare themselves a monogamous couple before family, friends and God. They'd prefer gay
men to stay in the closet and molest little boys.
       It's a watershed moment, all right. One hell of a landmark of
stupidity and hyprocrisy, actually.
       Karl Rove exploited the gay marriage issue perfectly, using it to
scrape up just enough votes to keep your Boy George W. in the White
House. His first appointment to the Supreme Court, as Chief Justice no
less, did pro bono legal work on behalf of a major gay rights group.
Still waiting to hear your explanation for that one, Greg? You didn't
feel one bit of outrage on that one, Greg? A pro-Gay rights Chief
Justice appointed by George W. Bush doesn't merit a single word of
comment from you?
      Keep up the strong work. Just when I think they are dumber
conservatives out there blogging, you come through with another
whopper. Watershed moment.

John Mayhew

March 3, 2006

Napolitano Violates Campaign Finance Law on First Day?

Riddle me this Batman...Why is it that candidates like Len Munsil and Jan Florez file their campaign paperwork several weeks before they announce that they are running? Doesn't this seem disadvantageous?

The answer is that it is a violation of Clean Elections law to spend any money, or incur any debt before you file your campaign. That means that you can't put any of the campaign infrastructure together until you have filed your campaign documents. Since it takes money and time to get the website, contact lists, email, and computers up and running, a candidate can't immediately file and then announce--unless he is willing to file, announce, and then go dark for a week while he sets up his campaign office.

Raising money or accumulating debt before filing is a serious violation of statute (as I recall, the fine is a mandatory 10 times the amount of the violation. That is, if you spend $2,500 to put together a website, the fine is $25,000) But I'm not an attorney, so someone will have to verify this part.)

If she followed the law and didn't start the campaign until filing the proper paperwork, it is impossible for her campaign to be up to speed this quickly.

Even if the Governor engaged a high-powered website campaign guru, much of the work would have to have been done prior to her filing. After all, it takes time and money to engage a consultant. Contracts are signed, work is promised, draft work is done.

Does is seem like I'm being picky? Of course. That's the essence of "Clean Elections." Who cares if David Burnell Smith spent and extra $6,000? That's nothing in the overall scheme of his race. Who cares if Ed Ableser's dad paid for the margarita machine and then got reimbursed? The answer is that nobody really cares, but it's a violation of the law and this particular law demands a heavy price be paid for seemingly inconsequential violations.

That would be fine if the law were applied equally. Our point has been that the law is being disproportionately applied to Republicans.

This would be a good time to prove me wrong.

Update

Some folks have suggested that the site could have been built by a volunteer. That's true. If the site was built by a true volunteer and the Gov bought the email lists (from a separate party) after filing, then she might be OK. But the site is obviously professionally crafted. If the guy who "volunteered" to build the site doesn't ultimately provide any other services then this might be a credible explanation for the website. However, it he is a professional and he claims that he built the site free and then goes onto do other work for, or sell other products to, the campaign, then it will appear that he is using the later work to subsidize the former in an effort to circumvent the law.

I once signed an apartment lease that provided the first month free. Do you think I could have decided to simply take the first month? Was the landlord "volunteering" Of course not. There are no "free services" in a business relationship.

Happy Birthday to County Treasurer David Schweikert

When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" Mark 2:16

Hey, I get sleepy in the afternoon too.

This is, of course, an illustration of Ruth Bader Ginsburg sleeping through oral arguments in the Texas redistricting case. None of the other networks covered it. Naturally, if it had been a conservative, it would have been world wide news. (if you don't believe me, let me point out, that I checked out a DVD of a PBS biography on Reagan and it mentioned that he dozed off in a cabinet meeting 25 years ago. Reagan was 73, Ginsburg is 72.

No Secretary's Day

So, I was at the Secretary of State's office the other day to fill out the registration forms that allow me to legally talk to my Legislator...like the founding fathers intended... and guess who I spotted working the counter? You got it, Secretary Brewer herself.

I asked her how she was doing on her $5 contributions forms and was surprised to learn that by early January, she had collected ALL of her $5 forms and turned in over 6,000 petition signatures.

Wow, that has to be record time. I couldn't believe that I missed the article, after all, what's the use of subscribing to five newspapers if you still run into the Secretary of State and don't know that she has already qualified for the ballot?

Come to find out that there was no article. There was a press release, but no article.

Secretary of State Jan Brewer Announces Re-Election Bid

Brewer touts promises kept and pledges to continue to lead and innovate as Secretary of State.

January 5, 2006 – PHOENIX – Secretary of State Janice K. Brewer filed 6355 petition signatures and 3262 individual $5 contributions today to qualify for the ballot and clean elections funding for the 2006 elections. With today’s filings, Brewer will be first statewide elected official to qualify for the 2006 ballot and Clean Elections funding. Brewer is seeking a second term as Secretary of State.

Of course, when Governor Napolitano announced yesterday that she is running again...not turning in her signatures, not turning in her $5 forms...and with no Primary opponent, the article was B1 above the fold with her picture.

Not that they are playing favorites or anything.

Letter about the Bishop's Protect Marriage Amendment.

Greg

I think the transfer of the pro- life Catholics to candidates who support pro-life has already happened. It came about when the Dems refused to give the pro-life Dem guv of PA the chance to speak at the National convention about two conventions ago. Pro- life Dem Catholics rode into the GOP camp in droves after that happened. The local 'popes' are just catching up with the news. I don't think that the announcement will not mean a large switch in the issue for pro-life Catholics to vote for pro-life candidates. What the announcement did signal was this - and this is significant - you can pass petitions for the ballot initiative down the pew on Saturdays and Sundays with the Bish's blessings. Now that is the news worthy piece - because no priest in this diocese does anything without a nod from the Bish.

Ron

And a Letter about All Day K.

Greg,

I liked your post on all-day K. The whole thing is best explained by calling it by its correct name, "all-day daycare."

The Governor and Democrats are simply buying votes by lessening the burden of parenting.

John from Pima County

My Attorney Friends will get kick out of this.

(Yes, I have some friends and yes, some of them are attorneys)

Spell-checking on his computer is never going to be the same for Santa Cruz solo practitioner Arthur Dudley.

In an opening brief to San Francisco's 1st District Court of Appeal, a search-and-replace command by Dudley inexplicably inserted the words "sea sponge" instead of the legal term "sua sponte," which is Latin for "on its own motion."

"Spell check did not have sua sponte in it," said Dudley, who, not noticing the error, shipped the brief to court.

That left the justices reading -- and probably laughing at -- such classic statements as: "An appropriate instruction limiting the judge's criminal liability in such a prosecution must be given sea sponge explaining that certain acts or omissions by themselves are not sufficient to support a conviction."

And: "It is well settled that a trial court must instruct sea sponge on any defense, including a mistake of fact defense."

The sneaky "sea sponge" popped up at least five times.

Dudley said he didn't notice the mistake in People v. Danser, A107853, until his client -- William Danser, a former Santa Clara County Superior Court judge seeking reversal of his conviction for fixing traffic tickets -- called for an explanation.

Dudley corrected the error in his reply brief, telling the court that a "glitch" caused the weird wording and instructing that "where the phrase 'sea sponge' is found, this court should insert the phrase 'sua sponte.'"

The faux pas has made Dudley the butt of some mild ribbing around Santa Cruz. Local attorneys, he said, have started calling his unique defense the "sea sponge duty to instruct."

I guess I can buy that Sail Boat I've always wanted

This was in my in basket this morning. Funny, I don't even remember this guy, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to help him out. Can't wait to get that check.

My dear,

COMPLIMENT OF THE SEASON & HAPPY NEW YEAR.

This is Mbali Komana writing to you once again, Thank you for the
assistance rendered to me and my family when i was really in need, it is a
thing of joy to inform you that finally, I have succeded in collecting the
money at Long last. Hope this mail find you in an excellent condition of
health. I'm happy to inform you about my success in getting those funds
transferred under the co-operation of a new partner from London uk.
Presently I'm in JAPAN for investment projects with my own share of the
total sum. Meanwhile i didn't forget you're past efforts and attempts to
assist me in transferring those funds that leter failed some how, I have
compensated you with the sum of ($750,000,00).Now contact Barrister Lamine
Kofi my lawyer in Ghana and his email address is (laminekofi2@linuxmail.org)
ask him to send the money to you the sum of $750,000,00 Seven hundred
fifthy thousand dollars which I kept for your compensation for all your
past efforts and attempts to assist me in this matter. I appreciated your
efforts at that time very much . so feel free and get intouch with him and
instruct him where to send the amount to you.

Please do let me know immediately if you receive it so that we can share the
joy after all the sufferings at that time. I'm very busy here WITH MY
STUDIES and the investment projects which me and the new partner are having
at hand.

finally, remember that I had forwarded instruction to Barr. Lamine on your
behalf to receive those moneys to you feel free to get in touch with him and
he will send the money to you without any delay.

This Money, I have left it for you to Barr Lamine,I have tried many times to
talk to you on phone but you could not respond.and I have no time for
myself because we are very busy now.You can still reach me if youu need
anything

Your sincerely,

Mnali Komana.

March 2, 2006

There's a New Pope in Town

Watershed events come in two types--the 9/11, Hitler-invades-Poland event that everyone immediately recognizes as a defining moment and the Rosa Parks type event that in retrospect is viewed as a tipping point. The later is almost impossible to identify contemporaneously.

In ten or 15 years we may look back on this event as a major tipping point.

The region's three Catholic bishops officially endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment on Tuesday that would ban same-sex marriage and bar governments from offering domestic partner benefits.

Eventually the parishioners are going to start equating the issues that the Church supports with the candidates who support those issues. That connection will dramatically alter the political landscape. I think that transition is well on its way, but when we look back to the defining moment of that transformation, we will refer to a tiny article on B6 of today's Republic.

Double Standard?

Greg

Appears Ken's son is still news. I wonder if, when Pederson's kid pleas not guilty, the AZ Republic will report it similarly - if at all?

Phil Dion

Air America--Over and Out

The Phoenix version of Air America signed off the air yesterday--replaced by a Christian station. Gotta love the irony in that. Here's a really interesting letter from Bob Christy to his staff and supporters.

February 28th, 2006

Dear Friends of Air America Phoenix,

Thank you to the staff, the listeners and the clients for all you’ve done in the past 17 months.

You helped take an unrated, unprofitable AM radio station and pushed it to a tie for 3rd place out of 25 AM stations in Phoenix. You took that same AM station and made it profitable in less than a year and even after the sale was announced you stood by Air America Phoenix and we kept on making money even when our future was in doubt and we didn’t know when our “plug” was going to be pulled. In fact, the last month we were on the air was the 3rd best month we’ve had financially!

Air America Phoenix has now disappeared into the ether and Phoenix is left with multiple Christian formats, some in English and others in Spanish, several “brokered’ time stations (you know the radio stations selling you vitamins, good bowel movements and financial advice) a bagful of right wing “Conservative Talk stations” featuring Rush, Sean, Laura, Bill Bennett, Savage, Medved and all of their local imitators, three “Sports Talk” stations that live off the largess of their sister stations in the big corporate clusters that dominate the dial in Phoenix. Is anyone enjoying Tony Snow on KTAR…did anyone ask for him? And there are 3 “nostalgia” stations on AM and another on the FM dial. (The inside radio joke on nostalgia is that listeners are “dying” for it!) CBS’ new “Free” FM is another station loaded with sophomoric chatter, but without the interruption of overplayed songs! Free FM is a continuous loop of bad FM morning show humor 24 hours a day! CBS should have stood by Howard Stern and they will regret the day they didn’t!

Phoenix has 60 odd radio signals on the AM and FM dial and the best of those signals are owned by four companies; CBS, Clear Channel, Bonneville and Sandusky, they play it safe and considering the level of investment, it is certainly understandable. Innovation and change has to come from the smaller clusters and the one and two station owners. Will they innovate? Take a chance like we did with KXXT? Probably not, they never have and they never will, like the classic definition of insanity they “continue to do the same thing over and over expecting different results”! Only a special company like James Crystal would let me take the chance, Thanks, Jim!

Over the past 4 months I have tried to raise the money to buy a new station for Air America Phoenix. We made offers on 2 stations; one didn’t have an adequate signal to insure success and the other was laughably over priced. I have talked to more BS artists and rich guys who pretend they want to get “involved” and “progressive” venture firms that live in the world of “new media” and think that good old terrestrial radio, the kind that everyone has access to and is free 24/7, is so “over”! When I finally put together the right banker and the right investors, we were out of time! I’m mad at myself for wasting time with the charlatans, the BS artists and the dreamers. I’m also worn out and I have to publicly apologize to the love of my life, Jan, for being so damn grumpy and short since last fall. Baby, you have been just great, thank you!

I need to thank all the great network people; Al, Mike, Stephanie, Sam and Jeanine. And of course my friend Ed Schultz who was the first on and signed! And Randi…I always love you more!

This has been the single best experience I’ve had in broadcasting, better than being number one in Boston! KXXT has simply been the best. The people I’ve worked with at AA Phoenix have been the most dedicated, hard working and they wouldn’t leave when I tried (twice) to throw them out of the building. I love you all and as Jan says we are a family!

Thank you for all you’ve done!

Robert J Christy
General Manager,
Air America Phoenix, 1010 Talk KXXT

Health Risks

Representative Bob Stump is sponsoring a bill to make it a crime for a woman to sell her eggs. He makes it clear that he is targeting the brokers, not the women. Egg donation is invasive and dangerous and Stump is afraid that women aren’t aware of the risk. Reporters who are a puckish lot asked about sperm donation. After all, what’s good for the gander is good for the goose. Stump responded, “If men were induced to sell their sperm and it were a dangerous procedure, then I would have included sperm as well.”

Obviously Rep. Stump’s parents didn’t warn him about the inevitable blindness that arises from the, umm, "procedure."

March 1, 2006

Tedski's Reporting some Tension in Tucson.

For example, when Gabrielle Giffords announced her campaign would be co-chaired by Dorothy Finley and Eddie Basha, I heard no end of complaints from supporters of other candidates. The complaints went something like this:

It Seems like the Dems are finally getting tired of Eddie.

Basha's name is no longer there. From what I know about Basha and Giffords, I have a feeling that he removed his own name. Basha is about to take a whole lot of grief from the UFCW (who has not yet endorsed); it is probably best that his name is off. He is also heading up an education initiative, and I'm pretty sure that he'll take his name off of that as well.

Read the whole thing (scroll down a few entries)

Tom Patterson on Faith-Based Education.

We’re all guilty on occasion of disregarding evidence-based conclusions when it comes to our pet political issues. Both all-day kindergarten and early childhood education are especially subject to conclusions based on political calculations and anecdotes, rather than empirical proof.

Virtually every study of all-day kindergarten shows short-term achievement gains but these fade as early as third grade. The Arizona Department of Education agrees. Their comprehensive review of existing research showed “an insufficient number of well designed research studies documenting the duration of full-day kindergarten effects beyond second grade.”

There have been plenty of studies. There have just been an “insufficient number” that show any benefit.

By far the most comprehensive study of children’s educational growth is the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. This study tracks 22,782 students in 1,277 schools who entered kindergarten in 1998. The 2004 report found an effect from all-day K, but not the one advocates were expecting. Students who had attended full-day kindergarten actually scored slightly worse in reading, writing and science.

All-day K has been tried and found wanting. In the last three decades, participation in it has gone from under ten percent to over 50 percent. But reading scores for that period have been flat.

Our political leaders should know better than to pour huge resources into a program of so little demonstrated benefit. When politics trumps evidence, the money is wasted and another generation of students suffers.

Jon Kyl Thinks Newt has a good Point.

Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, raises some troubling questions in his new book Winning the Future. As is his style, Gingrich also proposes solutions -- ones that are worth considering.

He describes five great threats to America. They are (quoting verbatim):

1. That Islamist terrorists and rogue dictatorships will acquire and launch nuclear or biological weapons.
2. That God will be driven from American public life and reduce us to the civilizational ennui that now characterizes a declining Europe.

3. That America will lose the patriotic sense of itself as a unique civilization.
4. That America’s economic supremacy will yield to China and India because of failing schools and weakening scientific and technological leadership.

5. That an aging America’s demands on Social Security, Medicare, and related government programs will collapse the systems.

Each threat can be overcome, says Gingrich, but only if regular Americans are as active as the elites who are driving so much of our policy-making today. He notes that most Americans (91 percent) believe we should be allowed to say “one nation, under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and only 23 percent believe the United Nations should play a leading role in world affairs, with countries deferring to its policies.

Some judges and policymakers however, hold a different view. It’s their position that will prevail if the American people let it.

To answer the above-listed challenges, Gingrich proposes a 21^st century “Contract with America,” somewhat like the 1994 slate of proposals that helped Republicans capture the majority in Congress after more than a half century of control by the Democratic Party. Its basic points (again, quoting verbatim):

1. We must commit to a long war to defeat the terrorists and tyrants who would destroy America.
2. We must reestablish that our rights come from our Creator and that an America that has driven God out of the public arena is an America on the way to decay and defeat.

3. We must insist on patriotic immigration and patriotic education based on classic American history and the wisdom of the Founding Fathers and Abraham Lincoln.

4. We must transform our domestic institutions in order to harness modern science and technology to create jobs, wealth, and lead the world economy into the 21^st century.

5. We must establish the opportunities for a personal Social Security account, a portable personal pension account, and a personal health savings account, so the wealth we create during our working lives is wealth we control.

Underlying much of Gingrich’s thinking is the notion that Americans “must reinvigorate the core values that have made America an exceptional civilization.” He worries, as I do, that our children are no longer taught these values, with the result that they will be ill-equipped to make decisions (including at the polls) that support policies based on our core values.

Gingrich believes the two primary battlefields in this struggle are the courts and the classrooms, and he proposes several reforms to reassert citizen influence over both. One such solution to which I subscribe is to appoint judges who will interpret the U.S. Constitution based upon our founding documents and law rather than the laws or rulings of other countries. Newly appointed Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito exemplify this approach.

Winning the Future minces no words in identifying the threat we face from the radicals who attack innocents in the name of Islam. Gingrich writes: “If anyone thinks terrorists don’t threaten us, the question is: What could it take to convince you? If nearly 3,000 people dying on American soil in one day does not frighten you, what would?” And he concludes: “the sobering reality is that terrorist leaders are determined to kill Americans and destroy our government and culture.”

We cannot negotiate with the terrorists; our only alternative is to defeat them, and we can’t do that without engaging them – precisely the same point President Bush made in a recent speech. In fact, the book quotes another comment by the President that, “Americans should expect not one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen.”

I enjoyed serving in the House with New Gingrich and find even now, that whether you agree with him or not, he presents important ideas in a compelling way. I recommend his book to anyone looking not just for problems, but also for solutions.

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