Marana in the dumps ...

Pima County Board of Supervisors plans to close the Tangerine Road landfill (near Marana) to the public and as a result Marana residents would need to travel at least 20 miles to Catalina Transfer Station. Then the Catalina Transfer Station will truck the refuge to the to the Tangerine Road landfill which will be 'open' to such well travelled rubbish.

Complete closing the Tangerine Road landfill to the public will cost $9 million for which the county does not have the money to pay and is " looking to have a bond election in the future." It's not clear, to me, whether 'complete closing' refers to some time after which Tangerine landfill no longer accepts transferred rubbish from Catalina nor is it clear, to me, what 'complete' closing entails. But it is clear, even to me, that complete closing does not mean just locking the doors and turning off the lights as it costs much dinero.

The above is what I gleaned from this article: Marana council irate over dump closure --Plan to shut Tangerine Landfill next year called irresponsible, but county disagrees by Shelley Shelton, Arizona Daily Star

Notice how the he said/he said nature of the article begins right in the subheading?

He said/he said journalism is a journalistic strategy that provides that the reporter never has to understand the subject matter.

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

Homeless on rooftops in Tucson ...

Homeless living on rooftops Downtown by Josh Brodesky

In recent months, dozens of homeless people — no one yet has a handle on how many — have taken to the rooftops, taking them off the street, out of sight and perhaps a little more out of harm's way. But in the process, they're subjecting the aging rooftops to damage, and the owners to concerns about such things as liability, theft, vandalism and repair costs.

Police copter flyovers could clear roofs by Josh Brodesky

Despite Downtown's homeless population being one of the top obstacles to redevelopment, city officials have not formally met with social-service agencies or Tucson police to put together a comprehensive plan to address the issue.

Questionable emergency-response plans for Pima County ...

Journalists (at the Arizona Daily Star) looking into the state of Pima County's emergency-response plans were met with obfuscation, delays, excuses and deceit.

"None of the five Local Emergency Planning Committee offices contacted in Arizona provided the complete plans. Some offices refused to give any information at all." [Plans not shared with public --County officials won't give info law says is yours by Monica Alonzo-Dunsmoor and Corinne Purtill]

A related article shows the length to which our ever increasing secret-minded government will go to to keep information out of the hands of the public:

"Often, privacy laws are taken to the extreme. In 2002 the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., refused to release medical records about Ryma the giraffe, claiming that the disclosure of such information would violate the animal's right to privacy, as well as veterinarian-patient confidentiality." [Accessing records --Freedom of information, feted this week, increasingly restricted, Opinion by David Cuillier]