AFP: What if the tax referendum falls through?

From what we hear, the July 29th tax & budget deal may be falling through. If it does, that won't necessarily be a bad thing, assuming:

1) no tax increases are enacted or referred to the ballot;

2) the state can't find more than $1 billion in one-time proceeds from asset sales and sale-leaseback schemes;

3) the state can't figure out how to legally or effectively bond; and,

4) the above three conditions result in the Legislature and Governor having to cut $1.5 billion out of the General Fund in the coming months.

Here is a tentative scoring rubric for that kind of no-deal scenario:

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/files/072909afparizonadealofftablerubric.pdf

Here was our tentative scoring rubric for the elements of the July 29th plan:

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/files/072909afparizonascoringrubric_0.pdf

CAP: How your legislators voted on 9 key family bills this year

OVERVIEW:

With the hundreds of bills that moved through the Arizona Legislature this past spring, it can be an overwhelming task to keep track of the key bills that have an impact on your family. That is where Center for Arizona Policy can help! We are excited to announce the release of our annual Family Issues Voting Records. This handy resource shows the Arizona State Legislature's final votes on nine key pro-family bills initiated and/or supported by CAP during the 2009 legislative session. Gov. Brewer signed all nine bills into law! We encourage you to take a few minutes to review your legislators' voting records and to contact them with a message of thanks if you agree with how they voted. You can view the 2009 Senate Family Issues Voting Record and2009 House Family Issues Voting Record online and simply click your legislator's name to send an e-mail. Your legislators' phone numbers are also listed if you prefer to call. If you are unsure of your legislative district, you can locate it using our district finder. A vote with CAP's position is marked "Y" and a vote against CAP's position is marked "N." "NV" indicates that the legislator was absent or chose not to vote on that bill. The publication includes a brief summary of each bill, but if you want to learn more, we have detailed fact sheets available online. ACTION NEEDED: Please take time to let your legislators know your thoughts about their voting record. It makes a difference when legislators hear from their constituents! Most importantly, if you agree with how your legislators voted, please take time to thank them personally by sending an e-mail or by calling their offices. Legislators often don't hear thanks for the many hours of effort they put in on behalf of Arizona families at the Capitol. Thank you for taking the time to be informed about the policies that impact your family and for being involved in the policy-making process.

The legislators who received 100% scores are:

SENATE: ALLEN (Sylvia), Burns, Gorman, Gould, Gray, Harper, Huppenthal-maybe (had two missed votes), Leff, Melvin, Nelson, Pearce, Pierce, Tibshraeny-maybe (missed a vote), Verschoor & Waring

HOUSE: Adams, Antenori, Ash, Barnes, Barto, Boone, Burgess, Court, Crandall-maybe (had a missed vote), Crump, Driggs, Goodale, Gowan, Hendrix, Kavanagh, Lesko, Mason-maybe (had two missed votes), McComish, McLain, Montenegro, Murphy, Nichols, Pratt, Quelland-maybe (had two missed votes), Seel, Stevens, Tobin, both Weiers, Williams & Yarbrough.

Illegal immigrant population in AZ falls by 1/3 - biggest decrease in nation

No doubt due to the tough on illegal immigration approach by leaders like Sheriff Arpaio, County Attorney Thomas, and Senator Russell Pearce.

The number of illegal immigrants living in Arizona has plunged by one-third in the past two years amid a dismal job market and stiffer enforcement of immigration laws, according to researchers who released a new report.

Arizona saw the largest decline of any state, according to researchers at the Center for Immigration Studies, whose report shows that the nation's undocumented population fell nearly 14 percent from the summer of 2007 to the first quarter of this year, following years of steady growth.

Read the rest of the article

More from the study -

There is also evidence that the number of illegal immigrants returning home has more than doubled in the last two years compared to earlier in this decade.

Our best estimate is that the illegal population declined 13.7 percent (1.7 million) from a peak of 12.5 million in the summer of 2007 to 10.8 million in the first quarter of 2009.

The fact that the legal immigrant population does not show the same decline is an indication that stepped up enforcement has played a role.

Another indication that enforcement has played a role in the decline is that the illegal immigrant population began falling before there was a significant rise in their unemployment rate.

Read the study from the Center for Immigration Studies

AZ Poll: Immigration trumps healthcare; Arpaio doing a good job addessing

Health-care reform might be at the forefront of the national political debate, but a new Rasmussen Report survey shows Arizonans are still more concerned with immigration, and most think Sheriff Joe Arpaio is doing a good job addressing the issue.

Most of the 500 Arizona voters who participated in the telephone survey last week said immigration reform (51 percent) was more important than overhauling the health-care system (45 percent).
The poll also shows that voters here think securing the borders (65 percent) is more important than legalizing illegal immigrants in the country (20 percent).

On the Arpaio front, 57 percent of voters thought the voluble sheriff had helped the state’s image.

Read rest of article

American Post-Gazette: upcoming tea parties

Washington is not listening to us

We need to speak louder until they do

To Arizona Taxpayers and Tea Partiers (from Americans for Prosperity:

The Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity is joining allied organizations on Saturday, August 8th to hold protests at the offices of members of Arizona’s Congressional delegation to tell them to keep their HANDS OFF OUR HEALTH CARE!

AFP Arizona activists will join Arizona Tea Party, 9-12 Project Arizona, Smart Girl Politics, Tea Party Patriots, and thousands of citizen activists in Code Blue protests around the state, beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 8th.

Code Blue is asking activists to attend protests at the offices of their Congresspersons and Senators and at the office of the AARP. For locations, see the Code Blue flyer.

AFP Arizona recommends that activists focus their efforts on the offices of U.S. Reps. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Pima County), Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Prescott/Flagstaff) and Harry Mitchell (D-Scottsdale/Tempe). Those three members have serious concerns about the initial versions of the Obama-Pelosi-Kennedy “reform” plans.

The current plans would result in massive new taxes, failure to control costs, and potentially a single-payer, Canadian-style system of government-directed health care (under which Washington bureaucrats would decide which doctors you can go to, and which medical procedures you can and can’t have).

Giffords, Kirkpatrick, and Mitchell are under intense pressure from President Obama, from their hard-left colleagues in Congress, and from radical activist groups that want to destroy what remains of America’s private health insurance system. We need to make sure that Giffords, Kirkpatrick and Mitchell hear loud and clear from grassroots supporters of health care freedom!

To sign up for a Health Care Tea Party, please take the following five steps:

1) Decide which Congressional office you wish to visit on August 8th. The offices are listed on the Code Blue flyer.

2) Reply to this email (or write to tjenney@afphq.org) to let AFP Arizona know which office you plan to visit.

3) Let your local Tea Party organizer know which office you’re going to, by signing up at www.arizonateaparty.com.

4) Get talking points, policy updates, and ideas for signs at: http://joinpatientsfirst.com/

5) Email and call your friends and family members, and urge them to join us on August 8th.

This is the fight of the decade for American liberty. Now is the time to take a stand.

President Obama and the leftists in Congress wanted to hurry up and complete the national government’s takeover of American health care--before the public got a chance to find out what was in the legislation. We are grateful to report that the legislation does not look like it will go to a final vote until after the August recess. That means we have a very limited window to act.

The same people who have taken over private banks and much of the auto industry now want to take over even more of the health care sector. The same people who make you wait in line at the Post Office want to create a system in which you will have to wait weeks, months, or even years for life-saving or life-improving medical services. The same kind of people who run America’s very expensive and very ineffective public schools claim that they will (somehow) maintain quality and control costs in the health care sector.

Some of the central planners in Washington want to give government the power to say which doctors you can go to, and which medical procedures you can and can’t have. President Obama is not sure whether the government should have allowed his own grandmother to get a hip replacement. Imagine how Washington bureaucrats will treat YOU!

We must take a stand NOW to protect elderly patients, to maintain the high quality of health services in America, and to preserve the essential doctor-patient relationship. Government has already distorted US health insurance markets by making private health insurance too expensive for many Americans, and by making American workers dependent upon on employer-provided insurance. But if you think things are bad now, wait until government completes its takeover of the medical sector. We must STOP the rapid march of socialist health care!

Tom Jenney

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

Sen. Pearce update on illegal immigration bills

I wanted to give you an update on all of the recent news concerning illegal immigration. Our efforts to enforce our laws, secure our border, and go after illegal employers, has gotten much tougher do to ICE, under the direction of Sec. Napolitano and the Obama administration, having decided to pull back and throw up additional obstacles to enforcement. We were also blocked in our own State Legislature when we attempted to pass legislation creating trespass laws for illegal aliens and prohibiting sanctuary city policies in Arizona.

Well enough is enough! Once again, it is time to allow the good citizens of this state to make it clear to Washington D.C., the local politicians and Police Chiefs that we are not going to take it anymore. We will no longer allow our political leaders to handcuff our law enforcement officers and allow the Rule of Law to be ignored, and our citizens killed, maimed, or raped.

As we have in the past, when the politicians have lacked the courage to do the right thing, we are now looking at putting together a citizen’s initiative effort that will create a state trespass law and that will eliminate sanctuary city policies here in Arizona. I have meetings scheduled with the Sheriff Joe, Sheriff Babeu, County Attorney Thomas, Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, Border Patrol Association, Maricopa County Deputies Association, Pachyderms and the Maricopa County Republican Party and we will start to work on the initial paperwork and see if we can get enough support to put it on the ballot.

I believe we will be successful. Our legislative efforts had the support of the Arizona State Republican Party and the Maricopa County Republican Party (both of which passed Resolutions in support), the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (P.L.E.A.), Border Patrol Officers, Maricopa County Deputies Association, Arizona FOP, Arizona Highway Patrol Association, Sheriff Arpaio, County Attorney Andrew Thomas, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, Pachyderm Coalition, Arizona Republican Assembly, Minutemen Civil Defense Corporation, American Citizens United, many other patriotic groups and, according to the polls, over 75% of Arizona’s citizens.

As always, I will keep you apprised of our progress and you can look forward to a call to action from me in the near future. In the meantime, continue to stand strong.

Let’s Roll!

Senator Russell Pearce, R-18, Mesa, Arizona.

AFP: Scoring the Proposed July 29 Budget and Tax Deal

Pasted below is a link to an updated scoring rubric, showing how AFP Arizona's 2009 Legislative Scorecard would likely grade the tax and budget deal that appears to be in play today. In the table, Legislators A and B vote for the tax trade-off (referring the Brewer sales tax to the ballot, in exchange for permanent repeal of the state equalization property tax and future reductions in the personal and corporate income taxes to 4.24 adn 4.86 percent, respectively). Legislators C and D vote against the tax trade-off.

The biggest factor is not the tax tradeoff, but rather, the votes (or lack thereof) on referring to the 2010 ballot a reduction in the state's existing constitutional spending limit. SCR1006 at least made it to the Senate floor, but all members of the House stand to lose points for the failure of some version of the reform to make it to a vote on the House floor.

Scores are also substantially diminished by the failure of the legislative majority and governor to achieve much in the way of baseline budget reductions off the FY2009 peak.

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/files/073009afparizonascoringrubric_0.pdf

Rep. Trent Franks: Obama Science Advisor's Views are Extreme and Inhumane

July 28, 2009 - In light of President Obama's recent appointment of John Holdren as Director of Science and Technology Policy, the White House's top science advisor, Congressman Trent Franks (R - AZ) today released the following statement:

"President Obama's selection for this post confirms what many in the pro-life community have warned all along -- not only is President Obama pro-abortion, but he is, by far, the single most pro-abortion President in our nation's history. Not only has he filled his administration with those who favor abortion, but he has seemingly gone out of his way to recruit the most radical abortion proponents imaginable, as he has once again done in appointing Mr. Holdren as his science advisor.

To call this appointment radical is by no means mere hyperbole, as the views expressed by Mr. Holdren are inhumane and are exceedingly unrepresentative of the views held by the American people. Mr. Holdren's views align perfectly only with the most extreme proponents of abortion and eugenics.

Furthermore, it is beyond peculiar for the President to choose as his top science advisor a man who doesn't even seem to fully grasp one of the most elementary biological concepts -- that conception forms a genetically unique human being."

In a text book he co-authored in 1973, Holdren wrote, "The fetus, given the opportunity to develop properly before birth, and given the essential early socializing experiences and sufficient nourishing food during the crucial early years after birth, will ultimately develop into a human being."

Holdren's textbook also included the following comments on the need to halt population growth: “Human values and institutions have set mankind on a collision course with the laws of nature. Human beings cling jealously to their prerogative to reproduce as they please—and they please to make each new generation larger than the last—yet endless multiplication on a finite planet is impossible. Most humans aspire to greater material prosperity, but the number of people that can be supported on Earth if everyone is rich is even smaller than if everyone is poor.”

Rep. Franks Implores Senate to Consider Sotomayor's Questionable Constitutional Record

July 28, 2009 - Congressman Trent Franks (R - AZ) today released the following statement on the Senate Judiciary Committee's vote in support of the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court:

"Every American who loves the United States Constitution should be deeply concerned over the Senate Judiciary Committee's 13-6 vote in favor of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. She was consistently evasive throughout her hearings when asked about her view on a wide variety of Constitutional issues, and often her rhetoric clearly contradicted her judicial record.

"Judge Sotomayor spent twelve years working for the controversial, radically left-wing Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDF). As such, her pretense of ignorance regarding the PRLDF’s radical stance on abortion while she served in a leadership capacity - equating the denial of public funding of abortion with slavery – stretches the bounds of credulity.

"Judge Sotomayor twice has ruled that the Second Amendment is not a 'fundamental right,' and thus does not apply to state and local governments.

"She has also stated that American courts should rely more on foreign law, lest we "lose influence in the world."

"When the Supreme Court recently reviewed Judge Sotomayor's decision to deny firefighters a promotion based solely on their race, all nine justices rejected her reasoning. Indeed, the flawed nature of her reasoning was one of the few points upon which all nine justices could agree.

"Her hostility to the United States Constitution; her undermining of Second Amendment rights; her support of radical racial preferences like the one exhibited in the Ricci case; her opposition to parental notification laws for abortions for minors; and her work for PRLDF all suggest that she would only worsen the national trend of judicial activism and use her post to promote her own political ideology.

"Judge Sotomayor has stated multiple times that her gender and ethnicity would make her a "better" judge than a white man; she has disagreed with Justice O'Conner's famous statement that a wise man and a wise woman could reach the same conclusion; and she has publicly stated that the 'courts are where policy is made.'

"All of these things signify an adherence to a form of "identity politics" that flies in the face of the principles of equal justice and the separation of powers so meticulously outlined in the Constitution. We should all shudder to envision Judge Sotomayor's ideology being granted the nearly carte blanch power of the highest court in America.

"I commend those Senators who opposed Judge Sotomayor's nomination; and I hope all of my colleagues in the Senate will give serious consideration to the many gravely concerning revelations that have come out in the past weeks and have cast serious doubt on whether Judge Sotomayor meets the standard of Constitutional jurisprudence that should be required of a Supreme Court Justice."

Councilman Bill Gates fundraiser - September 8th

Stan Barnes

and the team at

Copper State Consulting Group

invite you to a fundraiser for

City Councilman

BILL GATES

Phoenix City Council

District 3

September 8, 2009

5:00 – 7:00 pm

Copper State

3033 North Central Avenue

Ninth Floor

Phoenix, AZ 85012

[SE Corner Central and Earll]

Please RSVP to Crystal Caballero at 602-339-0813 or

friendsofbillgates@gmail.com

Please make checks payable to:

Friends of Bill Gates

P.O. Box 82485

Phoenix, AZ 85071

www.gatesforphoenix.com

Maximum contributions are $410 per individual or $820 per couple.

Please see attached contribution form.

Paid for by Friends of Bill Gates

AIA: $347 Million Court Tower Boondoggle Drama Continues

$347 Million Court Tower Boondoggle Drama Continues

Friends, We emailed you on Tuesday about the Maricopa County $347 Million Court Tower Boondoggle and the scheduled meeting that was to take place on Wednesday. Well, we want to give you a bit of an update on what actually went down (or better yet, what didn't go down) at the meeting. Just prior to the meeting and responding to grassroot reactions, the agenda item on the $347 Million Court Tower Boondoggle was removed from discussion. From what my sources tell me, it was because of the pressure we put on the Board of Supervisors. But what does this mean for the future of this extravagant expenditure? At this point, the budget-busting project is still moving forward so we must do whatever it takes to pressure the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors from allowing this project to continue. We have stated before, Maricopa County has a HUGE budget shortfall even after laying off employees at the Superior Court and cutting law enforcement budgets by 15%. Sheriff Arpaio is even having difficulties finding deputies to transport inmates to the courthouse. This is a critical moment for Maricopa County and the taxpayers. We need to stand up to the Board of Supervisors and remind them that they are accountable to us, not to the contractors making political contributions. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE... Maricopa County Board of Supervisors In Their Own Words We also wanted to let you know about some research we conducted that we find very interesting in light of this excessive spending. We told you about the political contributions that may be influencing the obstinacy of the Board of Supervisors but we thought you might be interested in what some of the Supervisors have said in the past about the satellite court houses throughout Maricopa County. Let's take a look at the Special Meeting Minutes from July 19, 2002 from the Dedication Ceremony of the Superior Court NW Regional Center in Surprise: "Chairman Stapley stated that he was pleased to see this facility, serving the northwest valley, become a reality. The goal of regional services is to meet the needs of the outlying areas, and he predicted that this center would become the heart of judicial services for this community." "Having formally represented the area, Supervisor Wilcox stated that the City of Surprise had worked for many years toward obtaining a regional center, and she was happy to have been a part of the initial planning as well as completion of the project." Now, we should take a look at the BOS "Summary of Key Accomplishments from the 2001-2005 Maricopa County Strategic Plan": "Completed planning and have begun building five new regional court centers to expand access to the Court system in localized areas throughout the County. This eliminated a 10-day delay for preliminary hearings and arraignments....Two additional RCCs are planned for the Northwest and Southeast regions, to be operational before the end of 2001." The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors continued to comment. In 2002, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors submitted the "Regional Court Centers for Felony Case Processing" for a NACM 2002 Justice Achievement Award. Here is the description they submitted for consideration of the award: "Benefits include tangible cost savings, such as jail housing and transportation costs." Finally, we have yet another quote that we would like to draw your attention to coming from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in the "Maricopa County Justice System Annual Activities Report - Fiscal Year 2000-2001": "The Justice Courts and Superior Court greatly streamlined front-end felony processing, by coordinating early court proceedings at Regional Court Centers which expedite case processing, and reduce jail overcrowding and inmate transports." We are left with confusion about the Board of Supervisors - do we believe the words and evidence from recent times, their comments of today, or the political contributions from contractors involved with this lavish and unnecessary spending. Our take is to listen to their words of the past and then follow the money. AIA ACTION ITEM: Will you please do two things for us today? 1. Contact all of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors today and demand that this project be stopped immediately. Tell them that you are forced to reevaluate your personal spending and that they have a responsibility to the taxpayers not to be engaged in excessive and frivolous spending. Fix the courts that we have already in place! 2. Please forward this message on to your friends and family and ask them do to the same. Thank you for your help. Please forward any responses that you receive to us!

#dontgo/American Liberty Alliance: Tea Party protests on Aug. 22 outside House District offices

This morning the American Liberty Alliance announced the launch of a nationwide "Recess Rally" happening across each and every House district office on August 22nd, 2009.

We've joined with Michelle Malkin, RedState.com, American Majority, Smart Girl Politics, Americans for Limited Government, Freedom Works, Sam Adams Alliance and several other groups to help push the national effort.

The purpose of this effort is to oppose Government run healthcare and make sure our Representatives know how we feel. You can view details of the effort athttp://recessrally.com

Please spread the word and make sure everyone you know is a part of this. We're looking to duplicate the success of the Tax Day Tea Party and we can't do it without you!

Also, if you haven't yet joined the American Liberty Alliance, please do so athttp://americanlibertyalliance.com/get-involved

For Liberty,

-Eric Odom

Visit DontGo Movement at: http://dontgo.ning.com

ADF: Your job vs. your rights

A New York Nurse is forced to do the unthinkable. Learn more.

New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital considers itself to be “nationally recognized as providing the gold standard of patient care.” They pledge a “spirit of professionalism, clinical excellence and compassion.”

Those promises drew Cathy Cenzon-DeCarlo – a Christian nurse with a passion for patient care. However, Mount Sinai does not get a “gold standard” for how it handled her sincerely held religious beliefs.

When Cathy objected to assisting with a late-term abortion, she learned a tough lesson – the “right to choose” movement doesn’t apply to her.

Learn more about Cathy’s story and how – with your support – this case could set the precedent for the right of Christians to freely live out their faith in the workplace.

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In California, A Federal Court Backhands Another Assault On Marriage - July 28, 2009 A same-sex couple in California double-faulted this month in their continuing effort to serve up marriage in that state as a same-sex proposition. Indeed, a crucial federal court ruling said their suit fell outside Constitutional bounds – scoring match point for marriage as the union of one man and one woman. In Europe, a Chance to Decide Roe v. Wade the Right Way - July 21, 2009 Texas Town Can’t Bar Religious Freedoms for Ex-Cons - July 14, 2009 Rabbi Daniel Lapin, known world-wide as America's Rabbi, is a noted rabbinic scholar, best-selling author and friend of the Alliance Defense Fund. For a limited time, fellow ADF friends, like you, can receive a 20% discount on his best-selling books and CD series. Enter the code "SUN" when checking out at www.rabbidaniellapin.com.

ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy training funding and litigation.

Right Online conference - Aug. 14-15 in Pittsburgh

Take Control of the Internet

Join the nation’s foremost new media experts, leading voices of the conservative movement, and hundreds of citizen activists from across the country, to take back the internet.

Americans for Prosperity Foundation is proud to announce our second annual RightOnline Conference on August 14 & 15 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This two day conference will feature an impressive lineup of speakers and a solid agenda of workshops and training seminars focused on cutting edge strategies and techniques in online activism.

Last year in Austin, Texas we became the first major event to compete head-on with the NetRoots Nation Convention (formerly known as YearlyKos), an annual gathering of several thousand left-wing activists. We return this year delivering the same powerful message: average Americans will no longer sit and watch as our very freedom and prosperity is threatened by the radical left.

The time has come for conservatives to stand up and fight back. We invite you to join us on August 14th and 15th, at the Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburgh, PA for our second annual RightOnline Conference. Together, we can continue the hard, but important job of taking back the Internet and our country.

Speakers

Michelle Malkin Conservative Columnist & Best-Selling Author Pat Toomey Former Congressman Steve Moore The Wall Street Journal Erick Erickson RedState.com John Fund The Wall Street Journal Jim Pinkerton Fox News Contributor R.J. Harris Talk Radio Host Erik Telford Executive Director, RightOnline Steve Lonegan Americans for Prosperity Foundation

Ed Morrissey HotAir.com Joe the Plumber Conservative Activist Matt Lewis Politics Daily Ronald Kessler Newsmax.com Grover Norquist Americans for Tax Reform John Peterson Former Congressman Tim Phillips President, AFP Foundation Phil Kerpen Fox Forum & AFP Foundation