Budget Cuts and Tax Cut - Genius of the AZ Legislature

Tags: , , , | Categories: AZ Posted by AZNotes on 3/17/2010 5:59 AM | Comments (0)

The Republicans in the Arizona Legislature passed a budget that includes cuts to the State’s Medicaid program (AHCCCS) $385 million affecting 310,000 people.  Peter Fine (CEO of Banner Health) reported on March 9th in the Arizona Republic on a survey released by ASU's W.P. Carey School of Business predicting 42,000 jobs lost – most of them high paying if these cuts were made. 

On Monday the legislature was trying to pass tax cuts they HOPE will bring in an unspecified number of manufacturing jobs.   It will cost Arizona as much as $942 million.  Is there logic here somewhere?  Loose 42,000 jobs and cost 310,000 people their healthcare while simultaneously hoping to get an unspecified number of jobs and winding up with a total of hundreds of millions more in budget deficit.

By the way they will also spend $8.3 million on a special election rather than raise the necessary taxes themselves.

Arizona Ballot Proposition Results

Tags: , , | Categories: Election, AZ Posted by jefffire on 11/8/2006 9:17 PM | Comments (0)
Prop Desc Jeff Said ResultAZ
100 Bailable Offenses No Pass 77.8% - 22.2% Thumb's Down
101 Local Property Tax Levies No Pass 50.4% - 49.6% Thumb's Down
102 Standing in Civil Actions No Pass 74.0 % - 26.0% Thumb's Down
103 English as the Official Language No Pass 74.2% - 25.8% Thumb's Down
104 Municipal Debt Yes Pass 59.0% - 41.0% Thumb's Up
105 State Trust Lands No Fail 71.2% - 28.8% Thumb's Up
106 Conserving Arizona's Future Yes Pass 51.6% - 48.4% Thumb's Up
107 Protect Marriage Arizona No Fail 51.4% - 48.6% Thumb's Up
200 AZ Voter Reward Act Yes Fail 66.4% - 33.6% Thumb's Down
201 Smoke Free Arizona Act Yes Pass 54.2% - 45.8% Thumb's Up
202 Arizona Minimum Wage Coalition Yes Pass 65.8% - 34.2% Thumb's Up
203 First Things First for Arizona's Children Yes Pass 53.0% - 47.0% Thumb's Up
204 Humane Treatment of Farm Animals Act Yes Pass 61.5% - 38.5% Thumb's Up
205 Your Right to Vote Yes Fail 71.0% - 29.0% Thumb's Down
206 Arizona Non-Smoker Protection Committee No Fail 57.3% - 42.7% Thumb's Up
207 Private Property Rights Protection Act No Pass 65.0% - 35.0% Thumb's Down
300 Public Program Eligibility No Pass 71.6% - 28.4% Thumb's Down
301 Probation for Methamphetamine Offenses No Pass 58.0% - 42.0% Thumb's Down
302 State Legislators Salaries Yes Fail 53.0% - 47.0% Thumb's Down

Jon Kyl Has Failed Israel and America - Phoenix Jewish News

Tags: , , , | Categories: Election, AZ Posted by jefffire on 11/3/2006 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

In an opinion piece posted this morning on the website of the Greater Phoenix Jewish News, the editors, at least one of which has contributed to the Jim Pederson campaign, point out that U.S. policy in the Middle East has hurt American credibility in the region, and thus hurt Israel.

 

If the only issue for the American Jewish voter is what's truly best for Israel, then an absolute priority must be a strong U.S., with the diplomatic capital to promote change in the Middle East and help protect Israel from the hostile governments that surround her. Given that priority, the current administration is failing Israel, and Republican Jon Kyl, as one of the staunchest Bush supporters in the Senate, is a contributing factor.

 

The editorial continues stating that clearly, Israel is not and cannot be the only priority, even for American Jews.  There are too many other important issues such as stem-cell research, the environment and immigration reform.  On all of these and other issues, the paper’s editors state that Kyl’s positions are wrong for Arizona and the U.S.A, and thus, wrong for Israel.

 

Jews have a long, proud history in the U.S., grounded in our values and traditions, that has helped shape the nation's character. Are we really to turn our backs on that history and vote as if in some kind of myopic haze? Whatever happened to the rational approach that allows us to consider all the factors at work?

Whether you're choosing a U.S. senator based on what's best for Israel or what's best for the U.S., the answer is the same: Jim Pederson.

 

It is good to see the editors of the Greater Phoenix Jewish News come out strong in favor of Jim Pederson even at this late date.  Of course, a good portion of the Jewish community in Arizona is made up of senior citizens, those who are most likely to have voted early, so I am unsure of how much affect this editorial will have, but I have to agree with the analysis completely; what is good for America is good for Israel, and Jim Pederson is good for America.

John Kyl has Jumped (both feet) Across the Line

Tags: , , | Categories: Justice, AZ, Republicans Posted by jefffire on 7/12/2006 3:01 AM | Comments (0)

In the recent Supreme Court ruling on Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, , along with , was called-out in the majority opinion of the court for his unprecedented and scandalous lies to that court. Justice Stevens, author of the opinion and an appointee of President Ford, wrote:

While statements attributed to the final bill’s two other sponsors, Senators Graham and Kyl, arguably contradict Senator Levin’s contention that the final version of the Act preserved jurisdiction over pending habeas cases…those statements appear to have been inserted into the Congressional Record after the Senate debate.

It is often the practice in Congress to insert items into the Congressional record to correct errors and oversights. There are three things that make this incident different, and truly contemptible:

 

  1. Kyl and Graham inserted a phony conversation into the record as if it actually happened, complete with interruptions and a check on how much time was left on the clock.
  2. The phony conversation contained assertions that were exactly the opposite of what was actually discussed in the Senate session. During the session, the Senate specifically removed an effective date from the act in order to preserve jurisdiction over pending habeas cases. Kyl and Graham’s phony conversation was intended to show that jurisdiction was not to be preserved.
  3. The falsified record was submitted to the Supreme Court as if it had actually happened in order to support the government’s claim that the act being discussed by Congress at that time was applicable to the Hamdan case, even though that case was already pending at the time the law was enacted.

Clearly, these acts were specific in their intent to deprive Mr. Hamdan, and thereby all of us, of our constitutional protections. My question then is a simple one, what is the penalty for lying to the Supreme Court? Former attorney Christy Hardin Smith states in her article on FireDogLake.com that Kyl and Graham “…should be facing state bar sanctions, and an ethics investigation in the Senate.” So far, I have not been able to get a hold of a human being at the State Bar of Arizona to answer my questions on this issue, but I will continue to try and will post an update when I am successful at reaching them.

 

A Painful Political Reminder

Tags: , , | Categories: AZ Posted by jefffire on 12/26/2003 6:07 AM | Comments (0)

While cleaning out my garage I stumbled across an old newspaper cut-out of a 1987 fundraising letter sent by former Arizona Governor Evan Mecham. A Google search could not locate any instances of the text of this letter online, so, despite wanting to forget that the man ever existed, and forget the ugly chapter in Arizona history that he represents, I still find it necessary to post the text of the message here. Please see this as a painful reminder of what damage voting for a candidate solely because of his or her political party, rather than on the basis of the issues, can cause.

Dear Fellow Conservative:

As Governor of the great state of Arizona, I want to extend to you an unprecedented invitation.

I would like you to pick up and move to Arizona.

That’s right, I want you to sell your house, pack your belongings, quit your job and come to the most beautiful state in the Union.

I know this is a very unusual invitation. And believe me, I’m not extending it to everyone.

I’m asking you because I was given your name and told you are one of the leading conservatives in your part of the country.

Right now, Arizona and, particularly its Governor, needs the help of a few more good solid conservative leaders like you.

You see, right now, I’m under attack from some of the most powerful and dangerous liberal groups in the nation.

They’re bringing the enormous resources of their national organizations into Arizona to fight against me.

Unless I get immediate help from dedicated conservatives, like you, from all across the country these left wing groups may succeed in their drive to launch a recall against me and end my conservative administration.

You may be asking yourself, “How can a conservative Governor who has been in office only a few months already be the top target of several of the biggest left wing organizations in America?”

Let me explain.

The conservative agenda I campaigned on a hand aggressively pursued since my victory calls for reducing the size of government, cutting government waste, cracking down on drugs and pornography.

My policies have come as a shock to many of the liberal groups who grew fat and comfortable under the waste and excess of my liberal Democrat predecessors.

But it has been my “say-what’s on-your-mind” approach to government which has infuriated the left wing activists.

In a day and age when militant gay leaders are feeding the nation a steady diet of their “alternative life-styles” and they stand before the nightly news cameras demanding that the taxpayers pay for their AIDS treatments, I feel it is important for conservatives to stand up for traditional American values.

When I speak out for the American family and embrace a system of values other than theirs, they become extremely intolerant.

In fact, they can’t just disagree with me.  Instead they are seeking to destroy me.

I now have a much fuller understanding of what Barry Goldwater went through when he first spoke out for our conservative principles.

I am deeply grateful to the thousands of good Arizonians who are rallying to aid me at this critical moment.

However, I cannot stress enough that I need your outside help to counter the liberal outsiders who are preparing to spend millions against me.

There’s another reason why you should support me.

As conservatives we must not let the left get away with these intimidation tactics.  These left wing groups are seeking to scare us away from even disagreeing with them.

If I lose this historic battle it will make it even more dangerous for other conservatives to stand up for our traditional American family values.

Here in Arizona we are fighting a battle to see whether it is possible anymore for a conservative to speak his mind.

If we lose, it will have a terrible chilling effect on those who advocate our traditional values in the future.

If they destroy me it will be a sad day for conservatives everywhere and most of all for America.

If you care about the American family values and our conservative principles as deeply as I do I urge you to stand with me in this fight.

You can either move to Arizona and join the fight. (I know you would fall in love with this State and its people.)

Or you can join this fight for the conservative ideals we share by making a generous contribution to my campaign to fight the recall.

I need to raise no less than $1.2 million dollars in the next 45 days.

I must begin immediately to recruit the volunteers, prepare the phonebanks, ready the TV/radio commercials and print the literature I’ll need to turn back this liberal assault.

I hesitate to suggest and amount for you to send but if you would consider sending as much as $25, $35 or even $100 I would be deeply grateful to you.

Without your contribution I risk being crushed by the millions of dollars the militant liberals and the homosexual lobby plan to spend against me.

There’s not much time left so I urge you, please, as a personal favor to me, respond today.  The situation is critical.

I’m anxious to hear back from you.  Always know you are welcome in the State of Arizona.  And maybe if you don’t want to move to Arizona, please consider coming to my second Inauguration which you will be paving the way for with your contribution today.

P.S. If I survive and beat back this attack then maybe, just maybe, you might be spared being attacked by the left wingers because of what you believe.  But we’ve got to stick together.  I thank you for your time and I know you’ll be as generous as you can be.