Wednesday, August 29, 2012


"Rubber Stamp Rich" Carmona featured in new Flake for Senate video

Check out the reach of Obama's arm at :30, from DC into Arizona


Monday, August 27, 2012

Billboard seen posted in Arizona by its political delegation

Welcome to Arizona

Friday, August 24, 2012

Fourth sanction for Desert Ridge Justice of Peace Clancy Jayne

Sonoran News
by Linda Bentley
Jayne lacks sensitivity for the Code of Judicial Conduct’s direction on permissible activities, appearance of impropriety and use of the Internet
Bookmark and Share
Clancy-Jayne_050906.jpgPHOENIX – Judge Clancy Jayne, running for reelection to the Desert Ridge Justice Court, has managed to rack up yet another informal sanction by the Commission on Judicial Conduct for violating the Code of Judicial Conduct.
The Commission was alerted that Jayne’s personal website continued to improperly advertise wedding services, despite his previous discipline for that conduct.
The complainant also alleged that Jayne’s website improperly listed corporate sponsors, including companies that provide services to the court, and invited improper ex parte communications.
The order, written on behalf of the Commission by Chair Louis Frank Dominguez, not only determined Jayne’s conduct warranted an informal sanction, it stated, “Specifically, despite a prior informal sanction for violating Rule 2.16(C) of the Code by advertising wedding services and clear direction that continued reference to an ongoing personal business could violate Rule 1.3, Judge Jayne failed to ensure that these issues on his website were resolved.”
Additionally, the Commission ordered Jayne to obtain a mentor to specifically address concerns related to his personal website.
Dominguez wrote, “This requirement reflects the Commission’s concern that the judge lacks sufficient sensitivity for the Code of Judicial Conduct’s direction on permissible activities, the appearance of impropriety, and his use of the Internet.”
The Commission dismissed the remaining allegations against Jayne with a private warning letter.
In his response to the Commission, Jayne claimed the wedding advertisement violation was due to changing webmasters from Aimee Ludt to AXXESS Unlimited and stated, “It appears that during the changeover AXXESS Unlimited came across the wedding service drop-down and they were not aware that I had requested it be removed so they included it. I had no idea this had occurred and on accessing the website I didn’t see anything on the Home page regarding weddings so assumed it wasn’t there.”
Jayne goes on to say, “Unfortunately my own ineptness in navigating my website caused me not to realize it had been added back on. I apologize for this oversight on my part. When I asked my wife to help me prepare this response she went on the website and immediately found ‘Wedding Services’ contained in a drop-down box and she informed me that the information was still there.”
Regarding the sponsors section, Jayne stated American Traffic Academy and CHC were no longer sponsors for the Breakfast with the Judge events and had been removed from the website.
Jayne stated, “It was my understanding that the ‘Hold Harmless’ section at the bottom of our Breakfast with the Judge flyers stating, ‘This breakfast event is an independent, informational forum. It is not affiliated with any fundraising, partisan or election committee, and does not endorse any venue, sponsor or speaker,’ relieved me of any conflict of interest regarding their sponsorship. Please advise as soon as possible if this is not correct.”
According to Jayne, the companies sponsored the breakfast only, they do not pay him personally, nor do they contribute to a designated campaign fund.
Jayne also noted in the packet of enclosures with the Commission’s letter was the flyer from his April 18, 2012 fundraiser.
He wrote, “Although nothing was mentioned I’d like to clarify that this event had no sponsors and because of time constraint in getting the flyers printed a mistake was made in not removing sponsor names off the fundraiser flyer as this is the same format they use when doing the breakfast flyers. It was a complete oversight and again I apologize for this error.”
Jayne clarified that American Traffic Academy was not a defensive driving school and said “litigants were never sent to or told to contact them. When they were a sponsor, they gave out flyers and had a short video presentation that ran at the beginning of the breakfast.”
He wrote, “Lastly on the page Contact the Judge! There is a Sun City P.O. Box listed. This used to be an old mailing address. I do not have it anymore,” stating he included the copy of his email requesting the address be deleted from his website.
In closing, Jayne stated, “I appreciate the opportunity to respond to this complaint and clarify the issues in question. There has never been a time since I was sworn in as Desert Ridge Justice of the Peace that I have knowingly acted in any manner that would bring into question my ethics or reflect negatively on the bench or the Desert Ridge Justice Court.”

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Schweikert Campaign: Believe What You Want Ben Quayle

Dear Friends,
Ben Quayle is quite fond of touting that he is the “number one” ranked conservative in the House of Representatives. His source for this is National Journal’s ratings. Now of course, he is free to say whatever he wants about his campaign and how he feels personally about his record. But don’t be fooled- we are all by now well aware of our opponent’s flawed character and trouble with the truth.
It’s well-known that the National Journal rankings are reflective of how a particular member votes with his or her party’s perceived position. Thus, it’s not surprising that Ben Quayle scores so well.
Remember, this is what Politico had to say about Ben Quayle:
“There’s Rep. Ben Quayle, an establishment favorite with the famous last name, who told voters in 2010 he would “knock the hell out of” D.C. but has spent his first year in Washington out of the spotlight, learning the ins and outs of the Capitol while becoming a favorite of leadership.”
So it’s not too surprising that he does well in a ranking of how members vote in accordance with party leadership.
David Schweikert has always been clear that he is in Congress to fight for our conservative values – your values – not leadership in Washington.
For a good explanation about the National Journal ratings that Ben Quayle likes to tout and what they really represent, here is what HotlineOnCall had to say about the National Journal ratings as they apply to Ben Quayle (note: HotlineOnCall is part of National Journal).
“Quayle’s House-best conservative rating reflects his relationship with leadership.
I think that sums it up pretty well.
Dan Caldwell
Campaign Manager, Schweikert for Congress

Friday, August 17, 2012

Believe What You Want Ben‏ Quayle



Dear Friends,
Ben Quayle is quite fond of touting that he is the "number one" ranked conservative in the House of Representatives. His source for this is National Journal's ratings. Now of course, he is free to say whatever he wants about his campaign and how he feels personally about his record. But don't be fooled- we are all by now well aware of our opponent's flawed character and trouble with the truth.
It's well-known that the National Journal rankings are reflective of how a particular member votes with his or her party's perceived position. Thus, it's not surprising that Ben Quayle scores so well.
Remember, this is what Politico had to say about Ben Quayle:
"There's Rep. Ben Quayle, an establishment favorite with the famous last name, who told voters in 2010 he would "knock the hell out of" D.C. but has spent his first year in Washington out of the spotlight, learning the ins and outs of the Capitol while becoming a favorite of leadership."
So it's not too surprising that he does well in a ranking of how members vote in accordance with party leadership.
David Schweikert has always been clear that he is in Congress to fight for our conservative values - your values - not leadership in Washington.
For a good explanation about the National Journal ratings that Ben Quayle likes to tout and what they really represent, here is what HotlineOnCall had to say about the National Journal ratings as they apply to Ben Quayle (note: HotlineOnCall is part of National Journal).
"Quayle's House-best conservative rating reflects his relationship with leadership."
I think that sums it up pretty well.

Dan Caldwell
Campaign Manager, Schweikert for Congress


Connect on FacebookConnect on TwitterConnect on YouTubeConnect on FlickrPaid for by Schweikert for Congress

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Rep. David Schweikert's Coins Act to Replace Dollar Bills with Coins will Save Taxpayers BILLIONS

Rep. David Schweikert has a background in finance and is a former Maricopa County Treasurer. Leave it to him to come up with another way to save the taxpayers money!

REP. SCHWEIKERT INTRODUCES ‘COINS ACT' TO SAVE TAXPAYERS BILLIONS


Washington, D.C. – Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ), a member of the House Financial Services Committee and the Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy Tuesday, introduced a bill to reduce the deficit by billions by phasing out the $1 bill. The Currency Optimization, Innovation and National Savings (COINS) Act calls for a transition from the dollar bill to the dollar coin to reduce government waste:

“At a time when we are staring down a record-breaking $1.3 trillion deficit, any commonsense measure that cuts billions needs to be given serious consideration. That is exactly what the COINS Act will do and why I am introducing it.

“Protecting taxpayer dollars has never been more critical. One area where Americans may be surprised to learn we can save money is in our currency. By making this transition from a dollar bill to a dollar coin, the U.S. will save $184 million a year and nearly $6 billion over 30 years.

“Washington needs to learn to save money to save our future for our children and grandchildren. The COINS Act is a responsible way to trim our bloated deficit, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this cost-saving legislation.”


WHAT THE COINS ACT DOES:

The COINS Act would require Federal Reserve Banks to stop issuing the $1 note 4 years after enactment of the legislation or when circulation of $1 coins exceeds 600 million annually – whichever comes first.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has been advocating this change for more than 20 years, and in its latest report released this March, it found that hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are wasted each year by the continued use of the dollar bill.

By making the switch, it is estimated that the government would save an average of $184 million a year, a conservative $5.5 billion over 30 years.

BACKGROUND:

Each year, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces around 4 billion $1 bills -- nearly half of all paper currency made.  And each year, more than 3 billion of these dollars are pulled from circulation, shredded, and sent to landfills.  That is nearly 15.2 million pounds of paper currency every year.

Not only are dollar coins recyclable, they have an average circulation of 30 years. When you do the math, a single dollar coin can do the job of up to 17 dollar bills over the course of its lifetime.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Goldwater Institute legislative report card is out

Posted on August 15, 2012 | Type: Policy Report | Author: Nick Dranias
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
The annual Goldwater Institute Legislative Report Card scores Arizona lawmakers on their support of principles of limited constitutional government. Each piece of legislation is assessed in one of four categories for whether it expands liberty consistent with the Arizona Constitution, or restricts liberty.
This report card assesses 517 votes. Average scores were 56 percent in the House and 59 percent in the Senate, indicating that slightly more votes upheld liberty than undermined it. These scores are respectively 23 percent and 20 percent higher than the scores first reported in 2003. The increase reflects a long-term trend of improvement in voting patterns. Education scores, in particular, were sharply higher in both major parties this year. The highest overall score was Sen. Steve Smith’s 76 percent. Rep. Eddie Farnsworth received the highest score in the House, which was 73 percent. These high scorers received overall grades of A-. As in 2011, not a single legislator in this year’s report received an overall score of A or higher. 
Beyond the individual legislator grades, this report card includes an assessment of each bill’s impact on the status quo with “high impact,” “moderate impact,” and “incremental impact” categories. It reveals a significant narrowing of the difference in voting patterns between the major political parties with respect to high-impact bills as compared to prior years. This year the difference between the parties with regard to high impact bills was only 37 points; in 2011, by contrast, the difference was a dramatic 71 points. No such dramatic narrowing of scores occurred with regard to moderate or incremental impact bills.
The 2012 Legislative Report Card also compares traditionally funded and publicly funded candidates. As with all previous years, the source of campaign funding appears to have no significant impact on voting behavior.
The report card is not an absolute measure of a legislator’s merit and does not constitute any endorsement. It is meant to be a tool for general research and for accountability, helping voters assess the work of their elected representatives.

Establishment John McCain endorses Ben Quayle over conservative Tea Party-backed David Schweikert

Odd how Ben Quayle only rolled out this huge establishment endorsement now, considering early ballots have been coming in now for days. It was already known that McCain was going to endorse Quayle over Schweikert. Did he roll it out this late into the election because he was worried it might *hurt* him earlier? Makes sense to me. At this point in the race, he's desperate being 20 points behind Schweikert so he decides he may as well use it. It won't help him. The voters are sick of the Republican establishment voting for the TARP bailouts. Quayle has pulled down all the establishment endorsements while Schweikert has the grassroots conservatives and Tea Parties. Read here for my full analysis of the race.

No New Taxes, No On Prop 204

Statement by Arizona State Treasurer Doug Ducey

          “Today I filed papers with the Secretary of State’s office to create the No New Taxes, No On Prop 204 committee to oppose the misleading promises made by the Quality in Education and Jobs Initiative.

“Prop 204 is genuinely bad policy.  It makes a permanent, billion-dollar-a-year spending commitment; it provides for no oversight as to how the money is spent; and it makes no reforms that actually improve accountability or the quality of education.  Prop 204 amounts to just throwing money at a problem and hoping that somehow, magically, things will just get better.

 “It is the exact type of government spending that put Arizona’s budget in turmoil just a few years ago. We have to learn from the mistakes in our past, and we would be foolish to repeat them so quickly after our last experience.

             “Arizona has proven that it can tighten its belt just like every family and small business across the state has done during this recession. We’ve balanced our budget, have a positive cash flow in terms of revenue collection, and now have $450 million in a state savings account to cushion future budget shortfalls. We still have a long way to go, but our state’s financial position has been slowly recovering. This simply is not the right time to make an open-ended, permanent new spending commitment and to increase taxes on hard working Arizonans.

“It doesn't help that, just two years ago, the central promise of the one-cent sales tax increase campaign was that it would be temporary. It can only breed cynicism and distrust of government when, less than two years later, voters are presented with a bait-and-switch proposition that makes the tax increase permanent before it's even expired.  No wonder citizens have so little faith in promises made during campaigns.

“Prop 204 will derail the progress Arizona has made to act fiscally responsible by allowing special interest groups to lock-in excessive spending for programs and projects that have little to do with improving our schools.”

Dishonesty and vandalism mark Desert Ridge JP race

 Sonoran News
by Linda Bentley
August 8, 2012
 
While having a legal background is not a requirement, Ponath has been practicing law for over 30 years and has served as a judge pro tem
Bookmark and Share
clancy jaynePHOENIX – Last week, a hand-addressed, pre-printed postcard in the mail from Clancy Jayne (l) arrived in the mail that read, “I just wanted to drop a line to say that I greatly appreciate the support you showed by signing my nomination petition. I am humbled by the opportunity to serve you as Justice of the Peace, and I intend to dedicate myself to bringing the highest level of justice to the People’s Court.”

clancy jayne postcardHe continues that he looks forward to seeing me again while respectfully urging me to tell friends and neighbors about his candidacy and invites people to visitwww.electclancyjayne.com

There are so many problems with this postcard, as well as with Jayne, it’s hard to decide where to begin.

First, I never signed Jayne’s nomination petition. Second, I’ve never met Jayne. 

The only time I’ve ever seen Jayne in person was in 2005. I saw him sitting in the courtroom when I covered the hearing where he was booted from the ballot for not having the required number of valid signatures to run for reelection to the state legislature.

Since I didn’t sign his petition, I contacted Maricopa County Campaign Finance Director Kristi Passarelli to find out if my signature was forged on his petitions.

Passarelli said some candidates send mailings to people who signed their opponents' petitions as a campaign strategy.

When Passarelli’s office checked Jayne’s petitions, they did not find my name on any of the pages.

However, Jayne did purchase copies of both his opponents' petitions.

So, what Jayne is obviously counting on for his campaign strategy is those who didn’t sign his petition won't recall whose petition they actually signed.

bill ponathClancy’s opponent William “Bill” Ponath (l) received the same postcard, as did several others who said they didn’t sign Jayne’s petition.

When you visit www.electclancyjayne.com, this message appears: “Welcome to: electclancyjayne.com. This web page is parked for free, courtesy of GoDaddy.com.”

So, Jayne has no website, despite the registrant, Axxess Unlimited LLC having registered the domain name through June 2014.

Michael Roth of Axxess Unlimited, the administrative contact for electclancyjayne.com and a 25 percent partner of Jayne’s in Western Justice Production, LLC, didn’t return Sonoran News’ phone call asking why Jayne’s website is not operational with the primary election already underway and a mailing directing people to his website.

Jayne’s latest campaign finance report reflects a payment of $450 to Axxess on April 21 for “web development and maintenance.”

A look at the back side of the postcard, however, indicates these postcards are leftover from Jayne’s 2008 campaign.

bill ponath signs vandaledMeanwhile, Ponath, whose signs were just installed last week, saw his signs along Tatum Boulevard as he drove to his law office shortly after 8 a.m. on Aug. 2.

Driving home that evening at around 8 p.m. Ponath noticed all but a couple of his signs had been removed with the remaining few signs vandalized with spray paint.

As of the last campaign finance reporting period, which is for the period Jan. 1, 2012 through May 31, 2012 Ponath signed a statement of no activity, meaning he received no contributions and made no expenditures.

Jayne’s campaign finance report for the same period has some curious entries.

On Schedule F-3, Debts and Obligations, Jayne showed an outstanding balance of $7,900 at the beginning of the reporting period, a payment of $568.46 and an outstanding balance of $7,331.54 at the end of the period.

It shows the obligation is owed to Kraus Investments, L.C., which is owned by Horst and Gisela Kraus, who own Shangri-La Ranch, the nudist colony in New River.

A note under “Description of Debt,” states the debt was formerly owed to Primary Consultants but was taken over by Kraus Investments.

Horst Kraus told Sonoran News his friend Jayne contacted him sometime in December 2011 asking to borrow some money.

According to Kraus, because Jayne was running for public office, he wanted to have his debt with Primary Consultants from a previous campaign cleared up.

Jayne had Kraus make the check out to Primary Consultants and signed a note to pay Kraus back with interest.

If Jayne wanted to go into this election with his debts paid off, he didn’t achieve that goal, since that debt must be reflected in his campaign finance report, as he’s using campaign funds to pay the debt.

Jayne and his wife Kathleen also have an unsatisfied $7,594.85 judgment against them awarded in 2009 to Arrow Financial Services, LLC, a receivables management company that engages in purchasing and servicing performing and non-performing consumer debts.

Readers may recall, as Sonoran News has previously reported, while Jayne was serving in the state legislature, he and his wife had seven unpaid federal income tax liens, all of which have since been paid.

Kathleen had a prior history of writing bad checks and was convicted of theft for forging and cashing over $8,000 in checks when she worked for APS. That judgment has since been set aside. 

The year she stole from APS was the only year the Jaynes didn’t have a federal income tax lien. 

The Jaynes have also had numerous notices of trustee sale on their home. All were eventually canceled.

Voters may note many of Jayne’s campaign signs simply say, “Elect Clancy Jayne” but don’t say what he’s running for, which enables Jayne to recycle signs to run for any office.

His current campaign finance report reflects a payment of $178.52 to Deer Valley Self Storage for storing his signs for two months.

He also paid his wife $247 for labor for an April fundraiser.

Jayne touts himself as a conservative, but he accepted donations totaling $1,090 from three fire fighter’s unions, none of which are representative in the Desert Ridge Justice Court district.

He also boasted about having co-written Proposition 400 that extended a half-cent sales tax for another 20 years.

Jayne, who has no legal background, wrote poorly constructed responses to the judicial commission, which issued a public reprimand against Jayne in 2011 following private comments and a strongly worded warning letter in response to two other complaints.

jeff schapiraJeff Schapira, the third candidate in the Desert Ridge Justice of the Peace race, is the uncle of Rep. Dave Schapira, D-Dist. 17. 

Jeff Schapira was also a registered Democrat until 2010, when he decided to re-register as a Republican. In fact, it appears the only political contribution he’s ever made was $1,000 to liberal Sen. Jack Jackson, Jr. D-Dist. 2, whose campaign chair was no other than Schapira’s nephew David.

Schapira does not appear to have a website for his JP candidacy.

While Schapira graduated from ASU law school and worked for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, “prosecuting gang members,” he is not licensed to practice law in Arizona.

Having a legal background is not a requirement to run for justice of the peace in Arizona, although it’s been the subject of much debate over the years.

Schapira is the freshman girls’ head basketball coach at Horizon High School and runs the manufacturing plant at Action Equipment, a family-owned scaffolding business.

Ponath, who authored the book “Verdict for America,” has been practicing law for over 30 years and has served as a judge pro tem. Learn more about Ponath at www.ponath4jp.com.

Conservative bloggers get together in Prescott Saturday

Join us as we escape the heat and head up north to the Palace Restaurant in Prescott. eNewsAZ will provide appetizers and iced tea, everyone can purchase off the menu for drinks and meals if they like. We'll have a room of our own. Local dignitaries have been invited. 1:00pm until 4:00pm RSVP on Facebook here

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Tea Party picks Schweikert over Quayle


Dear Patriot,
Donate
Not many people have Arizona labeled as a battleground state in 2012 but careful analysis shows that this conservative leaning state could actually produce a Democrat majority for the state's House delegation.  

To make sure that doesn't happen we need to get involved in 3 house races and fight for good Republicans.  

David
Schweik for CongressMeet Dave Schweikert
Redistricting has created a situation where two incumbent Republicans are running against each other.  This is a classic Tea Party -v- Establishment race against Ben Quayle the son of former Vice President Dan Quayle.  This is a heavily Republican district and the winner of the primary will cruise to a general election victory, let's make sure that someone who is willing to work with us wins this seat!  

As usual we want to bring our cutting edge brand of campaigning to support the grassroots candidate in this race and across Arizona as part of our broader Arizona strategy.  Our strategy will incorporate and earned media campaign on Talk Radio and Newspapers.  It will also use a blend of paid advertisements in both traditional and new media outlets.  

Our goal is to raise $10,000 this week for the Arizona strategy but these races could mean the difference between conservative control of the House. I know that if you will make a generous contribution we can blow this goal out of the water and help make sure that Arizona is properly represented in Washington, with CONSERVATIVES. 
Contribute
Sincerely,

Dustin Stockton
Co-Founder
Western Representation PAC

You can also mail your contributions to:

Western Representation PAC
PO Box 50655
Sparks, NV 89435
Follow us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter


Paid for by Western Representation PAC, a federal political action committee which is responsible for the content of this message. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. 
Donations are not deductible for tax purposes.
www.WesternPAC.org

Monday, August 6, 2012

Fake Republican Jeff Schapira was registered as Democrat until 2010; signs stolen

Fake Republican Jeff Schapira
There are three candidates running for Desert Ridge Justice of the Peace; Bill Ponath, Clancy Jayne, and Jeff Scapira. All three are running as Republicans. Only one is a conservative Republican, Bill Ponath. Incumbent Clancy Jayne voted for former Governor Napolitano's big-spending budgets when he was in the legislature and had one of the worst records as a Republican, scoring 49% from Americans Prosperity. He signed Americans for Tax Reform's pledge not to raise taxes then turned around and immediately voted for a new tax on satellite dish owners. He has received three judicial reprimands as judge.

Jeffrey Schapira is even more liberal. Up until 2010 he was a registered Democrat. He obviously switched his voter registration to Republican in order to run in the heavily Republican-leaning Desert Ridge precinct. The only candidates he has ever contributed to are liberal Democrats. He is the uncle of David Schapira, the liberal Democrata state legislator. He contributed $1000 to liberal Democrat Jack Jackson, Jr., who David Schapira was campaign chair for.

Worst of all, it appears that Schapira and/or his campaign team are stealing signs from Bill Ponath, a criminal misdemeanor. I put up 20 signs for Bill Ponath last week. Within a couple of days they were all torn down and/or defaced. Coincidentally, not a single Schapira sign had been removed. What does that tell you about the character of someone like Schapira, a man who wants to become a judge? 

It would be appalling if this fake Republican were to sneak into elected office by dishonest and illegal behavior. Please spread the word. Vote for the true conservative in the race, Bill Ponath. Unlike the others, Bill has written a book, Verdict for America, which lays out his conservative views. Unlike Jayne, Bill has a law degree and has practiced law for over 30 years. Unlike Schapira, Bill is still practicing law and has also practiced as a judge pro tem in the Justice Courts. Find out more about Bill at ponath4jp.com