Override
Re: Click here to read Dr. Burdick's September 2011 letter.
I can’t believe you used the District e-mail database to send out your biased propaganda! In a time when every family is finding it necessary to cut back on expenses, to learn how to stretch their dollar, CCUSD has the nerve to think they ought to be exempt from the belt-tightening?! You have claimed before, Dr. Burdick, that the student population is on the rise* – and yet the CCUSD Board voted to close its only other middle school, Desert Arroyo, in 2010.
Then you used taxpayer dollars (from the $46 million bond voters approved in 2000 to build new schools for their kids) to renovate Desert Arroyo Middle School (which you closed to public school students) and rent it out to a private school. The building was paid for with public money, renovated with public money, and now, is not open to the public school students. You threaten the taxpayers with cutting programs for their children but even when we give you the money, you use the money to benefit private endeavors, not public school children!
In 2000, voters approved a $46 million bond proposal but, rather than using that money for its intended purpose, the CCUSD Board determined to divert funds toward projects which voters had NOT approved (I can provide a list but you already know what they are). The rest of that money is now sitting in an account at the expense of taxpayers who must foot the bill for interest on it or watch helplessly as the Board squanders it on more projects which taxpayers did not approve.
In 2007, voters agreed that the money should not be spent on constructing a new high school -- building was down and home foreclosures up, families were leaving the district – but taxpayers did NOT agree that the CCUSD Board could use the money for something else without voter input as to what that “something else” would be.
That, Dr. Burdick, is unconstitutional, hence the law suit from the Goldwater Institute. The audacity of the Board has left us with a bill for money we cannot legally use and you have the nerve to tell us we ought to give you MORE?! For what purpose? So you can misuse that, too? Put the question back to the people! Use what you have been given wisely! Your abuses have legally tied your hands in regard to whatever remains of the $13 million you were already given.
First sort out that mess before you come crying to the overburdened taxpayers for more of what you already have!
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6
BTW, by sending your letter to all CCUSD parents, I believe you are in violation of CCUSD Policy G-1600 GBI. It concerns using your position and district resources to influence the outcome of an election.
Kyle Durham | Cave Creek
*Excerpt from Dr. Burdick’s e-mail correspondence dated Sunday, July 17, 2011 8:32 PM: “although second semester enrollment dropped slightly this school year, CSHS enrollment goes up every year and our demographer expects district enrollment to do the same in the future.”
Back
Sweet Sixteen
We reflect this month on the horrific events surrounding 9/11/2001. In the aftermath of murder and devastation came chaotic financial markets, the near collapse of our airline industry and a huge downturn in our national economy. But, within three years of that fateful day the economy came roaring back primarily due to one factor, tax CUTS! Not government stimulus, quantitative easing or higher taxes on the rich – tax cuts, tax cuts.
Nearly three years into the Obama administration we are facing near bankruptcy. It is said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results; yet the administration borrows and spends, borrows and spends while the economy suffocates. All the while Obama's reputation bodyguards in the media make excuses for his abysmal results.
Rick Perry tossing his hat in the ring adds a spark to the Republican primary race becoming the new media lightening rod taking the bull’s eye off of Palin and Bachman for now. If only Chris Christy, Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan can be prodded into the mix, the Dems and their media partners will all need Depends. Perry and Palin, Christy and Bachman, Rubio and Ryan or any combination of pairings will do to give us two, no four terms of fiscal responsibility, secure borders, domestic oil, strong national defense and lower taxes. A sweet sixteen years, four Presidential terms of sane conservative, constitutional government is what America requires.
Randy Edwards | Cave Creek
Back
Gary S. Beckerís op-ed of Sept. 2
Dear Wall Street Journal Letters Editor:
With all due respect and humility, I beg to differ with the awesome intellect of Nobel economics laureate Gary S. Becker. In comparing market failures with government failures, and in saying that the former are not as bad as the latter, he falls into the trap set by the left of equating banking with the free market. The left's syllogism goes like this: Banking wreaked havoc on the economy; banking is representative of the free market; therefore, the free market wreaked havoc on the economy.
In reality, banking is a de facto franchise of the government, and, more specifically, of the government's strange and unaccountable creation, the Federal Reserve, which most certainly does not operate in a free market. Banks are allowed to engage in fractional-reserve banking, to get funds at the discount window, and to loan and arbitrage the funds at a profit. In return, they are highly regulated by not only the Fed but also by numerous regulatory agencies. This is very different from selling shoes, beer, computers, newspapers, house cleaning, consulting advice, and thousands of other goods and services – most of which do not require a franchise from the government. And, unlike bank customers, the buyers of such goods and services are not protected by an agency similar to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Sincerely,
Craig J. Cantoni | Scottsdale
Back
Jennifer Wright statement on Phoenix election results
PHOENIX – Phoenix Mayoral Candidate Jennifer Wright issued the following statement regarding the Mayoral election results:
Seventeen weeks ago with little more than the courage of my convictions, I filed my paperwork to run for Mayor of Phoenix. While the campaign operated at a tenth of the budget of each of my competitors, we were staffed with an army of committed volunteers who made up the difference with hard work and dedication to the cause.
While we may not have succeeded in achieving our ultimate goal, we did set the tone of the conversation and brought conservative values and principles to the forefront of the debate.
In the course of the last 120 days, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, we gathered more signatures than any other candidate to qualify for the ballot in the least amount of time, we knocked on more than 20,000 doors, called more than 30,000 homes, garnered the support of hundreds of individual donors, had more than 10,000 unique visitors to our website and over 300,000 views on our Facebook page. In the end, because of the tireless efforts of true patriots, our campaign held its own against two well-known politicians which defied conventional wisdom. I will be forever grateful to each and every volunteer who spent their time to help in this ambitious endeavor.
While my campaign for Mayor has come to an end – my campaign to restore constitutional conservatism has just begun. For the sake of the future of our city, state, and nation, Phoenicians can expect me to continue to challenge the status quo, continue to take on the vested political interests, and stand firm on my commitment to rein in the tax and spend policies of local, state, and national government.
For our city to prosper, Phoenicians cannot afford to let the status quo be maintained. Instead, we must come together as a city and stand firm against the vested political interests; against policies that expand the size and scope of city government; and against over regulation and excessive taxation. To do this, we need a Mayor that breaks the traditional mold; that brings in private sector experience; and who is committed to making significant reforms to city governance.
Over the course of the next ten weeks, Phoenicians will have the opportunity to thoroughly examine the qualifications and the philosophies of the two remaining candidates for Mayor. Phoenicians need to stay engaged by asking tough questions, demanding straight answers, and requiring firm commitments as to how the candidates will rein in the failed policies and excessive spending of previous administrations.
While being on the campaign trail has been exhausting, it was exhilarating to see so many people who have never before been politically active get so thoroughly involved in this important election. In order for Phoenicians to restore constitutional conservatism, we must continue to stay engaged in the political process and in doing so, hold our leaders accountable. I plan to do my part, and I invite all Phoenicians to do the same.
Back
The ticket Obama fears most
The talking heads on Fox News Special Report this Friday concurred that Marco Rubio will be on the Republican ticket next year as the vice presidential nominee. I agree. There is virtually no downside to Rubio and the advantages to the ticket are prohibitive. He is youthful, attractive, and articulate. Rubio won a tough three-way race in Florida last year. His life story is compelling as the child of Cuban parents who worked up the hard and legal way. His conservatism on social and economic issues is unwavering. Rubio is slightly too young and inexperienced to run as president, but eight years as vice president would make him ideal presidential timber.
If Senator Rubio becomes the running mate of Governor Perry, which I believe is increasingly likely, President Obama could face his worst electoral nightmare. At the outset, both men are excellent campaigners -- articulate, likeable, attractive, and accustomed to winning elections in the diverse and large populations of Texas and Florida.
Unlike Republican nominees since Reagan, Rick Perry knows how to work crowds. Perry, like Rubio, has never lost a political race. Although it is a relatively small section of his resume, his time successfully selling Bible reference books door-to-door may be as important as background in running for president.
Both Perry and Rubio have life stories which demonstrate that the American Dream really works. Perry grew up on a cotton tenant farm in the middle of nowhere and worked hard up every step in his path to success. Rubio's parents worked in menial jobs so that their son could have a better life. Imagine Rubio campaigning in Las Vegas, where his parents worked like so many Hispanics today, cleaning rooms and tending bars. The greatest impact of these life stories is that the Republican ticket could say just how poor people need not stay poor if government gets out of the way.
Perry and Rubio are both social and economic conservatives. The left tries to downplay the appeal of social conservatism, but to take just a single social conservative issue, abortion, the latest Rasmussen Poll shows that 55 percent of Americans believe that abortion is morally wrong while only 30 percent believe that abortion is morally acceptable and 41 percent of Americans believe that it is too easy to get an abortion in America while only 14 percent believe that it is too hard to get an abortion. The vanilla question about whether Americans are "pro-choice" or "pro-life" is meaningless, if Republican candidates have the gumption to ask Obama in a debate whether he believes abortion is moral or immoral -- leaving the question of federal policy on abortion aside.
This particular ticket would also have profound appeal to Hispanic voters, whose support for Obama has dropped a dramatic 36 points since he took office. The impact of Rubio on the ticket, of course, is obvious: he would be the first Hispanic on a major party ticket in American history. Big chunks of Hispanic voters in 2008 voted for Obama because he was a "person of color." Reelecting a black man president has much less psychological value to Hispanic voters than electing a Hispanic who could easily be president in eight years.
The impact of Rick Perry is real, but underestimated by Beltway punditry, which listens more to high ranking Hispanic organizational leaders rather than ordinary Hispanics. Perry has won many statewide elections in Texas, including three as governor. Almost 40 percent of the state is Hispanic. Governor Perry speaks Spanish, but more than that, just as New York City or Chicago politicians grasp the nuances of European ethnic differences, so Perry understands the largely Mexican-American minority and has steadily improved his percentage of the Hispanic vote in Texas elections.
A politically savvy Perry with the first Hispanic on a national ticket as his running mate could disarm the traditional skittishness that some Hispanics have had about voting Republican. Combine that with the very real success Perry has had in creating jobs in Texas -- compared with Obama nationally or California Democrats -- and he could make a strong argument that Perry-Rubio is precisely what most Hispanics really want in Washington.
This could be complemented by the rise of Hispanic Republicans in 2010. Susana Martinez, the conservative Republican governor of New Mexico, next door to Texas, is a prime example. The first female Hispanic governor in American history could travel throughout the Rocky Mountain region touting a Perry-Rubio ticket. It is not just Hispanic "people of color" that could connect with Hispanics. Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley, both articulate and strongly Republican governors could both show the legal immigrants from lands as distant as India are welcomed by conservatives.
Black voters will go overwhelmingly for Obama, but black voters vote overwhelmingly for Democrats no matter what Republicans have tried.
If Hispanic voters, already accustomed to conservative Republicans senators and governors, vote in substantial numbers for conservative Republicans at the national level, then not only is Obama in trouble, but so is his party. That is why Perry-Rubio could be the ticket Democrats fear most.
Bruce Walker | www.americanthinker.com/bruce_walker/
Back
Shameful complicity
“Praise Him, you heavens of heavens and you waters above the heavens!”(Psalms 148:4) This quote from the Holy Bible (NKJV) clearly states that there is water above the heavens. The next verse confirms that what “God commanded was created.”
From a true scientific perspective about earth’s atmosphere, several gases are involved: Methane (CH4) may be quite effective as an energy absorbing and releasing molecule, but there isn’t enough of it to make a significant impact on the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the #2 greenhouse gas and its concentration is 0.036 percent by volume in the atmosphere.
Science data shows that water vapor (H2O) is the primary greenhouse gas with its concentration highest in the humid tropics and over oceans etc. Its contribution to the greenhouse effect is probably ninety five percent (95 percent) or more. Wikipedia files also show that water vapor overshadows all the rest of the trace gases.
Scientists also tell us that when a proton hits an absorbent molecule in the air, it is about 25 times more likely to strike a water vapor molecule then a CO2 molecule. Additionally, water vapor molecules react to a wider spectrum than CO2 molecules.
When the infinite God created the waters above the heavens, He also created planet Earth with two-thirds of it covered with water. That certainly explains why the greenhouse effect is primarily all water vapor.
However, finite man is using his own science data to promote a plan that is said will “save the planet.” But, many people, including scientists, are becoming very skeptical of the government’s motivation and strongly believe that this is nothing but an “energy tax scam.” What is most shameful is the complicity by the media and others. May God bless His creation!
James Roehrborn | Alexandria, Minnesota
Back
Can Hurricane Irene actually be good for us?
Even though I confess to being a regular listener to National Public Radio it is sometimes a downright embarrassing experience. This week I had to listen to otherwise intelligent hosts ask their guests (albeit in somewhat rhetorical vein) whether Hurricane Irene might actually have been beneficial to the economy because of all the jobs that are being created for the cleanup and repair.
One host did confess that economist Frederic Bastiat had contested this stupid notion over 150 years ago in what is now commonly referred to as the “broken window fallacy.” This fallacy suggests that the benefit of a broken window is due to the fact that it creates a job when a glazer must be hired to repair it.
What Bastiat made clear, and what NPR hosts can’t seem to accept, is that the work of the glazer is the effect that is seen but there are many other unseen effects, such as where that money would have been spent if it had not gone to the glazer? Bastiat helped us understand that natural disasters and wars and similar events destroy wealth, rather than “creating jobs.” NPR needs to wake up and stop questioning such basic facts.
Roy Miller | Phoenix
Back
Senate President Pearce: Rising revenues a sign state budget plan is working, but we must stay fiscally responsible
State Capitol, Phoenix – A new report from the Joint Legislative Budget Committee shows continued strong growth for the State of Arizona. General Fund revenues are up 8.4 percent from this time last year, and July collections are up $35.4 million from the budget forecast.
“The State is really starting to see an economic comeback. The Legislature started the session in January with a $1.2 billion deficit. Republican leadership made the tough decisions to trim spending, without gimmicks and more borrowing. We’re seeing the results of those smart decisions now,” says Senate President Russell Pearce.
As a result of those cuts made by Leadership, the $1.2 billion deficit was eliminated for the fiscal year, and Arizona is in the black with a surplus of about $30 million. With increased revenues and lowered spending, our focus now is getting Arizonans back to work and maintaining a balanced budget. Education and public safety will remain our top priorities.
“We made a promise to the taxpayers of Arizona that we would get Arizona’s fiscal house back in order. We’ve kept that promise, despite the criticism from the left about the leaner budget. The current numbers clearly indicate that we made the right budget decisions. We also passed the largest tax decrease in our State’s history in a Jobs Bill which I sponsored. Because of our fiscal discipline, businesses can start up and expand—growing jobs and putting Arizonans to work,” says President Pearce.
Though the economy is improving, caution is warranted. Arizona continues to carry a tremendous amount of debt incurred during previous years of out-of-control spending and reckless gimmicks. One of these gimmicks was selling the buildings at the State Capital in order to continue unjustified spending. The State no longer owns the buildings in which state legislators work and we have accumulated nearly $1 billion in building debt. “This is unconscionable,” says the Senate President.
“With increased revenues, our first job is to begin paying off debt. We must avoid pulling out the credit card for new programs that will siphon money away from responsibly eliminating our debt.” says President Pearce.
Back
Phoenix Taxpayers dodge bullet!
Phoenix residents should thank their lucky stars that Jim Waring is the apparent winner in the race for Phoenix City Council District 2. Jim Waring will serve his constituency well as he had as State Senator of LD-7 for a number of years. Had his opponent, Bryan Jeffries who is also President of Local 2260, United Mesa Firefighters Union had managed to eke out a victory, the results would have been costly for Phoenix taxpayers. How can those who voted for Jeffries as taxpayers, ever imagine that a Union President could possibly serve in their best interests and not be beholden to lavish Union demands? The era of Union domination over Phoenix taxpayer coffers apparently has been dealt a defining blow with the election of Jim Waring. Perhaps if we can continue this trend, we may finally have a City that can consistently run in the Black when it comes to the Balancing of our Budget without raising taxes!
Vince Ansel | Scottsdale
Back
Arizona Health Care Decisions made best by Arizonans
States are doing better than the federal government at enrolling people in high-risk insurance pools, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. As of April 30th, the 27 states that operate their own high-risk pools had enrolled 15,781 individuals with pre-existing conditions that were previously unable to secure affordable health care coverage. Meanwhile, the federally-operated pool for the 23 other states and the District of Columbia had enrolled only 5,673 individuals.
This is strong evidence that crucial aspects of the Affordable Care Act are best managed at the state level. And it should help answer the question as to whether states should choose to oversee the establishment of new, competitive health insurance marketplaces that the Affordable Care Act calls for by 2014. The law allows these health insurance marketplaces, or exchanges, to be established and administered by individual states or, failing that, they will be established and administered federally.
At the Center for Rural Affairs, since early in the debate over the Affordable Care Act we have maintained that individual states should take the bull by the horns where they can – e.g. high risk insurance pools and health insurance marketplaces – and control their own health care destiny.
Moreover, the best ways to address the health care challenges that rural communities face will vary widely from state to state. A federal health insurance marketplace will never address those unique rural challenges as well as a marketplace administered by the state.
John Crabtree | Center for Rural Affairs
Back
Call the Corporation Commissioners
The Arizona Corporation Commission is considering a utilities and gas companies “decoupling” system. For instance, “APS would collect a certain amount of revenue PER CUSTOMER regardless of how much energy was sold. Decoupling would allow the utility to raise its rates to cover fixed costs regardless of energy demand. (AZ Republic 6-1-11)
Sounds like ‘harpoon the people’ to me.
It’s been tried in other states and beat back.
So, let’s go, Bulldogs. Get ahold of this and don’t let go ‘til it’s dead. Call the Corporation Commissioners and tell them:
No decoupling scheme.
No more rate hikes.
No more subsidizing solar projects.
And as for allowing foreigners to set up businesses in Arizona – no more foreign companies in our state (like the Chinese solar ones). Spanish or any others.
Gary Pierce Chairman 602-542-3933
Paul Newman 602-542-3682
Brenda Burns 602-542-0745
Bob Stump 602-542-3935
Sandra D. Kennedy 602-542-3625
Arizona Corporation
Commissioners Wing
1200 West Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85007
www.acc.gov
Let’s roll.
God and Country,
Sonni Hunt | Christopher Creek
Back
