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Arizona Republican Party Welcomes David Horowitz

September 19, 2011 By 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 19, 2011
CONTACT: communications@azgop.org

Phoenix, AZ – The Arizona Republican Party is pleased to announce the upcoming visit of conservative writer, public policy advocate and activist, David Horowitz. Horowitz currently serves as the founder and President of the David Horowitz Freedom Center located in California and editor of Front Page Magazine.

Horowitz will be featured as the keynote speaker of an event entitled, “Godzilla vs. Bambi” in which Horowitz explains the current attacks on Arizona by outside organized leftist groups. In particular, he will discuss the targeting of State Senate President, Russell Pearce.

The event will be held Monday, September 26th beginning at 6:00pm at the Church for the Nations located at 6225 N. Central Avenue in Phoenix. A VIP reception will follow the presentation at 7:00pm.

Tickets to attend this event are available through the Arizona Republican Party website at AZGOP.org.

A detailed bio of David Horowitz is also available online at The David Horowitz Freedom Center (horowitzfreedomcenter.org).

For more information, please contact the Arizona Republican Party at (602) 957-7770.

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Filed Under: Conservatives, Political Parties, Press Release, Special Event

Rep. Schweikert Announces Listening Tour with Scottsdale, Mesa Mayors

September 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 19, 2011
CONTACT: Rachel Semmel

Scottsdale, Ariz. – Congressman David Schweikert announced today that he will host two Listening Sessions next week. He will host one with City of Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane and one with City of Mesa Mayor Scott Smith. Please circulate and share the times and locations for next week’s events:

Constituents are invited to stop in to speak with the Congressman and Mayors Lane and Smith respectively during their open forum discussions.

Town Hall with David Schweikert and Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane
When: Monday, September 26, 2011
Time: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Where: Scottsdale Mustang Library
Address: 10101 North 90th Street, Scottsdale, 85258 (map)

Town Hall with David Schweikert and Mesa Mayor Scott Smith
When: Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Where: Mesa Utility Building, Community Room
Address: 640 N. Mesa Drive, Mesa, 85201 (map)

Filed Under: City Government, Elected Officials, Press Release, Town Hall Tagged With: , , , , ,

Wes Gullett unveils needed pension reforms

September 19, 2011 By 3 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 19, 2011
CONTACT: Daniel Scarpinato

Calls for moving to 401K, ending double-dipping

PHOENIX – Mayoral Candidate Wes Gullett unveiled a bold set of needed reforms to Phoenix’s public pension system today, including a call to begin transitioning city employees to a 401K-style retirement plan in line with the private sector.

The Gullett plan also eliminates egregious abuses like “double dipping” and so-called “pension spiking.”

Phoenix’s public pension system has become an unsustainable and growing burden on taxpayers. Taxpayers spend nearly $100 million a year to cover the unfunded liability of the employee pension program – a price tag that is growing.

Included in the Gullett plan is the elimination of a deferred compensation plan, commonly known as a second pension, which costs taxpayers $40 million a year – almost enough to cover the cost of repealing the city’s food tax. Gullett has called for the repeal of that tax.

Gullett pledged to make pension reform a top priority if elected, stressing that the reforms are necessary to save taxpayers from ever increasing unfunded liabilities and to ensure city employees have a sound retirement plan.

“Our leaders should be accountable to us – not to special interest groups,” Gullett said. “Our pension system is broken, unsustainable and filled with abuses. In order to protect taxpayers – and to live up to the promises we’ve made – we must have the courage to confront this issue.”

The Gullett plan is two-tiered, protecting the pension of current retirees, while making future changes that limit the unfunded liabilities taxpayers will otherwise have to pay for.

The reforms include:

  • Beginning to transition the city from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution 401K-style plan
  • Raising the retirement age by two years
  • Increasing employee contributions to be more in line with other cities
  • Ending “pension spiking”
  • Eliminating “double-dipping”

“None of these initiatives will be easy, but doing nothing is not an option,” Gullett said. “This plan forward will most definitely prompt the same scare-tactics and fear-mongering we always hear from those who would rather see our pension system go bankrupt. But I promise to have the courage as Mayor to fight for these reforms and make sure they happen. Taxpayers can’t afford the alternative.”

The Arizona Republic has reported heavily on the problems with the public pension system. The newspaper reported in an 8-part series last year: “Even as local governments and the state are slashing budgets, Arizonans are propping up public-pension systems that allow civil servants to retire in their 50s, receive annuities that can exceed $100,000 a year, and collect pensions while staying on the same job.”

A copy of the plan is available here.

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Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, City Government, Government Reform, Pledges, Press Release, Spending Tagged With: , ,

NFIB Files Lawsuit to Protect Employer Rights

September 19, 2011 By 3 Comments

Sues the NLRB Over Posting Requirement Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 19, 2011 — The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has filed a lawsuit challenging a punitive new rule issued two weeks ago by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The “Notice Posting Rule” requires private-sector employers to post a notice in their business informing employees of their right to unionize; failure to do so will constitute an independent “unfair labor practice” that subjects businesses to increased scrutiny, likelihood of investigation and an indefinite expansion of the statute of limitations for filing any other unfair labor practice charge.

“With this latest rule, the NLRB has gone too far, passing a mandate that vastly exceeds its authority—largely at the cost of the small-business community,” said Karen Harned, executive director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center. “In filing this lawsuit, we are joined by thousands of men and women around the nation who are standing up against the anti-business attitude that is reflected in actions of Washington’s regulators. It is truly a wonder why the government continues to treat job creators as the bad guys.”

Added Farrell Quinlan, Arizona state director for NFIB, “At best our members see this poster rule as unwelcome meddling by the NLRB and at worst, they see it as naked promotion of the unionization of their small businesses. It’s unnecessary, needlessly provocative and will only serve to create division rather than cooperation between small-business owners and their employees.

“Sadly, the NLRB is no longer an honest broker whose unbiased deliberations serve to facilitate understanding and cooperation between small-business owners and their workers. Instead, it has sloughed off any pretense of objectivity and proudly struts its active bias in favor of Big Labor by promoting the most radical and job-suppressing items on the union bosses’ agenda.”

According to NFIB’s lawsuit, the NLRB’s promulgation of the new rule is a gross overreach of its statutory authority under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Moreover, the rule, which takes effect on November 14, 2011, will impact employers with no history of NLRA violations. According to NFIB’s estimates, the rule will impact up to six million private-sector businesses around the country.

The lawsuit asks the court to set aside the rule and declare that the NLRB’s action violates the NLRA.

NFIB previously argued in its public comments on the proposed rule that in the absence of an election petition or a finding of an unfair labor practice, the NLRB lacks the authority to require employers to post any notice, especially a notice far more detailed than those required when the NLRB’s jurisdiction is properly invoked. Further, small businesses are particularly vulnerable to accidental violations because the regulatory compliance burden most often falls on the small business owner and because small businesses do not have dedicated compliance staff. These arguments are reiterated in the complaint.

Joining the lawsuit are the National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation, an employee advocacy group; Mike Sullivan, owner of Southeast Sealing, Inc., located in Conyers, Ga. and John F. Brinson, CEO of Lehigh Valley Racquet & 24-7 Fitness Clubs in Allentown, Pa., both small-business owners and NFIB members.

NFIB is the nation’s leading small-business advocacy organization, representing 350,000 small businesses around the country.

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NFIB is the nation’s leading small business association, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small and independent business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB’s powerful network of grassroots activists send their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America’s free enterprise system. NFIB’s mission is to promote and protect the right of our members to own, operate and grow their businesses. More information is available online at www.NFIB.com/newsroom.

Filed Under: Federal Government, Government, Jobs/Labor, Press Release, Regulations, Small Business Tagged With: ,

More Silence from the Baja-Arizona Center for Civility in Public Discourse

September 19, 2011 By 40 Comments

Some light hearted  frivolity from the (union)  folks lurking in the background of the  Pearce recall effort.

Speaker’s Suggestion that Protesters Start Urinating on GOP Lawmakers Draws Applause, Laughter at Fighting Bob Fest

MacIver News Service | September 18, 2011

[Madison, Wisc…] Thousands of liberal political activists, gathered here Saturday for an annual conference, cheered and laughed as a speaker recounted the recent assault of a GOP lawmaker.

The crowd attending the Fighting Bob Fest also rejoiced at the suggestion that protesters, instead of dumping beer over the heads of Republicans, should urinate on them.

“This is Wisconsin, this is the place where you had some guy pour a beer on the head of a Republican State Senator?” said Fest speaker Greg Palast as the crowd erupted with cheers. “No, no, no, that’s all wrong. You can’t do that. That’s just wrong. I’m from New York. If you’re going to pour beer on a Republican, you have to drink it first.”

In audio of Palast’s speech posted online, the crowd can then be heard breaking out in loud and sustained cheers and laughter.

Madison Police on Friday cited Miles Kristan, commonly referred to as ‘Pink Dress Guy’ with disorderly conduct for an incident that occurred Wednesday evening. According to police reports, Kristan dumped a beer over State Representative Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and two of his colleagues GOP Reps Scott Suder (Abbotsford) and John Nygren (Marinette) at the Inn on the Park hotel bar and restaurant.

The incident has brought to a head concerns by conservatives in Madison that law enforcement there have not taken threats to public safety seriously. Many on the Left, however, have openly mocked the incident as humorous and minimal, although most of this has come in the form of facebook and twitter postings and none in such a public fashion as Palast, an author and freelance journalist, brazenly did on Saturday.

Hear the clip, which was posted on the liberal Democurmudgeon

Fighting Bob Fest is an annual gathering featuring progressive speakers, networking opportunities, and folk-style entertainment, according to organizers. Named after Robert “Fighting Bob” La Follette, the event attracts thousands and had previously been held at the Sauk County fairgrounds but was moved to the Dane County Coliseum this year.

The line up of speakers included Democratic Congresswoman and US Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin of Madison, Mike McCabe of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, John Nichols of the Capital Times and The Nation Magazine, former Congressman David Obey, US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Matt Rothchild of the Progressive magazine. According to press accounts attendees included Vos’ colleague State Representative Mark Pocan.

Ironically, earlier this year Pocan joined Vos in a call for more civility in Madison.

Pocan has not issued a statement regarding the assault on Vos, nor Palast’s comments that protesters should instead urinate on their political foes. As of press time neither has any of the speakers mentioned above.

The inciting comments and crowd reaction come one day after State Representative Steve Nass (R-Whitewater)  said he believed Madison law enforcement leaders are partially to blame for the escalation of disorderly and dangerous conduct by protesters in the Capitol city.

Nass believes that Madison Police Chief Noble Wray, Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney, Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs and Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne have been more interested in cooperating with protesters than enforcing the law.

“The problem is not with rank-and-file police officers. They have had enough, as well. Frankly, the problem rests squarely with the top law enforcement leaders that have let their partisan views interfere with the conduct of their offices,” Nass said.

Indeed, the beer incident of Wednesday night was not a spontaneous occurrence.

The MacIver News Service discovered a video, posted online, of Kristan and another protester harassing Representatives Vos and Suder just last week. In the video, which is apparently shot by Kristan and can be seen here, the representatives leave the Capitol and head over to check into the Inn on the Park. This video corroborates allegations that these two individuals have repeatedly harassed Vos, Suder and others.

“I am somebody and you will listen to me,” the agitator screams at one point in the six-and-a-half-minute video. Earlier, he warns that he was giving Vos “five business days to respond.”

The beer was dumped on Vos and the others five days after the video was posted.

Many conservatives share Nass’ concern that Madison authorities, while not mocking the incident as publicly as Palast, appear to be supportive of Kristan’s antics. Nass warns this casual attitude toward unrest could reach a boiling point.

In this exclusive video interview with the MacIver News Service, Nass said, “[I]f Madison law enforcement authorities don’t begin to crack down on the repeated and escalating harassment of lawmakers and staff “somebody is seriously going to get hurt…or killed.”

Filed Under: Culture, Ethics, Jobs/Labor, Liberals, Protests