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Nobel Solutions – Tapping Local Expertise

March 5, 2009 By 14 Comments

Dr. Edward C. Prescott

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 5, 2009

Nobel Prize-winning economist says a tax increase is a “mistake”

(STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX) – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Gray, R-Mesa, is vehemently opposed to Gov. Brewer’s tax increase proposal and has the support of a Nobel-Prize winning economist who offered to meet with senators to come up with real solutions.

“I’m not voting for any taxes, and I don’t think that any of the caucus members or the majority of the Republicans are going to vote for new taxes,” Gray said.

Gray discussed the proposal with Dr. Edward C. Prescott, an Arizona State University Regents’ professor and Nobel Laureate in economics who agreed that a tax increase would be detrimental to Arizona’s economy.

“If you like depressions, it’s a good thing,” Prescott said. “Brewer is making a big mistake if she increases taxes….we need to do what is best for the people of Arizona.”

Prescott agreed to meet with Senate members to share his knowledge and develop real solutions to rectify Arizona’s economic problem.

Responding to the governor’s comments that once the Legislature saw ‘factual information’ they couldn’t be in denial any longer, Gray said, “I want to know where she is getting her facts. Senate Republicans know that tax increases are bad for the economy; that is our fact.”

Filed Under: Economics, State Budget, State Government

Dawn of the Voting Dead

March 5, 2009 By 6 Comments

The Voting Dead

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 5, 2009

Harper works with secretary of state to remove deceased from voting rolls
Records to be updated without legislation

(STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX) – In an effort to increase accuracy and avoid the liability of fraudulent voting, Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, has worked successfully with the Secretary of State’s Office to remove the deceased from voting rolls.

“From dead people on the rolls to dead-on accuracy on elections, I am pleased that the secretary of state has partnered with me on this reform,” Harper said.

Harper met with Sec. of State Ken Bennett to talk about SB1109 and was able to accomplish the bill’s provisions without legislation.

In a letter to Sen. Harper, Secretary Bennett said his office should be able to expand the existing web-based campaign finance reporting system to allow committees to report deceased voters. His office will present this to the Voter Registration Arizona (VRAZ) County Advisory Committee so it can become an adopted practice. The group meets in two weeks.

According to the Secretary of State’s Office, the current mechanism to remove the recently deceased is an automatic process through a statewide database that receives information from the state department of health. If the information does not clearly match to a voter, the county sends the voter’s household a letter asking for confirmation of the voter’s signature. Before the death notice mechanism was in place, the county recorder relied on family members to make the initial contact. If the person died in a state or county other than where they were registered to vote, there was no mechanism to report electronically.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, State Government, Voter Registration

Taxpayer Group Blasts Gov. Brewer’s Proposed Tax Increase

March 5, 2009 By 6 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MARCH 5, 2009

Taxpayer Group Blasts Gov. Brewer’s Proposed Tax Increase

AFP Arizona: Billion-dollar tax hike would hurt families and businesses

PHOENIX – The Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP Arizona) today criticized Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal to raise state taxes by a billion dollars, saying that a recession is the worst time to take more money away from struggling families and businesses.

“What Arizona really needs right now is firm leadership in the mold of Margaret Thatcher,” said AFP Arizona director Tom Jenney. “That is not what Gov. Brewer gave us yesterday.”

In response to Brewer’s invocation of Ronald Reagan’s 1967 decision to raise taxes, when he was governor of California, Jenney responded, “Reagan didn’t raise taxes during a recession. Herbert Hoover did that. So did George H.W. Bush.”

In her speech yesterday before a special joint session of the Legislature, Brewer proposed that the Legislature send two referenda to voters in a special election. One would be the billion-dollar tax increase. The other, which AFP Arizona supports, would allow the Legislature to make reductions to voter-mandated spending programs.

Because of single-subject rules, the two proposals would have to go to the ballot separately. The state’s spending lobbies, which stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars if voter-mandated spending is reformed, will likely spend millions of dollars on advertising campaigns to pass the tax increase and to defeat the spending reform.

“We pledge to mobilize our grassroots army to fight the tax increase,” said AFP Arizona chairman Chad Kirkpatrick. “But the state could very easily end up with a gigantic tax increase, and no reforms of voter-protected spending.”

AFP Arizona also called the Governor’s plan for $1 billion in spending cuts “not nearly enough,” and recommended that she and Legislature start with the FY2010 options budget submitted January 15 by the legislative appropriations chairmen. That budget plan called for $2.2 billion in spending reductions.

“If the Legislature starts by trying to cut $1 billion, we will be lucky to end up with $500 million in actual reductions,” said Kirkpatrick. “They should start with $2.2 billion, and fight hard to keep that from getting whittled down by the spending lobbies and special interests.”

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

Filed Under: Press Release, State Budget, State Government, Taxation

Arizona’s Felix and Oscar

March 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 5, 2009

Arizona’s Felix and Oscar – Local Televangelist and Major Food Bank Operator Hires Former County Attorney Rick Romley

PARADISE VALLEY, ARIZONA. – March 5, 2009 – It’s an odd pairing, like Felix and Oscar. Or Lyle Lovett and Julia Roberts. Don Stewart and Rick Romley are now working side-by-side.

Stewart is a 69-year old televangelist, born in Jerome, AZ, who now lives in Paradise Valley. Romley is a Vietnam War hero who served for sixteen years as the Maricopa County Attorney.

The charitable arm of Stewart’s ministry, Feed My People Children’s Charities, owns two of the largest food banks in Arizona: Northern Arizona Food Bank in Flagstaff and Borderland Food Bank in Nogales. Stewart founded Northern Arizona Food Bank in 1987 to help better serve Native American communities. Borderland was acquired just two years ago after it nearly went out of business.

Locally in the Arizona Republic and nationally in the New York Times the extreme importance of food banks in the current economic climate have recently been highlighted.

“Televangelists may be right behind lawyers and Wall Street CEOs when it comes to public regard. People always seem to want to investigate, question or follow what we do. The recent news around Ted Haggard certainly didn’t help matters. For all these reasons we have taken the unusual step of recently hiring a man of impeccable integrity and law enforcement credentials to serve as an independent consultant to our operations,” Stewart said.

“I am grateful to Mr. Romley for taking on the assignment because I think it is a continuation of his public service which I have long admired as an Arizona resident. We feel very privileged to have his independent counsel and thought it was important for this ministry to communicate it because of the important message it sends to the public and religious community,” Stewart said.
Romley said he has been asked by the ministry, its food bank operations and other charitable endeavors to review policies and procedures.

“Any business or charitable endeavor can improve its operations. In this case where I can help improve
or ratify various activities I think it will ultimately provide an important public service that this televangelist is taking extraordinary steps to do the right thing. On a national level it would be like Joel Osteen hiring Rudy Giuliani,” Romley said.

Raised in Jerome, Arizona Stewart’s Christian Bible teachings have taken him across the world with revivals in 89 different countries.

The group’s food bank efforts have been applauded by local sheriffs, supervisors and community leaders in both southern and northern Arizona.

Besides the food banks in Arizona, Feed My People Children’s Charities conducts many national and international operations, including rescuing produce at the Mexican border for distribution around the U.S. and operating more than two dozen feeding centers and child care facilities in the Philippines.

To schedule interviews or for more information please contact Jason Rose or Jim Sharpe.

Filed Under: Food, Press Release

AZGOP Backs Brewer Budget Reform

March 5, 2009 By 3 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 5, 2009

AZGOP Backs Brewer Budget Reform

Phoenix, AZ – Randy Pullen, chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, today expressed his support and that of the Arizona Republican Party of Governor Jan Brewer’s long term spending reform package. Commenting on the Governor’s address, Pullen said: “Years of excess spending and government growth have led to a structural budget deficit amounting to the tune of over $13 billion.”

“Governor Brewer showed real leadership today as she painted an accurate and truthful picture of the budget challenges in Arizona,” said Pullen. “This crisis is the legacy of Janet Napolitano. The days of runaway spending and big government are over here in Arizona, as are the days of rainbow revenue projections. As Governor Brewer stated ‘…we cannot afford the size of government we now have…’”

Pullen continued, “Governor Brewer has outlined a balanced proposal to solve this economic crisis. Real spending cuts and elimination of accounting gimmicks can and will restore fiscal sanity to Arizona. Her message emphasizes tough and permanent cuts of $1 billion per year to current and future spending as well as cutting Proposition 105 programs that have caused excessive spending growth that were never the intention of Arizona voters.

“Even a billion dollars of spending cuts and a billion dollars of federal stimulus money a year over the next three years may not provide for a stable and balanced budget. Governor Brewer has called for a public vote on temporary tax increases, if necessary, to bridge the gap, but only after all other avenues of budget reductions have been exhausted.”

Governor Brewer further called for tax reduction that will begin in 2012 as part reform of a reform and modernization of Arizona’s tax structure. “We need a tax structure that promotes job growth, job sustainability, investment, and revenue stability,” said Governor Brewer in her joint legislative address.

“The Governor’s balanced, thoughtful approach shows that she transcends partisan politics and is willing to roll-up her sleeves and go to work for the families of Arizona. The Arizona Republican Party stands ready to work with Governor Brewer and Republican legislative leadership on thoughtful, creative solutions to our fiscal challenges and innovative constitutional reforms that will reduce government spending.”

Filed Under: Spending, State Budget, State Government, Taxation