AZ Legislative Update

Farley Report, June 11, 2013

Howdy, Friends O’Farley…

When I started writing this afternoon, here was my opening:

“I’m afraid this Report isn’t nearly as exciting as I had hoped it would be last week. Most of the action looks to happen tomorrow and Thursday — I will update you as events unfold on my Facebook page, so check there to see the latest until I wrap it up next Tuesday in next week’s Report.”

How quickly things change.

I left a meeting about the TPT simplification bill in the Governor’s tower at 4:30 and returned to the Senate to discover an email saying something about floor action at 5:00. Which was very strange since we had adjourned for the day around 2pm.

When 5pm rolled around we discovered that the Governor decided she had had enough. Here is her tweet from a few minutes later:

“It’s time to complete the people’s business. No more delays. No more stall tactics. No more games. #SpecialSession  #AZMedicaid”

At 7:15pm we President Biggs gaveled us into Special Session, but no other Medicaid opponents were on the floor. We first-read the Governor’s budget bills and Medicaid expansion, then adjourned for the evening.

These budget bills are basically the Senate budget with a few changes for the better, including removal of the sunset date for the Medicaid restoration, and the restoration of the Department of Housing.

The plan as it exists now is for us to come in tomorrow (regular session floor at 10:30am, special session at 11am), second read the bills, debate in Committee of the Whole, then third read and send to the Governor for signature after midnight on tomorrow night/Thursday morning. Stay tuned.

So how did we get here?

We did virtually nothing for the rest of last week until yesterday, when only two bills were heard in the House Appropriations Committee — the Senate budget’s Health bill (SB1492), and a strike-everything bill allowing warrantless searches of abortion clinics, and needlessly restating the federal Hyde Amendment that precludes federal funding from going towards abortions (SB1069).

1069 was heard first — it is primarily another ideological effort to divide the moderate bipartisan coalition that supports the Senate budget. Despite its clear violation of the U.S. Constitution’s ban on unreasonable search and seizure, the bill obtained a party-line 7-4 approval. It was scheduled to be debated on the House floor today, but it was retained on the calendar for a future date. I hear there will be an effort to further amend the bill to make it marginally better. The topic may be moot now that the special session has changed all the dynamics.

The Medicaid restoration, as contained in the Senate Health budget bill, was heard next. The arguments weren’t much different that we had heard on the Senate floor when we passed it a few weeks ago. Proponents like AHCCCS Director Tom Betlach laid out the state’s four options:

1) Continue freezing out single childless adults, despite the violation of the voter-approved law to the contrary. This would cost us $880 million in taxpayer dollars over three years, confirmed by the Legislature’s own budget advisory committee.

2) Restore coverage for all childless adults, but do not cover those earning between 100% and 133% of the poverty level. This would cost us $1.3 billion over the next three years, even with federal matching funds, but would be consistent with voter-approved law.

3) Drop coverage for all childless adults — the 63,000 people currently covered, including 5,000 cancer patients and 2,000 people with severe mental illness. This would cost us nothing but our souls, public safety, and the death of our healthcare system from the cost of unreimbursed care. The Governor calls this option “morally repugnant and fiscally irresponsible.”

4) The Governor’s plan to restore coverage for 240,000 childless adults in poverty and expand coverage to 57,000 more adults earring up to 133% of the poverty line. This actually EARNS us $100 million in the General Fund over the next three years.

So there it is: Pay nearly a billion dollars in taxpayer money over the next three years to NOT cover 297,000 people and drive our hospitals into bankruptcy, or rake in $100 million more to our state treasury while covering them all. Any other choice but the Governor’s plan amounts to wasting taxpayer money, human lives, and the Arizona economy to make a political point.

The arguments against this were basically twofold: 1) We hate Obama and Obamacare, so we should be willing to hurt ourselves in order to prove how much we hate him and his policies; and 2) We can’t guarantee the Feds will keep giving us these matching funds four years from now, so we shouldn’t cover anyone in the meantime so we won’t have to drop them if the money ends in the future.

The first argument is not worth rebutting due to its raw and fearful partisan nature. The second argument makes no sense — wouldn’t those nearly 300,000 people who currently lack healthcare rather have coverage for the next four years than to not have coverage at all? Additionally, the same people making this argument had no problem chopping 130,000 childless adults and 60,000 kids in poverty three years ago when the budget picture looked bleak. Why would they have any trouble doing the same in the future?

A particularly interesting argument was offered by Rep. David Livingston (R-Peoria), which was that since Republicans control all branches of government, they should adopt a “Republican budget”. I would argue that the Governor has amply proven her Republican credentials, and she supports the Senate budget. In any case, the Arizona people don’t need a Republican budget or a Democratic budget, — we need a budget that works for everyone, regardless of party.

Livingston has proposed his own “People’s Budget”, which simply cuts 5% across the board from everything — health care, roads, hospitals, schools, CPS, developmentally disabled services, everything — then hoards away hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to do nothing for the Arizona citizenry. Not sure which “people” he is talking about to whom he dedicates this slash-fest, but I know I’ve not met any of them.

In that Monday Approps Committee, the Senate Health budget bill was defeated on another party-line vote 4-7. As as it turns out, it looks like that may have been the beginning of the end of the Governor’s patience on this issue.

Again, look at my Facebook page for updates this week until I give you the whole rundown of the action in next Tuesday’s Farley Report.

Thanks for your continuing faith in me as your Senator.

Steve

Steve Farley

Senator, District 9, Tucson

Paid for by Friends O’Farley

Friends O’Farley · PO Box 42081, Tucson, AZ 85733-2081, United States
This email was sent to hollacelyon@gmail.com. To stop receiving emails, click here.
You can also keep up with Friends O’Farley on Twitter or Facebook.

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Stand with me as I stand with Bisbee

Dear Friend,

A few weeks ago I began exploring a run for Governor of Arizona, and since then I have travelled across our state, visiting with people and listening. One of many bright spots is the small but beautiful city of Bisbee, a few miles from the border with Mexico, in Cochise County.

Bisbee’s population is just around 6,200 people, but Bisbee made national news this week by standing up for its citizens’ personal freedom. The Bisbee Council passed an ordinance Tuesday offering civil unions to all couples in the city.  These civil union certificates give couples the same rights and responsibilities as married couples, including property ownership, inheritance, guardianship and adoption rights. In other words, basic constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties assured to every American.  They affect people in the 4.8 square miles of Bisbee.

In the ordinance, the Council makes it clear that the City does not have authority to legalize same sex marriage.  But while Arizona’s constitution defines marriage, it is silent about civil unions, which gives Bisbee the authority to reasonably and fairly take this step on behalf of its citizens or as they wrote, “put an end to discriminatory practices within the City of Bisbee.”I am writing to ask you to stand with me as I stand with Bisbee. We cherish our freedom, and Bisbee has the right to offer civil unions without big government interference.

It is a disappointment that Attorney General Tom Horne has threatened a lawsuit against Bisbee for taking a stand against discrimination and in favor of personal liberty.  Please stand with me as I stand with Bisbee by adding your name to our petition.

Arizonans do not need or want big government interfering in our personal lives. Our state faces serious economic and fiscal challenges, and our leaders should focus on solving them, not judging who or how our neighbors, sons and daughters can love.

Please click here to stand up for Arizona’s liberty by adding your name to our petition.

Sincerely, Fred
Paid for by Fred DuVal Governor 2014. Copyright 2013

Best and Worst Run States in America — An Analysis Of All 50

For the second year, 24/7 Wall St. has reviewed data on financial health, standard of living and government services by state to determine how well each state is managed. Based on this data, 24/7 Wall St. ranked the 50 states from the best to worst run. The best-run state is Wyoming. The worst-run state is California.

Comparing the 50 states can be a challenge because they are so different. Some states have abundant natural resources while others rely on service or innovation. State populations also can be more rural or more urban. Some had booming industries that are waning or that have disappeared altogether. Border states with large immigrant communities have populations that are growing rapidly. Many states in the Northeast are not growing at all.

All of these factors affect the finances and the living conditions in a state. Despite these differences, states can do a great deal to control their fate. Well-run states have a great deal in common with well-run corporations. Books are kept balanced. Investment is prudent. Debt is sustainable. Innovation is prized. Workers are well-chosen and well-trained. Executives, including elected and appointed officials, are retained based on merit and not politics.

(Listed from Best Run to Worst Run)

47. Arizona

> State debt per capita: $1,882 (9th lowest)

> Pct. without health insurance: 16.9% (16th highest)

> Pct. below poverty line: 16.3% (tied for 13th highest)

> Unemployment: 9.1% (18th highest)

Arizona’s housing market was one of the worst hit in the country during the housing crisis. Home values have dropped 28.6% since 2006, the fourth worst rate in the country. In October 2011, one in every 259 housing units were foreclosed upon, which was the third worst rate that month in the U.S. Arizona also has one of the lowest credit scores in the country after its downgrade to AA- in 2009.

A Lesson in Critical Thinking…

Did anyone notice how many times they change subjects (solar vs. renewable) and comparison bases (residential vs commercial) and how they never talk about the environment or phasing out dirty coal and oil?

Our AZ Corporation Commissioners hard at work justifying backing-up on renewable energy incentives.  Here it comes “taxpayers!”

Judy Kany Chimes In!

Feb 10, AZ Daily Star

Traditional public education works where expectations are high (part 1)

NW Explorer News,   Posted: Wednesday, February 6, 2013,

by Linda Thomas, Oracle School Board Member |

Our AZ Legislators & County Officials are Gearing Up for 2013…

…And so it begins again!

County Attorney Fires Everyone With Experience! What is he afraid of?

Our Governor is at It Again!  She has the proverbial “Fox Watching the Hen House!”

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Trying to Stop Us from Voting!?  Remind you of Dade County in 2000?  Sounds like a third world country doesn’t it?

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Our Country is Getting Stronger Under Its Strong Leadership–President Obama

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The false “Cliff” is just a bump.  Don’t let the Republican framing machine scare you!

from MoveOn.org

It’s almost hard to believe after such a lopsided defeat in the election, but Republicans in Congress are pushing for a “fiscal deal” that would extend the Bush tax cuts for the rich and slash Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits before the end of the year—and they might win.
They’ve fabricated a story that, somehow, our economy will fall apart if they don’t get what they want. It’s not true, but negotiations are underway and a “deal” could come together at any time.

This is a crucial moment—before a deal emerges—when we need Congress to know where we stand. Can you call your members of Congress and tell them:

“Don’t back any fiscal deal unless it lets the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% expire, as scheduled, on December 31 and doesn’t cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits.”
Here’s where to call:

Senator Jon Kyl                  Senator John McCain
Phone: (202) 224-4521     Phone: (202) 224-2235

Representative Ron Barber
Phone: (202) 225-2542

Then, please report your call by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSAZ_2.FSAZ_1.FHAZ_08&cp_id=1848&id=58518-18110493-LU41aex&t=2

From Holly:  I called Rep. Barber’s office and talked to one of his people.  I also talked to Sen. McCain’s voice mail.  I let them know that I want the Bush tax cuts to expire on all but the top incomes, and that Medicare and Medicaid should be left alone.  As for Social Security, deleting the ceiling on wage contributions, that now stands at $110,000, would do a lot to take care of our Country’s long term fiscal issues.  (Those are my thoughts.)

Same Old Grand Old Party! –x 2 (From Politico)

By JAKE SHERMAN | 11/27/12 5:09 PM EST Updated: 11/28/12 12:30 PM EST

At the top of House committees, it’s a man’s world.  Not a single woman will lead any of the major House committees in the 113th Congress.

After a day of meetings closed to the public, the House Republican Steering Committee announced an all-male slate of committee chairs, including 12 returning lawmakers who will head up some of the most important panels in Washington. The chairs for the House Ethics Committee and House Administration Committee have yet to be chosen, so a woman could end up in one of those slots.

The top female contender to lead a major committee was Michigan Rep. Candice Miller, who lost a battle for the chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee to Texas Rep. Mike McCaul.
Women did make big gains in Republican leadership. Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers will be House Republican Conference chairwoman, Kansas Rep. Lynn Jenkins will be her vice chairwoman and North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx will be conference secretary. The freshman representative in leadership will be Missouri Rep.-elect Ann Wagner, who took Rep. Todd Akin’s seat.
New chairmen include Reps. Jeb Hensarling of Texas atop Financial Services, Ed Royce of California on Foreign Affairs, Bob Goodlatte of Virginia on Judiciary, Lamar Smith of Texas on the Science, Space and Technology Committee and Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania atop Transportation and Infrastructure.

Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan was the only lawmaker to obtain a waiver to bypass House GOP rules to remain as a chairman for a fourth term. He will lead the Budget Committee again.
House Democrats are likely to have five women as ranking members committees: Rep. Nita Lowey (N.Y.) or Rep. Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) on Appropriations, Rep. Maxine Waters (Calif.) on Financial Services, Rep. Louise Slaughter (N.Y.) on Rules, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas) on Science and Rep. Nydia Velazquez (N.Y.) on Small Business.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/84293.html#ixzz2DYBpcXOh

and…twice…

Obamacare’s many contraception lawsuits

By KATHRYN SMITH | 11/28/12 4:39 AM EST
War on women — meet war on religious employers.

The first battle played out in the voting booth.
The second is unfolding in the courts — and the Supreme Court may eventually weigh in on questions about constitutionally protected religious freedom, the public good and whether secular corporations can be, as one judge put it, the “alter ego” of their religious owners.
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed in protest of the Obama administration’s policy that most employers include no-cost coverage of FDA-approved prescription contraceptives in health plans.
Churches and some — not all — religious organizations are exempt. But more than three dozen for-profit and nonprofit organizations have gone to court, citing religious objections to the birth control coverage rule, which itself is part of the women’s health provisions in the controversial health law. The suits only affect this section of the law and wouldn’t affect the rest of Obamacare — except by keeping some of the opponents all fired up.
Here’s a rundown on who is suing — and the big legal issues at stake.

Businesses
For-profit companies have challenged the provision on religious liberty grounds.

Religious groups
The second category of plaintiffs are religiously affiliated entities — schools, universities and dioceses.

Can a business exercise religion?
The government argues: absolutely not.

Is mandatory contraception coverage a “substantial burden” on practicing religion?
Catholic challengers say offering contraception violates a clear, consistent and deeply held belief system.

Body or soul? Women’s health versus free exercise of religion
Under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the government is allowed to impose a substantial burden on religious practice if it can prove it has a “compelling interest” — and it furthers that interest in the least restrictive way possible.

Read the details within paragraphs, and more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/84302.html

 On to 2014!

DuVal’s new book a first step in possible gubernatorial run

By Jeremy Duda – jeremy.duda@azcapitoltimes.com
Published: November 19, 2012 at 2:30 pm

Fred DuVal is touring the state to promote his new book, and possibly a run for governor in 2014 as well.

DuVal, a former chairman of the Arizona Board of Regents, Clinton White House aide and longtime Democratic operative, is considering running for governor. He said his new book, “Irons in the Fire,” is meant to coincide with his possible candidacy.

For months, DuVal has declined to comment on rumors that he was eying the Ninth Floor. But now that the 2012 election is over, he acknowledged that he’s interested in the job, though he said he hasn’t made up his mind yet.

“Why be coy about the obvious?” DuVal told the Arizona Capitol Times. “I definitely am doing things that are intended to field test the notion and position me to maximize the opportunity, should I take it.”

DuVal’s book tour is taking him across Arizona, from Williams on Sunday to Sierra Vista on Monday, followed by upcoming stops in Douglas, Safford and Nogales, among other places.

The book is a collection of op-eds and essays, primarily in The Arizona Republic but in other newspapers as well, that DuVal has written over the past two decades. The 131-page book is broken down into four subject areas – education, economic development, foreign policy and political reforms – with some going back to the 1980s.

“I’ve sort of put some editorial context around each topic to point out what’s still most relevant,” he said. “Because I’ve made a habit of writing so often, I realized that I really had critical mass. I had something I wanted to say that was current, as well as something which, for my family and kids, would express my commitment to the state and my engagement in civic life.”

DuVal has an extensive resume, and said his experiences both in Arizona and Washington, D.C. would make him a strong candidate for governor. In the 1980s, he served as legislative liaison for Gov. Bruce Babbitt, and served as Babbitt’s chief of staff after he became President Bill Clinton’s secretary of the Interior. DuVal later headed up Clinton’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, where he worked with the states on welfare reform and an interstate court settlement with tobacco companies.

After returning to Arizona, DuVal served on the Board of Regents and on the state’s commerce board. He works with Texas businessman T. Boone Pickens on clean energy issues, and runs a consulting firm, DuVal & Associates. He also served two stints as a Democratic national committeeman.

“I have … an almost 40-year track record of getting big things done. Not talking, but getting big things done. My six years as Gov. Babbitt’s legislative aide was arguably the most productive time in recent Arizona history. We did the groundwater act and AHCCCS and the Phoenix freeways and a number of very, very big things,” DuVal said. “It’s all about tangible results on big issues. I think if I do run, it will be because I believe that we are in a place where we need to move forward on a less partisan basis, around bigger achievements, particularly in the workforce education-economic development sphere, and that’s my strong suit.”

Irons in the Fire is DuVal’s second book. His first, Calling Arizona Home, was released in 2005.

DuVal is one of two Democrats widely viewed a probable candidate for governor in 2014, when the seat will be open. The other, House Minority Leader Chad Campbell, also has not yet made a decision on whether to run.

“I’m not going to rush a decision. My focus is on the Legislature,” said Campbell, D-Phoenix. “I’m thinking about it obviously, and I want to have an honest discussion with people as I consider running for this position.”

On the Republican side, Secretary of State Ken Bennett, state Treasurer Doug Ducey, Attorney General Tom Horne, Sen. Steve Pierce and Mesa Mayor Scott Smith are all viewed as potential candidates for governor.

The morning was cold and the sky was bright. Aretha Franklin wore a large and interesting hat. Yo-Yo Ma urged his frozen fingers to play the cello, and the Reverend Joseph E. Lowery, a civil-rights comrade of Martin Luther King, Jr.,’s, read a benediction that began with “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the segregation-era lamentation of American realities and celebration of American ideals. On that day in Washington—Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009—the blustery chill penetrated every coat, yet the discomfort was no impediment to joy. The police estimated that more than a million and a half people had crowded onto the Mall, making this the largest public gathering in the history of the capital. Very few could see the speakers. It didn’t matter. People had come to be with other people, to mark an unusual thing: a historical event that was elective, not befallen.

Just after noon, Barack Hussein Obama, the forty-seven-year-old son of a white Kansan and a black Kenyan, an uncommonly talented if modestly credentialled legislator from Illinois, took the oath of office as the forty-fourth President of the United States. That night, after the inaugural balls, President Obama and his wife and their daughters slept at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, a white house built by black men, slaves of West African heritage.

Obama succeeded George W. Bush, a two-term President whose misbegotten legacy, measured in the money it squandered and the misery it inflicted, has become only more evident with time. Bush left behind an America in dire condition and with a degraded reputation. On Inauguration Day, the United States was in a downward financial spiral brought on by predatory lending, legally sanctioned greed and pyramid schemes, an economic policy geared to the priorities and the comforts of what soon came to be called “the one per cent,” and deregulation that began before the Bush Presidency. In 2008 alone, more than two and a half million jobs were lost—up to three-quarters of a million jobs a month. The gross domestic product was shrinking at a rate of nine per cent. Housing prices collapsed. Credit markets collapsed. The stock market collapsed—and, with it, the retirement prospects of millions. Foreclosures and evictions were ubiquitous; whole neighborhoods and towns emptied. The automobile industry appeared to be headed for bankruptcy. Banks as large as Lehman Brothers were dead, and other banks were foundering. It was a crisis of historic dimensions and global ramifications. However skillful the management in Washington, the slump was bound to last longer than any since the Great Depression.

(finish the story:  http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2012/10/29/121029taco_talk_editors?mbid=nl_Weekly%20%2827 )

SIGNAGE RULES in SaddleBrooke

[click here]   SB HOAs’ signage rules, the new law, and conclusions

 HOAs #1 #2 have adopted the new law’s limits.  It allows multiple signs, with a combined area no greater than 9 square feet.  (One normal yard sign is 18 inches by 24 inches, for an area of 3 square feet.)

The new law mandates that signs do NOT have to be commercially produced (so you may make them as ugly as you want to) and communities may NOT restrict use of both sides.

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October Initiative to drive the media:

1. Social Media

Facebook comments to the media are monitored.  Whatever social media you use, please use it!

2. Old Media

Every Democrat should send a letter to the editor!  It doesn’t matter whether or not it gets published.  News topics are driven by what people want to hear, and Editors are swayed by subjects you send to them. 

(1) to the Arizona Daily Star  (Letter To Editor AZ Star (email:  letters@azstarnet.com) and

(2) to the local newspaper, e.g., Northwest Explorer (go to:  https://explorernews-dot-com.bloxcms.com/site/forms/online_services/letter/), Tucson Weekly, etc.

Early voting has started, so write that letter today!

—————— VOTERS—Important info about your ballots and voting———-

For LD 11 House of Representatives–JUST   VOTE   DAVE!!  (Only vote for this one candidate, even though you may vote for two)

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 This article, from the “New York Times,” is about YOU!   It speaks to the sane amongst the extremists that have shaped the national media’s version of Arizona. 

This is a perfect time to be an Arizonan!  You are the right person, in the right place, at the right time!  Together, each in the privacy of your homes or out campaigning for your candidates, doing what you do to support balance, fairness, and true democracy, together, are showing America that the people can and do act.  That the people’s will is to hold to our country’s values of respecting and embracing diversity of views, and working out problems together rather than rigidly marching lockstep to one drum beat.  You are  the real Arizona!         (Holly’s comments)

The Arizonification of America
By JEFF BIGGERS
Phoenix, Ariz.

With the “papers please” provision of Arizona’s controversial SB 1070 immigration law now in effect, Bill Clinton roused an overflowing crowd at Arizona State University last week with a special shout out to the state’s “dreamers,” the highly organized ranks of undocumented youth seeking permanent residency either through education or the military (and sometimes both). Appearing on behalf of the former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, whose surging campaign to become the first Latino Senator in Arizona now leads in the latest polls, Clinton drew some of his biggest cheers for his support of the DREAM Act merely by calling it the “right thing to do.”

Welcome to the Arizona showdown.

Underscored by Gov. Jan Brewer’s latest act of defiance in denying state benefits to undocumented youth affected by President Obama’s deferral of immigration action against them, the Republican Party’s full embrace of Arizona’s immigration policy at its summer convention drew a clear line in the state’s sand. The “Arizonification” of America continues to frame the national immigration debate. It has cemented the state’s frontline image as so hopelessly wedded to a punitive approach of “attrition through enforcement” at any cost that “The Daily Show” once referred to Arizona as the “meth lab of democracy.”

Not that the headline-grabbing nativists, frontier justice sheriffs, neo-Nazi marchers, gun-toting militiamen and Tea Party political figures don’t exist in Arizona. But as the estimated 5,500 in attendance for Carmona and Clinton reminded the state, the fringe elements dominating the media and Arizona’s state house may have finally met their match. Case in point: An electrified citizens’ campaign has mounted the most serious get-out-the-vote effort against Joe Arpaio, the notorious Maricopa County Sheriff, in his 20-year reign.

The resurgence of this “other Arizona” signals a revival of the state’s century-old legacy of fighting against such anti-immigrant and thinly veiled racism, a movement that began almost as soon as Arizona’s entry as a territory in the mid-19th century. For example, in Tucson, the pioneering Mexican immigrant Estevan Ochoa not only salvaged public education but single-handedly faced down the Confederate occupation of the Old Pueblo. When the Tucson Unified School District dismantled its acclaimed Mexican-American Studies program in Ochoa’s hometown last spring, Latino youth were quick to rekindle his memory.

  (Continue by clicking here.)

Jeff Biggers is the author, most recently, of “State Out of the Union: Arizona and the Final Showdown Over the American Dream.”

Arizona is Officially “Purple”   Fri., Sep 28, 2012

…but don’t get complacent.  Just get Enthusiastic and get Involved!

Sending an email for the third day in a row on the same subject is not something we at the Arizona Democratic Party usually do. We value your time and support and don’t want to overwhelm you with emails, but this isn’t an ordinary time — and these articles are just too good to pass up: The news just keeps on getting better! The lead in the Phoenix Business Journal today is “New poll shows Romney, Flake losing leads in Arizona”: A new survey by a Republican polling firm shows tight races for U.S. president and U.S. Senate in Arizona. The Arizona survey by Portland, Ore.-based Moore Information gives Mitt Romney a 46 percent to 42 percent lead over President Barack Obama. That comes after a bipartisan Purple Strategies poll showed Romney with only a 3-point lead over Obama in Arizona. Romney held more comfortable leads in polls before these two recent surveys. The Moore poll also shows U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., with a 43 percent to 40 percent lead over former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona in the U.S. Senate race to fill the seat being vacated by the retiring Jon Kyl. And Arizona continues to gain national attention. Respected journalist, Howard Fineman writes: You couldn’t make up the impressive biography of Richard Carmona of Tucson, Ariz. Hollywood would never buy it. But Carmona is real — and one reason why Republicans are losing what once looked like a good shot at retaking the U.S. Senate…Now the Carmona-Flake race is considered a tossup, and President Barack Obama, though still behind, is slowly but noticeably gaining ground. Tomorrow is Saturday. The team will be out knocking on doors most of the day, so you probably won’t be getting a fourth email from us. We have almost crossed the finish line — just 12 days until early ballots are mailed. Help us keep the momentum going, click here to make a donation and give us a turbo boost in these last few weeks! Dan Mitchell Finance Director Arizona Democratic Party——————————————————–

Can you believe it! …and then they adjourned!

From:  “The Truth Team”

Many of your friends and family members are probably tuning into the election for the first time right around now. That means it’s more important than ever to get President Obama’s back and make sure voters know about the clear choice we have in this election. One of Mitt Romney’s senior advisers recently told a reporter that they wouldn’t let their campaign “be dictated by fact-checkers.” That, at least, was a moment of honesty, but it underscores why we can’t let up on getting the facts out as Election Day gets closer.               #1 Romney’s manufacturing falsehoods Romney is out with a new ad about manufacturing and trade with China. It lies about the President’s record — and it doesn’t tell the truth about Romney’s, either. It’s the sort of fact-free ad that we’ve come to expect from the Romney campaign, and we have to push back on every single one. I recorded a video to take on the ad’s distortions, and to talk about the President’s real record on manufacturing and China. Take a look, and share it with others: #2 Romney’s China hypocrisy Romney says he’ll be tough on China, but his record shows the opposite. Before he started claiming that he’d stand up to China and its unfair trade practices, he was profiting off of them. He maintained his investment in a Chinese manufacturing company that relied on outsourcing American jobs — even after seeing its poor working conditions, which he described as surrounded by barbed wire and packed with 12 women per dormitory room. When our competitors started a global race to the bottom, rather than placing a premium on creating American jobs and lifting the middle class, Romney dove in head first. Take a look at this new campaign ad that shows how he’s failed to stand up for American workers – then share it with your friends: #3 The choice for middle-class and low-income families Over the past four years, President Obama has been dedicated to strengthening the middle class, and making sure everyone who is willing to work has the opportunity to climb out of poverty and into the middle class. But Mitt Romney has a different plan — he’d return us to the same failed economic policies of the past that benefited a wealthy few, let down the middle class, and crashed the economy. Check out campaign policy director James Kvaal’s post about what each candidate’s economic plan would mean for middle-class and low-income families, and pass it along: #4 Obamacare by the numbers We’re already seeing clear signs that Obamacare is working. Reports show that consumers have saved more than $2 billion on their premiums with the help of Obamacare’s protections against overcharging by insurance companies. And the Census Bureau reported this week that the number of uninsured Americans fell from 16.3 percent to 15.7 percent this year — the first decrease in years. Take a look at this post on Obamacare’s impact, and be sure others do, too: #5 The President’s strong record on Israel President Obama’s commitment to the state of Israel has never wavered. That was reaffirmed earlier this week when he and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had an hour-long conversation in which they reiterated their shared commitment to addressing the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program, and pledged to stay in close consultation. Take a look at this video of Israeli President Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Ehud Barak talking about the President’s unprecedented level of support for Israel, then share it with your friends: Looking for another way to help spread the word to voters about all of the progress we’ve made? Watch the new campaign ad that looks at how far we’ve come over the past four years, and what’s at stake over the next four, then hit the phones to talk to voters about President Obama’s record. With our online call tool, it’s easy to get started, and we’ll give you all the information you need. Check it out, and make a few calls this week. Thanks for all you do, P.S. — With the campaign heating up, you can expect to see a lot of dirty tactics — sinister robocalls, nasty chain emails, and smears by mail. If you see one of these attacks, report it here.   ==================================================== The gap is closing and Democrats all over Arizona, and the local area need your help to turn AZ Blue!  …and we plan to do just that in November! Here’s how you can help: 1.  Help Jo Holt defeat Sen. Al Melvin (the guy who asked to bring the country’s nuclear waste to AZ!)  in the LD 11 State Senate race.  Wear a bright orange t-shirt and come to an event.  Drop literature for Jo, and more.  Write to:  info@holt4senate.com  and say you want the Newsletters so you can come to an event and show your support! 2.  Call or answer phones for at the NW Office, on Magee, just behind the McDonald’s.   For contact info click here:  NW Office

Help get out the Vote!!

3.  If it’s more convenient, volunteer at the Democratic Headquarters down- town. Speak Spanish?  You’re golden! Call 326-3716. 4.  Attend Democratic meetings or Candidate parties. 5.  Share your enthusiasm with your neighbors! 6.  Register new voters!  Call OFA (Organizing for America) in Tucson and talk to Trevor Gervais: (520) 247-8998 7.  Wave a banner for Democratic values by writing a letter to the editor. 8.  Put up a candidate’s yard sign in your yard and do the same for others. (Go to Holly’s house, 37812 S. Desert Bluff Dr.) 9.  Donate! 10. Be sure you know your candidates. Visit them at their websites. You can find them on our 2012 Candidates page.

  07/19/2012 Ann Romney vs. You the People        By Alexandra Petri

Oops.  “We’ve given all you people need to know,” said Ann Romney on “Good Morning America” Thursday, asked about the Romney tax returns.

The Manufactured Indignation Machine, never short on orders, suddenly churned into top gear. There are many worse things to be called than “you people.” But if this is the closest thing to gold that Ann Romney gives the Machine to use, then this is what the Machine will spin back into straw and set on fire. It is possible to say “you people” affectionately and without a hint of a sneer, in a tone that makes it clear that you think highly of your interlocutor’s intellect and are speaking with respect and affection. Just say it the way Aaron Sorkin wouldn’t. “Oh, you people!”

Read the rest of the article:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/post/ann-romney-vs-you-the-people/2012/07/19/gJQAVWF1vW_blog.html

CBO now projects that “the law would reduce the deficit by slightly more than it had originally forecast.”

CBO: Fed tax rates hit historic low

Federal taxes for American households averaged 17.4 percent in 2009.

By TIM MAK | 7/11/12 8:50 AM EDT      in Politico

The average tax rates for American households reached a historical low in 2009, according to a report issued by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

Indeed, federal taxes for American households averaged 17.4 percent in 2009, a historical low over the 1979 to 2009 period.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78386.html#ixzz20K55HxSV

Inside the Koch World convention

David and Charles Koch’s operation is increasingly resembling a political party. By KENNETH P. VOGEL and TARINI PARTI | 6/15/12 4:35 AM EDT

The Koch brothers’ political operation has increasingly come to resemble its own political party — and later this month in San Diego, it will hold what amounts to its most ambitious convention to date.

Many of the dozens of rich conservative invitees are expected to write huge checks to a pool of cash distributed among Koch-approved groups, potentially boosting the Kochs’ 2012 spending plan beyond their historic $395 million goal. And it’s also a chance for the Kochs to show off their increasingly robust political machine, including a growing voter database project called Themis that played a major role in conservatives’ recent efforts in Wisconsin and in which POLITICO has learned Koch operatives have discussed investing $20 million.

Read the rest: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0612/77453.html

Government is the solution

By E.J. Dionne Jr., Published: June 10

Why don’t Democrats just say it? They really believe in active government and think it does good and valuable things. One of those valuable things is that government creates jobs — yes, really — and also the conditions under which more jobs can be created.

You probably read that and thought: But don’t Democrats and liberals say this all the time? Actually, the answer is no. It’s Republicans and conservatives who usually say that Democrats and liberals believe in government. Progressive politicians often respond by apologizing for their view of government, or qualifying it, or shifting as fast as the speed of light from mumbled support for government to robust affirmations of their faith in the private sector.

This is beginning to change, but not fast enough. And the events of recent weeks suggest that if progressives do not speak out plainly on behalf of government, they will be disadvantaged throughout the election-year debate. Gov. Scott Walker’s victory in the Wisconsin recall election owed to many factors, including his overwhelming financial edge. But he was also helped by the continuing power of the conservative anti-government idea in our discourse. An energetic argument on one side will be defeated only by an energetic argument on the other.

The case for government’s role in our country’s growth and financial success goes back to the very beginning. One of the reasons I wrote my book “Our Divided Political Heart” was to show that, from Alexander Hamilton and Henry Clay forward, farsighted American leaders understood that action by the federal government was essential to ensuring the country’s prosperity, developing our economy, promoting the arts and sciences and building large projects: the roads and canals, and later, under Abraham Lincoln, the institutions of higher learning, that bound a growing nation together.

Both Clay and Lincoln battled those who used states’ rights slogans to crimp federal authority and who tried to use the Constitution to handcuff anyone who would use the federal government creatively. Both read the Constitution’s commerce clause as Franklin Roosevelt and progressives who followed him did, as permitting federal action to serve the common good. A belief in government’s constructive capacities is not some recent ultra-liberal invention.

Decades of anti-government rhetoric have made liberals wary of claiming their legacy as supporters of the state’s positive role. That’s why they have had so much trouble making the case for President Obama’s stimulus program passed by Congress in 2009. It ought to be perfectly obvious: When the private sector is no longer investing, the economy will spin downward unless the government takes on the task of investing. And such investments — in transportation and clean energy, refurbished schools and the education of the next generation — can prime future growth.

Yet the drumbeat of propaganda against government has made it impossible for the plain truth about the stimulus to break through. It was thus salutary that Douglas Elmendorf, the widely respected director of the Congressional Budget Office, told a congressional hearing last week that 80 percent of economic experts surveyed by the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business agreed that the stimulus got the unemployment rate lower at the end of 2010 than it would have been otherwise. Only 4 percent disagreed. The stimulus, CBO concluded, added as many as 3.3 million jobs during the second quarter of 2010, and it may have kept us from lapsing back into recession. So when conservatives say, as they regularly do, that “government doesn’t create jobs,” the riposte should be quick and emphatic: “Yes it has, and yes, it does!” Indeed, our unemployment rate is higher today than it should be because conservatives blocked additional federal spending to prevent layoffs by state and local governments — and because progressives, including Obama, took too long to propose more federal help. Obama’s jobs program would be a step in the right direction, and he’s right to tout it now. But he should have pushed for a bigger stimulus from the beginning. The anti-government disposition has so much power that Democrats and moderate Republicans allowed themselves to be intimidated into keeping it too small. Let’s turn Ronald Reagan’s declaration on its head: Opposition to government isn’t the solution. Opposition to government was and remains the problem. It is past time that we affirm government’s ability to heal the economy, and its responsibility for doing so. ejdionne@washpost.com ================================

Want to Know Who Is Running in Our Legislative and Congressional Districts, County, and School District? 

Go Election HQ menu and take a look at the regions you’re interested in and follow links to those candidates’ web sites, if they have one.

================================ From Politifact.com, an Analysis of Romney’s False Claims Regarding Spending by the Obama Administration: 

Viral Facebook post says Barack Obama has lowest spending record of any recent president

This graphic, summarizing an article in MarketWatch.com, caught fire in liberal social media circles almost immediately after the original story was posted. We checked its accuracy.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This item prompted a large volume and feedback and comments. We published an article about the comments on May 25 and an update to this item on May 31. You’ll find the update below, at the end of the fact-check. On May 22, 2012, Rex Nutting, the international commentary editor for the financial website MarketWatch, published acolumn titled, “Obama spending binge never happened.” Nutting’s column explored data on federal spending patterns during recent presidencies, concluding that — contrary to the tax-and-spend stereotype of Democrats — President Barack Obama has actually presided over the smallest increases in federal spending of any recent president. The column went viral. Within hours, people who liked the column were posting a graphic on Facebook that paired a line from Nutting’s column with a quote from Mitt Romney’s campaign website. Under the heading, “Romney’s World,” the Facebook post quoted a Romney Web page saying, “Since President Obama assumed office three years ago, federal spending has accelerated at a pace without precedent in recent history.” (That accurately quotes Romney.) Immediately to the right, under the heading, “Real World,” the Facebook post provided a retort using a caption from Nutting’s key chart: “Government spending under Obama, including his signature stimulus bill, is rising at a 1.4 percent annualized pace — slower than at any time in nearly 60 years.”

[Read and share the complete article here]

First It Was Donald Trump, Now It’s Ariz. State Senator Al Melvin. When Will Mitt Romney Denounce The Extreme Voices In His Party?

  NEWS RELEASE, Arizona Democratic Party May 30, 2012 PHOENIX, AZ—Luis Heredia, executive director of the Arizona Democratic Party, today issued the following statement in response to extreme statements made by State Senator Al Melvin, an endorser and surrogate of Mitt Romney: “When will Mitt Romney finally rise to the occasion and denounce the extreme voices among his campaign’s surrogates? First it was Secretary of State Ken Bennett flirting with a conspiracy theory that has been debunked time and time again. Then it was Donald Trump, who hosted a fundraiser for Romney just yesterday. Now it’s Senator Al Melvin following suit by making outrageous and extreme statements about the President. It’s time for Romney to stop pandering to these far-right elements of his party and condemn his surrogates once and for all.” Following is just a sample of some of the extreme and outlandish claims recently made by Senator Melvin: · President Obama is “buying votes with extended unemployment payments & food stamps” (May 20, 2012) · “We’re a cntr right country & state made up of Catholics, Evangelicals & Mormons who are pro life & traditional family & marriage.” (May 22, 2012) · Health care reform is a “death sentence for all Americans thru rationed medicine by death panels!” (May 6, 2012) · President Obama is “trying to buy the younger votes w. the student loan rate, Hispanic votes w. amnesty &low income votes w. food stamps” (April 26, 2012) · The Obama Administration is “going after Christians in the USA“ (April 16, 2012) · The Democratic Party “buy[s] votes with free stuff: amnesty, food stamps, unlimited unemployment benefits, welfare, Medicaid, etc. They buy votes.”(January 23, 2012) Senator Melvin serves as one of Romney’s endorsers among Arizona local electeds. Secretary of State Bennett serves as Mitt Romney’s Arizona campaign co-chair.

The SaddleBrooke Democratic Club contributed to the NW Tucson  Democratic Office

The office is kept open, Mon – Sat, 10am – 8pm; and Sun 1 – 8pm.  They need donations, both big and small. Here’s a “wish list:” Food Supplies:     coffee           creamer                                 cookies        sugar/sweetner                                 crackers      snacks and chips                                 pretzels       water, water, water                                 popcorn Office Supplies:  reams of copier paper     masking tape & scotch tape                                ink for copier                     “Post-it” Notes                                pens, pencils, wide markers, highlighters                                       staplers, staples                                              scissors                               rolls of butcher paper                                drawer organizers Kitchen supplies:   paper plates               dish soap                                    paper coffee cups       wipe-ups                                    napkins                        dishtowels                                    trash bags                    cleaners                                    broom, mop, bucket Office Decorations:      political posters    house plants     Democratic knick-knacks   President Obama speaks during a campaign event in Houston, 03/09/12. (photo: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)

The Incomplete Greatness of Barack Obama

By Paul Glastris, The Washington Monthly 11 March 12

He’s gotten more done in three years than any president in decades. Too bad the American public still thinks he hasn’t accomplished anything.

n mid-January, pollsters for the Washington Post and ABC News asked a representative sampling of Americans the following question: “Obama has been president for about three years. Would you say he has accomplished a great deal during that time, a good amount, not very much, or little or nothing?” When the poll’s results were released on January 18, even the most seasoned White House staffers, who know the president faces a tough battle for reelection, must have spit up their coffee: more than half the respondents – 52 percent – said the president has accomplished “not very much” or “little or nothing.” It is often said that there are no right or wrong answers in opinion polling, but in this case, there is an empirically right answer – one chosen by only 12 percent of the poll’s respondents. The answer is that Obama has accomplished “a great deal.” Measured in sheer legislative tonnage, what Obama got done in his first two years is stunning. Health care reform. The takeover and turnaround of the auto industry. The biggest economic stimulus in history. Sweeping new regulations of Wall Street. A tough new set of consumer protections on the credit card industry. A vast expansion of national service. Net neutrality. The greatest increase in wilderness protection in fifteen years. A revolutionary reform to student aid. Signing the New START treaty with Russia. The ending of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” [Read the entire article here.] [Go to the Pinal County Democrats' Website to see a pamphlet of President Obama's accomplishments, lower left corner of Home page.]

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I wrote to our illustrious LD26 Rep, Terri Proud, about one of the many bills that violate women’s rights being considered in the AZ Legislature.

Without even a salutation to her email reply (demonstrating total disregard for me as a voter and constituent), here is the email exchange (her reply above my initial email.)From: “Terri Proud” <TProud@azleg.gov> Date: March 5, 2012 12:19:00 PM MST To: “Hollace Lyon” Subject: RE: Vote NO on H.B.2036 Personally I’d like to make a law that mandates a woman watch an abortion being performed prior to having a “surgical  procedure”. If it’s not a life it shouldn’t matter, if it doesn’t harm a woman then she shouldn’t care, and don’t we want more transparency and education in the medical profession anyway? We demand it everywhere else. Until the dead child can tell me that she/he does not feel any pain – I have no intentions of clearing the conscience of the living – I will be voting YES. Representative Terri Proud Arizona House of Representatives 1700 W. Washington Street Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Email: tproud@azleg.gov Administrative Assistant Sue Adams Phone: 602-926-3398 Email: sadams@azleg.gov Sue Adams Assistant to Representatives: Terri Proud District 26 602-926-3398 tproud@azleg.gov And Ted Vogt District 30 602-926-3235 tvogt@azleg.gov sadams@azleg.gov 602-926-3487 —–Original Message—– From: NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona [mailto:can@prochoiceamerica.org] On Behalf Of Hollace Lyon Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2012 1:32 PM To: Terri Proud Subject: Vote NO on H.B.2036 Mar 3, 2012 Representative Terri Proud Capitol Complex- House, Room 309 1700 West Washington Street Phoenix, AZ 85007-2890 Dear Representative Proud, I am asking you to vote against H.B.2036 in the Arizona Senate. This legislation is harmful to women across Arizona. H.B.2036 bans  abortion at 20 weeks, and has no exception for women who receive a diagnosis of fetal anomalies. The reality is that, while many women can look forward to a safe childbirth, for some, pregnancy can be dangerous, and this bill is harmful to those women. This bill is an unbelievably cruel attempt to block access to care for women and families facing tragic situations. Banning abortion without adequate exceptions and subjecting Arizonans to new health-care restrictions is out of touch with our values and priorities. These changes will place an even larger burden on families in need of health care and on women’s reproductive rights. I urge you to vote against H.B.2036. Sincerely, Ms. Hollace Lyon

Published in the Arizona Daily Star

Speaking of Wasting Their Time at the AZ Legislature…..Here’s What They’ve Been Doing on Our Dime!

Arizona’s Tea Party’s Extremist Bills of 2012

Make-Arizona-its-own-country Bills HB 2650 (Burges)/SB 1481 (Burges) — The Birther Bill HCR 2025 (Harper/Seel) — Calls on Congress to dissolve United States’ membership in the United Nations HJR 2001 (Harper/Gould) — Calls for opposition to any UN force on American soil that seeks to enforce a UN treaty which has not been ratified by the United States Senate and authorizes the use of organized resistance to “thwart any international force” that attempts to do so. HB 2437 (Gowan) — Prohibits states from implementing federal mandates unless the federal government provides proof of constitutionality HCM 2002 (Barton) —Calls on the U.S. Congress for devolution of federally-owned public lands to Arizona HCM 2003 (Dial) — Calls on the U.S Congress to transfer all Bureau of Land Management lands to Arizona Anti-Transparency/Voter-Suppression Bills HB 2441 (Gowan) —Makes “private” conversations with constituents exempt from public records requests HCR 2039 (Seel)/SB 1449 (Smith) —Russell Pearce Sore-Loser Bill: Adds a primary round to a recall election for each party (in order to avoid a repeat of Republican v. Republican and resulting in, for example, Jerry Lewis’ defeat of Russell Pearce last year) HB 2710 (Tobin) — Calls for a special election for voters to choose between the district maps drawn by the Independent Redistricting Commission, committee approved by voters, or Republican Speaker Andy Tobin’s own draft maps HCR 2052 (Tobin) — Calls for approval of new legislative districts drawn by Tobin, not the voter-approved Independent Redistricting Commission HCR 2053 (Tobin) — Calls for approval of new Congressional districts drawn by Tobin, not the voter-approved Independent Redistricting Commission HR 2005 (Tobin) — Calls for a special election in which voters would determine whether to retain the voter-approved Independent Redistricting Commission maps or the Tobin-created maps SCR 1035 (Biggs) — Repeals the voter-approved Independent Redistricting Commission HCR 2026 (Smith) — Instead of collecting petition signatures, a candidate can pay to be on the ballot. HCR 2044 (Stevens) — Legislative ballot initiatives would be voted on during primary elections with less voter turnout. HCR 2043 (Stevens) — Requires all propositions with a positive fiscal impact on the city/state/county general fund that passed since 2002 to be re-voted on at the next general election and to be repealed automatically if they don’t reach the two-thirds threshold HCR 2005 (Crandell) — Requires voters to re-approve initiative and referendum measures that involves public funds every six fiscal years and is retroactive to 1998 Miseducation Bills HB 2039 (Fillmore) — Normally, qualifying for a teacher’s certificate is required in order to teach; this bill would remove that requirement. HB 2383 (Farnsworth) — Drops university requirements that students receive certain immunizations in order to attend classes and/or live in dorms there HB 2563 (Proud)— Bible Bill: Allows high schools to offer an elective on the Bible and exclude every other spiritual text from the book of Mormon to the Quran HB 2675 (Kavanagh) — More debt for cash-strapped students bill: Requires a minimum $2,000 contribution by students toward their tuition, regardless of scholarships, grants or other financial aid that is need-based; students on athletic and academic scholarships are exempt from the contribution HB 2719 (Seel) — Guns Near Campus Bill: Allows weapons to be carried immediately outside school grounds SB 1474 (Gould) — Guns on Campus Bill: Allows persons with CCW permits to bring guns onto college and university campuses SB 1061 (Crandall) — Allows schools to opt out of the National School Lunch Program, which provides some underprivileged students with their only meal of the day SB 1467 (Klein) — Attacks the First Amendment, freedom of speech and local control by prohibiting profanity of any kind, even quoting a text, while teaching in the classroom. It would require suspension for the first two violations and termination for a third. SB 1202 (Klein)—A strike-everything amendment that would prevent teachers from speaking “partisan doctrine” in the classroom, even in government classes or speaking about political parties in a historical context, for example. A violation of this law would cause the Department of Education to withhold 10 percent of a school district’s monthly apportionment of state aid. Public Unsafety and Unhealthy Bills HB 2729 (Gowan) — Would allow a person to carry a deadly weapon into a public establishment or event, including where alcohol is present and/or sold. It removes the owner/sponsor’s right to have the person remove the weapon and place it in temporary storage. It eliminates the liability exemption of owner/sponsor for damages/injuries/deaths resulting from use of a deadly weapon in a public event or establishment. SB 1083 (Allen) — Gives newly-created Arizona State Guard, a heavily-armed, untrained group of volunteers like the Minutemen, the powers to protect the border Self-serving HB 2022 (Harper) — Repeals the one year moratorium on ex-legislators that prevents them from lobbying the legislature within that period HB 2078 (Harper) —Increases salaries of statewide elected executive officials SB 1047 (Murphy, Yarbrough) — STO Expansion Bill: Establishes a tax credit for excess contributions to certified school tuition organizations and allows STOs to spend more money on administrative costs. Sen. Yarbrough directs an STO. Attack on Middle-Class Families HB 2133 (Olson)—Takes money from kids’ education and gives it to millionaires by allowing capital gains to be subtracted from income tax HB 2318 (Smith)/SB 1485 (Murphy)—Prevents agencies from recognizing, bargaining with, or meeting with union members and organizations HB 2040 (Fillmore)—School boards would not be allowed to meet with labor organizations or their members concerning employment contracts HCR 2056 (Court)—Allows employers to lower pay by $3 under the minimum wage for workers under 20 years of age if employment is part-time or temporary, which would make it harder for students to pay the $2,000 minimum tuition contribution under Kavanagh’s More Debt for Cash-Strapped Students Bill (HB 2675) HB 2519 (Fann) — Greatly diminishes the number of people who receive unemployment insurance by making it significantly harder to qualify HB 2571 (Olson) — Bribery Bill: Makes hard-working, middle-class families choose between receiving a raise and being a victim of cronyism or bypassing the raise and being protected ============= Talking Points: President Obama Encourages Businesses to Bring Jobs Back to America  (posted Jan 12, 2012)        from an email from: César J. Blanco | Western Political Director | Democratic National Committee  Key Point:   President Obama is encouraging businesses to bring jobs back to America as Mitt Romney’s record of outsourcing thousands of American jobs emerges.

• President Obama called on American companies to invest in America today at a White House forum on “Insourcing American Jobs.” In the coming days, he will propose new steps to eliminate the tax advantages of moving jobs overseas and instead rewarding companies for bringing jobs home.
  • His message today to business leaders was simple: figure out what you need to bring jobs back to the country that made our success possible, and he’ll do whatever he can to make it happen.

• We’re at a make-or-break moment for the middle class and those fighting to join it. They’ve faced an uphill struggle for too long and watched their economic security slip away. For decades, hardworking Americans lost their jobs as factories were shipped overseas where labor was cheap.

• The President and the business leaders who joined him today know this is the best time to bring those jobs back home where they belong.
  • American manufacturers have now grown by 334,000 jobs in the past two years.
  • In fact, manufacturing increased faster than it has since 2001, growing by 5.7 percent each year since June 2009.

• We’ve made progress, but we need to do more. We shouldn’t be known for risky financial deals or outsourcing jobs or being in debt – we should be known for making things the rest of the world buys.
  • This is only a small part of how the President is fighting for an economy built to last, where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded. He believes every American deserves economic security and a fair shot at the American Dream.

• The President is fighting for more jobs for hardworking Americans while the truth is starting to come out about Mitt Romney’s false claims about job creation.
  • Romney was a corporate raider who profited by shutting down American plants, sending thousands of jobs overseas and investing in businesses that helped even more companies do the same.
  • Romney didn’t just veto a bill to stop outsourcing while governor of Massachusetts; he used offshore jobs for his state’s child support enforcement, food stamp and unemployment services. In less than two years Romney hired seven offshore outsourcing vendors just to focus on call center and IT services.

• Mitt Romney suggests that to attack his record is an assault on “free enterprise.” But after a great recession caused in large measure by Wall Street greed and recklessness, America can’t afford to put in the Oval Office a corporate raider who thinks outsourcing jobs, stripping down companies and bankrupting them for profit represents the best of the free enterprise system.

========================================

Robert Reich Describes What’s Wrong with the Economy–in Less Than 2 Minutes!

[click here to watch online]

The Truth About The Economy In 2 Minutes MoveOn.Org

[Click here to download and watch in RealPlayer]         ***************************************************

The Debt Debate Is Man-Made Chicanery, but Our Stalled Economic Recovery Is Real U.S. Economic Growth, Jobs and the Economy, U.S. Economy, Political Polarization, Governance William A. Galston, The New Republic

The Brookings Institute JULY 27, 2011 — Raising the debt ceiling is a man-made crisis amenable to straightforward policy remedies. Political will is all that is lacking. Not so the economic crisis that our preoccupation with fiscal policy has temporarily obscured. Two major reports underscore both the depth of our economic woes and our increasing [...]

The Rich Get [Even] Richer

We Knew They Got Raises. But This? By PRADNYA JOSHI IT turns out that the good times are even better than we thought for American chief executives. A preliminary examination of executive pay in 2010, based on data available as of April 1, found that the paychecks for top American executives were growing again, after [...]

Paul Krugman – New York Times Blog

April 15, 2011, 8:54 am The Heritage Heritage A blast from the past: the first time I spent a lot of time dredging through Heritage Foundation “analyses” was when I was writing this 2002 piece on inequality. And I was particularly struck by the Heritage work on the estate tax (pdf), which contained passages like [...]

More Jobs Created Under Obama than 8yrs Under “W”

Thank you President Obama for… 1.1 million jobs created in 2010 alone, more than the entire 8 years of George W.Bush:

Senate should reject unfair flat-tax bill

Opinion:      Mar. 27, 2011 The Arizona Republic A proposed flat tax would radically shift the income-tax burden in Arizona: Eighty-eight percent of Arizona filers, who earn $100,000 or less a year, would pay more. The wealthiest 12 percent would see dramatic cuts. Simplifying our tax system is a fine idea. A flat tax is worth [...]

Rising Wealth Inequality: Should We Care?

Why do Americans seem unperturbed about the growing gap between the rich and the poor? Living Beyond Your Means March 21, 2011        Published in the NYTimes Michael I. Norton is an associate professor at the Harvard Business School. He is currently co-writing a book on money and happiness. In a recent survey [...]

The Forgotten Millions [of Jobless]

By PAUL KRUGMAN More than three years after we entered the worst economic slump since the 1930s, a strange and disturbing thing has happened to our political discourse: Washington has lost interest in the unemployed. Jobs do get mentioned now and then — and a few political figures, notably Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in [...]

…The elderly, in particular, would be cut adrift by Mr. Ryan…

Editorial, “The New Republican Landscape”, Published in “NYTimes”: April 17, 2011 Six months after voters sent Republicans in large numbers to Congress and many statehouses, it is possible to see the full landscape of destruction that their policies would cause — much of which has already begun. If it was not clear before, it is [...]

Republicans’ Budget Is Immoral!

Top 10 Worst Things about the Republicans’ Immoral Budget The Republican budget would: 1. Destroy 700,000 jobs, according to an independent economic analysis. 2. Zero out federal funding for National Public Radio and public television. 3. Cut $1.3 billion from community health centers—which will deprive more than 3 million low-income people of health care over [...]

Fox News Insider–”We Were a Stalin-esque Mouthpiece for Bush”

By Eric Boehlert, Media Matters for America Posted on February 10, 2011, Printed on February 11, 2011 http://www.alternet.org/story/149879/ Asked what most viewers and observers of Fox News would be surprised to learn about the controversial cable channel, a former insider from the world of Rupert Murdoch was quick with a response: “I don’t think people [...]

How Conservative Philanthropies and Think Tanks Transform US Policy

by Sally Covington Covert Action Quarterly, Winter 1998 Speaking truth to power is all well and good, but applying the dictum, “money talks, ” conservative foundations have long been bankrolling like-minded thin tanks and advocacy groups. Together, they have effected far-reaching changes in US social, political, and economic policy. Proclaiming their movement a war of [...]

A Distraction? Republicans Launch Assault on Choice, Not Unemployment

By NAFTALI BENDAVID Republicans focused their message on the economy during the last campaign, responding to voters’ anxiety about jobs and government debt to the exclusion of just about everything else. Now, House Republican leaders, with the backing of social conservatives, are pushing ahead with a series of antiabortion bills that will share the stage [...]