You are here: Home / 2010 / March / Archives for 8th

My Dear Friends: A Fictional Op-Ed by John McCain

March 8, 2010 By 23 Comments

My Dear Friends…

The following (fictional) op-ed was written on behalf of Senator John McCain, were he ever to actually tell the truth to Arizona voters.

My Dear Friends,

John McCainI’d like to introduce myself to you because many of you have moved to Arizona since the last time I ran for election to the United States Senate.  My name is John McCain.  I currently serve as your senior U.S. Senator.  I’d like to continue doing so.  Please.

Some of you may remember me from the few times I stopped by the state during my presidential campaign.  Some others of you may think I’m still running for president.  I sometimes get that confused myself.  Just kidding.  I know I lost.

I’m running for re-election to the Senate because I am not Bob Dole, my friends, and Pfizer is not breaking down any doors, begging me to be the next spokesman for, well, you know.  Besides, all the pharmaceutical companies are sending enough money my way as it is.  Which is why I was trying to kill the vitamin and nutritional supplement companies which compete with our honest, hardworking prescription drug companies that stand to lose a lot of money if people like you, my friends, keep buying vitamins to stay healthy.

Point of order, my friends.  I’m no longer for putting the vitamin companies out of business.  I know I wrote the bill, but I was misled.  I was for it before I was against it.  You can imagine the ribbing I’ve taken from John Kerry over that one!  Man, is he a sore loser!  But since we both lost to George Bush, I guess I know what he’s going through.  That’s why we both voted against those pesky Bush tax cuts.

Um.  Another point of order, my friends.  About those tax cuts I just mentioned?  I may have voted to kill them, but I support them now.  I’m really sorry I voted against them.  Twice.  We don’t actually read the bills much over in the Senate and I was very probably misled that they repealed the marriage penalty and eliminated the death tax.  Again, my bad.

I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to Governor Brewer, and to thank her for her gracious endorsement.  I know I was supposed to return the favor by endorsing the sales tax increase she’s putting on the ballot.  Ordinarily I would have.  It’s nothing at all like those tax cuts I opposed… oh, and which Congress is now repealing.  Welcome back death tax!  But the thing of it is, my friends, it’s an election year and I just don’t support tax hikes in election years.

Now, something else I’m taking a bit of heat over these days is my votes for what the press has callously called the “bailouts” of banks and auto companies and for supporting bailouts of big mortgage lenders who have been accused of taking advantage of people by selling them homes they couldn’t afford.  My friends, these aren’t bailouts.  These are strategic investments in the economic future of our great nation meant to stabilize our markets and provide for a steady flow of not just bonuses to disgruntled AIG executives but also PAC contributions to my campaign.

My friends, I’d just say this: the economy is very complex issue.  I’ve been in Washington for 28 years, and sometimes I don’t even understand it.  Do you know how small the national debt was when I was first elected to Congress?  Why, our government budgets weren’t anywhere close to a trillion dollars a year, and last year our deficit alone was more than $1.6 trillion dollars.  You see my point?  It’s very tricky business and not something you want to entrust to anyone but the most seasoned professional.

Me, I’m Washington through and through.  I’m senior on my committees.  I’ve been the Republican nominee for president, for Pete’s sake.  Why, I’d bet there isn’t a special interest, lobbyist, association or organization inside the Beltway that I don’t intimately know.  Which is why I don’t get home to Arizona so much, except in election years.  Being in the Senate is a lot of work!  Not to mention, it’s a really long flight each time from DC to Arizona.

So, as I’ve said, I would like you voters, my friends, to send me back to Washington for another term in the U.S. Senate.  And, as I’ve said, my campaign is not about whatever it is that I’ve done these past 28 years.  Rather, it’s about what you think I can do for you.  And, really, we’ve got a lot of unfinished business to tackle.  There are nearly 12 million illegal immigrants living in America, many of whom pay taxes and whatnot, but who don’t have much to show for it.  They can’t even vote!  You see my point?  Who will speak for them if not me?

And don’t even get me started on energy issues.  I’ve tried my darndest to get Cap and Trade passed, but the nay-sayers are screaming it’s a tax hike on families and businesses.  Let’s set the record straight once and for all: there is no tax increase in Cap and Trade.  When utility companies are forced by government to raise their prices, it is not a tax.  Just for once, I’d like to see some honesty in political discourse – or perhaps just none at all.  But apparently the Supreme Court isn’t with me on that one either.  Better luck next time, right?  Right?  You’re with me on this, aren’t you?

Well, my friends, that’s my campaign in a nutshell.  I hope this letter cleared up any questions you might have had.  I’ll do my best to write again soon.

Your friend,

John Sydney McCain

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Guest Opinion

Does Kyl, McCain coming out against sales tax hike doom Prop. 100, Brewer’s primary hopes?

March 8, 2010 By 14 Comments

mccain-65-logo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, March 8, 2010

JOINT STATEMENT BY SENATORS JOHN McCAIN AND JON KYL REGARDING PROP. 100

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) released the following joint statement regarding Proposition 100:

“We appreciate the hard work that the Governor and the Legislature have done to try to solve the state’s fiscal problems, and though we hadn’t planned to comment on what is rightly a state issue – the proposed increase in the state’s sales tax – we’ve been asked by various news media for our views.

“We support the right of Arizonans to decide the issue of a short-term sales tax increase on the local level.  However, as Arizonans and Americans across our nation continue to face perilous economic times, we fundamentally oppose increasing taxes on small businesses and working families.

“We recognize the difficult fiscal situation Arizona finds itself in and we appreciate the tireless dedication by our state’s elected officials to solve the budget problems.”

###

Please post the McCain vs. Hayworth comments on the prior post… here, let’s discuss what the Sonoran Alliance‘s readership thinks of the prospects for passage of Proposition 100… and, for that matter, the prospects for Jan Brewer’s campaign to capture the GOP nomination for governor if the sales tax increase fails on May 18th?   — MBW    

Filed Under: Predictions, Press Release, State Government, Taxation Tagged With: , , , ,

McCain claims amnesia then flip-flops on proposed largest tax increase in Arizona’s history

March 8, 2010 By 16 Comments

In an article recently posted on the front of the Arizona Guardian website, McCain claims amnesia about the biggest proposed tax increase in Arizona’s history, crafted by Governor Brewer to appear on ballots May 18, which will up Arizona’s sales tax by 18%:

he hasn’t “given much attention” to the governor’s 1-cent sales tax referral or knows how he intends to vote on one of the state’s most pressing issues.

Then, barely a few hours after JD Hayworth issued a statement this morning against the sales tax increase (below), McCain issued a joint statement with Sen. Kyl declaring he is against the tax increase.

It is extremely disturbing that McCain had no clue about this proposed tax increase in his own state, which has probably been the biggest issue in Arizona politics over the past year, with a perpetual showdown at the State Capitol between Governor Brewer and the Republican-dominated state legislature over it. Governor Brewer won recently and finally got it referred to the ballot a few weeks ago. McCain is frequently accused of ignoring Arizona in favor of the national scene so this comes as no surprise to Arizonans. In fact, McCain recently told voters that he was going to run for Senate based on what he can do for Arizona in the future, not what he’s done in the past.

Lucy FootballIt is almost as disturbing that McCain was able to decide within a few hours his position on what is probably the most high-profile, divisive political issue facing Arizona. Unlike principled conservatives, McCain has a poor record on taxes, so it’s not like he could easily come to a quick conclusion opposing the tax hike.

Governor Brewer has endorsed McCain and strongly supported him. Now McCain is throwing her under the bus by opposing the tax increase, which she had staked her career upon. Obviously terrified by conservative JD Hayworth, McCain is back to flip-flopping into a conservative while he’s running for office. He flip-flopped on regulating vitamins last week, changing sides to oppose a bill he had originally sponsored with a Democrat. Does he stand for anything?The only thing he seems to be consistent on is flip-flopping.

HAYWORTH V. MCCAIN
Hayworth Opposes Largest State Tax Increase In History On May Ballot;
McCain “Not Sure” Of Vote 
PHOENIX, ARIZONA.  MARCH 8, 2010. In a story just posted at www.arizonaguardian.com, 24-year incumbent John McCain again shies away from Governor Jan Brewer’s endorsement and says he does not know how he’ll vote on the largest tax increase in Arizona history which will be on the May ballot.


“I honestly have not paid that much attention to what this initiative is and what the rational for it is,” McCain is quoted as saying. 


His conservative challenger, J.D. Hayworth, is opposed to the tax hike. 


“I realize that John has spent a lot of time in Washington during his three decades there but to claim you don’t know about the largest tax increase in your state’s history, or how you’ll vote on it, shows just how out of touch he is with Arizona,” Hayworth said. 


Vulnerable to the more conservative Hayworth on taxes, the Second Amendment, pro-life and pro-family issues and illegal immigration, McCain has engaged in transparent election year flip-flopping.


McCain also voted for the $850 billion bailout of the big banks which included $150 billion in pork, proposed a $300 billion bailout formortgage lenders and, according to the Heritage Foundation, sponsored an amnesty bill that would have cost taxpayers $2.6 trillion over the long-term.  And despite 28 years in Washington McCain now claims he was “misled” on the bank bailout vote despite expressing no such concerns at the time. 


Most recently the incumbent introduced big government legislation with Democrat Senator Byron Dorgan that would strip away consumer  choice and crush small businesses selling vitamins and health supplements in a giveaway to big drug companies.
For more information or to donate to the campaign, please go to www.JDforSenate.com.

Paid for by JD HAYWORTH 2010
Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Taxation

State Agencies Offer Guide to Fixing State Budget

March 8, 2010 By 3 Comments

Goldwater Institute
News Release

PHOENIX–As Arizona legislators convene for a special session focused on closing the state’s budget deficit, they could save billions by adopting recommendations made by various state agencies to streamline operations, says a Goldwater Institute policy memo sent to lawmakers last week.

Last fall, Governor Jan Brewer directed all state agencies to explain how they would handle a potential 15 percent reduction in funding. State agencies responded with lists of programs and services that could be scaled back or managed in ways that rely less on general tax dollars. In a December special session, the Legislature approved some of those suggestions and generally reduced funding for agencies not related to public education by 7.5 percent.

Arizona’s projected budget deficit for this fiscal year still stands at $700 million and could reach $2.6 billion in the next fiscal year that begins July 1, according to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

The Legislature could eliminate most of the deficit simply by committing to the full 15 percent in reductions and following through on other recommendations that state agencies offered months ago, writes Dr. Byron Schlomach, an economist with the Goldwater Institute.

“The state agencies themselves have provided a roadmap for Arizona to navigate out of its fiscal crisis,” said Schlomach. “Those recommendations coupled with a few additional steps that would lead to better long-term budget policy would allow the Legislature to eliminate more than $2 billion in spending, without crippling state government and without any general tax increases.”

In addition to combining some boards and commissions with existing agencies, in some cases, Dr. Schlomach suggests entirely new agency funding models:

· Allow the Department of Insurance to become self-funding and supported entirely by the industry it regulates, instead of supported by the general taxpayer. Total savings: $5.6 million

· Keep state parks open by allowing private companies to collect the gate fees and keep them maintained. Total savings: $20 million

· Eliminating the Automobile Theft Authority and allow the Attorney General to manage any required functions. Total savings: $5 million

· Give state government workers health care plans more closely matched to health care plans offered to taxpayers who work for private companies, like HSAs with high-deductible insurance plans. Total savings: $80 million

Read Dr. Schlomach’s memo on Arizona’s budget reduction opportunities here, or call (602) 462-5000 to have a copy sent to you by mail.

The Goldwater Institute is an independent government watchdog supported by people who are committed to expanding free enterprise and liberty.

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

Protesters! Quick someone call the cops

March 8, 2010 By 26 Comments

McCain was in Tucson over the weekend with fellow Senator Scott Brown. There were about a dozen or so protesters outside the event at the Manning House. The easy political move is to ignore them, or better yet go out and shake their hands and talk with them. Instead, someone called the Tucson Police and reported that there was a fight. One of our readers in Tucson who was there sent this news report to us (thanks for the first-hand account.)

Sat_McCain_protest

I’m not really sure who called the cops at the JOHN MCCAIN PROTEST: ROUND 2 organized by THE GOP PRECINCT COMMITTEEMEN AGAINST MCCAIN that was held on Saturday. I guess they thought a handful of peaceful protesters, including grandmothers and children, who were respectfully exercising their 1st Amendments rights posed such a danger that they had to call in backup. In fact, we were so respectful of Senator McCain’s rally, that even though I had been personally invited by FRIENDS OF JOHN MCCAIN via email to enter the rally, we chose to stand outside on the public sidewalk rather than entering the property. Here’s the invite:

McCain 2010

McCain 2010 Tucson Rally with
Senator Scott Brown!

There is no cost to attend this event!

The Manning House
450 West Paseo Redondo
Tucson, AZ 85701
Saturday, March 6, 2010
4:15 PM and goes until approximately 5:30 PM

Or maybe they felt the only way to level the playing field was to call in TPD since we were receiving more attention than McCain and Brown combined. Perhaps they didn’t like that we were interviewed by 3 out of the 4 local news channels. Or maybe it was because the JOHN MCCAIN PROTEST: ROUND2 was a statewide event that focused on protesting all three of Senator McCain’s campaign stops with fellow Senator Scott Brown – first at Montelucia Resort in Scottsdale, then the Arizona Inn in Tucson, and finally ending at the Manning House, also in Tucson. Perhaps it had something to do with McCain’s paid staff worker, Anthony Miller, also Chairman of LD20, who has recently been battling with a couple of the leaders of THE GOP PRECINCT COMMITTEEMEN AGAINST MCCAIN, who’s probably grouchy about these two recent stories:

http://www.gilacourier.com/?p=5716
http://sonoranweeklyreview.com/?p=2882

And let’s not forget the original TUCSON PROTEST OF JOHN MCCAIN, when this story was written: http://www.gilacourier.com/?p=5647

Maybe the McCain camp has finally reached the breaking point. The fact is that whoever called the police completely falsified their report. When the police came zipping around the corner and pulled up and asked me if we had seen a guy on a bicycle in a striped shirt fighting and yelling with people, we were shocked to say the least. Yes, one of us was on a quadcycle, but he wasn’t wearing a striped shirt or doing anything other than circling the Manning House loop with a sign that read: NO MORE MCCAIN. Hardly a reason to call the already understaffed TPD away from more important duties. In fact, 3 squad cars were called the first time. The second time, after the event had ended and McCain was outside being interviewed by the media, another squad car showed up within seconds after some of us were verbally voicing our 1st Amendment rights. Although this officer was very respectful and understanding of our rights, we were not able to continue exercising our rights because of this interference.

Was someone playing dirty politics here?

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Freedom of Speech

Dennis Burke: Obama’s Man in Arizona

March 8, 2010 By 17 Comments

A m e r i c a n P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N S E N S E , in Arizona

Friday, March 8, 2010

Coverage you won’t get from the Republic

Who is this US Attorney investigating Arpaio?

The recent news that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has launched a grand jury investigation into Sheriff Joe Arpaio and may also be investigating County Attorney Andrew Thomas has been treated by the media like a legitimate law enforcement exercise by unbiased federal officials. While the mainstream media typically ascribe purer motives to the actions of Democrats, even by the low standards by which people now judge the media, they are ignoring a major story. The elephant, er, donkey in the room is Dennis Burke, the liberal Democrat who President Obama recently appointed to be U.S. Attorney.

So far the media have given Mr. Burke a pass on his highly partisan record. His record would seem important because it wasn’t until the Obama administration took over the Justice Department and replaced the apolitical former U.S. Attorney with Burke that the U.S. Attorney’s Office started looking into Arpaio. The Arizona Republic claims that they are looking at Andrew Thomas too.

The Obama administration obviously has a very different opinion on illegal immigration than Thomas and Arpaio have, as evidenced by Obama’s recent push for amnesty (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/04/nation/la-na-immigration5-2010mar05), and has tried to stop the pair from enforcing laws against illegal immigration. Might this investigation be about shutting down their efforts to combat illegal immigration for good? Might this have anything to do with the fact that the hyper-political Dennis Burke likely harbors political ambitions, and perhaps sees fellow lawyer and law enforcement officer Andrew Thomas as a rival from the other side of the political spectrum?

Since the media has failed to cover this story and thus allow readers to decide for themselves whether the Obama administration’s investigation is about justice or politics, it falls to this blog to answer the key question: Who is Dennis Burke?

Many people here remember Burke as Janet Napolitano’s longtime henchman in the Governor’s Office and Attorney General’s Office, but a bio provided by the Justice Department shows that Burke’s partisan record goes beyond that. http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2009/October/09-ag-1149.html

Burke’s first job was as a majority staffer for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks. His tenure there lasted from 1989 until 1994, and it is probably no coincidence that Burke’s time there ended when the Republicans took over Congress. Who was Burke’s boss while serving in this role? None other than liberal Democrat Senator Dennis DeConcini, who used to represent Arizona.

From 1995 when the Democrats lost Congress until 1999, Burke served in a couple different roles in the Clinton Administration. He was a lobbyist for the Clinton Justice Department and even served a three year stint as a White House staffer. During that time Burke also served under former U.S. Attorneys Janet Napolitano and then Jose de Jesus Rivera, himself a liberal activist http://phoenix.gov/NEWSREL/SUPPORT/rivera.pdf who recently chaired the campaign of liberal Democrat Tim Nelson for County Attorney.

With Janet Napolitano’s election as Attorney General in 1998, Dennis Burke returned to Arizona to serve as her right hand man, and served as her chief of staff after she was elected Governor.

This looks like a pretty partisan record, but it gets worse once we look at Dennis Burke’s political contributions over the years. All of his contributions to state and federal candidates and political committees over the last twelve years are listed below.

FEDERAL*

Ed Pastor (Democrat for U.S. House), 12/5/97, $250

10/24/00, $250

Al Gore, 7/22/99, $250

10/24/99, $500

Fred Duval (Democrat for U.S. House), 6/27/01, $500

Mary Ryan Judge, (Democrat for U.S. House), 10/27/01, $500

Sam Martinez, (Democrat for U.S. House), 12/18/2001, $250

Debra Norris (Democrat for U.S. House), 1/14/02, $300

Arizona Democrat Party, 11/4/02, $500

3/17/04, $1,000

10/4/06, $2,000

Paul Babbit (Democrat for U.S. House), 11/17/03, $250

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 1/6/04, $1,000

Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee/e/e, 3/24/04, $250

John Kerry, 6/7/04, $1,000

7/21/04, $1,000

Raul Grijalva (Democrat for U.S. House), 8/31/04, $250

6/2/05, $250

Jim Pederson (Democrat for U.S. Senate), 9/15/05, $1,000

Harry Mitchell (Democrat for U.S. House), 5/15/06, $1,000

Gabby Giffords (Democrat for U.S. House), 10/27/06, $250

6/5/07, $350

7/1/07, $200

11/28/07, $500

Bob Lord (Democrat for U.S. House), 5/18/07, $250

9/17/07, $200

10/1/08, $300

10/28/08, $250

Ann Kirkpatrick (Democrat for U.S. House), 3/28/08, $500

Jared Polis (Democrat for U.S. House, Colorado), 6/17/08, $250

Total=$18,350

* to verify these numbers, go to http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/advindsea.shtml, plug in Dennis Burke, Arizona

STATE**

Janet Napolitano (Democrat for Arizona Attorney General), 11/4/97, $760

9/14/98, $100

Chris Cummiskey (Democrat for Arizona Senate), 8/30/00, $256

Nucleus Club (Liberal Democrat group), 12/11/00, $20

2/7/01, $300

12/2/01, $140

2/12/02, $275

2/17/03, $275

4/5/05, $275

3/20/06, $275

1/23/07, $330

1/21/08, $330

4/21/08, $40

Maricopa County Democrat Party, 6/20/01, $25

7/22/04, $500

2/23/06, $500

4/21/08, $1,000

Gabby Giffords (Democrat for Arizona Senate), 10/15/01, $200

Wally Straughn (Democrat for Arizona House), 11/7/01, $110

Christine Weason (Democrat for Arizona House), 11/30/01, $110

Peter Moraga (Democrat for Arizona House), 12/14/01, $200

Phil Amorosi (Democrat for Arizona House), 1/23/02, $110

Rod Rich (Democrat for Arizona School Superintendent), 2/23/02, $110

Jesse George (Democrat for Arizona House), 3/19/02, $110

Shirley McAllister (Democrat for Arizona House), 5/1/02, $110

Ted Murphree (Democrat for Arizona House), 8/7/02, $110

West Democrat Headquarters, 1/24/02, $240

3/27/08, $100

Foothills Democrats, 3/15/03, $45

3/12/04, $48

Arizona Democrat Party, 8/8/03, $1,000

Catalina Democrats, 8/24/03, $150

Phil Lopes (Democrat for Arizona House), 10/29/05, $60

Young Democrats of Arizona, 5/2/05, $500

Rebecca Rios (Democrat for Arizona Senate), 7/3/06, $120

Jason Williams (Democrat for Arizona School Superintendent), 10/14/06, $150

District 11 Democrats, 2002, $674 (total from numerous contributions)

2003 and 2004, $740 (total from numerous contributions)

1/11/05, $10

1/19/05, $40

1/9/07, $20

5/8/07, $10

1/8/08, $20

Robert Meza, (Democrat for Arizona House), 9/19/07, $200

9/24/08, $190

Pima County Democrat Party, 10/13/08, $500

Total= $12,398

** to verify these numbers go to http://www.azsos.gov/cfs/ContributorSearch.aspx and plug in Dennis Burke. Unfortunately it must be plugged in for every general election to get the full report.

All told, that’s over $30,000 in the last twelve years to Democrat candidates and groups, and not one penny to Republicans.

These contribution records are especially stunning when one looks at the contributions of the two U.S. Attorneys who were appointed by President Bush. Diane Humetawa, who Burke replaced, did not give any money to federal or state candidates. Paul Charlton gave some money, but his giving was a fraction of Burke’s and was mixed-he gave money to Democrats such as Terry Goddard and Gabby Giffords.

Somehow I doubt that if a political appointee with a partisan record as a Republican were looking into a popular local Democrat with a grand jury probe he would enjoy the same media presumption of objectivity and proper motives.

As the U.S. Attorney’s Office moves forward with its probe it will be important to view it through the proper lens. Despite the false veneer of objectivity that the Republic and other liberal media sources will try to give it, in reality it’s nothing but a witch hunt by the Obama administration led by a handpicked appointee of President Obama with a record of extreme partisanship.
Join Our Mailing List
Filed Under: County Government, Crime and Punishment, Political Parties