In The Aggregate - Arizona's political blogs » Steve Kozachik

Will the Tucson City Council Throw the Bus Riders Under the Bus?

p2h — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:54:20 +0000

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...

Republican gun parts & accessories businessman Mike Polak II to challenge Councilmember Fimbres in Ward 5

Carolyn Classen — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:40:35 +0000

On March 6, self employed Republican Mike Polak II filed his Statement of Organization with the Tucson City Clerk, with his intent to challenge one term Councilmember Richard Fimbres in Ward 5. He filed two amended statements thereafter. Bio from Polak: • The Boeing Company 1997 to 2012, Long Beach, CA & Tucson, AZ. Worked [...]

Tucsonans Fight to Keep City Safe for Guns– Not People (videos)

p2h — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:08:38 +0000

by Pamela Powers Hannley If only Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik had kept his big mouth shut about this whole gun control thing...but, no, he dared to discuss gun control at a public forum, he sponsored a local gun-buyback-and-destroy program...

Bolger, Kozachik…Who’s Next?

Ro Chambeau — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 05:31:57 +0000

The Arizona Daily Independent is reporting that Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik urinated in public on a wall at El Encanto this past Saturday. He’s spent the past several weeks peeing on the people who got him elected so, whatever. I guess he’s special so if he needs to take a leak, that’s totally OK, no matter where [...]

Arizona gun nuts or…bring on the clowns

Jack Dunning — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0000

When you live in the state of Arizona and regularly experience the insanity of a Republican state legislature led by a correspondingly moonstruck governor, it is hard to reconcile that these apparently unbalanced individuals are running your state. I grew up in the South and went through the States’ Rights movement and actually participated in a Dixiecrat rally in 1948. I thought these people were crazy then, and I think the states’ rights fanatics in Arizona are equally insane. And there are many who will agree with me.

Arizona State Legislature at work

The Blog For Arizona chides Arizona’s citizenry of gun nuts in attempting to pass legislation to close the loophole in allowing law enforcement to destroy guns not wanted by their owners by saying, “They seek to make the secular sacred by force of state law. In doing so they seek to use the power of "Big Brother" government to trample the rights of individuals to do with their private property as they see fit, which these groups comically pretend to defend.” BFA asks if Arizona is on the verge of making “idolatrous gun worship the state religion?”

I thought it already was.

“These people are truly insane,” says the BFA, quoting Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik as follows:

"This bill clearly illustrates that some people don't view guns like toasters. When it comes to guns, it's as though they hold some magical or sacred designation in their lives," Kozachik said. "They go around proclaiming to be for private property, but civil liberties are out the window when it comes to guns. I guess the message is, we can't do what we want with our property in this state if that property is a firearm."

Then another state legislative lunatic, Rep. Steve Smith, a Republican naturally, wants to make it illegal for any public servant to enforce "any act, law, statute, rule or regulation'' of the federal government relating to personal firearms or accessories as long as they remain inside Arizona. The problem with this, as even confirmed by a National Rifle Assn. (NRA) board member, is that it is putting federally licensed firearms dealers smack in the middle of a fight between the loonies in Arizona and the federal government. If passed, will probably end up in a court battle.

But it took Bloomberg to change Arizona’s designation from Valley of the Sun to “Valley of the Gun.” Arizona leads the nation in licensees to manufacture firearms. Add that to the loosest gun laws in the U.S. and you have a potential powder keg. They are calling it the “Insurrectionist Ideology,” which is what the current gun culture is all about. Bloomberg quotes one of the top gun control advocates today:

“It plays into this insurrectionist ideology that is at the core of the gun-rights movement: If the government is going to shackle me, I’ll become my own gunmaker, my own gun dealer,” said Ladd Everitt, communications director for the Washington-based Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. “There has been a really strong resurgence in this type of mentality that started when Obama was elected president.”

Bloomberg calls this country an “American Arsenal,” and rightfully so considering the approximately 300 million firearms owned by U.S. citizens which breaks down to an average of about 2.5 guns per household. However, since the concentration of gun ownership is confined to one-third of all households, the family arsenal is even bigger. Additional alarming figures are 10.8 million guns were sold in 2011, and in just January of 2013, there were 2,495,440 FBI NCIS background checks, the prelude to gun ownership.

And if you remember Tea Party-backed State Sen. Ron Gould, the head Arizona gun worshipper who ran for Congress and lost, well another crackpot gun nut has taken his place in the name of Sen. Kelli Ward, who mirrors Smith’s legislation, above, in the Senate. In many other states in this country these people would be labeled certifiable and committed. Ward’s legislation goes so far that Blog For Arizona says she would change the 2^nd Amendment as follows:

~~A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state~~, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Wayne LaPierre, the head gun worshipper at the NRA, would be proud of her.

Kozachik raises $10K, Taxpayers hosed for $1M

Ro Chambeau — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 18:45:10 +0000

Tucson City Councilman Steve “Lost Koz” Kozachik took office in 2009. He did some good things then inexplicably declared war on the state legislature and some sort of personal crusade against state Senator Frank Antenori. The same week he raised ten grand for a publicity stunt city gun purchase, Tucson taxpayers receive a $1M hosing. Guess which event got more media coverage? Coincidentally he’s just switched [...]

Steve Kozachik–Hypocrite of the Year? Updated, he endorses misogyny too!

Ro Chambeau — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 06:06:41 +0000

We know it’s barely mid October but a clear leader is emerging in Gila Courier’s Hypocrite of the Year competition: Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik. Steve was featured on Arizona Illustrated, a taxpayer funded program filmed on his employer’s taxpayer funded campus, shot with taxpayer funded cameras and broadcast on taxpayer funded transmission equipment, on a taxpayer funded network broadcast over [...]

Public forum today: Should RTA knock down 100 buildings to make Broadway look like a freeway? (poll)

Pamela Powers Hannley — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:31:51 +0000

Ward 6 City Councilman Steve Kozachik is shaking up local politics again– by fighting for the people and for common sense. Koz’s latest crusade is challenging the $71 million Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) project on Broadway Blvd. that would make Broadway outrageously wide between Euclid and Country Club and destroy 100 buildings, including an historic [...]