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Education Propaganda Coming to an Inbox Near You

April 26, 2009 By 7 Comments

By Gayle Plato

 Nothing makes conservatives seem more like big green meanies than strong stands against spending, or better yet, proposing CUTS in educational spending.  About two weeks ago, I received a nice e-mail sent to the class parents’ group, from the homeroom parent, pleading with us all to attend the school board meeting regarding teacher cuts and budget information.  The message was an open push for parents to take a political stand.  I knew it was written by the PTO, and I felt their pain. 

 Parents are truly worried about changes coming to the schools. Class size and aide time are such big deals for most moms on the waiting wall at pick up time.  Yet, I know as a teacher, a great educator can manage and teach 30 kids during a wild moment, while a crummy teacher can’t handle 12 kids when all are angels.   I know that class spending is one of the biggest misnomers in the history of taxation. 

 I received great information via Facebook (Thanks friends of Thayer :-) , and I am including it here.  The Arizona Department of Education recently released this information. Here are some interesting facts taken from AZ Dept. of Education report: 

  • ADM went from 859,023 in 2004 to 951,117 in 2008 a 10.7% increase. 
  • Number of Administrators went from 2,804 in 2004 to 3,305 in 2008 a 17.9% increase. 
  • Number of Classified Managers went from 2,374 in 2004 to 3,030 in 2008 a 27.6% increase. 
  • Number of Teachers went from 47,396 in 2004 to 53,883 in 2008 a 13.7% increase.  
  • Average Teacher salary went from $42,324 in 2004 to $49,331 in 2008 a 16.5% increase. 
  • Superintendents salaries went from $12,837,427 in 2004 to $19,188,361 in 2008 a 49.5% increase.  
  • Total state aid went from $3,179,994,562 in 2004 to $4,453,747,156 in 2008 a 40% increase. 

(UPDATE: References-1- http://azed.gov/AnnualReport/AnnualReport2008/
Go to volume two. Go to state report on page 268. Will say State Report at the top of page.
2-http://azed.gov/AnnualReport/AnnualReport2004/
Go to detailed district totals. Go to last page. Will say State Report at the top of page.)

 The erroneous representation is always that dollars go right to the classes.  Keep a heads up for politically driven calls for protest sent to you as parents.  I encourage all to use some of this data supplied and feel free to model a response.  You should not face propaganda from the school volunteers nor officials regarding cuts via e-mails given to the school for parent contact.  I also know that there are many really good educators making little money.  I’m one of them, but we cannot lie to each other about what has happened with over-spending and now a reality check of cuts in lean times. I submit to you a portion of my response to the e-mail for the inappropriate call to action by parents:

 

Mrs. __ and Parents,

 I appreciate your sentiments and the fiscal strife we all are facing.  It is a reality of the recession.  All schools, local, state, and federal budgets are being forced to cut.  We are all dealing with it every day, and I have been writing about this for months.

As a teacher and educator myself, facing no prospects next year for my planned re-entry into education, I personally feel this. Yet, I cannot attend a meeting that ends up being a protest against the cuts.  I feel they are necessary.  We spend too much time blaming each other for the reality but the fact is that no one is getting out of this unscathed.  No public nor private business can ignore this fiscal reality.

 Since this e-mail is pointedly a political call to action, I felt comfortable in returning the favor.  Tomorrow is tax day, and I will be speaking at the Tea Party being held at 5:30 pm on the Senate Lawn.  I am vehemently against the taxation but also the unrealistic views.  No one wants to step up and face this crisis. I encourage all to attend the Tea Party.

 I applaud your desire to organize and rally behind good people.  I truly do. 

But this request goes against my values and my principles.  Mrs. ___ is a personal friend; we worked together at ____. She knows I value this school and staff immensely.  But this economic downturn is not going to disappear just because we want it to go.

 Thank you for your request, and please take mine in the same vein.  We are all activating our values.  If we open school e-mail contacts to political promotion, then we also realize there is a balance to that viewpoint.

 

Filed Under: Education, Family, Spending, State Budget, Taxation

Secure the Border NOW!

April 26, 2009 By 7 Comments

If ever there was a time to secure the border, THIS would be that time.

While the Obama Administration is scrambling to come up with a response, Governor Brewer has the obligation to protect the citizens of Arizona from what is quickly becoming a pandemic situation with the Mexican-borne swine flu.

We would call on the governor to increase border security, and make preparations for travel restrictions into the State of Arizona.

 According to the latest statement issued by the World Health Organization, “It is “quite possible” that the swine flu virus that has killed dozens in Mexico will mutate into a “more dangerous” strain, a senior World Health Organization official said Sunday.”

The Center for Disease Control website has also dedicated information regarding the epidemic. Within the last 48 hours, the flu has spread from eight people to 20 and being identified in two states to now five.

To date, there has been no statements issued by Governor Brewer.  However, the Arizona Department of Health Services has issed the following press release but even their information is not up to date.

ADHS News Release:

Release: No Swine Flu in Arizona
Release Date: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 24, 2009

Contact: Contact: Laura Oxley, ADHS Public Information: (602) 542-1094
Contact: Janey Pearl, ADHS Public Information: (602) 364-1201

A swine flu that has never been seen in humans before has been diagnosed in the U.S. and Mexico. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has documented 8 cases in California and Texas; the same virus has also been detected in central Mexico. The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) has not seen the virus, but is monitoring the situation. The state laboratory is prepared for testing influenza samples from across the state.

“Influenza is a constantly evolving virus. We’ve been watching for something like this for years,” said Dr. Karen Lewis, Medical Director for the state’s Immunization Program. “The important part of the equation is identifying a new virus. Then we can diagnose and treat those who have it.” ADHS is in contact with doctors, medical facilities and our local health partners to make sure they are aware of the symptoms, as well as when to do additional testing.

The symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of regular influenza: high fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches – some cases have nausea and diarrhea. Treatment of the swine flu is the same as influenza: stay in bed, rest and drink plenty of fluids. If you are concerned about your symptoms, contact your primary care doctor.

Every person can protect themselves from swine flu and other illnesses by practicing good hygiene. Wash your hands thoroughly and try to limit contact with people who are sick. If you are sick, stay home.

ADHS will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed on our website at www.azdhs.gov/phs/oids/epi/flu and at 800-314-9243. Or you can visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/index.htm.

Filed Under: Border, National Security, States Rights

Her Secret is Patience: Our Costs are Rising out of the Ashes

April 25, 2009 By 10 Comments

by Gayle Plato
Phoenix rising from the ashes, an image we all know in this town. She is reborn after devastating challenges and rises again, eternal. In spite of bad times and economic downturns, we can depend on our warrior spirit to smartly retreat. Lean down the government costs and funnel any revenue to the most important programs, helping the needy among us. Help schools function, hospitals heal, and citizens be safe from crime. Face the burn of caustic fiscal devastation; Phoenix can rise again from the ashes.

Unless, the Phoenix City Council and a few other supporting municipalities, see everything through the windows of the light rail ride, or the netting of the stimulating jellyfish. Phoenicians make art without honoring the logic and science of the numbers. We are at prime Mayor, and the Fibonacci numbers of this golden strand of reality are on the wall like a gang tag.

I propose the City of Phoenix go back to the drawing board; in light of the severe recession. We need a referendum, City Council to rescind funding the superfluous, and crack the books to scale back. Turn off the light rail today and funnel any of that money including stimulus dollars into buses. It is a Crazy Train of debt, with future growth questionable at best. We need to take every extra dime and focus on the infrastructure that really matters. Finally, we need to demand a change of spending practices; a panel of citizens and politicians must start to oversee all spending of tax dollars. Billions are spent with very little accountability and only a few politicians in charge, and that is a waiting disaster. No Parent Teacher Organization could get away with doing that from a candy bar fund raiser.

I also ask that the 2.4 million dollar expense of the ‘art’, called, Her Secret is Patience, be scrapped if it costs one dime more. With a name only Ralph Waldo Emerson could love; she sounds more like horse running in the fifth and looks more like( I’m sorry but really) a glow-in-the-dark condom. Yet this art is a tad better than the horrifically ugly library near me, Desert Broom- the Big Rusted Tin Roof, or the infamous broken pots on the 51, a.k.a. Piestewa Pottery Barn. At least I can check out a book at the library and get in and out of town on the freeway.

It’s funny, but in truth, there are people who work for the city, getting fired this year while we pay for poorly installed art and light rails to a pancake house. There are thousands of children who could benefit from really good programming not happening or being cut, as we see money funnel into broken toilet bowls and multi-million dollar prophylactics. Let alone the stimulus redistribution of our hard earned wealth. No one is immune from this spending disease.

If my business slumps and I fall behind, I have to face reality. I do not go on spending, and if need be, I make drastic cuts. Anything not necessary is gone, and certain behaviors of business-as-usual discontinued. Families in this Valley are cutting to the bare bone, trying to pay for upside down mortgages, or worrying about rent paid to landlords in foreclosure. None of us wants to see completely irrelevant art, useless transportation, nor wasted future spending on upkeep and improvement. What are many businesses doing? Closing up shop on half of their locations. Schools and hospitals, day care centers, and local parks are shutting down. Yet, we can all ride the rail around if we lose our houses or cars I guess.

According to Valley Metro numbers, the light rail has exceeded expectations, with 34, 000 people per day ridership. Okay, let’s round that up to 35K. That means, if I do my math, dividing up the ridership by the overall cost as published of 1.4 billion (with more to come), each rider could have been given $40,000. That will buy a few decent cars. So those of you riding from the IHOP to the Capitol, would you have rather had a new car? Specifically, how about a Pontiac as I hear they are going outta style soon.

Phoenix is not alone in it’s future going out of business sale. But this bird will not be able to rise from the ashes of a fire sale. We cannot wait until the place goes up in flames as the blindfolded local leadership all lay down in ditches. My secret Mayor Gordon, City Council, my secret is not patience, but prudence.

Filed Under: Arts, City Government, Taxation, Transportation

Position Available, good salary and benefits

April 25, 2009 By 3 Comments

ACORN is hiring Organizers in Tucson!

Salary dependent on experience. Full health care, paid vacations and holidays, and pension.  Contact Monica Sandschafer at azacorn@acornmail.net

We work at the local, state, and national levels on issues including housing, racial justice education, jobs and wages, health care, and access to credit.

People of color, women, and bilingual candidates strongly encouraged to apply:

I guess they’re exempt from EEOC laws right?  Seems like the Stimulus money got into somebody’s hands.  I particularly liked the part about “racial justice” with the disclaimer “people of color … strongly encouraged to apply”.

Remind me again why churches can’t discriminate in hiring when they receive public monies but ACORN can?

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Jobs/Labor, Race Relations

From the Prophets Barney Frank and Maxine Waters

April 25, 2009 By 4 Comments

This is a delightful bit of video history in which the powerful minds of Barney and Maxine explain to everyone just how sound Fanny Mae and Freddy Mack are … and that the government should encourage lenders to increase the dreams of home ownership to more deserving people.  *My daughter got one of those loans; no proof of employment, no down-payment, just don’t look at the interest you might pay.  The mortgage guy called it their ‘Don’t ask Don’t tell Loan Program’.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMnSp4qEXNM

Deserving people who it turns out couldn’t afford home ownership in the first place.  Turns out you’re paying the freight for the wisdom of the people in this video who, being sage and wise, chose not to listen when the alarm was being sounded.  Like the Titanic, the band simply kept playing on.

* Fortunately they sold the house at a fire sale price 18 months before the housing crash in Arizona.

Filed Under: Ethics, History, Political Parties

Its a Mad, Mad World … latte anyone?

April 24, 2009 By 14 Comments

The virus: It’s considered a strain of swine flu but also combines genetic material from birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before.  (Minn. StarTribune 4/24/09 2119 h)

TORONTO – Further evidence emerged Friday that there is person-to-person spread of a new flu virus to which many people may have little or no immunity – key ingredients for the development of a flu pandemic.  (Helen Branswell, THE CANADIAN PRESS, 4/24/09 2105h)

As of this evening (Friday) Mexican President Felipe Calderon held an emergency meeting with high level members of his government and Mexico’s top health officials.

Infected persons are contagious for up to seven days from onset or longer if symptoms persist.   The virus is believed to be transmitted through coughing or sneezing.  The US Center for Disease Control is highly concerned over the outbreak in Mexico where as many as 70 people may have already died from the virus.  The CDC however has so far held back on sending advisers or medical observation professionals to the stricken country.

There are reports of the illness coming from Southern California but as of tonight those cases have not been confirmed as the unusual strain of H1N1.  Meanwhile the World Health Organization is monitoring events carefully due to the apparent lack of resistance people have to this unusual strain of the flu virus and its ability to kill.

Meanwhile …

The Army Times first reported it on October 1, 2008 that the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team who’d spent the previous 36 to 60 months deployed in Iraq would be coming home.  But this homecoming would be different; now they would be detailed out as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.

But back at Homeland Security …

Senator John McCain is repeating the claim recently made by Janet Napolitano that the 911 terrorists entered the United States through Canada.  Napolitano however is staying on top of things today apologized to the leadership of the American Legion for the recent report issued by her Department suggesting that Vet’s returning home from Iraq may pose a domestic terrorist threat.

And in the House of Representatives …

H.R. 1913 was approved with Arizona members Mitchell being one of the bill’s Co-Sponsors with Grijalva and Giffords both voting in favor.  In the Senate, John (yes I served in Viet Nam) Kerry vowed to personally insure that H.R. 1913 is approved into law.  But what is H.R. 1913 you ask? It is the  Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, aka the hate crimes law. Written into the law is $5 million dollars annually for grants to local law enforcement agencies to assist them in fighting the crime of hate.  The law however does not protect Christian pastors who teach from the Bible.

Maybe since they’re prohibited from teaching from the Bible, this passage will be forgotten too?

I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague…” Revelation 6:8

Anyway…

For those of you who may be wondering what they can do about this “unusual strain” of virus that humans appear to have very little defense against,  your government has a plan!  Seriously, this is their plan.

Now don’t you feel safer already?  And besides, if you do decide to get upset about these events – the Army is ready to restore your sanity – or at least clean up the bodies.

P.S. this blog is also being classified under the category of ‘Terrorism’ since the virus strain combines Avian, Swine and Human genetic traits that do not appear to have natural origins.  Some of the intel received during the Bush Administration has suggested that some folks overseas (we can’t call them terrorists anymore), have been working on genetic mutation of the flu virus.  What better place from which to release such a virus to reach the US than Mexico City?  Only time will tell if this is an appropriate category to use for these thoughts.

In the meantime, clean up your thinking – its a hate crime you know…

but consider who’s running the country.  Then there’s Chris Simcox to consider.

Update:

The CDC has called a conference call for 2PM ET April 28, 2009  The subject is: Federal Public Health Emergency Law – Implications for State and Local Preparedness and Response. 

This COCA conference call sponsored by the CDC Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency
Response, will offer a comprehensive overview of the principal federal
laws that frame responses to all-hazards public health emergencies.
These laws are directly relevant to federal, state, tribal, local, and
territorial agencies’ emergency preparedness and response efforts.

Filed Under: Culture, Predictions, Religion, Terrorism

Putting Sexual Orientation Right to Bed-Please

April 24, 2009 By 12 Comments

by Gayle Plato

My SA brethren seem overly concerned about sex lately. I just wanted to note that I’m finding the chat off point. Taking this to the truly conservative perspective, I feel discussion of sexual choices does not belong in any public workplace, forum, or societal gathering. That reality is a con game from the left. We are all buying in friends.

As a conservative, I truly feel that the trending to discuss sexuality is a liberal rights movement trick, coming out of the National Organization of Women, and much ado about freedom of choice. This whole thing is about getting it all out there and talked up. If we talk freely, then we must allow choice.

Perez Hilton is a gossip columnist with a foul mouth, and I have no clue why he would ever be invited on any pageant to be a judge. That fact alone adds to my distaste of pageants. I also think this was all basically planned. It’s worked and the lack-luster pageants, losing ratings and interest, just received a ton of free press.

The sexism of the stupid judge, is equal to the sexism of the young women who go through months of training, spray tanning, double-stick tape in unmentionable spots, and lots of question prep to sound like a person with depth.

The girls are accomplished and some fairly intelligent. This is a huge scholarship competition and I truly understand the desire to try out. The adulation is real; and the pull for all girls to be Barbie never ends.

But as a school counselor, seeing lots of pre-teens, and teens, with eating disorders, suicidal over boyfriends or their acceptance, sexually active as early as 4th and 5th grade, and worried that they would be too ugly, I see the sexism promoted as vile an act as the stupid judge pushing his activism.

Miss California deserves credit for standing up for her beliefs. I am saddened though that she paraded a round in a tiny bikini, letting the world judge her body not as an athletic aspect of a wellness campaign, but as a sexual entity. Do not tell me that any of those girls would win a thing if each had all the same skills and beliefs and came out a size 14, wearing a bikini. NEVER. Yet, a size 14 IS the most typical of American women. Regardless if the size is good or bad. For some that would be big, but for others, it would be healthy. Pageants are not about healthy though are they? If they were, then the girls would offer athletic competition in work out clothes, or exhibited skill in an athletic area of expertise.

If the pageants are going to push sex, then do not get all uppity when sex sells. Do you think the pageant didn’t know Perez Hilton would ask a controversial question? Does Anderson Cooper like tea bags?

Good for Miss California, but next time you preach ‘values’, try a competition about brains, fitness, talent, and poise. Until the bikinis verging on pornographic with camera shots from a peeping tom angle are dumped, I am not going to get all hot and bothered about this entire media scam.

As for gay rights, as a true conservative I say this: Keep your bedroom yours and do not involve me. I do not tell you if I am gettin’ some, and frankly, do you really want that broadcasted or even referenced over the Xerox copier or Bunn coffee brew? Why does anyone need to discuss orientation at all? I am oriented to want Clive Owen or Russell Crowe to show up, but I don’t think that really matters to your day now does it?

Provocative talk, push of agenda, and even the fact that one blip of space was wasted about pseudo-wholesome girls or queens with gossip blogs, shows me that the NOW nags got their way and we are sexualizing every day talk.

I am going back to writing of economics, something rambling like usual, and maybe a political topic or two. But you know what, if I type it all in my slinky jammies, I promise not to tell.

Filed Under: Homosexuality, Human Condition, Political Correctness, Privacy

HOMO-FASCISM

April 23, 2009 By 21 Comments

The only thing more intolerant than a Liberal is a gay activist. Our most current example of heterophobic bigotry is provided by the flamboyant Perez Hilton a celebrity judge for the Miss America Pageant. During the question-and-answer portion of the pageant Hilton asked Miss California, Carrie Prejean, the following question: “Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?”

 

To her credit Miss California answered: “….I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman.” Her honest answer probably cost her the crown according to Hilton (imagine a teenage Barney Frank voice): “The way miss California answered her question lost her the crown, without a doubt!”

 

In an interview with Larry King Hilton commented: “I do expect Miss USA to be politically correct….Miss USA should be all inclusive.” How does he square these two comments? Apparently being “all inclusive” does not include those who object to gay marriage.

 

Hilton isn’t the only celebrity with a double standard weighing in on this. Brittany Spears joined Perez Hilton’s “Twitter rally for gay marriage” (I don’t know why, but the words “Twitter rally” and “Perez Hilton” go remarkably well together) saying: “Love is love! People should be able to do whatever makes them happy!” Should people who oppose gay marriage be allowed to do what makes them happy?

 

So, a beauty pageant contestant gives an honest answer to a question put to her by a pageant judge and for that answer she is discriminated against by that judge who openly admits that he did so. Hilton probably thinks that he’s prettier than Miss California (he’d probably rather be a contestant than a judge too) but shouldn’t someone ask him if he violated her civil rights? Would we allow the pageant to discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity? Then why allow it for personal beliefs?

 

Gay activists are thoroughly committed to forcing society to accept their abnormal behaviors. They are willing to disrupting religious services, file law suits, intimidate church attendees, spray paint graffiti on church buildings and tear up pictures of the pope on late-night television shows—the usual things they do when they get angry. They’re intent on forcing their will on the rest of us.

 

We don’t have to look any further than our own state for examples. In 2003 Governor Janet Napolitano signed Executive Order 03-22 (she didn’t think that the voters or their representatives in the legislature could be trusted enough to consult on the matter) directing that no state agency “….shall discriminate in employment solely on the basis of an individual’s sexual orientation…” The purpose of the executive order was to “Affirm the State’s commitment to the elimination of all barriers to employment that artificially restrict hiring, promotion, recruitment, compensation, and tenure on the basis of any status or characteristic that is not directly related to the performance of a job….” (Note to Governor Brewer: could you please rescind this order?)

 

The next time that Napolitano isn’t busy annoying the Canadians maybe she could, in the spirit of her own executive order, ask the DOJ to investigate the pageant and its discriminatory practices.

 

To many of us Carrie Prejean is the winner of the pageant.

Filed Under: Culture, Ethics, Freedom of Speech, Homosexuality, Marriage, Media, Political Correctness

Arizona Prof’s back Janet but miss the mark

April 23, 2009 By 2 Comments

This headline written by Mike Sunnucks at the Phoenix Business Journal caught my eye, “Professors find merit in Homeland Security report.”

According to Sunnucks piece:

Lew Howell, a risk management and economic security professor at Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, said recessions and economic turmoil historically propel U.S. conservative groups.

“Guns are flying out of the places,” said Howell of guns and ammunition sales in Arizona. Gun stores and shooting ranges sometimes are congregation points for anti-government, right-wing advocates, he said.

Howell said such extreme sentiment is more pronounced in states such as Arizona, which has a substantial number of gun owners and a more conservative and libertarian political bent.

OK. I have to agree with Howell. When was the last time you found firearms and ammunition readily available even at Wal-Mart?

The article further cites another professor at ASU:

Sheldon Simon, a political science professor and security expert at Arizona State University, said the unemployment rate is key. “Times of economic crisis can lead to extreme political activity. Studies particularly on right-wing extremism in this country show a correlation between severe economic difficulties and the tendency to scapegoat,” he said.

“So far, however, to my knowledge, there has not yet been significant activity of this kind. But, as unemployment climbs above 10 percent one should be alert for this kind of possibility,” Simon said.

Arizona’s overall unemployment rate currently stands at 7.8%

And while the professors and article primarily bases the rise of “right-wing” extemism on the economy, it entirely misses the point and fails to mention the simple fact that the Obama Administration has embarked on what is now a radical change, growth and empowerment of the federal government.

Hat tip to fellow blogger extroardinnaire, Greg Patterson of Espresso Pundit for mention in the article.

 

Filed Under: Economics, Human Condition, Media, Political Parties, Political Science

Kudos to the City of Scottsdale for not taking stimulus funds

April 23, 2009 By 2 Comments

Considering the items the City of Scottsdale would have used the extra bailout money on – additional programs that if really necessary, could have been funded with substituted funds diverted from somewhere else – Scottsdale made the right decision to reject federal stimulus funds. Bet you Scottsdale would have taken the money had former Democrat Mayor Mary Manross still been in office. Mayor Jim Lane is doing a great job so far, as well as the City Council members who voted to reject the funds.

Filed Under: City Government, Spending

Margaret Dugan Announces for State Superintendent

April 23, 2009 By 10 Comments

We missed this one! Any other candidates are welcome to send us your press releases.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, April 20, 2009

Margaret Dugan announces candidacy for State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Margaret Dugan, State Deputy Superintendent of Schools (the number two person in the Department) announced that she will be a candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in the 2010 election.  The incumbent will have served eight years, the maximum permitted under Arizona’s term limits. 

Dugan was author and co-chair of the initiative that eliminated bi-lingual education in Arizona, insisting that all students be immersed in English.  She was recognized as one of the most highly effective Principal’s in the nation in a book, “Ten Traits of Highly Effective Principals.”  She was a teacher for 16 years, an Assistant Principal for 3 years and a Principal for 10 years, a District Administrator for Curriculum Instruction for 1 year, and then Associate Superintendent for Academic Achievement for 2 years and then Deputy Superintendent in the Arizona Department of Education for 4 years for a total of 36 years in Education.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Press Release

Is Janet Napolitano Homesick?

April 23, 2009 By 6 Comments

Two posts ago, Chewie wrote that Congressional leaders are now asking our former governor to be fired or at least resign.

I couldn’t disagree more!

Napolitano’s most recent statements are way out of character for her. She is a very smart politician as she demonstrated here in Arizona. So why would she suddenly start putting out ludicrous and outrageous statements about single-issue motivated citzens, war veterans and terrorists crossing the Canadian border? She can’t be that stupid.

I will go out on a limb and speculate that she’s looking to get fired or forced to resign so she can get out of D.C. That can mean only one thing. She’s homesick.

Or, given her political nature, she wants to enter the 2010 Arizona Senate race.

And this is at the heart of my disagreement with Chewie. We DON”T want Janet Napolitano returning to Arizona. A Napolitano return, even despite her recent comments, would put her in prime position to take out McCain in a General Election.

So if there was one thing I could tell congressional leaders asking for her resignation, it would be keep Janet in D.C.!

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, National Security, Terrorism

Konopnicki “sick of” Russell Pearce, says people want conservatives to rot in hell

April 23, 2009 By 28 Comments

In a very unprofessional display of nastiness directed towards fellow Senator Russell Pearce, liberal-leaning Rep. Bill Konopnicki used some extremely rude language criticizing Pearce for refusing to back down and increase spending and taxes. From the Legislative Report –

Konopnicki said one reason for the meetings is “because the hard-right Republicans are not helping us” solve the deficit…They want to do one thing: They want to go in with a meat cleaver and chop everything,” he said. Konopnicki also expreased frustration at the power Pearce wields over the process. “Quite frankly, I’m sick of one person — Russell Pearce — saying what we’re going to do on the budget. I think people are mad enough that they will let those [conservatives] sit and rot in hell before they cut a deal with them.”

(emphasis added, and [conservative] added by Legislative Reports)

Message to Konopnicki: Pearce has a lot of power because a majority of Arizonans and Republican legislators agree with him, not you. Message to Pearce: Thank you for sticking to your principles and not caving in to the tax increase lobby pushed by Chuck Coughlin and other special interests like Konopnicki and other legislators have.

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

Congressional leaders calling for Napolitano’s resignation

April 23, 2009 By 1 Comment

The Chicago Daily Observer is already speculating that she may be fired, in an article entitled “First Hired, First Fired?”

Napolitano has continued her embarrassing gaffes since getting appointed to DHS Chief, most recently erroneously saying that some of the 9-11 terrorists came through Canada. From an article entitled “Napolitano’s comments about Canadian border spark diplomatic kerfuffle:

“Napolitano’s remarks in an interview earlier this week have angered some Canadians and prompted Michael Wilson, the normally reserved Canadian ambassador to the United States, to forcefully set the record straight.
A Canadian MP in attendance said he was alarmed by some of Napolitano’s comments.
“If you are in fact negotiating a managed border, and your negotiating partner believes a set of mythology, then you have problems … you try to work on the basis of fact, not on the basis of myth,” said Liberal John McKay, flanked by Conservative counterpart Bev Shipley.
McKay, of the Toronto-area Scarborough-Guildwood riding, disputed Napolitano’s insistence that Canada is more lax about the people it allows into the country.
“It’s just plain nonsense; it is so far removed from my own personal experience,” he said.
In Ottawa, RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said Napolitano’s comments were unfortunate.
“I was a bit surprised and somewhat disappointed that the secretary isn’t better informed,” he said.

And about the Congressmen calling for her resignation –

Conservative House Republicans are calling on their leaders to ask President Obama for Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s resignation.

And GOP Conference Secretary John Carter (Texas) became the first member of leadership to call for the secretary’s resignation, saying Wednesday that Napolitano should be removed or resign.

“No search or arrest warrant should ever be issued on the pure speculative grounds contained in the DHS report, and this report should never have been issued either. The fact that it was, coupled with Secretary Napolitano’s failure to issue an unqualified retraction and apology, displays a level of contempt for a healthy democracy that demands she be removed from office immediately,” the judge of 20 years said.

Conservative House GOPs think Napolitano should resign because of the release of a report that singled out conservatives as “right-wing terrorists,” according to several GOP lawmakers.

Read the full article

We agree. She continues to embarrass Arizona more and more on the national scene. She’s gotta go.

Filed Under: Border, Illegal Aliens, Illegal Immigration

Gov. Brewer Taps Illegal Immigration Advocate To Help Select Next Justice of Arizona Supreme Court

April 22, 2009 By 18 Comments

Recently, an opening on the AZ Supreme Court was created by Chief Justice McGregor’s retirement announcement.  This opening on the Supreme Court gives conservatives their first chance during the Brewer administration to begin moving the Arizona Supreme Court to the right by replacing a liberal justice with a conservative justice.

Gov. Brewer, however, is helping to keep the Court stocked with liberal justices by appointing Michael Sillyman, an illegal immigration advocate and liberal democrat, to the Commission that will select the next Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court.

In Arizona, judges are selected using the following process:  a Commission, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate, selects a slate of nominees for the open judgeship,  The Governor is then required to appoint the new judge from this slate of nominees.  Thus, if the Commission that selects the nominees is stacked with liberals, the commission will send the Governor a list of liberal nominees and the Governor will be forced to select the new judge from the list of liberals.

Michael Sillyman, Gov. Brewer’s newest appointment to the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments, is a liberal democrat that represented the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) in its unsucessful effort to block Prop 200 in 2004.  Mr. Sillyman is also a donor to Janet Napolitano, Terry Goddard, and Al Gore.  This appointment is outrageous.  A Republican Governor should appoint conservatives to this commission, not radical liberal democrats.  Under the rules governing appointments, Gov. Brewer could have selected a conservative Republican for the slot but instead decided to appoint an illegal immigration advocate.

The good news is, while the Gov. Brewer has appointed Mr. Sillyman, the Senate has yet to confirm this nominee.  This nominee is currently pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Hopefully, Republican Judiciary committee members, Russell Pierce, Jonathan Paton, John Huppenthal, and Chuck Gray will reject this nominee.  It would be hard to believe that Russell Pierce would not stop this nominee because this nominee represents everything he has spent years fighting.

Also, Mr. Silyman is not the only bad appointee that Gov. Brewer has sent to the AZ Senate.  In addition to Mr. Sillyman, Gov. Brewer has appointed two other liberal (Ronald Reinstein and Karen Smith) to the Commission that select judges in Maricopa County.  Retired Judge Reinstein was considered one of the most liberal judges during his years on the Court.  Karen Smith was Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Water during the Napolitano administration and is a donor to Napolitano.    With Republican appointments like this to the commissions that select judges, it is no wonder that most of the judges in this state are liberals.  Hopefully, one day, Arizona will have a Republican governor and a Republican Senate willing to appoint conservative and not just hand the Courts to the liberals.

Filed Under: Illegal Immigration, Judicial, State Government

Chris Simcox Announces for US Senate

April 22, 2009 By 13 Comments

This morning, Chris Simcox announced his bid for the U.S. Senate representing Arizona.

Simcox will challenge incumbent Senator John McCain in the 2010 Republican Primary.

This announcement occurred on the State Capitol lawn at 11:30 AM.

Representative Carl Seel and Senator Jack Harper introduced Simcox who was surrounded by his family and supporters.

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Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections

Federal Grab of Waters of the US: Earth Day Greening of Law

April 22, 2009 By 4 Comments

by Gayle Plato

The auspicious moment arrived this morning, of a pseudo-religious movement of the left- Earth Day. My six year old jumped for joy as he was told to wear green and comply. You’d have thought it was Halloween. But then, there’s something a bit more spooky in the shadows of the Green grassy knolls of liberal projection.

But the costumes dressing up this moment cannot compete with the dressing down any conservative questioning some Green logic gets. Like any reality, there are subtle elements to the debate. Saving the world one lib bulb at a time sounds so cool, and we all like being able to help out. But then the mercury inside the new bulb blows out and you’re a personal superfund site, with your six year old now in a scrub down from the likes of the movie Silkwood. How green is the Valley when our new fangled ways poison more than the old?

This week, the trend is to tell us that the water supply of the west is drying up. The Colorado River is disappearing, all of us need to conserve, and it’s a matter of national security as the local regulation is not keeping poisons out of the supply. Um, wait a minute; is this another example of a need to ‘streamline’ controls? You know the states; they are not very good at doing any of the daily management anyway. Probably, we need the Environmental Protection Agency, with the help of Department of Homeland Security to come in and say that all water supplies are going to be federally managed.

Enter the new and shiny bill: Text of S.787: Clean Water Restoration Act, started by Russ Feingold in the Senate. (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-787)

This is a newer version of H.R. 2421 that died last session. The Bush administration was attacked online, and in much green news as this is called clean water legislation. It’s not easy being green when your rightward lean lends to a critical question. Everyone, read this bill on Earth Day, and think about how federal control happens. It’s Kumbayah with your Kindergartener as they tell you to dim your lights and hug MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann. It’s cute storybooks written with slogans about keeping the water clean, with a nifty character that looks like a rain drop tele-tubbie my son brought home. Aww.

Currently, ground water and surface waters are regulated very differently. Some waters are considered ‘of the United States’ and some are not. This bill, in affect, is trying extend the definition of United States water. The current definition of U.S. waters relates to navigable waters. This new law includes all intra-states, and basically lists literally every major puddle and bigger. Virtually any water is under regulated U.S. water. If correct, even a little creek flowing across your property or in your subdivision, is under United States control. Try and get a permit as a builder when this law goes real time.

The water of the U.S. means subject to federal law, is navigable water ways and that is the original intent. The Salt or Gila are navigable. The new writing means that environmentalist can challenge ANY WATER in the U.S. Unless there is a de-minimus definition to it, still allowing state primacy, then there is no stopping all water being controlled. All in the name of Green.

The economy will dictate the entire issue of federalization of state programs. So it goes, one drop at a time.

There is a change of definition to control. This is not regulation- it is about CONTROL. Water is EVERYTHING: a power grab right through the drinking fountain, with a dancing raindrop as the poster child. 

More later as I keep investigating this, but for now I have to dim the lights as my son is getting home from Earth Day.

Filed Under: Constitutional Law, Environment
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