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Representative Michelle Ugenti aims to toughen missing person reports

November 22, 2011 By 15 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Daniel Scarpinato
CONTACT: Daniel Scarpinato

“Caylee’s Law” would make it a Class 5 Felony to fail to report a child missing

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX (Nov. 22, 2011) – In an effort to protect missing children, state Representative Michelle Ugenti (Republican, District-8) has introduced House Bill 2018 to make it a class 5 felony if a parent fails to report that a child under six years of age has gone missing.

Part of a national movement to tighten missing person reports when it comes to small children, the legislation is titled “Caylee’s Law,” a response to the disappearance and murder of Caylee Anthony, a Florida infant. The bill was drafted with the assistance of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Representative Ugenti’s bill requires that a parent, stepparent, guardian or person who has the care of custody of a minor under six years of age to immediately report the child missing after a 24 hour period.

“Arizona children need to be protected and if one goes missing it’s vital that police begin the search process before the child is put in danger or their life is at risk,” Ugenti said. “This bill is a reasonable and enforceable way to protect young children and hold accountable those parents and adults who fail to live up to their responsibilities.”

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Filed Under: Crime and Punishment, Elected Officials, Family, Press Release, State Government Tagged With: ,

Travis Grantham: Supercommittee is a Super Bust

November 22, 2011 By 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 22, 2011
CONTACT: Evan Kozlow

Gilbert, AZ – Travis Grantham, candidate for Congress in Arizona’s Sixth District who is currently deployed on active duty in the Middle East, released this statement following the shutdown of the Super Committee.

“It was a disgrace when Congress chose to sidestep making tough decisions on spending and create the Super Committee. Every member who supported the concept abdicated their responsibility in serving the people who elected them. That vote and the subsequent creation of the Super Committee was a gutless act that was doomed from the start.

The Super Committee has been completely ineffective and unable to resolve the tough spending issues that Congress as a whole could not and would not address. Even worse, the Super Committee has shut down two days before the deadline. One has to ask, is there any elected official from President Obama thru Congress that has the guts and leadership ability to address this difficult issue?

I cannot understand how Congress and the President have twice thrown their hands up and said we can’t do this. Now, due to the inability of the Super Committee to find any common ground, Medicare and our military will face significant cuts and our 15 trillion dollar debt will continue to grow. This is unacceptable.

We must elect leaders who understand how to balance a budget, who don’t quit when the going gets tough, and who rise to the occasion and find solutions to our country’s pressing issues.

Passing the buck, which has now happened twice, is not what the American dream is founded upon. It certainly is not what the American people expect from their leaders. As a candidate for congress and a Captain in the Arizona Air Guard, I can only offer this advice to the so called leaders in Washington, you do no justice to the titles and responsibilities bestowed upon you by the citizens of your states and districts by retreating. The failure of the super committee is a slap in the face of all Americans. Irreparable harm can and will be done by not making tough decisions, not doing the peoples work, and by not getting our country’s reckless spending under control.”

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Travis Grantham is a candidate for Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District. He serves as the Chief Operations Officer at International Air Response based at the Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport. He is also a Captain and Pilot in the Arizona Air National Guard’s 161st Air Refueling Wing based out of Sky Harbor International Airport. Travis lives in Gilbert with his wife Patricia and two daughters. 

For more information go to GranthamForCongress.com

 

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Federal Budget, Federal Government, Press Release, Spending, Taxation Tagged With: ,

Governor Jan Brewer Files Arizona’s Reply in SB 1070 Litigation

November 22, 2011 By 23 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 22, 2011
CONTACT: Matthew Benson

Urges U.S. Supreme Court to Review the Ninth Circuit’s Opinion 

PHOENIX – Governor Jan Brewer today filed a reply with the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the State’s petition for a Writ of Certiorari in the SB 1070 litigation initiated by the federal government.

In August, Governor Brewer petitioned the High Court to take review and lift an injunction that blocked critical provisions of SB 1070 from taking effect. The federal government has since asked that the U.S. Supreme Court deny Arizona’s petition and that the injunction remain in place.

With today’s reply brief, the Governor urges the U.S. Supreme Court to hear this nationally-significant case.

Statement by Governor Brewer

“I have said it before, and I will say it again: Illegal immigration is not just Arizona’s problem, it is America’s problem. The actions of other states such as South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Utah  to follow Arizona’s lead in adopting SB 1070-like legislation is a true testament to the pressing national importance of this issue. Yet the federal government continues to turn a blind eye to the human and financial costs of illegal immigration, and instead imposes unprecedented litigation upon those States who are forced to do the job that it will not.

“Arizonans bear the burden of the federal government’s unwillingness to secure the border and enforce immigration laws. Cartel-related violence spilling over from Mexico is perhaps the most chilling symptom of this failure. Just this week, the bodies of three suspected drug mules were found after reportedly being killed execution-style in the Tumacacori Mountains of southern Arizona. This is the vengeance of the cartel culture. Arizonans have every right to demand that their government – both state and federal – do everything possible to combat this violence before it takes root here on American soil.

“I urge the Supreme Court to hear this case. The Court has an opportunity to solidify the principles that govern cooperative federalism, and to clarify the role that states may play in fulfilling duties the feds have abdicated – namely, to defend the safety and well-being of our citizens. The people of Arizona deserve clarity from the Court. I am hopeful it will hear our appeal.”

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Filed Under: Elected Officials, Government Reform, Illegal Aliens, Illegal Employment, Illegal Immigration, Judicial, Legislation, Press Release, State Government Tagged With: ,

Congressman Jeff Flake: So Just How Broke Are We?

November 22, 2011 By 3 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November22, 2011
CONTACT: Genevieve Frye Rozansky

So Just How Broke Are We?

Mesa, Arizona – Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today illustrated the size and scope of the growing national debt.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the average cost of this year’s Thanksgiving Day dinner for 10 people will be $49.20, or $4.92 per person. The surveyed shopping list includes quantities of turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of coffee and milk sufficient to serve a family of 10.

The U.S. is so broke that based on the estimated cost per person of this year’s Thanksgiving dinner, our outlandish debt of $15 trillion could feed approximately 3.05 trillion people. That’s more than 448 times the entire world’s population.

“Congress needs to talk turkey about our nation’s fiscal woes – we can’t keep riding the gravy train,” said Flake.

Along with Senators McCain and Rubio, Congressman Flake introduced H.R. 634, the Debt Buy-Down Act, which allows taxpayers to designate up to 10 percent of their federal income tax liability to reduce the national debt. The bill then requires Congress to reduce federal spending by that amount. More information on the Debt Buy-Down Act can be found here.

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Filed Under: Debt, Elected Officials, Federal Budget, Federal Government, Holiday, Press Release, Spending, Taxation Tagged With: ,

Rep. Schweikert: Two types of people in Washington: Those who do math and those who don’t

November 22, 2011 By 3 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 22, 2011
CONTACT: Rachel Semmel

Scottsdale, Ariz. – Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ), member of the House Financial Services Committee, went on Fox News’ Happening Now to discuss the failure of the Supercommittee and what can be done next. Below is the video and excerpts from the interview:

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ON WHY CONGRESS CAN’T GET THINGS DONE

“If you spend a little time there, you start to realize Congress seems to breaking into camps, and the camps aren’t necessarily conservative or liberal. It’s those that do math and those that don’t. And I’m realizing right now a lot of our brothers and sisters on the other side of the aisle don’t own calculators.” 

ON THE NEED TO DEAL WITH ENTITLEMENTS AFTER SUPERCOMMITTEE FAILURE

“We are becoming a country that is, basically, a health insurer with a shrinking army. Medicare is consuming us as a people.” 

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“We can save Medicare. We can save these programs, but you have to do something that puts market forces into them. You have to understand, Democrats changed Medicare as you and I know it a couple years ago when they did the healthcare takeover law. It is going to look very different. It’s moving into a rationing model, but it still consumes every dollar of the federal government.”

ON THE LACK OF BIPARTISANSHIP

“Very simple. How do you have a spirit of bipartisanship if you’re going to have one side that won’t do real math? At the end of this decade, almost all federal spending is in the mandatory category. It consumes everything we are. Yet, when was the last time you saw a Democrat politician, someone on the Left, get up in front of their own constituents and tell them the truth and tell them that?”

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Filed Under: Media, Press Release Tagged With: , ,

LD 20 Legislators Back Salmon’s Return to Congress

November 22, 2011 By 3 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 22, 2011
CONTACT: Adam Deguire

McComish, Robson, Dial Become Latest East Valley Leaders to Support Salmon 

EAST VALLEY – Former Congressman and candidate for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District Matt Salmon announced today that his campaign has received the endorsements from all three state legislators in Legislative District 20:

State Senator John McComish (R-LD 20)
State Representative Bob Robson (R-LD 20)
State Representative Jeff Dial (R-LD 20) 

State Senator McComish stated, “As a longtime business leader in Arizona, I can speak with certainty that Matt Salmon has the right vision and experience to advance pro-business legislation in Congress that will get our employers hiring once again. Matt understands that growing our local economy and putting more Arizonans back to work begins by enacting federal policies that cut taxes and reduce burdensome regulation on businesses. I’m proud to join Matt Salmon’s team.”

State Representative Robson added, “I have been a longtime supporter of Matt Salmon and I know firsthand that his record is tested and proven to the core. Now more than ever, we need leaders in Washington who have the experience and courage to hit the ground running and make the tough decisions that are necessary.”

State Representative Jeff Dial said, “Congress has a spending problem and we need someone in Washington to hold them accountable. Matt Salmon is the right person for the job. Matt has experience on cutting our government’s wasteful spending, slashing our budget deficits and restoring balanced federal budgets. I’m excited for his return to Congress.”

Former Congressman Matt Salmon stated, “The constituents of Legislative District 20 are fortunate to have these three leaders as their state government representatives, and I am fortunate to have their support for my campaign. I continue to be humbled and honored to receive such strong support among East Valley leaders and I look forward to working with all of them as their representative in Washington.”

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 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.

Matt Salmon has received endorsements from Arizona Congressman Trent Franks, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, South Dakota Senator John Thune, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-49) Mayor Scott Smith (Mesa), Mayor Jay Tibshraeny (Chandler), Mayor Hugh Hallman (Tempe), Mayor John Insalaco (Apache Junction), Mayor Gail Barney (Queen Creek) and former Arizona Congressman John Shadegg.

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

Gosar’s Statement on Failure of Supercommittee: America is Disappointed and Frustrated

November 22, 2011 By 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 22, 2011
CONTACT: Apryl Marie Fogel

Gosar’s Statement on Failure of Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction: America is Disappointed and Frustrated

WASHINGTON, DC –U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar, DDS (AZ-01) released the following statement today upon news that the 12 person Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction was unable to successfully present Congress with a plan to reduce $1.2 trillion over the next decade.

“As we go into the holiday season, hardworking Americans are hoping that the New Year will bring new opportunities and new success for our nation’s economy.

As an outsider sent to Washington to bring a new perspective, I am frustrated that politics as usual has gotten in the way of such a solution being offered. Too many in the federal government have lost sight of the real problem. The problem is the continued business as usual mentality, and many in positions of power in the federal government are to blame.

The answers to our problems are not more government picking of winners and losers, more government bureaucracy, or more government spending.    The solution requires government to get out of the way of Main Street America and to tighten its own belt.

I’ve repeatedly said that tough decisions would have to be made and meaningful reforms brought to the table to solve our current spending crisis.  I am disappointed that this group was not able to meet this challenge.

Despite today’s setback for our country, I remain as committed as ever to fighting the Washington machine and advocating on behalf of my constituents for real, common-sense solutions that will restore fiscal sanity and ensure prosperity for future generations.

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Filed Under: Debt, Elected Officials, Federal Budget, Federal Government, Press Release, Spending, Taxation Tagged With: , ,

Wil Cardon: Washington Fails the American People Once Again

November 22, 2011 By 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 22, 2011
CONTACT: Katie Martin

Washington Fails the American People Once Again
Super Committee admits failure in meeting November 23rd deadline

Phoenix, Arizona – Mesa businessman and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Wil Cardon, expressed deep frustration with Washington as they have failed the American people once again. The bipartisan Super Committee announced Monday that they failed to reach an agreement over cutting $1.2 trillion dollars in an effort to keep the country from the automatic $1.2 trillion in across the board cuts that, according to the Pentagon, will devastate the defense department.

“The career politicians in Washington have once again failed the American people,” said Cardon. “Partisan politics and the lack of leadership from the President and Senator Harry Reid on this issue are truly disappointing. I hope this is a wakeup call for Washington. Our country’s national debt hit the $15 trillion mark and these career politicians cannot even compromise on $1.2 trillion in cuts over ten years. Shame on the President, Sen. Reid and all of Congress for failing to do what is best for our country. With unemployment at a staggering 9 percent and our national debt continuing to grow at record speeds, it is truly disheartening to watch these ‘leaders’ in Washington flush our future and our children’s futures down the drain.”

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Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Federal Budget, Federal Government, Press Release, Spending, Taxation

Arizona State University changes the subject, again

November 22, 2011 By 10 Comments

by Jonathan Butcher
Goldwater Institute

A Nov. 16 Goldwater Institute email update elicited a familiar response from Arizona State University that muddies the issue of accountability.

In August 2010, Goldwater Institute research documented an alarming increase in administrative positions at ASU, which the university countered with a different definition of “administrator” and statistics on university output, items that did not refute the Goldwater Institute’s findings.

The Nov. 16 Institute article pointed to the inconsistency of ASU President Michael Crow’s statement in his Washington Post column that universities around the country have not done enough to innovate and be efficient during the recent financial downturn.

ASU hasn’t led by example. As Goldwater Institute Senior Fellow Jay Greene and his team documented in 2010, “ASU nearly doubled the number of full-time senior executives and professional staff (which combined we call ‘administration’) per student between 1993 and 2007, while the number of instructors and researchers actually declined.”

If universities should educate more students faster, better, and cheaper, as Crow indicated, then should they double their administrative staff and trim their instructional staff?

ASU’s response clouds the issue. ASU asserts the Institute has “come out against” the university, but we wholly support ASU’s objectives of educating students and conducting research. The question is: To what degree is the university pursuing this mission?

The university also claims Arizona’s investment in the university has been “modest.” Yet total per pupil spending increased at ASU between 1993 and 2007, and administrative spending per student increased 46.3 percent during this period (inflation-adjusted).

ASU concludes its response by highlighting five counselors who work with military veterans to aid in the veterans’ academic careers – an attempt to shame the Goldwater Institute for calling these administrators a symptom of administrative bloat.

Whether there are enough counselors for Arizona’s military veterans is not the issue. Every university has a duty to address student needs as precisely as possible. But ASU’s five administrators are not an isolated example of non-instructional hires. Instead, the university stands out nationwide for siphoning resources away from the classroom and research.

Jonathan Butcher is education director for the Goldwater Institute.

Learn more:

Goldwater Institute: Administrative Bloat at American Universities: The Real Reason for High Costs in Higher Education

Goldwater Institute: ASU Statement Misses the Mark

Goldwater Institute: The miseducation of a university president

Filed Under: Education

Senator John McCain on Fox & Friends

November 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Senator John McCain on with Fox & Friends discussing the failure of the supercommittee

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Filed Under: Debt, Elected Officials, Federal Budget, Federal Government, Media, Spending, Taxation Tagged With: ,