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Ghosts from Janet’s Homeland Security past

The rumor mill is swirling as to whether Janet Napolitano will join President-elect Barack Obama as the new chief of Homeland Security. Q-Tip, anyone?

That’s my lousy segue into a juicy tidbit about Napolitano’s past experiences on homeland security issues.

You see, The Arizona Republic did a small series of stories in September 2006 about how homeland security grant funds were being spent in Arizona under Napolitano’s homeland security chief/liaison, Frank F. Navarrette. Among the purchases were a rake, a shoe brush and a bulk order of Q-Tips for Yuma County – one of the busiest border crossings between the U.S. and Mexico.

In case of a “dirty” bomb, it’s reassuring to know we’ve got our homeland hygiene taken care of.

But that’s not all. Some of the other gems include $93,000 for snowmobiles and ATVs in rugged Gila County, but not expensive protective masks for officers. In Graham County, practically every public safety worker got a pair of $500 Fujinon binoculars – including two security guards at Eastern Arizona College, who were not using them for terrorism-monitoring at the time of the story.

You can read more about it here. [The Republic story also ran in the Tucson Citizen, which is owned by the same company.]

Needless to say, this was an embarrassing story for the gubna and her security chief, who was also teaching a class on Homeland Security at ASU at the time. It eventually triggered an audit and a response from Navarrette, which you can download here. In the end, Napolitano nudged him out of office to save political face.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the mainstream press. In this journalist’s humble opinion, accounting for every single dollar doled out to states for homeland security was an arduous task. This story was one of many playing out nationwide that dealt with questionable expenses. In the end, lax oversight – not malicious malfeasance – was believed to be the culprit.

But then again, isn’t being Homeland Security chief about oversight? Let’s hope Janet learned her lesson here.

McCain’s record casts doubt on energy ads, ‘green’ platform

PHOENIX — Wind turbines spin. Solar panels turn toward the sun.

“Renewable energy to transform our economy, create jobs and energy independence, that’s John McCain,” says the narrator of this ad for the Republican presidential candidate.

With oil prices and energy issues and jobs among voters’ biggest concerns this election season, it’s a pitch guaranteed to swing some votes.

But is it true? Not exactly.

When it comes to renewable energy, McCain’s record has been mixed at best. He has missed key votes on renewable energy legislation, and opposed renewable energy standards that would have boosted wind and solar power.

The Arizona senator’s record on wind power is so patchy, and his campaign’s policies on renewable energy so vague, that the non-partisan group FactCheck.org called his ad featuring wind turbines “puffery.”

Still, McCain is far from the worst U.S. Senator on the issue of renewable energy. He has some hard-earned credibility on the issue of global warming, even co-sponsoring an unsuccessful climate change bill with Democratic rival Barack Obama.

The renewable energy issue will surely come up again tonight as the two candidates square off in their last nationally televised presidential debate at Hofstra University.

“We have many advantages in the fight against global warming, but time is not one of them,” McCain said during a campaign speech at a wind turbine factory in Portland, Oregon. “Instead of idly debating the precise extent of global warming, or the precise timeline of global warming, we need to deal with the central facts of rising temperatures, rising waters, and all the endless troubles that global warming will bring.”

A MIXED MESSAGE

McCain has outlined a cap-and-trade plan that would cut carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and cut 1990 emissions by 60 percent by 2050. By creating a market for the sale and purchase of excess emissions, his plan would create powerful incentives for the development of renewable energy and other carbon-neutral technologies, he said.

“As never before, the market would reward any person or company that seeks to invent, improve, or acquire alternatives to carbon-based energy,” McCain said.

McCain has touted his support for a cap on emissions as a principled break from his own party leadership, and has used images of solar panels and wind turbines in campaign ads seeking to bolster his contention that his presidency will usher in a new era of renewable energy and so-called “green-collar jobs.”

Yet despite McCain’s advocacy on climate change, Arizona, his home state, produces little renewable energy, relying almost solely on coal, natural gas, nuclear and hydropower. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Energy, Arizona ranks 46th in the nation for renewable energy, with 0.7 percent of its power from non-hydroelectric renewable resources.

Thanks to the Republican-dominated Arizona Corporation Commission, which has launched an aggressive renewable energy standard, the state is on its way towards improving its energy mix.

Yet McCain has voted repeatedly against a federal renewable energy standard that would have accomplished a similar goal on a national level.

“Overall, he’s said good things about it, but he hasn’t done a lot to help Arizona when it comes to renewable energy,” says Sandy Bahr, outreach director for the Sierra Club’s Arizona chapter. “He’s missed the key votes.”

The McCain campaign did not respond to several requests for comment.

McCAIN MISSES KEY VOTES

As a U.S. Senator, McCain’s ability to drive renewable energy development in his home state has been limited. But critics in the state contend that as senator, McCain has failed to lead on the renewable energy issue, even as he touts his climate change credentials.

Others condemn his plans for expanded nuclear energy production, to reduce carbon emissions from coal and natural gas-fired plants, saying the environmental and financial risks outweigh the potential benefit to the climate.

McCain’s failure to vote on a key Senate bill extending tax credits to renewable energy projects like wind farms and thermal solar plants has provided fodder for local critics of his environmental and energy policies.

While the bill finally passed the Senate this Tuesday, McCain again missed the vote, the ninth time he has missed a chance to support the measure.

In the bill’s eight previous incarnations this year, a group of almost exclusively Republican senators joined together to prevent the Democratic leadership from bringing it to the Senate floor for a vote.

Had the measure failed, projects in Arizona such as the Dry Lake Wind Project, the state’s first wind-energy farm, and the Solana Generating Station, a solar-thermal plant near Phoenix, would have suffered major financial setbacks.

“Without the credits, the numbers don’t work,” Fred Morse, a senior advisor for Abengoa Solar, the Spanish firm building the Solana plant, told The New York Times in August.

McCain’s campaign website says the candidate “believes in an even-handed system of tax credits that will remain in place until the market transforms sufficiently to the point where renewable energy no longer merits the taxpayers’ dollars.”

To Bahr, however, that rhetoric is not backed up by action.

“These tax incentives are essential to our state – things like the Solana solar power station will not move forward without them,” she says. “McCain has not stood up for Arizona on this issue.”

Others in the state disagree.

“I think John McCain’s position on renewable energy is solid,” says Kris Mayes, an Arizona Corporation commissioner and a strong advocate for increasing wind and solar power production in the state.

Mayes is a Republican who has endorsed McCain and speaks as a surrogate for him at campaign events. She says she feels confident that were he elected president, McCain would show leadership on both climate change and renewable energy.

“I think McCain has shown real courage on this issue,” she says. “I think it’s another area where he has bucked his own party.”

REMAINS DEFIANTLY PRO-NUKE

On another contentious energy issue – nuclear power – McCain has taken a characteristically bold position. Despite unresolved issues over how to safely dispose of nuclear waste, the senator has advocated the construction of 45 new reactors by 2030, and 100 by 2050.

“Nuclear power is a proven, zero-emission source of energy, and it is time we recommit to advancing our use of nuclear power,” McCain said in a June campaign speech.

Yet McCain’s description of nuclear power as emissions-free is misleading at best. While nuclear power plant operation is largely emission-free, the production of nuclear fuel – from mining to enrichment to disposal – involves large expenditures of energy and generates tens of millions of tons of carbon emissions over the life of a plant.

Other environmental impacts – from uranium mining to waste disposal – are equally troubling, and locating the new plants raises tricky political issues.

In Arizona, where the reactors at the Palo Verde station already provide almost 30 percent of the state’s power, building new reactors could face an uphill struggle.

Corporation commissioner Mayes says she agrees with McCain that the country needs more nuclear power. But she cites the plant’s huge demands on scarce water resources and the delicate financial stability of the state’s utility companies as potential stumbling blocks.

“This is not a simple issue. I agree with Sen. McCain that generally we need to do more nuclear power in the U.S.,” Mayes says. “Do I think we should start building a new nuclear power plant in Arizona? I’m not convinced of that. Can we build more of them on the East Coast? I think so.”

Even if no reactors are built in Arizona, the state could still feel an impact.

With uranium prices up substantially in recent years, mining companies are aggressively pursuing potential deposits in Arizona, some of them near the Grand Canyon. Were the U.S. to build McCain’s proposed 100 new reactors – doubling the number currently in use – the accompanying spike in demand would undoubtedly lead to a renewal of uranium mining in the state.

And while reactor meltdowns such as those at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island have done the worst damage to the nuclear industry’s reputation, a poor fiscal track record hurts nuclear power’s chances even more.

“It’s not just going to be an ecological disaster,” says Russell Lowes, founder of Safe Energy Analysts, a renewable energy advocacy group based in Phoenix. “Putting everything else aside, economically, it’s simply not viable.”

The industry has consistently underestimated the cost of construction, power generation and waste disposal, Lowes says – often by as much as 220 percent.

With an industry estimate of $7 billion to construct each new plant, the ultimate cost for McCain’s 100 new reactors could reach as high as $1.54 trillion.

“It’s an incredibly stupid way to proceed at this point,” Lowes says. “It’s a 20th century failure.”

NO ANSWER FOR NUCLEAR WASTE

Lowes is not alone in his pessimistic view of nuclear power. The last nuclear reactor order for a new reactor that was subsequently completed was in 1973.

A decade later, the conservative and pro-business Forbes magazine pronounced the nuclear industry a “disaster.”

“The failure of the U.S. nuclear power program ranks as the largest managerial disaster in business history, a disaster on a monumental scale. The utility industry has already invested $125 billion in nuclear power,” the magazine declared in a 1985 cover story. “Only the blind, or the biased, can now think that most of the money has been well spent.”

McCain, were he to win the presidency and initiate his nuclear program, would likely also face charges of hypocrisy for his stance on nuclear waste.

During an interview with Nevada journalist Sam Shad, McCain said he supported the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada – but opposes the shipment of nuclear waste through Arizona, or his hometown of Phoenix.

“Would you be comfortable with nuclear waste coming through Arizona on its way, you know, going through Phoenix, on its way to Yucca Mountain?” Shad asks in a video of the interview, which is available online.

“No, I would not. No, I would not,” McCain says.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.

In Tempe, reactions mixed to Palin’s experience

TEMPE — Alaska governor Sarah Palin accepted the Republican party’s nomination for vice president this week, using more barbs than her running mate and earning a grudging respect and guarded optimism from some locals.

Palin’s acceptance speech was a culmination of her tightly knit family life, cutting out the doubts her opponents brought to the surface, while showing her enthusiastic support for Arizona Senator John McCain.

And with that came the inevitable mudslinging towards the opposing Democratic Party and candidates Barack Obama and his vice presidential nominee, Joe Biden.

“But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform – not even in the state senate,” Palin said, referring to Obama.

She went on to say that Obama’s goals were to increase government size, take more money away from the people and generally reduce the strength of America on a global scale.

If elected on Nov. 4, Palin said she and McCain would lay down more pipelines, build more nuclear plants, create clean-coal jobs, and pursue other alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind power.

The speech garnered a mixed reaction around Tempe and the second largest university in the nation.

“It might be difficult to pass some of the bills that she’s proposing,” says Nedda Reghabi, an Arizona State University economics senior. “I do however think it’s a good idea to start looking into alternative energy sources.”

Palin used her past experiences as mayor and governor in Alaska as examples of her tenacity as a leading official.

She discussed how while seated as Governor she promised an immense ethics reform which eventually became the current law. She also mentioned her success in bringing revenue back to Alaskans when gas and oil prices skyrocketed, vetoing nearly $500 million in wasteful spending, and fostering Alaska’s state budget surplus that could reach up to $9 billion next year, according to the Los Angeles Times .

Tempe Vice Mayor Shana Ellis said that although Palin was a dark horse candidate, she has held an elected office and is qualified to be vice president.

But others say Palin’s experience places her somewhere in between rookie and veteran status. Longtime Valley pundit Richard Herrera, an associate professor of political science at ASU, said that in the event where Palin would have to take over as President, her background suggests she doesn’t have the same experience level as most vice presidential candidates although she is not the least experienced candidate to be chosen.

ASU expert: Pres hopefuls won’t solve health care riddle

TEMPE — Fear and hope surround the controversial issue of health care reform in America. While the presidential candidates are announcing their plans to deal with reform, one expert is endorsing some politically viable recommendations, stopping short of universal health care.

“All countries wrestle with the same issues about what they want to attain with their health care systems,” says Marjorie Baldwin, director of the School of Health Management and Policy at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business and author of more than 30 health care articles. “You are constantly trying to deal with three different major needs: providing everyone with access to health care, making it high quality care, and efficiently delivering it at a low cost. The catch is, you can really only do two of these things at any time.”

In other words, if you provide low-cost health care to everyone, then the quality may suffer. If you provide high-quality care to everyone, then the price will go up. If you deliver high-quality care at a low cost, then you won’t be able to provide the care to meet everyone’s needs, or wait times and access will be problematic.

That’s demonstrated in countries with universal health care, such as Great Britain, where patients can wait months for routine treatment.

Baldwin, a top health economist, has noted disparities in health care across states, providers, and racial and ethnic groups. She also says the wrong incentives are being given to patients and providers. She agrees with many other economists in her sector regarding several recommendations considered more politically acceptable than universal coverage to address current problems in the health care system.

For example:

1. Equalize tax treatment for buying health insurance, so people can purchase coverage through their employer or on their own with the same tax break,
2. Nationalize the health insurance markets, so there is less inequality across state lines, and consumers can have more choices about the plans they purchase. Right now, different states require different types of plans,
3. Offer lower premiums to those who live healthy lifestyles,
4. Offer more high-deductible policies, so people will be more selective about whether they really need to see a doctor. However, discounts could be offered to ensure that people still get preventive services,

“Most of this is just common sense,” Baldwin says. “I get reductions in my homeowners insurance because I have a security alarm and smoke alarms. I pay less for car insurance when I have no accidents. It just makes sense that you should pay less for health insurance, if you live a healthy lifestyle and get preventive services like mammograms and other screenings.”

No matter what, some people are risk takers who will choose to go without insurance, unless there is a mandate or universal coverage. About 5 percent of those who could purchase health insurance through their employers choose not to do it, even if they don’t have another option through a spouse.

Regardless, no country has the perfect health care system. Baldwin points to surveys that show about 70 percent of people in other countries believe their health care systems need major changes or a total overhaul. That’s similar to the percentage of those in America who are dissatisfied with the U.S. health care system.

Baldwin recently spoke about health care reform at the 2008 National Association of Women Business Owners annual conference in Phoenix.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.

‘Out the Vote’ courts gay voters before fall elections

PHOENIX — A voter registration drive geared toward gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender voters is ramping up in the face of an electric presidential contest and a statewide ballot measure to ban gay marriage.

Dubbed “Out the Vote” by its proponents, the campaign started as a response to the concern of community activists wanting to get people involved in politics. Its backers say it is nonpartisan.

"People get disengaged with politics because they feel that no one specific party represents them," says Annie Loyd a community leader of Out the Vote. "We just want to simplify the voter registration process and get people voting."

The campaign focuses on providing the resources, education and information for people to register to vote or host registration drives at their businesses.

"We had a similar program in 2004 for the election, and we registered 2,500 to vote from bars alone," says Sam Holdren, a representative of Equality Arizona. "We want to reach out to people, including those who aren’t around the typical bar scene."

The campaign relies on word of mouth promotion, along with the support of GLBT community publications such as Echo and In Touch magazines to reach people who overlook the bars. It is funded by community donations and free advertising from both publications, and it is not endorsing any candidates or positions, Loyd says.

Community leaders insist that this citywide voter registration drive is completely separate from the issues facing the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and exists primarily to educate people how to register.

"The Legislature and politicians are out of touch with the people in Arizona," Holdren says. "The only way to change that is by changing who is sitting in the legislative seats. We encourage people to sign up, vote by mail, be familiar with their polling places."

But the fact remains that there is a lot at stake for this voting bloc – namely a ballot measure that would essentially ban gay marriage in Arizona and a sizzling presidential race.

Although Arizona voters rejected a similar measure to ban gay marriage in 2006, the law is alive and well after the Arizona Senate voted to place it back on the November ballot in an extremely heated and lengthy legislative session in late June. Senate President Tim Bee, R-Tucson, cast the deciding vote.

The presidential race features Illinois Democrat Barack Obama versus Arizona Republican John McCain. Both men have stated that marriage should be between a man and a woman but argued against a federal law banning same-sex marriages. McCain is on record saying it’s a state-by-state issue and endorsed Arizona’s 2006 ballot measure that voters ultimately rejected by a 2 percent margin.

Supporters of Out the Vote, meanwhile, are casting a wide net for new voters. The campaign is reaching out to GLBT-supported businesses, churches, event promoters and organizations and providing them with the resources to get their peers interested and registered to vote.

"I think there’s a feeling of ‘one vote doesn’t matter’ but it’s different when it’s a community effort," says Patrick Roland, editor of Echo magazine. "Most gay people don’t live in a box and interact with just gay people. We want to get everyone involved."

The next Out the Vote event is the "Out the Vote Summer Chill" Gala at the Wrigley Mansion on Aug. 16. Participants are invited to stop by and register if they haven’t already done so by logging on to servicearizona.com.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.