Monday, August 31, 2009

Photos from AZ Right to Life 2009 conference


Click here for more AZ Right to Life photos

Maricopa GOP local news & events: Sen. Harper films heckler at Franks' townhall

SEN JACK HARPER’S VIDEO. Sen. Harper was seated on the front row at Congressman Trent Franks Town Hall and filmed the only heckler of the night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97jmDBRg2y4

CONGRESSMAN FRANKS ON MIKE BROOMHEAD: Congressman Trent Franks (AZ- on the 10:30 am, Aug. 25, 2009 “The Mike Broomhead Show” on Arizona’s KYFI discussing the threat of nuclear weapons from terror-sponsoring nations like Iran falling into the hands of terrorists. Listen: http://www.divshare.com/download/8297786-90f\

NetworkingPhoenix.com events this week

We are gearing up for fall’s ultimate charity event! The NSCC’s 2nd Annual Charity Golf Tournament is only 4 weeks away. Join us for a dynamic day of golfing, networking, and fundraising, all to benefit Childhelp, Ear Candy & Police Officers of Scottsdale Association. If you’d like to feed your competitive side and play a round, or if you’d like to promote your business as a sponsor please contact the North Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce office. Don’t forget to RSVP for this energetic event on September 25th!

Wow…September is going to be a busy month! I guess summer is officially coming to an end. I’ll be participating in a number of great events this month and will keep everybody in the know as it gets closer. One event I’d like everyone to take a peek at is Reach Your Vision. It’s an all-day experience for young professionals who want BIG results in their lives. I’ll be one of the speakers along with some other great contributors! If you know anyone that can benefit, please send them the link.

Also, take a peek at the 3 events happening this Monday. I KNOW many of you could use help in these areas or know someone that should be attending.

If you haven't subscribed to The Phoenix Business Journal yet…what are you waiting for? Stop missing out on all the great information and sign-up today with our special member deal rates!

Below are this week's featured events. Happy networking and see you soon!
Monday


Hands On Elevator Speech Workshop - What’s the story of your business? What’s the point of your goal? What is your personality and passion? Learn how to craft a definitive “elevator speech” that tells a story that won’t put your listeners to sleep.Then practice pitching it and hear a critique at this informational workshop.

Making Events Happen for Non-Profits - Planning an event is an overwhelming job for anyone, but the responsibilities and liabilities that it presents non profits are particularly challenging. Attendees of this workshop will leave with a great handle on how to make that next event happen!

Email Marketing that Works - Using exceptionally low cost online accessible tools we can craft effective and well designed emails that appear correctly everywhere. Learn the “5″ W’s of Email Marketing and more at this educational workshop.
Tuesday


ASU Women in Business presents an evening of Wine and Networking! Enjoy this wonderful opportunity for women to connect, network, and inspire each other. Bring a friend and business cards... and get a taste of a good thing!

Gold Card Network - This business networking group is for focused financial professionals (accountants, financial advisors, realtors, loan officers, etc.) who are interested in building relationships and cross-marketing.

Phoenix Green Chamber presents Green Drinks - Protecting evnvironmentally-minded professionals from a mediocre social life. Join us at the Sangria Luxe Lounge!
Wednesday


North Scottsdale Chamber - Enjoy breakfast at The Capital Grille and connect with business professionals at this NSCC's monthly morning mixer!

BNI Scottsdale Synergy - Come share information about your business, and find other businesses to help you grow yours! Create synergy at this free mixer hosted by this local BNI chapter.

BizELinx Connection is a networking group for local businesses and offers opportunities for those companies and others to increase their visibility in the community. Come see what we are all about!
Thursday


ABWA Back to Business Expo - Dump the summertime blues and put your business hat back on! Business to Business, and shopping too, all in one place. Last year was a sell out with great attendance and we are starting to fill up again. Mark your calendars, tell all your friends and clients, and register today!

Arizona Power Networking -Become a part of a fast growing and dynamic networking group and join us for a world class business lunch at Roka Akor, Scottsdale’s Top Sushi Restaurant!
Friday


Members of the Tribe 2 - Can being a member in a networking group change your life? Come visit MOT2 and find out! We are a one business per chair referral and leads group for individuals of the Jewish faith.
Plan Ahead
AZIMA is the place Arizonans turn to for interactive marketing education and networking, providing its members with leading edge online marketing strategies, tactics, and creative executions. Join us for PetSmart: Improving the Multi-Channel Customer Experience to Drive Revenue on September 8th!

More Results in Less Time: The Coach Approach - There is a great demand in the workplace for immediate results, and coaching can not only deliver these results, it can make it happen better and faster. This workshop on September 9thpromises to be fast paced, interactive, fun and filled with new coaching skills you can implement immediately and us to improve productivity.

Second Sundays - Bridge the Gap between Breast Cancer & Beauty! Join us for Second Sundays Summer Wine & Music Series this month featuring Dance Diva CeCe Peniston! Mix and mingle at this exciting charity event on September 13th!

AZIMA Webinar: Best Practices for Multivariate Testing - If you’re bringing in traffic to your website but not generating as many qualified leads/sales as you deserve, chances are it’s time for a change. Register for this exclusive webinar onSeptember 15th and learn everything from how to create a testing team and get management approval, to how to create and implement your testing plan.

Celebrate Your Business - Become a Leader of Change! We understand the stress and uncertainty facing your business. We understand, because we’ve lived it! We’ve gathered the top leaders of the new business paradigm for a full day of education and inspiration. Register before September 11th and get a $50 discount available only to NetworkingPhoenix.com members! So Mark your calendars forSeptember 18th!

Reach Your Vision - An all-day experience for valley young professionals who want BIG results in their lives and careers! Find out the quick and easy way to become successful from an amazing group of thriving young speakers and entrepreneurs! Gelie is one of the presenters at this event and she'll be talking about 'Social Media and the Business World.' She'd love to see you there on September 26th!

Friday, August 28, 2009

AFP: A guide to Harry Mitchell's slanted online health care reform survey

Dear CD5 Taxpayers & Tea Partiers:

Congressman Harry Mitchell has not made any public appearances during the recess, and a lot of our activists reported having difficulties getting through to his tele-town hall on August 26th. But for what it’s worth, he does have an online survey for members of CD5:

http://mitchell.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=542&Itemid=542

Of course, as with all political surveys, the survey is designed either to A) get the user to agree with the politician's proposed courses of action, or B) convince the user that he or she doesn't know enough about the subject to oppose the politician's proposed courses of action.

Conspicuously absent from Mitchell's survey are any free-market reform options. The implication is that either A) you love the current system and oppose all reform, or B) you have to choose one of the big-government policies offered by Obama, Pelosi, and their allies.

In response, AFP Arizona has put together a free-market guide to Harry Mitchell's health care reform survey:

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/files/harrymitchellsurveyguide.pdf


Tom Jenney

Arizona Director

Americans for Prosperity

(Arizona Federation of Taxpayers)

www.aztaxpayers.org

tjenney@afphq.org

(602) 478-0146

Rep. Franks on Redstate: The Lawsuit Story Was Completely False

Posted by Congressman Trent Franks

Friday, August 28th at 3:47PM EDT


http://www.redstate.com/congressman_trent_franks/2009/08/28/the-lawsuit-story-was-completely-false/

On August 24th, news outlets across the country carried a story detailing my apparent desire to pursue a lawsuit challenging President Obama’s standing as an American citizen. Unsurprisingly, the story garnered quite the emotional response from those on both sides of the political aisle. While the story has been quite popular, enjoying generous coverage from several blogs and television programs including Hardball with Chris Matthews, The Rachel Maddow Show, Politico, The Huffington Post, and The Daily Kos, the story also happens to be completely false.

My purported plan to question Obama’s citizenship in court was initially reported in a story printed by the Mohave Daily News: “[Franks] did say there was a lot of conflicting evidence of Obama’s citizenship and that he was considering filing a lawsuit, the only congressman to do so.”

The word “considering” apparently caused a great deal of confusion, causing many to believe that I am presently contemplating legal action against the President of the United States to force him to prove his citizenship status and therefore his eligibility to continue serving in the office of the President.

The original misrepresentation of my remarks was an honest mistake, and when brought to the reporter’s attention, he wrote a correction story that more clearly articulates the actual facts. My actual remarks were the exact opposite of that which was blindly repeated by countless main stream news outlets, and yet the original context of my remarks was completely ignored in a bid for an easy ratings-grabbing story (indeed, Politico’s stories regarding my alleged quote were among the Top 5 most read stories on August 24th).

For those interested, here is what I actually said, which immediately led to the vicious– however false– news reports that rapidly went “viral” throughout the leftist blogosphere:

“The ironic part about this is I was one of the few Members of Congress that was willing, if I could come up with a way to prove that Barack Obama was not born in this country, I was willing to go into a lawsuit. I don’t know of any otherMember of Congress who was willing to do that, because I wanted to make sure that we were protecting both theConstitution and, quite frankly, I was terrified of this guy. But I wanted to do it in a way that comported with the honest evidence that I have in front of me. And so we did all kinds of research. We found all kinds of conflicting research. And we had to say, ‘Okay, I’m going to divorce myself from politics and I’m going to look at the evidence for what it is, and see what we come up with.’ And one of the things that happened, about three days before we were going to launch a lawsuit, is that we found several different newspapers that had shown that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii two years after it became a state. Now, there was no way to have forged that…I just don’t have evidence that shows me that he was not born here. Now, I know that everybody says that they’ve got it, but I’ve never seen it.”

(The audio of the above remarks can be found HERE.)

Further, I continued: “…the fact that we found [the evidence that Pres. Obama is a natural-born, American citizen] made it impossible for me in good conscience to go into a big lawsuit.”

These comments are easily verifiable, if one merely exerts enough effort to actually listen to audio of the event. Instead, the above-mentioned media sources (among many others) seized on the opportunity to go on the attack, some of them even AFTER being told directly by my office that the purported comments were a misrepresentation of what was actually said. The story was apparently too “juicy” not to run - even knowing that it was based on a false report. The journalists who ran with it were willing to throw their journalistic integrity to the wind to pursue a sensational account that was based entirely on a one sentence summary (not even a direct quotation) of nearly ten minutes’ worth of remarks. That’s unbiased, fair, and accurate reporting for you. Way to go, MSM.

Unsurprisingly, these same journalists are not quick to apologize or print retractions. Nonetheless, in light of the information I’ve presented above, I encourage every media outlet that spread the claim that I am in the midst of pursuing a lawsuit, because I supposedly don’t believe the President was born in the United States, to have the backbone to admit their mistake.

Trent Franks on Fox News Calls ObamaCare Irresponsible In Light of Deficits

In Case You Missed It: Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) appeared on Fox News to discuss his belief that President Obama’s health care proposal is especially irresponsible, in light of recent deficit numbers released by the President’s own budget office and the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

You can watch the segment by clicking the link below.

Congressman Trent Franks on Fox News’ “Happening Now”


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dVEvQ_XCDE

Fox News’ Happening Now”

08/25/09 12:31:45 PM

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Maricopa County Attorney's Office posts list of employers who have signed up with e-Verify


Is your favorite business listed? (disclaimer - businesses headquartered in other states may not be included on this list, which reflects only businesses who signed up listing AZ as their headquarters)

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

American Liberty Alliance tour - only 70 tickets available - Sept. 3


Get your tickets now, because space is limited to only 70 guests. American Liberty Alliance (formerly #dontgo) is one of the leading grassroots new media organizations which is why I have gotten involved with them. Don't miss their bus tour in Phoenix on Sept. 3. I will be speaking along with Dean Martin, fellow Arizonan John McJunkin of ALA, Eric Odom and Ken Marrero of ALA.
Registration includes dinner. Click here to register.

Maricopa County GOP local news & events: townhalls

CONGRESSIONAL TOWN HALL MTGS IN MARICOPA COUNTY

Aug 26 - CENTRAL PHOENIX HEALTH CARE TOWN HALL – Sen. John McCain, 5:30 pm, North Phoenix Baptist Church, 5757 N. Central Ave, Phx (SE corner of Central & Bethany) 7

Aug 27 – CONGRESSMAN JOHN SHADEGG TOWN HALL – 7 pm. – 8:30 p.m. (doors will open at 6:30pm), Boulder Creek High School, 40404 N. Gavilan Peak Pkwy, Anthem .

STATEWIDE CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULED TOWNHALLS : Below is information about upcoming health care town halls during the remainder of the August congressional recess - divided into three different types:

A) Town Halls Hosted by Undecided Members of Congress

B) Town Halls Hosted by Enthusiasts of Big Government Health Care

C) Town Halls Hosted by Advocates of Health Care Freedom

Updates the news section at www.aztaxpayers.org.

A) Town Halls Hosted by Undecided Members of Congress

Wednesday, August 26— Scottsdale 6:30 pm . Congressman Harry Mitchell Tele-Town Hall. Sign up by 5 pm on August 24. (Until Mitchell abandons the public option, federal health insurance mandates, and other forms of leftist health care legislation, we’ll keep him in the “Undecided” category.) Click here for sign-up info or visit http://mitchell.house.gov

Monday, August 31st— Sierra Vista - Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
6 to 8 pm, Buena Performing Arts Center, 5225 Buena School Blvd, Sierra Vista
520-459-3115 or RSVPGiffords.CochiseCounty@mail.house.gov
Or AZ08.InsuranceReform@mail.house.gov

Tuesday, Sept 1st— Green Valley - Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. 9 to 11 am,
Social Center , 1111 Via Arcoiris, Green Valley , 520-881-3588 or RSVPGiffords.GreenValley@mail.house.gov
Or AZ08.InsuranceReform@mail.house.gov

Tuesday, Sept 1st— Tucson - Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. 6 to 8 pm. Saguaro High School , 545 N Camino Seco, Tucson . 520-881-3588 or RSVPGiffords@mail.house.gov
or AZ08.InsuranceReform@mail.house.gov

*Giffords has asked would-be town hall participants to give her office their names, addresses and phone numbers, and to type “I want to discuss health insurance reform” in the email subject line.

Request for Congresswoman Giffords
Congresswoman Giffords was one of the Blue Dogs who helped to slow down the march of HR 3200 before the August recess. And, Giffords stated in a recent email that she “will only support reform that protects our choice of doctor and hospital” and “is glad that no serious consideration is being given to any reform plan that would restrict people from keeping their private insurance.” AFP Arizona respectfully requests that Giffords not rely upon the President’s public assurances in that regard, but rather, that she read the following portions of HR 3200:

• Section 102(b), which mandates that after five years, all health care plans will have to meet a new federal definition for a “qualified” health care plan;

• Section 122 (c) (3), which would prohibit the structure currently used in Health Savings Accounts (HSAs);

• Section 102(c), which would mandate the acquisition of plans approved by the federal government by persons who choose to make any changes their employer-provided plans, or who get different plans, in the next five years;

• Section 102(a), which would mandate the acquisition of a federally-approved plan by any person whose insurance company makes any additions to his or her private, individual plan; and,

• Section 412, which allows employers to dump individuals onto the government plan.

B) Town Halls Hosted by Enthusiasts of Big Government Health Care

Thursday, August 27— Sierra Vista Sierra Vista Tele-Town Hall , Aug. 27, 6 p.m. Details at www.azhealthreform.com .

Saturday, August 29--Phoenix Health Reform Public Forum , Aug. 29, 10 a.m. to noon, Phoenix College Bullpit Auditorium, 1202 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix, Ariz. Details at www.azhealthreform.com

C) Town Halls Hosted by Advocates of Health Care Freedom

Wednesday, August 26—Phoenix Senator John McCain will hold a (real, live) Health Care Town Hall meeting at the North Phoenix Baptist Church , at 5757 N. Central Avenue (near Bethany Home ) in Phoenix , from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.

Thursday, August 27—Phoenix Congressman John Shadegg will hold a (live) Town Hall on health care issues, at Boulder Creek High School, 40404 N. Gavilan Peak Pkwy, Anthem, AZ 85086, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. (doors will open at 6:30 pm).

Thursday, August 27—Show Low White Mountains Conservatives and Smart Girl Politics are jointly sponsoring a Show Low Town Hall with Bradley Beauchamp and Sen. Sylvia Allen as guest speakers. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick has been invited to speak. The Town Hall will take place at the Hampton Inn at Wool ford & White Man. Blvd. , beginning at 6: p.m.

Friday, August 28—Tucson The Tucson Tea Party will host a Health Care Town Hall called “Positive Reforms for American Healthcare” in the Rincon High School Auditorium, at 421 N. Arcadia (south of Fifth Street, one block east of Swan Road), beginning at 6:30 pm. The Tucson Tea Party has invited Representatives Gabrielle Giffords and Raúl Grijalva to participate. The Town Hall will feature several panelists, including economist Byron Schlomach of the Goldwater Institute and Tucson physicians Lee Vliet and Jane Orient.

Monday, August 31—San Tan Congressman Jeff Flake will hold a (live) Town Hall meeting at Poston Butte High School (in Pinal County ), from 7 to 8:30 pm. Directions to PBHS can be found here: http://pbhs.fusdaz.org/directions

Monday, August 31— Flagstaff The Tea Party Express national bus tour will stop in Flagstaff at 6 pm on Monday, August 31, across from the Radisson Woodlands Hotel at 1160 W. Route 66 AFP Arizona’s Tom Jenney will speak at the event. For local coordination, please contact John Echols: johnechols@johnechols.com

More info on the Flagstaff train stop: http://www.teapartyexpress.org/tour/flagstaff.html

TBA, AFP Arizona is planning to host a new statewide series of Taxpayer Town Halls beginning in September, featuring federal issues, such as health care reform, and state issues, such as the ongoing budget deficit crisis. We will also post information about various Tea Party events coming up in September, including 912 .

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

Politics on the Rocks event with McCain - 600 showed up


See the post at Politico Mafioso

Statement of Maricopa County Attorney’s Office regarding ruling today in Stapley criminal case


We appreciate the hard work of the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office in this case, and we urge them to appeal this ruling.

It’s unjust and improper for this criminal defendant to be able to claim that, as a member of the board of supervisors, he failed to properly pass or amend the very laws he’s accused of violating. For him to be able to take advantage of improper performance of his own public duties is wrong by any measure. It’s equally wrong that the people of Maricopa County have just been told they’re the only citizens of Arizona whose elected county officials don’t have to disclose their private business dealings to the voters.

The ruling today also reinforces our office’s concerns about the impartiality of Judge Fields. He was handpicked for this case in violation of the rules of court, despite his having filed a bar complaint against the Maricopa County Attorney (which was dismissed) and having campaigned for Mr. Thomas’ opponent in last year’s election. Four esteemed experts in judicial ethics have stated that Judge Fields was ethically required to recuse himself from this case.

Rep. Franks Calls Investigation of CIA Officials Harmful and Unnecessary

August 25, 2009 - Congressman Trent Franks (R - AZ) today released a statement on the Obama Administration's appointment of a prosecutor to investigate the CIA officials involved in the interrogation of captured terrorists:

"The Obama Administration's decision to look into the possibility of prosecuting CIA officials who helped interrogate captured terrorists can do nothing but harm the efforts of our intelligence community. From now on, those government employees who seek to protect the American people by extracting high-value, potentially life-saving information from active terrorists will have to wonder whether they will be subject to lawsuits filed by their very own Commander-in-Chief.

Instead of focusing his Administration's efforts on helping our intelligence community more effectively capture and interrogate terrorists, the President has decided to work actively against elements of the intelligence community, by leaving the prospect of a lawsuit hanging over their heads, as they attempt to satisfactorily perform a service for their country."

Major new social networking site debuts - republicanville.com


From the Politics on the Rocks gang - this new social networking site is going to encompass everything, from twitter to facebook to other new features still being implemented that you will be be pleasantly surprised to see. It launched Tuesday and will be ramping up fast as improvements are made. No longer will conservative political activists need to log into multiple new media sites, but will be able to access them all from this one site.

Friday, August 21, 2009

AZRTL conference is only a week away! Sign up now!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

County Attorney's Office works to deal with shrinking budget


Meanwhile, the Board of Supervisors is building a state-of-the-art $347 million Taj Mahal new court tower.

According to a Tuesday news release, the budget was cut by 15 percent for the fiscal year which began on July 1.

Officials say the most significant savings have come from downsizing staff, through attrition rather layoffs. So far more than 105 positions, or 10 percent, of the total positions in the office have been eliminated.


Read the full article at ABC 15.

Rep. Franks Announces Upcoming Town Hall Meetings

Franks Header 08-18-09.png


Phoenix, AZ Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) today announced two upcoming town hall meetings in Arizona’s 2nd District. Details about each event are available below.

What: Mohave County Town Hall

When: August 22nd; 1:00 PM – Congressman Franks will host a screening of 33 Minutes, a half-hour film about America’s missile defense in a new missile age; 2:00 PM –Congressman Franks opening remarks, question & answer session

Where: 1st Assembly of God Church; 1850 Gates Avenue; Kingman, AZ 86401 (Just off Stockton Hill Road)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What: Maricopa County Town Hall

When: August 25th; 5:00 PM – Congressman Franks will host a screening of 33 Minutes, a half-hour film about America’s missile defense in a new missile age; 6:00 PM – Congressman Franks’ opening remarks, question & answer session

Where: Community Church of Joy; 21000 N. 75th Avenue; Glendale, AZ 85308 (Located just north of Loop 101 on the west side of 75th Avenue. Meeting will be held in the worship center in the main sanctuary.)

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

John Shadegg v. Robert Gibbs on How to Break Up Health Care Monopolies

From The Weekly Standard

At yesterday's White House press briefing, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs took a step back to reiterate a familiar Democratic argument that we need a "public plan" to provide "choice and competition" in the health insurance market. "I want to step back just for one second and discuss -- because we threw around the notions of choice and competition -- let's discuss why you need choice and competition," said Gibbs, who continued:

my home state of Alabama, BlueCross/BlueShield has roughly 89 percent of the private health insurance market, okay? We all understand that in a monopoly, where one side dominates the entire market, it's going to be hard to keep down costs, right? If you had one place to eat lunch before you came to the briefing, do you think it would be cheap?

"Probably not," replied CNN's Ed Henry, who served as Gibbs's interlocutor during this Socratic dialogue.

"Probably not," Gibbs agreed. "If you had two places to eat, my sense is competing dishes might not be as expensive as if there were only one."

Gibbs's argument sounds reasonable enough, but Republicans have a sound, two-fold response: (1) Replacing a private monopoly with a public monopoly won't do much good (a study by the Lewin Group shows that the government plan could cover 100 million people), and (2) there are better ways to promote choice and competition in the marketplace.

"It is government policy that prevents competition in the health insurance industry," Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) told me during a phone interview. Shadegg has sponsored the Health Care Choice Act to allow individuals to purchase policies across state lines to increase competition. Each state currently regulates what and who insurance companies must cover, and, as this report from the National Center for Policy Analysis shows, there is a much stronger correlation between costs and regulation. For example, a 25-year old man in highly-regulated New Jersey or New York would pay more than $5,000 for a policy while the same person would pay only about $1,500 in lightly-regulated Iowa or Kansas.

In addition to letting people purchase policies across state lines, Shadegg argues that "we have to enable people to purchase their own health insurance at the same tax advantage basis that a company can buy it."

"What if you got home today and you got two letters, one from your auto insurance company and one from your health insurance company?" Shadegg asks. "For auto insurance you'd call one of their competitors, and ask 'what can you do for me?' " But you wouldn't have that option if you get your insurance through your employer. "That's what helps make health insurance companies very unaccountable," he says. "They only have to market to employers, they don't have to market to you and me."

As for Gibbs's specific example of Blue Cross/Blue Sheild's monopolistic market share in Alabama, theBirmingham Business Journal's report in March paints a more complicated picture. "Alabama families paid an average of $4,601 while the national average was $5,799. Louisiana had the region’s highest average premiums at an annual rate of $7,171," but the costs are indeed higher in Alabama than in other Southeastern states.

But quality doesn't seem to be a problem. Blue Cross/Blue Sheild is "kind of like Wal-Mart," Alabama Department of Insurance deputy commissioner David Parsons told the Journal. "The bigger they get, the better they get because of economies of scale."

The report notes that BC/BS has the potential to gouge consumers and while there are some reports of the company short-changing hospitals, one former hospital CEO told the Journal: "I wouldn’t call BlueCross generous, but they are generally fair.”

Still, both Republicans and Democrats agree that the current system could be improved with more competition. While conservatives would like to create scores of new options, Obama wants to create only one new government plan.

And having to choose to purchase your lunch at Wal-Mart or a government-run grocery store doesn't seem like a very appetizing choice.

AFP: The Battle of August Continues--AZ Tea Parties and Town Halls


Americans for Prosperity

Dear Arizona Taxpayers and Tea Partiers:

AFP Arizona extends a huge THANK YOU to all of the grassroots activists who came to downtown Phoenix on Monday morning to rally against the proposed takeover of the health care industry by the national government. As you know, the big special interest groups--AARP, AMA, the drug company lobby (PhRMA), and the big insurance companies--have sold out and are cutting deals with Big Government. It’s up to US to fight for health care freedom!

Pasted below is information about upcoming Tea Parties and Town Halls taking place in Arizona between now and the remainder of August. Here is a table of contents for what follows:

1) Photos, Videos & Print from the Aug 17 ObamaCare Protest

2) Upcoming August Tea Party Events

3) Health Care Town Halls—Left, Center & Right

4) Why We Must Keep Up the Fight

5) We Want Market-Based Health Care Reforms

6) President Obama’s Biggest Health Care LIE

7) Join AFP Arizona, and Support Our Efforts

(For those whose email systems have trouble with links, the following material is posted as the top news item at the AFP Arizona home page, www.aztaxpayers.org.)

1) Photos, Videos & Print from the Aug 17 ObamaCare Protest
Shane Wikfors of Sonoran Alliance has posted a gallery of photos from the August 8 rally at Harry Mitchell’s office, and from the August 17 ObamaCare protest in downtown Phoenix: http://picasaweb.google.com/sonoranalliance/Protests?feat=directlink#

KFYI 550 has a photo collection from the ObamaCare protest here:http://www.kfyi.com/cc-common/gallery/display.html?album_id=192951

More TV, video, and print-media clips from the ObamaCare Protest are posted at the AFP Arizona blog page. Here is the URL: http://www.americansforprosperity.org/081909-photos-videos-print-aug-17-obamacare-protest

2) Upcoming August Tea Party Events

Friday, August 21—TUCSON The Tucson Tea Party is hosting a Recess Rally Against Socialized Medicine at the office of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, at 1661 N. Swan Road (SW corner of Swan and Pima), Tucson, 85712. The rally will go from 4 to 7 pm.

More info: http://www.tucsonteaparty.org/

Saturday, August 22—STATEWIDE The Arizona Tea Party Network is coordinating Recess Rally protests at the local offices of nearly all of Arizona’s congresspersons from 9 to 11 am. One exception: the Prescott Tea Party will be meeting at the Adult Community Center at 1280 E. Rosser, NOT at the office of Ann Kirkpatrick. Please verify all of the details about local tea parties at the Arizona Tea Party website: http://arizonateaparty.com/(Scroll down to Recess Rally.)

Here is ATP’s ning page for events: http://arizonateaparty.ning.com/events/822-sign-up-national-recess

Monday, August 31— FLAGSTAFF The Tea Party Express national bus tour will stop in Flagstaff at 6:00 pm on Monday, August 31, across from the Radisson Woodlands Hotel at 1160 W. Route 66 AFP Arizona’s Tom Jenney will speak at the event. For local coordination, please contact John Echols: johnechols@johnechols.com

More info: http://www.teapartyexpress.org/tour/flagstaff.html

3) Health Care Town Halls—Left & Center-Right

At the AFP Arizona blog page, we have posted a guide to upcoming health care town halls for the remainder of August. We have sorted them into:

A) Town Halls Hosted by Enthusiasts of Big Government Health Care; and,

B) Town Halls Hosted by Advocates of Health Care Freedom

Here is the URL for the guide: http://www.americansforprosperity.org/081909-az-health-care-town-halls-left-center-right

4) Why We Must Keep Up the Fight

In speeches over the last few days, President Barack Obama has appeared to be backing away from the Fannie Med Public Option. That’s an important victory, and one that is largely attributable to the amazing groundswell of grassroots opposition in recent weeks. As Charles Krauthammer and other commentators have acknowledged, pro-freedom grassroots efforts have been a game-changer in the policy debate over how to reform health care.

However, Obama and his allies only appear to be backing away from the Fannie Med Public Option. They are still committed to a Washington takeover of the private health insurance marketplace. On AFP Arizona’s blog page, we have posted an analysis of the two main scenarios that are still under consideration on the left side of Congress. Here is the URL: http://www.americansforprosperity.org/081909-why-we-must-keep-fight-against-obamacare

5) We Want Market-Based Health Care Reforms

We want reform, not government rationing. We believe in moving towards universal private insurance, but on a voluntary basis. America needs to use competition and market forces to make health insurance more affordable and more portable, and to reduce the government-created inflation in the prices for health services.

Here are some key reforms:

A) Encourage people to get away from third-party insurance coverage.
B) Allow for the development of an interstate private health insurance marketplace.
C) Enact tort reform.
D) Allow doctors and hospitals to write off charity health care.


Details on the above reform proposals are available at the AFP Arizona blog site:http://www.americansforprosperity.org/081909-we-want-market-based-health-care-reforms

6) President Obama’s Biggest Health Care LIE

Courtesy of Georgia Congressman Tom Price, here is a quick guide to Obama’s biggest lie about the health care reform legislation currently in play on the left side of Congress:

…[P]erhaps the biggest whopper is this repeated insistence by the President that you can keep your plan if you like it under the Obama system. Just as a White House aide was forced to admit, the President’s words shouldn’t be taken literally.

President Obama said in New Hampshire: “Under the reform we're proposing, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.” *, **, ***, **** ,*****, ******

* Claim not valid after five years as all health care plans must then meet a new federal definition for a “qualified” health care plan. (Section 102(b), H.R. 3200)

** Claim not valid if you rely on a Health Savings Account (HSA) as the construct for these plans is outlawed in the bill (Section 122 (c)(3), H.R. 3200)

*** Claim not valid if you choose to make any changes to your employer-provided plan or get a different plan in the next five years, as doing so would trigger the mandate to have a government approved plan. (Section 102(c), H.R. 3200)

**** Claim not valid if your insurance company makes any additions to your private, individual plan (such as including more people or adding a newly found cure for cancer), as doing so would trigger the mandate to have a government approved plan. (Section 102(a), H.R. 3200)

***** Claim not valid if your employer finds it cheaper to dump you on the government plan rather than pay for care. (Section 412, H.R. 3200)

****** Claim not valid after the federal government envelops the private market as it has done with Medicare, leaving only a government option on the table. (Common Sense)

7) Join AFP Arizona, and Support Our Efforts. We’re Fighting for Health Care Freedom—and MORE!

If this email was forwarded this email to you, and you would like to join the fight for market-based health care reforms and against socialized medicine, sign up at this website:http://www.joinpatientsfirst.com

Times are tough, but please give what you can to support us in our fight to save the American free enterprise system. The AFP Arizona donation page is here.http://www.americansforprosperity.org/donate-arizona

To get on AFP Arizona’s alert list for federal, state, and local tax and budget issues, reply to this email, or to tjenney@afphq.org. It helps us to have your name, city, and zip code (or your state legislative district, if you know it).

For Liberty,

--Tom

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

Assault rifle publicity stunt outside Obama speech was planned with police

Maricopa County GOP local news

HIDDEN CAMERAS ON THE ARIZONA BORDER”: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
http://cis.org/Kephart/HiddenCamerasUpdate Excerpt: Since the July 15, 2009, posting of the Center for Immigration Studies’ video, “Hidden Cameras on the Arizona Border: Coyotes, Bears, and Trails,' a lot has happened. None of it can be claimed to have been caused by the video, but there has been an interesting uptick in events in Washington and on the southeast Arizona border since its posting. While each of the events involving the federal government has acquired a hue of spin or premeditated silence, it does seem that a change is a coming – if the pressure keeps mounting. The Border Patrol is ramping up, the Forest Service has closed off some of the worst illegal layup areas due to potential bear encounters, and Congress is asking a lot of questions.

BRUCE ASH SPEAKS OUT: Link to AZ National Committeeman Bruce Ash’s “Something to Consider…”: www.AshForArizona.com See attachment.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

List of AZ businesses that have signed up for e-Verify : check this regularly

Make sure the businesses you frequent are signed up for e-Verify by visiting the AG's list here. It is free for employers so there is no reason for them not to sign up. For more info on e-Verify and the Legal Arizona Workers Act, visit the Maricopa County Attorney's website.
Disclaimer: companies that reported their headquarters being in another state will not show up on this list, even if they've signed up to use e-Verify.

Goldwater Institute asks Supreme Court to Overturn Campaign Finance Law

Institute files amicus brief in Citizens United v. FEC to protect right to free speech
Phoenix--During the 2008 presidential primaries, Citizens United released Hillary: The Movie, a film critical of then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. But a federal court prohibited the organization from releasing the movie because it was during a blackout period in which certain types of political speech are banned before an election under the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. The court also prohibited Citizens United from advertising DVD sales of the movie without first disclosing everyone who financed it.
The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and the Goldwater Institute, believing people should be allowed to hear all arguments at all times during an election season, filed an amicus brief in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

"This draconian silencing of core political speech cannot stand if the First Amendment is to have any meaning," said Nick Dranias, an attorney and director of constitutional studies at the Goldwater Institute. "The Goldwater Institute's amicus brief urges the Court to restore the First Amendment to its original purpose: securing the right to engage freewheeling debate and dissent."

The Supreme Court heard arguments earlier this year in Citizens United v. FEC and in an unusual move scheduled further arguments during its 2009-2010 session. The Court asked Citizens United and others groups, including the Goldwater Institute, to specifically address whether it must overturn McConnell v. FEC in order to allow the showing of political movies during an election blackout period. The Goldwater Institute believes it must. McConnell v. FEC is the case that largely upheld the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law.

The Goldwater Institute has filed amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in other campaign finance related cases. The Institute believes that laws limiting free speech during elections violate the U.S. Constitution's guarantee to the right to free political speech.
"Newly confirmed Justice Sonya Sotomayor observed, in one of her dissents as a judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, courts should not 'gloss over three decades of jurisprudence and the centrality of First Amendment freedoms in our lives because it is confronted with speech it does not like.' The FEC's silencing of Citizens United cries out for application of the same principle," said Mr. Dranias.

The Goldwater Institute Scharf Norton-Center for Constitutional Litigation filed its amicus brief in Citizens United v. FEC in conjunction with the Wyoming Liberty Group. To read this and other Goldwater Institute amicus briefs, including the first Citizens United v. FEC brief, visit http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/amicusbriefs.