You are here: Home / 2010 / May / Archives for 13th

From the Archive: Konopnicki Attempts to Raise County Officials Salaries

May 13, 2010 By 6 Comments

 

 

 

Calculating how much he can spend

According to his campaign brochure, “Konopnicki opposes bigger government and party politics at taxpayer expenses” … Bill has “listened to your concerns … represented YOU and your issues…”  And finally, Bill Supports “… solving the budget problem.” [that he helped create]

The following oldie but goodie from the vault clearly illustrates where this term limited House member’s heart is – and just when Arizona’s economy was beginning to show signs of what was to come.

No wonder your county officials love him, they’re underpaid.

Az House-Senate panel clears way for county officials’ pay
Arizona Capitol Times, May 18, 2007 | by Luige del Puerto

A group of Arizona lawmakers stripped off an amendment to a proposal that would have required elected county officials to vote to accept a pay hike.

The current version of H2102, sponsored by Rep. William Konopnicki, R-5, seeks to raise the annual salary of seven county officials by approximately 13 percent. Affected officials include the county
attorney, assessor, recorder, sheriff, superintendent of schools, supervisors and treasurer.

In the original bill, the county attorney, for example, is guaranteed an increase to $123,678 from $109,450, and the sheriff, an increase to $100,824 from $89,225, beginning January 2009.
On May 15, six lawmakers – three members from each chamber – met in a conference committee and
adopted the House version of H2102. That version, which contains the sponsor’s original intent, now

goes back to the Senate and the House for final votes.
Konopnicki was opposed to the Senate amendment, offered by Sen. Ron Gould, R-3. His intent was to
remove the amendment in the conference.

Gould, who represented the Senate side together with Senators Jake Flake, R-5, and Rebecca Rios, D-23, anticipated the move.  Immediately after the House side voted to adopt the House version, Gould offered a verbal amendment to the Senate version of the bill.  The gist of his verbal motion was to require the county board of supervisors to take a majority vote to accept all or part of the proposed pay raise.

Filed Under: County Government, Economics, Legislation, State Budget, State Economy, State Government

Two Powerful GOP Senators Fail to Bring RNC Convention Home

May 13, 2010 By 23 Comments

The esteemed Republican senators John McCain and Jon Kyl are two of the most powerful Republican senators in Washington DC, arguably in the top 3 or 5 most powerful of all GOP senators on the hill.

Neither of them alone, nor working together, were capable of persuading the RNC to hold its convention in Arizona.

Instead the RNC chose to host the convention in Florida, where its governor who campaigned on behalf of John McCain, just chose to leave the Republican party and become an Independent (along with Lieberman also pictured above.)

Some argued that it had to do with the illegal immigration law.  Now, we hear it doesn’t.  Some argue that the RNC has to hold its convention in FL because it cannot stand to lose FL electors in the 2012 campaign.  Who did MN electors go to in the last election?  It didn’t seem relevant to Karl Rove et al. when they scheduled the last national convention in Minnesota.

The bottom line is that McCain and Kyl failed the state yet again.

Personally, I think McCain and Kyl don’t want the convention here.  I think they think they will be embarassed in front of all their comrades when out of staters see how little respect they actually have from their own party members from years and years of selling out the interests of Arizonans to federal, globalists, wall street bankers, and other states’ interests.

Of course we know  John McCain as Mr. Comprehensive Immigration Reform (read: amnesty), but did you know that the 2005 amnesty bill was actually *sponsored* by Senator Kyl? (Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act of 2005 S. 1438).  Jon Kyl was also the Bush Administration whip in the Senate whipping Senate GOP votes in favor of Arlen Specter’s 2006 Amnesty bill?  In the House, that role was filled by Chris Cannon of Utah.

This is the final birdie that Mr. McCain and Senor Kyl have to flip us.  As a Republican, I will remember that well – as should we all.

I’m mad and I’m an Arizonan.  Time to clean house y’all.  TeaParty anyone?

 

Filed Under: Political Parties, Special Event

Harry Mitchell supports a boycott of Arizona?

May 13, 2010 By 19 Comments

Espressopundit notes that Harry Mitchell has declined to join Democrat Representative Ann Kirkpatrick in denouncing radical far left AZ Congressman Raul Grijalva’s call for a boycott of Arizona over SB1070. This is really embarrassing for a sitting Arizona Congressman to call for a boycott of our own state.  This is more evidence that Mitchell has become out of touch with Arizona voters and lurched to the far left where Grijalva hangs out. Grijalva received a 0 rating from the American Conservative Union last year out of 100.  Like Grijalva, Mitchell voted for the socialist healthcare bill, corporate bailouts, and tax increases.

According to this article, the boycott is working and hurting the City of Phoenix. Grijalva and Mitchell must hate Arizona.

70% of Arizonans support SB1070. Mitchell represents a Republican-majority district, so the percentage of voters in his district that support SB1070 is likely even higher.  David Schweikert, the leading Republican in the race against Mitchell, has capitalized on Mitchell’s tacit endorsement of anti-Arizonanism with a new website calling for voters to boycott Mitchell. Let’s hope the voters are paying attention and vote out this Grijalva wanna be who represents Nancy Pelosi and her district better than he does Arizona’s District 5.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Illegal Aliens, Illegal Immigration, Uncategorized

Morning Joe: Scarborough, Shadegg Laugh at McCain Ad

May 13, 2010 By 2 Comments

Straight from MSNBC’s Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough and John Shadegg.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

And here is The Hill’s take on the whole fiasco.

Filed Under: Advertising, Campaigns & Elections

Hayworth Launches The Complete Danged Truth Website

May 13, 2010 By 3 Comments

JD Logo


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2010
NEWS RELEASE



“Danged Truth” Site Launched by
Hayworth Campaign
Phoenix, AZ (MAY 13) - The campaign of U.S. Senate Candidate J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) today launched a new web site www.thecompletedangedtruth.com. It is in response to Sen. John McCain’s latest pandering television ad in which he claims he now wants to build the “danged fence” along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The ad has been assaulted by national media as a blatant flip-flop of the Senator’s previous opposition to a fence and his support of amnesty for illegal aliens.
“This new web site will set the record straight,” said Hayworth spokesman Mark Sanders. “We’ve got the facts, the media reports and the videos that give the ‘danged truth’ about Sen. McCain and his election year conversion on border security.”


For more information, please visit http://www.JDforSenate.com or contact info@jdforsenate.com.

Paid for by JD HAYWORTH 2010, Inc.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Illegal Aliens, Illegal Immigration

Government transparency has bright future in Arizona

May 13, 2010 By 3 Comments

by Byron Schlomach, Ph.D.
Goldwater Institute
 
On Monday, Governor Jan Brewer signed House Bill 2282, which will require most local governments to post on the Internet extensive budget information including individual spending items. In addition, the state will have a website where a street address can be entered and, at the touch of a button, links to every unit of government with authority over that address will pop up. Each of those governments must, in turn, post information about taxes, upcoming elections, and how to contact officials for more information.

Arizona recently earned an F on a government transparency report card produced by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Fortunately, Arizona now is poised to leapfrog many states and move to the forefront of government disclosure in the Internet age.

The state Department of Administration soon will launch a website revealing state finances in greater detail as a result of a bill passed two years ago. Special districts were given a similar mandate in 2009. HB2282, championed by Representative Steve Montenegro, Senator Russell Pearce, and former state Senator Jonathan Paton, covers most other local governments including cities, counties and school districts and must be implemented by 2013.

The vision of government transparency is not complete, though. We have to make sure government releases information that is understandable and follows common sense. In addition, not all aspects of government are covered by the law; small towns have been exempted even though there are few costs involved in providing public information on the Internet. Finally, government should reveal even more than its checkbook. It should also justify what it’s spending by posting information about the actual performance of agencies and employees.

Arizonans can be happy that our elected officials took action to make sure the state rates higher than an F in transparency. But there is still a way to go before the state gets the A+ that we all deserve as taxpayers.

Dr. Byron Schlomach is an economist and the director of the Center for Economic Prosperity at the Goldwater Institute.

Filed Under: City Government, County Government, Government, Legislation, Spending, State Government