Author Archive
Saturday, May 25th, 2013
Thought about doing this for a while, and Brett Mecum served one up today, making this a good time to begin this. Posting in this series will be infrequent at first, but posting frequency should pick up as 2014 draws nearer...Modern elected officials have (
for the most part) embraced social media.
Some, like President Obama, are skillful users of this modern mode of mass communication; others, like former Congressman
Anthony Weiner, aren't.
This series will focus on Arizona-based politicos.&...
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Tags: commentary, Tweet of the Week
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
Friday, May 24th, 2013
Well, "public works projects in Surprise" aren't mentioned either, and guess what?
From the
Arizona Republic, written by Lesley Wright -
Surprise “tea party” members told Surprise’s transportation chief this week that they oppose a $40 million project to lift Bell Road over Grand Avenue.
While city leaders and state transportation officials say the upgrades will help relieve congestion on one of the Valley’s busiest roads, the party’s members worry about how it will impact merchants.
“...
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Tags: commentary
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings
As the days are getting longer, tempers are getting shorter at and around the legislature.
...On Tuesday, State Representative Juan Mendez (D-Tempe) now-famously led the House in a non-prayer "prayer", honoring the secular humanist tradition that a growing percentage of Americans embrace. Today, State Representative Steve Smith (R-Maricopa) insisted that the House do two prayers this afternoon to make it up to the God he believes in. ...
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Tags: Arizona State Legislature, commentary, CPMAZ Craig McDermott
Posted in Blog For Arizona | Comments Off
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
...On Tuesday, State Representative Juan Mendez (D-Tempe) now-famously
led the House in a non-prayer "prayer", honoring the secular humanist tradition that a growing percentage of Americans embrace. Today, State Representative Steve Smith (R-Maricopa) insisted that the House do
two prayers this afternoon to make it up to the God he believes in. Apparently his God is an accountant. Or just simply in need of constant positive reinforcement.
Still, while Smith's actions are complet...
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Tags: Arizona Legislature, commentary
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
Remember the 10 budget bills that the Arizona Senate passed so dramatically...w
ay back in the mists of time...last Thursday? They were transmitted to the House, where...
...They are just sitting there. Not heard in committee, not assigned to committee, not even officially introduced in the House. And they're not scheduled to be introduced any time soon (
though that could change at a moment's notice).
This pretty much puts paid to my prediction that the lege would finish their wor...
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Tags: Arizona Legislature, AZbudget, commentary, Mendez
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
Sunday, May 19th, 2013
While I no longer live in his district (thank you Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission), apparently I'm still on the email list compiled by Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZCD6). I expect that to change shortly after this post is seen by the Congressman his senior staff a junior member of his staff OK, some lowly intern reading this stuff for college credit and chance to make contacts for a future political career.On Friday, news broke that the Heritage Foundation, an influential ...
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Tags: commentary, Schweikert
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
Sunday, May 19th, 2013
KPHO.com (Phoenix channel 5), written by Phil Benson -
A Phoenix police officer and a city firefighter have been killed in two separate incidents, city officials said a news briefing Sunday morning.
Bradley Harper, 23, a two-year veteran of the Phoenix Fire Department, died after being crushed between two fire vehicles at a mulch fire Saturday near Lower Buckeye and 35th Avenue, said Phoenix Fire Chief Bob Khan.
Darryl Raetz, 29, a six-year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department, died from injur...
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Tags: condolences
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
Saturday, May 18th, 2013
By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings
What started out as a quiet week last week became colorful in a hurry when the Arizona Senate passed a package of budget bills, including provisions for Medicaid expansion.
Now the whole package is scheduled to go over to the House for consideration.
As of this writing, there isn't anything in terms of committee agendas or floor calendars posted for the coming week for either chamber, so all that's left to do is speculate a little.
1. The...
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Tags: Arizona State Legislature, Budgets, commentary, CPMAZ Craig McDermott, healthcare, Legislation
Posted in Blog For Arizona | Comments Off
Saturday, May 18th, 2013
passed a package of budget bills, including provisions for Medicaid expansion.
Now the whole package is scheduled to go over to the House for consideration.
As of this writing, there isn't anything in terms of committee agendas or floor calendars posted for the coming week for either chamber, so all that's left to do is speculate a little.
1. The bills face a murky path in the House, but speculation is that they are likely to pass. There just may be a little drama first.
2. On Frid...
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Tags: Arizona Legislature, AZbudget, commentary
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
Thursday, May 16th, 2013
SB1492 that contained the restoration language.
It's not over yet, as it still must go through Third Read (final approval) in the Senate and then go over to the House for consideration, so bad things could still happen, but for today, thanks go out to...
...All 13 Senate Democrats, who are standing together in their duty of standing up for *all* Arizonans -
- Sen. Ed Ableser
- Sen. David Bradley
- Sen. Olivia Cajero Bedford
- Sen. Steve Farley
- Sen. Steve Gallardo
- Sen. Katie Hobbs
- Sen. Jack Jackson ...
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Tags: Arizona Legislature, commentary
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
Wednesday, May 15th, 2013
By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings
Correction added on 5/15 - during my initial perusal of SB1492, it appeared as if some Medicaid expansion provisions were included in it already. While there are some changes to AHCCCS provisions contained in it, they are minor and *not* part of a Medicaid restoration package.
Well, the Senate has introduced its budget package, placing the Medicaid restoration plan in the budget itself but adding a kicker, SB1493.
It has the rather innoc...
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Tags: Arizona State Legislature, Budgets, commentary, CPMAZ Craig McDermott, healthcare
Posted in Blog For Arizona | Comments Off
Wednesday, May 15th, 2013
By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings
...'cuz some of them seem to be killing off their brain cells at an alarming rate...
On Tuesday, the House gave its approval, by an almost-completely party-line vote, to SCR1016.
That SCR places a proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution on the ballot in 2014. If passed by the voters, it would add a clause to that document stating that Arizona could "nullify", or ignore, any federal action, law or rule. AZBlueMeanie at Blog for...
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Tags: Arizona State Legislature, commentary, CPMAZ Craig McDermott, Legislation
Posted in Blog For Arizona | Comments Off
Wednesday, May 15th, 2013
'cuz some of them seem to be killing off their brain cells at an alarming rate...On Tuesday, the House gave its approval, by an almost-completely party-line vote, to
SCR1016.
That SCR places a proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution on the ballot in 2014. If passed by the voters, it would add a clause to that document stating that Arizona could "nullify", or ignore, any federal action, law or rule. AZBlueMeanie at Blog for Arizona has a great rundown of that
here.
This post is m...
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Tags: Arizona Legislature, commentary, Putting the AZ in crAZy
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013
Correction added on 5/15 - during my initial perusal of SB1492, it appeared as if some Medicaid expansion provisions were included in it already. While there are some changes to AHCCCS provisions contained in it, they are minor and *not* part of a Medicaid restoration package. Well, the Senate has introduced its budget package, placing the Medicaid restoration plan in the budget itself but adding a kicker,
SB1493.
It has the rather innocuous subject of "elections; omnibus".
It really should ...
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Tags: Arizona Legislature, AZbudget, BRB, commentary
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013
David Safier and
Tom Prezelski at Blog for Arizona (and in Tom's case,
Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion) and
Steve Muratore at Arizona Eagletarian broke the news that a possible deal on Senate passage of a budget and Medicaid restoration could be presented today.
The Arizona Capitol Times finally has the
story, but a subscription is required there.
Nothing is clear yet (most of the players aren't talking), but there are concerns that some members of the Democratic caucus are cutting their own deals wi...
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Tags: Arizona Legislature, commentary
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
Monday, May 13th, 2013
conducting a major witch hunt into the attack on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012.
If I thought that they were legitimately interested in preventing the unnecessary loss of American lives or addressing the safety of American diplomatic personnel, I could actually support the "inquiry".
However, given the
huge number of attacks on US embassies during the Bush Administration that took place with little more than a peep from the Rs, the thousands of Americans (and hun...
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Tags: 2014 speculation, commentary, IOKIYAR, short attention span musing
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Saturday, May 11th, 2013
By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings
As with the previous few weeks, there just isn't much on the schedule -
- Tuesday's House COW (Committee of the Whole) calendar is here. Two bills on the agenda, and one of them is a neo-secessionist special: SCR1016, a proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution declaring that Arizona can ignore any federal action that it doesn't like.
- On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce, Energy, and Military Committee is meeting to consider executive...
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Tags: Arizona State Legislature, commentary, CPMAZ Craig McDermott, Legislation
Posted in Blog For Arizona | Comments Off
Saturday, May 11th, 2013
- Tuesday's House COW (Committee of the Whole) calendar is
here. Two bills on the agenda, and one of them is a neo-secessionist special:
SCR1016, a proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution declaring that Arizona can ignore any federal action that it doesn't like.
- On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce, Energy, and Military Committee is
meeting to consider executive branch nominations. 9:30 a.m., SHR1.
- On the lege's Capitol Events
calendar, there is only one scheduled event - a pro...
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Tags: Arizona Legislature, commentary
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
Tuesday, May 7th, 2013
...
For the record, to the best of my knowledge, everything Bennett is doing is allowed under Arizona law.
...For the record2, everything Bennett is doing is definitive evidence supporting the idea that the last people who should be allowed to write or enforce ethics laws covering public officials are the public officials themselves. That's kind of like trusting the Mob with the writing and enforcement of racketeering laws.From
AZFamily.com (Phoenix channel 3), written by Dennis Welch (
empha... (more...)
Tags: 2014 campaign, AZSOS, Bennett, commentary, corruption?
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
Monday, May 6th, 2013
Apologies go out to both Jerry and readers for the tardiness on publishing this.
This was sent to me well before May 5th. However, it went to an email address that I don't check often, and I checked that address earlier today. After having last checked it at the beginning of April. :(
Anyway, on to Jerry's observations, published here with thanks -
Cinco de Mayo
It was 1959; I was almost finished with my second year in college. The subject came up in the telephone call to my parent...
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Tags: commentary, Guest Column
Posted in Random Musings | Comments Off
