Arizona Legislative District 6 Republican Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 8, 2012
CONTACT: NRSC Press Office

If You Want To Know Who Richard Carmona Will Stand With In Washington, See Who He’s Standing With In New York City Tonight
Carmona Set To Fundraise With Liberal New York Senator Chuck Schumer

 

WASHINGTON – Richard Carmona (D-AZ) likes to preach his independence on the campaign in Arizona, but an inside look at his fundraising apparatus tells a far different story. Tonight, Carmona’s political patron liberal U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will host a fundraiser for Carmona at the posh Grace Hotel in New York City.

Schumer is an unabashed supporter of Barack Obama’s tax-and-spend agenda, supporting key initiatives like Obama’s failed $825 billion stimulus and $2.5 trillion healthcare law. Additionally, Schumer is a strong opponent of the Second Amendment and has consistently voted to raise taxes on families and small business owners in Arizona. On every major issue, Schumer has been in lockstep with President Obama, who personally recruited Carmona to run last year.

“If Arizonans want to see who Richard Carmona will stand with in Washington, they don’t need to look any further than to see who he is hobnobbing with in New York City today,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox. “It’s clear liberal Democrats like President Obama and Chuck Schumer know that Richard Carmona will be a loyal vote for their big government agenda of higher taxes, reckless spending and job-killing healthcare takeovers.”

BACKGROUND …

Senator Chuck Schumer’s Official Invitation

“This Wednesday, February 8, 2011 at 7:00 PM at the Grace Hotel in Times Square, Senator Chuck Schumer and I would like to introduce you to an outstanding individual who is running for United States Senator from Arizona. In fact many key national leaders are now working on behalf of Dr. Richard Carmona and we are asking for your support in helping him get elected as the next United States Senator from the state of Arizona.” (Peter Fontanes, Dr. Richard Carmona Reception, Accessed On Facebook On 02/08/12)

Schumer Received A “F “Rating From The Gun Owners Of America

• Schumer Received A “F” From The Gun Owners Of America. (Gun Owners Of America Website, www.gunowners.org, Accessed 2/8/12)

And Has A “F” Rating From The National Taxpayers Union

• In 2010, Schumer Received A “F” From The National Taxpayers Union. (National Taxpayers Union Website, www.ntu.org, Accessed 2/8/12)

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 7, 2012
CONTACT: Julie Lind

Tempe Candidate for Mayor and Current Tempe Mayor Praise County Attorney for Showing the Way

(Tempe, Arizona)Candidate for Tempe Mayor Michael Monti is joining Mayor Hugh Hallman in calling for gift bans and reporting requirements in Tempe. Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery has proposed a long list of restrictions to prevent another Fiesta Bowl scandal. Monti and Hallman believe Tempe should lead the way and adopt a strict set of rules on the municipal level. They include:

• Reporting any gifts worth more than $15 dollars
• Banning all gifts valued at more than $50
• Immediate reporting of gifts on the city website
• Penalties for officials who knowingly violate the rules
• Immediate reporting of taxpayer funded travel expenses

Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman has set the standard in Tempe by refusing gifts of any kind. He has even turned down perks such as a parking space at Tempe City Hall. County Attorney Bill Montgomery has listed a set of rules that can easily be adopted at all levels of government.

Monti said, “Our Mayor has set the standard. Our County Attorney has identified the proper standards. Now it’s time for Tempe to adopt those standards so that we can lead the way in clean government. Not everyone has followed Mayor Hallman’s example.”

Michael Monti, owner of Tempe’s historic Monti’s La Casa Vieja, co-founded Local First, Arizona. He is also active in the Tempe Diablos Charities, and is the youngest inductee in the Arizona Restaurant Association’s Hall of Fame.

His campaign is based on bringing private sector ideas to government, fiscal responsibility, civic involvement, economic opportunity, and innovation. His proposals include:

• Financial incentives for city workers who save tax dollars
• The creation of the Tempe Community Corps to increase volunteerism, and aid Tempe neighborhoods Partnerships with ASU and the business community to bring more jobs to Tempe
• The creation of a public swimming beach at Tempe Town Lake, paid for by the private sector
• Partnerships with the ASU College of Nursing to aid Tempe seniors
• Encouraging businesses to embrace eco-friendly projects such as the Blink Car Charging Stations at Monti’s La Casa Vieja
• A ban on texting while driving in Tempe
• Gift bans and strict reporting requirements

Arizona leaders and organizations that have endorsed Michael Monti include:

• Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman
• Tempe Council Member Onnie Shekerjian
• Tempe’s first elected Mayor, Rudy Campbell
• The Tempe Chamber of Commerce
• Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne
• Congressman David Schweikert
• Former Tempe City Council Member ‘Hut’ Hutson
• Former State Rep. Laura Knaperek
• Tempe Democrat Carl Hayden
• Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery

To visit the Monti4 Mayor Website click here or log on to www.monti4mayor.com (@monti4mayor).

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 8, 2012

Citizens United endorses Jesse Kelly in AZ-08 special TUCSON, AZ  Leading conservative group, Citizens United, has endorsed Jesse Kelly for the special election in AZ-08. The primary will take place on April 17th and early voting starts on March 22nd. Kelly was the 2010 Republican nominee for the seat and came within 1.5% of winning.

In response to the endorsement, Kelly stated, “We are honored to have the support of Citizens United and I look forward to working with them to lower taxes, strengthen America, and strengthen our economy.” Click on this link to read the statement from the Citizens United Political Victory Fund.

In a recent poll conducted in late January, Kelly held a clear lead over the other candidates in the race. He had the support of 35% of respondents. The next closest candidate received 15% support. The poll was conducted by TelOpinion Research from January 24th and 25th. It sampled 300 self-identified, likely Republican primary voters from AZ-08.

Jesse Kelly works in the private sector as a project manager for a construction firm. He and his wife live in Pima County, where they are raising their two sons. Please visit www.VoteJesseKelly.com for more information or send an e-mail to info@votejessekelly.com.

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By Nick Dranias & Stephen Slivinski

Phoenix taxpayers recently paid almost a half a million dollars for a report that looked at city-employee compensation. The report reveals that some types of workers get paid more than the market average; some get paid less. But when you include benefits, the report found that all government workers in Phoenix are vastly better off than private sector workers.

These findings could have been obtained for a fraction of the cost, simply by surveying existing academic literature. Unlike the Goldwater Institute’s own research, which has revealed that public sector collective bargaining costs taxpayers tens of billions of dollars, there is little in the way of actual “news” in the new Phoenix report. In fact, the report missed an opportunity to uncover the real differences in pay and benefits between government and private workers in the City of Phoenix.

The Phoenix report omits any comparison of the hourly compensation of government versus private sector workers. It’s a big omission, particularly since the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported state and local government workers receive average hourly compensation that is 44 percent higher than private sector workers.

This failure to compare hourly compensation, despite abundant resources to do so, demonstrates that the city-funded report doesn’t present an accurate picture of the local differences in compensation between government and private sector workers. It also calls into question whether this omission was inadvertent or by design — such an analysis may have revealed that government employees receive dramatically more hourly compensation than private sector workers.

Nick Dranias holds the Clarence J. and Katherine P. Duncan Chair for Constitutional Government and is director of the Joseph and Dorothy Donnelly Moller Center for Constitutional Government at the Goldwater Institute.

Stephen Slivinski is the Senior Economist with the Goldwater Institute.

Learn more:

Goldwater Institute: Save Taxpayers Tens of Billions of Dollars

City of Phoenix: Balancing Competitive Employment and Stewardship of Public Funds

Join us for a dinner meeting at our new location: the Rock Bottom Brewery at Desert Ridge.

The information is repeated below in text format to make it easier to copy into your calendar:

Location:
Rock Bottom Brewery at Desert Ridge Marketplace
21001 N Tatum Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85050
(Near intersection of N Tatum and Hwy 101)
Date: Wednesday,Feb.8, 2012. (2nd Wed of Month)
Time: Dinner (order from menu) available at 6 pm.
Meeting from 7-8:30 pm

Contact Information:
Howard Levine,
NE Valley Chapter Chairman
Howard_Levine@rocketmail.com , www.pachydermcoalition.com
480-577-4168

As many political campaigns heat up, Sonoran Alliance is offering advertising to the many campaigns in the form of banner advertising and social media promotion.

Campaigns can continue to send press releases for publication which will be posted as time allows but we will also be glad to post event invitations and fundraising messages for a reasonable rate. That means if a campaign has a unique link that will raise money or collect voter or donor information, we will offer space on Sonoran Alliance but it will cost you.

Sonoran Alliance has been a labor of love for many years and we have put more hours into this project than we can count. It’s time for the site to finally pay for itself and compensate those who have given their time and energies to its development and success.

If you are interested in getting your message out, please email us at sonoranalliance [at] gmail.com to get started.

Troy Senik of the Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF) has written a fine piece on the growing “fissure” within the Republican Party that has lain largely dormant for years — namely the “divide” that separates Conservatives and Establishment Republicans.

Conservatives, represented mostly by those in the Tea Party Movement, are largely responsible for the Republican Party re-capture of the House of Representatives in 2010.  The Establishment folks sort of know that and sometimes mutter a few grudging words of acknowledgment, but they are loathe to raise the subject or deal with it in any serious way.  Nor do the Establishment types see themselves as any kind of “faction” within the party.  To them, they are the party.

Take for example the nominally conservative Jeb Bush, who seems to scoff at the notion of a party “establishment”.  Says Jeb:

I don’t know what the Republican establishment is. I haven’t learned the secret handshake, and I don’t know where to go for a membership card.

Should we be surprised at Jeb Bush for his seeming blind spot? After all, are fish aware of the water they swim in?

Senik defines the Establishment types as:

… long-time denizens of Washington or other loci of power. They are institutionalized elected officials, money men, party leaders, or grandees of business, consultancies or advocacy groups. And they are often made suspect by the duration of their power, a trait that gives pause to Conservatives who believe that a dedication to limited government entails a devotion to not assimilating to the ways of the Beltway.

These include, of course, the very same Republicans who were present when the House and Senate voted for entitlement programs that any competent accountant could have shown to be impossible to pay for — ever.  With their “old friends across the aisle” (a favorite John McCain phrase), they have effectively signed our children and grandchildren into debt bondage. Did they try to warn us?  Did they try to stop the growth of these programs?  Shame on them.  Recently, they had a chance to make at least a show of repentance by voting for term limits.  Alas, even that token gesture was too much for Senators like McCain and Jon Kyl.  They voted against term limits.  Double shame on them.

Senik concludes with the following observations and a call to Conservatives to prepare for a long-term struggle with the Establishment as well as the Democrats.

The establishment had its turn at the wheel over the last decade and the conservative movement reaped a whirlwind as a result. Federal spending and deficits increased; regulation proliferated; entitlements expanded; embarrassing pork projects passed through Congress as part of a gentleman’s agreement in which both parties agreed to gorge their special interest benefactors; bailouts were given to the financial and automotive industries, and, in the end, the Republican Party was rebuked at the ballot box.

Conservatives should not delude themselves into thinking this is a passing trend. Over the past century, only three men – Calvin Coolidge, Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan – were able to beat back establishment pretensions and earn the party’s presidential nomination. As of this writing, it looks unlikely that a similarly situated candidate will earn the nomination in 2012.

Many Tea Partiers and their sympathists will undoubtedly interpret this as a source of grief. But their demoralization is premature. A short-term focus on beating the establishment has not yielded fruit. That calls not for sorrow, but for a long-term focus on replacing it outright.

To that last line, I can only add amen.

By Byron Schlomach, Ph.D.

When I first heard Governor Brewer’s proposal to retire debt on the state’s capitol buildings, I thought it was a bad idea. The main reason: early-payoff penalties. There just was no good reason to bear such costs.

It turns out that early payoff penalties are not an issue. The state has to deposit a lump-sum of $106 million into an account that is held by a third party, over which ownership is exercised by the creditors who lent the state the $81 million secured by the capitol buildings. The cash substitutes for the buildings as collateral and we get back the deeds, free and clear.

The $106 million accounts for all the interest and principal we were going to have to spend to pay off the loan over the next 20 years. There is no pre-payment penalty.

Some might say that getting back the capitol buildings’ paper is just symbolic nonsense for the sake of the state’s centennial. And sentiment is a bad reason to pursue any policy. But this is more than a feel-good idea.

The biggest advantage to this early payoff, though, is that it avoids the temptation to spend temporary money on ongoing programs – the ones that it looks like we can afford now, but that we might not be able to afford later. We did that for several years before the recession, and look where that got us.

It’s not safe to assume we’ve entered into a long-term, steady economic expansion with steady government revenues to accompany it. So, while we have a temporary surplus, let’s pay down the state’s debt.

Dr. Byron Schlomach is the director of the Goldwater Institute’s Center for Economic Prosperity.

Learn more:

Office of the Governor: The Facts about a Capitol Buy-Back

Goldwater Institute: Living Debt Free: Restoring Arizona’s Commitment to its Constitutional Debt Limit

For Immediate Release: February 7, 2012
Contact: Joshua W. Jones

PHOENIX – Today, Save Our Secret Ballot (SOS Ballot) announced that Gov. Jeb Bush will keynote an event in Scottsdale, Az., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, to highlight the continued need for a secret ballot wherever state or federal law requires an election.

Chaired by the Hon. Ken Blackwell, SOS Ballot appeared on the 2010 ballot in four states, including Arizona, where it passed with 60 percent of the vote—sending a firm statement that the majority of Arizonans want to protect workers’ rights to a secret ballot.

“Big Labor is demanding to change the way unions are organized: namely, to end an employee’s right to a secret-ballot when deciding whether or not to join a union,” said Blackwell. “Eliminating the secret-ballot requirement opens the process up to widespread intimidation,” he continued.

“If unions get their way, a business could be unionized virtually overnight—no campaign, no election and certainly no secret ballot,” said Blackwell.

Shortly after passing SOS Ballot, the union-controlled National Labor Relations Board threatened to file legal suit against each of the four states SOS Ballot passed if the states recognized the provisions approved by voters.

In April, the NLRB initiated suits against Arizona and South Carolina, reserving the right to initiate a suit against the other two states.

To the NLRB lawsuit, Joshua W. Jones, a spokesman for SOS Ballot says, “Bring it on.”

“The radical progressives in the Obama Administration have made it clear that they do not want to respect workers’ rights,” said Jones.

“Unions spent $171 million during the 2010 congressional elections and more than $400 million to elect Obama,” said Jones. “While Obama continues to represent well-funded-union-interests, SOS Ballot will continue fighting to represent the average American worker,” he continued.

The event on Feb. 13 has already drawn the support of dozens of Arizona legislators and all four attorney generals where SOS Ballot was passed in 2010.

“We are enthusiastic to have Gov. Bush joining us at our event on Monday,” said Blackwell. “At SOS Ballot, we are gearing up for an aggressive fight in front of the United States Supreme Court, the venue where this issue will ultimately be decided,” he continued.

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Chaired by the Hon. Ken Blackwell, SOS Ballot, Inc. (Save Our Secret Ballot) is a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to educating the American public on the continued need for a secret ballot wherever state or federal law requires elections. To continue to protect this inalienable right, SOS Ballot will file and place on the ballot in various states a Constitutional Amendment to protect this right. SOS Ballot and our supporters believe that a voter’s right to a secret ballot is an essential and fundamental principle in our society and offers opportunities for broader voter participation. Without the ability to vote secretly, individual political freedom will decline and be subject to threats and intimidation by those who want voters to pursue a specific course of action or ideology.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 7, 2012
CONTACT: Sen. Russell Pearce

Ban Amnesty Now president says America’s highest court will not turn back on states’ rights

PHOENIX—Senator Russell Pearce, the author of SB1070 and newly-appointed president of America’s largest grassroots anti-illegal immigration organization, said today the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear arguments on Arizona’s contested SB1070 legislation was great news for every legal U.S. citizen.

“When the activist judges in lower federal courts bowed to Barack Obama’s whims and put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens, undermined the Rule of Law, they followed in the president’s footsteps in perpetrating a great injustice against our nation, our citizens Constitutional rights and the state of Arizona,” said Pearce.

“We are a nation of fifty sovereign U.S. states, not a nation of 50 subservient states to be dictated to by a Big Brother leviathan. When the Supreme Court rules, I expect that Washington will learn an important lesson in its proper role, not just on immigration but in its role in governance,” Pearce said.

“We send far too much money to Washington for this to be the treatment we get in return. Sovereign U.S. states and legal U.S. citizens were never meant by our Founding Fathers to become penniless orphans in some Twilight Zone version of a Charles Dickens story, begging for scraps from an all-powerful, dictatorial federal government which waves full ladles of nourishment above our heads but never pours anything into our bowls,” said Pearce.

“When the Court rules, I expect power to return to the states, and Ban Amnesty Now by then will be working diligently to pass SB1070-style legislation in all 50 states, like Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia already have” he said. “The president can sue every state if he pleases, or he can get out of the way while we do the job Washington won’t in protecting our great nation from illegal aliens.

“I fully expect we, the legal citizens of Arizona and America, will win in the Supreme Court on SB1070, just as we did with Arizona’s Employers Sanction Law, the toughest in the nation, which goes after illegal employers and protects American jobs and was upheld five-to-three in the Supreme Court,” said Pearce.

While 6 of the 10 provisions of SB1070 were upheld, four main provisions of the contested SB1070 were blocked from implementation by lower courts, including:

(1) requiring law enforcement officers to make a reasonable attempt to determine the immigration status of a person stopped, detained or arrested if there is reasonable suspicion that person is an illegal alien;

(2) creating a crime of failure to apply for or carry “alien-registration papers”;

(3) permitting the arrest of an illegal alien in which there is probable cause to believe the individual committed a public offense that makes him or her removable from the U.S.; and,

(4) making it a crime for illegal aliens to solicit, apply for or perform work.

“America is greater than any one man, than any one president,” said Pearce. “I believe the court will rule on the side of law, our Constitution, and states’ rights, and that we will prove our nation can indeed work again. This will be an important ruling, an important milestone, in a long road ahead to restoring the rule of law, America’s economy, political and national security.”

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For Immediate Release: February 6, 2012
Contact: Jay Heiler

PHOENIX, AZ: Representative Ben Quayle issued the following statement regarding his decision to seek reelection to the House of Representatives. Quayle announced today that he will be running in Congressional District 6, where more than two-thirds of his current constituents live:

“The House of Representatives was conceived and designed to provide local representation of the diverse communities of America. The work of Arizona’s redistricting commission has placed many people in difficult positions, but at the end of the day my choice is to continue representing the people I represent today. The large majority of them are in District 6, and their values are my values.

“It has been a privilege to get to know my constituents, both as a candidate and as their Congressman. In my initial year in Congress I have focused on maintaining my connection to them. The interactions I’ve had with them and the relationships we’ve built have enabled me to be an effective advocate and voice for the community.

“As this primary moves forward I sincerely hope we will see a campaign focused on the critical issues facing Arizona and our country. This should be a substantive race with a tone that honors our party, our nation and the voters of the 6th District.

“I ran for Congress because Washington needs real reform. We need to simplify the tax code, end unnecessary regulations and free America’s creative spirit. I believe that members of Congress need to give up their gold-plated pensions and perks and share in the same sacrifice as all Americans. I believe we need to end the complacent career culture of politics in Washington and shake up the system. I believe we have a president who fundamentally misunderstands America, and an administration that has serially abused Arizona. I want to go back to Washington to fight for the state I love and the values I believe in. With the continued support of my fellow Arizonans, that’s what I will do.”

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OBAMACARE:  Join us for this informative panel discussion

Phoenix, AZ – On Wednesday, February 8, 2012, Arizona Mainstream Project (AMP) will bring to the public a panel discussion on Obamacare.  Speaking on this panel will be Goldwater Institute’s Senior Attorney Diane Cohen and Director – Center for Economic Prosperity Byron Schlomach, Dr. Jeff Singer, and former AZ Congressman John Shadegg.  550 KFYI Talk Host Terry Gilberg will be the moderator for the discussion.

Each panel member will share their personal expertise and direct involvement with uncovering the facts about The Affordable Care Act and how it has begun and will continue to negatively impact the lives of ALL Americans.  You will gain a better understanding of this law and how it applies to your access to health care, the current legal battles, and how you can help stop this anti-American and socialistic agenda.

 Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Location:  Goldwater Institute Auditorium
Address: 500 E. Coronado Road, Phoenix,  AZ

Time: 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm (doors open at 5:30)

Light snacks and beverages will be served

Cost:  $10.00 per person

To reserve your seat we encourage you to RSVP and purchase tickets in advance

Go to: http://www.arizonamainstreamproject.org/#q=Seminars-18

or send payment to:

Arizona Mainstream Project
15029 N. Thompson Peak Parkway
Suite B-111 Box 589
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

This panel discussion will be STREAMED LIVE from AMP’s website.

A “Live Stream” button will be available on our homepage www.ArizonaMainstreamProject.org on the day of the event.  Follow the instructions to access the live video stream.

Contact: Honey Marques, Executive Director, at 808-283-3661 or honey@arizonamainstreamproject.org

Arizona Mainstream Project is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit charitable grassroots organization whose mission is to attract, educate, and mobilize the people of Arizona around America’s founding principles and leadership. AMP believes in the principles of a constitutionally limited government, free markets, fiscal responsibility, and individual liberty to promote the common good and prosperity for the people of Arizona.

 

By Jonathan Butcher

In the first episode of The Cosby Show, Cliff Huxtable explains to Theo how to keep track of a budget. Using Monopoly money, they wrestle over the costs of living on your own. Finally, Theo pledges to survive with only the bare necessities and has $200 left over for the month. As Theo beams with pride, Cliff asks, “Are you going to have a girlfriend?” and then plucks the remaining bills out of Theo’s hand.

Two weeks ago, the real Bill Cosby offered a lesson in school finance in preparation for National School Choice Week: “[E]ducation is not a thing that big bucks happens to be the answer [to].” He says, “We have a moral and societal obligation to give our children the opportunity to succeed in school, at work, and in life. We cannot meet that obligation unless parents are empowered to select the best schools of their children.”

Shortly after Cosby made his comments, families around Arizona cheered Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Maria Del Mar Verdin’s ruling upholding the state’s one-of-a-kind education savings account program. Judge Del Mar Verdin wrote in her opinion, “The exercise of parental choice among educational options makes the program constitutional.”

For students with special needs, like Nathan Howard, the decision couldn’t have been better. His mother, Amanda, says that since Nathan started at his new school, a move made possible by the savings account, she has seen “such a huge difference.” For the first time he can almost speak in full sentences.

HB 2626, sponsored by Rep. Debbie Lesko and Sens. Gould, Klein, Melvin, Murphy, and Yarborough, would extend the opportunity for a brighter future to the 94,000 students in Arizona’s lowest-performing schools. The bill also offers hope to Arizona’s intellectually gifted students, another underserved population, as well as to students in military families.

HB 2626 is a tremendous step toward providing all students the best opportunity to succeed.

Jonathan Butcher is the Education Director for the Goldwater Institute.

Learn more:

Education Next: Challenging the Gifted

Goldwater Institute: Superior Court Upholds Education Savings Accounts

The Cosby Show: Season 1, Episode 1

National School Choice Week: Bill Cosby is IN for National School Choice Week

The Daily Caller: Bill Cosby on Education: More funding is not the answer

The drama surrounding the Komen Foundation’s announcement they would cut off funding to Planned Parenthood continues to develop, even as I write this.

On Tuesday, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which works to cure breast cancer, announced a change in their policies that would exclude any organization under congressional investigation from receiving funding. This decision meant that Planned Parenthood, which is currently under investigation by the House Oversight and Investigation Committee, would no longer receive hundreds of thousands of dollars annually from Komen.

While pro-life advocates praised Komen, and showed their support by increasing donations to the organization by 100% over two days, Planned Parenthood lashed out against them. The reaction from the pro-abortion crowd has been outrageous. It can only be defined as bullying at its worst. Komen’s website was hacked and Planned Parenthood led the attacks.

Then this morning Komen released this statement, creating confusion regarding the exact position Komen is taking.

While some on the pro-abortion side have hailed this as a victory claiming they have forced Komen to reverse their position, others are saying not-so-fast. Komen’s statement is not necessarily changing any of their original positions. Supposedly, if Planned Parenthood is found guilty of any of the charges in the Congressional investigation, they will not fund the abortion giant.

My message to Komen is “fish or cut bait.” Komen has a clear right course of action – deny Planned Parenthood funding because they are not in the business of saving lives, but destroying them.

Planned Parenthood has activated their base and is in full attack mode. We need to send a positive message to the Komen Foundation and pray they have courage and boldness during this time.

Not Standing Idly By The Obama administration’s announcement that all employers must cover birth control in company health insurance plans, regardless of any religious beliefs underscores the very real threat in our nation today to the First Amendment’s free exercise of religion guarantee. It’s simply outrageous and very wrong to put a woman’s so-called right or even need for an employer to pay for and provide birth control pills above a religious group’s or individual’s religious beliefs. Thankfully, religious leaders and elected officials are speaking out.

Phoenix Diocese Bishop Thomas Olmstead sent a letter to be read at all Masses in the Diocese of Phoenix saying the diocese would not “comply with this unjust law” and that “people of faith cannot be made second class citizens.”

In D.C., Florida Senator Marco Rubio introduced the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to stop the Obama administration from forcing a number of organizations to make the false choice to either compromise their religious beliefs or face persecution from the government.

Wait No More Just a Week Away Over 350 children in Arizona today need a forever home. Perhaps you or a friend is interested in adopting a child in need. I urge you today to plan to join CAP on February 11 at Scottsdale Bible Church for the Wait No More Conference. This conference is a great first step for anyone thinking about blessing a child with a permanent home. Click here for more details!

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Friday, February 3, 2012

Maricopa County manager David Smith proposing to settle million dollar lawsuits of cronies       Greedy county officials should be forced to litigate their claims fully to reveal how worthless they are, instead of receiving million dollar settlements

 Maricopa County manager David Smith, the hatchet man for the County Supervisors, is proposing that the county settle the million dollar lawsuits filed by the Supervisors’ cronies against Maricopa County and its taxpayers for amounts of several hundred thousand dollars up to $15 million each. This is a bad, bad idea that will end up very costly to taxpayers. The greedy county bureacrats, who are suing the county over nothing more than “stress” from being prosecuted by Sheriff Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas, should be forced to plead their cases in a court of law, so taxpayers can see how sketchy their lawsuits are.

The Supervisors better do the right thing and not award their cronies million dollar settlements. Two of the lawsuits are from their fellow Supervisors Mary Rose Wilcox and Don Stapley! This is a blatant conflict of interest for them to award them huge amounts of money.

The Supervisors have already paid Judge Fields $100,000 of your taxpayer dollars for his lawsuit against the county. He received that money for his claims that he was stressed over Arpaio and Thomas attempting to prosecute him. That prosecution went nowhere since he was able to thwart it.  None of his assertions of stress were ever heard and tried in a court of law, the county simply $100,000 at him in a settlement.

Next, Judge Baca received a $100,00 settlement for her stress over being sued by Arpaio and Thomas. Stephen Wetzel, the county director of IT, received an undisclosed settlement amount.

This is not right. These officials should be forced to go through the regular court system like the rest of us. They should not be awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars for “stress” based on their claims that they were wrongly prosecuted. We will never know if they were wrongly prosecuted, because they were able to successfully thwart Arpaio’s and Thomas’s attempts to prosecute them. It is despicable that they they are being awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars for successfully avoiding prosecution!!! David Smith claims that the county is saving money by settling the claims, but the claims are so groundless the county would end up not paying any money if they were fully litigated. He knows this but wants to guarantee his cronies are vindicated, which in turn vindicates his legal attacks against Arpaio and Thomas. This sets a bad, bad precedent for future bureaucrats down the road to sue over “stress” and receive millions of dollars too.

If the greedy bureaucrats are awarded these lavish amounts of money, taxpayers will consider a citizens’ lawsuit against them. Tea Parties and organizations like the Goldwater Institute and Americans for Prosperity have grounds to sue them based on abuse of our tax dollars.

 The Arizona Republic has coverage.

ACTION ITEM:

Contact the Supervisors who will be deciding whether or not to award these outrageous settlements and let them know that you disapprove of them awarding large settlements to the other two supervisors and their cronies. Tell them these speculative claims need to be heard in a court of law where they will inevitably be DISMISSED.

Supervisor Andrew Kunasek
(602) 506-7562
akunasek@mail.maricopa.gov

Supervisor Max Wilson
(602) 506-7642
mwwilson@mail.maricopa.gov

Supervisor Fulton Brock
(602) 506-1776
fbrock@mail.maricopa.gov

Dear Arizona Taxpayer,

Today in the Senate Government Reform Committee, the majority members voted in favor of four important bills that would reform powerful government-worker unions:

SB 1484 — Paycheck Protection for Government Employees — Prohibits government employers from taking money from employee’s paychecks for union activities without express annual authorization.

SB 1485 — Prohibition on Government Collective Bargaining — Prohibits government employers from engaging in collective bargaining (including “meet and confer”) with government unions.

SB 1486 — Prohibition on Government Union Release Time — Prohibits government employers from paying employees to do union activities on the taxpayer dime.

SB 1487 — Prohibition on Withholding of Dues for Government Unions — Prohibits government employers from withholding any portion of public employee wages to pay for labor organization dues.

To send quick thank-you emails to the members of the Committee, click here. For Goldwater Institute fact sheets on the above bills, click on the bold bill titles, above.

TAKE ACTION! 

Senate Bills 1484, 1485, 1486 and 1487 will be heading soon to floor votes in the full Senate. Please help us rein in Arizona’s powerful government unions by sending an email to your state Senator in support of these bills.

To take action, simply REPLY to this email and click SEND. It will automatically send an email to your State Senator! You can also customize your message and take action by clicking here. 

To learn more about AFP-Arizona’s 2012 Legislative Agenda, click here.

Please forward this alert to your friends and family members!

For Liberty,

Tom Jenney
Arizona Director
Americans for Prosperity

Join us for a dinner meeting at our new location: the Rock Bottom Brewery at Desert Ridge.

The information is repeated below in text format to make it easier to copy into your calendar:

Location:
Rock Bottom Brewery at Desert Ridge Marketplace
21001 N Tatum Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85050
(Near intersection of N Tatum and Hwy 101)
Date: Wednesday,Feb.8, 2012. (2nd Wed of Month)
Time: Dinner (order from menu) available at 6 pm.
Meeting from 7-8:30 pm

Contact Information:
Howard Levine,
NE Valley Chapter Chairman
Howard_Levine@rocketmail.com , www.pachydermcoalition.com
480-577-4168

 

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona
Wednesday,February 2, 2012

The Arizona 2012 Project opened new offices at 3375 E. Shea Boulevard this week to an overflow attendance.  The comfortable meeting facilities include a huge meeting area with seating for more than eighty persons that can be quickly converted to work space for volunteers. Included in the floor plan is ample room for campaign training sessions to come.  A formal Open House is planned for later in the month.

Later, speaking for the Arizona 2012 Project, Chairman Ron Ludders reacted to Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock’s withdrawal from the race to re-election saying, “We have been encouraging Councilman Brock to make a decision to take some personal time away from the political grind.  Unburdened from having to scrape together a campaign in the face of growing grassroots political pressure, Fulton will be able to focus on his more immediate personal needs. We wish him every success.”

Asked about that pressure, Ludders reminded, “It is obvious that Conservatives in general and the Tea Party movement in particular have awakened.  We’re no longer content with simply voting for the lesser of two evils and are learning how to use our numbers to affect policy, legislation, and candidate selection.  Look at the last two G.O.P. mandatory meetings in Phoenix.  At the county meeting, the ‘Tea Party’ slate won with a first ballot victory boasting vote margins of almost 3 to 1 over the entrenched ruling class Republicans.  The state meeting echoed growing Tea power by handily electing Chairman Morrissey’s slate while rejecting that ticket’s Third Vice-Chairman candidate, John Rhodes, who is known for his antipathy toward the Tea Party movement.”

Continuing his comments, Ludders informed, “The Arizona 2012 Project is becoming known as ‘The Tea Party A-Team’ because we recruit serious people who want to get deep into the political weeds as activists and advocates.  That effort is paying off with a new legion of dedicated Conservatives working more closely with their legislators both publicly and behind the scenes.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 1, 2012
CONTACT: Adam Deguire

Arizona Congressman calls Salmon a “principled conservative” in video message 

EAST VALLEY – Former Congressman and candidate for Arizona’s 5th Congressional District Matt Salmon today announced the endorsement of Arizona Congressman David Schweikert. Congressman Schweikert, known as one of the Republican Party’s rising conservatives, endorsed Salmon in a video message released today.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Congressman Schweikert stated, “Our nation is facing so many challenges and we need our most experienced and principled leaders in Congress to help get America back on the right track. I chose to endorse Matt Salmon for Arizona’s East Valley congressional seat because Matt has been a trusted conservative leader as a state senator and Congressman before, and I know he’ll be that same trusted leader when he returns to Washington. I’m proud to join his growing team of supporters.”

Former Congressman Matt Salmon stated, “Arizonans are fortunate to have David Schweikert in Congress and I am honored to have his support for my campaign. David is a true statesman who always puts the interest of his constituents first. I’m excited to return to Congress and serve alongside leaders like David so we can restore fiscal responsibility and accountability in Washington.”

About Representative David Schweikert
David Schweikert has been a lifelong advocate for Arizona. He was raised in Scottsdale and attended Arizona State University where he earned a BA degree in finance and real estate as well as his MBA.

David is serving his first term in the United States House of Representatives representing Arizona’s 5th district. He serves on the Financial Services Committee.

Prior to being elected to the 112th Congress, David served as Treasurer of Maricopa County in 2004. As Treasurer of one of the largest counties in the United States, David was responsible for protecting billions of taxpayer dollars and earning over $300 million in investment income while never showing a deficit despite a tough economic environment.

David first became a public servant in 1991, when he was elected to serve in the Arizona State House representing his hometown, Scottsdale and Fountain Hills. David and his wife Joyce reside in Fountain Hills with their famous Wheaten Terrier, Charlie, and two cats. Together they run a real estate business.

About Matt Salmon
Matt Salmon was first elected to the United States Congress in 1994 and served until 2000, honoring his term limit pledge. A proud conservative, Salmon was rated in the top five among all 535 members of the House and Senate by Citizen’s Against Government Waste for all six years he was in office. He is a lifetime member of the NRA with an A+ rating and also earned a 100% rating by the National Right to Life. He was also the proud recipient of the American Cancer Society’s “Top National Elected Official” award.

Matt Salmon has received the endorsements from Arizona Congressman Trent Franks, former Arizona Congressman John Shadegg, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Mayor Scott Smith (Mesa), Mayor Jay Tibshraeny (Chandler), Mayor Hugh Hallman (Tempe), Mayor John Insalaco (Apache Junction), Mayor Gail Barney (Queen Creek), Arizona State Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs (LD22), State Senator John McComish (LD20), former State Senator Chuck Gray, and State Representatives Eddie Farnsworth (LD22), Jeff Dial (LD20), and Bob Robson (LD20). Salmon has also been endorsed by South Dakota Senator John Thune, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey and Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-49).