An interesting comparison of the budget plans on the table in Washington:
National
Well, yesterday marked Day 1 of the Gary Johnson 2012 campaign, see Ragnar’s update here. Day 2 is apparently internet money bomb day, so we’ll see what kind of tone today’s fundraising sets for the campaign kick-off. Reason has a compilation of prior Gary coverage here that is worth checking out.
Earlier this week, Rush Limbaugh discussed the iPhone and iPad location services. Yesterday he clarified his information and the implications. For those who want to follow this story, you should read this engadget post. As Rush pointed out:
So for all of you worried about your iPhone being a secret weapon used by authorities to keep track of you, that’s not what’s going on. . . . He says that on the iPhone or 3G iPad users still have full control of their location data. You can turn it off. But if you turn it off, the apps that use multitasking and where your location is will not be able to use that service. A log will still be kept. But he says there’s nothing nefarious here. There’s nothing new in it. The data is not being used for nefarious purposes. So we will link to this. It’s a long read if you care, but I wanted to give you the overview here.
We have all, I”m sure, followed the horror in Japan since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Our friend John Dendahl has a piece out today calling the media’s focus on the nuclear crisis at Fukushima “Obscene”:
One thing everyone knows is that a nuclear power plant emergency of historical proportion is on the list. Has it been reported fairly?This essay is about exaggeration, and the absence of a fair perspective accompanied by useful technical information.In context with the entire tragic picture, the consequences of events at the six-unit Fukushima (see pronunciation guide here) nuclear power complex are small. Predictably – this being about things nuclear and radioactive – Fukushima has dominated news coverage and created unwarranted, widespread fear. Citizens all around the world have been badly served once again by press failure that has had little redemption.
Today’s Political Diary updates us on the issues afoot in Nevada, first from Carl Kelm:
The U.S. Senate race in Nevada, which had just entered the ranks of the true toss-ups, has taken an unexpected turn. John Ensign, the scandal-tarred incumbent who had planned to retire at the end of his term, announced last night that he will instead resign on May 3. That means Dean Heller, the GOP congressman who had been vying to replace him, will almost certainly be appointed the state’s next senator. . . .
In the first quarter Mr. Heller raised $671,000, while Rep. Shelley Berkley of Las Vegas, the Democratic front-runner, pulled in $697,000. Mr. Heller’s higher profile should help him keep pace with Ms. Berkley’s fundraising prowess. And though Mr. Heller has a clear edge in the Reno-area and in rural Nevada, he began with a disadvantage in the south, where most of the state’s population resides. No longer.
And second from John Fund:
GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval of Nevada is almost certain to appoint Reno Congressman Dean Heller to the vacancy created by Sen. John Ensign’s resignation. That gives Republicans a leg up in holding Mr. Ensign’s seat in 2012, but it also means they must defend Rep. Heller’s House seat in a special election this fall.
Establishment Republicans are nervous about nominating Sharron Angle, who lost a contentious race against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last November. Ms. Angle, who was backed by several tea party groups, has already announced her candidacy for the Heller seat. But party leaders claim she blew a big lead in the Reid race, and they may be leery of nominating her in a district that split evenly between Barack Obama and John McCain in the 2008 election.
Ms. Angle’s supporters respond that their candidate is an effective grass-roots campaigner, served in the state legislature from the Reno area, and that the district normally votes Republican — giving George W. Bush a 57% victory in 2004.
But Ms. Angle may nonetheless be at a disadvantage when a party nominee is picked for the special election. Under Nevada law, nominees for the special are picked not by voters in a primary but by members of the state party central committee. So party leaders would be free to pick Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki or another more traditional candidate.
Such a move may allow party leaders to avoid nominating what they view as a polarizing candidate. But they should be careful. When GOP party leaders nominated liberal Dede Scozzafava for a New York Congressional special election in 2009, grass-roots voters revolted and backed a Conservative Party nominee. The end result was a divided party and a victory for Democrat Bill Owens.
Party leaders will have to tread carefully in Nevada. True, Ms. Angle may have some liabilities. But if the GOP establishment declines to nominate her they could create a breach with Ms. Angle’s enthusiastic supporters that could hand the seat over to a Democratic candidate.
Finally, National Journal has provided lists of the Top 10 Republicans Most Vulnerable to Redistricting and the Top 10 Most Endangered Democrats. Both are worth checking out.
New Mexico
In the NM / National section, Heath Haussamen has an interesting update on the folks with their eye on the District 1 congressional seat that Martin Heinrich is vacating. Of note: Diane Denish and Martin Chavez are both considering a run:
Denish and Chávez, both former gubernatorial nominees, are the best-known Democrats to publicly surface as potential candidates thus far.
Chávez is meeting this week with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the fundraising arm of Democrats in the U.S. House, to talk about the possibility of running, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed.
Another source said Denish “has been getting a lot of encouragement from inside the district, and with solid name ID and a strong base there, she has time to test the waters.”
Last weekend, the Albuquerque Journal had some interesting data on our public employees (link requires subscription):
Public safety pays, especially at City Hall.
Most of the city’s top earners last year worked in the Police or Fire department. Some weren’t even top executives, but they raked in the big bucks through overtime as police sergeants, lieutenants or patrolmen.
About 40 percent of the city employees who made more than $100,000 last year worked in the Police Department, and another 22 percent worked in the Fire Department. No other department came close to either of those agencies.
That’s according to a list of City Hall’s top 250 earners for 2010. Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry’s administration published the list on its transparency website, cabq.gov/abqview.* * *
Altogether, 67 city employees earned more than $100,000 last year, out of a workforce of 5,900 people. Thirty-four made more than Berry’s $107,000 in pay, which is set by the City Charter.
The $100,000 club includes many of the usual suspects: the chief administrative officer, city attorney, police chief, department heads and fire commanders. But lower-ranking police officers made it, too, likely the result of overtime, officials said.* * *
The share of police and fire officials on the top pay list outstrips those departments’ overall share of the budget. APD, for instance, comprises about 34 percent of the operating budget but 40 percent of the over $100,000 group. The Fire Department consumes about 15 percent of the budget, but its members make up 22 percent of the list.
* * *
$100K+ club
City Hall’s top earners in 2010
$156,000: David Campbell, former chief administrative officer*
$149,000: Ed Adams, special projects manager
$141,000: Ray Schultz, police chief
$139,000: Paul Heh, police sergeant
$125,000: James Breen, fire chief
$125,000: Joshua McDonald, police sergeant
$124,000: Laura Mason, City Council staff director
$123,000: Troy Luna, police sergeant
$123,000: Darren White, director of public safety
$119,000: Tige Watson, deputy fire chief
*Note: Campbell left the city to become a diplomat and is no longer CAO.
A final word from Reason’s Friday Funnies:
