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State Net
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C A P I T O L J O U R N A L
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News & Views from the 50 States
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Volume XIV, No. 30 Monday, October 16, 2006
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##### TOP OF THE NEWS #####
SNCJ SPOTLIGHT ............................1
* Property rights backlash out West
BUDGET & TAXES ............................2
* States get Medicaid reprieve
POLITICS & LEADERSHIP ............................3
* Politics in brief
GOVERNORS ............................4
* Will Dems grab gubernatorial
edge?
IN THE HOPPER ............................5
HOT ISSUES ............................6
ELECTIONS ............................7
ONCE AROUND THE STATEHOUSE LIGHTLY ............................8
*** The next issue of Captiol Journal will be available on
October 16th.
Correction
In the Oct. 9 issue of the State Net Capitol Journal, we
erroneously cited NY Senate Bill 1673 in our spotlight feature on
state efforts to regulate pretexting. The correct bill number is
NY SB 6723, The Consumer Communication Records Privacy Act. We
regret the error.
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***** #1--SNCJ SPOTLIGHT *****
In the sizeable wake of last year's U.S. Supreme Court decision
(Kelo v. City of New London) expanding government authority to
take private property through eminent domain (see "The revolt of
the states" in July 3 issue of SNCJ), 30 state legislatures
passed laws restricting such seizures. But next month, voters in
a number of Western states will consider measures that go much
further than merely countering Kelo, limiting government's power
to enforce zoning regulations, even where those laws benefit the
health and safety of the public at large.
Measures dealing with property rights will actually appear on the
ballot in twelve states in November, making it the biggest ballot
issue this election season. Most of the measures would restrict
the use of eminent domain to a greater or lesser degree, but a
few of the ballot efforts, in states like ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA,
IDAHO and WASHINGTON, are significantly more far-reaching. Often
described as "Kelo-plus," they aim to halt so-called "regulatory
takings," the effective seizure of private property by the
government through zoning law changes.
The origins of the Kelo-plus initiatives actually lie in another
Western state: OREGON. There, in 2004, voters passed an
initiative -- Measure 37 -- requiring the government to reimburse
property owners who successfully demonstrate zoning restrictions
have hurt their property values or, alternatively, waive the
zoning rules that have been imposed upon them.
Interestingly, despite more than $5.6 billion in claims since
Measure 37 was upheld in court this spring, not a single penny
has been paid to Beaver State property owners. According to
Sheila A. Martin, director of the Institute of Portland
Metropolitan Studies at Portland State University, cash-strapped
local governments have instead simply opted to waive the zoning
laws.
And that, critics say, is the real danger of the Western states'
regulatory-takings initiatives. "Urban growth boundaries,
agricultural protection ordinances, wetlands regulations,
historic district rules -- just about any kind of land-use rule
would be more vulnerable to litigation if the [regulatory
takings] measures were adopted," said Georgetown Environmental
Law and Policy Institute Executive Director John Echeverria.
"[The West] would be a lot more polluted, it would be a lot more
congested, and it would be a lot less green if these measures
were enacted."
Echeverria maintains that eminent domain is not the evil that
people tend to think it is. "Most people don't understand the
valuable development [that eminent domain] can help generate, and
how, if it's fairly conducted, it can produce entirely fair, even
highly favorable outcomes, for affected property owners...."
But for Echeverria and many others, the regulatory-takings
initiatives, are another matter. They claim the measures are
really nothing more than an effort by national libertarian groups
to take advantage of voter outrage over the Kelo ruling to
further limit the power of government.
In making their case, Kelo-plus opponents have pointed out that
about two-thirds of the money raised by the Boise-based group
This House Is My Home, which is backing IDAHO's
regulatory-takings initiative -- Proposition 2 -- came from the
Fund for Democracy, headed by Howard S. Rich, chairman of the
libertarian group Americans for Limited Government. And the
critics say IDAHO is only one of several states that have
received strong financial support from the Fund for Democracy.
At least one Kelo-plus initiative campaigner, furthermore, has
conceded that the Supreme Court's decision to evict Susette Kelo
from her CONNECTICUT home last year has helped his cause. "As
soon as I brought up the little old lady in New London,
CONNECTICUT, it just clicked with everybody," said Eric Dondero,
who gathered signatures for MONTANA's property-rights ballot
measure.
John Tillman, president of Americans for Limited Government
contends that his organization is "essentially a 'networking
station' that brings together grass-roots activists, donors and
community leaders who share a common interest," adding that in
this particular case, "that common interest in restoring property
rights for the average citizen."
Libertarians also argue that the Fifth Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution prohibits the taking of private property for public
use without compensating the owner, and that zoning restrictions
constitute a partial taking of a property's value without
compensation. "By not compensating landowners...you are
essentially forcing a minority of landowners -- the private
property owners -- to bear the cost of providing [a] public
benefit," asserts Leonard Gilroy, a senior policy analyst with
the Los Angeles-based Reason Foundation.
What's more, not all voters are angry about the Kelo decision.
Ranchers in rural IDAHO, for example, are deeply frustrated by
the growing tide of newcomers from out-of-state who build second
homes near their property and then seek to restrict land use
around their little piece of paradise by getting it zoned as
environmentally protected. Consequently, the more established
residents have had little difficulty making up their minds about
Prop. 2. "Everybody that's connected to the land is going to vote
for it," said rancher Katie Breckenridge, "because there's an
anger, a rising anger."
Sentiments like that don't bode well for the anti-Kelo-plus camp,
especially considering the fact that opponents of OREGON's
Measure 37 had the backing of groups ranging from the state PTA
to the American Cancer Society, endorsements from every daily
newspaper in the state and twice as much money as the
property-rights side -- and still lost. In many of the Western
states where that fight is now being waged, the opposition is
neither as well organized nor as well funded. (NEW YORK TIMES,
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, HIGHCOUNTRYNEWS.ORG)
-- Compiled by KOREY CLARK
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***** #2--BUDGET & TAXES *****
STATES GET MEDICAID REPRIEVE: After a decade in which increases
in state costs for Medicaid outstripped revenue growth, states
are finally getting a break from that unwelcome trend. A report
released last week by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the
Uninsured found that Medicaid spending increased by only 2.8
percent this past fiscal year (which ended June 30), down from
3.7 percent the year before -- and a peak of 12.4 percent four
years ago.
The report cited several major reasons for the drop-off. First,
the nation's improving economy helped slow the growth of the
Medicaid rolls, since fewer people had incomes low enough to
qualify for the program. The number of Medicaid recipients, which
swelled by 40 percent between FY 2000 and FY 2005, increased by
only 1.6 percent last year. Second, the federal government
started picking up the cost of prescription drugs last year,
although states will have to give most of the money they saved
back to the federal government in so-called "clawback" payments.
(If the states were able to pocket that money, their total
Medicaid costs would have increased by only 1.7 percent last
year.) And third, states have implemented significant
cost-cutting measures over the past five years in response to the
out-of-control rise of Medicaid costs.
The combination of slower growth in Medicaid spending and strong
revenue growth has "fundamentally changed the atmosphere in which
Medicaid policy-making has occurred," said Vernon Smith of Health
Management Associates, the chief author of the Kaiser report.
"For the past four or five years during the economic downturn,
states could only play defense. Now states can also play some
offense," Smith said.
According to Smith, the improved economic conditions helped make
it possible for ILLINOIS to provide affordable health coverage
for all uninsured children and for MASSACHUSETTS to pass its
landmark mandatory health insurance law earlier this year. And he
added that only three states planned to hike Medicaid co-payments
next year, only nine states planned to cut benefits and, for the
first time in years, no state planned to reduce the rates it pays
doctors and health care facilities.
But every silver lining has a cloud and along with all the good
news, the Kaiser report also indicated that state officials are
expecting another surge in Medicaid costs this fiscal year
(STATELINE.ORG).
BUDGETS IN BRIEF: As predicted (see POLITICAL GUSHER IN CA in
Oct. 9 issue of SNCJ), the battle over CALIFORNIA's Proposition
87 -- the proposed tax on oil production to fund alternative
energy development -- officially became the costliest initiative
campaign in Golden State history last week. According to records
filed at the secretary of state's office, the groups on either
side of the measure have raised a total of $104.4 million,
topping the $93 million spent on an initiative legalizing Indian
gaming in 1998 (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE). * LOUISIANA Gov.
Kathleen Blanco (D) announced a plan last week to use an expected
budget surplus and an emergency fund set up for hurricane
evacuations to provide rebates to property owners who paid to
keep the LOUISIANA Citizens Property Insurance Corp. -- the
state's insurer of last resort -- afloat after Hurricane Katrina.
Under her proposal, a typical homeowner with a $1,000 annual
insurance premium would receive between $100 and $150. But the
plan must first be approved by the Legislature, possibly
necessitating a special session (ADVOCATE [BATON ROUGE]). *
MISSISSIPPI Gov. Haley Barbour (R) said last week that he would
hold off on implementing a planned hospital tax increase to close
a $90 million hole in the state's Medicaid budget and give
lawmakers a chance to come up with an alternate solution. The
governor's decision came after the state received $149 million in
additional federal hurricane aid, Katrina relief that had gone
unclaimed by other states (CLARION-LEDGER [JACKSON]). * The legal
fight over school funding in NEW YORK entered its final phase
last Tuesday, when lawyers representing the public schoolchildren
and the state squared off in the state's highest court, the Court
of Appeals. The lawsuit accusing the state of underfunding New
York City schools by billions of dollars has been winding its way
through the Empire State court system for the last 13 years (NEW
YORK TIMES).
-- Compiled by KOREY CLARK
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***** #3--POLITICS & LEADERSHIP *****
POLITICS IN BRIEF: The U.S. Supreme Court declined the appeal of
a case dealing with future damage award payments by cigarette
companies not included in the 1998 tobacco settlement agreement.
The appeal was filed by 30 states that have passed laws requiring
three small tobacco companies to make such payments, laws which
have been challenged by the companies on the ground that they
violate antitrust law and the commerce clause of the U.S.
Constitution. The pass by the high court means the companies can
proceed with their antitrust claims (NEW YORK TIMES). * The 9th
Circuit Court of Appeals has suspended the voter ID requirements
passed by ARIZONA voters in 2004 as part of Proposition 200.
Opponents had argued those provisions amounted to an
unconstitutional poll tax. Unless the court's ruling is
overturned -- and the state has vowed to appeal it -- Grand
Canyon State voters will not be required to present photo ID or
proof of address at the polls, just as in prior elections
(ARIZONA REPUBLIC [PHOENIX]). * A MISSOURI state legislator
serving in Iraq returned home on "convalescent leave" last week
after being shot in the chest by a sniper while on patrol near
Baghdad earlier this month. Rep. Jason Brown (R) said doctors had
not decided whether to remove the bullet lodged in his left lung
but that he planned to return to Iraq for "light duty" in 30 days
(ASSOCIATED PRESS, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, KANSAS CITY STAR).
-- Compiled by Korey Clark
*****************************************************************
***** #4--GOVERNORS *****
WILL DEMS GRAB GUBERNATORIAL EDGE? Much has been made of late of
the potential for Democrats to regain control of at least one
Congressional chamber in November's elections. Theories also
abound that ongoing GOP struggles in D.C. will give Dems the
impetus to achieve big legislative gains in statehouses across
the nation. But while this fall's 36 gubernatorial races have not
received as much attention in that regard, a closer look reveals
that Democrats may also have their best chance in over a decade
to gain an edge in state governorships.
Republicans currently hold a 28-22 edge in governorships, an
advantage they have held since they grabbed a net gain of 12
governorships in 1994, the year of "The Republican Revolution"
that also gave the GOP control of Congress for the first time in
four decades. According to many national elections experts,
however, Democrats could regain their edge this fall, as they
need to garner only four additional gubernatorial seats to regain
their numerical lead. Most election observers point to numerous
factors that appear to portend Dems gaining anywhere from four to
eight gubernatorial seats this November.
The most obvious factor is of course the plethora of bad news
surrounding both the Bush administration and Congressional
Republicans. The war in Iraq, the salacious gay text messaging
scandal surrounding recently resigned Congressman Mark Foley
(R-Fla.) and a general public discontent with Congress has
created a significant opportunity for Democrats to regain the
swing voters that have supported Republicans in recent years. As
elections analyst Jennifer Duffy of the National Conference of
State Legislatures points out, "Because Republicans have all this
exposure, you've got to draw some connection to what is happening
nationally."
But there are other elements involved as well. Prime among them
is that in nine of the 10 states where no incumbent is running
for re-election, the governorship is currently held by
Republicans. Open seats tend to be more competitive, and recent
polls show Democrats with solid leads in five of those states --
ARKANSAS, COLORADO, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW YORK and OHIO -- while
Republicans solidly lead the open-seat races in FLORIDA, IDAHO
and NEVADA. The parties are neck and neck in ALASKA and IOWA, the
final two states with an open governor's office. Of those
governorships, only outgoing IOWA Gov. Tom Vilsack is a Democrat.
Some GOP incumbents are also in tighter races than they had hoped
for. That list would include MINNESOTA Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is
in a virtual dead heat with Democratic challenger Mike Hatch, and
MARYLAND, Gov. Robert Ehrlich, who is currently trailing Democrat
Martin O'Malley in most polls. Polls have been a little more
mixed for RHODE ISLAND incumbent Don Carcieri (R), with a recent
Mason-Dixon poll giving him a 16-point lead while a Gallup survey
showed only a one-point advantage.
Some GOP governors must also deal with the longevity issue, as
several of this year's races are in states that have had
Republican governors for eight years or more. Election watchers
say that the public's mood often shifts against incumbents or
parties that have been in office for long periods of time,
something independent WASHINGTON political analyst Stuart
Rothenberg calls "a normal rotation we don't see in the House and
Senate."
It all adds up to a tough slog for Republicans, according to
Republican Governors Assn. Executive Director Phil Musser.
"There's no question we're facing a bit of a headwind. The
national mood ain't great."
While that is encouraging to Democratic hopefuls, Democratic
incumbents in WISCONSIN, MICHIGAN and OREGON have their own
problems to deal with as well. All three are locked in serious
political dogfights, each for different reasons. WISCONSIN Gov.
Jim Doyle has battled ethics issues all year, while MICHIGAN Gov.
Jennifer Granholm has been dragged down by an ongoing slump in
the state economy. In OREGON, Gov. Ted Kulongoski lost much of
his party's traditional support -- organized labor -- when he
championed public employee retirement reforms that reduced
benefits for those workers.
Ethics issues may also play a major role in ILLINOIS, where
Antoin "Tony" Rezko, one of incumbent Gov. Rod Blagojevich's (D)
top advisers and fundraisers, was indicted last week for
allegedly using his influence with the governor to garner
millions of dollars in kickbacks and campaign donations from
firms seeking state business. How much that helps Republican
challenger Judy Baar Topinka remains to be seen.
Overall, Republicans are expected to win or retain the governor's
office in TEXAS, IDAHO, FLORIDA, NEVADA, SOUTH DAKOTA, NEBRASKA,
GEORGIA, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, and CONNECTICUT. Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger is also likely to hold on to his job in
CALIFORNIA. Democrats, meanwhile appear to have a solid grip on
ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO, KANSAS, TENNESSEE, NEW YORK, NEW HAMPSHIRE,
MAINE, PENNSYLVANIA, MASSACHUSETTS and ARKANSAS.
Fourteen states do not have gubernatorial elections this year.
Eight of those -- WASHINGTON, MONTANA, WEST VIRGINIA, NORTH
CAROLINA, VIRGINIA, NEW JERSEY, LOUISIANA and DELAWARE -- have
Democrat governors, while a Republican currently presides over
MISSOURI, MISSISSIPPI, INDIANA, KENTUCKY, UTAH and NORTH DAKOTA.
(LOS ANGELES TIMES, NEW TORK TIMES, DETROIT FREE PRESS, CHICAGO
TRIBUNE, WASHINGTON POST, JUNEAU EMPIRE)
WARNER BOWS OUT: Saying he wants to spend more time with his
family, former VIRGINIA Gov. Mark Warner (D) announced he will
not run for president in 2008. Warner, who many considered to be
a major player in the race for the Democratic nomination, said he
made the decision after spending time touring colleges with his
oldest daughter. "I know these moments are never going to come
again," Warner said of his time with his wife and three
daughters. "This weekend made clear what I'd been thinking about
for many weeks -- that while politically this appears to be the
right time for me to take the plunge -- at this point, I want to
have a real life." Observers say Warner could still be in line
for a role on the Democratic ticket as the vice presidential
candidate. (WASHINGTON POST)
BARBOUR THANKS BUSH, DISSES LA: MISSISSIPPI Gov. Haley Barbour
(R) paid a visit to FLORIDA last week to personally thank Gov.
Jeb Bush (R) for the aid the Sunshine State gave to his state
after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Barbour also took the
opportunity to defend the federal government over its
much-criticized response to the disaster, and to toss a jibe or
two at how LOUISIANA has handled itself in the hurricanes'
aftermath. Barbour said that while the federal and state
governments "made mistakes," he said that the Federal Emergency
Management Administration and others "did a whole lot right more
than wrong." Barbour, a close friend of President Bush and a
former head of the Republican National Committee, added that that
he is irritated "so many people blame the federal government for
what happened in LOUISIANA. If it was the federal government's
fault, how come we didn't have the same result in MISSISSIPPI?"
(SUN HERALD [BILOXI])
-- Compiled by RICH EHISEN
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***** #5--IN THE HOPPER *****
State Net's database tracks tens of thousands of bills in all 50
states at any given time. Here's a snapshot of what's in the
legislative works:
Number of 2006 prefiles last week: 29
Number of 2007 prefiles last week: 69
Number of 2006 Intros last week: 163
Number of bills enacted/adopted last week: 95
Number of 2006 prefiles to date: 21,075
Number of 2007 prefiles to date: 1,517
Number of 2006 Intros to date: 100,004
Number of enacted/adopted overall in 2006: 31,339
- Compiled By JAMES ROSS
(Measures current as of 10/11/06)
Source: State Net
-----------------------------------------------------------
The week in session
States in Regular Session: DC, NJ, NY, PA
States in Informal Session: MA
States in Skeleton Session: OH
States in Special Session: PA "a"
States in Recess: MI, US
States in Special Session in Recess: DE "a"
States Prefiling or Drafting for 2007 Session: CO, FL, KY, MT,
ND, NV, VA
States Adjourned in 2006: AK, AL, AZ, CA, CT, CO, DE, FL, GA, HI,
IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NM,
OK, RI, SC, SD, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY
States in Special Session Adjourned in 2006: AK "b", AK "c",
AR "a", AZ "a", CA "a", CA "b", CO "a", IA "a", ID "a", KY "a",
LA "a", MD "a", MS "a", MS "b", OK "a", OK "b", OR "a", OK "b",
TN "a", TX "c", UT "a", UT "b", VA "a", WV "a", WI "b", WI "c"
Letters indicate special/extraordinary sessions
Source: State Net, 10/12/06
*****************************************************************
***** #6--HOT ISSUES *****
BUSINESS: The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a NORTH DAKOTA law that
bars telemarketers from making prerecorded interstate calls to
Flickertail State residents. The law had been challenged by a
VIRGINIA company that claimed federal law allows such calls
(BISMARCK TRIBUNE). * Under pressure from at least 38 states,
tobacco giant R. J. Reynolds agrees to accept a domestic ban on
flavored cigarettes. The agreement requires Reynolds to stop
identifying cigarettes with candy, fruit, desserts or alcoholic
beverage names, imagery or ads. The company will also cease using
scented promotional material, including scratch-and-sniff samples
(NEW YORK TIMES).
CRIME & PUNISHMENT: The COLORADO Supreme Court rules that victims
who lose property through some form of deception are not entitled
to have that property returned to them from someone who purchased
it further down the line. The court said that property owners may
legally reclaim their stolen goods only if they were taken via
burglary or violent crime (DENVER POST). * A federal court
rejects a request to block a new KENTUCKY law that bars sex
offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools, licensed
day-care centers and public parks with pools or playgrounds.
Plaintiffs said they would be irreparably harmed by being forced
to move (COURIER-JOURNAL [LOUISVILLE]).
EDUCATION: An ILLINOIS Legislative committee approves new rules
that ban the sale of all junk food in Prairie State elementary
and middle schools. That reverses a decision made last April by
that same committee to reject such a ban. The new rules ban the
sale of any food in which calories from fat exceed 35 percent.
School vending machines must now also contain milk, water or
juices that contain more than 50 percent fruit or vegetable juice
in lieu of sodas (DAILY HERALD [SPRINGFIELD]). * MICHIGAN
education officials establish new high school science curriculum
guidelines that mandate the teaching of evolution. The state
board also removed language from the curriculum that could have
been construed as questioning evolution's scientific credibility
(DETROIT FREE PRESS).
ENVIRONMENT: A season of devastating fires leads NEVADA Gov.
Kenny Guinn (R) to authorize the biggest emergency deer hunt in
Silver State history. Guinn said a loss of more than a million
acres of mule deer habitat to fires this season has wiped out the
deer's food supply. The state is expected to issue 1,000 of the
special mule deer tags for the hunt, which is open only to state
residents (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL). * WYOMING wildlife
officials again file suit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
service over the federal agency's rejection of the Cowboy State's
proposed wolf management plan. The suit alleges the rejection was
for political reasons. Federal authorities also rejected a state
plan in 2004, which sparked a lawsuit later tossed out by a
federal court (BILLINGS GAZETTE).
HEALTH & SCIENCE: TEXAS Gov. Rick Perry (R) issues an executive
order that will create a state agency tasked with developing a
statewide secure medical records system. Other responsibilities
will include seeking methods for lowering insurance costs for
small businesses and helping Lone Star State residents search for
doctors and hospitals (FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM).
SOCIAL POLICY: A CALIFORNIA appeals court upholds the Golden
State's ban on same-sex marriage. The court ruled that only state
lawmakers have the power to change the state's definition of
marriage. The case will be appealed to the state Supreme Court
(LOS ANGELES TIMES). * Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court refuses
to hear a separate legal challenge to the CALIFORNIA law banning
gay nuptials. The high court rejected the suit without comment
(SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE).
POTPOURRI: A federal judge rules that KENTUCKY judicial
candidates may express their partisan leanings to voters. The
court also ruled that those candidates are allowed to solicit
campaign contributions from lawyers who may end up arguing cases
before them, but may not reveal how they would rule on particular
issues (COURIER-JOURNAL [LOUISVILLE]).
-- Compiled by RICH EHISEN
*****************************************************************
***** #7--ELECTIONS *****
Upcoming elections (10/12/2006 - 11/02/2006)
THERE ARE NO ELECTIONS SCHEDULED DURING THE NEXT THREE WEEKS.
*****************************************************************
***** #8--ONCE AROUND THE STATEHOUSE LIGHTLY *****
OLD DOG BITES NEWSPAPER: Sonny Perdue, a former Bulldog football
player, had had it. The GEORGIA governor has long complained that
the state's largest and most influential rag -- the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution -- seems always to seek out and report the
worst about the Peach State. But last week, Perdue was pushed
over the brink by a headline above the paper's coverage of a
GEORGIA Bulldogs football game: "Dogs get put in their place."
Exasperated that the paper's negativity had dripped onto -- of
all places -- the sports page, the guv promptly fired off a
letter to the editor, the paper reports, lambasting the AJC for
its downbeat attitude of "all things Georgia." Oh, yeah. Georgia
lost that football game to rival TENNESSEE. Score: 51-33.
TUBIN' IT: It was inevitable. Politics would eventually meet,
court and, if not marry then certainly fool around with the Web
site, YouTube. YouTube, for the uninitiated, is a free
video-hosting service that allows anyone to post a homemade,
electronic slice-of-life. It draws enough of a viewing audience
that Google last week reached a billion-dollar agreement to buy
the site. What, then, could be more perfect for a political
campaign, especially one short of cash? Even campaigns with
plenty of cash are taking advantage of the venue, reports
stateline.org. For instance, ILLINOIS Gov. Rod Blagojevich and
his Republican opponent both have posted unflattering videos of
each other. A caricature of IDAHO Gov. Jim Risch is featured in
another snippet, posted by an amateur who isn't much enamored by
Risch's tax policies. Some self-promote, such as ARIZONA state
Sen. Ed Ableser who used his site to take viewers along during a
typical work day. Okay, the result this time was a bit grainy,
but the way technology tends to advance in nanoseconds, it won't
be long before Ableser and his YouTubing cohorts will be
producing videos that rival those of another state politician --
the governor of CALIFORNIA.
A SPECIAL ELECTRONIC MOMENT was aired over a WEST VIRGINIA
television station last week, but the result apparently will not
derail the re-election campaign of state Sen. Randy White.
According to the Associated Press, the Democrat will continue to
seek a second term despite the potentially damaging fact that
several less-than-flattering photos -- some of White in the nude
-- were broadcast during a Charleston news program. White says
the photos were stolen from his computer by a disgruntled
employee. He also says he has been battling depression and a
"personal identification situation." His Republican opponent did
not offer any comment. Prudent choice.
PC RUN AMOK? Language can change over the decades, and every now
and then, the use of a particular throwback word or term --
regardless of context -- can inflame passions and remind everyone
that some words are accompanied by very raw emotions. And so it
was recently in ARIZONA when comments by a state legislator
brought him a world of grief. As the Arizona Republic reports,
Rep. Russell Pearce was discussing immigration reform when he
referred to a long-ago federal program to deport illegal aliens.
The program, from the 1950s, was called "Operation Wetback," and
Pearce used the term. That set off an explosion among various
ethnic and religious groups, who castigated Pearce for using a
term considered highly derogatory toward Hispanics. Pearce fired
back, accusing his critics of extreme political correctness,
pointing out that his son is married to a Latina, and noting that
his choice of words was merely an historical reference.
-- By A.G. Block
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State Net Publications
""""""""""""""""""""""
Editor: Rich Ehisen -- capj@statenet.com
Associate Editor: Korey Clark -- capj@statenet.com
Contributing Editor: A.G. Block -- capj@statenet.com
Editorial Advisor: Lou Cannon
Correspondents: Richard Cox (CA), Steve Karas (CA),
Bruce McKeeman (CA), Jeff Kinnison (CA),
Linda Mendenhall (IL), Lauren King (MA)
and Ben Livingood (PA)
Graphic Design: Suzanne Raney
(c)2006 State Net ISSN: 1521-8449
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