Prop 407 this election
A careful understanding of this misleading worded proposition would have people believe that the election of the Mayor of Carefree would be by a simple majority. The fact of the matter is that if this passes then the highest vote getter WILL NOT be elected unless the candidate gets the majority of votes.
In the United States presidential election as well as that of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives whoever gets the HIGHEST number of votes is elected. If more that two people decide to run it is very rare for one to get the majority of votes cast especially in a close election. All this proposition does is to give a certain group within the town to get a second chance to defeat the highest vote getter. Who are we the people of Carefree to decide that the method of electing our President and representatives is wrong? Please vote NO ON 407.
Aaron Grenley | Carefree
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Salaries at AZ towns, cities, counties, state
To Arizona Legislators:
By now, you have probably heard of the City of Bell city manager's annual salary of $787,637 plus 26 weeks of annual leave and vacation and estimated annual pension $637,985; the assistant city manager's salary of $376,288 and the police chief's annual salary of $457,000 with the approval of the city council who voted themselves a $100,000 annual salary.
Jerry Brown, the California Attornery General has shown appropriate umbrage; and, along with CalPERS will investigate possible malfeasance. In order to avoid similar occurrences in other government agencies John Chiang, State Controller has mandated that all city and county executives’ salaries be posted online.
If you look at the salaries of the executives and managers in our towns, cities, counties, and state you will probably find that their salaries exceed comparable salaries in industry. Let me suggest as a representative of Arizona retirees that are helping to pay for these excessive salaries that you copy what the California State Controller is doing, that is, mandate that the salaries, benefits and retirement income of all town, city, county, and state executives be posted online.
Charlie Powell | President – Arizona Seniors' Coalition
Article from Retired California Public Employees' Association (CalPERS)
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Of like minds – an interesting read
I am a retired conservative CBS Television Network News photojournalist and an Emmy recipient.
My book was just published by a major publisher titled “Breakfast in Paris, Lunch in Rome, Dinner in London.” It is presently available wherever books are sold including BarnesandNoble.com and Amazon.com. It chronicles my fifty years in the business and is intended to be a fun read as well as an encouragement to every reader to follow their dreams.
While at CBS I was surrounded by a network of mostly liberals thus providing many lively dinner conversations while on out of town assignments. It was frustrating but always good-natured fun. Good-natured because the next morning we all had to continue working together.
Thank you for the fine work you and your staff at Sonoran News are doing for all of us and or community.
Phil G. Giriodi | Scottsdale
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It’s a really bad law
Proposition 203 is called “medical” marijuana for serious illness, but that’s dishonest. In other states only 2-3 percent of medical marijuana patients have cancer, AIDS or glaucoma. The rest have mild problems or none at all, and most are under age 40. In Boulder, Colorado, all the marijuana dispensaries are on college campuses. That’s not serious illness. They’re using people with cancer to play on our sympathies.
Besides, the American Cancer Society, American Glaucoma Society and National Multiple Sclerosis Society are all against medical marijuana. These organizations represent the very diseases marijuana supposedly treats, but they say it has too many negative effects and other medicines that work just as well are safer. The demand for medical marijuana isn’t coming from doctors or the seriously ill; it’s coming from pot-smokers.
And the law gives them unbelievable protections. Under Prop 203, employees can come to work high on marijuana and can’t be fired or sent home for the day even if they’re heavy equipment operators or school-teachers. Child Protective Services can order abusive, drug-addicted parents to stop using drugs and alcohol, but not to stop smoking pot. And people can drive under the influence of marijuana and can’t be charged with DUI. In other words, Prop 203 strips away basic protections for children, employers, co-workers, and users of Arizona’s highways, and instead protects pot-smokers.
Medical marijuana states have the highest rates of teenage marijuana use.
Research shows teenage pot-smokers do worse in school and are more likely to drop out. Medical marijuana states also have far more traffic fatalities caused by marijuana, which is just as deadly behind the wheel as alcohol.
After California passed a similar law, the number of deadly car crashes caused by marijuana doubled. Please vote no on 203. It’s a really bad law.
Ed Gogek, M.D. | Prescott
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The wind farm boondoggle
Wind farms are considered an “investment” and governments are trying desperately to attract capital to build them.
However, as Christopher Booker recently wrote for the Sunday Telegraph, they are not a feasible investment.
And there are other issues as well:
First and foremost, any enterprise that requires government subsidies is a scam, and these babies just soak up public funds like a sponge while providing diminishing returns. A bona fide investment is one that the enterprising investor with a little vision can see is going to pay off eventually, either sooner or later. Wind farms without subsidies attract zero capital.
It is cynical and cunning to pretend that a wind farm could be a capitalist business enterprise, because, as the following article shows, the cost-benefit ratios are abominable.
The public winds up paying not only at the start but throughout the use of this boondoggle.
Second, the machines are extremely noisy and the property values in their vicinity plummet.
Third, they occupy valuable farmland that is then taken out of use. The value of the crops that could have been raised there is lost forever, replaced by a “commodity” of much lower, and questionable, value.
You don’t save the planet by adding pollution, and noise pollution is pollution. And you don’t provide for a hungry populace by destroying farmland.
The labor and material costs of these windmills are very high and we can assume that any cost analysis including both the land and the machinery plus the labor needed to maintain and operate the system, will wind up showing a constant loss for the public, as well as huge “profits” for the public-private partnerships at our expense. (Some of the first PPPs were seen in Mao’s China. They are typically the first step in a gradual migration toward total and totalitarian communism. No one should confuse PPPs with free market capitalism. They are quite the opposite. Historians will also recognize their similarity to Mussolini’s state-private joint enterprises – a hallmark of fascism).
The bottom line is that the New World Order needs you poor. Otherwise they are afraid middle class people will overrun the planet and make it less desirable for the Self-Elect. They are already nervous about our presence here on “their” planet.
If the world needs clean energy, so far, all things considered, nuclear power is the only way to go, provided the redundant safety systems are put in place.
Don Hank
http://laiglesforum.com/the-wind-farm-boondoggle/1830.htm
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Senate should reject fatally flawed treaty
President Obama is pushing the Senate to ratify a treaty that would undermine American security. Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) is doing his part to ram the treaty through the Senate. Unfortunately, proponents of the New START treaty are desperately trying to avoid having a real debate on this fatally flawed treaty.
Most glaringly, the treaty will place significant limitations on America's ability to field a missile defense system capable of protecting us against a nuclear missile. It also fails to stop rogue nations like North Korea and Iran from developing and deploying those weapons. And, it contains extremely weak verification measures, meaning Russian compliance is unlikely.
These flaws (and many others) are real and pose a serious threat to American national security. Compounding the problems is the administration's refusal to release the treaty negotiating records and insistence on questioning the motives of those who dare criticize the treaty.
We've seen this playbook from President Obama before: ignore valid concerns; hide key information; and demonize the other side. Our Senators should not play the game. They must reject the treaty.
Terrance Traylor | Scottsdale
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Language Diversity = Divisiveness
The U.S. is an English speaking country, not a bilingual or multi-lingual speaking country. Our government conducts all business in English. Our military communicates only in English. Can you envision military commanders giving commands to attack in numerous languages? U.S. businesses typically communicate in English. One of the many strengths of this country is its outstanding communications system.
All roadside signs, instructions, business correspondence, school classes and general communications should be in English, with no references to any foreign languages.
Immigrants have to learn English and our children have to be proficient in English.
It can be beneficial for people to be fluent in a second language such a Spanish, Chinese, etc. Our country needs expertise in foreign languages, but this should be subservient to fluency in English. U.S. citizens who cannot speak and write English as a primary language are probably placing themselves at a disadvantage on the ladder to success in this country.
We should not promote language diversity because it will lead to divisiveness, the same type of divisiveness we see in numerous foreign countries.
Donald A. Moskowitz | Londonderry, New Hampshire
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AZGOP Awards Hypocrite of the Year
Election cycles bring out inconsistent behavior within Arizona's political establishment and this year is no exception. With little time left until election day, the Arizona Republican Party is giving out its Hypocrite of the Year award to someone whose recent activities have far exceeded the criteria for the distinguished honor.
The highly sought after award is given to the person who best pretends to have admirable principles, beliefs or feelings but consistently acts in a contradictory fashion. While the award does not include a cash prize, the winner does receive a dazzling certificate suitable for display in the honorees place of employment or home.
"It should come as no surprise that this year's winner of the AZGOP Hypocrite of the Year Award is a Democrat," said Chairman Randy Pullen. "In a year where Democrats have exhibited nearly historic levels of hypocrisy, this year's honoree has truly exhibited what it means to be a hypocrite.
"I'm pleased to announce that Sam Coppersmith of Coppersmith, Schermer and Brockelman as this year's winner of our prestigious award," proclaimed the Chairman. "The former Chairman of the State Democrat Party and member of the House of Representatives has shown the level of hubris it takes to prevail in this extremely competitive contest."
According to the governing body that determines the winner, Sam Coppersmith and his Democrat law firm won the award for their work to remove Green candidates from November's ballot while violating campaign finance laws and organizing a pathetic effort to deceive voters into voting against certain statewide ballot measures.
The Arizona Taxpayers Association, headed by Dem strategist Bob Grossfeld and UFCW 99 President Jim McLaughlin – which lists its address at Sam Coppersmith's law firm – have already begun crafting an attempt to hide their agenda. In a clear violation of state law, they have failed to name a chair or treasurer for the new committee and have inaccurately listed its physical address in a further attempt to conceal the group's true motives.
"It takes a special person to file a lawsuit against legitimate Green Party candidates calling them 'sham' candidates on a Friday and create deceptive independent expenditure committees on Monday," said Pullen. "Combined with blatant campaign finance violations, and support of those who are supporting the Arizona boycott, Sam won this year's award in a landslide."
While Mr. Coppersmith was justly awarded the Hypocrite of the Year award, honorable mention goes to Felecia Rotellinni who named Mr. Coppersmith as her campaign chair. Ms. Rotellinni, running for Arizona Attorney General, has accepted over $4,000 in contributions from UFCW union boss Jim McLaughlin who supported the economic boycott of Arizona.
"Of course, we congratulate Mr. Coppersmith for winning this year's award," the Chairman continued. "But we also believe that he should answer some questions about his illegal covert campaign against ballot initiatives. After all, what would he have to hide?"
Paid for by Arizona Republican Party | Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee | www.AZGOP.org
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Brewer vs. transplant funding
I have a solution regarding the unfortunate gentleman who is being deprived of a transplant because of state budget restraints: I am not the Governor, but if I were I would demand President Barack Obama and Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano immediately reimburse The State of Arizona for the money spent on health care for illegal aliens.
The first dollars in would be spent on critical health care needs for our citizens, with emergency transplants at the front of the line.
Bill Crawford | Scottsdale
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Religious Faith
Going to war over religion is like killing people to see who has the best imaginary friend.
We are fighting Muslim's because of differences in religious Faith; both sides are praying to the same God. Both sides worshiped the same God in our Civil War. Ridiculous!
Faith is what keeps otherwise honest people from looking for the truth.
With all the great advances in science and technology; it's a perfect time for the religiously faithful to question their faith. This certainly applies to all religious faiths; Christian, Islam, Judaism, and all who believe in a supernatural controlling God.
Some, if not all, of our military consider themselves Christians. They will probably pray to the same God their enemy is praying to, five times a day.
Larry Kluth | Mesa
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President Obama: “I’m done doing this!”
Gold-Star mom calls on Obama to listen to the generals instead of playing politics with troops’ lives
President Obama’s true feelings about supporting the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are revealed in journalist Bob Woodward’s newest book, “Obama’s Wars.” In it, Woodward details that when crafting America's strategy for a troop surge in Afghanistan, President Obama was concerned with pleasing his left-wing supporters, not achieving victory.
Gold Star Mother Debbie Lee, who lost her son Marc in the war in Iraq, spokesperson for Move America Forward, the nation’s largest grassroots pro-troop organization released this statement:
“We at Move America Forward were saddened and dismayed to hear the extent of President Obama’s willingness to use American lives as political pawns. We have watched as troops deployed overseas struggled to achieve their mission with limited manpower and resources. As reported by the New York Times today, when the President was told he must strengthen American forces by 30,000 in Afghanistan he finally relented. But when asked for an additional 4,500 support personnel, the response was sharp and angry, “I’m done doing this!”
“President Obama, it is WE the American people who are done. We are done with your lack of support for our brave servicemen and women who risk their lives abroad. We are done with your politicizing of the troops and their mission. Most of all, we are done with your lack of leadership that emboldens our enemies and sacrifices American lives needlessly.
“As Commander in Chief, our soldiers deserve better. We at Move America Forward are outraged at the appalling lack of support, phony, arbitrary timelines, and failure to enable American troops to achieve the success they are fully capable of. As representatives of many thousands of soldiers, we ask President Obama to heed the wisdom of military commanders, and commit to a winning strategy in the field of battle that puts the success and support of our military ahead of your own political career.”
American Move Forward.org
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