Why I don't trust conservative politicians

Why I don’t trust conservative politicians.

(and the more conservative they are the less I believe them)

They are self-centered.  They think everybody should share their views and will use their positions to impose them on the rest of us.  For example, the mayor of Gilbert (and three council members) railed against allowing retailers to conduct liquor sampling.  He said “his family frequently shopped at Sam’s Club, for example, and he would not want his children to be in an atmosphere where alcohol could be sipped.”  So because he doesn’t want his children to see adults sipping alcohol then no one else should be able to.  I guess he never takes his children to see a professional sporting event where beer is served or eat in a restaurant where there is alcohol being sipped with a meal. 

They are controlling.  It’s my-way-or-the-highway”.  They are never wrong (or will   admit it if they are) and they will use any tactic or scheme to get their way. 

They are hypocrites.  They profess one view but then get caught doing the opposite.

 For example the “family values” types who have affairs or visit prostitutes.  Or the

Anti-gay champions who get caught themselves making gay love.  Or take the debate

over extending tax cuts to the rich and for funding additional unemployment benefits.  On the one hand, conservatives demand tax cuts for the rich, but extending those breaks will expand the budget deficit by many billions.  And then the conservatives (of both parties) argue that we can’t extend unemployment benefits because that will increase the budget deficit.  They want it both ways.

They only see things in black and white.  The world is either right or wrong, yes or

 no, good or evil with no middle ground or gray areas.  No exceptions, please; it’s

 easier that way and little thinking is required. 

Excepional Nation

Exceptional Nation?

We’re not exceptional in a lot of ways:

trail in infant mortality rankings

lag  behind in K-12 education quality compared to most of Europe and Asia

don’t have the best health care of the largest democracies

don’t have the most and best manufacturing jobs anymore

trail in public transportation nationwide

But we are exceptional in other ways:

largest prison population per capita

largest military budget in the world

largest equity gap in wealth in the free world

most number of bankruptcies due to medical expenses

largest bonuses and bailouts to CEOs and corporations

Largest corporate donations given to political advertising

Time for politicians to stop bragging and get busy.

What were we thinking?

Our governor and DPS chief ditched freeway cameras and $39M in revenue but can’t find $1.36M for lifesaving Medicaid transplants?  We have no problem accepting gambling money (lotteries and casinos) but not from traffic violators.  Those “darn cameras” also catch criminals: two murderers lately and an unknown number of lesser crooks (car thieves, smugglers and kidnappers for starters).

Thirty-nine million reasons for safer highways and catching crooks. And those transplant patients?  Too bad for them it happened to be an election year.

Tax or Ax

Gray area in Phoenix fog

Tax or ax (This was published in the Arizona Republic as a letter to the editor, Dec. 19, 2010)

It shouldn’t be an either-or, black-or-white solution as many want to frame it.  The best solution will be gray, meaning some of both. 

And it’s shortsighted to look at only the next fiscal year in reaching a solution.  The wrong plan could actually cost us much more in future years.  For example, closing rest areas and parks looked like a quick fix until we found that it costs more to reopen them that it saves.  Deep cuts in education threaten our future.

 We need more revenue because we just can’t cut enough to bail us out.  We rolled back taxes several times during the 15 years of prosperity prior to the 2007 meltdown.  But which ones to “unroll”? 

Corporate taxes are already high so they’re out.  Sales taxes are high too, and we just added a temporary one-cent tax.  The most obvious choice is to raise the income tax revenue just enough to a point that when coupled with budget cuts put us on the path to a balanced budget without damaging our future. Party politics and ideologies have to be put aside or things will surely get much worse.

J Farrer

Phoenix

On August 24, 2010, 75% of registered voters will probably be suckers.

On August 24, 2010, 75% of registered voters will probably be suckers.  That is the date of the Arizona Primary Election, and according to county officials, only a 25% turnout among registered voters is expected.  Now I believe there are two kinds of suckers: those who can't help it and those who could avoid being one with the right information.  For those who want to avoid being a sucker on that day, consider this.

First, independents can still vote in either the Republican and Democratic primary.  You could even request an early ballot if you hurry.  Second, most legislative districts, both state and federal, are not competitive.  That is, one party has a sizable edge in voting registrations and the primary winner is nearly certain to win in November. Candidates with extreme views and their followers want a low turnout.

So if you are unhappy with the job Congress or the Arizona Legislature  or your party is doing you have to do more than complain.  The primary election in most cases IS the real election.  Use your right to vote where it will count the most, in the primary.  Think about this:  hundreds of thousands of the best of our citizens have been in a war that has lasted for nearly ten years to bring democracy to other parts of the world.  Practice what we preach on August 24 or join the suckers.

The Need For Speed Vs The Need For $$

Our state officially turned off the freeway photo radar speed cameras last night at 11:59 pm.  The cameras were installed two years ago, with the promise of reducing accidents and bringing in much needed cash.  They have done both.

But a consistent, loud minority got their way.  The need-for-speed group had two main objections: one, that the cameras were only there to make $$ for the state and the second that the cameras were an invasion of privacy.  First, the cameras did make $$, just not as much as was projected ($39m per year vs $90m that was estimated).  But what they tried to ignore was the fact that the freeways with cameras became safer. Fewer accidents, injuries and loss of life.  Second, what expectation of privacy can you have while driving on a public street surrounded by other driver's prying eyes?

So why turn the cameras off?  The interim governor is running for election for a full term and needs her base to like her best.  And the head of the department of public safety (who she appointed) was concerned about the public image of his department.  Really?  He wanted to put more officers on the roads to enforce the laws.  What he didn't explain is where he would get them.  His department is understaffed with vacant positions because of a hiring freeze.  Public image vs safety?  We'll see.

And about the loss of $39m a year in the face of a budget crisis?  The governor's spokesman replied with a smile: "The governor has taken that into account in her budget".  Translation:  we just threw away $39m to appease those with a need for speed.

Chill Baby Chill

Every day that I read the opinion page in the local newspaper and especially letters to the editor I'm troubled to see the anger and partisanship.  I wonder how some of the writers arrived at their opinions and conclusions.  Yes, everybody is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts.  Either they don't know the facts or they do and don't want to accept them.

It's time to chill out.  Stop the angry screeching.  There are some in politics, both federal and state, who are feeding the partisan frenzy for their own political ends and not our greater good.  But that's been going on since 1776 and won't stop today.  The danger is that more people are buying into the rants and accepting them as facts rather than the partisan gamesmanship they are.  Stirring the pot too hard can have unpleasant consequences.

One popular theme is to blame"Washington" for things we don't like, whatever "Washington" means.  For example, our governor rails against the failure of Washington to secure our border on the one hand and then accuses Washington of interfering with the State's affairs on the other.  She is joined by most members of her party, including our two U.S. Senators who have served for decades in "Washington".  Apparently they had nothing to do with our current problems and have been given a pass by her.  Curious who is responsible if they aren't.

I Don't Get It.

I've been wondering lately why people believe the things they do.  Why can they be so stubborn?  For example, our governor, a U.S. senator and others keep telling us how bad crime is in our state, how most of the illegal immigrants are working for the Mexican drug cartels and that they commit most of the crime in our county. And that our border is dangerous and out of control.  But the Border Patrol, The FBI and other law enforcement officials say the facts don't support those statements.  And they say it's not even close.

The people making those claims are smart people.  They have access to the same facts as we do.  So why do they keep it up?  There are several possible explanations.  One, it is an election year and making voters afraid can get votes.  But when someone keeps repeating things that have been shown to be false, don't we call that lying?  And what does it say about the integrity of the person running for office or who support someone who is?

A second reason why people refuse to change their beliefs is simply human nature.  We tend to do things (and think things) because we have always done them that way.  We all have our comfort zones both physically and mentally.  Beliefs are not always rational but are emotional and come from the gut.  And changing beliefs is slow.  But there is a difference between those who recognize the facts and choose not to change and those whose beliefs trump all else regardless of the facts. For example, look back on our civil rights movements, the fight for Womens Rights, including their right just to vote!  Add apartheid and the middle east and you see how powerful beliefs and mental comfort zones are.

Thirdly, we haven't done a very good job of educating our society.  Public education has been in its comfort zone for a long time.  We test on facts but not thinking.  We make students recite the Pledge Of Allegiance daily but don't explain the words or why they have to do it.  We teach arithmetic and counting but not how to spend wisely.  They do learn how to be consumers and expect immediate gratification though.

And don't blame our kids--we're guilty too.  We know we should get our information from more than one source and not believe everything we see and hear on TV and the internet.  We know we should set an example and act responsibly  but we don't always (and in some cases rarely).  We know we should vote in every election not just every four years.

I hate to admit the possibility that there may well be people in positions of political and economic power who like us just the way we are:  "Take our word for it", don't pay attention to the facts, be fearful about the future and your safety and just keep spending.  I hope I'm wrong.

Immigration Reform

There is a lot of fear and frustration about the Arizona Immigration law known as 1070.
Those for and against the new law have their own arguments to justify their opinions, but the truth is actually somewhere in the middle.  We all like to cherry pick our facts when we debate our points and leave out the parts that don’t support our views. 

Those for the law stress the legality issues and that the law mirrors the Federal Immigration laws.  They leave out the fact that immigration is a Federal responsibility.  They claim, and probably rightfully so, that police officers will enforce it fairly and not racially profile citizens.  But there will undoubtedly be exceptions.  Almost any of us can by lawfully stopped at sometime during our day.  A burnt out tail light, a rolling stop  at a traffic sign or signal, changing lanes without signaling, etc.  In other words, if a police officer wants to stop you he can usually find a way.  And a little publicized amendment gives the same questioning authority to city and county code enforcers.  Got weeds?  You may get knock on your door and be questioned about your citizenship.

Another argument by the pro 1070 people is hard to disagree with too.  It goes “illegal is illegal” or “what part of illegal don’t you understand?” .  I don’t know anyone who is in favor of illegal immigration.  But
there is a bit of hypocrisy there too.  How many of us get through a day without breaking some law even unintentionally?  Late to get to work and go a little (or a lot) over the speed limit?  Park in the handicapped spot or in a fire lane just for a minute?  Skip putting a few coins in the meter?  Throw a cigarette or trash out the window?  Ever shoplifted?  I know, these are all small infractions, not like breaking a Federal law.  So how many people fudged a little on their income tax and signed the return even after reading the part about “under penalty of perjury” ?  In other words most of us aren’t without sins either so we shouldn’t pretend to be so self righteous .

But the argument I disagree with the most is that the 1070 law will make us safer.  It is repeated over and over by the proponents and some politicians in their  campaign ads.  Even when the facts say they are wrong.  FBI crime statistics show crime rates along the Mexican-Arizona border  have actually gone down.  The new law will have no affect on who and how many cross the border illegally.  Actually, the more enforcement of illegal immigration we have in Arizona the more the “coyotes” will charge to smuggle them.  And remember that kidnappings and human smuggling are not targeted at US citizens but the Mexicans who are desperate to come here.  And don’t forget the drug smugglers.  They are well armed, ruthless and creative.   If you remember the first Jurassic Park movie, Ian Malcolm’s great line  “life will find a way”  when he was told all the safeguards and security in the park would prevent the animals from escaping.  Today that line can be paraphrased to “smugglers will find a way”.  And of course we choose not remember that we drive the demand in the drug market and for cheap labor.

The biggest benefit of 1070 may be if it provokes congress to pass real immigration reform and send enough resources to better secure the border.  But if it doesn’t,  the fear and frustration will spread to other states and Arizona will continue to be the center of controversy and the target of economic boycotts.  The unintended consequences of this law may turn into a lose-lose situation for our state.

Tuscon Trip

We drove to Tuscon yesterday to see our Canadian friends who winter there.  It had been a year since we had riven that route, I-10 south from Phoenix to Tuscon, and there were a lot of improvements.  Still road construction, near Picacho Peak,  but mostly improved by widening more of I-10 to three lanes. And especially the segment passing by Tuscon's downtown is finally finished and those exits are now open.

There is a downtown Tuscon landmark, the old railroad depot, that now is a market/restaurant.  A walk-up counter to get sandwiches, etc and a more formal sit-down room next to it for dinner.  We kicked around the downtown area looking at custom made mesquite furniture and then to glass gallery where we watched three craftsmen making the glass products.  Beautiful work!  Finally, on the way back to our friend's home, we stopped by the Arizona Inn near the U of A.  It has been a landmark in Tuscon since Arizona became a state in 1912. Very elegant and private atmosphere.  Maybe a trip back during the summer when the rates go down a little :)

Local Storm Casualties

The day after the latest storm there was storm damage around the neighborhood, mostly trees blown over but also damage to roofs that caused or exposed leaks. But people did stay home during the worst of it and came out Saturday, flocking to grocery stores, malls and city streets.

Day one of this new blog. It's the end of the largest storm to hit Arizona in the last two decades. Interstate highways closed, floods, dry washes running as fast as the Colorado river. Living in the desert, you look forward to rain and snow each year. Partly to break up the monotony of endless sunshine, but also to replenish the lakes that provide water year around and lessen fire danger. We've been in a drought for nearly a decade, so we really needed the rain. On the other hand we didn't need it all at once. Getting nearly half the yearly total in only three days caused a lot of havoc and misery in rural Arizona including loss of life. But I'm not ready to look forward to summer and the heat just yet. Just some cool weather and some sprinkles, please.