Washington Post In 2002 And 2007: Bush Is Trying To ‘Prevent’ War

In case we need another reminder of the Bush Administration's intent in Iran:

When Congress gave President Bush authority to invade Iraq in 2002, the Washington Post claimed an invasion was not imminent, and that Bush was trying to "prevent" war. Now the Post is making the same claims about Bush's policy toward Iran.

Colin Powell admits helping British try to dissuade Bush on Iraq

Colin Powell unsuccessfully tried to get Tony Blair and the British government to stand up to President Bush prior to the invasion of Iraq, according to a new book for which Powell was interviewed. "In the end Blair would always support the president. I found this very surprising. I never really understood why Blair seemed to be in such harmony with Bush," Powell is quoted as saying. "He'd be ready to say, 'Look here, George'. But as soon as he saw the president he would lose all his steam."

Mayor Gordon outlines new downtown initiatives, scraps "Copper Square" brand

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon tonight proposed several solid if modest ideas in his 4th annual "State of the Downtown" address at the historic Orpheum Theater. To top off his proposals to make downtown Phoenix a great place to work, live, learn, play, and visit, the Mayor proposed scrapping the name "Copper Square" and simply referring to it as "Downtown Phoenix." There was a rock-n-roll theme to this party, which was sponsored by major corporate big wigs, and featured the music of Alice Cooper and the Mayor handing out Cooper-signed guitars to various people who were making a difference in the life of downtown. Gordon's proposals for downtown:

• Exand the route of the free Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH) bus.
• Build 1,000 new affordable housing units downtown.
• Invite ASU to bring its law school downtown, closer to courts and law firms. Invite U of A to add to its downtown presence (I believe it was the public health school he sought).
• More shade connecting downtown's open spaces, reducing urban heat island effect.
• 1,000 more hotel rooms downtown. Apparently demand for hotel rooms downtown has tripled (which is good as the Convention Center's size is tripling), and the several new hotels being built are not providing sufficient rooms. Gordon said if private investors will not build, the city will build another hotel like the Sheraton that it financed, which is scheduled to open this time next year.

What's Congress up to? Children's health update...

The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote today on a new bill to replace the one President Bush vetoed that extends the life of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Bush and some Republicans launched claims, not entirely true, that the vetoed bill would provide free health insurance for families making over $80,000 a year. The truth was that New York and only New York would be allowed to raise coverage to that level (due to the high cost of living in New York City), and only if the President gave them a special waiver. New Jersey would have been allowed to continue covering families making about $70,000 a year.

The new version is substantially similar, providing more money to enroll low-income kids who are already eligible but whose families do not know about the opportunity for health insurance. The new bill prohibits states from using federal money to cover families over 300% of the poverty line, or about $61,000 a year for a family of four. New Jersey will face a cut, and New York won't be allowed to expand their program. Coverage of childless adults will be phased out in one year instead of two, states will be required to develop plans to minimize the shift from private to public insurance, states will be encouraged to use the money to supplement premiums for existing employer-sponsored coverage, and there is stronger language requiring states to verify citizenship or legal immigrant status.

The new plan may also be vetoed by Bush, but the hope of its supporters is that there will be enough new Republican votes for this bill that there will be the necessary 2/3rds majority to override the President's veto and make him irrelevant to the process. Stay tuned.

Homeowners beware: property tax bills are full of errors, costing you and state money

An article ran this week in the Republic saying some fear school override elections will fail next month because homeowners just received their latest property tax bills, which for many people went up due to mathematical changes in the way taxes are assessed between businesses and homeowners. If you are wondering what a school override election is or why it is important, there are state limits on how much schools can spend; overrides allow schools to spend over that amount, and don't necessarily raise taxes. Sometimes they merely permit a district to spend the money they collect in property taxes.

In the process of trying to figure out for a coworker why her property taxes went up, we discovered that her house was incorrectly listed by Maricopa County as a rental property without her knowing it. It appears that the County can change the status of your house without you knowing it. Your property tax bill most likely only says whether it is Class 3 (you own your house and live in it) or Class 4 (you rent your house out to someone else). If it is Class 4, you are paying higher taxes. A quick search of the County Treasurer's website found that several people I know who are living in their own homes are incorrectly identified as renting them out, paying higher taxes, while several people who are renting their homes out are paying the lower homeowner rate and, perhaps unknowingly, cheating the state (and schools and veterans and foster kids and the disabled, etc.) out of money.

So please, if you own and live in your home in Maricopa County, go to the County Treasurer's website and make sure you are listed as "Class 3" and not overpaying. If someone you know is renting their house out, make sure they are listed as "Class 4" and are not evading the taxes they do owe, taxes that pay for schools and other badly needed services at a time when the State is facing a deficit.

Want a quick overview of a public policy issue in AZ?

The non-partisan research staff of the Arizona Senate has put together issue briefs that are available on the legislature's website and will give you brief background information on a host of issues in our state. I just discovered this, although I understand it has been hiding out on their site for some time. When the legislature comes back into session, you can even watch proceedings live on their website.

Arizona food banks need your help!

As you may have heard, thousands of Arizonans have lost jobs as a result of the recent collapse in the housing market. As you may be able to guess, more people are seeking help from food banks, while donations to food banks are down. Meanwhile, perhaps driven in part by rising demand for corn-based ethanol to fuel our cars, food prices have increased dramatically in the last year. So Arizona’s food banks desperately need your help with a donation of money or food. You can find a food bank to which you can donate here.

Also, if you live in Tucson, you can actually save money on your groceries while helping put more money into food services for those who are hungry. The Value Foods grocery store located at the Community Food Bank (3003 S. Country Club) is a small grocery store open to people of all income levels that sells deeply discounted groceries. None of the items are donated, dinged, or dented. Having non-profit status and working with the same providers who serve Sheriff Joe’s jails, they are able to pass along savings of 30-70% compared to regular grocery stores, yet still operate in the black. As a non-profit, any money they make is reinvested into helping feed the hungry. So save some money while doing good by your community. The two are not mutually exclusive!