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Arizona Public Notices – It’s time to change the law!

February 9, 2012 By 2 Comments

Committee Testimony on HB 2403: Online Public Notices is Thursday morning

Editor’s note: Sonoran Alliance and several other Arizona political news blogs  (ACOM – Arizona Coalition of Online Media) strongly support this bill and will be at the hearing Thursday morning. Help stop the print newspapers’ monopoly over public notices.

by Lynne LaMaster, eNewsAZ

Right now, newspapers have a monopoly on the publication of Public Notices. You know, those ads you see in super-tiny print next to the want ads in the local paper?

Representative David Stevens, however, has a different idea. Let’s allow Public Notices to be published online or in printed newspapers. If his bill passes, competition for Public Notices will go up, prices should go down. Taxpayers will benefit as their governmental agencies won’t have to pay nearly as much in fees (estimated to be over $1.8 million in Arizona alone).

It will also make public notices more available world wide, allow for better, more readable formatting, better access for those with disabilities, and more information to be shared, such as links to maps, bid specifications, agendas and more.

Newspapers aren’t supporting this because they believe they are the watchdog over Public Notices. They also question the ability for online entities to offer verification, and serve those who don’t get the Internet.

See http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/opinion/article_605be59a-4e92-11e1-a963-0019bb2963f4.html

There is a hearing Thursday morning at 9am in front of the committee, and they are going to vote on it. There is also a stakeholder’s meeting Wednesday at 4pm.

Here are the committee members:

  • David Stevens (R) – bill sponsor
  • Sally Ann Gonzales (D)
  • Justin Pierce (R)
  • Carl Seel (R)
  • Bruce Wheeler (D)
  • Terri Proud (R)
  • Jeff Dial (R)

Please email or call them and let them know you support this bill. http://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster.asp

Bill info – http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=HB2403&Session_ID=107

Read Lynne’s full analysis of why you should support HB 2403.

Filed Under: Advertising, Arizona Politics, Freedom of Speech, Government Reform, Guest Opinion, Legislation, Regulations, Small Business, State Government Tagged With: ,

Rep. David Smith Speaking at NE Valley Pachyderm Coalition Tonight

February 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Join us for a dinner meeting at our new location: the Rock Bottom Brewery at Desert Ridge.

The information is repeated below in text format to make it easier to copy into your calendar:

Location:
Rock Bottom Brewery at Desert Ridge Marketplace
21001 N Tatum Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85050
(Near intersection of N Tatum and Hwy 101)
Date: Wednesday,Feb.8, 2012. (2nd Wed of Month)
Time: Dinner (order from menu) available at 6 pm.
Meeting from 7-8:30 pm

Contact Information:
Howard Levine,
NE Valley Chapter Chairman
Howard_Levine@rocketmail.com , www.pachydermcoalition.com
480-577-4168

Filed Under: Elected Officials, Legislation, State Government, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

The Capitol Buy-Back: Not a Bad Idea

February 7, 2012 By 9 Comments

By Byron Schlomach, Ph.D.

When I first heard Governor Brewer’s proposal to retire debt on the state’s capitol buildings, I thought it was a bad idea. The main reason: early-payoff penalties. There just was no good reason to bear such costs.

It turns out that early payoff penalties are not an issue. The state has to deposit a lump-sum of $106 million into an account that is held by a third party, over which ownership is exercised by the creditors who lent the state the $81 million secured by the capitol buildings. The cash substitutes for the buildings as collateral and we get back the deeds, free and clear.

The $106 million accounts for all the interest and principal we were going to have to spend to pay off the loan over the next 20 years. There is no pre-payment penalty.

Some might say that getting back the capitol buildings’ paper is just symbolic nonsense for the sake of the state’s centennial. And sentiment is a bad reason to pursue any policy. But this is more than a feel-good idea.

The biggest advantage to this early payoff, though, is that it avoids the temptation to spend temporary money on ongoing programs – the ones that it looks like we can afford now, but that we might not be able to afford later. We did that for several years before the recession, and look where that got us.

It’s not safe to assume we’ve entered into a long-term, steady economic expansion with steady government revenues to accompany it. So, while we have a temporary surplus, let’s pay down the state’s debt.

Dr. Byron Schlomach is the director of the Goldwater Institute’s Center for Economic Prosperity.

Learn more:

Office of the Governor: The Facts about a Capitol Buy-Back

Goldwater Institute: Living Debt Free: Restoring Arizona’s Commitment to its Constitutional Debt Limit

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Economics, Spending, State Budget, State Economy, State Government

Governor Jeb Bush to Keynote Save Our Secret Ballot Event in Scottsdale

February 7, 2012 By 1 Comment

For Immediate Release: February 7, 2012
Contact: Joshua W. Jones

PHOENIX – Today, Save Our Secret Ballot (SOS Ballot) announced that Gov. Jeb Bush will keynote an event in Scottsdale, Az., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, to highlight the continued need for a secret ballot wherever state or federal law requires an election.

Chaired by the Hon. Ken Blackwell, SOS Ballot appeared on the 2010 ballot in four states, including Arizona, where it passed with 60 percent of the vote—sending a firm statement that the majority of Arizonans want to protect workers’ rights to a secret ballot.

“Big Labor is demanding to change the way unions are organized: namely, to end an employee’s right to a secret-ballot when deciding whether or not to join a union,” said Blackwell. “Eliminating the secret-ballot requirement opens the process up to widespread intimidation,” he continued.

“If unions get their way, a business could be unionized virtually overnight—no campaign, no election and certainly no secret ballot,” said Blackwell.

Shortly after passing SOS Ballot, the union-controlled National Labor Relations Board threatened to file legal suit against each of the four states SOS Ballot passed if the states recognized the provisions approved by voters.

In April, the NLRB initiated suits against Arizona and South Carolina, reserving the right to initiate a suit against the other two states.

To the NLRB lawsuit, Joshua W. Jones, a spokesman for SOS Ballot says, “Bring it on.”

“The radical progressives in the Obama Administration have made it clear that they do not want to respect workers’ rights,” said Jones.

“Unions spent $171 million during the 2010 congressional elections and more than $400 million to elect Obama,” said Jones. “While Obama continues to represent well-funded-union-interests, SOS Ballot will continue fighting to represent the average American worker,” he continued.

The event on Feb. 13 has already drawn the support of dozens of Arizona legislators and all four attorney generals where SOS Ballot was passed in 2010.

“We are enthusiastic to have Gov. Bush joining us at our event on Monday,” said Blackwell. “At SOS Ballot, we are gearing up for an aggressive fight in front of the United States Supreme Court, the venue where this issue will ultimately be decided,” he continued.

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Chaired by the Hon. Ken Blackwell, SOS Ballot, Inc. (Save Our Secret Ballot) is a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to educating the American public on the continued need for a secret ballot wherever state or federal law requires elections. To continue to protect this inalienable right, SOS Ballot will file and place on the ballot in various states a Constitutional Amendment to protect this right. SOS Ballot and our supporters believe that a voter’s right to a secret ballot is an essential and fundamental principle in our society and offers opportunities for broader voter participation. Without the ability to vote secretly, individual political freedom will decline and be subject to threats and intimidation by those who want voters to pursue a specific course of action or ideology.

Filed Under: Ballot Measures, Campaigns & Elections, Elected Officials, Government Reform, Press Release, State Government Tagged With: ,

Senator Russell Pearce predicts Supreme Court will uphold SB1070

February 7, 2012 By 29 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 7, 2012
CONTACT: Sen. Russell Pearce

Ban Amnesty Now president says America’s highest court will not turn back on states’ rights

PHOENIX—Senator Russell Pearce, the author of SB1070 and newly-appointed president of America’s largest grassroots anti-illegal immigration organization, said today the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear arguments on Arizona’s contested SB1070 legislation was great news for every legal U.S. citizen.

“When the activist judges in lower federal courts bowed to Barack Obama’s whims and put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens, undermined the Rule of Law, they followed in the president’s footsteps in perpetrating a great injustice against our nation, our citizens Constitutional rights and the state of Arizona,” said Pearce.

“We are a nation of fifty sovereign U.S. states, not a nation of 50 subservient states to be dictated to by a Big Brother leviathan. When the Supreme Court rules, I expect that Washington will learn an important lesson in its proper role, not just on immigration but in its role in governance,” Pearce said.

“We send far too much money to Washington for this to be the treatment we get in return. Sovereign U.S. states and legal U.S. citizens were never meant by our Founding Fathers to become penniless orphans in some Twilight Zone version of a Charles Dickens story, begging for scraps from an all-powerful, dictatorial federal government which waves full ladles of nourishment above our heads but never pours anything into our bowls,” said Pearce.

“When the Court rules, I expect power to return to the states, and Ban Amnesty Now by then will be working diligently to pass SB1070-style legislation in all 50 states, like Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia already have” he said. “The president can sue every state if he pleases, or he can get out of the way while we do the job Washington won’t in protecting our great nation from illegal aliens.

“I fully expect we, the legal citizens of Arizona and America, will win in the Supreme Court on SB1070, just as we did with Arizona’s Employers Sanction Law, the toughest in the nation, which goes after illegal employers and protects American jobs and was upheld five-to-three in the Supreme Court,” said Pearce.

While 6 of the 10 provisions of SB1070 were upheld, four main provisions of the contested SB1070 were blocked from implementation by lower courts, including:

(1) requiring law enforcement officers to make a reasonable attempt to determine the immigration status of a person stopped, detained or arrested if there is reasonable suspicion that person is an illegal alien;

(2) creating a crime of failure to apply for or carry “alien-registration papers”;

(3) permitting the arrest of an illegal alien in which there is probable cause to believe the individual committed a public offense that makes him or her removable from the U.S.; and,

(4) making it a crime for illegal aliens to solicit, apply for or perform work.

“America is greater than any one man, than any one president,” said Pearce. “I believe the court will rule on the side of law, our Constitution, and states’ rights, and that we will prove our nation can indeed work again. This will be an important ruling, an important milestone, in a long road ahead to restoring the rule of law, America’s economy, political and national security.”

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Filed Under: Illegal Aliens, Illegal Immigration, Judicial, Legislation, Press Release, State Government, States Rights Tagged With: , ,

Take Action to Control Powerful Government Unions!

February 2, 2012 By 3 Comments

Dear Arizona Taxpayer,

Today in the Senate Government Reform Committee, the majority members voted in favor of four important bills that would reform powerful government-worker unions:

SB 1484 — Paycheck Protection for Government Employees — Prohibits government employers from taking money from employee’s paychecks for union activities without express annual authorization.

SB 1485 — Prohibition on Government Collective Bargaining — Prohibits government employers from engaging in collective bargaining (including “meet and confer”) with government unions.

SB 1486 — Prohibition on Government Union Release Time — Prohibits government employers from paying employees to do union activities on the taxpayer dime.

SB 1487 — Prohibition on Withholding of Dues for Government Unions — Prohibits government employers from withholding any portion of public employee wages to pay for labor organization dues.

To send quick thank-you emails to the members of the Committee, click here. For Goldwater Institute fact sheets on the above bills, click on the bold bill titles, above.

TAKE ACTION! 

Senate Bills 1484, 1485, 1486 and 1487 will be heading soon to floor votes in the full Senate. Please help us rein in Arizona’s powerful government unions by sending an email to your state Senator in support of these bills.

To take action, simply REPLY to this email and click SEND. It will automatically send an email to your State Senator! You can also customize your message and take action by clicking here. 

To learn more about AFP-Arizona’s 2012 Legislative Agenda, click here.

Please forward this alert to your friends and family members!

For Liberty,

Tom Jenney
Arizona Director
Americans for Prosperity

Filed Under: City Government, County Government, Government Reform, Jobs/Labor, Legislation, State Government

Important Reforms Don’t Always Require a Grand Vision

January 30, 2012 By 1 Comment

By Nick Dranias

Sometimes important regulatory and tort reforms come in small packages. One example is SB1286, sponsored by Senator John McComish. It proposes a simple reform to insurance law, which currently requires a completely innocent car rental company and a completely negligent car renter to be equally responsible for paying for injuries caused by the renter.

It’s plain to see why this law is on the books: car rental companies have the ability to pay much bigger insurance claims than most people. In contrast to this “deep pockets” approach, SB1286 puts primary responsibility for negligent driving on the shoulders of the driver and his insurance company, rather than the company that rents him the car. The bill changes the law to say that the renter’s insurance is primarily responsible to compensate for injuries the renter negligently causes. Only once the negligent renter’s insurance is exhausted, will an injured person be able to seek money from the innocent car rental company. That makes a lot more sense. Having deep pockets isn’t a legitimate reason to make car rental companies pay for injuries caused by people who rent cars.

By putting the primary duty to compensate for an injury on the person responsible for the injury, SB1286 is a reasonable tort reforms that still protects people who are legitimately injured. It also illustrates how meaningful regulatory reform can often be achieved by correcting bad policy found in the nooks and crannies of Arizona law. By reducing the cost of doing business in Arizona, rental car companies will be able to pass along the savings to consumers, employees and shareholders.

SB1286 proves that important reforms don’t always require a grand vision. Significant opportunities to advance freedom and personal responsibility can often be found on the margins.

Nick Dranias holds the Clarence J. and Katherine P. Duncan Chair for Constitutional Government and is director of the Joseph and Dorothy Donnelly Moller Center for Constitutional Government at the Goldwater Institute.

Learn more:

Arizona State Legislature: Senate Bill 1286

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Government Reform, Legislation, State Government

Battle at the Arizona State Capitol: A Tale of Two Press Conferences

January 26, 2012 By 1 Comment

Here is exclusive video footage of two different press conferences that occurred at the Arizona State Capitol on Monday, January 23, 2012.

First, coverage of Arizona Democrats making their best but feeble effort to repeal Arizona’s SB 1070:

YouTube Preview Image

Second, coverage of Arizona Republicans standing firm and united for Arizona’s southern border security and SB 1070.

YouTube Preview Image
Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Border, Conservatives, Elected Officials, Illegal Aliens, Illegal Immigration, Legislation, Political Parties, State Government Tagged With: , , , , ,

Sign The Petition Supporting Governor Jan Brewer!

January 26, 2012 By 48 Comments

Please sign the petition supporting Governor Jan Brewer in her defense of the State of Arizona.

As we all witnessed on Wednesday afternoon, Governor Brewer, was confronted by President Obama as he stepped off Air Force One in Mesa. As the Governor has testified, he did not take kindly to an excerpt in her book, Scorpions for Breakfast, about an accounting of her defense of SB 1070. He also treated Governor Brewer with disrespect as he walked away from her while she spoke with him.

Please support Governor Brewer as she stands up for Arizona against an administration that has failed us on border security, failed us through Fast & Furious and even has brought a lawsuit against the State of Arizona.

Thank You Governor Brewer!

I Support Governor Jan Brewer!

I support Governor Jan Brewer for standing her ground while remaining respectful to President Obama during his recent visit to Arizona.

I support Governor Jan Brewer in her defense of Arizona against an administration that is suing the State of Arizona for passing strong immigration laws such as SB 1070.

I also support Governor Brewer in her effort to seek the truth and justice for the death of Border Patrol Brian Terry after the Obama Justice Department got caught red-handed ran a covert gunwalking operation to smuggle guns into the hands of Mexican drug cartels through Fast & Furious.

Thank You Governor Brewer for standing up for Arizona!

SIGN NOW
140 signatures

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Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Elected Officials, Petitions, State Government, States Rights Tagged With: ,

Superintendent John Huppenthal to Close Out Arizona School Choice Week Festivities

January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 26, 2012
CONTACT: Andrew LeFevre

Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal to Close Out Arizona School Choice Week Festivities
Arizona’s Groundbreaking Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Ruled Constitutional

Phoenix, AZ, Thursday, January 26, 2012 – On Friday morning, January 27 at 11:00 AM, Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal will close out National School Choice Week activities here in Arizona by addressing thousands of students and parents at Edu-Prize campus located at 4567 West Roberts Road in Queen Creek, Arizona. Along with message on school choice week, Superintendent Huppenthal will be discussing the ruling earlier this week by Arizona Superior Court upholding the constitutionality of Arizona’s innovative Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) for special needs students.

“I am a firm believer that educational decisions should be made at the most local level possible,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal. “To me that means parents should be able to make the decision on which school will best meet the unique educational needs of their child.”

Friday, January 28 marks the end of the second annual National School Choice Week. All across the nation, school choice advocates and organizations, grassroots networks, parents and students held hundreds of events to increase awareness of the importance of providing effective educational options for every child. Arizona’s events included rallies and balloon launches at schools all across the state, a screening of the award winning documentary “Waiting for Superman,” and a virtual Congressional Town Hall.

As an added bonus to the School Choice Week activities, on Wednesday a Superior Court Judge found that Arizona’s ESAs which benefit special needs students was constitutional under Arizona law. Under the ESA program, parents are able to take 90 percent of the state education funding that is provided to their child and use it to purchase educational services that they deem best meet their child’s unique needs.

“The judge’s ruling was a great victory for parents and our most vulnerable students,” exclaimed Superintendent Huppenthal. “The ESA program epitomizes what school choice is all about – giving parents direct control over their children’s education.”

“To me one of Arizona’s greatest educational assets is our school choice environment,” continued Superintendent Huppenthal. “I am very excited to be able to be at Edu-Prize and hear firsthand from the students and parents about how being able to choose this school has made a difference in their education.”

Superintendent John Huppenthal has been a champion in the struggle to give parents greater control of their children’s education for over 18 years. In 1994 he led Arizona efforts to bring charter schools to the state. As Senate Education Committee Chairman in 1995, he sponsored and helped pass legislation that took the caps off the number of charter schools allowed under the law. He led the effort in developing some of the strongest home school and public school open enrollment laws in the nation. He was also a leader in the efforts to allow individuals and corporations to claim educational tax credits to fund student scholarships. Due to his efforts, tens of thousands of students have been able attend a school of their parent’s choice.

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Filed Under: Education, Elected Officials, State Government Tagged With: ,

Arizona House Solidarity with State of Israel

January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 26, 2012
CONTACT: Rey Torres

ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE STATE OF ISRAEL

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX (January 26, 2012) – Speaker Andy Tobin will introduce a House Resolution to demonstrate that the Arizona House of Representatives stands in solidarity with the State of Israel.

The resolution will highlight the characteristics and challenges that both Arizona and Israel face. Some of the points of common interest reflect that:

Israel has a right to secure and defensible borders and has the right to be free from rocket attacks on its schools and homes that have averaged one rocket every seven hours over the past five years

Israel and the United States have a shared interest in seeing the end of global terrorism since many of the same forces that threaten Israel also threaten the United States, especially the threat of Iran in producing a nuclear weapon and that when we strengthen Israel’s security, we are strengthening America’s security

Israel and Arizona are trading partners, a relationship we seek to enhance, sharing developments and cooperating in partnerships in education, technology, agriculture, medicine, solar energy, telecommunications, homeland security and numerous other fields and we recognize Israel’s contributions to the world including the development of the cell phone, armor to protect American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and even a new bandage that was used to help save the life of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Speaker Tobin stated, “There is no more natural friendship among nations than between that of the people of the United States and the people of Israel.”

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Filed Under: Elected Officials, Endorsements, Foreign Policy, Press Release, State Government Tagged With: , ,

Open Public Notices to the Public

January 26, 2012 By 1 Comment

By Lynne LaMaster

Why shouldn’t Public Notices be online? 

The Arizona Newspaper industry is in a panic.

Why? Because the Arizona State Legislature is considering a bill that would allow public notices to be published online.

Public notices, also known as legal notices, are the columns of government-required announcements one sees in printed newspapers usually placed near the classified section, set in very small type. It contains information about legal issues such as trustee sales, articles of incorporation, foreclosures, delinquent tax lists and domestic relations, just to name a few.

Right now, an old Arizona State law requires that public notices be published in a printed newspaper. But, HB 2403, which is being considered by the House Committee on Technology and Infrastructure would allow public notices to be published either in a newspaper or online.

According to the House website, HB 2403 states, “…that if there is a statutory requirement for a publication of a notice in a newspaper, the person responsible for the publication may publish in the newspaper or may provide notice at a designated site on a worldwide public network of interconnected computers, for at least the specified number of times as prescribed by law.”

Newspapers do not support this proposed law because they would lose a great deal of income if it passes. FundingtheNews.com states on their homepage, “At a time when the financial model for news is facing the greatest crisis in decades, the level of government funding for news organizations has been declining sharply…”

Again from FundingtheNews.com, “Historically, these fine-print notices have been a lucrative business for newspaper publishers, and have touched off heated bidding wars for government contracts… While other forms of advertising have plummeted, public notices have been a bright spot for publishers.”

The question is, why should the government fund news organizations, anyway?

Arguments in Favor of Online Public Notices

The purpose of public notices is for public notification. What’s more public than the Internet? If placed properly online, the information can be searchable and indexed by search engines.

Public notices can be enhanced much more easily online. No more squint-to-read text. Online, it would be easy to add color if necessary, and photos when appropriate. If links to other information would be helpful, they can be added and made clickable. They can be formatted, headlines can be added easily and the content can become comprehensible with a decent layout. Public notices can even be placed in audio files for the disabled, if appropriate.

Public notices can be placed online at a much lower cost than in a newspaper. No ink, paper or distribution costs to pay for. Less waste to the environment.

Our local paper charges the City of Prescott $11 per column inch. Assuming that inch takes about 30 seconds to type in, it adds up to $1320 per hour.

Additionally, the public won’t have to purchase a newspaper to see the notification.

Government agencies and municipalities will save money if they can place their public notices online. Saved money just might end up being saved jobs.

The newspapers shouldn’t be given a free ride. Let them compete. Competition is good, it makes everyone better. Allowing online publication of public notices will simply level the playing field.

It’s time to level out the playing field. The Internet is the future. And that future is now. Nobody’s saying that one shouldn’t be able to publish in a newspaper, just that alternative options should be available.

So, now you understand why the newspapers are writing editorials and placing ads that read, “The fox shouldn’t guard the henhouse. Keep public notices in your local community newspaper,” or, “Don’t let government remove public notices from Arizona Newspapers… public notices need to be public.” After all, newspaper organizations have a monopoly to protect.

In conclusion, online public notices just make sense for almost everyone – except the newspapers. As one city official stated, “Online is easier, cheaper, greener and better. What’s not to like?”

Editor’s note: A hearing will be held on this matter tomorrow at 9 AM at the Capitol before the Committee on Technology and Infrastructure. Representative David W. Stevens is the Chair of the Committee. View the agenda.

Lynne LaMaster is the Editor for Prescott eNews.

Filed Under: Government Reform, Legislation, Media, State Government

A Photo Tells A Thousand Words: Obama Confronts Brewer, Gets Earful

January 26, 2012 By 19 Comments

Thank you Governor Brewer for not backing down when confronted by President Obama this afternoon.

This is Our State and even the President needs to show a little respect when he touches down on our turf, especially turf that once sent our men and women off to battle.

Lesson to President Obama: Never mess with a Governor who eats scorpions for breakfast!

Filed Under: Elected Officials, Federal Government, Freedom of Speech, State Government, States Rights Tagged With: , ,

Statement by Senate President Steve Pierce Regarding President Obama’s Visit to Arizona

January 25, 2012 By 2 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 25, 2012
CONTACT: Mike Philipsen

“I welcome President Barack Obama to Arizona today. His short visit is a nice opportunity for him to see firsthand an example of the Arizona economic comeback. Our state is one of the country’s leaders in job growth, and the Intel Corp. expansion means hundreds of construction jobs right now, and one thousand new employees when the Fab 42 facility is complete.

Unfortunately, the President’s visit will include fawning media coverage and the implication he had something to do with the $5.2 billion expansion in Chandler. He did not. Intel leaders chose this site based on tax incentives put together in the Arizona Legislature. Those tax reductions made Arizona much more attractive to businesses such as Intel. Now, as the massive cranes swing with activity, Air Force One soars into town and the President proudly plants his flag on the project. That is unfortunate.”

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Filed Under: Elected Officials, Press Release, State Government Tagged With: , ,

Statement by Governor Jan Brewer Regarding President Obama’s Visit to Arizona

January 25, 2012 By 3 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 25, 2012
CONTACT: Matthew Benson

“I welcomed President Obama to Arizona this afternoon, and we spent a few moments discussing this state’s economic turnaround. This was the President’s opportunity to see the Arizona Comeback firsthand.

“First, let me say I don’t doubt that the President wants what he believes is best for this country. He and I simply have starkly different visions of what that is.

“The President and I each took office in January 2009. We each stepped into grim circumstances. Just speaking for Arizona, I inherited a per capita state-budget deficit judged among the worst in the country, an economy in freefall and a clobbered housing market.

“My first action as Governor was to issue a regulatory moratorium so that state government could not impose any more needless rules on business. The President’s first move was to rush through an $800 billion stimulus spending plan that saddled the nation with more debt.

“Here in Arizona, we passed a historic economic package that included corporate tax reductions and targeted job incentives that make our state among the nation’s most inviting for business investment and relocation. In Washington, D.C., the President spent the better part of two years pushing a health care scheme that reduces consumer choice and saddles states with tens of billions in additional costs.

“This much is clear: Arizona is on the way back, with job growth over the last year rated 7th-best nationally. Our state budget is not only balanced, we have a surplus. Most important, we are putting in place the fundamentals for sustained economic growth: quality education, competitive tax policy and low regulation.

“Don’t be mistaken, I’m bullish on our nation’s future. But I’m convinced the path the President has pursued is the wrong one. I hope he takes some of the lessons of Arizona back with him to Washington.”

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Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Elected Officials, Press Release, State Government, States Rights Tagged With: ,

Statement by Governor Brewer Regarding Congresswoman Giffords’s Letter of Resignation

January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 25, 2012
CONTACT: Matthew Benson

“This morning, I received the official letter of resignation from Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. As a fellow elected official, I know her district will miss her leadership. As a friend, I am so sorry Gabby’s resignation has come under these circumstances.

“From the Arizona House of Representatives to the U.S. Congress, Gabby has always served her constituents with dignity and distinction. Her service will be deeply missed, and I join the people of Arizona in praying for her continued recovery.

“For the purposes of Arizona Law, the Congresswoman’s office will be officially declared vacant at 5 p.m. (Arizona Time) today, at which time I will have 72 hours to set a date for a Special Primary election. The winner of the special primary and general elections will complete the remainder of Congresswoman Giffords’ term, in accordance with state law.”

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Filed Under: Press Release, State Government Tagged With: , ,

Senator Sylvia Allen’s Remarks on SB1070

January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 25, 2012

Those who are promoting the repeal of SB1070 are upholding and empowering cartels and gangs who are committing cross border criminal activity.

We are in a State of Emergency here in Arizona. Our border is not secure. The crippling drug war in Mexico is seeping like a very bad wound into our state. Violent beheadings and body dismemberment, the signature of the drug cartel’s, have now come into the Valley of the Sun, and are even finding their ugly way into the heart of America: A young girl brutally killed in Oklahoma only a week ago!

Increased gun battles along the Arizona border and 75-miles into Arizona; dangerous vehicle pursuits with drug cartel members and those who are delivery agents of drugs occur most frequently; kidnappings too. Continued reports by U.S. Border Patrol Agents of military-grade weapons being used against them; reports of sophisticated communication systems, including professional-grade radio towers, satellite radios and encrypted phone systems; look-outs controlling mountain ranges in southern Arizona; and a cancer-like growth of pure vile and hatred toward any law enforcement, and the laws of the United States.

Drugs and human trafficking create billions of dollars for these evil violent Mexican drug gangs/cartels. Just the competition for bounty from human and sex trafficking generated an estimated $2 billion last year to Mexican gangs and cartels.

At a time when the Obama Administration is not only refusing to secure our borders but implementing policies that will embolden this criminal element we must stand firm in enforcing internal immigration laws for the protection of our state and citizens. SB1070 is all this state has to stop illegal immigration since our border is not secure.

The Tucson Sector is the busiest drug and alien smuggling corridor on the border.

Agents working the Tucson Sector estimate they are apprehending less than five percent of what they know is crossing the border on a monthly basis. That means over 95% of what they know is coming across the border is not being apprehended and therefore not counted. (April 2011)

Agents in the Tucson Sector estimate that they only work about 70% of their border area during any month. That means for 30% of the border they have no idea what is coming across. (April 2011)

More law enforcement is needed to help address this emergency created by our open borders. I will be introducing SB1083 – Organizing the AZ State Guard – to help state law enforcement with cross-border criminal activity.

Approximately 62% of the Arizona border with Mexico is federal public land. Significant drug and alien smuggling occurs on this land, especially where the Border Patrol does not have unfettered access to patrol the border. Federal agencies on the Arizona Border, citing environmental concerns, restrict and in some cases prevent effective border patrol access to the border area for the purposes of patrolling the border.

This is an insane policy that only protects and empowers the criminals but leaves Arizona citizens at risk. Our state has a right and a responsibility for the welfare, health and safety of the people to use our police powers to protect our state. I will be introducing SCR1008 – titled, “Declaration of emergency: state authority” – to address this issue.

In summary, nobody knows how many illegal drugs and alien smugglers are crossing the borders of the United States, and the numbers they are reporting are not accurate enough to even predict trends in illegal crossings. And friends, that is just the Tucson Sector. What about the rest of the land and sea borders of the United States? Our ranchers and farmers who live within 100 miles of the border are speaking out, and no one hears. Governor Brewer has written strong letters to President Obama asking for help with our border, and it all goes on deaf ears.

Those who are suggesting we weaken internal enforcement of our immigration laws by repealing SB1070 will only empower the drug cartels/human smugglers, and cross-border criminal activity. The Open Borders crowd does not care about the harm that is being caused to citizens. The open-borders crowd does not care about the rule of law or our Constitutional form of government. Arizona must stand firm in protecting our citizens, property and lives.

Until we can rid ourselves of the Obama Administration, the corrupt (Fast and Furious) Justice Department, and the do-nothing Homeland Security and their failure to protect our country, then the State of Arizona must do what we can to protect our citizens. No responsible elected official would suggest that we weaken SB1070 until our borders are secure.

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Filed Under: Border, Elected Officials, Guest Opinion, Illegal Immigration, National Security, Press Release, State Government Tagged With: ,
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