GOP Senate candidates use Facebook to attack each other

by: Publius

Thu Aug 05, 2010 at 00:11:42 AM MDT

Two Republican state Senate candidates from LD4 have resorted to attacking each other over a Facebook photo.  Former NFL player Tony Bouie was accused by his primary opponent Scott Bundgaard of straight up lying about his affiliation with his own organization called "Bouie's Buddies." This was an organization that Bouie says he created in his playing days with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bundgaard, basically claimed there really wasn't ever such an organization and called on Bouie to prove it. In response to his accuser, Bouie posted a photo from a NFL game featuring a huge banner on a wall next to the playing field in Tampa's stadium. The banner read "Bouie's Buddies."  For Bundgaard, this was not enough evidence and this is where it got interesting.

After Bouie posted the photo for proof he said this in the comments section of the picture:

People, Scott does not understand anything about the NFL. This proof needs no other explanation than this picture that it existed. He is so blind and wants to win so bad that he will not see the truth when it is presented to him and everyone else in FB land. I pray the program had lasting effects on the kids we had.

Bundgaard responded to Bouie by saying that still wasn't proof that his organization actually existed. He called for Bouie to produce some sort of literature from his alleged organization.

At this point in their Facebook argument, someone with half of a brain stepped in and urged them both to stop. They both agreed and then the picture and the comments were deleted. They should remember, though, once something is on the Internet it will never truly be gone.  

Farley Report, Aug. 3, 2010

by: Zelph

Wed Aug 04, 2010 at 07:16:19 AM MDT

Howdy,  Friends O'Farley...

VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!  Yes, we are now in the midst of Election Month, and this will be the last Farley Report before the August 24 primary election day.

Some predict as many as 70% of the votes will be cast by mail, so Election Day will stretch on and on. This gives us all a chance to convince our friends and neighbors that it would be a good idea to re-elect Steve Farley. Please email my campaign manager Daniel (daniel@friendsofarley.com) if you would like to walk or phone with us, display a yard sign, or volunteer in some other way.

Many of you have already received your ballots in the mail, and you may even have sent them in. I thank you so much for your support and your vote. I am also very honored by the many endorsements our campaign has received from a wide range of great Arizona groups.

As of today, endorsements for the Farley campaign include: Tucson Weekly, Arizona League of Conservation Voters, AFL-CIO, Arizona Education Association, Arizona Association of Realtors, Planned Parenthood, Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona, the Sierra Club, Arizona Correctional Peace Officers, Arizona Medical Association, AFSCME, Arizona Nurses Association, Las Adelitas, Associated General Contractors, Equality Arizona, Arizona State Building and Construction Trades Council, National Association of Social Workers, Arizona Pipe Trades Local 469, and IBEW Local 640.

While their individual missions may differ, those organizations have a very important common goal: Restoring common sense to the Arizona Legislature and restoring good policy to the people of Arizona, focusing on jobs, education, and quality of life instead of ideological wedge issues. I am humbled that they have recognized my work in that direction as worthy of their endorsements.

And, boy, is there a lot of work to do!

Thanks to our Republican leaders' speeches telling the world how dangerous it is to be in Arizona--led by Jan Brewer's constant false statements about beheadings in the desert--our tourism industry is taking a dive. More than 7,500 tourism jobs were lost last month alone, and our June sales tax receipts were down almost 6% over last June, which was the worst June in recent history.

To respond to this self-inflicted wound on our economy, Brewer has proposed a $250,000 re-branding of Arizona's image. At the conference in which she announced this effort, she obliviously continued to defend her statements about rampant violence in Arizona. Perhaps if we could pay that $250,000 to Jan Brewer to keep her mouth shut, we could make some headway.

Then again, we could use the money to promote the Arizona Republic "Political Insider" blog's darkly humorous suggestion for a new state slogan  -- "Arizona. You Should Be Headed Here."

Farley Report, July 7, 2010

by: Zelph

Wed Jul 07, 2010 at 21:14:39 PM MDT

Howdy,  Friends O'Farley...

While there is usually not much free time around the Farley house, I have been spending what little there is lately reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's amazing book "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln", which relates the turbulent times before the Civil War and the courage of Whig and later Republican leaders as they took on the evils of slavery at great personal and political risk.

The political climate in Arizona these days calls out once again for that type of courage. Demagogues in the legislative majority are aiming to use that climate to attack those who are different from them for political gain.

Corporation Commission candidate Barry Wong (R) wants to cut off all utilities to anyone suspected of being here illegally. In the summer that is tantamount to a death sentence without a trial. Sen. Russell Pearce (R-Mesa) now wants to revoke citizenship from people who were born here to parents who were not citizens, a move which would flout the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution and take us back to an age when we denied citizenship to former slaves. A poll released this week purportedly shows that two-thirds of Arizona voters would support such a move. But positive polling does not make it right.

Yes, we need to pressure the U.S. government to do its Constitutional duty by enacting comprehensive immigration reform -- securing our border by cracking down on human, drug and gun smuggling while at the same time enacting a legal path to citizenship that includes getting right with the law by paying back taxes, fines, learning English, and getting in the back of the line to apply for citizenship.

No, we need not enact useless and unfunded distractions for our law enforcement officials like SB1070, a law which does nothing but make our communities less safe while scapegoating citizens, legal residents and visitors of Hispanic backgrounds.

On June 17, I had the opportunity to make that case to Jan Brewer as we both addressed the Southern Arizona Chambers of Commerce in Oro Valley. You can read the Northwest Explorer's account here:

http://www.explorernews.com/ar...

After Sen. Al Melvin called Republicans "freedom-loving patriots" and Democrats "secular socialists", I talked of my 19 years of experience running my own business, something that freedom-loving patriot Russell Pearce has never once experienced. I asked the assembled business owners and leaders in the room which party really has the best interests of the economy in mind: Republicans who have been choosing ideological grandstanding regardless of how many jobs are lost and schools are closed, or Democrats who have been pushing for more investment in the high-tech and clean energy economy, our schools, and our universities?

Farley Report, June 1, 2010

by: Zelph

Tue Jun 01, 2010 at 23:14:58 PM MDT

Howdy,  Friends O'Farley...

I hope your summer is off to a great start, despite the fire and brimstones the Governor and the Republican Legislature have thrown our way.

I have been able to spend a whole lot of time walking door to door in the district, and the people I have met are outraged at the way Jan Brewer and Republican leaders have been misleading our state. The number-one worry I hear from people is that our new one-cent sales tax will not be spent the way they want it spent -- on education and public safety.

The truth is, that fear is well-grounded -- unless Arizona voters decide in November that 44 years of Republican mis-leadership is enough.

Yes, legislative Republicans are still pushing for a special session at some unspecified date in the near future to enact their coveted Corporate Bailout Bill, which would give away a billion dollars a year to large corporations and the rich -- more than the amount of the new sales tax. It would also shift property taxes off of big business and onto middle-class homeowners like you and me. And while the sales tax is temporary, their giveaways would be permanent.

What's worse is that Jan Brewer seems to be willing to go along with these ideas, now that she has her sales tax victory in hand. Here is a verbatim quote from her interview with the Arizona Capitol Times -- the day after the sales tax passed:

"Capitol Times: would you be willing to consider the corporate tax cuts that many lawmakers are looking for?

Brewer: I think that would be a good thing to discuss next year.

Capitol TImes: So tax cuts are on the table? You're not ruling them out?

Brewer: Everything is always on the table with Jan Brewer."

Arizona to Jan Brewer: We voted for your sales tax in order to save education, not to bail out the rich. How dare you even think of giving our hard earned tax money away to big corporations who aren't even based in Arizona, as you starve our kids' education system.

Farley Report, May 4, 2010

by: Zelph

Tue May 04, 2010 at 20:37:48 PM MDT

Howdy,  Friends O'Farley...

At last the Legislature has adjourned, with no special sessions on the horizon (for now, anyway). Adjournment Sine Die was declared at 11:07pm last Thursday, April 29.

Every year, the House runs a Sine Die pool, where a few hundred Capitol denizens pay a buck each to guess the date and time that the Legislature officially adjourns. The winner this year was a true legislative hero, Sierra Club lobbyist Sandy Bahr.

From her perspective as Arizona's strongest watchdog for the environment, her victory may be the only good thing that happened in the Legislature this session, given the flurry of bills to block the state from regulating greenhouse gases, allow more dust pollution, shut down state parks, and endanger state rivers.

So many bills -- so little time. Over the last couple of days, most legislators were running back and father from the House to the Senate and back in an attempt to push through live bills and resurrect dead ones by amending them onto live ones through floor action or conference committees.

The ensuing chaos left lawmakers in many cases unsure of what the amended bills actually did once they were put to a vote.  Our Democratic policy staff was working overtime to make sure we Dems knew what was happening, so for the most part we knew what we were voting for or against.

In those final days there was also a last-ditch effort to bring back the Speaker's corporate bailout bill (HB2250), which thankfully failed, along with a bill to refer all voter-approved initiatives since 1990 back to the ballot for re-approval (and inevitable death) in 2012, and a bill to ask voters to kill Clean Elections. The Birther Bill also met its demise as a majority of Senators realized that accusing President Obama of fabricating his U.S. citizenship just wasn't worth the national shame the issue was bringing upon us.

Other good stuff that happened was the restoration of KidsCare health insurance for kids in poverty and the re-funding of AHCCCS health coverage for those who earn between 33% and 100% of the poverty line. This means that we will not lose out on the $7 billion we get annually from the federal government.

Farley Report, Apr. 27, 2010

by: Zelph

Tue Apr 27, 2010 at 20:36:32 PM MDT

Howdy,  Friends O'Farley...

First a quick appeal once more: Return Your Farley Petitions Now! If you are have any Farley petitions with you, we are nearing the time when we'll be turning them in to the Secretary of State so I can be on the ballot again this year. Please get them to me by this Friday, even if you have only one signature. All your support counts! Thanks so much!

Here in the Arizona Legislature, Republican leaders are getting a pretty intense burn from the national limelight over the past week or two, so it looks like we may actually adjourn the session Sine Die for good this week.

In fact, President Burns told the Capitol Times he wanted to be done by Thursday after a meeting with Adams this morning. Speaker Adams for his part agreed via -- no kidding -- Twitter: "No longer confident Senate will pass, nor Gov sign, jobs bill with necessary tax cuts. Working toward Sine Die this week."

Yesterday's Senate Republican caucus made clear that the Speaker's coveted HB2250 (the Jobs Bill in his language, the Corporate Bailout Bill in reality) was not being well received by majority Senators who rightly saw that it was not a good idea to run for re-election on a platform that included chopping income and property taxes on out-of-state corporations while jacking up property taxes on Arizona homeowners.

The Speaker for a while was threatening to hold the KidsCare and AHCCCS restoration hostage in order to get 2250 through the Senate. You will recall that we have to (and should) restore KidsCare healthcare for children and re-enroll AHCCCS medicaid recipients below the poverty line by June 15 or else we would forfeit more than $7 billion annually in federal funds.

Luckily, he backed down from what could have been another economic disaster for Arizona and we will finish work on the KidsCare and AHCCCS restoration bill tomorrow. Whew!

Last week I told you about a missed golden opportunity for us to bring back from DC more than $100 million that we already pay in gas taxes in order to build public transit. After two victories on the floor, one majority member used a parliamentary maneuver to kill my amendment to do just that.

They Are Who We Thought They Were?

by: Zelph

Mon Apr 26, 2010 at 22:56:12 PM MDT

Republican candidate for U.S. Senate J.D. Hayworth doesn't think it goes far enough.  How do we know that the man who claims to be Barack Obama is really Barack Obama?

"It's real simple: We now require voters to offer proof that voters are who they say they are," Hayworth said Friday at a news conference in Phoenix. "If we're asking that of voters, shouldn't we ask candidates for every office on the ballot to be able to offer proof that they are who they say they are?"

Indeed, but J.D. doesn't go quite far enough if he really wants to corner the market on crazy.

Without DNA testing of EVERY candidate for public office, how can we be sure that they're not reptilian shape-shifters?

Come to think of it, J.D. does have those beady reptilian eyes.  And what a perfect way to deflect suspicion from himself!

Sen. Russell Pearce Goes Off on Cardinal Mahony

by: Zelph

Wed Apr 21, 2010 at 22:02:27 PM MDT

Today, on the Michael Smerconish radio show, Pearce  lashed out at Cardinal Mahony, calling him a "guy who's been protecting child molesters and predators all of his life."

Pearce suggested that Mahony defends illegal immigrants because it helps him fill his collection baskets and his pews in a church with declining enrollment.  

The Cardinal's spokesman, Tod M. Tamberg shot back:

Mudslinging and fear mongering are the essence of Sen. Pearce's remarks. He desperately wants to change the subject, throwing up a wall of inaccurate statements about Cardinal Mahony because he has no good answer to the cardinal's challenge that this is a draconian and unjust law.

Sen. Pearce is Mormon, but don't hold that against all Mormons.

Farley Report, Apr. 20, 2010

by: Zelph

Tue Apr 20, 2010 at 22:32:47 PM MDT

Howdy,  Friends O'Farley...

First a quick appeal: Return Your Farley Petitions Now!

If you are have any Farley petitions with you, we are nearing the time when we'll be turning them in to the Secretary of State so I can be on the ballot again this year. Please get them to me by this Friday, even if you have only one signature. All your support counts! Thanks so much!

What a week we're having at the Capitol! I'm sure glad I got all energized on Sunday by spending time with many of you at Cyclovia Tucson. It was terrific to see so many Tucsonans of all ages and backgrounds riding our bikes all over town for the event. My daughters and I had a terrific time.

As an added energy boost before I headed on up I-10 again, I was honored to deliver the opening remarks at the Arizona Transit Association annual conference yesterday morning. The public transit professionals and supporters in that room are working hard during these tough times to build the communities we need all over Arizona as we transform ourselves to thrive in the 21st century.

I arrived yesterday in Phoenix for the week's legislative work, where all that stored-up energy has come in handy. Hundreds of people gathered on the Senate lawn to celebrate their Russell Pearce-provided rights for everyone to carry a concealed weapon without training or testing. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans gave their final approval to this year's Russell Pearce immigration bill, SB1070, his most distressing effort yet.

Today, scores of national and international media are covering thousands of protestors from Arizona and beyond who are surrounding the Capitol area in an effort to convince Governor Brewer to veto the bill. Many of them plan to hold a 24-hour vigil in that regard. We can only hope their vigil bears fruit, because the passage of SB1070 will not do anything to secure our borders -- it will force police officers to check immigration papers based on the color of a person's skin instead of doing the more vital work of protecting us in the event of burglaries, violent crimes, and auto accidents.

If we want to deal with the border in a permanent and effective way, simplistic media grandstanding won't do the job. We need to collaborate with the federal government to enact a comprehensive plan that includes cracking down on human smuggling and drug violence while building economic development on both sides of the border so that those who feel they need to come here to create a better life for their families can have a better life at home in the first place.

One bit of very good news is that the Republican legislative leadership and the Governor have finally decided that we need to restore KidsCare healthcare and return Arizona citizens below the poverty line to AHCCCS membership. As you recall, we stood to lose $7 billion in federal funds per year if we did not do these things by June 15.

Farley Report, Apr. 13, 2010

by: Zelph

Tue Apr 13, 2010 at 20:42:38 PM MDT

Here's the latest Farley report:

Howdy,  Friends O'Farley...

Sometimes it's not easy to get the words to paper for the Farley Report, and this is one of those times. It is so hard to sit here every day to watch this Republican majority steer our beloved state further and further to the right -- right off a cliff.

The House just passed the most dangerous Russell Pearce (R-Mesa)  immigration law yet, SB 1070, which has the effect of forcing all of us to turn in our friends and neighbors and students and patients if we suspect that they are not here legally, and allowing all Arizonans' private data to be shared amongst all levels of government in order to determine legal residency. It does this while doing virtually nothing to really stop illegal immigration -- instead, law enforcement will have to waste most of their time checking papers instead of fighting crimes.

Last week the Legislature sent to the Governor's desk (for her likely signature) another Russell Pearce bill, SB1108, that will allow any Arizonan over 18 years old to carry a concealed weapon anywhere that is not controlled by federal law. No background checks or training will be required. People with mental illness or a criminal history can no longer be kept from carrying a concealed weapon.

Yesterday, the Senate Finance Committee by a party line vote passed HB2250, the Speaker's corporate bailout bill I spoke about last week that will add another $650 million a year to our state's structural deficit. It gives away barrels of cash to large out-of-state corporations while raising property taxes on middle-class Arizona homeowners. If the Governor signs this bill, she will be condemning her one-cent sales tax to failure because that tax will simply become a tax shift off of big business and onto middle-class Arizonans.

And there is still no word about moving to restore KidsCare health care for 38,000 Arizona children, a move that will cost us nothing. If we do not act before June 15, we will lose $7 BILLION a year in federal funds that pay for most of the costs of our state Medicaid program, AHCCCS. That will devastate our economy and our healthcare system, causing hospitals, emergency rooms, and assisted living centers to close, while tossing an estimated 42,000 people out of their jobs.

This is the sort of disastrous mismanagement that I suppose we should expect after one party has been in power for 44 years.

Please, for the sake of our parents, our children, our grandchildren, and our future generations, I ask you to act. We cannot wait any longer to turn our state around and get on the right track. Arizona is taking a merciless beating from this bunch, and it is time to stand and fight back.

Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors about politics. Find out about candidates for state offices, and devote time and money to their campaigns. You've spent a whole lot of time in the last few years educating yourself by reading the Farley Report -- it is time to put that education to use so we can save our state.

Farley Report, Apr. 6, 2010

by: Zelph

Tue Apr 06, 2010 at 22:20:22 PM MDT

Howdy,  Friends O'Farley...

Could they really be that foolhardy?  

I know that is a question that may have entered your mind from time to time regarding the Governor and Legislative majority. And recent history has seemed to suggest an affirmative answer more often than not.

But their latest idea, if they carry it out, could well destroy our healthcare system and economy along with it.

We hear that Governor Brewer is trying to arrange a Sine Die -- the final end of regular session -- as early as this week. This normally would not be a bad thing because it would have the effect of killing a whole lot of really bad bills.

But this year, it would also have the effect of shutting down any efforts to restore KidsCare health insurance for 38,000 kids. Which would in turn have the effect of turning down the $7 billion a year we get from the Federal Government to provide AHCCCS health care to people in poverty.

That money goes to doctors, hospitals, and many other key components in the Arizona economy. Nursing homes and assisted living centers would close down, tossing thousands of seniors onto the streets --40% of their funding comes from this federal money. Tens of thousands of Arizonans would lose their jobs. Hospitals and emergency rooms may be unable to stay open.

In short, refusing to reinstate KidsCare would trigger a chain of events that would lead to a total economic meltdown.

Why would the Governor even consider doing this? Because she has a hotly contested Republican primary, and her advisers are afraid that restoring healthcare to kids would be seen as too squishy-liberal to primary voters. Once the primary is over, she would -- the story goes -- go ahead and restore KidsCare to be seen as reasonable to moderate general election voters.

The problem is, the primary is too late. KidsCare must be restored before June 15 in order to avoid sanctions from the Feds.

In the best-case scenario, we would "only" lose $1.3 billion -- $19 million a day -- for the time without KidsCare between June 15 and August 25. Coincidentally, it will cost no more than $19 million (one day's worth of the lost revenues) to insure all 38,000 kids for a year. And that $19 million is already coming to us in the new stimulus package recently signed by President Obama, so we don't have to pay for that either.

In the worst-case scenario, that 3-month drop of KidsCare coverage will lose us $7 billion a year for the foreseeable future.

Could they really be that foolhardy?

Most Law Professors Believe Health Care Bill is Unconstitutional

by: Zelph

Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 16:30:36 PM MDT

The University of Washington tried to organize a debate on whether the health-care reform bill is constitutional. But it couldn't find a law professor to argue that it isn't, reports the Seattle Times.

"I will say that we tried very hard to get a professor who could come and who thinks this is flat-out unconstitutional," said the moderator. "But there are relatively few of them, and they are in great demand."

If you're in the Phoenix area, don't miss Rep. David Lujan on Horizon tonight (channel 8 at 7pm).  He'll be talking about frivolous GOP'er lawsuits and such.

Farley Report, Mar. 30, 2010

by: Zelph

Tue Mar 30, 2010 at 23:16:15 PM MDT

Howdy,  Friends O'Farley...

Oops, she did it again.

Yes, Governor Jan Brewer has chosen to call her Eighth Special Session.

Perhaps you may be thinking -- wow -- she finally decided to do the right thing and is going to reinstate KidsCare so that we are qualified once again for the $7 billion in federal money each year that her recent budget tossed away.

If that was your thought, you are sadly wrong.

Instead, Brewer and the Republican legislature have decided to hold this unprecedented eighth special session in order to engage in a politically motivated stunt to engage the Federal Government in a frivolous lawsuit against the entire healthcare reform package.

There's a whole lot of reasons why this is a terrible idea. Number one, she is saying she would rather ship out scarce taxpayer money to high-priced Republican attorneys than take care of sick kids.

The suit they want to pay to join is already underway and is already seeking to overturn the healthcare reforms on behalf of all states whether we pay or not. And most legal observers on the right and left agree that the suit is sure to fail, based on clear, recent precedent from the conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court that allows the Federal Government to mandate healthcare, just like it did in creating Medicare.

It makes even less sense to be suing now that we know we will be receiving another $400 million in stimulus money that we can use to pay for the continuation of KidsCare and the people below the poverty line who are currently on AHCCCS healthcare through June 30, 2011. No Arizona money will be required.

Farley Report, Mar. 23, 2010

by: Zelph

Tue Mar 23, 2010 at 20:36:20 PM MDT

Howdy,  Friends O'Farley...

What a day for America! After a hundred years of trying, we finally enacted real health care reform.

It's not perfect, and the main features do not go into effect for another four years, but it remains a huge accomplishment given the cynical campaign of fear and lies waged against it by the big health insurance companies and the big right-wing newsertainment industry.

We should offer huge thanks to the Democrats in Arizona's congressional delegation for casting that vote in favor of reform, especially Gabrielle Giffords, who was the target of vicious TV ads running every five minutes last Thursday through Sunday, paid for by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce fronting for the big insurance companies.

Our own home-grown tea party warriors went to work against our brave congresswoman with tactics not worthy of civil society -- yelling, honking, blocking traffic, and at 2:40am after the vote, shooting out the front door of the Giffords Tucson office.

I have also been hearing from some of our tea-headed friends on their opinion of the healthcare bill. Here is a letter I received yesterday from a local tea party supporter, verbatim:

"I support any states rights law suit, to block health care in it's currant form which is being forced on the American people against their will from Washington DC.

Hopefully you will join other states in the suit against States Rights and our Constitution by these Socialist's."

Together with the base insults and spit being hurled at African American and gay members of Congress this weekend, these actions make you wonder how wise it is for legislative Republicans to eliminate all laws that place any restrictions on weapons belonging to anyone over 18. Yes, they are ignoring the advice of all law-enforcement organizations by trashing all concealed-carry laws, and laws that forbid carrying guns on campuses. In this time of unrestrained anger all around, is that a good move?

I think it is time our tea party friends calmed down a bit and took a look at the facts about the health care bill. It will even save Republican lives. I strongly suggest everyone read a great rundown of the features of healthcare reform in this AP story on the bill:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

One feature will have huge implications for Arizona and for the 376,000 people on AHCCCS and 42,000 kids who have just been kicked off their health insurance by Governor Brewer and legislative Republicans. Their healthcare may just have been saved.

You will recall that Governor Brewer signed the Republican budget just last week to eliminate coverage for those earning more than 33% of the poverty level ($7200 a year for a family of four), and to eliminate KidsCare. A reporter asked her what those soon to be without healthcare should do when they get sick. She replied, "They should go to the emergency room."

Which is exactly why her budget places our emergency rooms in mortal danger, along with 42,000 jobs and $2.8 billion in matching funds from the feds. Treatment in emergency rooms of people without coverage are unreimbursed costs, potentially bankrupting our hospitals and endangering our emergency health network.

Now it will cost us even more if we don't restore coverage to these 418,000 Arizonans. A whole lot more.  

The new federal healthcare plan does not allow states to change eligibility to current state health plans as of the date of its signing--today. The Arizona budget plan eliminates KidsCare on June 15. If we do not restore eligibility to those kids by that date, we will be in violation of federal law.

Farley Report, Mar. 16, 2010

by: Zelph

Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 21:29:14 PM MDT

Howdy,  Friends O'Farley...

The special session is over, and the Republican budget is set. Because of that, Arizona's future is now at great risk.

Not a single person signed up in support of any of these budget bills during their only public hearing in front of the Appropriations Committee. Agency heads were not allowed to testify or provide input. This budget has no constituency, only ideology.

The fiscal crisis is only Republicans' excuse to do what they feel they were elected to do: destroy government. This is the Grover Norquist budget, designed to--in the words of that influential Republican anarchist from DC who controls the No New Taxes pledge signed by a majority of AZ Republican legislators--shrink government to the size where it can be dragged to a bathtub and drowned.

Please refer to last week's email to review the details of the carnage, but here are a few lowlights once more:

--> KidsCare is entirely eliminated, kicking more than 42,000 kids off their health care. That makes Arizona the first state in the nation to permanently repeal our children's healthcare program. If only we could be first in something positive...

--> All-Day Kindergarten is also eliminated, forcing struggling young families to quite their jobs, pay for childcare, or pay tuition at public schools so their kids get a better start on their education.

--> Public schools will be cut $832 million between now and June 2011 even if Jan Brewer's May 18 sales tax passes. That cut will be $1.2 billion if the tax fails. Class sizes will soar to between 40 and 55 kids per teacher.

--> Voters will be asked to repeal First Things First, and to shift the funds generated by the cigarette tax from early childhood programs to the General Fund. We will also be asked to raid the Growing Smarter funds for the same legislature-controlled purpose. I do not believe that voters will choose to trust the Legislature instead of themselves to spend funds wisely.

-- Programs to fund transit (with a special hit to rural transit), GED education, State Parks, Tourism, the Arts, Gifted Education, Adult Education, Adult Literacy, and many more services vital to our future as a community and an economy were eliminated completely.

--> 340,000 people will be kicked off of healthcare due to Republican de-funding of Proposition 204, the voter-approved initiative that requires the state to fund AHCCCS healthcare for all those below the poverty line. This means that if you have a family of four, and your household income exceeds $7300 a year, you will no longer be eligible for healthcare.

Let me elaborate a bit on the implications of this last point.

Human-Animal Hybrids Redux

by: Zelph

Sat Mar 13, 2010 at 12:07:18 PM MST

Farley Report, Mar. 9, 2010

by: Zelph

Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 19:50:39 PM MST

Howdy,  Friends O'Farley...

Allow me to apologize on behalf of Republican leadership. While last week was officially declared as "Budget Week", they never actually came up with any budget proposals.

So this week is, once again, "Budget Week"!

We actually do have a budget proposal on the table today. The Republicans would again have a lot of apologizing to do, if they were actually sorry for what they are about to do to the state of Arizona.

It's a bloodbath that will last for generations.

This budget was worked out behind closed doors with input from Republican members only, and even state agencies were not consulted, or allowed to testify -- for the first time in memory.

It doesn't even balance the budget -- it uses illegal raids and wishful thinking that will be reversed by court rulings. This phony budget will appear to balance the budget long enough to carry Republican legislators through their November elections until it falls apart completely, leaving our state in ruins.

There are actually two budget proposals: One if the voters pass the sales tax May 18, and another if voters decline.

Budget 1: EVEN IF THE TAX PASSES, here's just some of the damage:

--> 417,982 Arizonans will lose their health care (including 47,000 children on KidsCare), as detailed in last week's Farley Report. This will destroy more than 42,000 jobs, lose us more than $2.8 billion in federal matching funds and stimulus money (some of which will need to be refunded), and put our hospitals, trauma centers, and emergency rooms in danger of closing.

--> Many services to the developmentally disabled will be cut or eliminated, including vision care, attendant care, transportation assistance, and dental services.

--> All-day Kindergarten will end, as will adult ed, gifted, family literacy, and GED programs. In all, $832 million will be cut from K-12 education in Fiscal 2011. We are funding our kids at 2004 levels, despite the huge increases in student population. Class sizes will soar past 50 kids. Imagine the dividends this de-funding of our education system will pay 10, 20, 30 years down the line.

--> Universities will have their per-pupil funding cut by 25%, ensuring more massive tuition increases.

--> The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections will be eliminated, and its duties will be transferred to the counties without funding to pay for it. This is part of $124 million in cost shifts to cities and counties, who are also struggling. The Maricopa County Administrator testified in the Appropriations Committee this morning that counties will be forced to raise property taxes on us all or face possible bankruptcy if they are already up against their spending limits.

--> All funding for the high-wage job-creating Science Foundation Arizona will be cut.

--> Lottery funds (Heritage, LTAF) for State Parks, rural transit, and urban transit will be eliminated, causing transit programs and state parks to be shut down.

--> The Arts Endowment, Jobs Training Fund, Housing Fund, and Underground Storage Tank and Emissions Inspection Funds will be completely swept into the General Fund, so there will be no money for arts, housing, jobs training, or emissions & underground storage inspection.

--> The Departments of Environmental Quality and Water Resources will be cut off from the general fund, and will be funded entirely by the industries which it regulates. The funds in which those fees are stored will still be subject to sweeps by the Legislature. This was the way we ended up with no state parks -- make the agency self-funding, then swipe their funds. In the same way, we may also end up with no money to keep our air and water clean and plentiful.

--> Voters will be asked in November to eliminate First Things First and redirect those cigarette tax funds from early childhood education programs into the General Fund, and to eliminate Growing Smarter funds for conservation while also sweeping those funds. The budget is silent on what happens if voters refuse to go along with these schemes, leaving another gaping deficit.

--> By April 1, all state employees will be cut by 5% either through pay cuts, layoffs, or furloughs.

Budget 2: IF THE TAX FAILS, there will be more blood, IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE CUTS. Here is a bit of how it gets even worse:

--> All departments will be cut by another 5%, except:

--> University funding will be cut by another 12%

--> AHCCCS will be cut by another 9%

--> Community colleges will be cut by another 11%

--> Corrections will be cut by another 7%

--> K-12 education will by cut by another 12%

--> The Department of Fire, Building and Life Safety will be eliminated completely

--> The Judiciary Department will be cut by 10%

--> The Department of Health Services will be cut by 8%

Just Say 'No' to Goat-People

by: Zelph

Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 22:14:57 PM MST

In other news, dim-bulb Frank Anternori was named by the Pima County Board of Stupes to replace State Senator Jonathan Paton, who resigned to run for Congress.  Anternori will move from the State House to the State Senate and the Board of Stupes  will now have to select from a list of three candidates to fill the resulting vacant House seat. If you want this position, apparently all you have to do is threaten them and they'll fold like a tortilla.

Some believe that Anternori's move to the Senate will complicate budget negotiations since he is close friends with hardliners in the House and likely to side with them.  The Senate has been able to pass budget bills only by very slim margins and Anternori's vote could prove troublesome.  Stay tuned.  And just say 'no' to goat-people.

Farley Report, Mar. 2, 2010

by: Zelph

Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 21:27:35 PM MST

Howdy,  Friends O'Farley...

Let's start with a few stats.

The House has finished hearing House bills and the Senate has finished hearing Senate bills. So this is a good time to look at what bills went where, and whether certain bills from members of a certain political party were treated fairly.

In the House, Democrats introduced 233 bills, while Republicans introduced 638 bills.

Out of those lovely bundles of legalese, Republicans had 70%, and Democrats had only 16% of their bills heard in committees.

To put it another way, 448 House bills were heard in House committees. Out of those bills, 8% were sponsored by Democrats, and 92% were sponsored by Republicans.

If bills were heard based on the number of members of each party, Democrats should have had 42% of the bills heard. But in this system, to the majority goes all the power. It may be time for a different majority.

But wait, It's Budget Week!

Problem is, there's no budget yet.

The promising compromise Third Party Budget I spoke about a couple of weeks ago is all but dead, since current Republican leadership seems to have no interest in ideas that include any increase in revenues, even if they have bipartisan support.

We hear that the most recent proposals will be similar to the Governor's draconian budget as introduced in January, but there are some added twists which may or may not be revealed this week.

We do know they will be eliminating all-day Kindergarten, which means that kids will start their schooling with a weaker foundation and struggling young families will have to find childcare or pay tuition at their public school. We also know they plan to raid voter-protected funds including First Things First and the Growing Smarter funds. I wonder if the public will agree that the Legislature is more trustworthy than the People when it comes to spending taxpayer money.

We also know that they will include Governor Brewer's health care cuts. Just so we are all on the same page, here is a review of who's going to get hurt:

"Solar Job Killer" Bill Update

by: Zelph

Sun Feb 28, 2010 at 21:43:14 PM MST

One day after publishing a letter to the editor in the Arizona Republic pleading for support of HB2701, Rep. Debbie Lesko withdrew the bill, after the governor and various lobbyists had a "come to Jesus" session with her, reminding her that costing the state jobs would not enhance the reelection chances of Republicans.

Hilariously, House Speaker Kirk Adams claimed that he and the other Republican co-sponsors of HB2701 are not anti-solar.  Why, he said, we passed SB1403 last year which "propelled Arizona to the forefront internationally as an attractive location for renewable energy".  Adams apparently forgot that he voted against that very bill.  Oopsie.

So this job killing bill is dead as doornail,right?  Not quite. This morning on Channel 12's Sunday Square-Off Starlee Rhoades of the Goldwater Institute said that she plans to push for its reintroduction later in the legislative session.

Just for chuckles, give Rep. Lesko a call at 602-926-5413 or e-mail her at DLesko@azleg.gov and ask her why she withdrew HB2701.  Word is, she's not talking and neither are the other Republican co-sponsors.