Arizona: Andrew Eldredge Martin

by David Safier
Enjoy. If you want to take 4 minutes and 22 seconds out of your day, listen to Obama's thoughts on the Fourth, our past and our future. I'll take his words over a limp teabag any day.

by David Safier
From the Arizona Guardian:

“We made huge adjustments to the ’09 budget, and that shocked the system, so much so that some of our members couldn’t handle the shock,” [Huppenthal] said. “During the course of the past six months, we’ve done an enormous amount of reductions, but it’s not near enough.”

He is hopeful that more lawmakers will be in the proper mindset to make further cuts during the special session.

You. Can't. Make. This. Stuff. Up.

by David Safier
My post on the Goldwater Institute's Civics test which showed high school students ignorant about basic U.S. civics questions has created quite a hubbub in the comments section, including a few comments from the study's author and friend of the blog Matthew Ladner. So rather than adding to the string of comments, I'll put my thoughts here.

Ladner protested in his commments that a phone survey is a valid instrument -- and it was conducted by a reputable survey firm -- and that his work wasn't a hit piece on public schools, since it included results from private and charter schools as well.

by David Safier
It's been quoted and blogged on many times before this. Now it's my turn. It's Al Melvin's memorable statement about Brewer on her impending veto.

“If she vetoes it, it’s only because she’s in a huff because she didn’t get her sales tax increase."

In a huff. That's so tactfully sexist of you, Al.

I'm not sure if the Captain is a Marx Bros. fan, but if not, he should know that he's stealing from the ultimate rudester. From "Duck Soup":

Melvin has nothing on his fellow Rs when it comes to rude. Read AZBlueMeanie's post below this one for examples.

I know this is a bit like an atheist quoting scripture to a religious Christian, but all these "Reagan Republicans" seem to have forgotten Reagan's Eleventh Commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.