This week in progressive state blogs is designed specifically to focus attention on the writing and analysis of people focused on their home turf. Let me know via comments or Kosmail if you have a favorite state- or city-based blog you think I should be watching. Inclusion of a diary does not necessarily indicate my agreement or endorsement of its contents.
At Democratic Diva of Arizona, Donna writes—AZ Democratic Caucus Acting Like a Damn Opposition Party! Yay!
The Arizona legislative session began last week and, as has been the case for most of the past decade or five, the Democrats are in the minority. If you pay attention to the doings at 1700 W. Washington St. you know that being the opposition party means that Democratic lawmakers, armed with facts and logic, argue valiantly (and futilely) against atrocious harebrained GOP bills in committee hearings and make impassioned speeches against said bills and ever crueler budget cuts on the floors of the Senate or House. They are, of course, mostly ignored as the terrible bills and budgets pass.
But being the noble opposition does not mean simply resisting, it should also mean offering their own vision for how the state should be run, even if it, too, goes nowhere legislatively. It’s in that way that our Democratic caucus is really distinguishing itself this session. Democratic legislators have dropped several progressive bills and have grabbed media attention with them. They include bills to legalize marijuana, make voter registration and voting by mail automatic, end discrimination against LGBT persons in housing and employment, and require sex ed to be medically accurate. And a bill introduced by Senator Barbara McGuire, a moderate Dem from Pinal County, would allow terminally ill people to end their own lives with doctor-prescribed drugs
At TxSharon’s Blue Daze of Texas, TXsharon writes—Report from Oklahoma Earthquake Hearing:
Oklahoma Representative Lewis Moore held a town hall meeting in Edmond on Thursday. That was brave considering he voted for the Oklahoma fracking ban ban bill, SB 809, a vote for which he took some heat during the meeting.
According to media reports, attendance at the town hall was more than 300 (see video) and was standing room only (See video in which Moore uses the unfortunate analogy of using a sledge hammer on a thumb tack.)
Representative Moore suggested following California’s example and using the wastewater to irrigate vegetables. This idea was not popular with the Okies in the crowd. Next he suggested shipping the wastewater to Texas. This idea was not popular with the Texans in the crowd.
There were several attorneys present and people lined up to speak with them. Scott Pointer has a website: stopthequakes.com and has filed several lawsuits. He has an expert who can determine if damage was caused by earthquakes. Mark Wilson, markwilsonlaw.com, will analyze your insurance for free to determine if you have earthquake coverage and help you if your insurance has denied coverage. [...]
There was an insurance representative who spoke about coverage but someone in the audience noted that the speaker’s company had only paid one earthquake damage claim.
At Scrutiny Hooligans of North Carolina, Tom Sullivan writes—Starving Uncle Sam:
Death by a thousand cuts is a kind of political strategy movement conservatives have deployed against adversaries for decades. Too bad they also deploy it against the country whose flag they display on their lapels.
Thomas Edsall this morning examines the effects of Republican Party members toeing to rigid conservative orthodoxy. Besides opposition to any restraints on firearms, and denial of climate change and abortion rights, any measure that raises revenue to maintain the country they swore an oath to serve is anathema.
The beast they are determined to slowly starve in pursuit of ideological purity has a nickname: Uncle Sam. Edsall writes:
A majority of economists surveyed in 2012 by the University of Chicago found that, despite Republican demands for austerity, the $831 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 stimulus legislation significantly reduced unemployment. Every Republican in the House voted against the bill on Feb. 13, 2009, as did 38 of 41 Republican senators on the same day.
Republican opposition to raising taxes, in turn, resulted in a decade-long delay before the enactment last year of long-term Highway Trust Fund legislation. During the delay, the nation’s infrastructure continued to decay, with one out of nine bridges considered structurally deficient; the Federal Aviation Administration estimated that airport overcrowding and delays cost the nation $22 billion annually; and 42 percent of major urban highways were congested.
Similarly, Republican cuts to the I.R.S. budget have resulted in a loss of tax revenue.
Those lost funds might have supported providing safe drinking water in Flint or replacing weakened bridges in Minneapolis, or might have been used to support research by the Centers for Disease Control to fight Zika virus-caused microcephaly.
At Blue Oregon, Kari Chisholm writes—CHART: How do the minimum wage proposals stack up?
Last week, Gov. Kate Brown released her minimum wage proposal. Advocates of a $15 minimum wage promptly called it inadequate.
In an effort to shine a little light, I thought I'd actually stack up the various proposals against each other for you. [...]
For starters, under current law, Oregon's statewide minimum wage is $9.25. It goes up every year against the inflation rate, rounded off to the nearest nickel. It didn't go up for 2016, due to a low inflation rate that didn't trigger another nickel—dropping our ranking from #2 to #8 in the nation.
Raise the Wage Oregon has proposed (IP58) a $13.50 wage in 2018.
Oregonians for 15 has proposed (IP41) a $15 wage in 2019 -- with annual interim bumps along the way.
Governor Brown proposes raising the statewide minimum wage to $13.50 in 2022, also with bumps along the way. In addition, she includes a 15% premium in the Portland metro area -- setting an effective $15.52 wage in the region by 2022.
At Susan the Bruce of New Hampshire, Susanthe writes—Pledge Politics Create a Moral Vacuum:
In 2013, State Senator Nancy Stiles of Hampton sponsored SB 190, a bill titled:
relative to admission fees for certain persons at state parks and historical sites. It turned out to be a bill to charge persons over the age of 65 for admission to NH state parks and historical sites. Seniors are admitted free of charge. The bill would “allow them” to purchase a Granite Parks Pass at a third of the cost of an individual season’s pass.
An individual pass cost $60. That means that seniors would be “allowed” to purchase a pass for $20. For $10 a US citizen aged 62 or over can purchase a
LIFETIME pass to our national parks. Here in NH, Senator Styles and her cosponsors wanted to sell a
SEASON’s pass to a senior for $20. Such a deal!
On the day of the hearing, members of the committee referenced the $400,000 budget deficit that the NH park system always has. The park system constantly runs at a deficit because it is the only state park system in the country that is funded by user fees. [...]
Even if the elderly mountebanks pay full price, it only brings in about $200,000. That’s only half of the deficit, so perhaps the senate can find another marginalized group to fleece in order to make up the difference.
At fortboise of Idaho, Tom von Alten writes—Golden Oldies:
"Just to give you an idea though where my bias is when it comes to regulatory reform," Senator Thom Tillis (R-SC) said last year, he thinks things might be better if businesses could just "opt out" of stuff, "as long as they indicate—through proper disclosure, through advertising, through employment literature, whatever else—there's this, there's this level of regulations that, that maybe, maybe they're on the books, but maybe you can make a market-based decision about whether or not that they should apply to you."
That was after he'd been introduced as "the new senator in town who's both eloquent and substantive," what a great package.
"I said, I don't have any problem with Starbucks if they choose to opt out of this policy, as long as they post a sign that says 'we don't require our employees to wash their hands after leaving the restroom...'"
Ha ha ha ha ha ha. So eloquent. So substantive. We have too darned much regulation! We should cut it back to just regulating full disclosure of stupidity, like I'm doing right here at the Bipartisan Policy Center! Making the point "that that's the mentality we have to have to reduce the regulatory burden on this country." It's common sense, people.
At Bluestem Prairie of Minnesota, Sally Jo Sorensen writes—West Central Tribune: Just leave Willmar out of your bigoted and untrue stories about us:
Not long ago, we posted Muslim students attending Willmar Senior High: "we’ve got a really great community here," based on West Central Tribune Linda Vanderwerf's article Muslims in Willmar say life here has remained peaceful, free of harassment.
Apparently the haters of this nation can't appreciate the facts, the paper notes in an editorial today, Our fair city of Willmar is doing just fine, thank you:
Policing the misinformation spread via social media is an impossible task. Much of it leaves us simply shaking our heads.
That being said, there are some things so ugly, misinformed, ignorant and just plain hateful toward another religion, it is time to speak up with an intelligent response.
A hateful, misinformed piece circulating on Facebook, email and other social media paints a picture of diversity in Willmar that is distorted at best, and bigoted at worst. [...]
Read the entire piece at the West Central Tribune. We admire the paper's unapologetic support of all the residents of Willmar this is as it should be.
At Capital & Main of California, Donald Cohen writes—Friedrichs’ Attack on Democracy:
Last Monday was an important day for America’s shrinking middle class. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, a case that could impose radical new limits on the rights of public-sector workers—like teachers, nurses and firefighters—to join together to win better lives for their families and communities.
What’s at stake is a basic democratic principle: All public workers that benefit from collective bargaining should be required to pay their fair share for those efforts.
So it’s no surprise that the Friedrichs lawsuit was filed by the Center for Individual Rights, a law firm with ties to anti-worker special interests—like the Koch brothers and ALEC.
These are the same interests that have spent decades campaigning to weaken the ability of working people to join together against corporate power and the interests of the One Percent.
For all their talk of “freedom” and “individual rights,” billionaires like the Koch brothers sure are anti-democratic.
At Show Me Progress of Missouri, WillyKay writes—Claire and Jay do their best for Hillary:
Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill wasted no time coming out for Hillary Clinton. Her alacrity – she endorsed Clinton in June, declaring that “it’s important we start early” – suggested to some that she saw the writing on the wall when it came to 2016 and she was sure that it spelled “Hillary.” Naturally, so the story goes, McCaskill had some work to do to make nice with the candidate she dissed in 2008 in favor of Barack Obama, hence the early endorsement.
Nor, now that she is committed, is McCaskill a slacker in Clinton’s tightening primary fight against Bernie Sanders. Yesterday she attacked him in the New York Times as an unelectable extremist, declaring that “the Republicans won’t touch him because they can’t wait to run an ad with a hammer and sickle.”
Missouri’s other prominent Democrat, Governor Jay Nixon, also added his two cents to the Times account:
“Here in the heartland, we like our politicians in the mainstream, and he is not — he’s a socialist,” said Gov. Jay Nixon of Missouri, who is term-limited and working to elect a Democratic successor. “He’s entitled to his positions, and it’s a big-tent party, but as far as having him at the top of the ticket, it would be a meltdown all the way down the ballot.”
Heartland! Save me from all the cliches. Of course Democrats maintain a big tent. If we didn’t, neither Nixon nor McCaskill would be welcome. That’s something that the Sanders’ insurgency is making very clear.
At The Mudflats of Alaska, Zach Roberts writes—Half-Term Governor Palin Endorses Half-Wit Donald Trump:
Palin endorsement looking to bring in voters with only half a brain.
Palin, who MSNBC’s Chuck Todd referred to as, “the woman that used to be the biggest reality star in politics” is set later today to endorse the new biggest reality star in politics, The Donald. Palin, who has been relatively absent from the political scene so far this Presidential campaign season is en route to Iowa to join the Trump campaign around the state.
Trump’s campaign released a press release ahead of the 6pm press conference in Iowa calling Palin an “influential conservative.” The Donald was quoted in the release, “I am greatly honored to receive Sarah’s endorsement. She is a friend, and a high quality person whom I have great respect for. I am proud to have her support.” No word on who Trump considers a ‘low quality’ person for comparison, though I’m sure Jeb Bush would be a strong possibility.
Sarah Palin and her hit team err, I mean family, have already taken to twitter and blogs to attack Trump’s stiffest opposition, Ted Cruz. Bristol Palin posted a rant “Is THIS Why People Don’t like Cruz?”
“After hearing what Cruz is now saying about my mom, in a negative knee-jerk reaction, makes me hope my mom does endorse Trump. Cruz’s flip-flop, turning against my mom who’s done nothing but support and help him when others sure didn’t, shows he’s a typical politician. How rude to that he’s setting up a false narrative about her!”
At Blue Hog Report of Arkansas, Matt Campbell writes—Jason Rapert: Still Not a Constitutional Scholar:
Yesterday, as was widely expected, the United States Supreme Court denied Arkansas’s petition for writ of certiorari regarding a lower federal court’s striking down the state’s 12-week abortion ban.
Sen. Stanley Jason Rapert took time out from his busy schedule of making unwatchably stupid YouTube videos to author a logorrheic response, in which he decried “social revolutionaries,” activist judges, and pretty much anyone who disagrees with his assessment about “innocent little babies.” On the Big List of Utterly Predictable Things, Stanley Jason Rapert’s response ranks somewhere between the sun rising in the east and the Avogadro constant; this kind of asinine screed is part-and-parcel of who he is.
Of course, it would be somewhat easier to take his critique of the American judiciary seriously if he appeared to actually understand what he was talking about, rather than saying things like this:
I am disappointed that at least five of nine individual Supreme Court justices find it so easy to take up cases that destroy the traditions and values of Americans when it is politically expedient, but they hide themselves from true justice when they have within their power the ability to stop our nation from killing 1 million innocent babies every year.
Actually, Stanley, it only takes four justices to grant certiorari.
At Blue in the Bluegrass of Kentucky, Yellow Dog writes—Unless He's Pro-Abortion, Pro-Gay and Atheist, AynRandy Ain't Not Libertarian:
C'mon, Joe Gerth: you know better.
Now, says Dave Nalle, the vice chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus, which has endorsed Paul, the candidate is re-emphasizing his libertarian roots in a final dash that Nalle says is crucial for him to stay relevant.
Funny how when repugs say "Liberty" they never mean "Liberty" for black people or female people or gay people or muslim people or poor people or anybody who is not white, straight, male, christian, repug and rich like them.
The Tribble-Toupeed One wants a "small" government that's just big enough to deport all the brown immigrants, shove gays back in the closet, impose christian sharia law, turn women into nothing but birthing vessels and eliminate taxes on the rich but quadruple them on the poor to keep giving trillion-dollar subsidies to fossil-fuel corporations and military contractors.
Just like faux-libertarian Matt Lying Coward Bevin.