Friday, January 30, 2009

Shadegg Opposes Irresponsible Spending

Shadegg: “While Washington Democrats claim to be ‘stimulating the economy’ with this fraudulent legislation, in truth, they are throwing money at special-interest government programs that won’t create real jobs or stimulate the economy.


WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Shadegg (R-AZ) today issued the following statement after voting against H.R. 1, the so-called American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009:

“Today, I voted against $818 billion in irresponsible spending. While Washington Democrats claim to be ‘stimulating the economy’ with this fraudulent legislation, in truth, they are throwing money at special-interest government programs that won’t create real jobs or stimulate the economy

“House Democrats must end their false claims that this stimulus was a ‘bipartisan’ effort. Despite the assurances of President Obama, Republicans have been shut out of the process every step of the way – seeing 3 amendments, which were accepted at the committee level, stripped out of the final package without a vote. Speaker Pelosi has remained true to her word, ‘We won the election. We wrote the bill.’

“Instead of revitalizing the economy and creating jobs, the Democrat ‘stimulus’ provides automobiles for Washington politicians, repairs the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters, and funds Medicaid for millionaires. Democrats tout improvements to transportation and infrastructure in the United States asgovernment spending that stimulates the economy; however, only 3% of the funds are set aside for road and highway spending. Arizona is in need of infrastructure funding, yet none of the measly 3% will go to benefiting our state. In fact, the pork-barrel spending in this bill exceeds the entire economy of Arizona .

“What’s worse, this bill burdens not only the current taxpayer, but also generations of Americans to come. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the interest costs for H.R. 1 will reach $347 billion over the next ten years – saddling our children and grandchildren with at least $1.2 trillion of debt.

“A bill that would truly stimulate the economy would focus on supporting small businesses through tax relief instead of considering it as an afterthought; tax relief currently represents only 2.7% of the entire package. Such a bill needs to support families and entrepreneurs by encouraging investment and allowing them to keep more of what they earn. This bill pumps $236 billion into programs expanding programs like Medicaid, none of which will do a thing to improve the job market.”


CONTACT: Katie Orme

(202) 225-3361

January 28, 2009

Arizonans in Action online petition to rescind the meet and confer order

Petition to Governor Jan Brewer

Stop the Napolitano Pro-Union Executive Order!

On December 17, 2008, Governor Janet Napolitano, by Executive Order, authorized executive-level state employees to begin the “Meet and Confer” process whereby state employees would be empowered to meet through an elected union representative with state agency directors quarterly to discuss their demands, grievances, and various labor issues. This is the first step in unionizing state employees and creating collective bargaining agreements – both now illegal under Arizona law.
The fact is, Arizona taxpayers, through their elected legislators, have rejected this process in past years. This authoritarian move by exiting Governor Napolitano to circumvent the legislature is clearly an effort to pay back organized labor for all of the support and campaign contributions that the Arizona Democrat Party received during her tenure as governor.
We believe that this unilateral executive order is harmful to the state of Arizona, is out of order by circumventing the duly elected Arizona legislature, and would put a tremendous financial strain on Arizona taxpayers.
Therefore, we, the undersigned resolve that Governor Jan Brewer should rescind the executive order authorizing pay-to-play politics by rewarding special interests groups at the expense of the taxpayers.

Click here to sign!

Alan Korwin: Good Gun Bills Introduced in Arizona

To all of you who keep asking -- What can I do?

I have an answer --
it's time to support your Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL).
These guys are doing what most of us cannot do ourselves.

They are down at the legislature pushing GOOD gun bills
and killing the bad ones. They are influential, and get results.
In Arizona, they're more important than NRA, GOA and all the rest.
I mean that, it's true, they're making it happen.

Do you want results on behalf of your right to keep and bear arms or not?

Part of AzCDL's power comes from the alerts they send you,
so you can email the legislators and apply pressure.
You want to do something?
Apply PRESSURE.
http://www.azcdl.org


I'm in business to tell you what the laws are.
AzCDL is in the business of making the good laws happen.
I don't lobby. They do. This is what you need as a gun owner.
Please please send them a membership fee
and get on their alerts list. Do it before tomorrow.


They have a lot of bills underway.
Here are two of the latest:

--

SB 1243, clarifying when "Defensive Display" of a firearm is justified,
has 18 co-sponsors. This bill is similar to an AzCDL-requested bill filed
last year that PASSED in the Legislature but was vetoed by our former
anti-rights Governor. Defensive display includes:

-- Verbally informing another person that you have a firearm available.
-- Exposing or displaying a firearm in a manner that conveys you mean to
protect yourself.
-- Placing your hand on your firearm while it is holstered or in a pocket,
purse or other means of containment.


HB 2439, with 22 co-sponsors, provides for an alternative 3-hour CCW
course, dealing only in legal issues, for qualified individuals who can
show proof of prior firearms training, such as:
-- Completion of an NRA pistol course.
-- Completion of pistol related courses at the college level, or at places
like Front Sight or Gunsite.
-- Completion of certain law enforcement training.
-- Current military service or an honorable discharge.
-- A competitive rating or ranking in an organized shooting competition.
-- A CCW permit from another jurisdiction that required training or
testing to obtain.

Stay tuned! When critical legislation comes before committees, we will
notify you via these Alerts.

--

Is that excellent or what?! This is what you and I need. Do you want to be
a part of this? You can, go to their website and join in.
http://www.azcdl.org. Tell your friends.

The alerts they send include the emails of the legislators -- it's easy as
cake, you do it from your own home -- you REALLY make a difference. They
even include sample messages if you don't want to compose it yourself.

You'd be amazed. When the public (that's you) starts banging on a
legislator, even just a couple dozen of us, they tell their colleagues
they're getting 'flooded' with calls and emails. When a few hundred do it,
it's a tsunami and they respond. And we have good people in both state
houses now and a governor who will sign these bills.

Help make it happen. Don't wait till later. http://www.azcdl.org. At least
take a look. Even if you're flat broke or a tightwad like me, that website
will charge you up.


Best news of all -- "Constitutional Carry" bill

AzCDL introduced a "Constitutional Carry" bill. That means you can carry
openly OR concealed, without getting government permission first! The CCW
permit remains in place if you want one for reciprocity or the easy
shopping rules, but simple legal possession of your private property (a
firearm) will no longer be a crime. You need to look at their website for
details, and support these guys if you're serious about gun rights. This is
it.

Oh, did I mention they have a restaurant-carry bill under way too?


Respectfully submitted,

Alan.

P.S. I know them all personally, they're good people, and hey, they like
my political-parody band The Cartridge Family (we've played their annual
meeting more than once). How much can you ask for?



Sign up for my future alerts on my home page:
http://www.gunlaws.com

Goldwater Institute: Gutsy Justice of the Peace unplugs speed cameras

West Valley Justice of the Peace John Keegan, a former state legislator and Peoria mayor, rocked Arizona's legal world with his recent ruling that the statute authorizing highway speed cameras is "unconstitutional and unenforceable within the jurisdiction of this court."

photo radarThe statute sets a flat fine of $181.50, regardless of how fast the driver is speeding or whether the excessive speed constitutes a civil or criminal penalty. By contrast, drivers who are issued speeding citations by police officers have their matters adjudicated by courts and are assessed a wide range of fines, none of which are $181.50.

In other words, two people exceeding the posted limit at the same speed in the same location will receive different fines depending on whether they were cited by a camera or a human being. Keegan concluded that such a regime violates the state and federal constitutional guarantees of equal protection of the laws.

Other constitutional problems abound. Unlike other speeding tickets, photo-radar infractions do not appear on drivers' records. Also, motorists can receive multiple successive photo-radar tickets for a single speeding violation, i.e. if they are caught by more than one camera on the same stretch of freeway. Both anomalies raise equal protection concerns. Moreover, the new fines were imposed without the two-thirds legislative voted required by the state constitution. And by depriving judges of any discretion, the statute turns judges into tax collectors, implicating the constitutional separation of powers between the judicial and executive branches.

Cameras have a place in law-enforcement. But here they are used primarily to generate revenue, at a sacrifice of important constitutional principles. Like many justices of the peace, John Keegan is not a lawyer. But in this instance, common sense and fairness are a useful substitute for a law degree.

Clint Bolick is the director of the Goldwater Institute Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation.
Learn more:

AFP: Millions of dollars for sex workshops... What kind of stimulus is this?

The more Americans learn about the pork-barrel deficit spending bill passed by the majority in the US House of Representatives, the less they like it. By this point, you have probably heard that the bill would give $335 million to the CDC to fund such things as sex workshops. And you’ve probably heard that the bill would give $4.19 billion to the left-wing political activist group ACORN.

The rest of the $819 billion package may not be as sensational, but it’s just as bad. Any short-term stimulus that comes from this federal spending spree will soon result in higher taxes, price inflation, slower economic growth, and worse long-term fiscal distress.

Please go to www.nostimulus.com and encourage Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain to do everything they can to stop the onward march of spendthrift insanity in Washington.

And since you’ve been drawn in by the word “sex” in the subject line, I want to report some good news from the Arizona Legislature. Your legislators are putting in long hours in a Special Session to balance the FY 2009 budget, which was a billion out of balance when Captain Napolitano and her allies passed it back in June, and which is now at least $1.6 billion in the red.

Congratulations are in order for the majority on Rep. John Kavanagh’s House Appropriations Committee, which voted earlier this evening to zero out the Arizona 21st Century Fund, a corporate-welfare slush fund that costs Arizona taxpayers $25 million a year. At a time when the Legislature must reduce spending for K-12 education, there is no excuse for corporate handouts.

The vote was an amendment to the main budget bill, which seeks to reduce state general fund spending by over $500 million. Rep. Rick Murphy (R-Peoria) moved the amendment. (You may remember Rick—he was the chairman of the Arizona Federation of Taxpayers in 2004, before he was elected to the Legislature.)

Originally, the House was planning to cut only $7.5 million from the 21st Century Fund, but some conservative stalwarts engaged in some behind-the-scenes wrangling to get the fund zeroed out. Among those deserving some special thanks from taxpayers:

Rep. Frank Antenori (R-Green Valley, SE Tucson)

Rep. Judy Burges (R-Surprise/Sun City)

Rep. Sam Crump (R-Anthem)

Rep. Doris Goodale (R-Mohave County)

Rep. David Gowan (R-Green Valley, SE Tucson)

Rep. Laurin Hendrix (R-Gilbert)

Rep. Nancy McLain (R-Mohave County)

Rep. Steve Montenegro (R-Goodyear/Avondale)

Rep. Frank Pratt (R-Pinal County)

Rep. Carl Seel (R-Anthem)

Rep. David Stevens (R-Cochise County)

Rep. Jerry Weiers (R-Goodyear/Avondale)

The Legislature may pass a revised FY 2009 budget tomorrow. Let’s hope they do it soon. The longer they wait, the more money is spent by agencies and departments.

More updates available at http://www.americansforprosperity.org/arizona/blog.

Tom Jenney
Arizona Director
Americans for Prosperity
(Arizona Federation of Taxpayers)
www.aztaxpayers.org
tjenney@afphq.org
(602) 478-0146

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Prolife training seminars

The JFA Exhibit at UNC
Check Out These Upcoming
Pro-life Training Seminars

Dear Pro-life Friends,

If you want to learn how to graciously present the pro-life message to your friends, family, or students at our JFA university outreaches (pictured left), then register for one of these great upcoming seminars:

TEMPE - Saturday, January 31st Justice for All Seminar at the Arizona State University MU Ventana Ballroom from 12:00 - 5:30pm.

TUCSON - Sunday, February 1st Justice for All Seminar at the University of Arizona Student Union from 12:00pm - 5:30pm.

CAREFREE - Saturday, February 7th AZ Right to Life Seminar hosted by me! 9:00am - 3:00pm at Our Lady of Joy Catholic Church.

To register for the JFA seminars call 800-281-6426 or email maureen@jfaweb.org

To register for the AZ Right to Life seminar call 602-285-0063 or email azrtl@azrtl.org


Hope to see you at one of these great events! (which include lunch for a nominal fee)


My Signature




Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Goldwater Institute: States continue to let the feds take control

Huge segments of state budgets are driven by federal spending. Few roads are built without federal matching funds. Large shares of states' budgets are spent on social programs initiated by the federal government such as Medicaid, KidsCare, and Aid to Families with Dependent Children.

bag of moneyIt's rare that states are required to establish these programs. Instead they are tempted and cajoled with money--money for which they must spend to receive. Arizona was the last state to establish a Medicaid program, but the temptation to receive $2 from the feds for every state dollar spent proved irresistible. Today, 28 percent of Arizona's General Fund goes to health and welfare departments and these are the fastest-growing areas of General Fund spending.

Now, Congress stands ready to ensnare the states with more federal largesse. The federal share of Medicaid spending would increase. More money would flow to public and higher education. Grant programs will provide funding for alternative energy, transportation, rural development, law enforcement, and more. Of course, this money will not come with no strings attached.

The consequence is that states like Arizona that let spending get out of control during the real estate bubble will fail to rein in as much as they should and will get all the more entangled in the federal web. Thus far, Arizona's legislature has only proposed to close about half of the state's deficit with cuts. They're literally banking on a federal bailout and the strings that will come along with it.

Byron Schlomach, Ph.D, is director of economic policy at the Goldwater Institute.
Learn more:

Justice of the Peace throwing out speed camera tickets as unconstitutional

Great article in the Arizona Republic today on JP John Keegan throwing out all speed camera tickets for being unconstitutional. Since they don't add points to a driver's record, and are less than an equivalent ticket from a police officer, they are considered a violation of equal protection. So far no higher prosecution agencies are jumping in to hear any appeals. For more reasons why Janet Cams are a bad idea, see the article I wrote earlier this month.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The left wing agrees with the right wing on keeping our initiative process

AzAN's February Forum, Thurs. Feb. 19th at Faith Lutheran Church
Responsible Reform: Protecting Citizen Initiatives
Ensuring every voter can vote The constitutionally guaranteed right of citizens to enact law through initiative is under attack. Problems with misleading language and fraudulent signatures were abundant during 2008. In her State of the State Address outgoing Governor Napolitano recommended changes to our constitutionally protected citizen initiative process. What kinds of changes would address the current breakdowns while protecting the ability of grassroots organizations to place measures on the ballot? We'll hear the pros and cons of the various proposals under consideration from experts experienced in running true citizen initiatives.

DATE: Thursday, February 19th
TIME: Refreshments at 5:00 PM ; Program begins at 6:00 PM
LOCATION: Faith Lutheran Church 801 E. Camelback Rd., East of 7th Street on Camelback Rd.

AFP: Students to protest at AZ Capitol tomorrow--on your dime

More than a thousand students from the University of Arizona are planning to rally at the state capitol tomorrow to protest proposed budget cuts. As the Arizona Daily Star reports, some will be getting class credit for doing so:

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/277572

That means they will be spending your tax money to go down to the Legislature and agitate in favor of taking yet more of your tax money. (Talk about taxpayer-funded lobbying!) The alternatives to budget reductions are either tax increases in the short term, or borrowing, which will deepen Arizona’s structural deficit and eventually result in heavy tax increases, with interest.

Meanwhile, ASU’s PR office has produced a chart showing that the proposed budget reductions would reduce the state government subsidy for a full time student by about $3,000 a year:

http://asunews.asu.edu/files/GF_per_FTE_history.pdf

Taking the estimate at face value, ASU has a point: to keep the subsidy the same in real terms as it was in 1989, today’s subsidy would have to be about $6,900. By 2007-2008, with heavy pushing from Napolitano and Crow, it had risen to $7,976. According to ASU, the proposed budget reductions would cause the subsidy to fall to $4,902 per full-time student per year.

But the relevant question is, Should students become more dependent on government over time? Or should students become less dependent on government over time?

Dr. Matt Ladner of the Goldwater Institute makes a similar point in a recent email titled “Eating Crow”: http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/AboutUs/ArticleView.aspx?id=2498

Meanwhile, AFP Arizona is trying to put the proposed state budget cuts into perspective, with two new charts we have posted on our blog page:

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/arizona/blog

The first chart puts the proposed reductions in the context of total government spending in Arizona. The second chart puts the proposed reductions in the context of total state spending—government and private—for the services in question.

Tax-takers in Arizona will be in for some tough trade-offs over the next couple of years—especially those whose budgets are not voter-protected. But it’s nowhere close to the end of the world.

Tom Jenney
Arizona Director
Americans for Prosperity
(Arizona Federation of Taxpayers)
www.aztaxpayers.org
tjenney@afphq.org
(602) 478-0146

#dontgo movement update

The site has been revamped and here is is the press release about the new Arizona News Platoon.

Arizona News Platoon is Live!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 20, 2009

CONTACT: Juliana Johnson
(312) 575-9500 (office)
(847) 691-9278 (cell)
julianatjohnson@gmail.com

On Monday, January 20th the Arizona News Platoon will be joining four other state Platoon sites. The website, www.Arizona.NewsPlatoon.com, will work to promote local government transparency and accountability, provide a news platform for local activism networks, and aggregate the top news stories happening across the state.

In wishing the News Platoon the best of luck with the launch, Senator Sylvia Allen (AZ-5) stated, “As you know the supporters of the liberal movement poured billions of dollars into this last election and so the conservative message had a hard time getting to the voter. Also the internet played a very important role in the victory of President Elect Obama. We as conservatives must get up to speed in this communication and battle for the heart and soul of America. Arizona proved that when the voters could hear the conservative message, they voted for that candidate. Blogs are an important part of getting the message out.”

Senator Ron Gould (AZ- 3) also supports #dontgo and stated, “Blogs play a very important part in getting the conservative message out to the people. I have used blogs myself to end run the controlled media and shine the light of truth on insider plans to increase taxes.”

The News Platoons are a product of the #dontgo Movement (www.dontgomovement.com) which uses web-based strategies and tactics to advance free-market values. Its mission is to develop a fifty state strategy of blogs and internet social networks that would activate more free market conservatives in their communities leading into the 2010 elections.

Change

O'Neill Associates: Fewer Hires, More Fires

Arizona Economic Indicators Monitor

Quarter 4, 2008



Employment Patterns:

Fewer Hires, More Fires



For Immediate Release, January 27, 2009
Contact: Michael O'Neil, PhD
480.626.2560



Employment Patterns 1The O'Neil Associates/ASBA Arizona Economic Indicators Monitor asked small businesses to look back over the last 12 months and report whether they had hired additional employees, reduced the number of employees, or maintained their workforce size. The proportion who have reduced their number of employees has increased over the last four quarters from 20% at the beginning of 2008 to 30% at the end of 2008. In contrast, the proportion who have hired additional employees has dropped from 36% at the beginning of the year to 24% at the end of the year. When we combine these two figures, what we see is a net proportionate increase (% hiring additional employees minus % reducing number of employees) of 16% in Q1 to a net loss of 6% in Q4.












Employment Patterns2When we asked these same small businesses about prospects for the next 12 months, their projections have been consistently more optimistic than when we asked them to look back over the past. The degree of this optimism, however, has been diminishing rapidly. In Q1, 39% expected to hire more employees over the next twelve months compared to 8% who intended to reduce the number of employees, a net positive 31%. This net increase in the overall percent of employees reduced to 17% in Q2, increased negligibly to 19% in Q3, and dropped to a single digit plus 7% in Q4. The Poll's director, Dr. Michael O'Neil observed "While small businesses tend to be optimistic concerning their own prospects resulting in projections which tend to be on the rosy side, stark economic realities have attenuated the degree of this optimism over the last year. These have clearly resulted in less optimistic projections about the number of employees likely to be hired over the course of the next year."






Why These Surveys Matter

Our stock markets have been battered. Housing prices have plummeted. Banks are afraid to lend. Consumers have pulled back on their spending. And businesses are reluctant to hire. All told, more "wealth" has been lost in the last year than in any in human history.

An incoming Presidential administration proposes to spend unprecedented sums primarily to inspire confidence in the resilience of the economy.

Whether or not it works will depend almost exclusively in whether it is successful in inspiring that confidence. Should that confidence return, all of the negative impacts described in the first paragraph will be reversed.

The significance of the Arizona Economic Indicators Monitor is that it measures precisely the perceptions that will ultimately drive our economy up or down.

Follow these reports and you will know a lot about what to expect from the economy.






These results are taken from the Q4 O'Neil Associates/ASBA Arizona Economic Indicators Monitor. This project provides insights to support business leaders in companies of all sizes to make key economic decisions, as well as sharing small business attitudes on major political issues. O'Neil Associates, a national public opinion research firm based in Tempe, sent surveys to ASBA's membership of 3,000 small businesses across the state as it did at the end of Q1, Q2, and Q3 2008. The survey covered a wide range of economic issues, including business performance, revenue and job growth, and overall business confidence ratings. Results provide insights into the perceptions of business owners on the economic health and vitality of the Arizona economy. Based on 285 responses, the survey has a margin of error (at the 95% confidence level) of approximately +/-6%.

Results of this survey may be cited freely with the proviso that they be cited as the "O'Neil Associates/ASBA Arizona Economic Indicators Monitor"




The O'Neil Associates/ASBA Arizona Economic Indicators Monitor is made possible by a cooperative effort of




O'Neil Associates, a national public opinion research firm based in Tempe, has done over 1700 public opinion and marketing research projects since 1981. These include surveys and focus group projects for a wide array of businesses throughout the country.


ASBA, the Arizona Small Business Association, is the leading voice for small businesses in the State of Arizona.


For a complete copy of all O'Neil Associates/ASBA Arizona Economic Indicators Monitorreports released to date, as well as opinion research reports on an array of other topics visithttp://www.oneilresearch.com/publicdomain or click on the banner below.
Arizona Economic Indicators Monitor


O'Neil Perspective

Visit http://blog.oneilresearch.com/ or click the icon above to read Mike O'Neil's political blog.

For further information or to schedule media interviews contact via email:


Michael O'Neil, PhD
President
O'Neil Associates, Inc.
Phone: 480.626.2560
oneil@oneilresearch.com
www.oneilresearch.com

ADF: Contributions will be matched


Encourage a friend to give for the first time
and their donation will be DOUBLED!

Learn more.


Some dedicated Ministry Friends of the Alliance Defense Fund are extending a great offer to your friends. If they donate to ADF for the first time, that gift will be doubled.

You already support the work of ADF, now we need you to extend your influence. If your friends donate for the first time, their gift will be matched dollar for dollar up to $100,000.

Take this opportunity to spread the word about preserving religious freedom in this country.


In Arkansas, The Battle To Protect Children Goes On - January 27, 2009
It was popularly referenced as Act I – an initiative heartily endorsed (57-43 percent) by Arkansas voters last November that would make it illegal for unmarried couples – all unmarried couples – to adopt children in that state.

ADF Moves To Protect Californians Who Supported Proposition 8 - January 20, 2009

In Ohio, a Victory for Speech and Life - January 13, 2009

Goldwater Institute: Federal economic stimulus plan should not include education spending

Congressional leaders recently unveiled a draft of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Widely touted as an economic stimulus package, the $825 billion draft legislation includes as much as $142 billion for education--roughly twice the annual budget of the entire Department of Education. Should it pass, this legislation will dramatically increase the role of the federal government in education.

The plan would spread the funding among early education, K-12 and higher education programs, and in order to access the funding states will have to comply with a host of new regulations. Setting aside the fact that increasing federal spending on education will not improve the economy, and that a federal bailout for state governments is irresponsible, there are a few more reasons that this plan is bad for states:

· Past experience shows that more K-12 spending does not significantly improve educational performance.
· Federal early childhood education programs have not provided lasting benefits to disadvantaged children.
· School construction and modernization should not be a federal responsibility.
· The proposal does not address waste in the Department of Education budget.
· The spending package would prohibit school choice.
A dramatic increase in federal education spending and authority is the wrong approach for encouraging economic growth or improving American students' educational opportunities. Instead of increasing federal spending--and federal debt--the federal government should help states meet current fiscal challenges by offering state policymakers greater ability to prioritize how federal education dollars are allocated to best meet their students' needs.

Dan Lips is senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation and a senior fellow with the Goldwater Institute.

Monday, January 26, 2009

urges citizens to sign AFP’s national “No Stimulus” petition

AFP Arizona Calls Federal Deficit Spending Package

a “Dangerous Temptation” for State Politicians

The Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP Arizona) today urged Arizonans to use an online petition to oppose the trillion-dollar stimulus package put forth by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Obama Administration.

“The so-called stimulus package would not only harm the long-term economic health of the country,” said AFP Arizona director Tom Jenney. “It would also provide a dangerous temptation for Arizona’s politicians in the short term, by allowing them to avoid making some of the tough budget reductions necessary to truly balance the state budget.”

Resistance to the federal bailout is weak in the Arizona Legislature, where members are struggling to close a $2 billion budget deficit for the fiscal year that ends June 30th. Even the budget plan put out by the Legislature’s fiscally conservative appropriations chairmen, Sen. Russell Pearce (R-Mesa) and Rep. John Kavanagh (R-Scottsdale/Fountain Hills), conceded the political reality that Arizona would likely take a projected $800 million in federal grants over two years, if those grants are offered to the state.

AFP Arizona urged Arizonans to visit www.nostimulus.com and sign AFP’s national “No Stimulus” petition, which tells President Obama that expanding government and growing debt are not productive reactions to the nation’s economic troubles. By visiting the website, online activists can also learn facts about the Congressional spending proposal, contact their legislators, and write to local media.

“We have experimented with large-scale expansions of government in the past, and each one coincided with economic failure,” said AFP president Tim Phillips. “We cannot simply tax, borrow and spend our way to prosperity.”

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

Outdoor Shooting in AZ Imperilled

by Alan Korwin, Author
The Arizona Gun Owner's Guide
http://www.gunlaws.com/agog.htm


Do you remember the Forest Service meetings several years back? The
announced purpose was to improve and enhance outdoor shooting in the
National Forests, the main place everyone used to go.

The actual result was closure of more than 80,000 acres to shooting -- all
the places near Phoenix metro (they're all listed in The Arizona Gun
Owner's Guide) that people had used for decades. The details are posted
here: http://www.gunlaws.com/Tonto.htm

Now the Bureau of Land Management is holding hearings on the use of Table
Mesa Road off I-17 for outdoor marksmanship ("officials" like to call it
"wildcat shooting" to denigrate outdoor marksmanship; never use their
derogatory phrase, and scold them if they do).

This is one of the few remaining outdoor spots for target practice
anywhere near Phoenix metro, and it gets a lot of use. I'm the first to
recognize there is some crossfire across some of those hills and knolls.
How to manage it all is complex. Keeping it open should be everyone's
concern.

I plan to be there if I can (I have some other commitments). If the future
of shooting sports and government encroachment on your rights is important,
join other marksmen who will be at the hearing, described below in an NRA
posting. Permission to circulate this note is of course granted (and
encouraged).


Respectfully submitted,
Alan.


Sign up for future alerts on my home page:
http://www.gunlaws.com


--

BLM "Planning" the Future of Target Shooting at Table Mesa!
BLM "Planning" the Future of Target Shooting at Table Mesa!


The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is developing a recreation plan for
Table Mesa, a site north of Phoenix that receives heavy recreational use
from target shooters and off-highway vehicle users.
In recent months, NRA has sent emails to our Arizona members about this
planning process and the importance of participating in it to ensure that
the interests of shooters are addressed in the plan. A number of NRA
members have participated in a clean up of Table Mesa and in preliminary
meetings about the plan.
The next set of meetings will be held on Tuesday, February 3 from 6 - 8
p.m. at the Deer Valley Senior Center, located at 2001 W. Wahalla Lane in
Phoenix. Another will be held Tuesday, February 17 from 6 - 8 p.m. at the
same location. (Take the 19th Ave. exit south 1 block off Rt. 101.)

If you target shoot at Table Mesa or want to ensure that access to federal
lands for target shooting is protected, please attend one of these public
meetings and stay tuned for upcoming events at BLM's website for Table
Mesa: http://www.tablemesarecarea.com. Please look at the map on the web
page showing areas proposed for closure and areas proposed for opening and
be prepared at the meetings to discuss whether these alternatives work and
if there are other alternatives that need to be addressed. [I couldn't find
these on a quick look.]

--

Alan Korwin
Bloomfield Press
"We publish the gun laws."
4848 E. Cactus, #505-440
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
602-996-4020 Phone
602-494-0679 Fax
1-800-707-4020 Orders
http://www.gunlaws.com
alan@gunlaws.com
Call, write, fax or click for free full-color catalog
(This is our address and info as of Jan. 1, 2007)


If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you're reading this in English, thank a veteran.

"No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing
because he could do only a little."
--Edmund Burke


============

The NEW 2009 Traveler's Guide to the Gun Laws of the 50 States
is now available: http://www.gunlaws.com/travel.htm

Check out Dave Kenik's excellent book Armed Response:
http://www.gunlaws.com/books8newbies.htm

============


OTHER EVENTS:


Second Amendment Night at the Bison Western Museum

Wed., Feb. 4, 2009, 6-9 PM, $15
16641 N. 91st St. (S. of Bell, E. of 101)
http://www.spiritoftheoldwestalive.com
Featured speaker: yours truly



Arizona Libertarian Convention

Sat., Jan 31, 2009, All day (+ hospitality suite the night before)
Radisson Hotel Airport North
427 N. 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85008
N. of Van Buren on 44th St.
Partial or full attendance with meals, from $25 to $98
http://azlp.org/convention/schedule.php

Sure, this party has its shortcomings (don't they all),
but their philosophy toward freedom and rights is
the best thing going, much to learn from them,
many like-minded people will be there.
An important only-once-a-year event, with
some very heavy-duty speakers and attendees.



The Arizona Breakfast Club

Sat., Feb 7, 2009, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Coco's Restaurant, 4514 East Cactus Road, 602-953-9155
N. side of Cactus, W. of Tatum Blvd.
All you can eat bacon-and-eggs type breakfast, $11.

An informal breakfast gathering of freedom fighters
now in its 39th year, a nice way to start the day,
thought-provoking speakers and chat, I plan to be there.
http://arizonabreakfastclub.org/meetings.html



============



Resources from Bloomfield Press:

If you want to help make a difference,
take a look at my page on Tactics That Work:
http://www.gunlaws.com/Tactics%20That%20Work.htm


To see prior issues of my media watchblog, Page Nine:
http://www.gunlaws.com/PageNineIndex.htm


For researched info on News Media Bias:
http://www.gunlaws.com/NewsAccuracy.htm


See my latest papers, news, Updates and more:
http://www.gunlaws.com/newstuff.htm


To find a law anywhere in the country,
use our widely acclaimed National Directory:
http://www.gunlaws.com/links/index.htm


You can check out our growing line of Specialty Books
with DVDs for gun owners and supporters of freedom
and plain-English guides to gun laws across the nation:
http://www.gunlaws.com/books.htm


And finally, for logical, common-sense, reasonable
positions on gun issues, try my Position Papers:
http://www.gunlaws.com/updates.htm

Goldwater Institute: New Pinal County Sheriff has refreshing perspective


When initiative petitions were circulated last week to repeal the use of speed-enforcement cameras on the state's highways, among the first to sign was Paul Babeu, the newly elected Pinal County Sheriff.

Paul BabeuBabeu thinks the cameras dumb-down law-enforcement. "I've never yet seen a photo-radar camera arrest a drunk driver or arrest a person with a warrant, see if somebody has insurance or just simply give directions to somebody," he explains.

But there is another, and more important, reason why Babeu opposes the cameras: the introduction of a profit incentive in law-enforcement. The cameras' "main purpose," he says, "is to create money for the government." He worries that such a relationship creates a corrupting influence, where revenue rather than safety or law-enforcement is the overriding priority.

Speed-enforcement cameras are not the only such influence. The widespread practice of civil asset forfeiture likewise creates perverse incentives for law-enforcement officials where police agencies get to keep the proceeds from property supposedly involved in crimes. Abuses of that power in such circumstances are legion.

Enforcing the rule of law is the central function of government. That power is given to government in order to ensure that law-enforcement is objective and neutral. The temptation to concentrate limited police resources on activities that generate revenues is a natural one that ought to be avoided. Separating law-enforcement from the profit motive is central to the rule of law.

Babeu calls himself a "strict constitutionalist." It's a nice perspective to have in a law-enforcement official-and for those of us committed to the rule of law, an essential one.
Clint Bolick is the director of the Goldwater Institute Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation.

Goldwater Institute upcoming events

Policy Forum on the New Transportation Funding Model with Transportation Secretary Mary Peters
Tuesday, February 3
7:30 a.m. Doors open

8:00 – 10:00 a.m. Program
Goldwater Institute
500 E. Coronado Road

Phoenix, AZ 85004
For details, please visit http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/events/eventdetails.aspx?id=174.

Policy Forum on the Coming Constitutional Crisis with University of Chicago Law Professor Richard Epstein
Wednesday, February 4

5:00 p.m. Doors open
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Program
Goldwater Institute
500 E. Coronado Road

Phoenix, AZ 85004

For details, please visit http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/events/eventdetails.aspx?id=175.

Speaker Series Luncheon with Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey
Tuesday, February 17
11:00 a.m. VIP Reception and Photo Opportunity

12:00 – 2:00 p.m. Lunch
Westin La Paloma
3800 E. Sunrise Drive

Tucson, AZ 85718
For details, please visit http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/events/eventdetails.aspx?id=173.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Arizona conservatives on Twitter - follow #DontGoAZ

DontGoAZ


The Arizona News Platoon has a new Twitter channel, http://twitter.com/DontGoAZ. Twitter is one of the most powerful new media political tools, if you don't have an account yet, sign up and join us. Check out tcotreport, #dontgo, and topconservativesontwitter.com for more info.

AZ Right to Life march & rally - BE THERE!

click to enlarge

Professor Richard Epstein is coming to Phoenix

The Phoenix Lawyers Chapter and the Phoenix School of Law student chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy invite you to join us for an hour with Professor Epstein who will discuss the crossroads of eminent domain and defamation law—and his recent interaction with both in the State of Texas.

When: Wednesday, February 4 12-1pm*

Where: Phoenix School of Law at Central and Indian School

(Directions available here)

Details: Lunch is included and general admission is free;

Up to 1 hour of Arizona CLE credit may be available, and there is a $5 charge for CLE credit.**

The courtesy of an RSVP is appreciated so we may plan accordingly. RSVP and any questions, contact Kasey Higgins (khiggins@ij.org or 480-557-8300) and please specify whether you would like to receive CLE credit.

*NOTE: Professor Epstein will begin speaking promptly at 12pm. Please show him and the other guests your courtesy by arriving a few minutes early to get your food and find a seat.

** We will not be able to accept credit cards, so please bring cash or a check (made out to the Federalist Society) if you plan to obtain CLE credit

Jennifer M. Perkins, Staff Attorney

Institute for Justice Arizona Chapter