Arizona behaving badly and otherwise

[raison de arizona]

https://x.com/BarryMarkson1/status/1804274882693468475

Arizona unemployment rate is now at a record low of 3.4%. It's the lowest unemployment in Arizona history and it comes with a Democratic Governor and President. @GovernorHobbs was elected and the sky did not fall, businesses did not leave Arizona, tourism did not dry up and jobs did not leave. The economy is buzzing in AZ and the USA.

Arizona's unemployment rate drops to record low of 3.4%, per new labor market stats. https://axios.com/local/phoenix/2024/06 ... e-may-2024

[raison de arizona]

They were trying to force the AG to transfer the Opiate settlement money to the general fund, she said No, No, No. And she got an injunction. Of note, the Arizona Superior Court uses tinyurl.com.

[northland10]

They were trying to force the AG to transfer the Opiate settlement money to the general fund, she said No, No, No. And she got an injunction. Of note, the Arizona Superior Court uses tinyurl.com.

If I understand "they" included the governor who disagrees with the AG on this. Am I missing something?

https://azmirror.com/briefs/judge-block ... 18%20years.

[raison de arizona]

They were trying to force the AG to transfer the Opiate settlement money to the general fund, she said No, No, No. And she got an injunction. Of note, the Arizona Superior Court uses tinyurl.com.

If I understand "they" included the governor who disagrees with the AG on this. Am I missing something?

https://azmirror.com/briefs/judge-block ... 18%20years.

They indeed does include the Democratic Governor. Dissension in the ranks. The opioid money was not meant to go into the general fund hole.

[raison de arizona]

It’s pretty clear where the money is supposed to go, and it is north of half a billion so…

The One Arizona Plan provides funding for programs to address and ameliorate opioid abuse, and includes reporting requirements for greater transparency of how money is used:

56% of the total settlement goes to local governments for opioid amelioration programs.

44% of the total settlement goes to a State fund for opioid amelioration programs.

Funds must be spent in accordance with approved, nationally recognized strategies to pay for future costs incurred by the State and local governments to address the opioid epidemic. Transparent reporting requirements for fund usage to ensure compliance with approved purposes.

Flexibility for local governments to pool resources to increase the impact of settlement funds.

[raison de arizona]

Both sides of the aisle are looking at it as a big bucket of money to plug the budget hole with.

[raison de arizona]

Our man RIcher done got booed.

West Valley Republican gathering.

Fun until the “random question.”

“Was the 2020 election stolen?”

I, of course, answered “no.”

That was the wrong answer for this crowd of 200.

Say what you will about me, but at least I’m not a coward or liar.

Video:

► Show Spoiler

MARICOPA COUNTY RECORDER RACE UPDATE

In the 2nd forum with all three candidates, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer gets booed AGAIN at the Sun City West Republicans event by a crowd of about 500 active Republican voters

Stephen Richer:

"I do not believe the 2020 Election was stolen"

CROWD: BOOOOO

[p0rtia]

One of the few who does not quibble. Possibly due to the death threats.

[raison de arizona]

[Slim Cognito]

I hope they were able to identify the thief.

[raison de arizona]

Lynch? Really? These people are insane. And I don't know how Richer continues to hold onto the mantle of Republican. They don't want you, buddy.

"If Stephen Richer walked in this room, I would lynch him."

This is Shelby Busch.

She is second-in-command for the Maricopa County Republican Committee (@MaricopaGOP). She was the county party's 2023 "volunteer of the year." She's an advisor to Kari Lake and others.

She also runs an "election integrity" group called "We The People AZ" that receives funding from Mike Lindell, Patrick Byrne, and Mike Flynn.

Interesting choice of words. Not, "I'd kick his butt," or "I'd kill him."

But "lynch." Why does that word roll off her tongue given its historical context?

She says this after talking about good Christian values.

And while some in the room laugh, nobody shouts out in protest. Nobody says, "that's too far."

This isn't healthy. And it's not responsible. And we shouldn't want it as part of the Republican Party.

Worth mentioning, in regards to "good Christian values," is that Richer is, in fact Jewish.

[raison de arizona]

I hope they were able to identify the thief.

https://x.com/SashaHupka/status/1805272458423161320

UPDATE: MCSO officials just confirmed to me that the temporary elections employee is still in custody.

His name is Walter Ringfield and he is 27-years-old.

Because this is likely to get some attention, I will note: This is confirmed information from officials, but a developing story where many details are not yet known.

No need to jump to conclusions, or start trying to harass anybody.

[p0rtia]

One can only imagine what mad fantasies the AZ GOP is cooking up for the upcoming election.

Is there anyone out there who doesn’t think there will be mayhem after the Gen Election this Nov? They are announcing their revolution.

[Dr. Ken]

I hope they were able to identify the thief.

https://x.com/SashaHupka/status/1805272458423161320

UPDATE: MCSO officials just confirmed to me that the temporary elections employee is still in custody.

His name is Walter Ringfield and he is 27-years-old.

Because this is likely to get some attention, I will note: This is confirmed information from officials, but a developing story where many details are not yet known.

No need to jump to conclusions, or start trying to harass anybody.

[RTH10260]

Based on the wording of the press release above, eg re-programming and verfying equipment, one might conclude that a key to the devices was taken. Of course they will have known who was given a key and that it was not returned for safekeeping at the end of the day. I guess this is a maggat who thought by stealing a key he could claim that the machines are insecure. Or that he had some other nefarious actions in mind for election day.

[Suranis]

How much would such a key be worth to someone? Like on the black market or to a Maga. Or even Foriegn Agents.

If it was to mess with the election I would Have thought it would have been done in a few months time. There's just too much time to tighten u security or change systems by doing it now. Which is why I think the motive was likely money.

It's a credit to the Arizona election officials that this was immediately spotted

[noblepa]

One can only imagine what mad fantasies the AZ GOP is cooking up for the upcoming election.

Is there anyone out there who doesn’t think there will be mayhem after the Gen Election this Nov? They are announcing their revolution.

Absolutely. Trump's sycophants are already saying that they will contest the election if TFG doesn't win.

I'm sure that there will be a repeat of the 60-some futile lawsuits. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there is a re-enactment of the coup attempt that happened on Jan. 6, 2021. (Make no mistake. That is what is was. Not a protest. Not even an insurrection. It was a coup d'etat)

No matter what happens, 2025 is going to be a bumpy ride. If Biden wins, the MAGA crowd, led by their fuehrer will be screaming that the election was stolen, again. If TFG wins, he will begin a systematic dismantling of the democratic instutions in this country.

BTW, Trump has said that, if he wins in 2024, he will run again in 2028. He apparently thinks that the 20th Amendment only applies to consecutive terms. Or maybe he will just ignore the Constitution, as he always does, if it doesn't suit his desires.

[raison de arizona]

https://x.com/Garrett_Archer/status/1805295983678702028

A temp worker swiped what I'm told was a key fob from Maricopa County's Ballot Tabulation Warehouse. Officials discovered the fob was missing after an inventory count. They found the guy, a Walter Ringfield, through security footage. He has been arrested.

The fobs were re-programmed and the missing one disabled. The county will be re-running Logic & Accuracy for party officials due to the incident.

[p0rtia]

One can only imagine what mad fantasies the AZ GOP is cooking up for the upcoming election.

Is there anyone out there who doesn’t think there will be mayhem after the Gen Election this Nov? They are announcing their revolution.

Absolutely. Trump's sycophants are already saying that they will contest the election if TFG doesn't win.

I'm sure that there will be a repeat of the 60-some futile lawsuits. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there is a re-enactment of the coup attempt that happened on Jan. 6, 2021. (Make no mistake. That is what is was. Not a protest. Not even an insurrection. It was a coup d'etat)

No matter what happens, 2025 is going to be a bumpy ride. If Biden wins, the MAGA crowd, led by their fuehrer will be screaming that the election was stolen, again. If TFG wins, he will begin a systematic dismantling of the democratic instutions in this country.

BTW, Trump has said that, if he wins in 2024, he will run again in 2028. He apparently thinks that the 20th Amendment only applies to consecutive terms. Or maybe he will just ignore the Constitution, as he always does, if it doesn't suit his desires.

I don't think the election will certified if Biden wins.

[raison de arizona]

To be clear, Robert Bowes is a longtime Trumper moron who has no idea what he is talking about.
https://x.com/Robert_B_Bowes/status/1805305311122575515

Garrett pretends to minimize this security failure. It was a Super Admin Password FOB that was stolen. That FOB is the method of access to re-program the software that could include untraceable coding that affects the vote counts.

The proposed logic & accuracy testing this year is as much a sham as the "testing" conducted in the past two elections Only unused spare tabulators were and are proposed to be tested while the hundreds of live tabulators are proposed to go untested.

Convenient way to hide and run illegal software that contains illegal add-ons. Totally unsecure and unsafe election set-up.

This also sets up another abysmal failure like printing 19 inch ballots on 20 inch paper so that the tabulators cannot read hundreds of thousands of ballots causing illegal adjudication and vote suppression.

FYI:

Trump Appointee FHA & WH Policy. Trump'16 campaign staff, Delegate, Transition, Election Investigator, VP Chase Corporate Finance; FNMA Counterparty Risk

[noblepa]

Lynch? Really? These people are insane. And I don't know how Richer continues to hold onto the mantle of Republican. They don't want you, buddy.

"If Stephen Richer walked in this room, I would lynch him."

This is Shelby Busch.

She is second-in-command for the Maricopa County Republican Committee (@MaricopaGOP). She was the county party's 2023 "volunteer of the year." She's an advisor to Kari Lake and others.

She also runs an "election integrity" group called "We The People AZ" that receives funding from Mike Lindell, Patrick Byrne, and Mike Flynn.

Interesting choice of words. Not, "I'd kick his butt," or "I'd kill him."

But "lynch." Why does that word roll off her tongue given its historical context?

She says this after talking about good Christian values.

And while some in the room laugh, nobody shouts out in protest. Nobody says, "that's too far."

This isn't healthy. And it's not responsible. And we shouldn't want it as part of the Republican Party.

Worth mentioning, in regards to "good Christian values," is that Richer is, in fact Jewish.

Sounds like a death threat to me, doesn't it? Doesn't AZ have laws about threatening elected officials?

[raison de arizona]

Again, the parameters for the use of the money were crystal clear, but people just make shit up as they go along, so there ya go.

Judge allows Hobbs, Legislature to move opioid funds against Mayes' will

The state now has the go-ahead to immediately take $115 million from an opioid settlement to balance the budget.

Late Monday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah dissolved a temporary restraining order that Attorney General Kris Mayes had obtained just days ago barring Gov. Katie Hobbs and the state Legislature from diverting the funds. The judge said it is not clear the attorney general has such a power.

Hannah acknowledged Mayes' concerns the state got the $1.14 million multi-year settlement as part of an agreement with opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies to deal with the damages caused by drug addiction. He said there is language in that agreement that limits how the money can be spent.

But the judge said, at least at this point, there is no evidence the budget plan would violate that by giving the money to the Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry.

This isn't the end of the issue.

Hannah said if it turns out the money is not spent in accordance with the agreement, then Mayes might have legal recourse to seek judicial action. If the money is misspent, she could ask the state agency to restore those dollars to the opioid fund, he said.

Even that, however, is not a sure thing.

"As a judge, I cannot agree with the proposition that the attorney general can enter a litigation settlement ... that the attorney general can give himself in that settlement the authority to determine how state money is spent,'' Hannah said.

The ruling is a setback for Mayes, who had argued the only reason the state is getting the money in the first place was the language in the agreement spelling out how it has to be spent. That is supposed to be focused on treatment, she said.

Instead, the attorney general contends, it's simply being used to "backfill'' holes in the state budget.

She had no immediate comment.

But Hannah also made it clear at the beginning of the hearing that he was angry with Mayes for how she got the restraining order in the first place. She had her lawyers go to court last week and get Court Commissioner Mary Cronin to sign it, without the ability for Cronin to hear from the governor or the Legislature.

Mayes' attorneys said she did nothing wrong, and that her office sent three emails to the properly named defendants and their general counsel "and called to notify them of the emergency motion and when and where it would be heard.''

Hannah was not impressed. "Notifying somebody that the judge is about to decide is, in effect, without notice,'' he said.

https://tucson.com/news/state-regional/ ... 4e772.html

[raison de arizona]

[raison de arizona]

https://x.com/MaricopaGOP/status/1805445402315178460

Phoenix 3TV Dennis Welch just asked "Republican" Maricopa County Recorder incumbent & candidate for reelection Stephen Richer for which candidate he is going to vote in the race for President in the 2024 Election, & Stephen Richer stated he will be voting for Democrat Joe Biden.

[raison de arizona]

On local radio they said the county is reprogramming everything to be on the safe side, due to the fob theft. To the tune of $20k+. Hope they can recover some of that from this dirtbag.