Thread: Now, Ms. Napolitano, about that $500 million tab

Now, Ms. Napolitano, about that $500 million tab . . .

Arizona Daily Star ^ | Daniel Scarpinato
March 01, 2009

Former Gov. Janet Napolitano made a lot of noise back in 2005 by sending a "bill" to the U.S. Justice Department for costs Arizona bore by housing illegal immigrants.

Needless to say, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales never put a check in the mail.

At the time, Napolitano took the move pretty seriously. But when tapped to serve as President Obama's homeland security secretary in December, Napolitano sidestepped questions about whether she would make sure that invoice finally gets paid.

Napolitano pointed out the $500 million tab — adjusted by her with delinquent penalties and $11 million in interest — never went to Homeland Security anyway. It went to the attorney general.

OK, fine.

But given that Napolitano is now in a position to walk down the street and nudge co-worker Eric Holder, the new AG, Notebook wondered if Gov. Jan Brewer might finally be looking for Arizona to collect.

Gubernatorial spokesman Paul Senseman said Brewer is "sensitive" to the issue of Arizona getting its fair share. But she has no plans to replicate Napolitano's stunt.

"The governor is definitely considering the history of the state of Arizona being a donor state to the federal government," he said.

House Speaker Kirk Adams, R-Mesa, said that in his last meeting with Napolitano, he joked about sending her a bill.

So will he?

"You know, it might not be a bad idea," Adams said, laughing.

After all, what's the point of having a friend in Washington? For the record, Lute Especially with its dramatic ending, Lute Olson's career as the University of Arizona men's basketball coach will long be remembered by Tucsonans.

But now the legendary coach is "permanently enshrined in the history of the United States House of Representatives," due to the efforts of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

The Tucson congresswoman entered an Olson tribute into the congressional record this week, saying the coach "transformed the University of Arizona and the Tucson desert into a college basketball oasis." A crowning achievement

All you state legislators looking for some results out of Downtown Tucson's Rio Nuevo, please take note: The redevelopment project may not have produced a lot of new buildings, but it now has a beauty queen.

Maggie Giuffrida, a UA student and the 2007 Miss Sierra Vista, has been crowned Miss Rio Nuevo and will represent Tucsonans in the Miss Arizona pageant.

Before your tempers flare over misuse of public dollars, take a deep breath. It turns out the Miss Arizona pageant officials like to name the contestants after "communities," and they picked Rio Nuevo without asking the city for permission.

That means there's no city funding flowing to Giuffrida or the pageant.

Contact reporter Daniel Scarpinato at 307-4339 or dscarpinato@azstarnet.com

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2196809/posts

I can't understand what planet the political elites are on, etc. They have done all they could to bankrupt the American people. On while we are losing our jobs, homes and future, the politcal elites are still expecting us to bank roll Pelosi's Marsh mice, Obama's terrorists friends projects, Reid's Disneyworld transportation and Napolitano's illegals?