Here's the latest dispatch from the Arizona Legislature, courtesy of Sierra Club lobbyist Sandy Bahr:

Q: How many economists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: None. If the light bulb really needed changing, market forces would have already caused it to happen.

March 5, 2010

Hi everyone! Apparently, there is little motivation by legislators to stop most of the ridiculous, unconstitutional, and certainly not the generally bad legislation. This week, the House passed HB2337 Arizona manufactured incandescent light bulbs; regulation (Antenori, Biggs, Gowan, et al) 33-27. It says that incandescent light bulbs that are manufactured and sold in Arizona are not subject to federal law. This is an anti-energy efficiency bill that is probably unconstitutional and is reminiscent of the bill passed by the legislature that made it okay to manufacture and chlorofluorocarbons despite federal law and international treaties. Federal law requires that more efficient light bulbs be manufactured over time. The bill is intended to promote a lawsuit, but I do not believe there is a constitutional right to inefficient light bulbs.

They also passed HB2290 waste tires in abandoned mines (Jones, Kavanagh, Mason, et al) 34-26. This bill allows waste tires to be used to fill abandoned mines. It is a recycled bad idea from last year and

Here's what it says about Amy at tucsoncoldwetnoses.com:

Amy is a lab/terrier mix (we think) and about 10 months old. She has easy to care for short, wiry black fur and she is long and lanky! She will probably fill out a bit more, but not much. Spayed, healthy, microchipped, and up to date on her shots. She is full of energy and a lovely lady who will also calm down enough to lay in your lap….although she does overhang the lap a bit! She is inquisitive and attentive. She has improved immensely in her training and will sit on command, knows ‘kennel’, ‘go potty’, and is learning to shake hands. Very good on a leash. She is great with other dogs too and would love a nice walk every day or a run in the yard! Not so great with cats! She is still a pup so you have lots of things you can train her, and she is ready to win you over and have her own forever home. Pictures and words never do enough to describe a dog, so call me and set up a meet and greet.

For more information, call Ann at 749-1167 anytime between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.

"Soup of Life" is among the pieces on display in David F. Brown: Paintings and Drawings from March 5 through March 30 at Temple Gallery, 330 S. Scott Ave. The exhibit is on display from Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and before Arizona Theatre Company Performances. The gallery hosts an is an opening reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., tonight, Friday, March 5.

From Talking Points Memo:

In a meeting with House progressives today, Obama made the pitch.

Speaking to reporters in the Speaker's lobby off the House floor, Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) said the President reminded them that "If this opportunity passes, much of our agenda, on the progressive side...it would be difficult, if not impossible for a generation to get back to this issue."

I asked if the message was convincing to those in attendance.

"It's pretty compelling," Grijalva said.

That's a significant change from his tone earlier in the week, when Grijalva said he was inclined to vote against the bill from the left.

In The Skinny this week, I talk about Republican Jonathan Paton's vow to not seek earmarks for Southern Arizona. Paton, who is one of four Republicans seeking to unseat Democrat Gabrielle Giffords, argues that the process is corrupt and suggests that Southern Arizona will get more money if he doesn't ask for earmarks because he will be one of many Republicans who will end the tradition of earmarking and then more money will flow to Congressional District 8.

But as the Arizona Republic has reported, one reason that Arizona doesn't get more federal money is because we have representatives such as Sen. John McCain and Rep. Jeff Flake who reject earmarks.

And as the above chart from Citizens Against Government Waste shows, it was after Republicans took control of Congress, in 1994, that earmarking climbed through the roof. It got even worse after the GOP controlled both Congress and the White House. And let's face it: The federal government was running a surplus in 2000, when Democrat Bill Clinton left the White House. Eight years after GOP set the taxing and spending policies, we stood on the edge of another Great Depression.

Paton acknowledges that his party had an "spending addiction." But he believes that the new breed of Republican will bring a fresh fiscal austerity, including the elimination of earmarks.

So follow the formula: Republicans abuse the system, complain that the system is abused, and then promise to eliminate the system altogether.

But here's the real twist: Even if you eliminated the ability for lawmakers to specify earmarks, you might not see much reduction in federal spending, according to this analysis by FactCheck.org when Sen. John McCain was complaining about earmarks during his 2008 presidential run:

But contrary to popular belief — this is the first of several bits of information readers may be surprised by — cutting earmarks wouldn't necessarily cut government spending, according to independent budget experts from across the political spectrum. Jeff Patch, a budget fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute (and also a former McCain volunteer) told FactCheck.org that "earmarks just direct funds from executive agencies to specific projects or companies." That is, while there are still a few pet projects slipped into legislation in the dark of night that do increase the federal budget, earmarks often simply tell agencies how to spend money that they are already getting. So while earmarks may drive up the cost of government slightly (by, for example, awarding no-bid contracts in a legislator's home district), cutting earmarks alone is "not sufficient for cutting wasteful spending," Patch said. The Brookings Institution's Paul Cullinan, research director of the Budgeting for National Priorities Project, agrees, saying that earmarks "might be an allocation issue" rather than a spending issue. And Scott Lilly, a senior fellow with the liberal Center for American Progress, told us that "there’s no evidence that if you took earmarks out, federal spending would go down."

And (surprise #2) McCain now says that many earmarks aren't really wasteful spending at all. For example, in 2006 the Congressional Research Service counted 75 percent (or $15.7 billion) of the 2006 foreign operations budget as earmarks. That figure includes $4.3 billion in aid to Israel and Egypt. Another $16.1 billion was earmarked for military construction

An interesting story from Hotline.com involving Sen. John McCain and former national Republican committeeman Mike Hellon on one side and current GOP state chair Randy Pullen and current National Republican Committeeman Bruce Ash on the other that we missed last week:

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has lost the endorsement of a key leader of his own party, and a behind-the-scenes feud is emerging that could put McCain at odds with GOP activists in his home state.

McCain and the AZ House delegation have agreed to divert money for the party's get-out-the-vote efforts away from the AZ GOP, sources tell Hotline OnCall. The decision comes after a contentious meeting between the McCain camp and top state party officials, according to sources on both sides of the debate.

The decision highlights a contentious relationship between the state's DC delegation and local party leaders back home, a relationship that often works at cross purposes. For years, those close to McCain have sought to oust party chair Randy Pullen, who has a following among the conservative grassroots.

The latest controversy, which has been quietly simmering for months, comes as party leaders prepare for the Nov. midterms. In AZ, the stakes are particularly high; Gov. Jan Brewer (R) faces

Hate potholes? Like complaining?

Last month, the city of Tucson rolled out a new feature that allows citizens to report annoying bumps in the road, graffiti and the like for city workers to clean up. By going to SeeClickFix.com, you can plot the blight on a Google Map, and the city will (in theory) patch the problem in a timely manner. People can even vote for what they’d like to see fixed the most.

We decided to put it to the test. At 4 p.m. yesterday, we found such a pothole just outside our offices on Valencia Road, near Country Club, measuring about two feet by 8 inches. After taking some pictures, we posted a complaint on SeeClickFix.

Now the ball’s in the city’s court. We’ll head out to site everyday at 4 o’clock to see how long it will take to fix this gash in the road. Keep checking The Range for any updates on Pot(hole) Watch 2010.

• NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

A new batch of Mars photos has been uploaded at the HiRISE Web site.

The above pic shows sand dunes and inverted craters in Arabia Terra.

HiRISE team member Nathan Bridges tells us:

This image shows dark sand dunes and inverted craters in the Arabia Terra region of Mars.

The sand is dark because it was probably derived from

Pima County Superior Court Judge Michael Miller has ruled that state law trumps the city of Tucson charter when it comes to having non-partisan, ward-only elections.

Republican Jonathan Paton pushed the law last year as a member of the state Senate.

The City of Tucson filed a suit claiming that the city should have the right to hold elections as it sees fit.

Here's a copy of Miller's ruling: C2009_7207_City_of_Tucson_v_State_Order_and_Judgment.pdf

Doc is among the dogs that the folks at Cold Wet Noses are trying to find a home for.

Here's what Doc has to say at tucsoncoldwetnoses.com:

Doc is a 10-12 month old Pit/ Sharpei mix. The Sharpei is more obvious in person, he has a wrinkled brow and a big bark (as if from a 90lb dog vs his 47lbs). I think the pit is what makes him the snuggler he is. He would love to be a lap dog.