Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
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This training will answer all of your questions and prepare you to organize a winning campaign.
This non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
The fee for this training is $300 and includes the cost of materials and lunch.
Candidate Training
In partnership with Planned Parenthood Arizona and the Arizona Education Association, the Leading For Change Candidate Training is for individuals planning to run for a city, county or state elected position.
Whether you’re planning to run for office in two years or even ten, the information provided in this six-day training program is invaluable for positioning an effective campaign.
Designed to train and connect individuals with the resources, knowledge, networks and skills needed to advance principaled values through elected office; this non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
Supporting individuals who want to be a part of shaping the agenda for the well-being of Arizona, topics covered include:
For more information contact Beth Meyer [email protected] or call 602-253-0119.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Your presence is requested. For those of you who have signed up for a legislative account to submit testimony online, now's your chance.
Rep. "Fast Eddie" Farnsworth's (R-Gilbert) bill to repeal the GOP Voter Suppression Act, HB 2305 subject to a citizens referendum ("citizens veto"), HB 2196 (.pdf), will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. January 30, at 10:00 a.m. in Room HHR 4. Even the the Arizona Repuublic's Laurie Roberts is warning the Legislature plotting end run around voters on election law: a fair amount of skullduggery is afoot:
Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, is running a bill – HB 2196 — that would repeal last year’s election law changes. The bill will be heard at 10 a.m. Thursday in the House Judiciary Committee.
Sounds good, right? The Legislature is handed its first referendum in 16 years and it responds by killing the referred law, seemingly heeding the will of at least 111,000 voters.
Well, don’t get too choked up over our leaders’ reverence for the will of the people.
A Republican insider has told me that the plan is to repeal last year’s election law then pass a series of up to six new bills, enacting the same measures that 111,000 voters put on hold last year.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Last July, I did a post about the 90th Anniversary of the Equal Rights Amendment:
You would never know it today by the religious zealots who have hijacked the GOP, but not that long ago the Republican Party had a very active Republican Women for Choice organization, and women for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which included First Lady Betty Ford. The ERA came up short of passage in 1982, under the deadline established by Congress.
First Ladies Rosalynn Carter and Betty Ford at a rally for ERA, 11/19/1977.
People have forgotten what was at stake in the fight over the ERA. Justice Antonin Scalia has a long history of expressing skepticism toward the Constitution’s shield against laws that discriminate against women. He he has repeatedly claimed that the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of “equal protection of the laws” does not prevent gender discrimination:
“Certainly the Constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It doesn’t. Nobody ever thought that that’s what it meant. Nobody ever voted for that. If the current society wants to outlaw discrimination by sex, hey we have things called legislatures, and they enact things called laws.”
Justice Scalia is correct. The 14th Amendment was intended to eliminate the vestiges of slavery and racial discrimination in America (freed slaves and Chinese immigrants in California were the focus of the congressional debate). Equal rights for women was not debated by Congress.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The New York Times editorialized on Sunday that the Republican Party has been displaced by the secretive "dark money" web of "Kochtopus" organizations, and is now the Koch Party. Maybe it's time for truth in advertising? The Koch Party:
Only a few weeks into this midterm election year, the right-wing political zeppelin is fully inflated with secret cash and is firing malicious falsehoods at supporters of health care reform.
As Carl Hulse of The Times reported recently, Democrats have been staggered by a $20 million advertising blitz produced by Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy group organized and financed by the Koch brothers, billionaire industrialists. The ads take aim at House and Senate candidates for re-election who have supported the health law, and blame them for the hyped-up problems with the law’s rollout that now seem to be the sole plank in this year’s Republican platform.
* * *
Democrats intend to counter this campaign with the facts, but few of the candidates have the money to do so now. As a result, the campaign is taking a serious political toll, increasing the chances that Republicans who support a repeal of the law will win back the Senate majority this fall.
Naturally, Democrats are using the campaign to increase their own fund-raising, begging donors to give unlimited amounts to left-leaning super PACs and advocacy groups. But it is unlikely that they will be able to match the resources or the cunning of the Kochs, who are using vast pools of money earned through corporate revenues to build a network unrivaled in complexity and secrecy. This weekend, they are bringing together some of the biggest Republican bank accounts at a resort in Palm Springs, Calif., to collect money and plan this year’s strategy.
As Politico described it (Koch World 2014") on Friday, they have already set up an operation so sophisticated it rivals “even the official Republican Party in its ability to shape policy debates and elections.” Its components include a political consulting firm to recruit, train and support like-minded antigovernment candidates, which will be active in the congressional primaries. There is also a center that provides technology and administrative services to right-wing groups and candidates, an office that compiles and analyzes voter data and a youth advocacy group.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
As Craig McDermott posted yesterday, the Senate Government and Environment Committee has on its agenda today SB1094, attacking teachers unions by outlawing third-party payroll deductions for school district employees unless those deductions are each authorized annually.
Progress Now requests your action on this bill:
There is an important hearing on an ALEC today at the Arizona State Senate. The Senate Government and Environment Committee will hear Senate Bill 1094 (school employees; paycheck deductions; authorization) at 2 p.m. today in Senate Hearing Room 3. This "paycheck deception" legislation, which would makes it harder for members of labor organizations to express their free speech rights, has been ALEC model legislation since 1998. You can watch the hearing online here.
For those of you with an ALIS account you can testify online.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
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This training will answer all of your questions and prepare you to organize a winning campaign.
This non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
The fee for this training is $300 and includes the cost of materials and lunch.
Candidate Training
In partnership with Planned Parenthood Arizona and the Arizona Education Association, the Leading For Change Candidate Training is for individuals planning to run for a city, county or state elected position.
Whether you’re planning to run for office in two years or even ten, the information provided in this six-day training program is invaluable for positioning an effective campaign.
Designed to train and connect individuals with the resources, knowledge, networks and skills needed to advance principaled values through elected office; this non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
Supporting individuals who want to be a part of shaping the agenda for the well-being of Arizona, topics covered include:
For more information contact Beth Meyer [email protected] or call 602-253-0119.
In the wee hours of the 2013 session of the Arizona Legislature, Republican legislators cobbled together several voter suppression initiatives that had gone no where and passed them (at the urging of House Speaker John Boehner) as an omnibus voter suppression bill (HB2305).
During the summer, outraged Arizonans collected 145,000 signatures to halt implementation of HB2305 until the people voted on it in 2014.
Hell bent on cheating their way into office… er… voter suppression, a group of legislators now wants to circumvent a statewide vote on HB2305 by repealing HB2305 and re-introducing its component parts for potential passage in the 2014 session.
Below is a press release from the Protect Your Right to Vote Committee. It’s time to make some phone calls -- especially to Ethan Orr (LD9)-- and tell your representatives that if they want to pass a voter initiative it should be a bill that guarantees the right to vote– not a set of bills that will deny citizens their rights.
Continue reading "HB2305 Redux: Arizona Legislature Hell Bent on Suppressing Your Right to Vote" »
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Your presence is requested. For those of you who have signed up for a legislative account to submit testimony online, now's your chance.
Rep. "Fast Eddie" Farnsworth's (R-Gilbert) bill to repeal the GOP Voter Suppression Act, HB 2305 subject to a citizens referendum ("citizens veto"), HB 2196 (.pdf), will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
Press release from the Protect Your Right to Vote Committee:
NEWS ALERT! House Committee to Vote on Repeal of HB2305
First Step in Effort to Circumvent Protect Your Right to Vote Referendum
PHOENIX -- The Legislature will attempt on Thursday to revive a massive effort to make it more difficult for Arizonans to vote in 2014, a plan that had been put on ice by a successful citizen’s referendum during the summer.
The Protect Your Right to Vote Committee referendum gathered over 146,000 signatures to put the omnibus House Bill 2305 – which would prevent tens of thousands of eligible voters from casting ballots if it becomes law – to a statewide vote in 2014. According to recent media reports, incumbent lawmakers bent on getting tough with voters intend to circumvent the referendum vote by first repealing HB2305, and then re-passing the various voter roadblocks as new individual bills this session.
Step one begins Thursday morning when the House Judiciary Committee hears House Bill 2196, which repeals last session’s HB2305. Judiciary Chairman Eddie Farnsworth, R-Mesa, is the sponsor of both bills. The hearing begins at 9:30 a.m. in House Hearing Room 4, 1700 W. Washington Street.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Announcement from Why Marriage Matters Arizona:
Why Marriage Matters Arizona, Open Community Meeting
Thursday, January 23, 6pm - 8pm
Himmel Park Library
1035 N. Treat Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85716
(520) 594-5305
Why Marriage Matters Arizona (WMMAz) will host an open community meeting to discuss the campaign's progress in Arizona. WMMAz is a grassroots public education campaign to build support for the freedom to marry in Arizona. This campaign is about sharing stories and fostering conversation – showing that every LGBT person is part of someone’s family and should be treated with compassion and respect.
Contact Paula Aboud for Southern Arizona events (520) 323-7264.
Please join us!
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
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This training will answer all of your questions and prepare you to organize a winning campaign.
This non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
The fee for this training is $300 and includes the cost of materials and lunch.
Candidate Training
In partnership with Planned Parenthood Arizona and the Arizona Education Association, the Leading For Change Candidate Training is for individuals planning to run for a city, county or state elected position.
Whether you’re planning to run for office in two years or even ten, the information provided in this six-day training program is invaluable for positioning an effective campaign.
Designed to train and connect individuals with the resources, knowledge, networks and skills needed to advance principaled values through elected office; this non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
Supporting individuals who want to be a part of shaping the agenda for the well-being of Arizona, topics covered include:
For more information contact Beth Meyer [email protected] or call 602-253-0119.
January 13 marked the opening of the Arizona Legislature’s 2014 session. Since Governor Jan Brewer took over the helm, this day of speecheshas evolved into a day of protest.
Citizens for a Better Arizona (CBA) organized a major demonstration on the capitol plaza for the opening day. Chanting “stop the hate”, approximately 150 CBA supporters brought attention to Brewer’s failure to protect the children of Arizona on multiple levels.
Late in 2013, Arizonans learned that more than6500 Child Protective Services (CPS) cases have gone uninvestigated. While the administrator in charge of CPS has said that his regular reports to the governor and the legislature included the large number of uninvestigated cases, Brewer has been acting shocked since the news broke. During her state of the state address on the opening day, Brewer announced that she has disbanded CPS and created a new agency that will report directly to her.
Calling attention to the CPS scandal, CBA activists moved their protest inside the capitol building and tried to go up to the 8th floor, where the governor’s offices are, to deliver dozens of stuff animals, representing the children who were lost in Arizona’s CPS system. (Watch CBA’s protest and interaction with capitol police in the video below.)
At Monday’s action, CBA also urged Brewer and Attorney General Tom Horne to stop their attacks on DREAMers and allow them to drive legally. Watch the video after the jump.
Continue reading "Arizona Legislature Opens: Watch ‘State of the Hate’ Address (video)" »
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Earlier this week I posted that Religious bigotry rears its ugly head in the Arizona Legislature. Arizona's most corrupt state senator, Steve Yarbrough (R-Chandler), is carrying this religious bigotry bill, SB 1062 (.pdf), for Mullah Cathi Herrod and her Christian Taliban at the Center for Arizona Policy (CAP). While the bill is ostensibly about "hatin' on the gays," Yarbrough "acknowledged there may be individuals who have religious beliefs about unmarried women, or even employing people who do not share their same beliefs."
Got that? If you are not one of the Christian Reconstructionists and Dominionists of the CAP who want to impose a Christian theocracy in the United States -- which would include Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and the hundreds of other religious beliefs and sects, and non-believers alike, all of whom are protected by the First Amendment from state-sanctioned establishment of religion or interference with the free exercise of their religion -- this bill would grant a "get out of jail free card" for compliance with civil rights laws based upon the mere assertion of "sincerely held religious beliefs," not just for a religious institution, but for individuals and corporations or any business (because "corporations are people my friend").
Apparently they never learned that "hate is not a Christian value." All the CAP does is hate.
As I pointed out, "This is a slippery slope which can easily be abused to discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, sex and religion simply by invoking the "magic words" that it is "my sincerely held religious beliefs."" It is a bald-faced attempt to eviscerate the civil rights acts hiding behind the gossamer thin veneer of "religious freedom" to be a discriminatory bigot. A nearly identical bill passed the Arizona Legislature last year but was vetoed by Governor Jan Brewer.
Continue reading "That didn't take long: Religious bigotry bill clears senate committee" »
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Well that didn't take long. Yesterday i posted that the AZ Lege seeks to repeal the GOP Voter Suppression Act, HB 2305, to deprive the voters of their 'citizens veto'. A co-author of the GOP Voter Suppression Act, Sen. Michele Reagan (R-Scottsdale), indicated that she would like to "repeal the bill before it goes up for the referendum election. However, she would like lawmakers to go back and pass portions of the bill once again in 2015."
"Republican Sen. Adam Driggs of Phoenix, who has had discussions with both Reagan and McComish about repealing the law, said he can’t control what bills lawmakers decide to introduce. But he said he would discourage lawmakers from immediately sponsoring new legislation including measures from a repealed HB2305."
Rep. "Fast Eddie" Farnsworth (R-Gilbert), has already filed the bill for repeal of HB 2305, as HB 2196 (.pdf).
Howard Fischer reports, Arizona lawmaker considering end run on voting-law referendum:
State lawmakers are moving to repeal major changes in voting laws made last year — and then re-enacting at least some of them in a way to thwart a referendum drive.
The proposal by Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, comes after foes of those changes gathered enough signatures to put the measure on hold until voters have a final say in November.
HB 2196 would repeal the law, making the November vote unnecessary.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
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This training will answer all of your questions and prepare you to organize a winning campaign.
This non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
The fee for this training is $300 and includes the cost of materials and lunch.
Candidate Training
In partnership with Planned Parenthood Arizona and the Arizona Education Association, the Leading For Change Candidate Training is for individuals planning to run for a city, county or state elected position.
Whether you’re planning to run for office in two years or even ten, the information provided in this six-day training program is invaluable for positioning an effective campaign.
Designed to train and connect individuals with the resources, knowledge, networks and skills needed to advance principaled values through elected office; this non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
Supporting individuals who want to be a part of shaping the agenda for the well-being of Arizona, topics covered include:
For more information contact Beth Meyer [email protected] or call 602-253-0119.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Reminder from Arizona List:
Practical Details:
Travelling from Northern Arizona, coordinate with Seráh Blain at [email protected].
Travelling from Tucson/Southern Arizona, coordinate with Laura Penny -- [email protected]
In the Phoenix, use the Executive Tower parking lot or Department of Health Services parking garage.
Join the rally today in support of continued contract union/management negotiations at ASARCO. Here are the details from the Pima Area Labor Federation.
The nearly 2000 union members who work in ASARCO’s copper mines, smelters and refineries entered contract negotiations in June 2013. They are spread over five locations and are represented by eight different unions.
On Monday, January 6, 2014 Our Negotiating Committee and ASARCO will begin negotiations after the long holiday break.
Join us as we rally in support of our continuing negotiations and in support of our Negotiating Committee.
Water, snacks, hot cocoa, and shade provided. We have an agenda planned out for the entire rally so bring your family, friends, and dress warm because we will all be out until past 7:00.
If you have any questions contact:
Eduardo Placencio 520-373-3881
Official Negotiations Web Page
http://www.usw.org/media_center/news_articles?id=1381
Facebook Event: here.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
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This training will answer all of your questions and prepare you to organize a winning campaign.
This non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
The fee for this training is $300 and includes the cost of materials and lunch.
Candidate Training
In partnership with Planned Parenthood Arizona and the Arizona Education Association, the Leading For Change Candidate Training is for individuals planning to run for a city, county or state elected position.
Whether you’re planning to run for office in two years or even ten, the information provided in this six-day training program is invaluable for positioning an effective campaign.
Designed to train and connect individuals with the resources, knowledge, networks and skills needed to advance principaled values through elected office; this non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
Supporting individuals who want to be a part of shaping the agenda for the well-being of Arizona, topics covered include:
For more information contact Beth Meyer [email protected] or call 602-253-0119.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
A new study shows more abortion restrictions went into effect in the last three years than in the previous decade. States pass record number of abortion laws:
State legislatures have passed more laws restricting access to abortions in the last three years than they did in the decade beforehand, according to a new study.
The Washington Post's Sarah Kliff explains:
What made 2010 such a boom year for abortion restrictions? It’s hard to pinpoint a particular reason, but a few factors do stand out. First, Republicans took control of lots of state legislatures in the 2010 midterm elections, allowing them to pass more restrictions than was politically feasible in the past. The Affordable Care Act also ignited a fight over abortion policy, particularly whether federal funds would help pay for abortions (when Americans used their tax subsidies to purchase health insurance coverage). That fight spilled over to state legislatures – the ones that Republicans had recently come to control – and many passed laws restricting insurance coverage of abortion.
Lastly, the focus on late-term abortion, with the 20-week abortion bans, likely played a role, too. As the Guttmacher Institute reports, those bans proliferated quickly, after Nebraska passed the first such law back in 2010. While the majority of Americans do support legal abortions in the first trimester of pregnancy, support for abortion rights falls significantly when you get into second and third trimester terminations. That drop-off in public support could have laid the groundwork for the success of the late-term restrictions.
Continue reading "A counter-movement to anti-choice extremism" »
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Announcement from The January 8th Memorial Foundation:
The January 8th Memorial Foundation is honored to present “January 8th Memorial Foundation: Together We Thrive,” which will be presented at three different branches of the Pima County Public Library from January 3rd-31, 2014. This is the first time any of these touching community-created materials will be publically seen since February 2011 and we want to remember together.
The exhibits will be installed at three libraries: Nanini, Eckstrom-Columbus and Joel D. Valdez Main. Each exhibit will have a special opening event:
■ Reception on Monday, January 6th at Joel Valdez Main Library at noon
■ Flag-raising and reception on Wednesday, January 8th at Nanini at 10:00 a.m.
■ Reception on Thursday, January 9th at Eckstrom-Columbus at 5:30 p.m.
These events are free and open to the public. The January 8th Memorial Foundation invites you to join us in this special remembrance of a tragedy which touched our community so deeply, as well as a celebration of the spirit of hope and caring so beautifully expressed in these tribute memorial items. Truly, together we thrive.
Other Community Events:
■ Monday, January 6 at 11 am
January 8th Foundation Board Press Conference
Historic Pima County Courthouse Courtyard, 115 N. Church Avenue
■ January 7 at 6 pm
Panel Discussion and Screening of Living for 32
Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd.
■ January 8 at 10:10 am
University of Arizona Medical Center Moment of silence/ringing of bells
University of Arizona Medical Center, 1501 N. Campbell Avenue - front lawn
■ January 8 at 7 pm
Church Service, and short presentation by Pat Maisch
St. Phillips in the Hills Episcopal Church, Music Center. (River and Campbell)
■ January 11 from 12 to 3 pm
BEYOND: Commemorate, Celebrate, Commit (Community-wide event)
Armory Park, 200 South 6th Avenue
■ January 19 from 2 to 6 pm
Concert for Civility: Family Friendly Showcase
Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress Street
Please visit the Foundation's website at http://www.january8memorial.com/ for more information about our projects, and the Library’s website at http://www.library.pima.gov/ for more details on exhibit locations.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
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This training will answer all of your questions and prepare you to organize a winning campaign.
This non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
The fee for this training is $300 and includes the cost of materials and lunch.
Candidate Training
In partnership with Planned Parenthood Arizona and the Arizona Education Association, the Leading For Change Candidate Training is for individuals planning to run for a city, county or state elected position.
Whether you’re planning to run for office in two years or even ten, the information provided in this six-day training program is invaluable for positioning an effective campaign.
Designed to train and connect individuals with the resources, knowledge, networks and skills needed to advance principaled values through elected office; this non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
Supporting individuals who want to be a part of shaping the agenda for the well-being of Arizona, topics covered include:
For more information contact Beth Meyer [email protected] or call 602-253-0119.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
2014 is the 50th Anniversary of the "Freedom Summer" Mississippi voter registration project. I am old enough to remember the news reports each evening about this voting rights effort. I have had the privilege and honor of meeting several participants in Freedom Summer.
For those of you not old enough to have lived during this era, I wonder whether the Civil Rights Movement is even taught in schools at all.
There are far too many people who take their "right to vote" for granted, and choose to forget that people had to fight for your right. They risked their lives and went to prison, were beaten, and were killed for the right to vote that so many take for granted today.
The Smithsonian National Musueum of American History has an educational program on Freedom Summer scheduled for February 5, 2014, during Black History Month. O Say Can You See? Blog: Freedom Summer:
Joy Lyman, one of the museum's Freedom School Scholars, will moderate the National Youth Summit on Freedom Summer on February 5, 2014. Joy hosts the latest episode of the History Explorer podcast series, featuring the experiences of activist Zoharah Simmons from a presentation by the museum's Program in African American Culture in 2000 called "Fighting for My Rights." Joy reflects on how the Civil Rights Movement can be better taught to encompass the complexity of the story.
The National Youth Summit on Freedom Summer will be held February 5, 2014 and webcast live from Jackson, Mississippi
Continue reading "National Youth Summit 'Freedom Summer' Free Webcast" »
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The most fascinating political development of 2013 to observe was the rise of the progressive "Moral Mondays" movement in North Carolina in response to the radicalized extremist Tea-Publican controlled state legislature.
"Moral Mondays" engages in civil disobedience protests, organized in part by local religious leaders including William Barber, head of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP. Members of the protest movement meet every Monday to protest an action by the North Carolina legislature and then enter the legislature building. Once they enter, a number are peacefully arrested each Monday.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution recently reported that a Moral Mondays organization was being established in Georgia. Your daily jolt: Moral Monday protests coming to state Capitol:
The Moral Monday protests that rocked North Carolina (and led to hundreds of arrests each Monday) last year may be coming to Georgia.
A group called Moral Monday Georgia (moralmondayga.org) has quietly begun gathering supporters and planning organizing meetings this month. They plan one of the first actions on the Jan. 13, the first Monday of the session, and the platform focuses on a call to expand Medicaid, restore funding to public schools and raising the minimum wage.
On Christmas Day, the AP reported that the "Moral Mondays" movement will spread to other Southern States (i.e., Red States). Moral Mondays to continue, spread to other states:
The Moral Monday movement to protest changes in North Carolina public policy that organizers believe are extreme and hurt the state won’t abate in 2014 and will spread to other states, its leader said.
Activists from a dozen states attended a meeting in Raleigh earlier this month to learn how to hold similar protests in their states.
Continue reading "Arizona needs a 'Moral Mondays' movement" »
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
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This training will answer all of your questions and prepare you to organize a winning campaign.
This non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
The fee for this training is $300 and includes the cost of materials and lunch.
Candidate Training
In partnership with Planned Parenthood Arizona and the Arizona Education Association, the Leading For Change Candidate Training is for individuals planning to run for a city, county or state elected position.
Whether you’re planning to run for office in two years or even ten, the information provided in this six-day training program is invaluable for positioning an effective campaign.
Designed to train and connect individuals with the resources, knowledge, networks and skills needed to advance principaled values through elected office; this non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
Supporting individuals who want to be a part of shaping the agenda for the well-being of Arizona, topics covered include:
For more information contact Beth Meyer [email protected] or call 602-253-0119.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
I was not expecting a decision in this case until next year, but apparenty the judge felt the law and the evidence were so compelling, why wait. U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Shelby struck down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage, saying the U.S. Constitution offers the same equal protection and due process rights to same-sex individuals to marry the person of their choice that it gives heterosexual individuals. Federal judge strikes down Utah ban on same-sex marriage:
"The state’s current laws deny its gay and lesbian citizens their fundamental right to marry and, in so doing, demean the dignity of these same-sex couples for no rational reason," wrote U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby in his 53-page decision (Scribd). "Accordingly, the court finds that these laws are unconstitutional."
In the ruling, Shelby enjoined the state from enforcing two different statutes that ban same-sex marriage as well as Amendment 3 to the state’s constitution, approved by Utah voters in 2004.
As news of the ruling broke, hundreds of people descended on county clerk offices around the state to request marriage licenses. At the Salt Lake County Clerk’s Office, a First Baptist pastor was on hand to conduct wedding ceremonies. Michael Ferguson, 32, and Seth Anderson, 31 were the first same-sex couple to receive a license there and be married.
Hours later, the Utah attorney general’s office appealed the decision to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver and also filed a motion asking Shelby to stay the ruling while it seeks to defend Utah’s Amendment 3.
I don't think it's possible to overstate how bad the AZ Supreme Court decision on Monday to allow astronomically high fundraising limits ($4000 for statewide and legislative races) is. It's pretty much taking the very worst aspects of our state's politics and injecting them with steroids.
In case you share the conceit of many in the Arizona establishment punditry class - AKA "the Village" - that moderation and pragmatism will reign once elections are completely in the hands of wealthy and wise "business leaders", let me disabuse you of that forthwith:
Continue reading "When money is speech, democracy is in peril " »
Protests against the low wages paid by multinational corporate giants have been sweeping the country, since the Occupy Movement raised the consciousness of the 99%. On Black Friday, Nov. 29, at Walmart stores nationwide and again Thursday, Dec. 5 at McDonald's restaurants nationwide, workers, unionists, progressives, and other liberal activists protested unfairly low wages and barriers to unionization for millions of US workers.
With profits, CEO pay, and wage disparity at all time highs, isn't it time to raise the minimum wage to a living wage?
Here in Tucson, protesters chanted and waved signs in front of the Walmart on Valencia and the McDonald's in midtown. (For more on the Walmart protest, check out the video here.)
At McDonald's, approximately 80-100 citizens braved chilly temperatures and intermittent rain to protest low wages. In the days before the local protest, right wing radio host Jon Justice shared PDA Tucson's Facebook announcement about the event and urged his Facebook followers to come to the midtown McDonald's, show their support for the fast food chain, and eat some good food. (Excuse me, but McDonald's hasn't served "good food" in decades-- if ever.) This resulted in a flurry of comments on the PDA page and Justice's page about the "entitlement mentality", people being "paid what they're worth", and the fast food industry being "one key stroke away from 80% automation"-- justifying Arizona's $7.80/hour minimum wage and offering support to McDonald's franchisees who make millions on the backs of workers.
Continue reading "As Income Disparity Grows, Tucsonans Protest Low Wages at Walmart & McDonalds" »
I've had the good fortune of knowing a fair number of Canadians in my time. When I was stationed in Japan in the Navy twenty years ago (!) I hung out with a pack of expats in Tokyo most weekends, several of whom were Canucks. From 1995 to 1997, I was stationed at Keyport, Washington where I was part of a unit that did weapons training ops, mostly off the coast of Vancouver Island. We spent most of our off duty time in a town called Nanaimo, hanging out with locals. I developed a fondness for Tim Horton's that I still have to this day.
Based on my experience, there are a couple of generalizations about Canadians I can safely make: 1. they think our for-profit health care system is insane and 2. they think we are completely batshit crazy with the all guns and the shootings down here, eh.
Continue reading "Jennifer Longdon interview on Canadian TV" »
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
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This training will answer all of your questions and prepare you to organize a winning campaign.
This non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
The fee for this training is $300 and includes the cost of materials and lunch.
Candidate Training
In partnership with Planned Parenthood Arizona and the Arizona Education Association, the Leading For Change Candidate Training is for individuals planning to run for a city, county or state elected position.
Whether you’re planning to run for office in two years or even ten, the information provided in this six-day training program is invaluable for positioning an effective campaign.
Designed to train and connect individuals with the resources, knowledge, networks and skills needed to advance principaled values through elected office; this non-partisan in-depth program takes place over the course of three weekends.
Supporting individuals who want to be a part of shaping the agenda for the well-being of Arizona, topics covered include:
For more information contact Beth Meyer [email protected] or call 602-253-0119.
Across the US-- and here in Tucson-- citizens will be standing in solidarity with fast food workers who are demanding a living wage. The Tucson protest is at the McDonalds at Alvernon and Speedway. Here is the flyer . Here is a link to the Facebook event.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Announcement from Why Marriage Matters Arizona:
Why Marriage Matters Arizona, Open Community Meeting
Thursday, December 12, 6pm - 8pm
Himmel Park Library
1035 N. Treat Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85716
(520) 594-5305
Why Marriage Matters Arizona (WMMAz) will host an open community meeting to discuss the campaign's progress in Arizona. WMMAz is a grassroots public education campaign to build support for the freedom to marry in Arizona. This campaign is about sharing stories and fostering conversation – showing that every LGBT person is part of someone’s family and should be treated with compassion and respect.
Contact Paula Aboud for Southern Arizona events (520) 323-7264.
Please join us!
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Press release from Get Covered America, Cristina Saralegui Joins Get Covered America Campaign As Efforts Ramp Up to Reach Women On Health Care Enrollment:
As families prepare to gather for the holiday season, the Get Covered America campaign is ramping up outreach efforts to English and Spanish-speaking women as the number one messengers for encouraging enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace. Today, the campaign released a new Spanish-language PSA featuring veteran Latina journalist and talk-show host Cristina Saralegui as part of their “She Knows/Ella Sabe” campaign, which equips women with the information they need to help their spouses, partners, children and neighbors enroll in new health coverage options.
“One out of four uninsured people who are eligible for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace is Latino, and access to affordable health care is critical to hard-working Hispanic families,” said Cristina Saralegui. “I’m thrilled to join the Get Covered America campaign to help spread the word to Latinas across the country, since we all know that a healthy woman means a healthy family and a healthy community.”
On GetCoveredAmerica.org, the campaign is launching new digital tools—including a female avatar named “Nona”—to help women sign up for the new health care options and commit to getting their family and loved ones covered as well.
“Women are often the most trusted voices both at home and in the community, and they play a critical role in making sure their family and friends have the information they need to get covered,” said Anne Filipic, President of Enroll America. “That is why we are so proud that Cristina Saralegui is joining our campaign and encouraging women, especially Latinas, to get the facts about the new health insurance options and spread the word to their loved ones.”
Watch the new Spanish-language PSA HERE (below the fold).
Continue reading "Cristina Saralegui joins Get Covered America Campaign" »
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The Arizona Health Insurance Marketplace is found at the official government web site, HealthCare.gov. The Spanish language version is at CuidadoDeSalud.gov. [Update: The Obama administration is planning a soft launch for the Spanish-language version of HealthCare.gov in early December, after a two-month delay, a senior administration official told TPM Tuesday. Exclusive: Spanish CuidadoDeSalud.gov Set For Soft Launch Next Month.]
Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild's office provides public service information that our local media does not, Health Insurance Marketplace Now Open:
The Marketplace, at HealthCare.gov and CuidadoDeSalud.gov, is online with costs and more detailed information. Consumers have a choice of plans to compare.
With a single application, you can also see if you qualify for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Those without Internet access can call 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325) to enroll.
Local groups that can help people navigate the Health Insurance Marketplace include:
El Rio Community Health Center – 3480 E. Brittania Dr, Suite 120 (520) 670-3909
Pima County Health Department – 3950 S. Country Club, Suite 100 (520) 724-9999
Tucson Urban League – 2305 S. Park Ave (520)791-9522
Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce – 823 E. Speedway Blvd. (520) 620-0005
United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona – 330 N. Commerce Park Loop , Suite 200 (520) 903-9000
St. Elizabeth’s Health Center – 140 W. Speedway Blvd., Suite 100 (520) 628-7871
The above agencies are the only qualified navigators and offer their services free of charge. Do not provide your social security number or health information to anyone but those groups, after you’ve made contact. The government will never call you for information.
Small businesses with fewer than 51 employees have their own marketplace. Call 1-800-706-7893 (TTY: 1-800-706-7915) for questions about the Small Business Health Options (SHOP) Marketplace.
Continue reading "Arizona Marketplace health care insurance exchange info" »
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Denise Rose from Freedom to Marry has sent me this announcement:
Dear friends,
If you live in Oro Valley or have friends that do and you/they support same-sex marriage equality, please pass this on:
Please join me in attending the next Oro Valley town council meeting on Wed. Dec. 4, arriving at 5:45. I am going to make a statement requesting that Mayor Satish Hiremath, join other mayors in Arizona (Tucson, Sedona, Phoenix, Bisbee, and Jerome) and around the nation to pledge his support for the freedom of same-sex couples to marry. As I make my statement, I would like to be able to point to many supporters of this request who are sitting in the audience. I would ask you to stand to show your support. If a bunch of people come who are Oro Valley residents, my request will be more powerful. If you can commit to coming, I can type your name and address on a typed statement I will leave with the town clerk after my remarks. Of course, anyone else can make a statement too. However, I thought that we could limit the time we take up in this portion of the town meeting noted as the "call to audience," by making an oral and visual statement with our presence.
Please contact me, Denise Rose, [email protected] if you know you can come or have any questions. Thanks much.
Oro Valley Town Hall - 11000 N. La Cañada Drive.
Town Council Regular Session - December 4, 2013 - 6:00 pm.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
In an earlier life, I worked in retail management. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I would work a double shift, ten days on and one day off. That's maybe three days off, depending on when Thanksgiving fell on the calendar. But at least I got Thanksgiving and Christmas off (before returning to the day after Christmas returns until New Years Eve).
a number of years ago, retailers began eliminating New Year's Day as a day off. Several years ago some retailers (ahem, Kmart) began eliminating Thanksgiving Day as a day off. Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday, but it is being obliterated as a national holiday by Christmas Inc.
(Christmas Inc. has also intruded on Halloween with retailers putting both Halloween and Christmas items side-by-side as early as Labor Day).
Isn't the insanity of the "Black Friday" greed fest enough for people? The media villagers feed this frenzy with stories about the fools camped out in parking lots a week in advance, the crush of frenzied shoppers breaking down doors in stampedes, chirpy reporters doing live remotes in the early morning to promote advertisers, etc. There have been people trampled to death, and there are always shootings and the occasional riot that breaks out as people fight over "limited supplies" during "limited hours" sales. Do we really want this kind of behavior on Thanksgiving Day, for godssake?
Ellen Gallinski writes at Time, Don't Go Shopping on Thanksgiving. Just Don't.
There’s been a lot of outrage over Macy’s — the retailer most synonymous with Thanksgiving and family with its parade of floats — deciding to open its stores on the day when we are supposed to give thanks. Petitions have cropped up online against other retailers like Target and Walmart lobbying them to stay closed on Thanksgiving.
But there’s an easier way to take a stand. You don’t have to sign a petition or go out and protest in front of stores. All you have to do is do something else on Thanksgiving Day other than opening your wallet.
Continue reading "Thanksgiving Day is being obliterated as a national holiday by Christmas Inc." »
Tucson is one of the most impoverished cities in the country—for many reasons. The Arizona Legislature—driven by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and short-sighted, “small government” ideology—has routinely swept funds earmarked for counties and cities to "balance" the state’s budget or fund pet projects like lower corporate taxes.
Beyond the Legislature’s negative impact on Baja Arizona, the Tucson economy is not diversified enough. Manufacturing is nearly non-existent in Southern Arizona. There is an over-reliance on defense spending, University of Arizona spin-offs, tourism, low-wage service jobs, and growth/development. During the Great Recession, multiple income streams for our local economy were dramatically reduced or eliminated—resulting in the loss of hundreds, if not thousands of good-paying jobs due to budget cuts, business closures, and the housing market crash. People and jobs left the area.
In August, the Arizona Daily Star ran a week-long series on multiple aspects of poverty in Southern Arizona and just this week, the Star ran a story that stated Tucson was second only to Detroit in the proliferation of crappy, low-wage jobs. In a survey of 52 metro areas with over 1 million residents, Tucson was in the top 10 for job creation; the problem is that more than half of the projected 28,000 new jobs will pay less than $13.84/hour. (If you really want to be depressed, check out the list of Tucson's fastest growing occupations here. None of these jobs requires a college education. Thanks to TREO's efforts, telemarketer is #1. Thanks to Tucson's ample supply of old folks, the next four most popular jobs are low-wage health/caregiver positions. We won't break the cycle of poverty in this city with a jobs picture like this.)
So, we know that our city has big economic challenges. Now what? As I wrote back in August, it's time for some creative economic solutions. It's time to STOP our addiction to military spending. It's time to STOP relying on temporary construction jobs and low-wage hospitality industry jobs. It's time to defund TREO and STOP chasing rainbows by competing with other metro areas for "the next IBM" or the next spring training team. It's time to STOP sending our money to Wall Street for investment. It's time to START investing in Tucson. It's time for public banking. [Read why after the jump.]
Continue reading "Can Public Banking Spur Economic Growth in Southern Arizona?" »
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and healthcare reform, in general, will be the focus of PDA Tucson’s general membership meeting on Thursday, Nov. 14.
Andrea Witte (the Connect the Dots Lady) will present the updated version of “The American Healthcare CrazyQuilt”, which looks at how the US healthcare system evolved into the most expensive system in the world but still leaves millions of people uninsured. She also will discuss the Affordable Care Act.
Dr. Eve Shapiro, local pediatrician and head of PDA Tucson’s universal healthcare issue organizing team, will talk about single-payer, universal healthcare and why that should be our country’s ultimate healthcare reform goal. The ACA is a step in the right direction but not the end of the road.
Concluding the healthcare portion of the program, Michal Goforth, executive director of the Pima County Access Program, will talk about local ACA outreach efforts and local implementation of the new healthcare law.
Rounding out the evening, PDA Tucson Chair Phil Lopes will discuss local and national initiatives of the Progressive Democrats of America.
The Nov. 14 meeting will be held at the Pima County Housing Center, 801 W. Congress St. The entrance faces Congress Street, but parking is on the North and East sides of the building. Doors open at 6 p.m.; program starts at 6:30 p.m.
Related Information:
Affordable Care Act Quick Reference Guide from Connect the Dots USA
Affordable Care Act Claims: PolitiFact Sorts Fact from Fiction
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
If everything goes as planned, gay rights history will be made on Thursday in the Senate. Gay rights bill poised for final Senate vote - Politico:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday set up the the final series of votes for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act — which prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity — culminating in a vote final passage on Thursday afternoon if the bill passes a key, 60-vote threshold procedural test in the morning.
Senate passage of ENDA seemed more and more likely Wednesday after the Senate unanimously accepted an amendment by Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) protecting religious groups exempted under the legislation from government retaliation. That amendment likely secured the vote of several other Republicans pushing for that language, including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
[“Asked whether he would vote for the bill, Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) said ‘yes,’ then added in a brief interview, ‘If we get the amendments worked out,’” according to an early morning AP report:
McCain was a co-sponsor of the Portman-Ayotte amendment. The Senate plans to vote Thursday on an amendment by Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) to expand the number of groups that are covered under the religious exemption.]
Continue reading "U.S. Senate poised to approve ENDA today" »
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The vote on the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) was 61-30 to end the GOP filibuster, with several supporters not even present to vote. Arizona's Sen. Jeff Flake voted in favor of filibustering this bill to death -- shame on him. Sen. John McCain did not vote -- probably too busy trying to find a television station that would interview him to make him feel important. He has his priorities. [Update: The Republic reports "McCain tweeted before the vote that he was taping an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."]
A final vote in the Senate could come as early as the end of this week. The question is what happens in the Tea-Publican controlled House, where the TanMan, Weeper of the House Jon Boehner, indicated on Monday that he will not bring ENDA up for a vote. The real queston is, "who is actually opposed to this bill?"
Robert Jones at the Washington Post reports, Most Republicans, evangelicals support ENDA:
With seven Republican senators and all 55 Democratic senators publicly on board, it now seems likely that the Senate will debate and vote this week on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would ban employment discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. If the bill moves forward, it would represent the newest effort since the 1970s to address the issue and the first time since 1996 that the Senate has given the legislation an up-or-down vote.
Although you would not guess it by the tepid support among most Republican senators, nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of Americans support workplace protections for gay and lesbian Americans. Among younger Americans, a group Republicans candidates have struggled to attract, support rises to 81 percent. And most striking is this: majorities of both Republicans (60 percent) and Democrats (80 percent) as well as majorities of every major religious group, including six-in-ten (59 percent) white evangelical Protestants, favor workplace protections for gay and lesbian people.
Continue reading "GOP filibuster of ENDA defeated in the U.S. Senate" »
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled a vote on the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) for Monday. Employment Nondiscrimination Act Set For Monday NightVote:
Reid [filed] a procedural motion on Thursday evening to begin debate on the bill, setting up a Monday evening vote. The bill needs to get 60 votes to clear a procedural hurdle ahead of the final vote, and as of Thursday, 59 senators publicly support it. [Including all 55 Senate Democrats.]
Time to call your Arizona Senators and tell them to vote to end the GOP filibuster of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) and to proceed to consideration of the bill on a democratic simple majority vote.
Senator John McCain
Washington D.C. Main: (202) 224-2235
Fax: (202) 228-2862
Phoenix Main: (602) 952-2410
Fax: (602) 952-8702
Tucson Main: (520) 670-6334
Fax: (520) 670-6637
Senator Jeff Flake
Washington D.C. Main: (202) 224-4521
FAX: (202) 228-0515
Phoenix Main: (602) 840-1891
FAX: (602) 840-4092
Tucson Main: (520) 575-8633
FAX: 520-797-3232
UPDATE: The Monkey Cage at the Washington Post reports "If senators listened to their constituents, the Employment Nondiscrimination Act would pass overwhelmingly." Gay rights in Congress: public opinion and (mis)representation.
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The nativist and anti-immigrant forces of the Tea Party were hoping to slow-walk immigration reform to death in the House, but on Tuesday a group of more than 600 leaders from roughly 40 states descended on the Capitol, taking aim at House Republicans who they think could support broad legislation. Business-Conservative Alliance Presses for Immigration Action:
On Tuesday, the group of more than 600 leaders from roughly 40 states descended on the Capitol for meetings with nearly 150 Republican lawmakers. They are largely taking aim at House Republicans who they think could support a broad immigration overhaul, including some sort of legal status for the 11 million immigrants in the country illegally. The leaders are urging the lawmakers to take a more proactive role in pushing immigration legislation to a House vote.
“Our fly-in today is about moving votes on the Hill in support of reasonable immigration reform,” Randel K. Johnson, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s senior vice president for immigration and labor issues, said in a conference call with reporters. “I’m confident we’re going to move the ball forward.”
The event’s sponsors include the Chamber of Commerce; FWD.us, a political action group founded by Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook; the National Immigration Forum; and the Partnership for a New American Economy, which is led by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York, Rupert Murdoch and Bill Marriott Jr.
The effort kicked off in the morning with several panel discussions at the Chamber of Commerce, including one conversation in which the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonprofit based in Washington, unveiled a new study that found a broad immigration overhaul would help the economy.
Continue reading "Conservative Alliance of business leaders press Congress for immigratin reform" »
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Reminder from the Pima County Democratic Party:
Sunday, October 27th
9:00am
Pima County Democratic Party Headquarters
4639 E. First St.
RSVP to Emily at 326-3716 or [email protected]
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Hey "coalition of the ascendant" Democrats -- you still need to actually get out and do the hard work of campaigning to win. Demographics alone does not win elections. So here are two opportunities for you to put on your walking shoes and do some some grassroots campaigning this weekend. You can also phone bank.
SATURDAY
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
City staff will be on hand tonight at a community forum to discuss the two propositions appearing on this year's City ballot: Prop. 401, a permanent $50M adjustment to the City's base expenditure limitation; and Prop. 402, the City's new General Plan. Both measures were referred to November's ballot by Mayor and Council. Both measures, under Arizona law, require voter approval in order to take effect.
WHAT: Community Forum on Propositions 401 and 402
WHEN: 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: the Randolph Center, Performing Arts Building #2, 200 S. Alvernon Way.
Video on Prop. 401: http://bit.ly/1a57MzN
Video on Prop. 402: http://bit.ly/17GT0JC
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Hey "coalition of the ascendant" Democrats -- you still need to actually get out and do the hard work of campaigning to win. Demographics alone does not win elections. So here are two opportunities for you to put on your walking shoes and do some some grassroots campaigning this weekend. You can also phone bank.
And on Sunday, a Day of Action with Fred DuVal, Democratic candidate for Governor:
Day of Action this Sunday, October 27. Tucson City Council candidates Karen Ulich, Richard Fimbres, Steve Kozachik, and 2014 candidate for Governor Fred Duval are coming together for the 2013 Get Out the Vote and preparing for the 2014 gubernatorial election.
Canvass shifts are:
9:00am-12:00pm
1:00pm-4:00pm
4:00pm-7:00pm
Fred DuVal will kick off the day at 9:00 am. At 12:30 pm, all candidates will get together for a GOTV lunch and Fred DuVal will be holding a roundtable forum with student leaders from 2:30 pm-3:30 pm.
Below is the link to sign up for shifts. Please feel free to pass this along.
http://tinyurl.com/TucsonDayofActionDemocratic
Please encourage your friends, neighbors, family and classmates to volunteer for this exciting event and also participate in our roundtable discussion. This is a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community to Get Out the Vote and meet our candidates!
Single mothers ruining everything again!
Alia Rau of the Arizona Republic is someone I've thought of as a straightforward news reporter so I was surprised to see such a biased article under her byline. The piece is a woman-blaming mess from the title on down.
More moms in Arizona skip marriage
Debate over reversing the trend, providing a secure environment for children
What?! Okay, there's a good chance that Rau didn't pick that title but someone did. Someone who has been living in what culture their entire life? Because the rest of us live in the one where it's still customary for the man to propose marriage. It worth noting that in the two times that fathers are even mentioned in the article it's to describe a successful co-parenting situation and a longterm cohabitation where the couple, who were already parents of two children, recently married.
Beyond that, it's a story of wicked, wicked women who apparently steal sperm from unwitting men. And it's the unwillingness of these wicked, wicked single mothers to force the fathers of their children to marry them that is the cause of most modern social ills. Not widening inequality, not lack of opportunity and economic mobility. Certainly nothing to look at in the fathers. We are just to assume that the flaw lies entirely in the mothers.
Conservatives love this story and have ready-made solutions for the "problem".
Former Mesa Republican state lawmaker Mark Anderson was the force behind several successful bills to promote marriage, including using federal funds to create a state marriage education program and establishing so-called covenant marriages.
He said he doesn’t believe anybody, regardless of political affiliation, thinks the rising cost of unmarried mothers is OK.
“But if you ask them what to do about it, that’s another issue,” Anderson said. “It’s not simple.”
I'm not sure why Mark Anderson thinks I must share his anxiety over unmarried mothers. There's also no basis to conclude that what he implemented changed anything. So-called covenant marriage was clearly designed for middle class to affluent people who already intended to marry and who shared a certain religious sensibility. It was not a prescription to encourage marriage in general.
Cultural shift
Conservatives say the solution is a cultural shift to reinstate the value of marriage.
“Increasingly, and most especially with this youngest generation, they don’t see marriage as something that has to come before children,” Hymowitz said. “It’s been very, very hard to get any consensus that this is a societal and economic problem.”
But more than a decade ago, the federal government did acknowledge the problem. And the resulting efforts to solve it have been unsuccessful.
One of the goals of the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, authorized in 1996, was to encourage two-parent families. States, which receive the TANF funds to distribute, responded in a variety of ways.
Arizona established the option of covenant marriage contracts, which require the couple to get premarital counseling and can only be dissolved in limited situations such as adultery, abuse or abandonment. The state passed laws to require more education on the impacts of divorce as part of the divorce process. It created a commission that appropriated more than $1 million in TANF funds for a program to support marriage and published a marriage handbook.
Oklahoma in 1999 started the nation’s largest and longest-running state program supporting marriage, investing $10 million into the effort. But like Arizona, Oklahoma’s marriage rate continues to decline and its rate of unmarried mothers continues to rise.
Hymowitz said local and national leaders may need to be more blunt about the benefits of marrying before having children.
Really? The millions they've already spent on, uh, bluntly promoting the benefits of marriage haven't panned out already? You don't say!
UCLA researchers probed this mystery recently. They found that low income people valued marriage as much as their higher income counterparts. Perhaps lack of willingness to marry isn't the problem after all. Looks like marriage follows financial stability, not the other way around.
And not for nothing but, hey, didn't the single mothers "choose life"? Do conservatives even have grounds to criticize them? Would they be happier if the women had chosen abortion? I think not. Conservatives are also not exactly at the forefront of promoting sex ed and widespread contraception access either. Why, then, would any reporter take conservatives at their word on the subject of single mothers? They clearly know nothing about them.
Jan 5, 2014 11:41:58 PM | Abortion, Activism, Announcement, Arizona State Legislature, Commentary, Congress, Donna Gratehouse, Healthcare, IOKIYAR