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40 Abortions Per Week

June 17, 2011 by 3 Comments

40 Abortions Per Week

Phoenix Magazine’s current edition portrays a glowing image of Valley abortionist Gabrielle Goodrick, who claims to perform, on average, 40 abortions per week. The article reads like a Planned Parenthood ad: dehumanizing the preborn and completely ignoring the considerable physical and emotional risks women face when they have an abortion.

Shane Wikfors at Sonoran Alliance blog this week wrote about what is also noticeably missing from the article. In February, Goodrick was placed on five years probation by the Arizona Medical Board. The Board said she reported she “may have a substance abuse problem,” and the Board’s Physician Health Program Contractor determined that Ms. Goodrick was “not safe to practice” and recommended “that she attend a chemical dependency evaluation.”

While not surprising, the lack of journalistic integrity is astounding. Once again, when all the facts are included, one cannot paint a sunny picture of Arizona’s abortion industry. I encourage you to pray for Goodrick and those entering her clinic. The facts are that abortion has tragic, life-altering consequences for all involved.

Leading a Family

Dad’s make a difference in our lives. They play a critical role in providing a loving, secure environment for families. A Heritage Foundation brief shows the importance for families of having a dad around:

  • Fathers’ engagement in their children’s activities is linked to higher academic performance.
  • Among adolescent boys, those who receive more parenting from their fathers are less likely to exhibit anti-social and delinquent behavior.
  • Among adolescent girls, those who have a strong relationship with their fathers are less likely to report experiencing depression.

Today, a new group of children, though, may never know their fathers. Jennifer Lahl, the executive producer of Eggsploitation, is producing a new film, Anonymous Father’s Day. The film tells the story of children conceived through sperm donation who will most likely never know their fathers and how this has impacted their lives. Click here to watch the trailer, and visit AnonymousUs.com to hear some of these stories. Also be sure to thank and love on your dad this Father’s Day! Most likely, I’ll be watching the U.S. Open with my dad and my husband.

Eye-Opening

We screened Eggsploitation twice this week – at Arizona Christian University and for a joint House and Senate Health Committee. Eggsploitation tells how the retrieval of human eggs to create embryos through in vitro fertilization carries significant health risks for women, to say nothing of the potential harm to embryos. Most who see the movie – from legislators to college-age women – say the movie is eye-opening. Click here for a copy of CAP’s overview of the issue.

If you missed the screening, and would like to see Eggsploitation, you can purchase the DVD from CAP for $17 plus $3 shipping and handling. Also, if you’re interested in hosting a screening for your church, class, or small group, we can help. Email info@azpolicy.org or call the CAP office, 602.424.2525.

Filed Under: Family, Marriage, Sanctity of Life Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

None of Arizona’s “Free Money” Being Spent by Other States in Wake of Extended Benefits Session

June 17, 2011 by 5 Comments

By Farrell Quinlan

The Arizona Legislature’s recently concluded special session on extending unemployment benefits revealed a number of misconceptions, misunderstandings and misrepresentations on how America’s and Arizona’s unemployment insurance systems work. Because unemployment benefits are governed by the weaving of complex federal and state laws that are designed to reflect certain principles of insurance and federalism, it is no surprise that the news media, elected officials, business owners and the general public were confused and developed certain assumptions that are untrue.

Two of the most broadly held but incorrectly understood aspects of triggering unemployment benefits in addition to the 72 weeks of regular state and federal emergency unemployment benefits are 1) who’s paying for the benefits and 2) who’s getting that money now that Arizona has forgone extending benefits.

There’s NO Free Money

Private-sector employers in Arizona pay 100 percent of all unemployment benefits regardless if the benefits are paid from state or federal accounts. Public-sector or government unemployment benefit liabilities are paid on a pay-as-you-go basis and do not contribute to net balances in the corpuses of the various state and federal unemployment insurance trust funds. Businesses are responsible for funding the state and federal accounts from which regular and extended benefits are paid. When the federal government “covers” extended benefits, the money is taken directly from an account that is 100 percent funded by the federal unemployment tax paid by private-sector employers.

That’s not just rhetoric from a small business advocate. According to latest UI Outlook report from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Unemployment Insurance, Division of Fiscal and Actuarial Services:

Heavy borrowing from the Federal Unemployment Account (FUA) is projected to continue over the next few years. The aggregate loan balance is projected to increase from $40.2 billion at the end of FY 2010 to a peak end-of-year balance of $68.3 billion in FY 2013. Up to 40 states are projected to borrow…  Due to the high volume of state loans and increased [extended benefit] payments, FUA and EUCA [the Extended Unemployment Compensation Account] are projected to borrow $26.7 billion from the general fund in FY 2011 and an additional $19.4 billion in FY 2012. The general fund advances must be repaid with interest. Neither account is projected to return to a net positive balance by 2016. [Emphasis added]

Those FUA and EUCA accounts are 100 percent funded by the federal unemployment tax paid by private-sector employers (currently $56 per year per employee).  The general fund “advances” are only significant in providing the necessary liquidity to pay these extended benefits. They do not “cover” the cost with “free money” or money paid for by employees through their federal income taxes. These accounts are incurring massive negative balances that the U.S. Department of Labor says must be covered by future federal unemployment tax receipts—and with interest!

No Other State Gets “Arizona’s Money”

The second biggest misunderstanding commonly repeated during the extended benefits debate was the idea that some other workers in some other state would be getting the benefits that Arizona is not accessing. Our unemployment insurance system is not set up like 2009’s federal stimulus program that committed the U.S. Treasury to spend a fixed amount of money and spread it around to those states participating. Instead, extended unemployment benefits are paid based on a state’s underlying unemployment insurance structure and limits. By Arizona not extending benefits beyond 72 weeks, the federal accounts providing liquidity will not accrue more negative balances that must be repaid with interest through taxes on private-sector employers. Moreover, Arizona saved the federal government from needing to add to the $14.3 trillion national debt to loan cash to the FUA and EUCA accounts to cover extended benefits past 72 weeks.

The debate over the extension of unemployment benefits is an important one requiring the careful and considered judgment of our elected representatives in Congress and state legislatures.  But that debate must not be distorted by erroneous information and the misreading of fundamental facts. Arizonans out-of-work through no fault of their own and the private-sector businesses responsible to pay taxes to fund unemployment benefits deserve a full and fair debate based on the truth, not misrepresentations.

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Farrell Quinlan is state director for the National Federation of Independent Business which has 7,500 small business members in Arizona.

Filed Under: Economics, Federal Government, Legislation, Spending, State Government, Taxation Tagged With:

Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman Statement on the Decision Not to Seek Re-Election

June 17, 2011 by 2 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2011
CONTACT: Jason Rose

(Tempe, AZ) – The City of Tempe has done very well in the last seven years despite two recessions, one mild and one that deserves the term “the Great Recession.” Tempe’s fiscal house is in good order, our employees have met the challenges of doing more with less, and our leadership is forward-thinking, proactive and conservative in planning, but also aggressive in pursuing and capturing new opportunities. Our current condition, community character and quality of life are the envy of the State and much of the Country. With future opportunities of which we are nearly perfectly positioned to take advantage, Tempe is a community poised to reach an even brighter future.

Despite all that we have done and continue to do, our community, Tempe, is a captive of the leadership that now rules the direction and future of our Great State of Arizona. As hard as we might work to address every challenge presented to Tempe, we are limited in the results Tempe can achieve because of the limitations of vision and ability of many who are dictating our State’s direction. In the coming years, I will continue to commit myself to address the State’s need for leadership and to assist those who demonstrate a capacity and vision to build on the greatness of this State and its people.

Further, I have committed myself for the next year to continue addressing the issues facing Tempe that only can be addressed by working regionally. Tempe’s access to a fair share of federal dollars for roads and highways currently is at significant risk due to the arcane and bizarre federal rules governing air quality, and yet this challenge only can be met through the regional work conducted by the Maricopa Association of Governments, of which I currently am Vice Chair and for which I will provide service as Chairman for the next year. Beyond such “formal” work, the economic development of Tempe is inextricably tied to the successes and failures of Phoenix, certainly, but perhaps more, to the opportunities and challenges faced by our fellow East Valley cities. Success in these, and other, regional efforts are essential to Tempe’s future success. These efforts will take significant time and effort on behalf of Tempe.

We also are approaching the time for an election of a citizen who will provide the leadership for our community as Mayor, as well as an election of three others to serve on this Tempe Council. Such an election should encourage the full discussion of policy and capacities of those who seek to govern on behalf of the residents of this Great Arizona City. Further, with my parents’ principles and ethics as my guide, I also believe that these positions of trust should not be considered any form of “birthright” or be too long held. As we observe in far too many examples, longevity breeds arrogance, and arrogance breeds corruption. In such light, and with the knowledge that Tempe is well placed for the future, understanding the constraints imposed on directing important regional work while also seeking election, and recognizing that the future of our City and State may compel me to offer leadership in a broader capacity, I believe it appropriate now to apprise our community of my resolution that I will not seek reelection as Mayor of Tempe.

This has been a difficult decision to make, but I make this decision with my great thanks, love and affection, first to my wife and family for accepting the burdens of my service, and then to the great staff members of Tempe and all of my many friends and supporters who have provided such full encouragement and assistance during my years in elected office and other service to this community that, cumulatively, exceeds two decades. Our successes have been as a result of great effort by many, and for any failures I hope our community will forgive me my limitations. I remain grateful for the opportunity to have been of some service to our community.

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Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, City Government, Elected Officials, Press Release Tagged With: ,