AZ News & Blogs 5/29/2010

• Immigration Law — Up Close 
• The police are going to ask questions and request to see papers in a variety of circumstances — whether they have reasonable suspicion or not.  From a legal, constitutional, and practical perspective, the key issue is this: What are the consequences, if any, for the person who stands his ground and declines to answer questions or declines to produce identification papers?  If a person declines, will the police back off and say, “Well, that is your right, sir, you may go” or will the police escalate the situation by ordering the person to answer questions, ordering the production of identification, detaining the person, or threaten the person with arrest on bogus charges?
• The police are trained to blur the line between “voluntary” interactions with people (perfectly lawful) and “involuntary” interactions with people (where police power is limited by the Constitution)....
• Man gets by check point without having to give them what they want.  As opposed to this incident .
• Quelland’s bills against Clean Elections went nowhere 
• A package of bills sponsored by Rep. Doug Quelland reads like a list of grievances against the Clean Elections system he’s fought for the past two years.
• Quelland sponsored only six bills in the 2010 legislative session, five of which were intended to expand the rights of candidates accused of violating Clean Elections laws. 
• All five of the bills failed to receive a committee hearing, but they left little doubt about the Phoenix Republican’s feelings about the Clean Elections system that once helped him get elected and later called for his removal from office.
• US warns AZ on park closures; could lose funds 
• In addition to loss of federal funds, park closures will bring a host of liability and public safety problems due to the state’s inability to secure park lands from spreading wildfires, drug cultivation, violent crimes and injuries.... “Even California has learned that closing state parks is the epitome of a penny-wise-pound-foolish economy."
• My thoughts:  Goldwater Institute has told us before the state can privatize it and make money on the venture...too bad they don't listen.
• See also: Private companies can manage state parks , New tax for state parks would entrench wrong approach to funding , and Look for a business partner to fund state parks.