Heads up on Freeway restrictions in our district this weekend

Westbound Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) will be narrowed to one lane between 27th and 51st avenues from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (Feb. 28) while crews pour concrete pavement as part of the project to add a new merge lane to the freeway. Drivers should consider exiting the westbound Loop 101 ahead of the restriction and using the westbound frontage road before re-entering the freeway at 51st Avenue.

Bills of note in the system now.

Today we heard much discussion on the "Rights of Conscience" bill, sponsored by Representative Doug Quelland (R) from district ten. This bill would allow pharmacists and health care providers to refuse to participate in abortions or in the dispensing of life-taking drugs like the morning-after pill, as it is known. This bill does not stop anyone from getting these products and services. Rather, it would simply allow anyone who believes an unborn child to be a human life to refuse to end that life through their own efforts.

It has nothing to do with religion, but a person's "conscience" as it applies to the decision to end a human life (assumedly against the will of the human whose life is in question).

Your word is all you have, in the end.

Today in the House, I watched as one member lost faith in the word of another. It was uncomfortable for everyone, and it certainly was not fun to witness.

Here in this lawmaking body, we depend upon people to keep their word. Based on that, we make decisions and negotiate solutions with others. When someone chooses to break their word (voting the opposite direction from their commitment to another member), the ramifications can be far reaching. If other members identify someone as a flip-flop voter, it can really impact how affective that person will be in moving their own bills through the system.

Trust is so important anywhere, but especially here. Here, your word is all you have, in the end.

Making a Difference

Today we heard a variety of bills in our Appropriations committee. It was refreshing to hear two bills that had already been amended to remove tax increases before we were asked to vote on them in our committee. In some small way, I sensed that there is a mood emerging where it is evident that bills will have trouble making it through if they are asking for tax increases. That is great for all of us who pay those taxes!

I think people would be surprised to hear all of the different ways people, who are total strangers to you, approach us and ask us for access to your billfold. Sometimes it is quite creative, and ALWAYS is accompanied by a "sky is falling" warning of what will happen if we don't crack open your wallet just a little further.

The bizarre mentality of "the-press-lies-about-me-but-tells-the-truth-about-everyone-else"

Someone very astute recently pointed out a common, yet bizarre, mindset that most of us seem to have. In this mindset, we read a newspaper article written about ourselves and realize that the reporter got a lot of things wrong. We are angered over their lack of attention to the facts at hand, and their seemingly endless supply of "manufactured" truths. We hope everyone who reads the story about us is "smart enough" to realize it for what it is... It's poor reporting and sometimes downright lies. "They'll print anything to sell papers!" we proclaim to anyone who will hear.

Then, we promptly turn to the next article and drink in all of the "accurate" information about other people. We are shocked by what the others have done, which is evidenced by the very fact that it is written in the paper. It must be true, right? After all, it is written in the paper.

Where have all the journalists gone?

Did you know that a few days ago, "Jane Roe" (of Roe v. Wade fame) petitioned the Supreme Court, formally asking to have the decision reversed or for Roe v. Wade to be reopened on its merits?

Believe it. On January 14, Norma McCorvey, the woman formerly known as Jane Roe, petitioned for a Writ of Certiorari with the Supreme Court of the United States.

This, possibly the most significant court case of our time, is not news? What?!

C'mon press! *snap snap* Try to stay with us here...

read more on this from Congressman Trent Franks at:
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuestColumns/printFranks20050219.shtml

A lesson in the process

Today was an interesting lesson in the process for me. As we discussed the list of potential Democratic amendments to the Marriage Amendment "postcard" to Washington, a few wonderful new tricks were observed. First of all, you can use unrelated amendments to make your point in a rather emotional appeal, even if you know your amendment is doomed to fail anyway. It's a great way to make a point in public without the messy business of creating a bill and having it heard in committees first. Genius! Secondly, it is possible to grandstand with your ideas if you are careful to first fill the gallery with like-minded onlookers that will applaud on cue to your thoughtful remarks. Brilliant! Lastly, if you want to be sure to get a good soundbite on the radio, you must rehearse the lines of your floor speech. Artful. I definitely learned something today. I learned that as the majority, we have overlooked the power of parliamentary procedure, and that is a shame. Here's to hoping we do better.

If it walks like a duck...

Perhaps I'm too "green" and still hindered by the reality from which I emerged to enter the political arena... I say this because today I was told by a man, who I otherwise respect, that it isn't "really" a tax increase if we are simply raising the amount of taxes that a county can choose to impose. Even though previous legislators have often ducked their accountability for raising revenues by creating new or increased taxing authorities in lower jurisdictions, I am not of like mind.

To me, if I were to vote to give permission to raise taxes to another lower jurisdiction, knowing full well that the taxing jurisdiction came to us for that permission specifically so they COULD raise taxes, then I would be voting for a tax increase. Indirectly, yes. But, I think it is intellectually dishonest to claim that this is not a vote for a tax increase... Just because some other poor fool at the local level is going to take the heat for the increase, doesn't mean we can walk away clean if we vote to permit it.

The voters told us they didn't want tax increases, and even passed prop 108 to require us to get 2/3 of the vote in order to do so. I feel I owe the voters my no vote on allowing a county to raise their taxes, even if my coworkers do not agree.

How long can you hold your breath?

For Arizona children, this is not just a childhood game. Rather, they are faced (sometimes daily) with frightening episodes of gasping to get air. I'm told that these asthma attacks are like drowning on dry land. You breath in, but no air gets to your desperately starving cells. For these innocent kids, the welcome "puff puff" of their trusty inhaler is all that gives them respite from an episode and confidence in their ability to keep up with daily activities. Sadly, some schools in the state have forbidden their students from keeping their inhalers with them while on campus or while at school-sponsored events. For kids that walk or bike to school, this prevents them from even having it in their backpacks for fear of expulsion if caught with the "contraband" inhaler. While I appreciate the spirit of the "Zero Tolerance" policies our school districts have adopted, I think we all agree this has gone too far.

And, when I say "we all agree" I truly mean that. The entire body of the Arizona House of Representatives voted to give school kids permission to carry their inhalers. I sponsored this bill, and many talented people helped me to tweak the language in order to build a better law that keeps kids safe and allows the schools to know who has inhalers on campus. Now the bill is on to the senate and will be heard in the Education Committee, hopefully sometime soon. If the Governor signs the bill into law, it will be in effect for the 2005-2006 school year.

Contact Me

Should anyone wish to contact me directly, I am very easy to find.  Talk to you soon!

 

Pamela Gorman

State Representative, AZ House of Representatives

pgorman@azleg.state.az.us

www.PamelaGorman.com

602-926-4002

 

 

Take a Picture because Photo radar may be changing...

Last week, the Transportation Committee forwarded some reform for people caught with a heavy lead foot. The committee approved Rep. Andy Biggs’ HB2119 to turn the tickets issued to speeders caught by photo radar into civil penalties while removing the points assessed on a driver’s record. (Those points translate into higher insurance premiums). HB2119 makes it a civil fine if the ticket is paid with 21 days. Another bright spot is cities get their money from the fines without having to hire process servers to find scofflaws. The positive effects of photo radar on safety are largely attributed to the "scare factor" or the fact that the sign stating "radar in use" scares people into slowing down. Those effects will still be realized, helping to reduce traffic accidents.

A bumper crop!

This is a record year – though, it’s a dubious record. House members dropped 800 bills and resolutions into the hopper this first session of the 47th Legislature. And usually the second session is the one jam-packed with new ideas.

Envy

Today in church, my pastor talked about envy and how it causes people to do and say and think horrible things. I thought about this in reference to the people out there who make my time here in office, shall we say, less than pleasant. If you lose a political race, I guess you would have a very large case of envy. Not that this justifies the horrid behavior and false accusations, but it certainly helps me to understand that this has nothing to do with me and is not going to stop because of anything I say or do.

Hmmmm. So, is it better to envy or be envied? I've decided it is better to be envied (and therefore persecuted unfairly) than to give up the opportunity to serve the good people of district 6. I will continue to fight for responsible government because that is what you sent me here to do. If I wasn't in a position to affect our state government, I would not be envied. I choose to be envied... I hope you, too, will decide to be the best you can be, do the most you can do, make the biggest impact for good you can make, and let others envy (and hate) you for it, too!

The Irony

It is frustrating to be a person who highly values her integrity, and then has it questioned at every turn by one who has none. Ah, the irony.

Welcome to the Blog...

I am State Representative Pamela Gorman, and you are now on a blogging adventure with me. Thank you for joining me. If you are here, then you must be incredibly curious about your state government. That is the first step toward being part of the solution here in Arizona... Just an ounce of curiosity will take you far in state politics. Welcome. :)