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Tonight on the Alexander & Goldman Show: Protect Employee Paychecks from Politics Act

March 5, 2011 By
Tonight on the Alexander & Goldman Show from 6-7pm AZ/MST Brian Symes and myself  will talk with Farrell Quinlan from the National Federation of Independent Business about the Protect Employee Paychecks from Politics Act. SCR 1028 is a ballot referral and it is scheduled to be debated on the Senate floor on Monday, where conservatives hope it will pass without amendment.  

We will also talk to Rey Torres from the Arizona Latino Republican Association about  Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon’s visit to the United States this week and Wikileaks revealing that our state department believes Mexico is too weak to fight the drug war; making UN’s list as 2010 failed state.


Please call in at 602.508.0960 and let us know your thoughts. Tune in locally to KKNT 960 AM or listen live online at KKNT960.com.  

Last week’s show with experts from the Competitive Enterprise Institute discussing the lightbulb ban, EPA regulations of carbon emissions, and the Wisconsin unions is archived here. The February 19th show with Shane Wikfors from Sonoran Alliance hosting, interviewing Chad Willems from Summit Consulting about the U.S. Senate race and Steve Slivinsky from the Goldwater Institute about the recent “jobs” bill and Arizona’s budget is archived here.





Filed Under: Press Release

Agent: I was ordered to let U.S. Guns into Mexico

March 4, 2011 By 6 Comments

CBS
March 4, 2011

Federal agent John Dodson says what he was asked to do was beyond belief.

He was intentionally letting guns go to Mexico?

“Yes ma’am,” Dodson told CBS News. “The agency was.”

See video of interview:

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MadArizonan comments: What the **** is going on?  This is our government in action again.  Here’s how to solve the border problem: stop the internal enforcement which places extra costs and burdens on law abiding Americans. ->

BRING HOME THE ARIZONA NATIONAL GUARD FROM AFGHAN AND IRAQ AND PUT THEM ON THE AZ/MX BORDER RIGHT NOW!

Quit messing around and put BOOTS ON THE BORDER TODAY!

TeaParty, y’all!

Filed Under: 2nd Amendment, Border, Government

Friday Poll: Who should run for CD-6?

March 4, 2011 By 14 Comments

This week’s Friday poll is now up! (See the right sidebar)

This week we are polling on the race to replace Jeff Flake in Congressional District 6. On the list of candidates are a handful of legislators, prior candidates and local mayors.

Voting will go on for one week until next Friday’s poll.

Please share the poll with friends!

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Polls Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

RINOs in DC Sellout Conservatives, the Founding Fathers and Constitution Once Again

March 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

House Republicans attempt to revive Real ID

Your driver’s license may no longer be valid for boarding an airplane or entering federal buildings as of May 11, 2011.

That’s the deadline that senior House Republicans are calling on the Obama administration to impose, saying states must be required to comply with so-called Real ID rules creating a standardized digital identity card that critics have likened to a national ID.

The political problem for the GOP committee chairmen is that the 2005 Real ID Act has proven to be anything but popular: legislatures of two dozen states have voted to reject its requirements, and in the Michigan and Pennsylvania legislatures one chamber has done so.

That didn’t stop the House Republicans from saying in a letter this week to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano that “any further extension of Real ID threatens the security of the United States.” Unless Homeland Security grants an extension, the law’s requirements take effect on May 11.

“If they don’t, people won’t be able to use their driver’s licenses to get on airplanes,” says Molly Ramsdell, who oversees state-federal affairs for the National Conference of State Legislatures. “They can use a military ID. They can use some other federal ID. But they won’t be able to use a driver’s license.” (See CNET’s FAQ.)

The situation represents a setback to Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.), who championed Real ID as a way to identify terrorists and criminals. But instead of what supporters hoped would be a seamless shift to a nationalized ID card, the requirements have created a confusing patchwork of state responses–with some legislatures forbidding their motor vehicle administration from participating–and could herald chaos at airports unrivaled by any other recent change to federal law.

…

Since its enactment, its backers have been aggressively defending Real ID, noting that many of the hijackers on September 11, 2001, were able to fraudulently obtain U.S. driver’s licenses. Because Real ID links state DMV databases, establishes a standard bar code that can be digitally scanned, and mandates that original documents such as birth certificates be verified, backers claim the benefits extend beyond antiterror and ID fraud cases. (Extending it to firearm and prescription drug sales has not been ruled out.)

…

Complicating the fact is that, during the Bush administration, Homeland Security was an unabashed champion of Real ID. But under the Obama administration, the department has been far less effusive in its support of the law, and Napolitano has been quoted as talking about repealing Real ID in hopes of replacing it with something that “accomplishes some of the same goals.”

(Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20038613-281.html )

A couple of notes from MadArizonan:

1) “national ID” is not a card, it’s a datafile.  The card or chip or bar code or magnetic strip are just ways of expressing the data contained in the datafile.

2) Note that it will be used in the future for gun purchases and tracking.

3) Napolitano doesn’t want to implement the “Real ID” program, but another national id program

4) There are a hundred if not hundreds of national ID programs.  Real ID is just one.

5) Homeland Security owns the national ID database.

6) State license data exchanged with Homeland Security goes in the national ID datbase.

7) This is part of a wider international effort.  See “How the US Government Forged a Surveillance Society” on newswithviews.com

8 ) There’s nothing in the constitution about authority for the federal government to track law-abiding American citizens.

Time for a TEAPARTY.  Kick the rest of the RINOs out!

Filed Under: 2nd Amendment, Constitutional Law, Government, Legislation

Run Trent Run!

March 3, 2011 By 32 Comments

(Not paid for or authorized by Congressman Trent Franks or anyone associated with Congressman Trent Franks or any of his political campaign committees.)
Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections Tagged With:

Arizona’s brewing union battle

March 3, 2011 By 1 Comment

by Clint Bolick
Goldwater Institute

2011 may very well mark the year that many policymakers and citizens nationwide take action to curb the corrosive influence of unions. In the public sector, they create costs and inefficiencies, from inflated pension and health care costs to cumbersome work rules. In the private sector, they make companies uncompetitive and promote unemployment due to artificially high wages and benefits.
 
While President Obama has made union-building a top priority, Arizona has quite a different approach.
 
Already we enjoy a competitive advantage as a right-to work state, so that compulsory membership in a union is illegal. Last year Arizonans overwhelmingly adopted Save Our Secret Ballot, which prohibits union formation without secret-ballot elections by the affected workers.
 
This year, the Legislature is considering H.B. 2644, sponsored by new lawmaker Rep. Michelle Ugenti, which would prohibit local governments and state agencies from accepting federal funds if doing so requires preferences for union contractors. If adopted, the bill will keep contract costs low, and increase job opportunities—and send a message to Washington, D.C. that in Arizona, unions must compete on a level playing field without the hand of the federal government tipping the scale in their favor.
  
Senator Frank Antenori and Representative Judy Burges have introduced an amendment to the state constitution (which the Goldwater Institute helped draft) that would be placed on the 2012 ballot that would establish the right of workers not to have union dues taken out of their paychecks for political purposes. Unions are a juggernaut in American politics not because their members willingly support them, but rather because in most instances they have no choice. If Arizonans pass this measure, workers who belong to a union will finally have a say about whether or not their dues can be used to play politics.

Eliminating the government-conferred advantages that unions enjoy—advantages that too often turn into a taxpayer-supported gravy train—will strengthen Arizona’s economy in the long run.

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

Learn More:

Goldwater Institute: Undisciplined Bureaucracy: The Difficulty in Disciplining a Government Worker

Arizona Republic: Public Pensions: A Soaring Burden

Filed Under: Ballot Measures, Jobs/Labor, Legislation, State Government

URGENT! Contact Arizona House over Voter Fraud Bill!

March 3, 2011 By 2 Comments

By Brad Zinn

Fellow Patriots and Friends,

This will be THE most important email I will write so far this year. If you have ever heard me talk about vote fraud, and if you have ever come up to me and said, “Brad, what can I do to help?” then this is the time, this is the moment, and we may never have as good a chance to do something positive as we do right this minute.

I am asking, begging, and pleading with you to stop whatever you are doing and right this moment place a phonecall. It will determine whether we get vote fraud reform / election integrity bills through the Arizona State Legislature this year, and maybe for several years!

Let me explain. The Tea Party Vote Fraud Task Force, which I co-chair along with Jennifer Wright, has worked very hard to get a couple of reform bills introduced in this session. Rep. Jeff Dial has a bill that is going to move forward as an amendment. Rep. Carl Seel has a bill that needs to be placed as an amendment. (We are working on that!)

Sen. Don Shooter has gotten his bill out of the Senate and it is now moving over to the House side to be heard in Committee and voted on.

This is where YOU come in. Sen. Shooter’s bill is an excellent bill that we can support wholeheartedly. But in order to be sure that it will get voted on by the House, it must pass Committee. The decision as to what Committee will hear the bill falls into Speaker Kirk Adams’ hands. And that decision is critical. It can determine whether a bill moves forward or is left behind.

We have discovered that the Judiciary Committee (Chairman, Eddie Farnsworth) has been unwilling to schedule vote fraud bills. We do not understand why. Nonetheless, we cannot let that stop us!

Here is the plan: We need you to call – and I do mean CALL, Fax AND email Speaker Adams and firmly ask that he assign Sen. Shooter’s bill into the Government Committee to be heard. The Chairperson for Government Committee is Rep. Judy Burges. We stand a much better chance of getting the bill scheduled to be heard and passed in her committee than in Judiciary.

Here is how to contact Speaker Kirk Adams:

Phone 602-926-5495
Email: kadams@azleg.gov
Fax: 602-417-3019

We need you to burn up the phone lines NOW! Shut down the switchboard!! Speaker Adams is not impressed with the “Tea Party” so we need to muster MASSIVE support and let him know we are here, we are watching, we are engaged and we want this bill heard in the Government Committee where it will not be deep-sixed!

Here is an example of what to say when you call:

“Hello! This is <your name> and I am a member of the Tea Party Vote Fraud Task Force. I am calling to ask that Speaker Adams assign Sen. Shooter’s bill – Number SB-1412, to be heard in the Government Committee. We are aware that the House Judiciary Committee has refused to address the issue of Ballot Integrity, and this is unacceptable to us. As citizens we want our elections to be free, fair, open, honest, and accountable, and fraud threatens to steal our votes and keep our voices from being counted. Please tell the Speaker that I called and I will be watching to see that Sen. Shooter’s bill is heard by the Government Committee. Thank you!”

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are a Precinct Committeeman, please add that to your conversation (above) as it carries greater weight with elected officials. If you are the Chairman of a District, or hold office in your District, make sure you mention that fact as well.

AFTER you make this quick, painless, easy phonecall, then you can write a letter and email it, and Fax it to the Speaker’s office. We need him to hear us LOUD and CLEAR – but politely!! We need to overwhelm him and his staff until he assigns this bill properly.

Next, pass this email along to your email buddies, and add your personal note to ask they do the same. Also post this information to your Facebook page and ask people to call, write, and Fax the Speaker. We MUST be heard!

Please do not let up! Keep calling, Faxing and emailing until you hear from me to stop. I am working with various parties on different levels and I will be in touch with them to monitor progress.

Finally, I want to ask a personal favor. Rep. Carl Seel has been of tremendous help to us on this issue. He deserves our thanks. While you are calling, and emailing, would you also phone Rep. Seel’s office (his Assistant is Tammy – a very nice person!) and express your thanks for all the work he has done on this issue? It would be of enormous benefit, and will encourage one of our conservative legislators to continue to help us out with causes we all care about. He needs to know we are out here, and we can muster many voices when we need to!

Rep. Carl Seel
602-926-3018
Email: cseel@azleg.gov
Fax: 602-417-3006

That is the plan. This is the time. We MUST move NOW. Opportunity knocks and we cannot wait. If this does not happen in this session, we will have very little chance of it getting through the next session when we are in a Presidential election year. We believe we have the votes to get this to the Governor for her signature but we must act together and in MASSIVE strength.

I spent the weekend of the Tea Party Patriots Summit in Phoenix talking to the good folks from Harris County (Houston) Texas about their group the King Street Patriots, and their vote fraud organization, True The Vote .com

They are proposing 22 pieces of legislative action in Texas. They have someone to carry each and every one of their agenda items in the Legislature there. Arizona and Texas have been very good friends to each other as of late.

In the friendliest of ways, let’s show Texas that Arizona can continue to lead the way. Let’s get our bills across the finish line! Go to your phone RIGHT NOW and make a difference. Protests are great. Chanting is cathartic. But, this is where the rubber meets the road. We have an election coming up that will determine the future of this nation and whether we will survive to pass on Liberty to our heirs.

If the other side is allowed to game the elections system, steal or diminish or negate our votes, we will be plunged into a vortex we may never get out of in our lifetimes. Voter fraud cuts across all demographics. Americans want, deserve, and believe in government from the bottom up and not from the top down.

Conservatives, Libertarians, Tea Partiers, Republicans, and Independents – make your voices heard. Call Speaker Adams and convince him that where this bill is heard MATTERS! Sen. Shooter’s bill SB 1412 is a good step forward and the effects will make a difference. Ladies and Gentlemen, mount your steeds:

CHARGE!

In Liberty,
Brad Zinn, Co-Chair
Jennifer Wright, Co-Chair
Tea Party Vote Fraud Task Force

 

Filed Under: Government Reform, Guest Opinion, State Government, Voter Registration

BAJA HA HA

March 3, 2011 By 4 Comments

Baja Arizona supporters are clueless Tucson narcissists

The recent proposal by some Tucson Democrats to secede from the rest of the state once again shows us how clueless most of them are.

Attempts to make a state called Baja Arizona have been around a long time; they have about as much real viability as running the Mexican Reconquista proposed in certain TUSD classes the other way and grabbing Rocky Point. Two things are different this time. First is the attention given it by many who whomp the legislature for wasting time on trivial issues. The second is the re-definition of “Baja Arizona.”

Current proponents now define it as only Pima County. The traditional definition is those current counties included all or in part in the Gadsden Purchase. Beyond Pima, that’s Yuma, La Paz, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Cochise, Graham and Greenlee. That would include close to two million people and with some stray pieces of Maricopa currently is represented by most of two Congressional districts with parts of two others.

On the surface this would make another blue state as the two larger Congressional districts both just elected Democrats, although by close margins, but add the other pieces and you’d tip at least one Republican.

More relevant are the state legislative districts. There are about nine of them, and for a long time they were dominated by Democrats. That domination ended in 2010. Six of the nine senators are Republican as are 11 of the 18 House members. That approximates the state totals of 21-9 and 40-20. The real Baja Arizona would be another GOP state.

And unlike the mushmouths and RINOs the southern GOP used to send to Phoenix, these Republicans are real conservatives generally allied with their northern brethren.

Tucson Democrats may claim they wish to escape from Phoenix “crazies” but what they really want to get away from is Saddlebrooke, Safford and Sierra Vista. I suspect that some Democrat supporting this may have run the numbers.

They want to put the secession option on the ballot in Pima County. OK, but first let’s allow the voters all the real options. One of those would be joining the rest of Southern Arizona in a genuine Baja state. Another would be opting out of a Tucsoncentric operation. Why should Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita and unincorporated Pima move to a new domination by Tucson crazies?

Democrats have a major problem. They are unable to deal with reality. They (and too many others) falsely assumed that the 2008 election was the new dawn. They lost big in 2010 and are still in denial. From Wisconsin to Arizona they are generally unable to accept it and are trying to change or even ignore the rules.

Whenever I see some batch of losers trying to “reform the process” by changing the rules (exemplified by the Morrison Institute attempts to destroy real representative government in Arizona because they don’t like our current representatives), I think back to all of those friendly little dealer’s choice poker games. There was often some twerp who’d been losing all night who decided the only shot he had was calling the bizarre like No Peaky and Anaconda because he lost his butt at the real ones like draw and stud.

Politics is a lot like poker. There’s always another hand sitting right on top of the deck and there are no “safe” constituencies long term or else we’d still have a few Whigs in office somewhere. The attitude Democrats have towards losing is petty and will hardly win back most of what they already lost with bad candidates and worse ideas. There only real hope is Republican incompetence, something that’s preserved a lot of lucky Democrats who shouldn’t let it go to their head.

Hear Emil Franzi and Tom Danehy Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. on KVOI 1030 AM.

Filed Under: County Government, Culture, Political Parties

Phoenix PD releases police report on Bundgaard Ballard Incident

March 2, 2011 By 29 Comments

Here is the official police report for the alleged domestic violence incident that occurred between State Senator Scott Bundgaard and Aubry Ballard. (The Phoenix New Times was able to secure a copy of the report.)

Read the report and decide for yourself who is truly to blame. Both reports tell a he-said, she said account with both Bundgaard and Ballard claiming they were hit by each other. Both reports also tell two different stories of what the fight was about and what each person was threatening to do.

Looks like this will go to court for a jury to decide.

Filed Under: Crime and Punishment, Elected Officials Tagged With: ,

Gabriela Saucedo Mercer releases two videos in race for CD-7

March 2, 2011 By 1 Comment

Here are the latest videos released by the Gabriela Saucedo Mercer campaign for CD-7

YouTube Preview Image YouTube Preview Image
Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Press Release Tagged With: ,

Maricopa County, AZ: Energy Success Story

March 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Here is the latest video produced by The National Association of Counties featuring Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley.

This video details how Maricopa County is leading the way in solar and other renewable energy efforts.

YouTube Preview Image
Filed Under: County Government, Elected Officials, Energy Tagged With: ,

Government attempts to second-guess the market are bad policy

March 2, 2011 By 4 Comments

by Stephen Slivinski
Goldwater Institute
 
Let’s say you want to start a business. You scrape together some start-up capital. And let’s say you are able to eventually hire 15 people and are able to pay them above the median wage in your community.

Now let’s say a company moves in across the street and hires 15 workers on the same terms. The main difference is that they have more money to invest in their company right away than you did. There’s another big difference, too. They will get the benefit of a big tax cut that you won’t get.

If a bill working its way through the state legislature (SB 1041) is passed, that business across the street could be granted a property tax rate of 5 percent while you are stuck with the usual commercial property tax rate of 20 percent.

This is more than unfair. While evidence shows that tax cuts do indeed encourage job growth, it’s not clear that cherry-picking businesses to receive a tax cut while leaving all the rest of the businesses in a state with the higher tax rate is an effective long-term economic development strategy.

Low taxes for all businesses are a far better tool for encouraging job creation. When government substitutes its judgments for those of the market by directing capital through favorable tax treatment to politically-favored projects, investments that the market would have otherwise made don’t see the light of day. That could actually lead to a relatively less healthy economy overall.

Simply put, a vote for SB 1041 is a good indicator that your legislator thinks that the government knows better than seasoned investors whether the company across the street is a better investment than yours.

Stephen Slivinski is senior economist at the Goldwater Institute.

Learn More:

Goldwater Institute: Property Tax Exemptions Shift Burdens to Neighbors

Goldwater Institute: Key to economic growth is lower taxes for all, not subsidies for some

Arizona Legislature: SB1041 summary (“strike everything” amendment)

Filed Under: Economic Development, Economics, Legislation, State Economy, State Government

Your Money is No Good on PPP Toll Roads

March 1, 2011 By 7 Comments

This is an interesting one.  On the new public private partnership tollroads popping up throughout the nation as a result of states seeing new sources of revenue, all kinds of new toll roads and pay lanes are popping up.

In this particular case, even though it is illegal to not accept legal tender Federal Reserve Notes which state on their face that the note is legal tender for all debts public and private, people are actually getting ARRESTED on a private road or privately administered lane for wanting to pay tolls with cash!

Talk about an unintended consequence of states’ intentions to enhance their revenue with these schemes! -> Law abiding citizens getting arrested, taking up law enforcement resources, in order to enforce a private corporation’s debt collection activities!

Needless to say, there are constitutional issues here and this is being challenged in Florida where this occurred.

Your Money’s No Good – On The Roads, That Is…

February 26, 2011

It says on our Fed Funny Money that “this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private.” Except for paying tolls on government roads.   In which case, it’s not.

They won’t take your money. But they will force you to cart around an “easy pass” electronic receiver to pay your toll automatically. A transponder/receiver that identifies your car, notes its passing and sends you the bill (or debits an account). A receiver that also has the capability to track your vehicle as well as monitor its speed. They’re not – yet – using these “easy passes” to do more than collect tolls, but that doesn’t mean they won’t, especially as the financial pressures on state and local governments mount and the search for new revenue sources intensifies.

(more… click here)

Filed Under: Constitutional Law, Regulations, State Budget, Transportation

Representative Schweikert unveils his budget presentation

March 1, 2011 By 7 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 1, 2011
CONTACT: Rachel Semmel

Washington, D.C. – Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ) unveiled a series of budget charts and graphs today as a follow-up to his budget town hall presentation:

Rep. Schweikert’s budget presentation outlines the extent of our nation’s debt and deficit.

“It is important to note that these graphs depict just how bad the numbers truly are,” said Rep. Schweikert. “Very few people understand the true severity of how bad the situation has become.”

“In order to balance the budget, we would need to nearly double current revenues. Short of that, we would need to cut every single dollar of defense, non-defense discretionary spending, and an additional $100 billion in entitlements just to stay solvent.”

The full budget presentation can be downloaded by clicking on the graph above or by going to the “By The Numbers” section on Rep. Schweikert’s web site.

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Filed Under: Government Reform, Press Release, Spending, Taxation Tagged With: ,

Media Coverage on Bundgaard – Ballard Incident

March 1, 2011 By 23 Comments

Here is the latest media coverage of the Scott Bundgaard – Aubry Ballard “domestic violence” incident:

KFYI – Barry Young Show

When I first heard the breaking story, I contacted someone who I trust who could provide information about what had happened. Having known Scott Bundgaard for about 10 years, hearing about the incident was a complete shock. This was not the Scott Bundgaard I have known. It was later disclosed to me that Scott’s girlfriend had admitted to being “the jealous type” to others. I don’t know this to be the case but if the reports are correct that she was smashing her cell phone into Scott’s face and throwing his clothing out of the car as it drove down the 51, I would tend to believe those accounts. One question I have that has not been answered is whether or not Ms. Ballard had consumed any alcohol Friday evening. If Scott has been aware of this and she had jumped into the driver’s seat of his car, it would seem to be a reasonable thing for him to stop her from driving off while under the influence. If she had not consumed any alcohol, this question is completely irrelevant.

As far as the issue of declaring immunity, the only people who would know the answer to that are the police, Scott and Aubry. Given media accounts, it sure seems that Scott did not boldly proclaim “Diplomatic Immunity!” as some people have claimed. I don’t know the answer to this but we may find out.

Senator’s Ex Tells Her Side of the Story: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

Back to Ms. Ballard. Anyone who does the research online will note that she has been involved with a local organization called Project Streetlight/Branded Phx. According to the organization’s website, it is local leader in the eradication of child sex slavery/prostitution. Ballard is listed as a public relations representative to the organization according to a November, 2010 press release.

Senator’s Ex Tells Her Side of the Story: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

Another interesting note about this story is that Ms. Ballard participated in a competition called Miss Arizona Dream Girl sometime ago. On an ESPN website written by Gregg Easterbrook, a photo of what appears to be Ballard posing as Miss Arizona Dream Girl contains the following description, “Brad Twarowski of Spring Grove, Ill., notes that the Miss Arizona Dream Girl competition spreads the wealth by choosing someone every month; gawk at Miss Arizona Dream Girl of January, Aubry Ballard, here.” As of today, that photo of Miss Ballard wearing a bikini and sporting a power drill has been removed; However, a cached file of the page was captured on December 25, 2010 and is still available. (Apparently, ESPN updated the page yesterday.) Ballard currently works for a company that specializes in internet marketing and search engine optimization.

Senator’s Ex Tells Her Side of the Story: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

What does this all mean? Perhaps the best explanation of what really happened should take place in the legal courts because the court of public opinion is doing a pretty lousy job. Both Scott and Aubry deserve their day in court and the opportunity to set the record straight but in the meantime, it’s been nothing but a “have you stopped beating your wife, he-said, she said” media fiasco.

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories, Crime and Punishment, Elected Officials, Media Tagged With: ,

Rep. Quayle Statement on House Passage of Two-Week Continuing Resolution

March 1, 2011 By 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 1, 2011
CONTACT: Richard Cullen

WASHINGTON (D.C.) Congressman Ben Quayle (R-AZ) released the following statement after the House passed a two-week, short-term continuing resolution in the House which will save taxpayers more than $4 billion.

“What used to be all too infrequent in the House is now becoming a common occurrence: cutting back. Job creators—after two years of exasperation and uncertainty—are now receiving unequivocal signals from the House that we’re serious about reining in our deficits in order to promote an atmosphere conducive to job creation and economic development. House Republicans are doing what we were sent here to do. In recent days, Senate Democrats have seemed somewhat open to spending cuts, and I’m hopeful that both parties can come together on a long-term spending reduction plan.”

Filed Under: Elected Officials, Federal Budget, Press Release Tagged With: ,

Lessons from the Ruins of Detroit

March 1, 2011 By 3 Comments

Devastating photos of the once booming American city Detroit, Michigan were brought to my attention yesterday. Watch this video as photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre reveal the Ruins of Detroit.

YouTube Preview Image

What would lead to such devastating outcomes? I would argue several factors.

1. Industrial Exodus: Probably the most dramatic and immediate factor for the decline as major companies either went out of business or packed up operations and moved to more favorable business climates. One thing I cannot document without detailed research is whether the companies moved to other states or oversees altogether. I would presume that the majority of these companies moved to southeast Asia where labor is cheaper.

2. Impact of Unions: Most likely the rising influence of unions over the last few decades probably led to an increase in the cost of doing business. This probably forced these companies to relocate to right-to-work states or oversees where labor is cheaper.

3. Increase in Corporate Tax Rates: Another indirect result of raising taxes on Michigan-based companies, the cost of doing business increased on these companies which led to their demise or departure to more tax-friendly business climates.

4. Decline of an Ownership Society: As government and business interests conflicted, more people lost their jobs and ended up dependent on government to survive. With no personal investment in owning property, the result is no pride in ownership.

5. Inherently Doomed Public Education System: a union-controlled public education system with a voracious appetite for a rapidly declining tax base and no desire to be innovative is probably the major reason for a population of individuals who lack even basic math and reading skills. (I’d like to see how the private schools are doing in comparison.)

Now it’s your turn. I’d love to read other’s thoughts and comments about what happened in Detroit and especially how Arizona is different in the factors I’ve mentioned.

Filed Under: City Government, County Government, Demographics, Economic Development, Economics, Education, Government, Human Condition, Jobs/Labor, State Economy, State Government, Taxation, Welfare Tagged With:
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