Representative Schweikert Statement on Obama’s Afghanistan Speech
June 22, 2011 By 15 Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 22, 2011
CONTACT: Rachel Semmel
Washington, D.C. – Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ) released the following statement after President Obama’s speech calling for the withdrawal of more troops from Afghanistan:
“I am an unabashed supporter of our troops and our military leaders who fight for freedom every day. I support our military leaders and generals on the ground and defer to their expertise regarding our troop levels.
“While the time to withdrawal our troops might be fast approaching, it is not wise for us to hand our enemy our battle plans years in advance. Our gains in Afghanistan have not come without a price. While we remember our troops in harm’s way tonight, I remain adamant that whatever strategy is implemented for stabilization and withdrawal, it must not put any of our men and women in uniform even further at risk.”
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Freedom Thrives with Everyday Citizens in State Legislatures
June 22, 2011 By 2 Comments
Goldwater Institute
News Release
PHOENIX – A statistical comparison of all 50 states reveals that legislatures filled with everyday people instead of career politicians are more likely to protect freedom by keeping taxes low and limiting the growth of government.
The statistical findings call into question the frequent suggestion from legislative insiders that Arizona should raise lawmakers’ salaries above their current pay of $24,000 a year, with the hope of attracting a “better” crop of legislators. Many of the states that ranked lowest in freedom were states with legislatures made up of career politicians, defined as legislators with relatively higher salaries, larger staffs, and longer legislative sessions.
“Lawmakers who spend most of their time away from a state capitol appear to stay better connected to their constituents. Likewise, they have less time to adopt new programs, increase taxes, or write up more regulations,” said Nick Dranias, the Goldwater Institute’s director of constitutional studies.
The Citizen Legislature: How Reasonable Limits on State Legislative Salaries, Staff, and Session Lengths Keep Liberty Alive was written by political science professors William Ruger of Texas State University and Jason Sorens of the University at Buffalo, SUNY. The researchers analyzed the salaries, staffing, and work schedules of the 50 state legislatures to determine their impact on policies that promote or erode freedom.
Despite Arizona’s reputation for favoring smaller government, the state has traveled down the path toward a career legislature. Arizona ranks among the 10 worst states nationwide in this regard, the authors find, because of its high number of legislative staff and relatively long legislative sessions.
The analysis recommends specific steps Arizona and other states should take to promote free enterprise and protect personal liberty, including holding legislative sessions every other year like Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas. Likewise, Arizona should reduce its number of legislative staff to match those of states with similar populations, such as Colorado or Indiana (Arizona has more than 600 staff versus Colorado with 345 and Indiana with 375).
Click here to read The Citizen Legislature: How Reasonable Limits on Salaries, Staff, and Session Lengths Keep Liberty Alive. The Goldwater Institute is an independent government watchdog that develops innovative, principled solutions to issues facing the states and whose work is made possible by the generosity of its supporters.
Schweikert Bill Enabling Small Companies To Access Capital Markets Approved By Committee
June 22, 2011 By 1 Comment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 22, 2011
WASHINGTON – The Financial Services Committee today approved the Small Company Capital Formation Act (H.R. 1070) introduced by Rep. David Schweikert.
The bill makes it easier for small businesses to access capital, which will permit greater investment in these companies and will allow them to grow and create new jobs.
“I am extremely pleased that the Financial Services Committee passed my Small Company Capital Formation Act. This common-sense proposal, passed with bipartisan support, reduces burdensome regulation on small business and creates more jobs. I am glad my colleagues stand with me in unwinding regulation and make our capital markets more vibrant and competitive,” said Rep. Schweikert.
The bill increases the offering threshold for companies exempted from SEC registration under Regulation A from $5 million — which was set in the early 1990s — to $50 million. Increasing the Regulation A threshold will lower the cost of raising capital for small businesses.
“Small businesses are the engine of job growth in our country,” said Chairman Spencer Bachus. “With this proposal, small businesses will be able to more efficiently raise funds that they can use to hire new employees. I commend Rep. Schweikert for offering this important bill that will help small businesses across the country create jobs.”
H.R. 1070 was approved by voice vote.
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Mesa City Council Members Support Matt Salmon
June 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 22, 2011
CONTACT: Adam Deguire
Half of City Council Members endorse Salmon’s Bid to Return to Congress
EAST VALLEY – Matt Salmon, former Congressman and candidate for Arizona’s sixth Congressional district announced today that three members of the Mesa City Council have endorsed his campaign for Congress. Salmon’s campaign announced the following endorsements:
Vice Mayor Scott Somers – District 6
Councilman Dave Richins – District 1
Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh – District 3
Vice Mayor Scott Somers said, “Matt Salmon knows the importance of Gateway Airport, not only to the City of Mesa but to the East Valley region. He will do what’s right to ensure its success and long-term growth. He is committed to getting results – not sitting on the sidelines.”
“Mesa and the East Valley have a 21st century economy and need a representative in Congress who understands the diverse businesses that make us successful” said Dave Richins, who represents Northwest Mesa in Council District One. “Matt Salmon has that experience and will fight to support the needs of the City of Mesa and all of Arizona.”
Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh of District 3 added, “I first met Matt Salmon at Mesa Speaks back in the 1980’s in Prescott and I supported him in his very first run for the Legislature. He did a great job in Congress for us and was very responsive to the needs of the city. He is honest, ethical and a true man of his word. He has never been a divisive ‘name-caller’ which is refreshing these days.”
Former Congressman Salmon stated, “I am proud to call Mesa my home. I am honored that these members of the Mesa City Council believe in me and know that I will protect and promote the hard work they are doing to maintain Mesa’s reputation as a great place to work and to do business.”
About Matt Salmon
Matt Salmon was first elected to the United States Congress in 1994 and served until 2000, honoring his term limit pledge. A proud fiscal conservative, Salmon was rated in the top five among all 535 members of the House and Senate by Citizen’s Against Government Waste for all six years he was in office. He is a lifetime member of the NRA with an A+ rating and also earned a 100% rating by the National Right to Life. He was also the proud recipient of the American Cancer Society’s “Top National Elected Official” award.
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Representative Quayle Statement on The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act
June 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 22, 2011
CONTACT: Richard Cullen
WASINGTON (D.C.) Congressman Ben Quayle (R-AZ), a member of the House Energy Action Team (HEAT), released the following statement Wednesday in support of HR 2021, the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act, which would create thousands of jobs by ending permitting delays that have stalled American oil and natural gas production off the coast of Alaska:
“With millions of Americans out of work and millions more being forced to take part-time jobs, it is imperative that the Obama Administration and Members of Congress take advantage of existing vehicles to job creation and economic growth. By eliminating the needless permitting delays that have stalled American energy production off the coast of Alaska, the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act would create more than 50,000 jobs and produce up to 1 million barrels of oil a day. HR 2021 would produce American energy and create American jobs at a time when we are in desperate need of both.”
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Maricopa Community Colleges Board Votes to Follow State Law
June 22, 2011 By 1 Comment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 22, 2011
CONTACT: Mike Philipsen
Senators take action, get results Maricopa Community Colleges Board Decides to Follow State Law
(Phoenix)—- Members of the Maricopa Community Colleges Governing Board last night voted 3-2 to keep tuition at levels set in March and scheduled to go into effect in July. This action negated an effort led by Board President Randolph Lumm to reconsider the March vote and continue to allow illegal aliens to qualify for in-state tuition. State law clearly bars community colleges from granting illegals in-state tuition.
Sen. Linda Gray learned from board member Debra Pearson that the MCC Governing Board was holding a special meeting Tuesday night, to consider backing out of a March tuition agreement that finally put the Colleges in compliance with Proposition 300. That is the proposition passed by more than 70% of Arizona voters in 2006, barring illegal immigrants from in-state tuition.
Sen. Gray moved quickly to write a letter to Attorney General Tom Horne, alerting him to the issue and raising questions about the legality of such a move by the Board. The letter was also signed by Senate President Russell Pearce and numerous Republican Senators and Representatives. In the letter, she included direct wording from Proposition 300.
A person who is not a citizen of the United States, who is without lawful immigration status and who is enrolled as a student at . . . any community college under the jurisdiction of a community college district is not entitled to tuition waivers, fee waivers, grants, scholarship assistance, financial aid, tuition assistance or any other type of financial assistance that is subsidized or paid in whole or in part with state monies.
Sen. Gray also asked the Attorney General about possible penalties a community college might face for classifying those not lawfully present in the United States as in-state students. With the vote of the Board last night, MCC will not face penalties, and the District is back in compliance with state law.
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Waring Receives Endorsement of Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs
June 22, 2011 By 2 Comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 22, 2011
CONTACT: Jim Waring
Waring Receives Endorsement of Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs
Organization for police cites Waring’s “Unwavering Support for Public Safety”
PHOENIX, AZ – Jim Waring, Republican Candidate for Phoenix City Council, today proudly announced that his campaign has been endorsed by the Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs (AZCOPS).
Larry Lopez, President of AZCOPS, cited Jim Waring’s “unwavering support for public safety issues.”
“I am very pleased and honored to receive this endorsement,” said Waring. “Public safety has always been a top issue for me in public life, and it will continue to be a top priority for me when I represent my neighbors on the Phoenix City Council.”
Waring has previously received numerous accolades for his work on behalf of public safety. Aside from being a graduate of the Phoenix Citizens’ Police Academy, Waring was the Men’s Anti-Violence Network’s Man of the Year, and authored the state’s toughest DUI laws, which has reduced fatalities related to drinking and driving.
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Jim Waring is the Republican candidate for Phoenix City Council in District 2. He previously served in the Arizona State Senate from 2003 – 2010, where he was named Champion of the Taxpayer for his efforts to reign in government spending and reduce waste.
Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio discusses requests for info tying food tax to city employee raises
June 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio was on with KFYI-550′s Jim Sharpe this morning to discuss his recent request to obtain information linking the food tax to city employee salaries.
Here is that interview.
And in case you missed Sal DiCiccio’s presentation on the budget and government employee salaries, here is the video:
Sheriff Larry Dever on the Monument Fire
June 22, 2011 By 9 Comments
Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever recently spoke out on the cause of the Monument Fire in Southern Arizona. Here is the video of Sheriff Dever’s press conference.
(video courtesy of Tucson NBC affiliate KVOA)
Do liberals and conservatives really hate each other?
June 22, 2011 By 16 Comments
By Janet Contreras
Liberals and conservatives are at war. I hear liberals say America is great or that this is a great country. I wonder what America they think is great, because we could not possibly be farther apart ideologically and both think America is a great country. And don’t say that what makes her great is that we can disagree; because we are tearing our country apart, and there is no greatness in that.
Do you love the America that gives almost two years of unemployment, food stamps and Medicaid to growing numbers of the population that is fit to work? Do you love the America whose government takes on all the charity work that used to be done by local churches and clubs that you are too busy or too self-involved to join? Do you love the America whose government decides which industries will be rewarded and which will be punished? Do you love the America that educates our children about sustainable communities and non-consumption instead of the three R’s; that produces each generation more illiterate than the one before? Do you love the America where classes of people are defined and pitted against one another like social gladiators? Do you love the America that promises to mandate and engineer every aspect of life and society because people are too stupid to make the right decisions? Do you love the America where the free press is so corrupt that most of the population only knows what the government wants them to know? Do you love this democracy?
Just what does a liberal mean when you say you love America, because that’s NOT America. That’s some castle in the sky and fantasy utopia you are trying to create. Once the makers have been fleeced of everything, the takers will be without again and all will live in poverty, except for government. That’s democracy! (If you don’t believe me, see Greece).
I say I love America. Which America is that? Do I love the America where property rights are protected and guaranteed? Do I love the America where I make my own choices and own the results, good or bad? Do I love the America where success is rewarded and not despised? Do I love the America where personal responsibility is a virtue? Do I love the America where being honest about everything is more important than being nice to everyone? Do I love the America where neighbors and churches help people in times of need so they don’t have to look to the government? Do I love the America where people actually get themselves back on their feet after a hardship or failure? Do I love the America where Judeo-Christian principles guide public policy? Do I love the America where I hardly knew the government was there and didn’t look for them to solve all my problems? Do I love the America where the free press is the fourth arm of the government and the watchdog of the people? Do I love this constitutional republic governed by the rule of law?
Just what do I mean when I say I love America, because my America is being fundamentally transformed? The American constitutional republic (not a democracy), founded by those wise “old white men” that cause you so much shame, is slipping away from me in your hands.
So if America is not yet your America and no longer my America, who is she and what will become of her and her people? How in the world can both of us profess love for a country that is a different ideal to each of us? Who is America?
If you tell me you love America, please tell me how we can be Americans together, because my America of a constitutional republic is being destroyed, and your American democracy is doomed to fail. So back to the original question: Do liberals and conservatives really hate each other? What fuels the contentious relationship we have is that you hate my America, and I hate yours; and there can be no compromise, because we have no common ground.
