#dontgo movement launches Arizona News Platoon

In response to the left's online advantage through organizations like moveon.org, the right has responded with #dontgo, which is attempting to surpass the left's organizational skills online using new media like Twitter, Youtube, social networking sites, and blogs. News Platoons aggregating conservative thought and news are being started in every state (Tennessee and Virginia also launched yesterday). Arizona News Platoon has already signed up numerous conservative bloggers and organizations and is continue to add more. The Alliance Defense Fund will be contributing a weekly podcast. The Arizona News Platoon launched with a breaking story on how the Arizona State Bar backed off on its efforts to a line about sexual orientation to all attorneys' oaths. This was very likely due to news about the proposed oath spreading through new media channels, prompting emails protesting from all over the country sent to Arizona's Bar President Ed Novak.

What Austin Hill is up to this week

This week, I'm back in Chicago - - "President Obama's hometown" - - guest hosting at AM 560 WIND on "The John And Cisco Show."

I'm hosting from 5a-9a Central Time, all this week. For live streaming audio, click HERE

I'm also hosting each evening this week, at Washington, DC's 630 WMAL.

For streaming, and on-demand audio, click HERE.

Along with hosting talk radio, I'm being featured this week talking about inaugurations, and my book "White House:Confidential - - The Little Book Of Weird Presidential History," on the CNN Radio Network.

Visit CNN Radio Dot Com for details.

And I had priviledge of engagining in "inauguration talk" on The Bill Handel Morning Show at KFI AM 640 in Los Angeles...

Today I'll be joining Val Cole and Patrick Maliha to talk about the Obama inauguration at CFUN-1410 Radio in Vancouver, B.C.

Visit HERE to hear the show at 4:05pm Pacific Time today.

And tommorrow, 01/20/09, I'll be joining "The Salt and Demetri Show" at 96 Rock, in Raleigh, N.C.

Listen-in at 8:30am Eastern, right HERE.

And finally, in Phoenix, Arizona, I'll be guesting on "The Pat McMahon Show," at KAZT-TV, AZ-TV 7

Visit HERE for info.

Join AZ Right to Life in attending the swearing-in ceremony of Pro-life Gov. Jan Brewer

January 21, 2009: Bringing with her a 26-year, staunchly pro-life voting record, Secretary of State Jan Brewer will be sworn in as Governor of Arizona at 1 PM on the Arizona Capitol lawn. Please join Arizona Right to Life in support of our new Pro-Life governor by attending the swearing-in ceremony.

For more information, contact Arizona Right to Life
(602) 285-0063 | azrtl@azrtl.org | www.arizonarighttolife.org

PAChyderm Coalition meeting - Jan. 21

PAChyderm Coalition MO

MONTHLY DINNER MEETING

Wednesday January 21, 2009

6:15 pm

Guest Speaker Rep. Sam Crump – LD 6

Will discuss the Budget and Legislative process

We will be presenting our

Spirit of '76 Award

to the

2008 Honorees:

Representatives Nancy Barto LD-7, Rick Murphy LD-9, Russell Pearce LD-18

Senators Bob Burns LD-9, Ron Gould LD-3, Thayer Verschoor LD-22

There will be an update on our new website

Commemorative Books will be presented to the Freshmen Legislators in attendance

El Paso Bar-B-Que

4303 West Peoria Ave

(Southwest Corner of 43^rd Ave & Peoria)

Order Dinner off the Menu

Breaking news: Bush commutes Ramos & Compean's sentences

This is so new I can't even find it on the web....Fox News is reporting. This means a lot to those of us who worked very hard pressuring the Bush administration about this.

Taxpayer Group Lauds AZ Appropriations Budget Plan

Pearce and Kavanagh offer “good path” to balanced budget

PHOENIX—The Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity congratulated the appropriations chairmen of the state Legislature for offering a budget plan yesterday that would put the state on a “good path” to a balanced budget.

The plan, offered by Senate Appropriations Chairman Russell Pearce (R-Mesa) and House Appropriations Chairman John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills/Scottsdale) would reduce Fiscal Year 2009 spending by $785 million and reduce FY 2010 spending by $2.2 billion. The plan includes no tax increases and no long-term borrowing.

“The Pearce-Kavanagh plan is the only plan on the table that would bring the state’s massive budget deficit under control and thereby put Arizona onto a path of strong economic growth,” said AFP Arizona director Tom Jenney. For AFP Arizona, the only major drawback to the plan is that it assumes the state will not refuse $400 million annually in federal bailout money.

By contrast, departing Gov. Janet Napolitano’s budget plan claims to reduce spending by a total of $975 million for FYs 2009 and 2010, with the remainder of an optimistically projected deficit shortfall covered by borrowing heavily, increasing property taxes, and relying on the projected federal bailout money.

If legislative majorities pass the Appropriations budgets for FY2009 and 2010 in their present form, they will receive maximum points for budget votes on AFP Arizona’s 2009 Legislative Scorecard. Budget votes will count for over half of the total points on the Scorecard.

Summaries of the Appropriations Budgets are available at the Joint Legislative Budget Committee website: http://www.azleg.gov/jlbc/AppropsBudgetOptions011509.pdf

For a chart showing the projected effects of the Appropriations Budgets on the state’s deficit crisis, go to: http://www.americansforprosperity.org/files/azgenfundapprops01152009.pdf

To read AFP Arizona’s scoring guide memo, use this URL:

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/files/afpazscorecardmemo010809.pdf

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

CAP: Upcoming events

• March For Life - This Saturday in Tucson http://www.thecrisispregnancycenters.org/
• Arizona Rally for Life – Thursday Jan 22nd http://www.azliferally.com/azrtl/azliferally/
• Legacy Ministry Bible Exhibit; From the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Bible in America - http://www.dss2009.com/

Craig Cantoni: Take my captain's bars and shove them

You see, I'm no longer proud to be an American, or whatever we call ourselves today. Some alternative words come to mind: crybabies, sheep, spoiled brats, spendthrifts, moochers, lard asses, busybodies, and international troublemakers and meddlers.

Several years ago I wrote in my former newspaper column in the Arizona Republic about the symbolism of handicap parking spaces -- about how the kind idea of helping wheelchair-bound people had morphed into an entitlement for those whose only handicap is narcissism. I got more hate mail on that column than any of my hundreds of other columns. Of course, the writers unwittingly proved my point.

A nation that has five times more handicap spaces than are needed to accommodate the truly disabled is a nation with a math handicap. A government that puts multiple handicap spaces at trailheads and tennis courts is a silly government. And a political system that can't say no to such foolishness is a political system that is incapable of stopping more serious foolishness.

Read the entire article

Goldwater Institute: Correcting the Record: On Balance, the Budget Never Was

By Byron Schlomach, Ph.D.

In her State of the State address, Governor Napolitano made two rather remarkable statements. She said, "I have always presented you with a balanced budget plan that moved Arizona forward," and "We have passed a balanced budget every year."

My recollection is that the fiscal 2008 budget passed in June 2007 with a wink and a nod by all parties and before summer was over it was publicly acknowledged that budgeted spending would outpace revenues. It was belatedly "balanced" by bonding school construction, draining the rainy day fund, and suspending a monthly payment to schools, among other gimmicks.

Chastened, many members of the legislature were determined that the fiscal 2009 budget would actually be balanced. The JLBC, with its three revenue forecasts, repeatedly estimated revenues significantly below the governor's rosy prognostications. In the end, the 2009 budget was not only full of gimmicks, it flouted the state's constitutional balanced budget requirement. Even on the day it was passed, no one involved can credibly claim they honestly thought this year's budget would be in the black.

Some members of the legislature are considering requiring the state's treasurer to certify whether future budgets are balanced. As a statewide elected official with a clear mandate, the treasurer could be held directly accountable for failure to call over-spending legislators to account. This is a desperately needed measure that really ought to have constitutional teeth.

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

Goldwater Institute: Solving Arizona's Health Care Crisis

Goldwater Institute report offers a dozen ideas to lower costs and empower patients

Phoenix--A new Goldwater Institute policy report evaluates the symptoms, makes a diagnosis, and prescribes a treatment plan for Arizona's ailing health care system.

"The bad news is that too many families are struggling to afford health care," says Byron Schlomach, Ph.D., chief economist with the Goldwater Institute and author of the new report Removing the Middleman: What States Can Do to Make Health Care More Responsive to Patients. "The good news is that Arizona can do a great deal to bring health care costs down."

Removing the Middleman prescribes a treatment plan to lower costs, including:

· Loosening regulations on charitable health care. Eleven states have exempted charitable health care organizations from onerous insurance regulations, the remaining 39 should quickly follow suit.

· Establishing HSAs for state employees. Moving state employees to high deductible health insurance plans would save money and provide greater choices to state employees.

· Allow for more providers. States should unilaterally open their health insurance markets to out-of-state competition, reduce insurance mandates, and experiment with conditional deregulation programs like Florida's.

· Restructuring Medicaid to focus on the neediest. This includes imposing copayments, limiting eligibility, and moving Medicaid recipients to HSAs.

· Encouraging private companies to broker health services. Regulatory barriers facing companies that act as negotiators to lower hospital bills should be removed.

· Freeing up the health care market. Policymakers should rescind the moratorium on specialty hospitals, encourage price transparency and medical bills to be in plain language, and allow pharmacists to prescribe some drugs.

Removing the Middleman concludes that encouraging competition among health care providers, giving consumers a greater role in financing their own health care, reducing regulatory barriers to emerging industries within health care, and allowing interstate competition for health insurance will help bring health care costs down. Dr. Schlomach points to Singapore's health care system as a potential model to emulate. Residents of Singapore have generally better health outcomes than Americans and only 3.7 percent of its GDP is spent on health care.

Read Removing the Middleman here or call (602) 462-5000 to have a copy mailed to you.

The Goldwater Institute is a nonprofit public policy research and litigation organization whose work is made possible by the generosity of its supporters.

AFP: It's budget-cutting time, and Arizona's legislators will need your help

Dear Arizona Taxpayer:

Sen. Russell Pearce responded to departing Gov. Janet Napolitano’s State of the State address by saying, “She needs a math course.”

To see the quick math on how much spending can be legally reduced from Arizona’s Fiscal Year 2009 budget, check out this AFP Arizona blog post:

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/011309-quick-math-how-balance-fy-2009-budget

How much the Legislature and incoming Gov. Jan Brewer will actually reduce spending is another matter. They are under intense pressure from spending interests to maintain spending at the high levels established during the big-spending days of the past six years. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, so any alternative to real spending reductions means:

1) tax increases on Arizona families and businesses already suffering from the recession;

2) debt financing (which means increased taxes in the future, plus interest); and/or,

3) taking handouts from the federal government.

Option #3 is very likely, which is bad news for our children and grandchildren, because America is already deeply in debt. More federal debt will mean higher taxes for future taxpayers and/or an explosion in monetary inflation, which is a tax on the value of every dollar you have. Fast-forward to the 1970s.

That’s why YOU and all of Arizona’s grassroots taxpayer activists are so important. In a memo last week to the Legislature and to the Brewer transition team, we outlined how the FY 2009 and 2010 budgets and other key bills would be scored on AFP Arizona’s 2009 Legislative Scorecard:

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/files/afpazscorecardmemo010809.pdf

As soon as the reform bills start moving, we will start sending you updates on how many points your Legislators have accumulated. Our Legislators and our new Governor need to know that YOU are watching them, and that you are working with AFP Arizona to keep Big Government from growing and from doing more harm to the private economy during these difficult times.

For more information, and to keep up with all of AFP Arizona’s activities, be sure to visit our AFP Arizona blog page:

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

For Liberty,

Tom Jenney

Arizona Director

Americans for Prosperity

tjenney@afphq.org

www.aztaxpayers.org

PS: For those who have made it this far… Kudos to Ernie Hancock and the merry band of agitators at Freedom’s Phoenix, for their new campaign to educate the public about the dangers of government debt. Using debt to put tax increases and inflation burdens on the next generation is the worst form of taxation without representation.

Federal Judge Upholds Prosecution of Illegal Immigrants Under Human Smuggling Law

by County Attorney Andrew Thomas


A federal judge in Phoenix has upheld my office's prosecution of illegal immigrants who conspire to be smuggled into Arizona. This is another historic milestone on the path to securing our borders.

I have interpreted the state's human-smuggling law as applying to illegal immigrants (who hire human smugglers) in addition to the smugglers themselves. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is the only law enforcement official who has arrested illegal immigrants for conspiring to smuggle themselves into Arizona in violation of state law.

Activists for illegal immigrants have opposed these efforts by throwing the kitchen sink at us. Among the many tactics they've used--protests, picketing, recall campaign, etc.they've brought to bear against Sheriff Arpaio and me was a federal lawsuit they filed. They asked a federal judge to prohibit us from arresting and prosecuting these individuals. The Somos America Coalition of Arizona led this legal battle, along with the usual assortment of activists and politicians. The case has been pending since the fall of 2006.

On January 13, 2009, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Broomfield dismissed the lawsuit in its entirety. Judge Broomfield found the plaintiffs lacked the legal right to shut down these cases in state court.

This ruling sends an important message that local government has the will and the legal means to address the illegal immigration problem in a manner harmonious and consistent with federal law. I call on prosecutors elsewhere in Arizona to review this ruling and give serious consideration to following our lead.

Sheriff Arpaio had this to say about the ruling: "We have made over 1200 felony arrests by arresting the smugglers and their co conspirators since 2006. Since that time, I have taken so much criticism from politicians and open borders activists who say all my deputies do is arrest landscapers and dishwashers. I continue to be puzzled why this office remains the only law enforcement agency in Arizona to enforce all aspects of the human smuggling law and County Attorney Thomas is the only prosecutor who prosecutes them. Despite the vicious comments made by some elected officials and activists, I will continue to enforce this law and other immigration laws."

Well said, Joe.


Read more articles on illegal immigration at Illegal Immigration Journal

Goldwater Institute: Gaylord deal begs the question, do cities ever learn?

by Clint Bolick

In the face of a plummeting economy, huge budget deficits, and massive layoffs, the City of Mesa has decided to give more than $80 million in subsidies to two developers to build a luxury hotel, resort, and convention center at the Mesa Proving Grounds.

give moneyThe scheme is nothing if not complicated. A developer, Gaylord Entertainment, owns the land, which it will sell to the city for $10, then lease it back for $5,000 per year, but then can buy it again for $5,000. But the core of the agreement is a rebate of the City's 3 percent bed tax to the developers and a nonprofit group for purposes of advertising and promotion-totaling as much as $83.3 million.

The project's backers are scrambling to distinguish the deal from the CityNorth subsidy that was struck down last month by the Arizona Court of Appeals as a violation of the Gift Clause of the state constitution. One difference is that the Gaylord deal involves a bed tax, not a sales tax. Umm, try again. Okay, the developers will use the revenues for the same purposes that the City would, namely tourism. But I can't think of a business that wouldn't consider a tax rebate to advertise itself to be a wonderful gift.

Ultimately, the money ends up in the developer's pocket to further its commercial interests, which was the linchpin of the CityNorth decision. Nor can referral of the issue to a popular vote cleanse the deal of its constitutional sins.

Mesa is no stranger to failed economic development schemes. The Waveyard amusement park, which Mesa convinced voters to approve, is languishing. Ten years ago, Mesa used its power of eminent domain to bulldoze an entire neighborhood to make way for a resort--apparently proposed by the same Gaylord Entertainment--that was never built because the developer couldn't find financing.

When a commercial project is not viable without a subsidy, the market is speaking. Will Mesa listen?

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

Kudos to Rep. Crump for sponsoring a bill to ban speed cameras

The main sponsor, Republican Rep. Sam Crump of Anthem, said speed cameras are annoying, unfair, intrusive and even dangerous because of backups as motorists abruptly slow down near cameras.

"It's the No. 1 thing I'm hearing from constituents as well as people outside my district," Crump said Wednesday.

Gov. Janet Napolitano, who initially proposed Arizona's program in January 2007, has said the cameras are intended to improve highway safety, but Crump said it's apparent the real motivation is ticket revenue.

Read the entire article

For the first time in modern history, Phoenix losing people

This is no doubt due to the crackdown on illegal immigration led by Sheriff Arpaio, County Attorney Andrew Thomas, Senator Russell Pearce, and others. Less illegal immigrants are trying to sneak into Arizona, afraid of the consequences and realizing there are fewer jobs available.

Homicides fall in Valley

Clearly the tough on crime approach of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas, which includes cracking down on illegal immigration and the crime associated with it, is working.

Support the Alliance Defense Fund in 2009

Your support is crucial to confronting the legal challenges 2009 brings.


Did you know that, when you give financially to the Alliance Defense Fund, that money goes straight to our case load? It does not pay our mortgage. (The building that houses our headquarters in Arizona is paid in full.) It does not pay interest on borrowed funds. It does not pay for bailouts or golden parachutes.

Your donation pays for tomorrow.
Not yesterday.

Sure, we've had to cut back and pinch our pennies during these tough economic times. God, through His divine providence, provided ADF with wise men as our founders, one of whom was Larry Burkett. Mr. Burkett was the founder of Christian Financial Concepts - now known as Crown Financial Ministries. Although he went to be with the Lord more than five years ago, his strict financial guidelines are still followed by our ministry today.

That wisdom includes making sure we can pay for a case before we take it. That means we're saying "No" more than "Yes," but this approach ensures our financial stability.

Your commitment of prayer and financial support helped us get to where we are. And we thank you for that! Renew that commitment today and learn more about the specific challenges we will face together in 2009.

Learn more by visiting
Donate now by visiting


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

Inside the Issues with Alan Sears

In Ohio, a Victory for Speech and Life - January 13, 2009
It's becoming a legal reality in many parts of the U.S. that, to win a fight for life, you must first win a fight for free speech.


Rough Road for the Gospel - January 6, 2009


Charity Begins In Iowa - December 30, 2008

AZ Right to Life: Will it be cold?

Will it be cold?

Yes.

Will it be dark?

Yes.

Will there be traffic?

Yes.

Will it be a sacrifice?

Yes.

On January 22, 2009, will you battle the cold, the darkness, and the traffic to sacrifice by uniting for LIFE to be a voice for those who have been silenced by their death?

Each year in the U.S. 1.29 million unborn babies' lives are sacrificed in the name of CHOICE. January 22, 2009 marks 36 years since the dreaded Roe vs. Wade decision. Every year, thousands of people around this country sacrifice the cold, the darkness and the traffic to unite for life and be a voice for those who have been silenced by their death. Join us on Thursday, January 22, 2009 in Arizona as we take a visible stand on the front lines of Planned Parenthood and on the campus of Arizona State University where young women are seeking abortions everyday.

Here are the details for the 2009 Arizona March and Rally for Life:

Thursday, January 22, 2009

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - March and pray on the front lines of Planned Parenthood abortion facility (Map).

6:00 p.m. -Walk, ride the rail or park at Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Map) and take the FREE bus to and from the rally at Arizona State University. Details about transportation and parking can be found at AZLifeRally.com.

6:15 p.m. - Gather at Arizona State University's Hayden Lawn for a pro-life concert with rapper Vocab Malone and Christian music artist Justin Unger.

7:00 p.m. - Rally for Life on ASU's Hayden Lawn.

This is also Arizona's Largest Diaper Drive. Donations of disposable diapers, baby wipes, and formula will be gratefully accepted. For more information or for early drop off locations visit www.azliferally.com or call 602-285-0063 .

Related Events: For information about the Three Nights in Tempe events go to www.AZLifeRally.com.

Please spread the word to others willing to make the sacrifice.

Goldwater Institute: The fix for HOAs won't come from government

By Nick Dranias

The Arizona Republic recently reported that developer abandonment threatens bankruptcy for "as many as 200 of the more than 10,000" Arizona homeowner's association communities. If there is an HOA bubble that is about to burst, it was created by government mandates and subsidies, so the best reform option is to stop those policies, not throttle contractually-created communities with more regulation.

Az HouseTucked in the middle of the Republic's article is a fleeting mention of how towns like Gilbert force developers to create HOA communities for new developments by conditioning required permitting and approvals on HOA creation. But local HOA mandates aren't the only governmental intervention. For decades, the Federal Housing Administration has indirectly subsidized the creation of HOAs by giving buyers easier access to mortgage financing when buying into an HOA community.

Government policies have caused developers to oversupply HOAs to meet artificial demand for HOA communities. When HOAs are created to satiate government bureaucrats, rather than homeowners, it shouldn't be surprising that many HOA communities are neither well-crafted nor homeowner-friendly. But, the solution to the HOA problem is not more government intervention. It is less. The first step is for government to stop mandating and subsidizing the creation of HOAs.

Nick Dranias holds the Goldwater Institute Clarence J. and Katherine P. Duncan chair for constitutional government and is the director of the Institute's Dorothy D. and Joseph A. Moller Center for Constitutional Government.

Goldwater Institute: Will NCLB undermine education success stories?

By Matthew Ladner, Ph.D.



Coinciding with the seventh anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act, the Heritage Foundation released a study I co-authored with senior policy analyst Dan Lips making the case that real education reform needs to come up from the states, rather than down from the federal government. The study focuses on the success of Florida's reforms and notes that NCLB actually threatens Florida's continued success.

Lips and I found that nationally progress on NAEP has been about the same before and after NCLB despite a huge increase in federal funding. Ironically, the utopian meddling of NCLB requiring states to achieve 100 percent "proficiency" by 2014 will undermine successful reform efforts like Florida's by incentivizing the dummying down of their state exam, the FCAT. It would be a shame if President Bush's over-reaching undermined his brother's spectacular success, which is likely to happen unless Congress alters NCLB.

Notice on the map below that not only is Arizona's average decisively outscored by Florida's Hispanics, but also by West Virginia, the state most closely associated with Appalachian poverty. We've got our work cut out for us, but improvement in student learning is not only necessary it's achievable.
Dr. Matthew Ladner is vice president for research at the Goldwater Institute.

Anti-Tax Group Releases Guide To 2009 Legislative Scorecard, Arizona Reform Plan

AFP-Arizona Emphasizes Spending Reductions, Private-sector Alternatives

PHOENIX—In a memo delivered late last week to the Arizona Legislature and to Gov. Jan Brewer’s transition team, the Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP) outlined how elements of its ten-point Reform Arizona Plan will be scored on AFP Arizona’s 2009 Legislative Scorecard. The Reform Arizona Plan aims to bring the state’s massive budget deficit under control and to put Arizona onto a path of strong economic growth.

Budget votes are a large part of AFP Arizona’s scorecards, which measure bills based on their annual dollar impact to taxpayers, producers, and consumers. But with the state facing the most severe fiscal crisis in its history, over half the points on the Scorecard will measure the success of the Legislature and the Governor in reducing general fund spending—without resorting to tax increases, accounting gimmicks, unconstitutional debt, or federal handouts.

“For the last six years, Arizona government has spent money at unrealistic rates, and it is now time to get back to reality,” said AFP Arizona Director Tom Jenney. “We must not force taxpayers to pay for the government’s recent spending binge.”

Weighing second in the Scorecard is a referendum bill that would reduce the spending limit in the state Constitution from 7 percent to 6.4 percent of state personal income, with a taxpayer standing clause for judicial enforcement, and a provision for the immediate refund of excess monies to taxpayers. The proposed limit is not as stringent as the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (which is based on population-plus-inflation), but is designed to keep the state government from growing faster than the private economy, thereby preventing massive future budget deficits.

“Now more than ever, Arizona lawmakers need to propose legislation that would save the state money by using private-sector alternatives to replace functions currently managed by government bureaucracies,” said Jenney.

To read the complete scorecard visit: http://www.americansforprosperity.org/files/afpazscorecardmemo010809.pdf

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

Goldwater Institute: Alternative certification= more minority teachers + larger learning gains

By Matthew Ladner, Ph.D.

A couple of weeks ago I examined evidence showing that teacher certification does almost nothing to ensure student learning gains. Today, let's look at evidence from the Director of the Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance (PEPG) Paul Peterson and research associate Daniel Nadler's new Education Next piece on certification. Peterson and Nadler ask: What happens when you have genuine alternative certification? Answer: An increase in minority teachers and larger student learning gains.

Peterson and Nadler show that the 21 states that have implemented more than symbolic alternative teacher certification have made larger than average gains on NAEP. Arizona falls into the category of having symbolic alternative certification that still requires would-be teachers to take (apparently worthless for improving student learning) college classes in education in order to teach.

Peterson and Nadler also show evidence that states with genuine alternative certification routes have succeeded in hiring more African Americans and Hispanics and getting them into the classroom.

Once again, a comparison between Florida and Arizona is instructive. Florida is a leader in alternative certification, getting half of their new teachers through alternative routes. Florida clobbers Arizona in the student learning gains department. They also do so with a teacher workforce much more representative of the ethnic diversity of their adult population as illustrated in figure 2.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'll have what Florida's having.

Dr. Matthew Ladner is vice president of research at the Goldwater Institute.

The Defender update

In This Update

Justice for All Tucson Training

My Upcoming Drama Performance

You Can Put Me Over The Top

Are questions more powerful than answers? On Wednesday, January 7th ten of our JFA staff and volunteers trained over 70 students from Pusch Ridge Christian Academy in the art of "making abortion unthinkable." The students split into groups of eight and practiced having mock dialogues with JFA staff acting as pro-choice advocates during a five hour seminar. The students quickly caught on that asking good questions creates moments to witness and change hearts. For example, when I told students I was "personally opposed to abortion but still wanted it to be legal," Luke, a sophomore, brilliantly asked me, "So, why are you personally opposed to abortion? If abortion is just a surgery then it's no big deal. But if you don't like it because it kills a human being, then why should it be legal?" Instead of name-calling or emotional outbursts, students like Luke are learning to be gracious pro-life ambassadors. Please pray for their continual spiritual development because they will join us to present the pro-life message to college students at the University of Arizona this February.

Pray for Drama (The Good Kind!) On Friday, January 23rd at 7:00pm hundreds of pro-lifers will gather at the ASU Newman Center for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix's annual Pro-life Youth Rally. However, unlike pro-life rallies in the past (pictured left), I will be adding a new element to this year's rally as I model for the attendees how to have compassionate dialogues about abortion with those who are pro-choice. Attendees will take part in this interactive pro-life drama that combines praise and worship, multimedia, an address from Bishop Olmsted, and a Eucharistic procession up "A" mountain. Please pray that our performance motivates everyone in attendance to have compassionate conversations that soften people's hearts towards choosing life. For more information email Mike Phelan at the Diocese of Phoenix at mcphelan@diocesephoenix.org

You can put me over the top! As of this mailing I have raised 61% of the financial support I need to join Justice for All as a full time staff member this spring. I will now be working part time for JFA to prepare our exhibits at the ASU and UofA campuses in February. I am so excited to begin this ministry and ask that you keep me in your prayers during this time of transition. I also ask that you prayerfully consider joining my support team if you have not already done so. A contribution of $10 or $25 each month will greatly accelerate my support raising goals and can be made online by clicking here. Thank you all for the sacrifices you have made in these hard economic times. The sad fact is that 75% of abortions are obtained for economic reasons. So while some people joke that "the economy is killing them right now," in reality the economy really is killing some people (i.e. the ones who aren't born yet). But your sacrifices are helping to insure that the cost of saving a human life can never be measured with a price tag.

Along with my pro-life mission, I also ask that you keep my friends at Maggie's Place in your prayers. Maggie's Place is a house of hospitality that provides room and board for homeless and low-income pregnant women. While Justice for All works to make abortion unthinkable, organizations like Maggie's Place are equally important because they work to make it unnecessary. Unfortunately, Maggie's Place recently experienced a fire at one of their homes and while no one was injured, it will take time to clean up and restore the house. Please call 602-262-5555 or email mpeterson@maggiesplace.org if you want to help in any way.

Sincerely, Trent Horn Justice For All To learn more about me, Justice for All, and our work to train thousands to make abortion unthinkable for millions, click here. Upcoming Events Saturday, January 31st 9:00am - 2:30pm JFA Pro-life Training at ASU Ventana Ballroom Room 241C. To register call 800.281.6426 Sunday, February 1st 12:00pm - 5:30pm JFA Pro-life Training at the University of Arizona. To register call 800.281.6426 February 2nd-3rd: The Justice for All exhibit will be hosted at the University of Arizona February 4th-5th: The Justice for All exhibit will be hosted at Arizona State University Favorite Scripture Verse of the Month "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool." (Isaiah 1:18 NASB) Your Support Saves Lives Your support saves the lives of children like Nicholas (pictured above). To read about how our exhibit made a BIG impact on Nicholas' mom, click here. To support my Justice for All mission work with a tax-deductible gift, click here.

Goldwater Institute: Will civil libertarians defend the secret ballot?

by Clint Bolick

“[W]e feel that the secret ballot is absolutely necessary in order to ensure that workers are not intimidated into voting for a union they might not otherwise choose.” So wrote Rep. George Miller (D-CA) and 15 colleagues in a 2001 letter to the Mexican government.

Why then is Miller sponsoring legislation now—the Orwellian-named “Employee Free Choice Act”—that would eliminate the secret ballot for authorizing union representation in this country?

Under the “card-check” system, a union is recognized if a certain percentage of employees sign cards designating a union. In contrast to the privacy of the secret ballot, a card-check system invites intimidation. That is why Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for Secretary of Labor, protested the lack of a secret ballot in leadership elections for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in 2007. Yet, she too now backs the card-check system.

No less a champion of unions than former Senator George McGovern has proclaimed that it’s “hard to believe that any politicians would agree to denying millions of employees the right to a private vote.”

It’s understandable that unions, which have hemorrhaged millions of members, would prefer coercion to private choice. But where will groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and People for the American Way come down? After all, few things are more central to the American way than voting by secret ballot.

I have helped draft a proposed amendment to state constitutions, including Arizona’s, that would protect the right to secret ballot. Will civil libertarians join me in championing it?

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

New Report Raises Serious Questions About Napolitano Pay Off for Public Employee Union Contributions

"Governor Napolitano's 'meet and confer' executive order is nothing more than a quid pro quo to the unions for their generous campaign contributions to the Democrat party during her administration."-Nathan Nascimento, Executive Director of Arizonans In Action.


Phoenix, AZ - Arizonans In Action (AIA) Executive Director Nathan Nascimento today released a 10-year summary of public employee union contributions to the Arizona Democrat Party showing that union contributions rose from under $75,000 to more than $1 million over the past decade, with most of the increase coming after Governor Janet Napolitano took office.

"Governor Napolitano's 'meet and confer' executive order is nothing more than a quid pro quo to the unions for their generous campaign contributions to the Democrat party during her administration," said Nathan Nascimento, Executive Director of Arizonans In Action. "It is as clear a case of influence peddling as the state of Arizona has ever witnessed, at the very highest levels of government."

Arizonans In Action discovered in their research that political contributions from AFSCME and SEIU were virtually nonexistent to the Arizona Democrat Party from 1998 through 2000. Then in 2002, AFSCME began making more substantive political contributions to the Democrat party for a total of $74,500. The political contributions and in kind donations have steadily increased since that time. In the past 10 years, AFSCME and SEIU have contributed over $1 million in political contributions and in kind donations with most of those dollars coming in the past three election cycles and during the Napolitano administration.

The full data for this research can be found at http://arizonansinaction.com/Files/AIA PR Union Contributions Chart.pdf

"Governor Napolitano believes that she can, in the remaining moments of her administration, payback the union bosses' by expediting the process of union organizing in state agencies through executive order," said Nascimento.

"If the people of Arizona do not stand up, the Governor may well get away with it," Nascimento added.


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Arizonans In Action is a 501c4 organization focused on the principles of limited government, protecting private property rights, government accountability and transparency, and true education reform.