Waring Receives Endorsement of Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs

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

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

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.

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(video courtesy of Tucson NBC affiliate KVOA)

Do liberals and conservatives really hate each other?

By Janet Contreras

Janet ContrerasLiberals 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.

 

Monument Fire – Prayers for Southern Arizona

Please share this video and continue to pray and send donations and supplies to Southern Arizona.

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Travis Grantham Announces Campaign for Congress in CD-6

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 21, 2011
CONTACT: Travis Grantham

Gilbert – Today, Arizona Air National Guard Captain, Travis Grantham announced his campaign for congress in Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District.

“Across our district, our state, and our nation, people are hurting – job loss, crushing taxes, skyrocketing healthcare costs, and a lack of security about what tomorrow may bring. Many elected officials, people like President Obama, simply do not understand that the more taxes they raise, the more of our money they spend, and the more “government knows best” programs and policies they enact, the more they crush small business, limit individual economic opportunities, and destroy the American Dream.

As a 3rd generation native Arizonan, as a husband and father, as a business owner, and as an Officer and Pilot in the Arizona Air National Guard, I know all too well that our families are not growing up in the same Arizona that my parents grew up in or for that matter that I had the privilege of growing up in.

That is why I have made the decision to run for Congress in Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District. After speaking with my family and close friends the decision to enter this race for Congress was clear.

The United States is facing an unprecedented economic crisis that can no longer be ignored or pushed off to the next generation.

Fundamentally, we need to understand that in order to create jobs and restore our economy we must free business and the people who run them of excessive and job killing taxes and regulations. American enterprise, small business, and in the end, hard working people are the driving force of job creation. Government, at any level does not create jobs, but it sure can kill them. Put simply, let the people keep their money and invest in our businesses, communities, and our futures. Whether it is on economic issues, healthcare, energy policy, immigration reform, or foreign policy, the people of Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District deserve to be represented by an individual who will stand on principle in the face of relentless pressure and opposition to do what is right. That is the kind of leadership we need in Congress. That is the kind of leadership I pledge to provide.

Our campaign will focus on a prosperous future and solving problems that career politicians simply have been unwilling or unable to do. Over the course of this campaign I will work hard to earn your vote. I am grateful for the opportunity to run for Congress, and humbled by the potential to represent Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District in Washington.”

Captain Grantham will be deploying on a contingency operation in support of Operation Enduring Freedom where he will be flying aero medical evacuation missions out of Afghanistan from late June through mid July. He will be available for comment prior to deployment and once he returns.

For more information please visit www.GranthamforCongress.com.

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Arizona Mainstream Project

Diagnosis: Communism, the Deadliest Disease

To combat ideas, tactics, objectives and goals of communism, we must make an effort to understand its nature.

Presented by Brad Zinn, Political Activist, Scholar

Date: Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Time: 6:30-8:30 PM
Location: Via Linda Senior Center
Address: 10440 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale (map)
Cost: $10 per person
Refreshments served
RSVP

 

Congressman Paul Gosar on KAET

Arizona PBS affiliate, KAET, featured Congressman Paul Gosar discussing a variety of issues that affect his district in rural Arizona including the Wallow Fire, the Four Forest Restoration Initiative, Grand Canyon Uranium mining claims and land exchange legislation related to the Resolution Copper mine near Superior, Arizona.

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Innovation found in Arizona, not Washington, D.C.

by Jonathan Butcher
Goldwater Institute

“What happens if you design a school, from the ground-up, on the student instead of the bureaucracy?” ask creators of a short film about an Arizona charter school. The answer shouldn’t surprise you.

Carpe Diem Collegiate High School and Middle School, located in Yuma County, is the feature of a short film that highlights its innovative approach to education. Carpe Diem offers a “blended model” of schooling that includes face-to-face and computer-based instruction, where students rotate between online lessons and assignments and teacher-led sessions.

The results are astounding. A study found that last year “Carpe Diem ranked first in its county in student performance in math and reading and ranked among the top 10 percent of Arizona charter schools.”

In a recent speech, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan praised “educational innovations here in the U.S,” but didn’t offer many examples of actual innovations. Instead, Duncan touted increases in federal funding and a $4 billion “school turnaround program.” Duncan stressed the role of quality teachers in promoting student achievement, and rightly so, but then he praised “courageous union leaders” and participants in an “unprecedented conference on labor management” held last February. What’s innovative about that?

Parents want results like those that Carpe Diem can deliver, not federal funding increases and revised union contracts.

This fall, Arizona will be eligible to apply for the next round of “Race to the Top” grants, federal grants awarded to states based on innovative reform proposals. It’s hard for any state official to resist the lure of federal money, but as they consider applying, Arizona officials would do well to remember that innovation is not found in Washington’s spending increases or union contracts. Real innovation with real results can be found much closer to home.

Jonathan Butcher is education director for the Goldwater Institute.

Learn More:

Goldwater Institute: The Future of Learning: Better and Cheaper

Lur Films: Carpe Diem Collegiate High School and Middle School

U.S. Department of Education: Secretary Duncan’s Remarks at National Center on Education and the Economy National Symposium

Huppenthal: Determination that MAS violates law rests on far more than audit

By Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction, John Huppenthal

I stand by my decision to hold the Tucson Unified School District in violation of A.R.S. § 15-112.

My finding that TUSD was in violation was drawn after months of careful analysis of substantial information gathered by the state Department of Education’s investigation of TUSD’s Mexican American Studies department (MAS). It should be stressed that due to time and scope limitations of the external audit, it was a limited part of my comprehensive investigation of MAS.

Books, teaching guides, PowerPoint slides, handouts and other classroom and reading materials associated with MAS and its courses were reviewed and held up against the standard: Did the material’s content, in isolation or in aggregate, violate the law?

Books found in MAS classrooms and/or on coursework reading lists were examined. Excerpts from some of these materials on which my determination was based were made readily available in hard copy at the press conference and sent, in digital form, to members of the media.

Much to my frustration the external auditors did not thoroughly analyze the books gathered for evidence. Instead, the auditors chose primarily to focus on their limited classroom observations and on-site interviews as the basis for their overreaching conclusions. Inexplicably, the auditors did not review substantial physical evidence found in the classroom or on coursework syllabi and reading lists made available to them.

Not auditing a substantial portion of information gathered was problematic when trying to reach valid, reasonable, fact-based conclusions. Furthermore, two-thirds of the MAS classes were not even observed, the observations took place during a narrow time window and TUSD was told in advance which week the audit would take place. Most audited classes were observed only once.

TUSD failed to provide any student coursework from the MAS classrooms, 11 MAS teachers were told not to participate in the audit by their lawyers, and administrators from the MAS program refused to be interviewed.

The external audit failed to provide a comprehensive review. Most educational audits are intensive and can last for six months. The auditors only spent one week observing classrooms at TUSD.

Despite the limited usefulness of the external audit, its final report did highlight materials such as textbooks deemed to be questionable, partisan, inflammatory, and age-inappropriate. It also pointed out TUSD’s lack of a comprehensive, transparent and statutorily compliant curriculum development and oversight process in regards to MAS. This lack of oversight of the MAS program ultimately led to its violations of A.R.S. § 15-112.

In my role as state superintendent of public instruction, I have a legal responsibility to uphold the law, a professional imperative to make decisions based on a totality of evidence gathered and an educational obligation to ensure that every student has access to an excellent education.

I made the decision I felt was best for all students in the Tucson Unified School District. For their sake, it is now up to the TUSD governing board to ensure its MAS program comes into compliance.

John Huppenthal is Superintendent of Public Instruction. Email him at adeinbox@azed.gov

Supporting Documentation:

John Huppenthal Official Statement on TUSD MAS Program
Citations from TUSD’s Mexican American Studies Program materials and resources
Kathy Hrabluk Official Statement on TUSD MAS Program
SPI Official Statement of Finding
TUSD Finding Document
TUSD Investigation Citations

Video of State Superintendent Huppenthal’s recent appearance on KAET:

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As Tucson candidates fall off ballot, Vogt is ready for November

As candidates for Tucson’s City Council and Mayor fall off the ballot one by one, candidate Tyler Vogt is clear to run against a long time incumbent who has been caught up in the Rio Nuevo debacle.

In an open letter to Tucsonans, Vogt writes, “I take this election and our city’s future as an imperative “must win” situation, both for my family’s future and our city’s longevity. I believe the citizens of Tucson will agree.” He continues, “Our city’s future is at stake and the citizens of Tucson cannot afford to have the city continue in decline as we are currently witnessing. The citizens of Tucson deserve to have a knowledgeable, motivated individual seeking to change our city’s course from the sunset of past failures to the dawn of Tucson’s prosperous future.

Vogt moved to Tucson in 2000 after serving in the United States Navy Reserve for 15 years. According to his website, “ He holds two degrees, a Marine Engineering degree earned from United States Merchant Marine Academy and an Electrical Engineering degree from Valparaiso University.”

Read More>>

McClusky Withdraws From Tucson Mayor’s Race

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 20, 2011

Based on information from a pre-trial hearing today, and at the advice of my attorneys, I am withdrawing from the race to become Tucson’s next mayor. A number of the signatures which I gathered were not properly witnessed by the gatherers, and based on that information I will not have the required number of petitions to qualify for the ballot. Therefore, as of today, I am withdrawing my petitions and candidacy for the Mayor’s race.

Unfortunately, Democratic Party Chairman Jeff Rogers and the local political machine he heads have chosen, and show every indication of continuing to choose, legal means to bully, intimidate and financially damage any and all candidates in these elections with the exception of their own hand-picked representatives, and to this point it’s clear that their tactics have succeeded admirably.

Regardless, the fact that I was not able to turn in a sufficient number of petitions is my fault. And I want to sincerely apologize to all my supporters for this mistake, I know many of you have worked hard to help my campaign, and I know this hurts you as much as it does me.

Tucson needs new leadership, and I hope that all of you will re-dedicated yourselves–as I am–to getting both Tyler Vogt and Jennifer Rawson elected to the City Council. Both Tyler and Jennifer are quality candidates who deserve your support.

Sincerely,

Shaun McClusky

Sen. Gray: Maricopa Community Colleges Preparing to Violate State Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 20, 2011
CONTACT: Mike Philipsen

(Phoenix, State Capitol) —–It took more than four years for Maricopa Community Colleges to come in compliance with state law on illegal immigrants’ tuition, and now it looks like it may take just three months for the Board to reverse itself, and violate state law.

Sen. Linda Gray has learned the Maricopa Community Colleges Governing Board will hold 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. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the District Support Services Center at 2411 W. 14th St. in Tempe.

“Voters made it clear nearly five years ago, that illegal aliens should not earn in-state status. The Board has dragged its feet for years, but finally, with the March vote, they decided to fully follow state law,” says Sen. Gray. “Now, even before the tuition schedule goes into effect on July 1, the Board is re-considering its action. That is unacceptable.”

The wording of Proposition 300 is clear on this issue. “A person who was not a citizen or legal resident of the United States or who is without lawful immigrant status is not entitled to classification as an in-state student….”

“Years ago, voters told these schools, “Don’t use state money to subsidize tuition for illegal immigrants. It is sad that more than four years later, we are still waiting for Maricopa Community Colleges to hear the voters, and even sadder that they are considering turning their back again on those voters,” says Sen. Gray.

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Shaun McClusky: Support Relief Efforts for Wildfire Victims

 

 

 

Wildfires continue to burn throughout Arizona forcing many people to flee their homes, often without knowing when or if they’ll be able to return. I would like to ask each and every one of you to take a few moments of your time, a few dollars, or a few spare items from your cabinets to support our neighbors in their time of need.

Members of Arizona Smart Girl Politics in conjunction with Sparkle Cleaners and 5 Star Termite and Pest Control are sponsoring relief efforts in the form of a donation drive for those affected. Below are a number of items that are desperately needed to help victims of this catastrophe. You can drop off your donations at my office, 3323 N. Campbell Ave, Ste 6, or at any one of the other locations listed below:

Rincon Ventures: 3323 N. Campbell Avenue, Suite 6, Tucson
5 Star Termite & Pest Control: 1002 S. Pantano Road, Tucson
Any Sparkle Cleaners Location in the Tucson Area

These are the Items needed for donation:

*Baby Food
*Baby Formula
*Pull-Ups of all sizes
*Travel sized shampoo and conditioners
*Deodorant
*All personal hygiene items for adults and children
*Hairbrushes
*Soap
*Toothpaste, toothbrushes and other dental care items
*Walmart, Target or KMart gift cards in $5 or $10 denominations to be given to families in need while sheltered.

For those who would like to make monetary donations, you may do so through either Wells Fargo Bank or the National Bank of Arizona simply by dropping off cash or a check for “Cochise County Monument Fire”. Also, donations are being accepted through the Red Cross of Southern Arizona.

I know that all of us here in Southern Arizona are praying for some rain, for the monsoons to arrive and douse these fires, for as many people and homes to be spared as possible, for the brave men and women fighting these fires. I join you in those prayers, and I’m asking you to take one step further. Join me in helping to provide a displaced family with something of need.

Thank You,

Shaun McClusky

 

Statement by McCain, Kyl, Flake & Gosar on Arizona Wildfires

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 20, 2011

Joint Statement by Senators John McCain, Jon Kyl and Congressmen Jeff Flake and Paul Gosar

Washington D.C. – U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ), and Congressmen Jeff Flake (AZ-06) and Paul Gosar (AZ-01) today released the following statement regarding the Arizona wildfires:

“Arizona is currently facing the worst wildfire season in its history. After touring the devastation in eastern Arizona, we would like to express our gratitude to the brave firefighters, first responders, and public lands personnel who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to preserve communities, homes, and our natural habitats.

“During our tour of the damaged areas caused by the Wallow Fire on Saturday, we were briefed by senior Forest Service officials, one of whom informed us that some wildfires in Arizona (across our southern border) are regrettably caused by drug smugglers and illegal immigrants. This statement is consistent with what we’ve been hearing for years, as well as testimony by the Forest Service and media reports dating back as far as 2006.

“While Arizonans continue to face the enormous challenges related to these wildfires, it’s unfortunate that some are inserting their political agenda into this tragedy.”

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[Some GOP] Presidential Candidates Pledge to Advance Pro-life Issues In Office

From one of my favorite national pro-life organizations, The Susan B Anthony List.

What is extremely troubling is that Mitt Romney, Herman Cain and Gary Johnson (no surprise) refused to sign this pledge!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2011
CONTACT: Ciara Matthews

2012 Hopefuls Sign Pro-Life Leadership Presidential Pledge

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) today announced the Republican candidates for President who have signed its Pro-Life Leadership Presidential Pledge, committing them to actively advance pro-life policies and legislation if they are elected to the White House.  Signers of the pledge include Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum.  Marilyn Musgrave, former Congresswoman and Project Director for SBA List, made the announcement at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans this afternoon. SBA List is also calling on pro-life activists to put pressure on those candidates who have refused to sign, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, and Gary Johnson, to sign the pledge.

“We applaud those candidates who did sign the pledge for vowing to support and advance the protection of life at all stages if elected to the White House,” said Musgrave.  “Their signatures demonstrate that mere lip-service to protecting women and the unborn is not enough—it must be backed up by concrete action.”

According to the pledge, available here, if elected President, candidates will:

  • Only nominate to the U.S. Supreme Court and federal bench judges who are committed to restraint and applying the original meaning of the Constitution, not legislating from the bench;
  • Select pro-life appointees for relevant Cabinet and Executive Branch positions, in particular the head of National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health & Human Services, and the Department of Justice;
  • Advance pro-life legislation to permanently end all taxpayer funding of abortion in all domestic and international spending programs, and defund Planned Parenthood and all other contractors and recipients of federal funds with affiliates that perform or fund abortions;
  • Advance and sign into law a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to protect unborn children who are capable of feeling pain from abortion.

“The conviction and resolve of these candidate’s answers grassroots hunger for authentic leadership.  Any ‘truce’ on social issues is not viable, nor is it acceptable to the grassroots,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser.  “As one of the most activist presidents on abortion in history protects political allies like Planned Parenthood and continually appoints activist federal judges, the situation demands a strong leader who will advance consensus and life affirming legislation and policy at all levels.”

The Susan B. Anthony List spent $11 million during the 2010 midterm election cycle. Overall, the SBA List was involved in 90 races including 62 wins and 28 losses. Successes included: defeating 15 of 20 so-called “pro-life” Democrats who voted for abortion funding in the health care reform bill; increasing the number of pro-life women in the House by 70 percent; filling the void of pro-life women in the U.S. Senate and increasing the number of pro-life women governors from one to four.

 

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Tonight on the Alexander & Goldman Show: Live report from RightOnline and Guest Host Shane Wikfors

Tonight from 6-7pm on the Alexander & Goldman Show we will call in live from the RightOnline conference in Minneapolis as it winds down. The Right has now surpassed the Left online. The new documentary on Sarah Palin will debut there, and major speakers include Tim Pawlenty, Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain, Michelle Malkin and Andrew Breitbart. Check out the schedule of seminars. Should be a wild weekend, the Left’s Netroots Nation conference will be taking place in Minneapolis at the same time. You can follow what’s happening at RightOnline on the Twitter channel #ro11 (and even more fun, follow the Netroots Nation conference at #nn11). Here are some highlights from the first day yesterday.

For the second half of the show, Shane Wikfors from SonoranAlliance.com and James Allen from the JamesAllenShow.com radio program will take over.

Last week’s show with bankruptcy attorneys Dennis Riccio and Bill Ponath talking about bankruptcies, foreclosures and mortgages is available to watch on ustream here.

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, which you can access by clicking here. Watch the ustream live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/alexander-and-goldman-show. Click here to get weekly email updates on our upcoming shows.

Be sure to stay tuned in to the show afterwards from 7-8pm for the Arizona Latino Republican Association’s ALRA Airwaves. Prior to our show check out the Tim Horn show from 5-6pm for more conservative talk.