Success ...

The responsible people with jobs and kids who pay taxes and pay their bills are leaving. Just like the Arizona Legislature and, evidently, Governor Napolitano wanted. I feel so secure now ...

Crackdown has illegal immigrants leaving Arizona

When Arizona does something that makes sense ...

I wasn't aware that Arizona had an 'I'm sorry law' for doctors who make mistakes. It makes sense. I think we all understand that physicians can make 'honest' mistakes. We certainly hope they don't make them on us and certainly do not want them making them through lack of diligence but we cannot expect them to never make a mistake.

Having laws that increase the risk in court for honest attempts at showing regret for mistakes is bad for everyone. I wonder how this law is working out?

Source: Tucson hardly 'judicial hellhole' for suits vs. docs by Anne T. Denogean

Corporate control of government ...

Corporations didn't like the suggestion that a homeowner could use a weak solution of vinegar and water to clean linoleum (and tile, by the way) floors instead of all those products that line the grocery store shelves.

What corporations don't like, the Arizona legislature outlaws.

Consequently since 1997 the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is prohibited by law from suggesting anything at all unless

the information is "competent and reliable and based on a test, analysis, research, study or other evidence that yields accurate and reliable results"

Arizonans are strong and resouceful and independent and don't need no stinking environment anyway. Arizonans just love using the more expensive and caustic heavily marketed products instead of cheaper and less caustic products.

"Because there is no industry to test whether a little soapy water helps with aphids or whether boric acid will help with cockroaches … and because these products are not 'registered' as pesticides, they cannot recommend most of this in lieu of some nasty chemical that we know kills stuff, but is bad for people or the environment," said Sandy Bahr, a Sierra Club lobbyist in Phoenix.

Anything the corporate mafia desires ... just let our legislatures know your latest wish.

It's unanimous. The Arizona legislature is made up of anti-Constitution jerks...

Arizona Daily Star: Shirts with dead troops' names would be banned by Howard Fischer owned and operated by Capitol Media Services

Arizona Daily Star: Free speech takes a hit in Legislature --Our view: Misguided, feel-good bill tramples First Amendment, merits veto

ADDED: RADAMISTO has images of the 'offending' T-shirt that caused Arizona's legislative to throw a hissy fit: WINGNUTTERY IN ARIZONA

What's the difference in handling the welfare of children and delivering packages?

Apparently nothing: CPS staff to see pay cuts if goal is unmet --Target is boost in numbers of kids kept in own homes by Josh Brodesky and Daniel Scarpinato

A frequent critic of CPS, state Sen. Karen Johnson, a Mesa Republican, called the policy "perverse. … We've absolutely seen that CPS workers are not being paid enough," she said, adding the base salary needs to be increased.

CPS workers are underpaid and understaffed. And perhaps under-trained. So are school teachers. Many, and increasing numbers, of children get no health care and many are poorly fed. It's not like we 'care' a lot about children in this country. But we do get so upset when a child is abused to death. The media has an orgy of fantasy/horror shows for a day or two. And then it's over or if it's election time the state legislative body may keep the show going by proposing legislation that will most likely make things worse.

If the CPS goal is not the child, but some statistical objective to keep children in the home, then why bother having a CPS at all?

Having a Democratic Governor helps ...

Arizona's Governor, Janet Napolitano, vetoed another idiotic piece of legislation concocted by our moronic GOoPer legislators.

Another enlightened Republican ...

Arizona Republican State Senator Ron Gould from Lake Havasu City voted against a bill requiring businesses to give emplohees needed time --to obtain a protection order from a court-- because

"If you are a good employee your boss is going to accommodate you because he wants to keep good employees"

Notice that Gould still lives in a world where all bosses are 'he.'

Sexism aside, is Gould thinking that a not-so-good employee does not deserve the time to get a protection order? Or that employees, good and bad, of a bad boss who refuses to give anyone time off for anything do not deserve the time to required to get a protection order?

Like most of the 'liberal' media ...

Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services questions sound like verbatim GOP talking points:

Arizona Daily Star: Labor official: All employees are welcome in state's unions

Arizona Legislature protects Maricopa County ...

The Arizona Legislature (in SB 1169) has decided to protect only Maricopa residents from having public documents posted on the web with SS numbers intact.

The Arizona legislature will allow the rest of us to individually 'request' the removal of our SS number from an online document ... starting in 2009. I can imagine how well that process will work ...

Why do we pay these legislative creatures anything at all? They should pay us for the privilege of calling themselves 'legislators' and 'representatives' and 'senators.'
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Arizona Daily Star: AZ bill keeps SS numbers off Internet --But legislation would apply solely to residents of Maricopa County by Daniel Scarpinato

Do Republicans really believe they are the party of small government?

If Republicans had their way they would require each and everyone of us to prove we are here legally before we could buy a loaf of bread.

Now they are going to add more bureaucracy to the granting of business licenses. Just what everyone needs. Increase the cost of doing business so that the Republicans can feel they've done something.

The Republican Way - Do Something, Anything; Except Think the Problem Through.
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The Arizona Daily Star - AZ House: Prove legal status to do business by Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

Scarpinato, Schwarminato ...

So Daniel Scarpinato of the Arizona Daily Star is denigrating southern Arizona Democratic legislators because the Republican majority ignores them.

Where have we heard this before. Perhaps Arizona will turn even bluer and then the Democrats can ignore the Republican legislators. But even though there is some payback when such swings take place Democrats never quite excel at revenge like the Republicans do.

Revenge, like injustice, lying and warmongering must be incorporated into those Conservative genes ... ya think?
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Area lawmakers getting little done --Dems' bills almost routinely snubbed; GOP fares better by Daniel Scarpinato

More inanities from an Arizona legislator ...

Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services and The Arizona Daily star writes:

A state lawmaker and others active in border issues plan to ask voters to punish employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers and force police to question people they stop about whether they're here legally.

If the Arizona Legislature cannot pass reasonable laws why should a legislator turn such issues into a public initiative.

Making employers responsible for 'knowingly' taking actions that are illegal usually makes sense. The problem with it in this case is that, although some immigrant documentation is straightforward, some forms are not and a small business is in no position to do more that look at the many forms of immigrant ID that comes across their desk and do the best they can with it. It would be much more constructive, a form of governance that Republicans eschew, to hold all employers responsible for paying all their employees legally (as in reporting wages, withholding appropriate taxes, etc.). If employers, and their employees, knew there would be regular audits to ensure all employees wages were being properly reported with the appropriate withholding and valid Social Security numbers it would be much more difficult for illegal immigrants to hide. Making the employer an enforcer of immigration law is a disservice to everyone.

The suggestion that the police be required to ask 'people they stop' about their immigrant status is another idiot suggestion. Really what TV show did Rep. Russell Pearce (R-Mesa) pop out of?
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Link: Employers, entrants targeted in 2 initiatives by Howard Fischer

When they're right, they're right ...

The Tucson Citizen opines:

But when it comes to relieving the shortage of beds for Arizona's ever-growing population of convicts, the state's latest foray into privatization so far has been more Enron than iPod.

Arizona's Republican Legislature

As usual Republican top priorities include cutting taxes for their friends. As sales taxes, property evaluations and fees go up. As services and roads deteriorate. You can count on the Repugs to look at the issue closest to their heart. Cutting taxes for their friends.

"State lawmakers are trying to figure out which tax cuts would give them the biggest bang for their buck." [No dearth of Arizona tax-cut proposals by Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Service]

Though I do agree, as astounding as that may be, with one proposal. I just don't trust the Republicans to adjust corporate income tax to make up for such a change. Before Bush -and Repugs in general- had shown their true colors it would not have pained me to agree with a Republican, but since I do agree I will state that I do. I agree with Republican Representative from Glendale, Rick Murphy, that the tax on business equipment "... is a silly tax."

I also think property tax is a silly tax. I would like to see all taxes limited to taxes on earnings and income and any wealth or property that changes ownership. But that's me and there's not much hope of a logical restructuring of our tax system. And it is extremely dangerous to the general citizen to let Repugs make money decisions and legislate about taxes, health, welfare, warfare or anything at all as they have shown us over and over again these last five years.

In general the American populace is either too trusting or fast asleep as it took way too long for many to understand the underlying greed, perversion and all around baseness upon which the current Republican Party is built. They sully the name of Conservative --and anything else the[y] touch.