Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Craig McDermott posted about the upcoming week in the legislature, and covered the Medicaid (AHCCCS) restoration and budget which moves to the House this week.

The Senate held the omnibus elections bill last week from its marathon appropriations bills session. The omnibus elections bill is likely to be scheduled for action in the Senate before the end of this week.

After a cursory review of SB 1493, it appears to me that Sen. Michele Reagan (R-Scottsdale) and Rep. Michel...

Posted by AZBlueMeanie:

Remember back around 2004 the attempt to create a "Buy Blue" list of businesses that are progressive? There was hesitation by many businesses to participate, because they feared the knee-jerk reaction of wingnuts who would boycott their business if they were identified as progressive.

During the Sandra Fluke advertising boycott of the drug adled Rush Limbaugh, I would get requests for a list of his advertisers to boycott. (This boycott is still going strong, by the way, a...

by Pamela Powers Hannley

The Downtown Tucson Partnership-- like other business groups before them-- has designs on the Ronstadt Transit Center (RTC). Since the early Feb. 5 City Council vote approving a 60-90 day public comment period before throwing the RTC to the dogs... er ... developers,  the Tucson Bus Riders Union held a public forum at the Rialto, compiled and organized hundreds written comments collected at the forum, met with City Councilwoman Karin Uhlich, and participated i...

by Pamela Powers Hannley

Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) members visited roughly 200 Congressional offices nationwide on May 15 with an urgent message for their representatives: "Austerity is not an option." In addition, 2,000 PDA members called their Congressional representatives yesterday, and Robin Hood Tax supporters held demonstrations in San Francisco and Fresno. Over the past year, PDA's monthly letter drop campaign has mushroomed from a handful of offices visited to nearly half o...

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Craig McDermott posted earlier about Senate President Andy Biggs' budget package introduced yesterday, and mentioned the omnibus elections bill tacked onto the appropriations bills. Here's Biggs' deal: Medicaid restoration in exchange for reducing voting rights.

After a cursory review of SB 1493, it appears to me that Sen. Michele Reagan (R-Scottsdale) and Rep. Michelle Ugenti (R-Scottsdale) have abandoned earlier attempts to modify their so-called election "reform" bill...

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Reminder from NALC 'Stamp Out Hunger' National Food Drive:

“On the second Saturday of May each year, thousands of letter carriers step forward and join our co-workers, family members, friends and community partners to pick up those all-important and often heavy sacks of donated non-perishable food items left by mailboxes,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “To get us there takes the dedication of hundreds of branch food drive coordinators, who have spent the last...

by Pamela Powers Hannley

With pressure from developers and the budget, the Tucson City Council once again is considering decisions which would reduce-- or at least hinder-- bus transportation.

Today, Tuesday, May 7, at the City Council study session, Councilwoman Shirley Scott is expected to propose a $2 million cut to Sun Tran services. The Bus Riders Union has sent out an action alert for citizens who want to preserve bus transportation to come to the study session, which begins at 1:30 p.m.�...

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Reminder from NALC 'Stamp Out Hunger' National Food Drive:

“On the second Saturday of May each year, thousands of letter carriers step forward and join our co-workers, family members, friends and community partners to pick up those all-important and often heavy sacks of donated non-perishable food items left by mailboxes,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “To get us there takes the dedication of hundreds of branch food drive coordinators, who have spent the last...

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The New York Times reports, Kennedy Library Gives Courage Award to Giffords:

Caroline Kennedy was not even 6 years old when her father was assassinated 50 years ago. And on Sunday, she said the hurt never heals.

“Our family is still suffering the heartbreak caused by gun violence,” Ms. Kennedy said here at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

She was here to honor another target of an assassin, one who lived. Gabrielle Giffords, the former Arizona cong...

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The election "reform" bills that have been stalled in the Arizona legislature, see (Update) Election 'reform' bills still stalled in the Arizona legislature, have been put on the calendar for Wednesday afternoon. Your urgent attention is requested.

Action Alert from the Arizona Democratic Party:

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday! We need your help. Zero hour is 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1st. That’s when a conference committee will meet to discuss Republican Senator Michele Reagan�...

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

During the 2012 campaign, Ethan Orr (aka "E.Orr") fashioned himself after moderate Tucson Republicans like former Reps. Pete Hershberger and Toni Hellon, and said he hopes to work with the southern Arizona Democratic delegation to pass legislation that can help the people and Tucson. The local media bought his act. Orr was elected to the House.

Rep. Orr (R-LD 9), voted in favor of HB 2455, which clarifies that local law-enforcement agencies must sell guns they acquire in...

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Announcement from Mi Familia Vota, May 1st Rally!: International Workers Day:

Join:

AFL-CIO | Arizona Center for Empowerment | Arizona Worker Rights Center | Black and Brown Coalition | CASE | Campaign for Citizenship | La Campesina Radio Network | LUCHA | Mi Familia Vota | Promise Arizona | PUENTE | SEIU Arizona | UFW Foundation | Arizona Immigration Ministry/ Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix | Somos America | Unite Here | Arizona Dream Act Coalition | ACLU ...

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

So how's that "De-Kook the Capitol" thing working out for ya, Laurie Roberts? The Glenn Beck conspiracy theorists, who apparently got burned in his Goldline fraud -- "The company’s business model was built on systemically swindling and scaring its mostly elderly clientele into purchasing overpriced gold coins, prosecutors in California alleged, leading the company to settle for $4.5 million in refunds to its customers," Beck-backed gold fraud? - Salon.com -- have fou...

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Earlier this week I posted about Senate Bill 1108, a bill that would eliminate the requirement that foster families fully immunize their own children. When ideology endangers public health - call your state representatives. The bill passed on a 33-24 party-line vote in the Tea-Publican-controlled House, but it wasn’t enough of a margin to tack an emergency clause onto the bill that would have it take effect immediately if the governor signs it.

Today the Arizona Republ...

by Pamela Powers Hannley

Has social media pushed us beyond the information age and into the age of goodness?

With the blurring of the lines between news and entertainment and the blurring of the definition of a "friend", futurist Watts Wacker told attendees of the Public Relations Society of America Western District Conference that we are creating a macro culture that will "replace the information age".

Wacker's presentation was a string of observations about "cultural transformation" in our e...

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, many of whom suffered the loss of their legs or serious injury, do not all have medical insurance coverage adequate to provide for their long-term care, prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation. The New York Times reports today, For Wounded, Daunting Cost; for Aid Fund, Tough Decisions:

For victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, the terrible physical cost may come with a daunting financial cost as well.

Many of the wounded could fa...

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I caught the European news on one of the PBS channels the other day and they did a report on a massive measles epidemic in Wales in Great Britain. The most important factor in this measles epidemic is that people had stopped immunizing their children against measles over the years. Measles outbreak in Wales soon to hit 1,000 - Daily Post North Wales:

Officials warned the outbreak could soon become the biggest in UK and Ireland for a generation, and may hit 1,000 cases by...

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Our lawless legislature is disregarding sound legal advice and passing unconstitutional legislation again, pissing away your tax dollars on the litigation which is certain to follow.

This time it is the Tea-Publican back-door assault on Citizens Clean Elections. Arizona Legislature OKs higher election-donor caps:

The Senate approved higher contribution limits Tuesday, as a grass-roots group lobbied state lawmakers to reject the measure and critics warned the bill is unco...

by Pamela Powers Hannley

Anyone who has lived in Tucson long enough knows that the vitality of downtown has ebbed and flowed with the winds of politics and the fortunes of capitalism.

Thanks to infrastructure investments, tax breaks, land deals, and the promise of Rio Nuevo college students with Daddy's credit cards, downtown is again on the upswing-- with swanky bars, over-priced restaurants, micro-breweries, maxi-dorms, and a modern street car to deliver college students to the main gate of...

April3 Update: New events have been added for April 6 and 9.

It’s only April 1, but already there is an impressive line-up of progressive events taking shape this month. In addition to these educational events, there are multiple fund-raisers for candidates, parties, and causes in April.  The list below is not meant to be all-inclusive. (Check out Facebook and the Pima County Democratic Party calendar or the calendar on Blog for Arizona for other events-- including multiple opportunities...