Why is it that The Daily Show continues to make a mockery of cable news networks? What kind of moronic mainstream media lets Sen. Jon Kyl get away with saying that tort reform would save $100 billion to $200 billion in health care costs? What is that, projected over the next two centuries? And then CNN fact-checks SNL?

Former Tucson mayor George Miller debates Brian Delfs of the Tucson Fire Department on KUAT-TV's Arizona Illustrated, after the jump.

Arizona Illustrated is planning a second, one-hour live debate on Monday, Oct. 26, at TCC's Leo Rich Theatre.

As talk swirls about government reform up at the state Capitol, Espresso Pundit has some thoughts about how efforts to fix government often end up backfiring. We're reminded of what George Washington Plunkitt said about how reformers were only "morning glories":

The fact is that a reformer can't last in politics. He can make a show of it for a while, but he always come down like a rocket. Politics is as much a regular business as the grocery or the dry-goods business. You've got to be trained up to it you're sure to fail. Suppose a man who knew nothing about the grocery trade suddenly went into the business and tried to conduct it according to his own ideas? Wouldn't he make a mess of it? He might make a splurge for a while, as long as his money lasted, but his store would soon be empty. It's just the same with a reformer. He hasn't been brought up in the difficult business of politics and he makes a mess of it every time.

It's last week in review on Arizona Illustrated, after the jump.

In case you missed it: Sparks fly between Democratic incumbent Councilwoman Nina Trasoff and Republican challenger Steve Kozachik on Friday's Arizona Illustrated. Watch it after the jump.

The Tucson Weekly won 13 awards in the Arizona Newspapers Association’s annual contest, covering work done from May 1, 2008, through April 30, 2009. The awards were announced on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in downtown Phoenix.

The Weekly competed in among the state’s non-daily newspapers with a circulation of more than 10,000, and the haul included five newspaper-wide awards—including second-place honors for General Excellence. The Weekly won first place for Departmental News and Copy Editing Excellence, second place for Best Newspaper Web Site and third place for Page Design Excellence, as well as Editorial Page Excellence.

The Mississippi Press Association judged the entries. Regarding the Weekly’s first-place win for Departmental News and Copy Editing Excellence, the judge noted: “Terrific mix of news, features and attitude. We love how the calendar is segmented. Something here for everyone in (a) well-designed package.”

In the individual writing awards categories, Tom Danehy earned both first and second place for Best Sports Column, for “Soccer Sends Kids Like Brianna Caceres to College, So It Can’t Be All Bad (Oct. 9, 2008), and “Even on Their Way to the Super Bowl, the Cardinals Don’t Deserve Tom’s Love” (Jan. 29).

Dave Devine took first place for Best Sports Story for “Less Than Accommodating” (Feb. 12), a story on the role that race played in bringing spring training to Tucson.

Margaret Regan also took home a first-place award, in the Best Column: Feature or Criticism category, for “Urban Tales” (Aug. 7, 2008), a review of MOCA’s Invisible City exhibit.

Jim Nintzel nabbed three awards in the contest. He nabbed second place in the Best Column: Analysis or Commentary category for The Skinny. He won third place for Best News Story for “Bloodbath at City Hall” (April 16), his story on the firing of Tucson City Manager Mike Hein, and second place in the Best Multimedia Storytelling category for spearheading the Weekly’s ScrambleWatch ’08 political/election Web site.

Jon Shumaker earned second place in the Best News Feature category for “State of the Desert,” his March 5 cover story on the future of the Sonoran Desert.

The East Valley Tribune and the Payson Roundup were named the Newspapers of the Year, for their combined excellence in both the editorial and advertising contests.

What do "Pink Leopards," "Oatmeal Bears," "Sleeping Beauties" and "Debonair Vampires" have in common? No, they're not designer drugs. They're just a few of the many Halloween costumes available for your toddler, according to Party City's recent 24-page mailer.

More than 600 get-ups adorn the pages, with models modeling each one. Even if you have an infant under 6 months—who you'd like to pretend is something else for the night and then reveal the emotionally scarring pictures years down the road—you still have two costume buntings to choose from: "Tootsie Roll" (which could be dangerous should any ravenous older kids be nearby), and "Pea in a Pod" (which looks less like Little Sprout, and more like Invasion of the Body Snatchers).

Perhaps you're a pragmatic parent looking for a costume which implies a respectable future for your child? Well ... you can dress your boy as "UPS Guy." Feeling less confident about his prospects? Try "Li'l Hobo" (ages 3-6).

I say "boy" and "his," because beyond 18 months, the offerings

Hey, we make our share of typos, but this is pretty embarrassing for the Tea Party planners at Tucson's Last Stand today: Meet the Canididates! Bet that Steve, Ben and Shaun can't wait to pose next to that.

Hat tip to GIla Courier for posting the photo!

City Councilwoman Karin Uhlich has joined the growing chorus of opponents to Prop 200. Uhlich's statement:

Proposition 200 is an emotional issue, prone to rhetoric. I have expressed my concerns with this measure and its potential impact on the general fund, but most importantly, I’ve stated what I firmly believe: I trust the voters to make good decisions when equipped with the full information.

In the past couple of weeks, the rhetoric around this issue has greatly intensified, and the proponents of Prop 200 have attempted to mislead the voters.

Because of this, it is important that I speak out more strongly: I have my ballot in hand, I will be voting this weekend, and I am voting No on Proposition 200.

Every voter, like me, needs to make a decision based on