Bill would help citizens engage in voting process

By Sam Wercinski
The Republic | azcentral.com

Arizona Republic colum­nist Doug MacEachern shed light on how “ ‘Dark money’ in campaigns under­mines basic democracy,” be­cause of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision (Viewpoints, Jan. 13). The five justices wiped out more than a hundred years of legal precedent in­tended to pro­tect govern­ment of, by and for the people, and put American de­mocracy up for sale to the high­est bidder.

Now Arizona House Bill 2306 is introduced.

It will double the amount of campaign cash that political ac­tion committees, driven by lob­byists, can give to candidates for greater leverage when they’re in office.

This bill sets the stage for re­moving all campaign-contribu­tion limits and undermines the Arizona Citizens Clean Elec­tions Act, which voters ap­proved in 1998.

Arizona has a history of spe­cial interests holding officials “hostage” for campaign fund­ing. Arizona’s first governor, George W.P. Hunt, said in 1914, “It will be a happy day for the nation when the corporations shall be excluded from political activity … and vast accumula­tions of capital cannot be em­ployed in an attempt to control government.”
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Partnering with Mexico is wise

By Victor Trevino
The Republic | azcentral.com

In January, we witnessed the beginning of a second term for President Barack Oba­ma. In December, in Mexico, President Enrique Peña Nieto began a six-year term.

There are several reasons to emphasize the new beginnings of executive branches of the United States and Mexico: Both countries share a bor­der of more than 2,000 miles, both are part­ners through the North American Free Trade Agree­ment, both share historical and family ties and both have a common bilateral agenda.

While Obama has an agenda that will address domestic fis­cal policy and economic growth, his administration also has other priorities like immi­gration, gun control, energy and climate change.
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Brewer faces political struggle to expand Medicaid

By Robert Robb
The Republic | azcentral.com

From the political note­book: A lot of attention has been paid to the substance of Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid­expansion proposal. Less atten­tion has been paid to a political and legal question that may be more important in determining its fate: How many Republican votes does it need in the Legis­lature to be enacted?

The assumption is that all the Democrats in the Legisla­ture will vote for it. They may be tempted to attempt to bar­gain for something else in exchange for their support. If they are serious about the priority they claim to put on the expansion, they will forgo that temptation.
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Posted in At the Capitol, Healthcare | Comments Off on Brewer faces political struggle to expand Medicaid

Good Sign: Aid for CPS OK’d

EDITORIAL Child-welfare legislation
The Republic | azcentral.com

The fast-track approval of an emergency mea­sure to hire Child Pro­tective Services workers speaks to the humanity of all those who helped make it happen.

It shows Arizona’s best side.

This $4.4 million appropria­tion addresses some of the acute needs of Arizona’s child­welfare system, providing money to hire 50 new work­ers. Fixing the chronic prob­lems of a system that has long been in crisis will take sus­tained efforts.

Gov. Jan Brewer knows this and shows the gumption to do something about it.
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Different backgrounds but a common purpose

By Dan Nowicki and Ronald J. Hansen
The Republic | azcentral.com

The eight senators who banded together to pursue bipartisan immigration reform span the political spectrum from conservative to liberal. Some are longtime lawmakers while others are rising stars who represent the future of their parties. But each brings talents to the table that reform advocates hope will culminate in an overhaul of immigration laws. The Republican side includes a former presi­dential nominee and a likely future White House contender. The Democratic side in­cludes the chairman of the Senate’s immigra­tion subcommittee and a top-ranking leader.
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