A smoke screen is defined as anything said or done to conceal or mislead. Our Arizona lawmakers are using a smoke screen to deflect their inability to address and solve the real problems of our state, i.e. the budget, education, health care, jobs, prisons, roads, tourism, transplants, etc.
Gov. Jan Brewer and lawmakers like House Kirk Speaker Adams, Sen. President Russell Pearce, and legislators Ron Gould and John Kavanagh are preoccupied with their David (Arizona) vs. Goliath (federal government) fight and it is misdirected. Blaming the federal government for many of our problems obfuscates the fact that their GOP party has a definite monopoly in Arizona. They should be solving our problems, not wasting energy, money and time tilting at windmills in Don Quixote fashion.
We, the voters, should not have given so much power to one political party in this past election. Short of recalling myopic lawmakers, our next best chance at a quiet revolution is to vote out of office those lawmakers preoccupied with finding fault with the “feds” and elect new lawmakers whose focus will be to finally fix our faltering finances.
When the current smoke screen clears, it will be obvious that too many of our current lawmakers lack bipartisanship, empathy, leadership skills, vision and wisdom.
Richard K. Meszar, MESA
Rich posted at 7:06 pm on Sat, Mar 5, 2011.
Dale,
Civilization does not consist of a confederacy of dunces and parliament of (rhymes with 'ores') micro managing our lives.
Dale Whiting posted at 11:46 am on Sat, Mar 5, 2011.
Yes, Accuracy, we see a trade off. Civilization for a balanced budgets. Noone to blame but us!
Accuracy posted at 9:13 am on Sat, Mar 5, 2011.
Richard K. Meszar wrote: “Our Arizona lawmakers are using a smoke screen to deflect their inability to address and solve the real problems of our state, i.e. the budget, education, health care, jobs, prisons, roads, tourism, transplants, etc.”
-------------------------------------
Meanwhile, the Arizona Republican lawmakers are aiming for the $1 billion cuts from the budget for fiscal 2012, that Gov. Jan Brewer has proposed, and $600 million more permanent cuts that will erase the state's structural deficit.
Dale Whiting posted at 4:26 pm on Fri, Mar 4, 2011.
VofReason,
Democrates have not occupied sufficient seats in Arizona to as you put it "tax and spend." As I pointed out in other recent pieces, it was a Republican house and senate which make Arizona AHCCCS benefits so generous. How do you explain that for Tax and Spend analyses?
Leon,
We have covered this topic before. The 10th amendment attempts to draw a line between those powers given exclusively to the Feds and those "reserved" to the States. If the States believe the Feds have overstepped that boundary, they have options. First would be to ignor the Federal legislation and see what the Feds do. Second would be to sue [particulary after the Feds do something about it, like withhold Highway funds]. This idiotic new legislation seemingly gives Arizona a third option. But it really is no different from the first option. Except rather than going nothing, it is like waiving a flag before the bull to see if it will charge!
So just what is your point? I must have missed it!
VofReason posted at 12:38 pm on Fri, Mar 4, 2011.
Always love these. Somehow that slippery GOP pulled the wool over the eyes of the helpless citizenry of AZ to get elected. Once they come to their senses they will elect the tax and spend Democrates back to their rightful seats. Priceless
Leon Ceniceros posted at 10:20 am on Fri, Mar 4, 2011.
I was always under the impression that American History and American Government were...."mandatory" classes all across our great Nation...obviously in some school districts..these two classes were ...."electives"....like...."woodworking"..or "shop".
America has a Constitution.....America has a Bill of Rights.
One of the Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America (Arizona is one of these "States") is the 10th Amendment. It states...."The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are.....RESERVED....to the States respectively, or to the people".
Arizona has the expressed right to....NULLIFY....Federal Laws and programs that are not legally delegated or prohibited to impliment. This ...RIGHT...is expressed in the Bill of Rights.
I know that Progressives, Liberals, Left-Wing Socialists and Democrats do not believe in the Rule of Law...just look at their opposition to SB 1070 and the enforcement of Federal Anti-Illegal Aliens who have invaded our State's Borders. But America was founded on the Constitution and Arizona has legal mandate to protect it's RIGHTS.
Bottom line....if you don't like what the voters of Arizona elected their representatives to Legislate..........then you have a choice......MOVE or WIN ELECTIONS.
Dale Whiting posted at 9:22 am on Fri, Mar 4, 2011.
Richard,
I have never thought of the Karl Rove method of pulling the wool over the eyes of the electorate as a smoke screen. Excellent analogy! Remember in the estemed words of "W" 43
"Fool me once, shame on me, fool we twice, shame on _____ Opps, I forgot!"