Extremism As a Way of Life: With supermajorities in both houses of the Legislature, and the Governor’s office in their hands, Arizona’s Republicans seem bent on turning Arizona into a place that most of its citizens won’t recognize. Democratic Perspective co-hosts Michael Cosentino and Steve Williamson look at some of the bills currently before the Legislature and what is likely to happen if they become law.
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On March 5th, Democratic Perspective examined the 2012 session of the Arizona Legislature which, once again, seems to have dived into the shallow end of the pool and hit their collective heads.
We all know what happened to the Arizona economy after the legislature passed SB1070 in 2010. This year, Tea Party Republicans seem determined to cause further damage to the state’s economy. For example, here are just a few of the bills that have been proposed this session:
State Senator Steve Smith is pushing a bill which would mandate drug testing for the unemployed, and would force them to pay for the tests before they could collect the unemployment insurance they’re entitled to. HB2318/SB1485 would prevent government agencies from recognizing, bargaining with or even meeting with union members and organizations. HCR2056 would lower minimum wage for workers who are under 20 years of age if their employment is part-time or temporary. And HB2519 would make it significantly harder to qualify for unemployment insurance.
Of course, the legislature is continuing its love affair with guns. HB2640 would allow hunters to use silencers and eliminate limits for gun magazines. SB1474 would allow guns on college and university campuses. HB2729 would allow anyone to carry a weapon into a public building or event, including those which serve alcohol. And SB1083 would fund an Arizona “Special Missions Unit” (a state-sanctioned militia) to patrol the border at a cost of $1.4 million plus set-up costs.
In response to the Obama administration mandate that employer-based insurance cover contraceptives, HB 2625 would allow any employer to refuse to provide coverage of birth control for religious beliefs. And, if the bill passes it might well allow anyone to breach a contract based on religious beliefs.
Another version of the “Birther” bill has been proposed this session. HB2650/SB1481 would demand that candidates show their birth certificates before they can be placed on the ballot. HCR2025 would call on Congress to dissolve US membership in the United Nations. And HB2437 would prohibit states from implementing federal mandates unless the federal government provides proof of constitutionality.
Angered by the new legislative maps, Republicans have proposed a number of bills that would change or eliminate the Independent Redistricting Commission. You may remember that the commission was forced to spend tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees to fight Governor Brewer’s removal of the commission chairperson. Now the legislatlure is refusing to provide funds for the commission to pay its legal bills. And State Senate SCR1035 would repeal the voter-approved the commisssion altogether.
Of course, extremist bills have been proposed on assorted variety of other topics. HB2441 would make private conversations between legislators and constituents exempt from public records requests. HB2039 would remove the requirement that teachers receive a certificate in order to teach. HB2563 allows high schools to offer classes on the influence of the Bible on American history. And SB1202 would prevent teachers from speaking “partisan doctrine” in the classroom, even teaching about political parties in a historical context.
Much of this legislation is simply political posturing by Tea Party Republicans. We assume they know it will be knocked down by the courts. But Republicans are serious (or at least hopeful) that much of it will be signed into law.
The question is, since most Arizonans are moderate, how did we get such an extreme legislature?
You can review all of the proposed legislation by visiting http://www.azleg.gov/bills.asp.
Voter Fraud Isn’t Real. Voter Suppression Is. Continuing their investigation of Republican accusations of voter fraud, and the campaign for voter ID laws, Democratic Perspective co-hosts Michael Cosentino and Steve Williamson look at the actual numbers. Multiple studies have shown not only that voter fraud is virtually non-existent, but that voter ID laws tend to discourage voting by populations which traditionally favor Democrats. Just what are the Republicans up to here?
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On February 27, Democratic Perspective continued its discussion of GOP-backed voter ID laws which seem to be aimed at suppressing the vote of minorities, students and the elderly.
Republicans insist the laws are necessary to prevent voter fraud. However, numerous studies have shown that voter fraud is virtually non-existent. For example, a recent campaign in the state of Washington designed to expose voter fraud found only one person who may have voted twice. Similarly, the GOP in North Carolina claimed that 950 dead people had voted in the last election. Yet an exhaustive study proved the claims to be untrue. The study found no instances of voter fraud. But it did find that 3 voters had died before their absentee ballots could be counted.
Further, a five-year investigation into voter fraud ordered by the Bush administration resulted in only 86 convictions for voter fraud. And many of those charged were people who mistakenly filled out registration forms or misunderstood voting rules.
Nevertheless, Republicans keep complaining about widespread voter fraud as a smokescreen to justify voter ID laws. If Republicans succeed, the new laws could have a profound effect on the outcome of the next election. At least three scholarly studies have concluded that Voter ID laws lower voter turnout by throwing up an extra barrier to casting a ballot, particularly among less educated and lower income populations.
Looking at just one of the key battleground states for 2012, as many as 1 million registered voters in North Carolina currently lack a photo ID. African-Americans make up 22 percent of active North Carolina voters, but are 32 percent of those without a photo ID. And seniors over age 65 are 20 percent of the state’s active voters, but are 32 percent of those without a photo ID.
As Rev. Al Sharpton recently stated, “The current push for photo IDs is not intended to fix a problem, but to fix an election.”
Of course, there are other ways to rig election results in addition to voter ID laws. One is to limit the number of voting machines available, especially in minority neighborhoods and on college campuses. In 2004 and 2008, there were numerous instances of this, forcing students and African-Americans to wait in line for hours in order to vote.
And, of course, there is the most famous example of all – the 2000 election in Florida – where people with names similar to those of felons were denied their right to vote and where many unsigned absentee ballots were counted. A study by the National Opinion Research Center sponsored by a consortium of major US news organizations found that Al Gore still would have lost the election in Florida had his request for a limited recount not been denied by the Supreme Court. However, the same study found that a statewide recount of all ballots likely would have resulted in a different outcome making Al Gore the 43rd President of the United States.
Bringing the voter fraud debate closer to home, there have been rumors in Sedona that Yavapai County had unfairly removed voters from the rolls. But when Mike Cosentino researched the matter with Leslie Hoffman, the new Yavapai County Recorder, he found that the rumors are simply untrue. What he found is that if you fail to vote in two consecutive federal elections, you are put on an inactive list and sent a mailing. To be reinstated, you need only call the Recorder’s office or respond to the mailing.
So, although voter suppression is very real in many parts of the US, there is no reason for concern in Yavapai County.
To learn more, visit the following websites: http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/policy_brief_on_voter_identification/
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/the-strange-career-of-voter-suppression/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-brennan-center-for-justice/voter-id-tamping-down-tur_b_72317.html
http://www.factcheck.org/2008/01/the-florida-recount-of-2000/
Voter ID Laws: Reversing the Voting Rights Act. Democratic Perspective co-hosts Michael Cosentino and Steve Williamson investigate the Republican campaign for burdensome voter ID laws, and the damage it’s doing to American democracy.
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Democratic Perspective recently addressed the issue of GOP-backed voter ID laws which have been introduced in 34 states. Among other things, these new laws require a voter to provide a current photo ID in order to exercise his or her constitutional right to vote.
It seems logical enough.
Yet studies show that this simple requirement may disenfranchise millions of voters. Those who do not drive, the elderly, those who have recently moved, and others may find the effort to obtain a state-approved photo ID too difficult, too expensive or simply not worth the effort.
Republicans argue that voter ID laws will prevent voter fraud. That might be true if voter fraud at the polls were an actual problem. But voter fraud is little more than a GOP myth. It hasn’t happened for a very long time. Only a handful of cases have been confirmed in recent decades; likely because the penalties include up to 5 years in federal prison and a $10,000 fine in addition to state penalties for each act of voter fraud.
Of course, some voter fraud does exist – just not at the polls. Instead, it occurs with absentee ballots or it takes the form of ballot box stuffing. The new voter ID laws will not affect that.
But the truth hasn’t stopped the flood of GOP-backed voter laws. Last year, Georgia passed voter ID requirements despite the fact that the former Secretary Of State could not recall a single case of voter impersonation during her time in office.
Of course, the GOP points to rumors and a few examples of invalid voter registrations collected by ACORN for fictitious characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. But these are not examples of voter fraud. Since Mickey Mouse was never allowed to vote, the actual fraud was committed against ACORN, which paid people to collect registrations.
So why does the GOP continue to push these new laws despite abundant evidence to the contrary? The motivation seems obvious – to supress the votes of African-Americans, Latinos, college students and others who are likely to vote for President Obama in the coming election. This type of voter suppression hearkens back to the days of literacy tests and poll taxes.
Taking a look at just one of these groups, college students often have a new address every school year; sometimes every semester, making it difficult for them to maintain a current ID. So laws requiring a photo ID with a current address could have a large impact on them. (Not coincidentally, college students overwhelmingly supported Obama in 2008.)
Another group that has been disenfranchised consists of felons. In some states, convicted felons are denied the right to vote even after they’ve served their time and paid their debt to society. For example, in Arizona, felons have to petition to restore their voting rights. Most of these people are non-violent and many simply made one bad decision. Of the 5.3 million felons in the US, more than 50 percent are non-violent drug offenders.
Not surprisingly, this coordinated effort is being led by ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council). ALEC has authored a variety of bills that seem designed to affect voter turnout within certain populations. Among other things, these bills require photo IDs and proof of citizenship. Some change requirements for voter registration drives. Others eliminate same day registration and reduce the number of days for early voting.
A study by the Brennan Center for Justice estimates that these laws will suppress more than 5 million votes. If true, our very democracy could be at stake. To quote Lyndon B. Johnson at the time he signed the Civil Rights Act into law, voting is “the basic right, without which all others are meaningless.”
Government for Sale: The Wholesaling of Political Influence. Democratic Perspective co-hosts Michael Cosentino and Steve Williamson discuss the proliferation of lobbyists in Washington, D.C. and in our statehouses., and what they are buying with their employers’ money.
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“The Game Was Rigged”: What the 1% Was Really Up To. In the second part of his interview with Democratic Perspective, Dean Baker talks about who benefits from current economic policies, and what we might do to make them work more in the public interest.
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Democratic Perspective continued its discussion with acclaimed economist, Dean Baker by asking about the current debate over taxation of the wealthy.
“Progressives need a new approach to politics,” he replied. “Most of the public debate is conservatives want to leave things to the free market. Progressives want fairness. The game was rigged. They rigged the deck to funnel money to the one percent. Why did we let them structure the market that way?”
Turning to the housing bubble, Baker said, “Wall Street banks stuffed their pockets through the housing bubble. They either knew what they were doing was fraudulent or they failed to realize the risk. Then the government bailed them out. But it’s different for small businesses. They don’t get bailed out if they fail.”
When asked about the current state of the housing market, Baker said, “There’s a ways left to go; lots of excess supply of housing. I wouldn’t expect prices to go lower, but I wouldn’t expect new construction until 2013-2014.”
Maintaining our theme about the economy being rigged to benefit the wealthy, we asked about corporations using the patent system to take advantage of government investment in medical research. Baker responded by saying, “We need to set up an alternate mechanism. We pay roughly $300 billion a year for prescription drugs that would sell for $30 billion a year without patent protection. I’d like to see medical research publicly financed and the results put into public domain rather than the current patent system.”
Asked about the nation’s economic future and unemployment, Baker said, “The near to mid-term prospects are really bad. It could be 2020 until we get back to full employment at the current rate of job growth.”
Dean Baker writes a weekly commentary on the economy which is available on his blog, Beat The Press hosted by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, http://www.cepr.net/. In addition, Mr. Baker’s op-ed on the national debt is available at Nation of Change.org.
