Clash in Tucson school district over ethnic studies

In Tucson Unified School District there is a clash between some schools and district officials over the Mexican-American studies program. Outgoing state schools superintendent Tom Horne believes the district is breaking a state law aimed at quashing programs “designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group.” Horne is leaving his office to assume duties as state attorney general, and he believes the Mexican-American studies program “violates the law.” The Arizona Republic said the new superintendent John Huppenthal can decide whether to cut state funding by 10 percent—$15 million—if school officials refuse to cancel the program.

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Obama admin ignores Arizona governor's repeated requests to secure the border

President Barack Obama’s administration claims to be committed to securing our borders, but officials have ignored multiple requests by a governor to use troops to secure the border.

Since Obama became president, Arizona governor Jan Brewer has sent five separate requests to deploy the state's National Guard to the border – four last year and another on March 29.

Shockingly, none of the governor's letters has allegedly elicited a response from the White House.

A reporter from the Tuscon television news station KGUN attempted to determine why the government isn't listening. Instead of getting answers however, he found obstacles.

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Flake on C-SPAN: Earmark process is “circular fundraising”

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) met school children at a temporary site after the 2004 tsunami. Flake's career in the private sector included work done on behalf of the south African nation of Namibia.Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), one in a minority of fiscal conservatives, appeared on C-SPAN Tuesday morning, calling earmarks “circular fundraising.” Taxpayers know exactly how earmarks work—the politico slips funding into one of those “too-long-to-read” bills, slithers over to the corner and enjoys the payback when beneficiaries of the earmark cough up campaign contributions.

Flake came down hard on the recent Defense Appropriations bill. In a news release Monday, Flake cited 1,087 earmarks worth $2.7 billion, with about 540 of those earmarks worth $1.3 billion going directly to private companies without competition. Breaking with tradition, the bill is likely to come up this year under a closed rule, meaning that the House Rules Committee must approve any amendments before they can be debated on the House floor

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Obama cabinet politicos snark about Kyl’s stimulus stance

Arizona Republican senator John Kyl said, "Even the money that has been spent isn’t going to the worthy 'shovel-ready' projects often mentioned by proponents of the bill." Sen. John Kyl (R-Ariz.) has been outspoken about stimulus spending, calling for an end to the program many of us believe is just another Democratic Party excuse to tax and spend. Kyl found himself in a storm of criticism from some members of President Barack Obama’s cabinet. Kyl voiced his opinions during pop politics programs airing Sunday morning. The Arizona Republic doesn’t agree with Kyl’s position, but defended the senator’s right to state his concerns. The newspaper cited the cabinet politicos: “Shaun Donovan, secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Ray LaHood, secretary of Transportation. Ken Salazar, secretary of the Interior. And Tom Vilsack, secretary of Agriculture. Of the lot, LaHood's message was the most blunt: '(I)f you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to your state, as Senator Kyl suggests, please let me know.' " The bureaucrats sent the letter to Arizona’s governor.

There’s a lesson in this, and it’s one every American should respect. When we say we want the federal government to spend less, we must include our own states in the reductions.

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Social Security Admin technically did nothing wrong with Arizona conference

A YouTube video courtesy of visitphoenix.com gives a travel overview of the city that is a popular golf destination.Thousands have read our story about the Social Security Administration Training Conference in Phoenix, Arizona at a top tier hotel. Many of those readers apparently work for SSA, judging by our IP number stats. When a number recurs, I look it up.

I’ve received emails and other bloggers’ posts on the topic have attracted commentary. Some defend the SSA; others deride the agency. I acknowledge the SSA did nothing wrong technically—the agency spent legally budgeted money on a legally accepted expense. Some point out the conference actually acted like the ‘Stimulus,’ helping the economy.

I didn’t agree with the officially issued ‘Stimulus,’ though and I’m not biting the benefits bait on the issue of the conference.

Another overlooked donkey in the room is the carbon footprint.

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