Arizona Politics for Conservatives: Sonoran Alliance
Arizona Politics, News, Commentary and Information with a Blatantly Conservative Worldview Presented by an Alliance of Writers, Activists, Consultants and Government Insiders.
TUCSON, AZ – The campaign for Gabriela Saucedo Mercer is pleased to announce former Presidential Candidate Herman Cain will be visiting Tucson on Tuesday, October 2, 2012. Cain will be attending an event supporting Gabby’s candidacy for the U.S. House Of Representatives in Arizona’s congressional District 3. The event will take place from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at The Viscount Hotel located at 4855 E. Broadway in Tucson.
Liberals In Washington Are Trying To Prop Up Richard Carmona’s Campaign
PHOENIX – When President Obama phoned Richard Carmona just over a year ago to get him to run for the U.S. Senate, it was just the first of many attempts by liberal Democrats in Washington, D.C., to spread their influence onto Arizona’s voters. Today we learned that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is spending more than a half-million dollars on television advertising trying to help Richard Carmona run away from his connection to Mr. Obama.
Additionally, not only does this money ensure that Carmona will try to protect the Democrats’ majority in the U.S. Senate – by voting for Harry Reid as the Senate Majority Leader – but it’s another reminder that he’ll be a reliable vote for President Obama’s tax-and-spend agenda.
“We’re just now getting a better understanding of why Democrat Richard Carmona answered ‘yes’ to President Obama’s call for him to run for office,” said Arizona Republican Party spokesman Tim Sifert. “This money serves as a notice that Richard Carmona will be a reliable vote for President Obama and Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid’s liberal agenda.”
BACKGROUND …
President Barack Obama & Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid Personally Recruited Richard Carmona
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Well before Election Day, voters throughout Arizona need to get the message that Proposition 121 is a hoax, a major fraud designed to convince citizens that the measure will open the political system to more candidates and voters.
Mislabeled the Open Elections Open Government initiative, the measure does the exact opposite. It is the Closed Elections Closed Government initiative. Arizona voters must not be fooled.
A close look at Proposition 121 reveals a cynical scheme that will eliminate voter choice, foster political corruption and advance extremists by abolishing party primaries and eventually destroy political parties themselves.
Proponents of 121 want to hijack the political system so they can elect candidates of their own choosing and take candidate selection out of the hands of the voters. Unable to compete in the primary system as it exists, they propose an end to the system that has served voters well for decades.
The proposition would abolish party primaries and establish one primary open to all candidates and all voters. The top two finishers in the primary would face off in the general election. Party identification by candidates would be optional.
That is the real flaw in Proposition 121. Voters would have no way to verify the accuracy of a candidate’s party identification. With no party primary system to verify candidate identification, the system would be open to sham candidates hand picked and financed by special interests out to fool the voters.
What is worse, millions of voters could be left with no choice in a general election if the top two primary finishers represented the same party. With nowhere to turn on Election Day, voter turnout would plummet as citizens would simply give up and stay home.
This already has happened in California where there will be 28 elections this fall with no voter choice due to top two primaries. Contrary to top two primary advocates, voter turnout was not up in the state’s June primaries and the primaries did not produce more so-called moderate candidates.
Under Proposition 121, candidates with extreme views easily could manipulate their way into a general election. Voters need only recall how the top two system in Louisiana once produced a run off between a candidate with a history of KKK leadership and a corrupt politician who was convicted and went to jail.
Proposition 121 would give political insiders and unscrupulous consultants the vehicle they want to corrupt the candidate selection process. Special interests would pour millions into primaries to elect sham candidates.
The voters need clear choices. They need confidence in the honesty of candidate identity. They need protection against corruption in the election process.
The party primary system provides these safeguards. Proposition 121 destroys them. The measure should be soundly defeated on Election Day.
A m e r i c a n P o s t – G a z e t t e
Distributed by C O M M O N S E N S E , in Arizona
Monday, September 1, 2012
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Carmona’s Hypocrisy Proves Once Again That Arizonans Can’t Trust Him
PHOENIX – Arizonans continue to realize that Richard Carmona can’t be trusted, because while he led the crusade against the use of tobacco, a new report reveals that he actually owned up to $90,000 in tobacco companies.
During his time as the Surgeon General, Carmona made it very clear that he opposed the use of tobacco products and second-hand smoke. Additionally, Carmona said that he would view his tenure a success if he was able to persuade one student or one mother not to smoke.
Yet after he left that post, Carmona proceeded to purchase up to $90,000 of stock with Philip Morris and Altria. Additionally, as President Obama personally recruited him to run for office, he continued to hold onto these stocks because he shared this information on his personal disclosure form.
As the Arizona Republic reports:
“As Surgeon General, Dr. Richard Carmona led the crusade against the dangerous effects of smoking, yet when he left that post he proceeded to purchase up to $90,000 of stock in tobacco related companies,” said Arizona Republican Party spokesman Tim Sifert. “It’s just another reminder that Mr. Carmona is a phony politician who can’t be trusted.”
BACKGROUND …
As Surgeon General, Richard Carmona Was Strongly Against The Use Of Tobacco
Proposition 204 disproportionately hurts Arizona’s middle class and low income families
What is a regressive tax? Simply, if a taxes’ burden falls more on the middle class or the poor than those who are wealthy, the tax is considered regressive or disproportionately punitive on those who can least afford it.
Proposition 204 is the perfect example of a regressive tax, targeting those Arizona families that can least afford to pay more for the goods that they need. Proposition 204 makes Arizona’s “temporary” sales tax “permanent,” making Arizona the second highest sales taxed state in America. Incredibly, the only state that has a higher sales tax is Tennessee, a state with no income tax.
Proposition 204 is marketed for education, but the revenue raised is not required to go to teachers or the classroom. In fact, the measure is a grab bag for special interest groups, containing over $100 million dollars for public transit and roads. So, while Proposition 204 contains money for politically connected special interest groups, the revenue raised is coming from those who cannot afford to be politically connected.
By their very nature, sales taxes are regressive because expenses such as clothing, shelter, food, and other household goods tend to be the primary costs of a middle class and low income households’ budget.
That’s why opposition to Proposition 204 is coming from all sides, from those who know it is bad for business and job creation and from those who know it will hurt poor Arizona families. Why are we “permanently” raising taxes on those people who can least afford it? Why are we “permanently” increasing taxes during a time when Arizona’s unemployment rate is still high? Why are we raising taxes under the auspices of education, but sending that revenue to groups not related to education?
There is nothing more important than the education of our children. Arizonans want a bright future for their kids and improving education is an important priority. But, we need real education reforms, not permanently mandated tax increases devoid of independent oversight or accountability.
Proposition 204 is bad for Arizona middle class and low income families, it is bad for teachers, and it is bad for Arizona’s economy. We need to Vote No on Proposition 204.
To learn more about Proposition 204, please visit our Website or our Facebook Page for more information.
There is nothing more important than the education of our children. That is why we oppose Proposition 204, a broken promise to make Arizona’s temporary tax increase “permanent.” Proposition 204 brings a permanent, billion-dollar-per-year price tag to Arizona families. While raising your taxes, Proposition 204 provides no real reform and contains no real accountability.
Arizonans want a bright future for their kids and improving education is an important priority. Although wanting to improve education, throwing money at the problem is not the answer. We need real education reforms, not permanently mandated tax increases devoid of independent oversight.
Additionally, Proposition 204 was written by special interests for special interests.
While Arizonans continue to struggle, do we really want to continue to raise their tax burden? Are we willing to have the second highest sales tax in America?
Arizona needs real education reform and jobs. Proposition 204 will make Arizona less competitive while providing very little benefit to Arizona’s education system.
Proposition 204 is too taxing on Arizona families, Vote No on 204.
Dems Offer Taxpayer Dollars to Cover Legal Fees if Defense Contractors Don’t Send Pink Slips
WASHINGTON — After 43 straight months of unemployment above 8.0 percent, America now faces even more devastating job losses due to across-the-board defense cuts, and contractors are legally required to warn of these imminent layoffs. Does Ron Barber agree with Obama’s attempt to illegally cover up the impact on defense jobs and make taxpayers foot the legal fees?
“Ron Barber thinks he can have his cake and eat it too, championing Obama’s job-killing policies and then covering up their devastating effects on the job market,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “Barber and his party’s politically-motivated agenda is not only unsustainable, it’s motivated by their desperate attempts to deceive the public.”
Under law, defense contractors have to send notice of their plans to lay off workers. This comes as Democrats refuse to stop the looming tax hikes that will devastate small businesses:
“The White House on Friday told government contractors worried about fiscal cliff spending cuts to hold off on warning employees about possible layoffs.
“The government said it would cover legal costs if contractors are forced to slash their payrolls because of the looming $109 billion in automatic cuts next year and are alleged to have violated the WARN Act.” (Jeanne Sahadi, “White House to Contractors: Hold Off on Layoff Warnings,” CNN, 9/28/2012)
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Democrat busted for privately investing thousands in product he decried publicly as addictive and dangerous
PHOENIX – Democrat Senate candidate Richard Carmona has said that his fight against smoking and tobacco was a major hallmark of his tenure as U.S. Surgeon General. However a news report released on Friday shows that, as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Dr. Carmona held investments valued at up to $90,000 in major tobacco companies like Altria Group and Philip Morris.
“Dr. Carmona’s campaign presents a carefully edited story about their candidate. Clearly the fact that Dr. Carmona privately invested thousands of dollars in a product that he publicly crusaded against as dangerous and addictive is something they left on the cutting room floor,” said Andrew Wilder, communications director for Flake for Senate. “There’s no valid excuse for such outright hypocrisy from a public official. Dr. Carmona now has an obligation to explain to voters why he invested in tobacco companies, when he did, and how much profit he made.”
Dr. Carmona’s fervent public crusade against tobacco is well documented, making the revelation about his private investments all the more curious.
In fact, less than ten years ago, while serving as Surgeon General, Richard Carmona called for an outright ban on tobacco, saying: “I see no need for any tobacco products in society” (Kristen B. Mitchell, “Ban All Tobacco, Official Suggests,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, 6/4/03).
Dr. Carmona actively warned the public about the addictiveness of tobacco, saying on NPR in 2003 that: “There are no tobacco products that are good for you, and in my recent congressional testimony is how I stated that, you know, people should not smoke, people should not chew. We still have 4,000 children a day that start smoking, and we have to stop them from starting, because once they begin, it is very difficult for them to withdraw from tobacco” (“Dr. Richard Carmona Discusses His Role As Surgeon General,” Bob Edwards Show, National Public Radio, 11/27/03).
Upon his departure as the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Carmona told the AP that he would judge himself successful if he had persuaded one student to make good health choices or one mother to stop smoking (Kevin Freking, “Surgeon General Carmona Leaves Post,” The Associated Press, 8/1/06).
The Arizona Republic report can be read here: http://www.azcentral.com/
Stay up to date on Richard Carmona’s campaign to be a rubber stamp for Democrats’ liberal agenda in Washington by visitingwww.RubberstampRich.com.
For more information on Jeff Flake and why he’s running for the U.S. Senate, please visit his website at www.JeffFlake.com.
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