Thursday, April 28, 2011

Help orphans in Africa: Crosstalk International in town hosting radio program

Tune in today from 2-3pm and 6-7pm on KPXQ AM 1360 to hear about Crosstalk International and their work with impoverished people in Africa and other regions of the world. Several radio stations are helping Crosstalk get their message out. If you've been considering a charity to contribute to, listen to find out why this is an excellent one (listen live online at http://www.kpxq1360.com/). This is an accountable charity that provides the public with its financial statements here. Check out their blog here. Follow Crosstalk on Facebook here, and on Twitter here. See more photos here.

Donate here to Crosstalk through KPXQ. Or call 888-515-2005.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Saturday on the Alexander & Goldman Show: Sheriffs Babeu & Dever discuss Border Sheriffs

The archived show is available here. This Saturday on the Alexander & Goldman Show from 6-7pm AZ/PST, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu and Cochise County Larry Dever will be our guests to talk about their new organization Border Sheriffs and dealing with illegal immigration in southern Arizona. Border Sheriffs is raising money to give the Sheriffs a voice in the lawsuits filed by the Obama administration and the ACLU to prevent them from enforcing the law they are sworn to uphold.

Click here for a short part of our interview with Sheriff Babeu.

 

Tune in locally to KKNT 960 AM or listen live online at KKNT960.com, which you can access by clicking here.  




The Biggest Legalized Theft of Middle Class American Wealth

 The Federal Reserve and Department of the Treasury financial institution bailouts are nothing more than a legalized Ponzi scheme, bailing out irresponsible behavior by the banks, and the cost to middle class Americans dwarfs our spending on entitlements, Medicare/Medicaid, defense and everything else. Unfortunately, most of the American public does not realize exactly what the banks are doing and getting away with.


Almost no one is talking about the most serious financial catastrophe taking place in the U.S. today. Instead everyone is focused on reigning in Congressional spending, particularly in areas like entitlements and Obamacare. But there is a part of government that flies under the radar, unaccountably increasing our debt to far more dangerous levels. It is considered the financial part of the Executive Branch, but there are very few checks and balances coming from the other two branches of government. It is the powerful Department of the Treasury and the quasi-governmental Federal Reserve. Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury, and Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, are two of the individuals most responsible for this financial meltdown, although it began prior to their terms in office. The Fed and the Treasury are responsible for engineering financial institution bailouts that cost taxpayers $12.1 trillion through February 2009. This massively dwarfs the $3.83 trillion spent on Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, defense, and other government programs.

A few people are starting to speak up about this shadow budget. Former CEO and stock trader Karl Denninger is leading the expose. Glenn Beck and Elliot Spitzer are covering it on their talk shows. Rolling Stone Magazine featured astunning expose this month about two wives of Morgan Stanley executives who received $220 million in bailout funds. The new documentary "Inside Job" uncovers who was really responsible for the 2008 financial meltdown. Tea Party activist and social media guru Eric Odom wrote an article last week about it entitled "The Greatest Financial Theft in the History of Man."

Odom calls the bailouts a Ponzi scheme. The simple explanation of how they work is this: The big banks on Wall Street invest in risky ventures, like granting high-risk mortgages to people who really cannot afford them. When the investments inevitably fall through, leaving the banks on the brink of failing, the well-connected, powerful bank CEOs use their connections to the Federal Reserve and the Department of the Treasury to get the government to bail them out.

Read the rest of the article at Townhall

Constitution Summit May 7th

Goldwater Institute: The pitfall of “do-something” tax policy


The mantra of Arizona legislators this session was “jobs, jobs, jobs” — certainly an important emphasis for any policymaker. But the desire to appear to be doing something, anything, to spur job growth sometimes sucked them into legislation that will be counterproductive to long-term economic growth.
Take Senate Bill 1041, for example, which would significantly lower property taxes for new businesses locating to or being created in Arizona, provided the companies invest a certain amount of money in their operation and hire a minimum number of employees. The bill passed both the House and Senate handily by the votes of virtually all Republican legislators and awaits the governor’s signature. The bill, however, is more than unfair to businesses that have been operating in Arizona awhile and have already hired employees and made their investments.
Some of the bill’s support was motivated by a genuine belief that carving out special benefits is a sustainable economic development strategy. But other legislators fell prey to the “do-something” impulse, explaining as the bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Michele Reagan, did in the Arizona Republic that the bill will make Arizona more competitive while we wait for other business tax cuts to start in 2013.
Regardless of legislators’ sense of urgency or earnestness, the “do-something” bill they supported is bad policy. First, preferential tax treatment for new businesses sticks existing businesses with a higher tax burden that effectively subsidizes their competitors.
Second, SB 1041’s tax breaks will be difficult to undo; the businesses that take advantage of them aren’t likely to give them up easily when the legislation sunsets in 2017. The businesses that happen to re-locate to Arizona and claim they did so to take advantage of the tax favoritism – whether that was true or not – can hold state tax policy hostage in the future by threatening to pick up and leave if the favorable tax treatment isn’t renewed.
Bad policies enacted as a temporary fix have a way of sticking around. And legislation full of special favors like SB 1041 makes it more difficult to pass the fundamental tax reforms that can truly make Arizona more competitive in the long run.
Stephen Slivinski is senior economist with the Goldwater Institute.
Learn More:
Goldwater Institute: Politicians go on “jobs poaching expeditions
Goldwater Institute: Government attempts to second-guess the market are bad policy
National Federation of Independent Business: NFIB Opposes SB 1041 as Bad Tax Policy, Likely to Be Struck Down as Unconstitutional

Fundraiser for only fiscal conservative in Phoenix City Council District 2 race, Jim Waring

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Tonight on the Alexander & Goldman Show: Arizona after SB 1070; then Washington, Wall Street & financial theft

The liberal media is falling all over itself trying to show that Arizona is worse off after passing SB 1070 last year. Both the Arizona Republic and the East Valley Tribune are running dire articles about what it has done to Arizona (at least NPR has balanced coverage). Besides the fact that the toughest parts of SB 1070 haven't even gone into effect, thanks to the federal government suing Arizona and getting an injunction against them, the evidence is to the contrary. Last year, the census found that Arizona is the second fastest growing state in the country. Last fall, we were 12th in the country for job creation. We will get to the bottom of the spin. 

During the second half of the show we will discuss what is going on with the Washington regulatory bureaucracy that enables them and their cronies on Wall Street to control the economy to the detriment of the average American, benefiting a few wealthy banks and billionaires. Eric Odom has an excellent article on it here and should be calling in to the show. Rolling Stone has an article investigating why the Fed forked over $220 million in bailout money to two Wall Street wives.

Please call in at 602.508.0960 and let us know your thoughts. Tune in locally to KKNT 960 AM or listen live online at KKNT960.com, which you can access by clicking here.  





Friday, April 22, 2011

KJZZ/NPR looks at SB 1070 one year later (I'm interviewed)

Russell Pearce is also interviewed. Steve Goldstein, Mark Brodie and producer Mark Atkinson were curious about my recent article, Arizona Prospering After SB 1070.Check out the show here. (note: my voice sounds really low, they probably slowed the interview down since I talk so fast ;-)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Goldwater Institute Offers Only Lawsuit to Stop Obama's unelected Medicare board

President's deficit reduction plan leans heavily on ‘untouchable’
Independent Payment Advisory Board

PHOENIX — Politicians on both sides of the aisle are raising alarms about the unelected board that President Barack Obama has chosen to drastically reduce Medicare spending. Established by the federal health care law and highlighted in President Obama's April 13 speech on the deficit, the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) is a 15-member, presidentially appointed panel that will be free to set Medicare policy and health care payment rates with no meaningful congressional oversight and without the possibility of judicial review.
The Goldwater Institute has filed a lawsuit in federal court opposing the IPAB as unconstitutional — the only lawsuit challenging the health care law to make this crucial argument.
“Protecting any new federal agency from being repealed by Congress appears to be unprecedented in the history of the United States,” said Diane Cohen, the Goldwater Institute’s lead attorney in this case.
The Goldwater Institute Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation represents a number of clients in Coons v. Geithner, including U.S. Representatives Jeff Flake and Trent Franks of Arizona, who support repeal of the IPAB.
Unlike any other federal commission, the IPAB won’t have to follow the basic steps for adopting and enforcing administrative rules. The board’s annual payment schedules and policy proposals can’t be examined by the courts and automatically will become law unless amended by Congress through a difficult and complex procedure. Finally, even if Congress were to approve a repeal of the board in 2017, following the complex process allowed in the health care law, that repeal automatically would be delayed until 2020.
“No possible reading of the Constitution supports the idea of an unelected, standalone federal board that’s untouchable by both Congress and the courts,” said Clint Bolick, litigation director for the Goldwater Institute.
Read more about this and other lawsuits filed by the Goldwater Institute to protect individual rights and keep government within its constitutional limits at www.goldwaterinstitute.org/litigation. The Goldwater Institute is an independent government watchdog whose work is made possible by the generosity of its supporters.

_________________________________________
Le Templar
Director of Communications
Goldwater Institute  |  www.GoldwaterInstitute.org

AFP: Governor Brewer must sign SB 1322 promoting competitive reform of city government services

Header

URGENT ACTION ITEM BELOW

To all Arizona Taxpayers and Tea Partiers:
(Finally! This is the last bill alert for the 2011 Legislative Session!)
Thanks largely to your grassroots efforts during the past two months, the Arizona Legislature passed Senate Bill 1322, the municipal managed competition reform bill!
The bill now goes to the desk of Governor Jan Brewer. The good news is that Gov. Brewer has some good policy people on her staff, and she has showed some interest in introducing private-sector competition into government services--as demonstrated by her creation of the Council on Privatization and Efficiency (COPE). The bad news is that Gov. Brewer is under intense pressure to kill the reform from government-worker unions, many city council members, and some business lobbyists. 
(Below is an explanation of why those interest groups oppose SB 1322.)
TAKE ACTION!   
Please call and email Governor Brewer TODAY and ask her to sign SB 1322 and promote competitive reform of city government services.
To send Gov. Brewer an email, use her web contact page:
http://www.azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp
The phone numbers for Gov. Brewer's office are (602) 542-1361 and (602) 542-4331
When you email and call Brewer's office, please tell her you are a taxpayer and you want to see city governments become more efficient. Be sure to put the phrase "Gov. Brewer, please support SB 1322" in the subject line and in the body of your email.
For a one-page pdf flyer you can print out and take to your neighbors/precinct residents, use this link: http://static.taxcutsforall.com//files/sb1322brewer.pdf
Who Opposes Making City Services More Efficient?
1) Government-worker unions. Government-worker unions oppose competitive bidding because they do not want to compete on a level playing field (in terms of their salary-and-benefit packages) with private enterprise to provide city services. In Fiscal Year 2010, the City of Phoenix paid its average worker a salary, benefit, and overtime package of $97,707. That was up from $83,231 in FY 2007—a 17-percent increase in just three short years, at a time when private-sector workers were suffering pay cuts and layoffs in the worst recession since the 1930s. Private-sector workers in Phoenix are lucky to have salary-and-benefit packages in the range of $50,000.   Here is a link to a table from the City of Phoenix showing recent compensation increases for city workers:   http://tinyurl.com/phxpayhikes
2) Gutless city politicians. SB 1322 would actually make the jobs of pro-taxpayer city council members much easier, by encouraging cities to achieve savings through efficiencies. In an important sense, SB 1322 actually would create more local control—more control for local taxpayers over their own wallets and bank accounts. By taking some power away from the union machines that tend to dominate City Hall, and by reducing city spending, the SB 1322 reform will actually empower city taxpayers against the local governments that are continually forcing tax hikes and fee increases on them. But most city politicians (other than heroes such as Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio) are too afraid to take on the union machines, which are very powerful in low-turnout city elections taking place in odd-numbered years. The result is that many of those politicians have taken public stances against SB 1322.
3) Crony Capitalists. Some businesses have sweetheart contracts with city governments and other governments that were not awarded under a truly open, competitive bidding process. If SB 1322 passes, those "crony capitalists" in Phoenix and Tucson will not be able to rely on cozy political relationships and campaign contributions to win contracts. To quote the actual language of SB 1322, the crony capitalists will be forced to compete to provide services at the "highest quality, lowest cost and most reliable performance."
More Information about SB 1322
Please go to this URL for an explanation of the benefits of Senate Bill 1322, which would require Arizona cities with populations of 500,000 or more (Phoenix and Tucson) to open up city services to competition from the private sector:   http://tinyurl.com/nolegsleft
For a fact sheet exposing various myths about SB 1322, go here: http://tinyurl.com/sb1322myths
And thanks for all you have done this spring to help AFP-Arizona push pro-taxpayer, pro-consumer, and pro-producer bills in the Legislative Session!
For Liberty,
--Tom
Tom Jenney
Arizona Director
Americans for Prosperity*
www.aztaxpayers.org
tjenney@afphq.org
(602) 478-0146
* Save the Date - Join Americans for Prosperity Foundation this summer for the 4th annual RightOnline® Conference in Minneapolis, MN at the Minneapolis Hilton Downtown on June 17-18. For more information and to REGISTER TODAY please visit www.rightonline.com!

Salmon Announces Bid to Return to Congress

"East Valley needs experienced leadership representing our interests in Washington."
EAST VALLEY – Former Congressman Matt Salmon announced his bid today to return to Congress to represent the same area he served nearly a decade ago.  Salmon was first elected to the United States Congress in 1994 and served until 2000, honoring his term limit pledge.  A proud fiscal conservative, Salmon was rated in the top five among all 535 members of the House and Senate by Citizen’s Against Government Waste for all six years he was in office.
"I want to return to Congress because I believe that, now more than ever, the East Valley needs experienced leadership who will represent our interests in Washington," said Salmon, "Over the past few years, we have watched as our taxpayer dollars have grown government and bailed out Wall Street." 
Salmon was named a "Watchdog of the Treasury" all six years he was in office.  He also earned the "Taxpayer Hero Award" from the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste.  Salmon’s pro-business policies also earned him the Spirit of Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce each of his six years and six consecutive honors as a "Friend of Small Business" from the National Federation of Independent Business.  Matt Salmon played a pivotal role in balancing the first federal budget in a Generation, and understands what it takes to build the economy and create jobs.
"Government debt and Congressional inability to control spending is the greatest crisis facing America today.  We have mortgaged not only our children’s futures but our children’s children’s future.  We must reform our entitlement state, revamp our tax code to conform to today’s economy and live within our means," said Salmon.
"Matt has been a great public servant and a longtime friend of Mesa," said former Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives Mark Killian, "He is a man of integrity and understands the importance of having good values when representing the people. He understands what it means to serve and how critical projects such as Williams Gateway, Falcon Field, and transportation improvements are to the long term economic health of our region.  Matt Salmon brings immediate experience and credibility to Congress on his first day." 
Salmon is a lifetime member of the NRA with an A+ rating and also earned a 100% rating by the National Right to Life.  He was also the proud recipient of the American Cancer Society’s "Top National Elected Official" award.
"I have known Matt for long time," said Chairman of the Arizona Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce, "As a Congressman, he did a lot of good work for the people of his district and the entire East Valley.  He is a man of his word and someone we can count on in Washington."
"Matt isn’t about making speeches; he’s about getting things done," said Bobby Harris, the former Police Chief of Chandler, "He has a successful legislative track record and was instrumental in the passage and signing of legislation such as ‘Aimee’s Law’ which pushed for truth in sentencing laws and no early parole for rapists, molesters, and murderers."
Aimee’s Law was supported by a large number of organizations and victims’ rights groups including National Fraternal Order of Police, Law Enforcement Alliance of America, Kids Safe, Justice for All, National Association of Crime Victims' Rights, and the Women's Coalition.  In 2000, Salmon was also instrumental obtaining the release of U.S. based academic researcher Song Yongyi who was being held in China on spying charges.
Salmon’s campaign will be co-chaired by Former Arizona Speaker of the House Mark Killian and Arizona State Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce.
WEBSITE:     www.SalmonforCongress.com
TWITTER:    @salmoncongress
FACEBOOK:   Matt Salmon on Facebook 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matt-Salmon/194555843919304
About Matt Salmon
-Served 6 years in the U.S. House of Representatives
-Served 4 years in the Arizona Senate (2 years as Assistant Majority Leader)
-Former Chairman Arizona Republican Party
-International Trade Expert, Fluent in Mandarin Chinese
-13 year Telecommunications Executive
-Small Business Owner
-Married 32 years to his best friend, Nancy
-4 Children, 4 Grandchildren
Accomplishments

-Rated in the top five among all 535 members of the House and Senate by Citizen’s Against Government Waste – 6 years
-Rated A+ by the NRA, Lifetime member of the NRA
-Rated 100% by National Right to Life
-Watchdog of the Treasury – 6 years
-Spirit of Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – 6 Years
-NFIB: Friend of Small Business – 6 years
-Taxpayer Hero Award
-Passed and had signed into law "Aimee’s Law"  - The No Second Chances for rapists molesters and murderers law


Paid for by Salmon for Congress 2012

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Arizona Prospering After SB 1070

SB 1070 hasn't hurt Arizona at all, in fact Arizona is now the second fastest growing state in the country according to the 2010 Census. Arizona is thriving and people are leaving blue states to move to red states like Arizona. Ward Connerly recently summed it up this way, "Arizona seems to be the only sane place these days."

Read the entire article at Townhall

East Valley Pro-Life Alliance presentation on "Demographic Winter" tonight

“Demographic Winter” -- a dramatic new documentary -- is the first to explore the most overlooked crisis of our times: the rapid, worldwide decline in birth rates. Read more

Sheriff Arpaio Debuts New Website Featuring “Mug Shot of the Day”

A newly designed website about the third largest Sheriff’s Office in the nation tried to make a quiet internet debut over the weekend but that didn’t last long.

The new site has on it a unique new feature called mug shot of the day where visitors to the site can peruse all mug shots of the people arrested each day and chose their favorite to be featured the following day as “mug shot of the day.” Visitors are also asked to vote for whether they like the new “contest.” So far it’s apparently well received by a near 3 to 1 margin.

Arpaio agreed to the concept of “mug shot of the day” as a way to drive more people to his law enforcement website in hopes that more people would learn about the varied aspects of law enforcement functions performed by his employees. He also believes that more eyes on arrestees may result in more leads to criminal investigators.

Seeing the increased interest in this part of his website, Arpaio says he has new plans down the road for more unique ideas.

Politics on the Rocks featuring former Gin Blossoms band this Thursday

Thursday, April 21 · 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location
Montelucia Resort
4949 E. Lincoln Dr.
Paradise Valley, AZ





Politics on the Rocks is pleased to announce that we are holding a Business Networking Event at the Montelucia Resort in Paradise Valley on Thursday, April 21st 6:00 PM at the ROQ (outside bar near the pool). We have invited many of the valley’s CEOs and small business owners to this event to network with our group. We will be entertained during the event with musical guest “Vinyl Station” (former Gin Blossoms). This unique blen...d of business owners, politicians, networkers, and music bring you one of the year’s most eclectic networking events. Enjoy the outside air and mild temperatures of April poolside at the Montelucia Resort. Make sure to bring plenty of business cards. We would like to thank our marketing partners Gem Ray & Scottsdale Nights for their support. This is a free event and everyone is welcome to attend. Drink and food specials are available.

All of us here at Politics on Rocks are proud to announce we have been nominated as “Best Cocktail Party” in the Arizona Capitol Times “Best of the Capitol” survey. We are question #4 in this poll. Also, our good friends at Politico Mafioso have been nominated for “Best Political Website”, question #31. Please click on the following link to vote in the poll: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/512100/2011-Best-of-the-Capitol

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, April 21st 6:00 PM at the Montelucia Resort!

Regards,

Politics on the Rocks
http://www.politicsontherocks.com/

Facebook RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=217539708259724

Governor Brewer vetoes health care compact bill

She explains she vetoed it because it directs the governor to enter into a specific compact with other states. She writes that this violates the separation of powers.

Arizona Gov. Brewer Vetoes Bill to Allow Guns on Public College Campuses

Brewer said in a written statement announcing the veto that the bill didn't adequately define the "public right of way" where guns could be carried on public university and community college campuses, and gun laws must be "crystal clear so that gun owners don't become lawbreakers by accident."
She also warned that the bill could have mistakenly included K-12 schools, "where federal and state laws generally prohibit weapons."

Gun-rights advocates had backed the bill, saying it would help people defend themselves and prevent them from getting in trouble for merely driving through a campus with a gun in a vehicle.

Brewer must act by midnight Thursday on another Arizona guns-rights measure that would allow weapons in some government buildings that don't have airport-style security with armed guards and metal detectors.

Read the full article at Fox News

Goldwater Institute: High speed rail a losing bet for Arizona

High speed rail a losing bet for Arizona

The Arizona Department of Transportation has released a draft report on rail transportation, laying out its plans for high speed rail in Arizona. While the department’s plan is a comprehensive document covering all types of rail-based transportation, the sections on high speed rail appear to get the most attention, complete with schematics and maps. The evidence, though, points to high speed rail as a boondoggle waiting to happen.
In 2008, Californians narrowly approved a $10 billion bond issue to help build high-speed rail, with spur lines, between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Costs have already risen 10 percent, even with spur lines eliminated, and the promised $55 ticket price has almost doubled to $105.
Cost overruns and inadequate ridership are all-too-predictable when it comes to passenger rail projects. A project of the Pew Charitable Trusts has estimated Amtrak is subsidized to the tune of $32 per passenger ticket. A study by the Reason Foundation in 2008 predicted much higher costs for the California rail project when it is finished and cited overly optimistic ridership estimates by proponents of the project.
Passenger rail seems to be especially vulnerable to the trifecta of special interest advocacy groups, politicians willing to bet federal taxpayer money, and hungry contractors ready to take that money. Meanwhile, our neglected road system continues to do the lion’s share of the transportation work. People demonstrate daily they are willing to pay for roads with tolls and taxes on fuel, tires, trucks, and autos. Passenger rail, on the other hand, needs subsidies in its every incarnation. Arizona would be wise to let this train pass.
               
Dr. Bryon Schlomach is director of the Goldwater Institute’s Center for Economic Prosperity.

Learn More:
The San Diego Union-Tribune: California high-speed rail: The next stop is bankruptcy
National Public Radio’s Marketplace: Taxes picking up tab for Amtrak losses
Arizona Department of Transportation: State Rail Plan March 2011
Cato Institute: High Speed Rail is Not “Interstate 2.0”

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Intellectual Conservative offering $500 websites, more

If you want a quality website built in a few days for $500 with no extra strings attached, that you will be able to edit in the future if you'd like, with no additional monthly fees like a maintenance fee or hosting fee, please check us out at Right Now Social Media (the only additional cost is the domain name, which will run about $12/yr, and if you want to remove the small notice at the bottom of the site that says "build a free website," for about $4/mth). We also provide customized Twitter, Facebook and Blogs for $50 each. You won't beat the price for this quality.

For samples of our work, see:

Website: RightNowSocialMedia.com
Blog: ICArizona.com
Twitter: Twitter.com/RiteNowSocMedia
Facebook: Facebook.com/RightNowSocialMedia

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Protesters and anarchists harass a peaceful Tea Party event; use sirens to drown out event

Update - Sonoran Alliance has more on this.
From Arizona's State Capitol "Feet to the Fire" April 15th rally. A Latino female friend of mine from the Arizona Latino Republican Association who attended the rally reported, "As we stood in prayer and for the pledge of allegiance the bullhorn siren blared on. The so-called protesters who declared I am a nazi and racist because I am a Republican, didn't have the courtesy or respect to turn it off."


Tonight on the Alexander & Goldman Show: Charlie Ellis for Phoenix City Council, the foreclosure crisis and bank regulation

Tonight on the Alexander & Goldman Show from 6-7pm AZ/PST Brian Symes and I will interview Charlie Ellis, a Latino Republican running for Phoenix City Council in District 5. Check him out on Facebook or contribute to his campaign here. There's another radio interview with Charlie here and a video of him speaking on a panel about his candidacy here.


Next, we will talk about what should be done to fix the banking system to avoid another foreclosure crisis. Democrat Senator Carl Levin is requesting an investigation of mortgage lenders.


Last week's show with guests Lisa Benson, Brad Zinn and Patrick Poole discussing radical Islam is archived here.

Please call in at 602.508.0960 and let us know your thoughts. Tune in locally to KKNT 960 AM or listen live online at KKNT960.com, which you can access by clicking here.  





Thursday, April 14, 2011

AZ HOUSE PASSES PENSION REFORM

NEWS RELEASE

ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  1700 West Washington l Phoenix , Arizona l 85007-2844
PHONE:  (602) 926-3233





FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOUSE PASSES PENSION REFORM

SB1609 stops abuses of pension system; 
ensures long-term sustainability;
reigns-in pensions for politicians

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX (April 14, 2011) – The Arizona House of Representatives passed sweeping pension reform today, aiming to stop abuses in the state retirement system and ensure its long-term sustainability.

SB1609, sponsored by Sen. Steve Yarbrough, is the result of extensive stakeholder meetings and analysis of the pension system. It was amended in the House to include elements of House Speaker Kirk Adams’ sweeping pension bill introduced early this session. SB1609 now goes back to the Senate.

“Today the union bosses lost and Arizona taxpayers won,” said Speaker Adams. “This reform package protects our teachers, firemen and police officers. It also aims to stop some of the widely-reported abuses we’ve seen and takes away the generous giveaways for politicians. Union leaders will continue to use distortions and scare-tactics, but this responsible package ensures both taxpayers and our hard-working civil servants are protected.”

“What we have done is fixed a potentially catastrophic problem. In doing so, we have preserved benefits for future generations of public service workers,” said Senator Yarbrough.
  
For more information, contact Daniel Scarpinato at 602-926-3233 or dscarpin@azleg.gov

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Goldwater Institute: An outstanding week of success for school choice

 
 
Last week may have been the school-choice movement’s best effort in a long time, with Arizona leading the way for systemic education reform and expanded opportunities. Monday the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the latest challenge to Arizona’s tuition scholarship tax-credit program, which provides dollar-for-dollar tax credits for contributions to private school scholarships. Following the reasoning of the Arizona Supreme Court, the high court ruled that because tax credits leave money in the hands of taxpayers, they never become public funds. As a result, under federal law, taxpayers do not have standing to challenge the program.
Later in the week, the Arizona Legislature increased the amount of the tax credit for the scholarship program from $1,000 to $1,500 per couple.
Then on Thursday, the Arizona Legislature became the first in the country to approve education savings accounts, an idea born at the Goldwater Institute. When eligible students leave public schools, the state will fund an account with a portion of the dollars that would have been spent on their public education. Money in an ESA can be used for many educational purposes, from distance learning to private school tuition, curriculum software, or tutoring. Any money left over can be used for college after a student graduates from high school. ESAs reduce taxpayer costs while increasing schooling options.
The initial pilot is limited to children with disabilities, who lost their voucher program in 2009 when the Arizona Supreme Court struck it down under the state constitution. This program is designed to comply with the Court’s ruling in that case.
ESAs have the potential to create a truly 21st century system of public education, in which every child is empowered to pursue the best possible schooling without stifling and costly bureaucracy and special-interest pressures. The bill creating the pilot program now awaits action from Governor Jan Brewer.
Finally, amidst the contentious federal budget deal just before midnight D.C.-time, Congress reauthorized the District of Columbia school voucher program, whose expansion congressional Democrats had previously halted. Now the Obamas will no longer be the only people in D.C. who live in public housing who get to send their kids to private school.
The Goldwater Institute will continue to pioneer such student-centered education reforms, while celebrating unprecedented success.
Clint Bolick is director of the Goldwater Institute’s Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation.
Learn More:
Goldwater Institute: Education Savings Accounts: Giving Parents Control of Their Children’s Education
Goldwater Institute: New Harvard report on tuition tax credit debunks myths
Washington Post: Budget deal includes D.C. abortion rider, money for school vouchers
Arizona Legislature: Senate Bill 1553 authorizing education savings accounts

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Agenda set for Arizona Tea Party protest on April 15: Feet to the Fire

The Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity, along with allied Tea Party groups and policy organizations, is hosting a giant Feet to the Fire Tea Party from 6:00 to 9:00 pm on the evening of April 15, 2011. The event will take place on the House and Senate lawns at the Arizona Capitol, and will feature a meet-and-greet with elected officials on the lawns, beginning at 4:00 pm.
On Tax Day in 2009, we brought a crowd of over 7,000 people to the Arizona Capitol. Our goal was to let fed-up Tea Partiers know that the Arizona Legislature actually does have a core of solid fiscal conservatives. Thanks in large part to local Tea Party groups around the state, the Legislature now has even more conservatives. But we cannot simply trust them to do the right thing. On Tax Day in 2011, we must hold their Feet to the Fire.
Tentative FTF Program
4:00 – 6:00 pm Tea Party Meet & Greet on the Lawns with Elected Officials
6:00 – 6:15 pm Prayer, Pledge, and Introduction
6:15 – 6:45 pm Border Security
Sponsors: PAChyderm Coalition, AZ 2012 Project, Local Tea Parties
Speakers: Senator Russell Pearce, Sheriff Joe Arpaio
6:45 – 7:15 pm State Tax, Budget & Debt
Sponsors: AFP-Arizona, AZ Free Enterprise Club, NFIB-AZ, Local Tea Parties
Presentation of 2010 Jackelope Award to Rep. Judy Burges
Speakers: Sen. Andy Biggs, Rep. John Kavanagh
7:15 – 7:45 pm Defending Constitutional Freedom
Sponsors: AZ Citizens Defense League, Goldwater Institute, Local Tea Parties
Speakers: Goldwater Institute constitutional litigator Clint Bolick, gun rights activist Alan Korwin
7:45 – 8:15 pm Reforming Education & City Government
Sponsors: AFP-Arizona, Goldwater Institute, NFIB-AZ, Local Tea Parties
Speakers: Phoenix city councilman Sal DiCiccio, Senator Frank Antenori, school choice activist and former superintendent Jaime Molera, Arizona superintendent John Huppenthal
8:15 – 8:45 pm Federal Tax, Budget & Debt
Sponsors: AZ Free Enterprise Club, PAChyderm Coalition
Speakers: Congressman Jeff Flake (inv) & Congressman Trent Franks
8:45 – 9:00 pm FEET TO THE FIRE Send-Off
Music by Cartridge Family Band
Local Tea Party sponsors include: Arizona Tea Party Patriots Association, Casa Grande 912 Tea Party Patriots, Cave Creek Patriots Tea Party Posse, Crossroads with Van the Radio Man KXXT 1010 AM, Daisy Mountain Tea Party Patriots, Deer Valley Tea Party, East Valley Tea Party Patriots, Fountain Hills Tea Party, Glendale Tea Party Patriots, Greater Phoenix Tea Party Patriots, Original North Phoenix Tea Party, Patriot Action Network, Pink Slip Patriots, Red Mountain Tea Party, Smart Girl Politics, Surprise Tea Party, Tea Party Patriots of Scottsdale, Tea Party of Scottsdale AZ, Tempe Tea Party, We the Informed People, lots of local 912 groups, et al.

Arizona Republican Congressional delegation did the right thing to vote for the budget deal

The Tea Party and House Speaker Boehner both came out pretty well with Friday's budget deal agreement, considering Democrats control the Senate and the presidency, and a government shutdown would backfire on Republicans again like it did in 1995. The budget deal actually decreases discretionary spending by 4% with the biggest spending cut in history. Budget deals from the past three years increased spending.

Rep. Jeff Flake, (R-Ariz.), who is running for Senate in 2012 and has the highest ranking in Congress from the fiscal watchdog Club for Growth, voted for the budget deal but said, “A lot of us are disappointed with the level” of spending cuts. “It’s not very big. This is small ball. But you've got to take some cuts where you can get them. These discretionary cuts are important because it takes from the baseline and it compounds year to year."

Read the rest of the article at Townhall

East Valley Pro-Life Alliance presents the movie "Blood Money" this Friday

Governor Brewer explains why she vetoed the religious freedom bill

Senate President Pearce on SB 1070 Ruling

Arizona State Senate
       1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix , AZ   85007
Pres. Russell Pearce, R-18
Senate President
602-926-5760
Statement
April 11, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                


Statement from Senate President Russell Pearce on today’s 9th Circuit Ruling


“No one who follows the judiciary should be surprised by today’s ruling of a federal appeals court to refuse to lift a stay blocking parts of SB 1070 from taking effect. When Judge Bolton issued her injunction last July, I cautioned people that the 9th Circuit may  do just this. The liberal makeup of the panel makes decisions like this utterly predictable. In addition, the court is the most overturned in the nation.

The basis for today’s split decision is flawed. If Congress wanted to pre-empt the states from enforcing laws, it would have used its plenary powers. There has never been a pre-emption of states’ authority to enforce immigration laws.

SB 1070 is constitutionally sound, and that will be proven when the U.S. Supreme Court takes up this case and makes the proper ruling. With Judge Bolton’s ruling last week to allow the Legislature to intervene, I will now have a seat at the table to help make that case

This battle is a battle of epic proportions. It is about a state’s right to enforce the laws of this land and protect its citizens from those who break our laws.”