All Eyes Turning to Arizona

January 27, 2012 By

In the three states with primary elections so far, three different candidates for the Republican nomination have been declared winners. Next up is Florida. Many already are looking toward the next major state primary – Arizona.

Arizona Republic columnist, Bob Robb, said the Arizona Primary Election “is likely to be the most consequential shootout leading up to Super Tuesday.”

But Arizona isn’t only a key state for the Republicans. As evidenced by the President’s visit to Chandler this week, Arizona is seen by some as a toss-up state in November.

Every vote will count on February 28 and November 6!

Each one of us needs to make sure our families and friends at church registered to vote. The deadline to register to vote in the Primary Election is Monday, January 30. If you are not registered, or you know someone who is not registered, check out ServiceArizona.com today. It only takes five minutes to register online!

Opening Doors & Getting off the Waiting List
This week’s celebration of National School Choice week was especially timely as two school choice victories have occurred in the last week.

Yesterday, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge upheld the constitutionality of the CAP-supported Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) program. ESAs provide parents of children with special needs the opportunity to redirect state funds for the education and educational services that best meet their children’s needs. Approximately 75 families have received empowerment scholarship this year. On Monday, a House committee will consider expanding this vital program.

Last week, the Arizona Senate voted to expand the Scholarship Tax Credit program. This new credit is intended to address the critical need to provide scholarships for children on waiting lists. The measure awaits House consideration. Keep up-to-date on legislation at our bill tracker.

Opposition Intensifies
Unfortunately, opponents of school choice continue to distort and attack the programs.

Check out CAP Legal Counsel Deborah Sheasby’s rebuttal to the critics of school choice on the Foundations Blog.

Three Reasons for Banning Abortion at 20 Weeks
On Wednesday, CAP brought Americans United for Life Senior Counsel, Clarke Forsythe, to the Senate Health Committee to testify in support of a ban on abortions after 20 weeks. Today, all but three or four out of the 195 nations in the world prohibit abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. And you guessed it – you can count the United States as one of the few countries that allow abortion at such a late stage.

  1. Soon Arizona legislators will be considering banning abortions at such a late stage of a pregnancy for three reasons: Abortions at any time present a serious risk to the health and safety of the mother, but especially at 20 weeks and beyond.
  2. It has become more evident that preborn children can begin to feel pain at this point even in the womb.
  3. A ban on abortions at 20 weeks would help prevent post-delivery abortions – this is the practice of the doctor delivering the child and then performing the abortion. You may recall hearing about Dr. Kermit Gosnell performing these abortions. He was recently arrested and charged with murder.

So Much Coming Up
The CAP Calendar is full of events coming up! The next big event is this Sunday at Catalina Foothills Church in Tucson. I’ll be speaking with Lieutenant General Jerry Boykin and Kenyn Cureton of Family Research Council at the Recapturing Our American Heritage event.

Find more details about this and other upcoming events here.
Filed Under: Elected Officials, Family, Sanctity of Life Tagged With: , , , ,

U.S. Senate Candidate Doug McKee Ends Campaign and Endorses Wil Cardon for U.S. Senate

January 27, 2012 By 9 Comments

For Immediate Release: January 27, 2012
Contact: Katie Martin

Phoenix, Arizona – Wil Cardon, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, has received the endorsement of former U.S. Senate candidate Doug McKee. McKee recognized Cardon as a job creator and a consistent conservative with the ability to win as reasons why he is backing Wil Cardon as Arizona’s next United States Senator.

“Since launching my campaign, I’ve been incredibly encouraged by the feedback that I’ve received,” said McKee. “I am honored by the support that I have received but the more I have been out campaigning alongside Wil Cardon; the clearer it became that he is the man for the job. Wil’s background as a proven job creator, fiscal conservative, and as someone who is consistently strong on securing our borders represents our Arizona values. He exudes the character traits we need in our next U.S. Senator. Wil knows what it takes to balance budgets and spend within means. That is a concept the career politicians in Washington don’t understand. Wil isn’t afraid to shake up the status quo because he cares more about doing what is best for our state and not just worrying about the next election. I hope my supporters will recognize Wil’s strength and join me in supporting Wil’s campaign for the U.S. Senate.”

McKee’s support for Cardon was met with great delight as Cardon’s campaign recently announced the endorsement of Arizona businessman and sports management icon Jerry Colangelo. After announcing his departure from the Senatorial campaign, McKee threw his hat into the ring for the First Congressional District highlighting his private sector experience and true love of the U.S. Constitution.

Cardon said of the newest endorsement, “It is great to have Doug’s support. We have spent a lot of time together on the campaign trail and he has great ideas for Arizona. I am glad to have another true patriot on my team that is committed to bettering this country. I look forward to working with Doug as he campaigns for the First Congressional District and know that he will be a great option for voters.”

Doug McKee’s Biography: 
Doug grew up in Darien, Connecticut and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Southern Connecticut State University. Prior to his moving out West he worked on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange where he was employed by a private specialist firm. His passion for the great outdoors brought him to Arizona in 1991 when he traded in his Wall Street attire for a good pair of work boots and a new career in the construction industry. He started Grand Canyon Development, a general contracting firm, in 1994 and has been building beautiful custom riverfront homes along the banks of the Colorado River ever since.

Doug has always had a great passion for politics and growing up during the “Reagan Era” he was quickly drawn to the Republican Party, developing his conservative values at a relatively early age. Doug is a true Constitutional Conservative and knows where government should begin and where it should end. He has always worked in the private sector and knows what it is like to earn a living with his hands. He knows what it’s like to own and run a business, to provide for his wife Lori and five children with the fruits of his labor. Ask anyone who has ever done business with Doug and they will all say the same thing – he is an honest, hardworking, fair and dedicated family man.

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

Give Children a Path out of Failing Schools

January 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

To celebrate National School Choice Week, the Goldwater Institute is highlighting five key areas of education reform. Today’s focus is tax-credit scholarship programs. For more information about the Institute’s groundbreaking work in this area, visit our Education Reform page.

By Vicki Alger, Ph.D.

Right now in Arizona more than 94,000 students are attending “D” schools, or schools that have chronically poor academic performance.

Rather than waiting for bureaucratic wheels to turn and their schools to improve, these children deserve an out. Arizona already has a pathway for them – it just needs to be widened a bit to give more children a chance.

That path is Arizona’s tax-credit scholarship program, which more than 31,000 low-income, special needs, and foster students are already using to attend private schools.

The proposal now working its way through the state legislature would allow couples to donate up to $2,000 (instead of $1,000) toward the scholarships, and would extend scholarship eligibility to children of military personnel. Moreover, anything couples donate over $1,000 would go specifically to students using the program for the first time.

These changes could help more kids escape failing schools and get on the path to academic success.

No child’s education should be limited by his family’s income or address. Expanding Arizona’s scholarship tax credit program just makes good sense for children.

Vicki (Murray) Alger, Ph.D., is President and CEO of Vicki Murray & Associates, LLC, a Phoenix-based education research and services company. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum in Washington, D.C., and a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute in Oakland, California, where she is completing a book on the history of the U.S. Department of Education.

Learn More:

Arizona Department of Education: 2010-2011 A-F Letter Grades for All Schools

Arizona Department of Education: The New A-F School Accountability Letter Grade System

Arizona State Legislature: S.B. 1048

Harvard University: An Analysis of Arizona Individual Income Tax-credit Scholarship Recipients’ Family Income, 2009-10 School Year

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Education

Cardon Praises Gov. Brewer for Standing up to President Obama’s Pro-Amnesty, Anti-Jobs Agenda

January 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 27, 2012
CONTACT: Katie Martin

Phoenix, Arizona – Wil Cardon, Mesa businessman and candidate for U.S. Senate, issued the following statement in light of President Obama and Governor Brewer’s Tarmac Showdown:

“I want to applaud Governor Brewer for her steadfast courage in standing up to President Obama. Arizonans understand that stopping illegal immigration and securing our border is a top priority and crucial to the prosperity of Arizona. President Obama, on the other hand, is for amnesty, refuses to fund efforts to keep our borders protected, and thinks we need to give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.Arizonans can no longer afford to suffer the financial burdens and societal costs associated with illegal immigration. The president and the career politicians in Washington have created this problem with their continual refusal to protect our borders. If we want to get Arizonans back to work and ensure a long-term recovery we must secure our borders now. I applaud Governor Brewer for her courage and leadership.” 

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Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Press Release Tagged With: ,

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: , , , , ,

What President Obama Saw Out of the Window of the Presidential Limo.

January 26, 2012 By 3 Comments

President Obama came to speak to Intel employees in Chandler, Arizona at the Ocotillo complex on January 25th.

What most of the media didn’t show or report was what the President saw out his window en route.

First it was the amnesty demands of pro illegal groups:

 

 Further down the road, a couple hundred, mostly upset Arizonans chanting “You are fired!”:

 

 Probably not the ‘welcoming committee’ Obama wished for.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Elected Officials, Illegal Immigration, Jobs/Labor, Political Parties, Protests, Special Event Tagged With: ,

Recently seen entering the State of Arizona

January 26, 2012 By 3 Comments

Arizona: An Obama-Free Zone

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, States Rights 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: ,

Stephen Viramontes for 2nd Vice Chairman, Arizona Republican Party

January 26, 2012 By

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 26, 2012
CONTACT: Stephen Virapmontes, (480) 442-1776

Proxy Process for all State Committeemen

Mesa, AZ - Today Stephen Viramontes would like to remind all of the State Committeemen of the proxy process for the Mandatory Meeting on Saturday January 28th. Per the call letter dated January 16th, 2012:

“At all meetings of the State Committee, members are entitled to vote in person or by proxy given to a qualified elector of the county (or in counties of 500,000 or more population, the legislative district) where the member resides.”

If you will not be able to attend this meeting, you may give your proxy to ANY REGISTERED REPUBLICAN IN YOUR LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT to be carried on your behalf. Please remember the proxy requirements: “Every proxy must be attested by a Notary Public or two witnesses, brought to the meeting by the proxy carrier.”

If you or a state committeeman, or know of one that will not be in attendance at this meeting please contact a member of your district leadership team so your proxy may be carried.

Viramontes is a husband, father and entrepreneur. He is currently serving as a precinct and state committeeman in Legislative District 22 and is running for the 2nd Vice-Chairman of the AZGOP. His goals include improving the communication between the State Party and Legislative Districts, while also assisting the Districts in their fundraising efforts in preparation for 2012 elections.

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Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Political Parties, Press Release Tagged With: , ,

Sheriff Richard Mack Endorses John Rhodes for 3rd Vice Chairman, AZGOP

January 26, 2012 By

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 26, 2012

Graham County – It is indeed an honor for me to endorse and support John D Rhodes for the Third Vice Chair of the Arizona GOP. I have known John since we were kids and I can unambiguously vouch for his character. He has always been very respected within Graham County as a dedicated family man and local entrepreneur. He has owned and managed a very successful business for decades. While I served as Sheriff, John was a member of our volunteer Search and Rescue Squad and was instrumental in serving and protecting the citizens of Graham County.

But more importantly, John has exemplified the “power of one” in dedicating himself to the Republican Party of Graham County. Pursuant to John’s leadership Graham County became a Republican dominated county for the first time in history. I never thought I’d see such in my lifetime, but as chair of the Graham County GOP, John Rhodes made it happen. I know he will show the same dedication at the State level and will be an asset to the Republican Party throughout the entire State of Arizona.

Furthermore, I would like to endorse the entire slate of Republicans running with Rhodes, Russelll Pearce for 1st Vice Chair, who I have known since 1988, Parraleee Schneider for 2nd Vice Chair, Debbie Miller for Ass’t Sec., Andy Stevens for Ass’t Treasurer, Alberto Gutier for Sgt. at Arms, and Chris Campbell for Ass’t. Sgt. at Arms. What a great team for the GOP of Arizona!

Sheriff Richard Mack

Former Sheriff of Graham County.
www.sheriffmack.com

 

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Endorsements, Political Parties, Press Release Tagged With: , , ,

Van steenwyk Announcement for U.S. Senate

January 26, 2012 By 10 Comments

To All My Fellow Arizonians; As of 9/11/2011, I Van steenwyk, c. aka van the radio man formally announced my Candidacy for the office of U.S. Senator from AZ and I’m looking forward to serving all of you should you decide to give me your support and votes.

I’ve been discussing this with a group of Conservative Republicans & Tea Party Members as well for the last two months and after reviewing the field and realizing that once again the Leadership has decided who we’ll be able to vote made the decision to run. I find the decisions some make believing they know best to be completely unacceptable as do many others I’ve spoken with over the last few weeks and also since announcing formally.

I believe in the ability of the Citizens of Az to decide what type of representation they want at all levels of Government if given a choice and ask all of you to join with us to make this possible even though difficult.

Please go to the website; www.VanforUSSenate.com for more information as to where I stand on the issues and what I believe are doable solutions to them.

I’m looking forward to meeting more of you over the next few weeks and months and hope you’ll also tune into the Radio Show as I’ll still be broadcasting a result of owning my program I’m allowed to continue to broadcast same time and place. I’m also as most of you realize hoping for more volunteers and supporters to help us with the task laid before us and hope you’ll join in so we might all have Real Conservative Representation in DC.

God Bless You All;

Van

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Press Release Tagged With: ,

Bob Westerman Exploring New LD-11 House Campaign

January 26, 2012 By 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 26, 2012
CONTACT: Dave Erchull

Marana, AZ, January 26, 2012 – Bob Westerman has formed an exploratory campaign committee for Arizona State Representative in the newly proposed Legislative District 11. The new LD 11 will be representing Marana, Oro Valley, City of Maricopa, western Casa Grande, Catalina, Arizona City, and Saddlebrook. Bob is a former Chairman of the Pima County Republican Party and a Precinct and State Committeeman.

A veteran, Bob served in the U.S. Air Force and later in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as aircrew with air rescue. While living in California he served as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff in Los Angeles County and named Reserve Deputy Sheriff of the Year in 1992. He’s been married 40 years with two children and two grandchildren. Bob’s been a resident of Arizona for 19 years.

Bob has over 37 years in the aerospace industry. His experience working with hundreds of businesses from small to major corporations both domestic and international will give the Arizona Legislature the experience it needs to attract business and keep jobs. Bob is making Arizona’s economic future his top priority. Arizona’s education and healthcare systems are also high on his list of priorities.

“Americans have never taken the easy road.” Westerman says, “Our freedom depends on personal sacrifice and continuing vigilance. Our economy depends on competition and innovation. A government cannot bestow accomplishment by “redistributing” another’s success without damaging the very fabric of the American culture: hard-work, self-discipline, and personal responsibility, a fabric core to our Republican values. In a free society, success should be defined by the individual and not by the government. Free enterprise and competition cultivate and inspire accomplishment and greatness. They are the engines for creating opportunity.”

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Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Press Release Tagged With: ,

President Obama Brought His Campaign To Arizona, But His Recruited Senate Candidate Ducked

January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 26, 2012

Richard Carmona Was Noticeably Absent From Obama’s Visit

WASHINGTON — Yesterday, President Barack Obama visited Chandler, Arizona but one person who skipped the event was Democrat Senate candidate Richard Carmona who the President personally recruited to run.

While the liberal kingmakers in Washington tried for months to get Carmona to challenge former Democrat party boss Don Bivens for the nomination, they were ultimately unsuccessful. That’s when the Campaigner-in-Chief got involved and personally encouraged Carmona to jump into the race, while Obama campaign officials claimed a Carmona candidacy would help them make Arizona competitive for the President.

It seems, however, that with the President’s poll numbers mired at just 41 percent approval in Arizona, Carmona wasn’t ready to return the favor.

“It speaks volumes about President Obama’s standing among Arizonans that even his hand-picked Senate candidate Richard Carmona wasn’t willing to stand at his side,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox. “No matter how hard Carmona tries to duck though, at some point he will need to step forward and explain to Arizonans why President Obama was so committed to getting him into this race. Clearly, President Obama saw a reliable vote for his big government, spending agenda in a Richard Carmona Senate candidacy.”

As Politico first reported:

“On September 23, President Obama called Richard Carmona to encourage him to run,” said one Democratic strategist. “The president said Carmona would certainly shake up the race. Carmona emphasized in the conversation that he would be a very independent voice in the Senate.” (Alex Burns, Obama courts Arizona Senate candidate, may contest state ‘heavily,’ Politico, 10/06/11)

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Liberals 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: , ,

President’s Rhetoric Doesn’t Match His Actions

January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By: J. Charles Coughlin

The closing remarks of the President’s State of the Union address the other night were moving. He spoke of the teamwork necessary to accomplish incredibly difficult and complex missions. He spoke of members of a team having each other’s backs. He said that the way in which those members of our armed forces conducted themselves spoke exactly to the way in which elected officials should conduct the public’s business – selflessly serving the public good.

Unfortunately, our President words don’t match his deeds. On far too many occasions as it relates to his administration’s relationship towards Arizona, this President has let us down, time and again.

Rather than respond thoughtfully to the public outrage over illegal immigration, he played the race card, implying that “people could get arrested for going out for Ice cream.” Rather than owning the debacle that has become the Fast & Furious gun walking fiasco, his Justice Department is laying the blame at the feet of Arizonans – both Democrat and Republican who know full well that the program was fully authorized at the highest levels of the Justice Department. When the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas blew up, Janet Reno had the class to own it. This Justice Department hasn’t met a problem it can’t deny.

Don’t forget that Holder didn’t even read the 1070 legislation before commenting on it. They sued the state without so much as considering how to work with us and continue to fail to understand the root problem of the immigration crisis to begin with: Mexico. Rather than deal with the problem, they continue to play politics.

American reaction to the immigration crisis will continue to focus on the tail; immigration, rather than the dog; Mexico, until a Presidential Administration steps up and begins to redefine our nation’s relationship with our fourth largest trading partner and Arizona’s largest trading partner.

The President of the United States knows this and continues to use this issue as a political cudgel rallying the troops on the left to fight the troops on the right. That is why President Obama opted to confront Governor Brewer about her book yesterday instead of discussing with her how she has been able to start the “Arizona Comeback.” The President obviously can talk a good game about leadership, selflessness, and teamwork, but when it comes down to it his actions – picking a fight about a book, playing the race card on immigration, or owning his administration’s failure to let guns walk into Mexico – he is incapable of living up to his own rhetoric.

When President Obama uses stirring references like the one he used earlier this week in his speech, I just don’t believe him, and I don’t trust him and neither do a majority of the American people.

After his defeat of Senator McCain in 2008, I really wanted him to succeed; now I just want him to go.

J. Charles “Chuck” Coughlin is the Founder & President of Highground.

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Conservatives, Elected Officials, Guest Opinion Tagged With: ,

Scott Smith will continue quest to Build a Better Mesa

January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 26, 2012
CONTACT: Paul Bentz

Mayor Scott Smith announces run for second term as Mayor of Mesa

Mesa- Mayor Scott Smith today officially kicked off his bid for reelection for Mayor of Mesa. Smith announced he decision to seek a second term following his State of the City address that focused on his Building a Better Mesa initiative. Building a Better Mesa focuses on creating jobs and economic opportunity, insuring Mesa is a safe place, and being a leader throughout the region.

Mayor Smith, current Vice President of the US Conference of Mayors said, “I am excited for the opportunity to build on what we have started here in Mesa. We have some great initiatives coming up with iMesa and I hope to have the opportunity to see those through.”

Mayor Smith had never served in an elected position prior to running in 2008. He shortly proved that his background as a businessman and CPA was just what Mesa needed. Over the last four years, Mesa has had a balanced budget while streamlining operations throughout the city.

Since taking office, Mesa has been at the center of some of the largest economic developments in the state including the Air Force Research Lab, planned Gaylord Resort, Cubs Spring Training Complex, First Solar factory and many more.

Understanding the importance that Mesa plays throughout the region, Mayor Smith has forged key relationships with elected leaders throughout the valley and worked diligently on projects beyond Mesa’s borders. Smith has also brought Mesa to national light as Vice President of the US Conference of Mayors, the highest position held by an Arizona Mayor. Mayor Smith will be President of the organization in 2013.

Smith isn’t done yet though on his quest to Build a Better Mesa. Through his iMesa initiative, Mesa will soon embark on a list of community driven ideas to make Mesa a better place for those that work and live here.

Mayor Smith is a third generation Arizonan and has lived in Mesa for nearly 45 years. Prior to elected office, Smith was a successful business consultant and homebuilder, primarily focusing on companies that needed help with restructuring or expanding their business. He was a CPA and earned his MBA and Law Degrees. from Arizona State University. He and his wife Kimberly have been married for over 30 years and have three children and three grandchildren.

To learn more about Mayor Smith, you can visit his website at www.ScottSmithforMayor.com.

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