Democratic Caucus staff members in the Senate have intimidated Senator Bee into stacking the Senate Ethics Committee with members that will attend the hearing to persecute Senator Jack Harper for referring the Marriage Amendment to the ballot. Yesterday, the committee members were Democrats, Arzberger, Landrum-Taylor, and Republicans Leff, Blendu, and Tibshraeny. Tibshraeny is a wildcard, while Landrum-Taylor and Arzberger were reluctant to travel to the Capitol for a partisan slap-down to make amends with homosexual activist. Now, Landrum-Taylor has been replaced with another Democrat on the committee. The new member is Richard Miranda. He is not likely to cross the activists that are pushing for the hearing, despite his personal faith.
Sonoran Alliance is not asking you to contact any of the committee members, but we are asking you to contact Senator Bee and tell him you will not tolerate a betrayal again. The Marriage Amendment did not get a vote until the last night of the legislative session. Members had to make a motion from the floor to force it to a vote, in spite of Tim Bee’s reluctance. Jim Kolbe, the former Congressman who is openly homosexual, quit as Bee’s Campaign Chairman for Congress after the vote of the Marriage Amendment.
Senator Bee’s office can be reached at tbee@azleg.gov and 602-926-5683. Leave a message if after hours.
If Senator Arzberger comes to the committee and Tibshraeny crosses party lines, as he often does, the complaint will be referred to an investigation. Sources close to Harper say he will be fine in the investigation, but it will smear other Republicans.
Senator Harper Under Fire for Marriage Amendment Referendum
Press Release: Armer Endorsed by Farnsworth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2008
Contact: Andrew Compton, Communications Director, 480.298.3421
Adam Armer, Candidate for AZ State Representative
Endorsed by District 22 Representative Eddie Farnsworth
Mesa, AZ – Adam Armer, a candidate for Arizona Representative has been endorsed by current Republican Representative Eddie Farnsworth of Gilbert. Armer was also recently endorsed by Representative Andy Biggs. He is proud to have the endorsement of both incumbents who have become knows as “anchors of the conservative right.” Armer is proud to be known as the conservative running for the seat vacated by Representative Farnsworth, due to his term-limit.
Concerning Adam Armer, Farnsworth said, “Adam Armer believes that the ‘government which governs least, governs best.’ I know he will strive to guarantee the freedoms and individual rights that the people of this state value so highly. He understands the conservative principles that will continue to make Arizona a desirable place for our children and grandchildren.
Please join with me in supporting Adam Armer for State Representative.”
State Representative Eddie Farnsworth
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LD 30 GOP debate tonight.
The LD 30 Republican Clean Elections debate will take pace tonight starting at 7:00 pm. The location is the Pima County Community College Board Room at 4905 E. Broadway. That is the north side of Broadway just behind the TGI Friday restaurant. Plenty of free parking and ample seating inside.
Legislature For Firing AIMS in Game of Hide and Seek
-Gayle Plato-Besley
No Child was Left Behind, but bipartisan debate was thrown under the bus. On June 26, Republican representative, Rich Crandall of Mesa, shoved in AIMS legislation, HB2011, during the education budget voting. Maybe the children aren’t left behind but they are shoved to the side as the state representatives play hide and go seek.
Democrat Governor Janet Napolitano has clearly stated she’d like AIMS to go away, and seemed fine with signing the budget bill quickly. It’s questionable at best to put forth changes to state educational standards while the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Horne, was pointedly left out of the discussion.
Arizona‘s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) is a test designed specifically to assess how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Arizona. Personally, as an educator and former testing coordinator for elementary and middle schools, I find AIMS tedious.
Standardized subjectivity defines the writing sample and grading of it. The original design was a heap of political posturing, and to please everybody, it became a DPA (Dual Purpose Assessment). Simply put, it means the following:
A) Standardized portion-bubble sheet multiple choice with results given in normed, percentile results.
B) Criterion-referenced portion- teacher designed writing samples graded by teachers with a rubric (checklist of standards met).
This test soup creates individual assessment results for the parents, and school or state-wide comparison results. So your child’s school might be excelling according to the formula. It sounds good, but it’s hard to prove validity with the DPA combo meal of tests.
Validity and reliability are critical with any test implying standardized data. But then, transparency and inclusive discussion are vital components of representative government. I don’t know if AIMS is the right thing, and I am tired of the task forcing of all related spending issues. Get to the point and open the debate. I am thoroughly tired of legislators and our governor being hypocritical, political tools. Do not push your pseudo-altruism, your desire to help the people, when you pointedly leave out state elected officials and critical experts.
The test is a problem, but the cost of throwing it out is also in play. Bureaucrats create problems to keep them in office. If one spins and kicks up dust, there is a need to hire a team to clean up the aftermath. Let’s not spin in the first place as this dust storm is one heck of a haboob.
Aftermath of the President’s visit.
Tucson Weekly’s Scramblewatch ’08 and Blob for Arizona have been going crazy with excitement because they finally got their photo of the President and Senator Tim Bee. What these two blogs do not realize is that they have the unofficial version of the picture. Because of an inside connection to the party we were able to get the correct and official photo of Bush’s visit and handshake with Miss O’Bert. Here is a copy.
Senator Harper responds.
Two State Senators filed an ethics complaint against state Senator Jack Harper. There was pretty wide coverage when the complaint was filed but very little news about Senator Harper’s response. The Arizona Capital Times has published a full story on Harper’s side of the event. It is paid subscription site so we will not link to it but we do have some highlights.
From the Arizona Capital Times story, here is part of Harper’s response.
Harper blamed Cheuvront and Aboud for failing to adhere to proper debate form and procedure. Citing Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure, Harper noted that questions are not debate and that Cheuvront’s “entire discussion with Sen. Aboud was a series of questions; not once did they debate the proposed amendment.”
The story also quotes Harper as stating that the two Democrat senators
were making no new points in their debate that night and were instead repeating the same point. “According to Senate rules, that is dilatory and they did not have the right to retain the floor,” he said.
Greg over at Espresso Pundit also has an interesting perspective on the matter. The Arizona Capital Times story reports that the case will go before the Senate Ethics Committee according to Senator Jay Tibshraeny. Senate President Tim Bee has decided the case does not warrant appointing a panel to address the issue.
“I don’t see the point in it,” Bee, a Tucson Republican, said Wednesday of the request to appoint an independent panel. “If I were to appoint a separate commission it wouldn’t have any authority other than to have a hearing.”
More on the lakes are drying out hysteria.
In February and March we covered the false hysteria that the left puts forward over lake levels. Yes we live in an arid desert climate but there are these things called rain and snow pack. Yesterday the Phoenix Business Journal reported that several Salt River Project administered lakes are filled to capacity. Another doom and gloom story from the left are proved false.
Fall and winter rains were so plentiful that SRP opened up Horseshoe and Bartlett dams because the reservoirs were at capacity. Runoff behind Roosevelt Dam filled a conservation space for only the second time since 1996
