Saturday, September 29, 2007

Goldwater Institute: Health Care by Ballot Box


Proposed constitutional amendment protects right to choose your own health plan

by Clint Bolick

Health insurance is emerging as one of the top domestic issues as the 2008 presidential campaign heats up. Every major candidate, Democrat and Republican, has a plan to expand health coverage. Likewise, plans are afoot to bring universal health insurance to Arizona by voter initiative.

The most sweeping plans have one common element: coercion. Health insurance isn't "universal" if people are allowed to opt out or choose options not allowed by the government.

Anticipating new limits on consumer choice in health care, two Arizona physicians, Eric Novack and Jeff Singer, have filed language for a proposed state constitutional amendment called "The Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act." In simple language, the initiative states that "no law shall be passed that restricts a person's freedom of choice of private health care systems or private plans of any type," and forbids penalties "for choosing to obtain or decline health care coverage or for participation in any particular health care system or plan."

The initiative takes no position on any of the competing health insurance proposals, except to establish the core prerequisite of consumer freedom of choice. Indeed, as the Goldwater Institute will demonstrate in a policy brief scheduled for release next week, expanded access to health care requires deregulation of insurance options, not greater constraints.

In our system of federalism, states are free to establish greater freedom for their citizens than the U.S. Constitution. Adding this vital protection of personal autonomy to our state Constitution could be the ounce of prevention needed to make unnecessary the pound of cure for the expanding regulatory welfare state.

Clint Bolick is the director of the Goldwater Institute's Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Court Rejects Attorney General’s Request For Gag Order

from the County Attorney's Office -

Upholds Sheriff’s Demand for Access to Documents in Bribery Investigation

A Superior Court ruling has cleared the way for sheriff’s investigators to gain access to documents at the Attorney General’s Office needed for an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of bribery, County Attorney Andrew Thomas announced today. The ruling also denies the Attorney General’s request for a gag order relating to the public disclosure of the Attorney General’s attempts to delay the investigation and improperly control access to witnesses and documents.

For more than six months, investigators working for Sheriff Joe Arpaio have been trying to determine whether former State Treasurer David Petersen received a favorable criminal plea deal in return for the Treasurer’s Office agreement to transfer $1.9 million dollars in disputed funds to the Attorney General’s Office in 2006. Notwithstanding Attorney General Terry Goddard’s public pledge of full cooperation, he has hired a criminal defense attorney, Ed Novak, with taxpayer funds, and Novak has thrown up numerous legal obstacles in the way of investigators.

“We are pleased the walls are finally starting to come down and investigators can get to the task at hand,” said County Attorney Andrew Thomas.

In addition to denying the gag order, the ruling by Judge Anna Baca affirms the sheriff’s right to obtain public records from the Attorney General’s Office. Judge Baca also dismissed the Attorney General’s claims that Arpaio, Thomas and prosecutor Barnett Lotstein had violated grand jury secrecy rules. This motion by Novak was essentially a request for a gag order to keep a lid on the investigation regarding the Attorney General’s Office.

“I am rather disappointed with the Attorney General’s Office stonewalling our investigation; however we intend to pursue our investigation in a professional manner.” Said Sheriff Joe Arpiao.

“Now that the courts have opened the doors, we call on the Attorney General to cooperate fully so that we can get to the bottom of these bribery allegations,” Thomas said.

For more information contact:
Mike Anthony Scerbo, Public Information Officer
(602) 506-3170 (office) or (602) 489-6913 (cell)


Al Melvin for Arizona Senate update

He's challenging Democrat incumbent Charlene Pesquiera in District 26.

ANOTHER MONTH CLOSER TO VICTORY!

Hard to believe it has been a year since we celebrated our victory in the 2006 primary. We got a late start on that campaign, but thanks to many of you we surprised a lot of folks by winning by more than 2,600 votes.

So you can understand why we're so excited this year. We're off to an earlier start and we have a lot more volunteers than we did last time. We've learned so much in the meantime that we will be running an even better campaign than before.

We have begun to knock on doors as the evenings have gotten cooler and our pace will certainly pick up over the next month or so as the summer heat fades. If you would like to walk with me through your own neighborhood, let me know and we'll get it on the schedule. I've done that with a few folks already and the response is really encouraging.

In spite of what you read in the newspapers or see on television, the voters of our district have not given up on the Republican brand. What they have given up on is Republicans who talk the talk at election time but then fail to walk the walk. When these voters hear from us directly, they get fired up and urge us on. In the last month of walking we have had more than 30 homeowners tell us that they will put up yard signs for us next year. That might not sound like much to you, but over the next year that would project to nearly 400 homes with Melvin for Senate yard signs!

Our focus remains on collecting signatures and building our campaign organization. We know that our eventual Democrat opponent will present a real challenge, but we're in great shape to run that race. We still are not sure if we will have a primary or not. One Republican has been ''exploring'' the race since June, trying to decide if he is going to run or not. More than ten weeks have passed and he still has not reached a decision and the people we hear from are not sure what his intentions are.

As always, if you would like to sign a petition or carry a petition with you to collect signatures, please call (520) 429-8083 and I will be happy to send one to you. My email address is almelvin@wbhsi.net.

Please check out my website at www.votealmelvin.com and please call me at (520) 429-8083 or (520) 825-2894 if you have any thoughts or concerns to share with me.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

News from Schweikert Congressional Exploratory Committee

Exploratory Campaign Newsletter

September 2007

In This Issue

Welcome!

About David

Quick Links

Dear Voter,

Welcome to the first issue of my Exploratory Newsletter.

Please visit my website to learn more about my exploratory
efforts, and don't forget to sign up for future editions of the newsletter.

Many thanks,

Contribute today!

Welcome!

I am asking for your support as I consider a candidacy for Congress in Arizona's Fifth Congressional District.

When I was elected Maricopa County Treasurer, voters gave me the responsibility for protecting billions of taxpayer dollars. I took this mandate seriously, and fulfilled my commitment to bring innovation and fiscal discipline to the office, while remaining a strong voice for Arizona's taxpayers. [read more]

About David

David was elected Treasurer of Maricopa County, the nation's fourth-largest county, in 2004 based on a strong history of protecting taxpayers and reforming government. Since his election David has successfully pushed reforms in the Treasurer's office that have saved taxpayers millions of dollars. David has also continued his advocacy for taxpayers by identifying taxing districts with excessive spending. [read more]

Paid for by Schweikert Congressional Exploratory Committee

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

AZ Latino Republicans: Al Pena guest speaker - Thurs., Sept. 27



Please join us for our next ALRA meeting/gathering: (non-Hispanics welcome)

Thursday, September 27, 2007
5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Copper State
Consulting Group
3033 N. Central Avenue Suite 900
(southeast corner of Earll/Central)

Parking is east of the building/use penthouse elevator

G
UEST SPEAKER: Al Peña

Special Agent in charge of investigations

http://www.azcentral.com/specials/special03/articles/1016pena.html

Note: David Gonzales, Arizona U.S. Marshall was to speak and cannot make it. David was kind enough to replace himself with Mr. Peña who promises to be a great guest speaker.

It's time to gear up for Election year 2008 so dust off your political chanclas and let's hit it!

Please RSVP to Alicelara@hotmail.com or 602-796-1038


Jose Esparza
Chair

Blanca Esparza
Vice Chair

Alice Lara
Communications


Goldwater Institute: It's the Spending, Stupid

Excessive spending in recent years erases potential billion dollar surplus

By Byron Schlomach, Ph.D.


Holy misdirection, Batman! Only sitting elected officials could make a spending problem seem like an economic illness.

Arizona's state revenues are short an estimated $600 million for 2008, just three months in to the fiscal year. The culprit cited is a slowing housing market and falling home values.

However, under Governor Napolitano, every budget from 2004 to 2007 has grown faster than Arizonans' collective personal income. Nearly 7 percentage points faster in 2004, 12.3 points faster in 2005, 5.7 points faster in 2006, and 0.5 point faster in 2007.

The Joint Legislative Budget Committee's budget growth history shows appropriations rising faster than personal income in 15 of the last 28 years. Even so, there is only one other four-year period when budgets rose faster than personal income (1986-1989)--but it was by an average of 1.7 points per year. Governor Napolitano's four-year average is 6.4 points.

When spending growth outpaces the growth in earnings of the people who pay the bills, it inevitably sets the state up for hard times. Now the reality of less-than-breakneck revenue growth has hit the ninth floor like bankruptcy for a gambling addict.

The first step is to understand the problem. The problem is spending. Had it stayed in line with our population growth and inflation since 2002, instead of a $600 million shortfall, we could be looking at a (conservatively estimated, but hefty) billion dollar surplus.

Dr. Byron Schlomach is the director for the Center for Economic Prosperity at the Goldwater Institute.

AZ Right to Life 40 Days for Life

Arizona Right to Life Proudly Promotes .

40 Days For Life

September 26th – November 4th


Something is desperately wrong in America...
In a nation that was founded on an unalienable right to life, endowed by our Creator, more than 1,200,000 innocent children are killed by abortion each year. Millions of women have been wounded by abortion – some physically, and many more emotionally and spiritually. Fathers who have lost children to abortion have been shoved to the sidelines, abandoned to lives of regret. Numerous Christian churches have fallen silent about abortion, and many followers of Jesus Christ have become apathetic or indifferent, failing to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” Now, a grassroots movement of Christians is mobilizing to change this abortion minded culture through 40 days of prayer and fasting, but why 40 days you may ask?

God has used the period of 40 days throughout history to bring about transformation...
• Noah experienced transformation during 40 days of rain
• Moses was transformed by 40 days on Mount Sinai
• David was transformed by Goliath’s 40 day challenge
• Elijah was transformed when God gave him 40 days of strength from one meal
• Nineveh was transformed when God gave the city 40 days to remain faithful
• Jesus was transformed and empowered by 40 days in the desert
• The disciples were transformed after spending 40 days with Jesus following His resurrection

Just think of the transformation God could accomplish if individuals and communities across America unite together this fall for 40 days of prayer and fasting, pulling out all the stops to end the violence of abortion...

How Can Our Church Become Involved?


PRAYER – Pray each day for an end to abortion and for the conversion of those involved in the industry. You can involve your whole church and even pray in front of abortion mills. (Contact us for the location of abortion mills)

FASTING – Involve your church in sacrifice to gain spiritual strength for this monumental fight.

SERVICE –During the 40 days Arizona Right to Life will be hosting a booth at the Arizona State Fair and we need dedicated volunteers to help spread the pro-life message. Your church can also serve the pro-life community by donating supplies or volunteer time to crisis pregnancy centers. (Contact us for a list of pregnancy centers) –During the 40 days Arizona Right to
Life will be hosting a booth at the Arizona State Fair and we need dedicated volunteers to help spread the pro-life message. Your church can also serve the pro-life community by donating supplies or volunteer time to crisis pregnancy centers. (Contact us for a list of pregnancy centers)

If you would like to participate in this campaign or have your church’s pro-life activities posted on our website contact Trent at 602-285-0063 or trent@arizonarighttolife.org

Goldwater Institute: Indianapolis Mayor's office sponsors and authorizes charter schools

Up to the Job

By Matthew Ladner, Ph.D.

Only a few years ago Indianapolis suffered from a 35 percent high school graduation rate. Mayor Bart Petersen took action, challenging the status quo by sponsoring and authorizing an array of charter schools.

"We are simply in an age where cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all, 1950s style education just doesn't work for a lot of kids. The evidence is the dropout rate. The evidence is the number of at-risk kids who are failing at school," Petersen wrote.

Arizona should follow this example and expand the list of charter school authorizers to include cities and universities. An obvious conclusion to draw from the recent Arizona Republic series on financial improprieties at some charter schools is that perhaps the state is not up to the job of oversight.

"Financial oversight of Arizona's charter-school system is soft and sporadic," wrote the Republic's Pat Kossan. Petersen's authorization office, meanwhile, is widely regarded as a national model.

Mayor Petersen has made the challenge to his inner city public schools: educate these kids or make room for someone who will. Charter authorization in Arizona could also benefit from some diversity and competition. One-size-fits-all doesn't work for schooling, or school authorization.

Dr. Matthew Ladner is vice president of research at the Goldwater Institute.

United Catholic Music & Video Ass. Unity Awards - Oct. 6

(click to enlarge)

Monday, September 24, 2007

Say What? Recent Phoenix election results far from mandate

by Clint Bolick, The Goldwater Institute

This month's propositions to hike Phoenix's sales tax and hang on to home-rule powers won a resounding majority-of the tiny fraction who voted. According to the Arizona Republic, a paltry 17 percent of the Phoenix electorate voted, down 15 percent from four years ago, in the election for mayor, city council members, and ballot propositions.

Mayor Phil Gordon, who championed the sales tax hike and was re-elected easily, called the vote an expression of community support for "an energetic agenda." Or, perhaps voters are apathetic and cynical, as suggested by the rejection of a measure to increase salaries for the mayor and council.

Even though the tax hike was backed by two-thirds of those who actually voted, a whopping 88.5 percent of Phoenix voters either opposed it or stayed home. Not exactly a mandate.

Local governments often put spending measures on off-year ballots, when special interest groups are motivated to come out but few regular voters pay attention. Thankfully the Legislature put a stop to this, requiring in the future that some spending measures appear on the regular November ballot.

But as Arizona Republic columnist Bob Robb has urged, fiscal watchdog groups need to make a greater priority of taking on spending measures at the local level. As I argued in my book, Leviathan: The Growth of Local Government and the Erosion of Liberty, big government has spread from Washington, D.C. to the suburbs. Protecting our rights and our wallets requires citizen vigilance at the local level.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Chris Simnine to speak at Scottsdale Bible Church Sept. 30


You would never guess from looking at this photo that this young man has cerebral palsy. Although he has the face of an angel - his looks put Brad Pitt to shame - he struggles with clear speech and walking. Chris Simnine gave an inspiring testimony today at Scottsdale Bible Church, and will be at their north campus location next week at 9am, 11am, and 6:05pm. He was worth hearing, you could hear a pin drop in the sanctuary because everyone was on the edge of their seats riveted to his moving presentation. He has overcome quite a bit, including leaving a wheelchair to walk again. An inspiration for anyone who thinks they have tough hurdles to overcome.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

AZ Tax Revolt looking for volunteers

We need to support Property Tax reform which will be a pivotal issue in the November 2008 election. Between now and then property owners across the state will have received two property tax bills showing for many yet more double digit property tax increases. Under the present system taxes increase based on the 20% to 50% annual valuation increases, yet our income and ability to pay increases at perhaps 3 to 5%. This has been going on for several years and the disparity is now threatening not only our Seniors but working families as well. How many of the increasing foreclosures are at least in part due to the inability to pay taxes?

To learn more please visit the Arizona Tax Revolt WEB site www.ArizonaTaxRevolt.ORG where you can volunteer by filling out the “volunteer form,” check the “coordinator” box if you have experience organizing petition drives and would like to help with this. We have until July 2008 to collect the signatures but need to get in gear now.

These property tax initiatives will rollback and limit annual increases to both property tax levies (spending) and valuations benefiting ALL current property owners, renters, our children and grandchildren. The measures are based on Prop 13 with several improvements. They will over time save property owners thousands of dollars. K-12 school funding will not be affected though their property tax revenue will be reduced. Should there be a need the voters can elect with a 2/3 vote in a November election to increases taxes.

Marc Goldstone, Chair.
Arizona Tax Revolt
(602) 388-8833

Friday, September 21, 2007

AZ State GOP looking for volunteers


The Arizona Republican Party is looking for volunteers to help with newspapers and media, research and helping getting mailings out the door to making sure our voter registration teams have all the materials they need.
Chairman Pullen has created a “Party Bucks” system where volunteers collect $10 in “Party Bucks” for each hour volunteered. These credits can be redeemed at AZGOP events throughout the election cycle, such as the upcoming Trunk-n-Tusk events where we love to have all our volunteers present! College students interested in internship opportunities should contact us about both paid and unpaid positions where college credit is most usually also available (we’ll work with academic advisors). For more information, contact Volunteer Coordinator Pascal Kropf at 602.957.7770 or by email at pkropf@azgop.org.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Thomas and Arpaio to Enforce Employer Sanctions Law

From the county attorney's office -

Partnership Forged for Investigation of Possible Employer Violations

The County Attorney’s Office today announced that it has entered into an agreement with the Sheriff’s Office to jointly investigate possible violations of Arizona’s new employer sanctions law. The new employer sanctions law (Arizona Revised Statute Section 23-212), which goes into effect January 1, 2008, authorizes the county attorney to seek suspension and, ultimately, revocation of the business license of an employer who knowingly or intentionally hires an illegal immigrant.

At a press conference today, County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio signed an intergovernmental agreement between their two offices that establishes this partnership. Both the Sheriff’s Office and the County Attorney’s Office will field complaints from citizens regarding suspected violations of the employer sanctions law.

Complaints may come from phone calls, emails or regular mail. Sheriff’s deputies will investigate. Prosecutors in the County Attorney’s Office will analyze the cases investigated and determine if there is sufficient evidence to go to court and seek to suspend or revoke the business license of the employer.

Maricopa County has been granted a budget of $1.4 million to help enforce this law, which designates county attorneys as the enforcement agencies. Under the agreement between the County Attorney’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office, up to $1 million from that fund may be spent to help fund the sheriff’s enforcement efforts.

“In seeking a partner for enforcing Arizona’s new employer sanctions law, I found the choice was clear,” said County Attorney Andrew Thomas. “Sheriff Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office have a proven track record of enforcing our immigration laws and not caving in to political correctness.”

Thomas added, “Honest businesses owners who play by the rules and make an innocent mistake have nothing to fear from us. On the other hand, employers who knowingly or intentionally hire illegal immigrants are right to be worried.”

“I appreciate the request by County Attorney Andrew Thomas to assist him in enforcing the new civil employer sanction law,” said Sheriff Arpaio. “The Sheriff’s Office specialized Triple I Unit (Illegal Immigration Interdiction) including 160 ICE trained Sheriff’s officers will be a great benefit in enforcing this new law.”

For more information contact:

Mike Anthony Scerbo, Public Information Officer

(602) 506-3170 (office) or (602) 489-6913 (cell)

Napolitano: SOS is only in charge when I'm away if they're a Democrat

Received this email -

I think that this is pretty ironic that Napolitano is trying to say that she is still in power when she is out of town, especially based on the attached quote from her on a Torres endorsement piece.
It talks about the "power of the governor" and how she knows that "he will carry out (her) policies." So which one is it? Does the Secretary of State have the power or not? Is it only if the SOS is also a Democrat?

According to Napolitano, but not the state constitution, it is.

(click on flyer to increase size )



Curing Health Care

When government is the problem, it cannot be the solution


By Byron Schlomach, Ph.D


If car insurance were structured like health insurance, oil changes would cost only a few dollars with a co-payment. Low-income car owners would qualify for free coverage. Oil would be changed constantly, with the insured demanding the best, most expensive oil be used. Mechanics would not be able to keep up with demand; they would have to raise their prices regularly to comply with increasing compliance costs from insurance companies. Needless repairs would be frequent because car owners would have little incentive to prevent them.

Sound familiar?

John StosselJohn Stossel reported on health care policy recently on ABC's 20/20. He pointed out that in Canada MRI's are more available for pets than for humans. Human health care is socialized. Health care for pets is not.

But we don't need to look to our furry friends up North to see that more government involvement in health care, such as Hillary Clinton's just announced plan, isn't the answer. In the United States, costs are falling in uninsured areas like plastic and lasik surgery where competition for patients is fierce. Meanwhile costs for insured procedures are rising faster than inflation.

Consumers need to know how much their care costs and care providers need to compete on price, quality, and service. Free markets are the solution to a health care crisis that is of, by, and for the government.

Dr. Byron Schlomach is the director of the Center for Economic Prosperity at the Goldwater Institute.
Contact
Byron Schlomach, Ph.D
Director of the Center for Economic Prosperity
Goldwater Institute

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Cruel Intentions: Republic series on charter schools seeks to discredit movement

An excellent article from Clint Bolick on the smear campaign in the Republic against charter schools.
Charter schools enroll only 7.5 percent of the state's children, yet by the state's own standards, nine out of ten of the top-ranked public schools are charter schools.

Goldwater Institute Today's News
September 18, 2007

The Arizona Republic recently featured a two-part series on alleged financial improprieties of charter schools. Focusing on a small number of rogue schools leads one to wonder if the reporter's intent was to tar the entire charter school movement and invite a regulatory response.

The Goldwater Institute stands second-to-none in our demand for financial accountability for all public entities, including charter schools. But the Republic overlooks the real story-that charter schools as a whole outperform traditional public schools with significantly fewer dollars.

Arizona is the nation's leading pioneer of charter schools, which are public schools that are allowed to offer distinctive curricula (though even there, the Empire is striking back in the form of "curriculum alignment", which the Goldwater Institute is challenging in court).

Charter schools enroll only 7.5 percent of the state's children, yet by the state's own standards, nine out of ten of the top-ranked public schools are charter schools. Students attending charter schools typically are from poorer families and possess greater special needs than traditional public school students, yet they usually outperform the public schools with which they compete. Moreover, competition from charter schools boosts performance in traditional public schools, according to a study by Harvard Professor Caroline Hoxby.

The state should more carefully monitor financial governance at charter schools, and take action against the bad actors. But it also should aggressively promote parental choice in both the public and private educational sectors, for choice is the tide that lifts all boats.

Meanwhile, we eagerly await the Republic's expose on financial waste in traditional public schools-but won't hold our breath!

Clint Bolick is the director of the Goldwater Institute's Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Federalist Society lecture: Rogen Pilon of CATO on affirmative action


Phoenix Law Federalist Society Upcoming Event

ROGER PILON
Vice President for Legal Affairs
Cato Center for Constitutional Studies

Wednesday, September 26th, 11:30 a.m.
Phoenix School of Law

CLE Credit is available. $10 per person. Students are free.

Mr. Pilon will be speaking on affirmative action.

Roger Pilon is the founder and director of Cato's Center for Constitutional Studies, which has become an important force in the national debate over constitutional interpretation and judicial philosophy. He is the publisher of the Cato Supreme Court Review and is an adjunct professor of government at Georgetown University through The Fund for American Studies. Prior to joining Cato, Pilon held five senior posts in the Reagan administration, including at State and Justice, and was a National Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution. In 1989 the Bicentennial Commission presented him with its Benjamin Franklin Award for excellence in writing on the U.S. Constitution. In 2001 Columbia University’s School of General Studies awarded him its Alumni Medal of Distinction. Pilon lectures and debates at universities and law schools across the country and testifies often before Congress. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Legal Times, National Law Journal, Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Stanford Law & Policy Review, and elsewhere. He has appeared on ABC's Nightline, CBS's 60 Minutes II, Fox News Channel, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, and other media. Pilon holds a B.A. from Columbia University, an M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, and a J.D. from the George Washington University School of Law.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

The real PAChyderm is meeting this Wed. evening

The PAC for Reagan conservatives, not nude elephants -

PAChyderm Coalition

MONTHLY MEETING


Wednesday September 19, 2007

Please note the new location:

Deer Valley Airport Restaurant

702 W. Deer Valley Road

(7th Ave & Deer Valley)


Dinner - 6:00P.M.

Dinner will be an"order off the menu"

Members will be responsible for their own dinner tab.


Meeting begins at 7:00 PM


The Guest Speaker will be

Our State Treasurer

Dean Martin

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Recap of Horizon's Journalists' Roundtable


As requested by a regular reader since there are no conservative journalists on Horizon's Friday night Journalists' Roundtable, pretend this is what a conservative journalist would have contributed (it's not like there is any shortage of conservative writers who could be on that show - Darcy Olsen from the Goldwater Institute for example is young, smart, witty and attractive, and would provide some balance to the old guard they have on there now).

The show began with a discussion of a front page Republic story on how the Corporation for Economic Development (CFED) gave Arizona an F for financial prosperity. None of the journalists had heard of CFED, and couldn't remember its name on the show. Which proves the point of this piece, why is the CFED report front page news when an equally shocking economic analysis by the recognizable local group Arizona Federation of Taxpayers is buried in the back pages inside a regional section of the paper? Because the journalists had never heard of the group, they couldn't really analyze its criteria for giving Arizona an F. Its criteria was the typical left wing factors, I won't bother covering them since this piece already did. I might point out in addition,
if you read the bios of CFED board members, they have ties to Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, former President Jimmy Carter, former Senator Tom Daschle, the Rockefeller Foundation, and numerous race-based groups.

The journalists continued discussing economic problems, including concerns that wages aren't going up as fast as home prices, taxes and the cost of living. Mike Sunnucks said that it would be ok for Governor Napolitano to set wages in order to fix the problem, since she was the "smartest person in the state." Gosh, don't let your partisan views color your analysis. Howie Fischer jumped in and played the token conservative, explaining basic free market 101 principles to Sunnucks. To Sunnucks's credit, when asked about the new employer sanctions law and the protests from certain businesses that are challenging the law, he responded that businesses should already be verifying the identities of potential employees.

When discussing the recent city elections, Mary Jo Pitzl said that Mayor Gordon was easily re-elected by a wide margin because the voters are "happy and disconnected." I don't see how anyone can be "happy" driving through the light rail mess. But she is correct about being disconnected - since the local media has been nothing but a cheerleader for Gordon, the Phoenix City Council, and other local spending propositions, while at the same time deliberately omitting negative coverage of them, the voters are disconnected because they don't know what's really going on. Robert Robb had a great column yesterday on how the out-of-control spending is taking place at the local levels, so that's where activists need to focus their efforts. Unfortunately that's only a small part of the problem, the real problem is getting the mainstream media to give them coverage. As I mentioned above, the AZ Federation of Taxpayers scorecard of local government barely made the back pages of the Republic.

Sunnucks said that McCain is doing better, noting that McCain's popularity rises and falls with the popularity of the Iraq war. Of course liberals like Sunnucks want to create the illusion McCain is doing well, because he's one of the least conservative Republicans in the race. If a Republican is going to win, best it be the most liberal Republican. Sunnucks is wrong, the latest 8 polls at realclearpolitics.com over the past week show Giuliani winning the primary, with McCain also trailing Thompson and to some extent Romney.

Note to person who tried to post 2 derogatory comments about evangelicals


To the person who tried to post insults toward evangelicals, calling me a "typical close-minded evangelical bigot," I didn't post your comments because I don't have to. This is a blog, this isn't a free speech issue. Free speech means you have the right to express your views in public, whether on public property or through private means such as a newspaper or blog. Someone may have the right to run a blog or newspaper, but it doesn't mean they have to run everything someone else would like to contribute in their newspaper or blog (the Republic is a good case in point since they routinely refuse to include opinions and news submitted by conservatives). Even the air waves, a finite resource which are divided up with the government's oversight, have not yet been forced to include opposing views under an equal-time rule.

If you would like to hurl insults at evangelicals, feel free to set up your own blog. Your offensive remarks reinforce my opinion that few decent people will be interested in reading a blog like that.

Center for AZ Policy: Luncheon with Dr. Marvin Olasky, Choose Life license plates, & assisted suicide

Thursday, September 13, 2007

In this issue:

(1) Things that Matter
(2) Choosing Life is "Controversial"
(3) Assisted Suicide Alive and Well in Arizona
(4) Women's Vote Not a Slam Dunk


(1) Things that Matter

Register today for our September 26 luncheon featuring Marvin Olasky. Dr. Olasky, editor of WORLD magazine and the author of a score of books, will talk about "Enduring for Things that Matter." In his book Standing for Christ in a Modern Babylon, Olasky encourages believers to use the rights we have to lead others to the Truth, saying, "Only as we show in both word and deed what a true understanding of liberty looks like, will we help transform a culture." To make your reservations for this event which is less than two weeks away, go online, or call 602-424-2525 today!

(2) Choosing Life is "Controversial"

Last week we told you about our involvement with the Arizona Life Coalition's appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to try to get the Arizona License Plate Commission to produce plates like it has for a number of other non-profit groups as a fund-raising tool. Today, the press picked up on the story. According to an Arizona Business Gazette article, the state's position, as expressed by the state attorney general's office, is that the message of the license plates to "choose life" is too controversial, and that license plates should not be "a billboard for one side of a hotly contested issue." Funny, we've heard that abortion is controversial, but we've yet to hear from anyone credible who asserts that encouraging people to allow the unborn to see the light of day is the least bit contentious! Read the online Gazette story, in which CAP General Counsel Peter Gentala was quoted, on AZ Central.

(3) Assisted Suicide Alive and Well in Arizona

Yes, you read that correctly. The New Times reports on the assisted suicide death of a supposedly depressed, mentally ill 58-year old Phoenix woman, Jana Van Voorhis. Tragically, this woman in need of real help received "help" instead from the "Final Exit Network" also known as the Hemlock Society. Their specialty? Helping people kill themselves. Wesley Smith, author of Forced Exit: The Slippery Slope from Assisted Suicide to Legalized Murder, will be the keynote speaker at CAP's November 3 Bioethics Conference, The Biotech Century: Facing Our Future. Assisted suicide will be just one of many vital topics addressed in this must-attend conference. For more information and to make your reservation today, visit the conference web site at bioethicsconference.com.

(4) Women's Vote Not a Slam Dunk

If you're not familiar with the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, check them out at www.sba-list.org. In late August, the List released a national survey of women voters. Their findings? Sixty-four percent of women voters would be less likely to vote for a presidential candidate who voted against the partial birth abortion ban. Sixty-eight percent of women are less likely to vote for a presidential candidate if they support taxpayer-funded abortion. As we've argued for years, women by strong majorities support abortion restrictions!

Center for AZ Policy

Alan Keyes announces for president!


On Friday, Sept. 14, Alan Keyes filed a Statement of Candidacy (Form 2) with the Federal Election Commission--thus officially announcing as a Republican candidate for President of the United States.

Keyes told Janet Parshall, host of a nationally syndicated radio show, that he's "unmoved" by the lack of moral courage shown by the other candidates, among whom he sees no standout who articulates the "key kernel of truth that must, with courage, be presented to our people."

He added, "The one thing I've always been called to do is to raise the standard . . . of our allegiance to God and His authority that has been the foundation stone of our nation's life"
--and he decried the lack of "forthright, clear, and clarion declaration" from the other candidates concerning this issue.

As a result, Keyes said, "We're putting together an effort that's not going to be like anything before, because it's going to be entirely based on citizen action. We're going to be challenging people to take a pledge for America's revival," and elevate them from spectators in the political arena to participants.

The former Reagan diplomat ran previously for president in 1996 and 2000. During the 1996 race, he was widely credited with forcing abortion to the center of public policy debate. In 2000, he was acknowledged by commentators at Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN as the winner of the Republican presidential primary debates. In that election, he continued his prior focus on America's moral crisis, and also made abolishing the income tax a serious question for policy-makers.

This election cycle, Keyes has already significantly influenced the debate, according to some observers, who note that at least a few of the GOP candidates appear intent on imitating some of Keyes' well-known positions, in an effort to woo moral conservatives
--without which no Republican is likely to win in the general election.

As a prelude to running, prior to making up his mind to announce, Keyes has been writing a series of essays on the 2008 election titled "The Crisis of the Republic"
--published at RenewAmerica and disseminated by several other outlets. A common theme of the articles is the need to restore personal sovereignty that is based in religious premises and self-discipline, if American society is to survive in liberty.

Keyes said he plans to join the Values Voter Presidential Debate Sept. 17 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

To hear the entire Keyes announcement, click here:
http://www.renewamerica.us/news/misc/070914parshall.mp3

To visit Keyes' campaign website, AlanKeyes.com, click here:
http://www.alankeyes.com

Friday, September 14, 2007

Calling All Tempe and Scottsdale Pro-lifers!

Arizona Right to Life

Dear Friend of Life,

Help Women Choose Life By Having Your Car Washed Tommorow!


Arizona State University Students for Life will be washing cars on Saturday, September 15th from 9:00am to 3:00pm to raise money for local pregnancy centers and maternity homes. Please visit their car wash at the Shell gas station on the southeast corner of Rural and University in Tempe in order to help this wonderful cause.




(Above) Last Year's Wash for Life

Last year they raised over $300 to buy supplies like bottles, baby clothes and hygiene products for centers that provide an invaluable shelter for women who choose life for their unborn children. Many of these women learn valuable life skills at these homes and their children are able to grow up in a warm and loving community.



(Above) Moms and Volunteers for "Maggie's Place," a local maternity home


So please consider taking time out of your Saturday morning or afternoon to help these young people as they brave the tail end of our summer heat to promote a Culture of Life.


Group: ASU Students for Life

Event: Wash for Life

Date: Saturday September 15th

Time: 9:00am -3:00pm

Cost: Donate as much as you like to help women and children!

Location: Shell Gas Station on the Southeast Corner of Rural Rd. and University Dr. in Tempe


For Life,

Trent Horn
Program Specialist
Arizona Right to Life