I try to make a point not to read the Arizona Republic for a variety of reasons, but David Safier’s post over at Blog For Arizona prompted me to check out this morning’s eloquent op-ed by Senator Alfredo Gutierrez. Because I am a masochist, I checked out the comments and found them to be mostly [...]
It probably tells you everything that is wrong with the Republican Party in Pima County that the hopeless candidacy of the clueless Mike Polak has generated more excitement among their activist base than the candidacy of a guy who nearly won 4 years ago. Like Steve Kozachik, Ben Buehler-García distinguishes himself from most Republicans by [...]
Rumor has it that Senate President Andy Biggs (R-Atlas Shrugged) will be unveiling a “Tea Party” budget later today. Among other things, it reportedly includes a petulant $15 million cut to the Universities, and does not include the Governor’s proposed Medicaid expansion, despite the fact that it has bipartisan support. The proposed budget was apparently [...]
I have complained about this topic before. Back in 1967, an episode of Star Trek featured as its villain, a genetically engineered superman named Kahn. The creative team took the unusual step of imagining this character as a Sikh rather than the usual stereotypical Aryan Übermensch. Then, in what was in its time a strangely [...]
Recent chatter among folks who are ostensibly smarter than you and I tells us that Republicans are making an effort to appeal to “Hispanics.” An inter-party chingazo reported in Sonoran Alliance gives us some insight into why such efforts may be doomed. Though no one has yet declared for the 2014 Republican primary for Secretary [...]
This week, there was a settlement in the State of Arizona’s case against two Tucson Transportation Department supervisors who misappropriated at least $83000 in public resources for personal gain. They will each have to pay just $5000 to the city. This result is a failing by state, rather than city, officials. This fact cannot be [...]
When I started cross-posting on Blog For Arizona, Mike Bryan suggested that, at some point, I plug the book that I am working on. I am not going to do that, except to say that this post arises from someone else’s good book on the subject that actually cites my work. El Cinco de Mayo: [...]
To quote Truman Capote: “That’s not writing, that’s typing.” There is talk among the happy bunch over at Blog for Arizona that some response has to be made to a recent post at the Arizona Daily Independent regarding the discussion that happened last week after my post making a case for why my friend, Representative [...]
Senator Carl Hayden famously said that elected officials were either show horses or work horses. If you want to get your name in the papers, you should be a show horse. If you wanted to actually get things done, you should be a work horse instead. Because of the traumatic events of the past week, a [...]
Chad, We have known each other for nearly ten years. In that time you have been my friend, ally, and occasional opponent. Through it all, I have known you to be one of the keenest and most articulate public policy minds in the state. We also share similar taste in music, which just further proves [...]
