BY LINDA BENTLEY | AUGUST 3, 2011
Carefree businessman arrested for disorderly conduct
‘The sad thing is that [Swanson] apparently does not see himself in the same way that others perceive him’
CAREFREE – On Saturday, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested local realtor Albert W. Swanson for disorderly conduct stemming from events that arose following the termination of an employee at Venues Café. Keep reading
BY LINDA BENTLEY | AUGUST 3, 2011
Has the time come for a traffic signal at School House Road?
CAVE CREEK – The stop signs at the intersection of Cave Creek Road and School House roads have been home to the “California roll,” the name for braking and slowing but never coming to a complete stop, for several years. Keep reading
BY LINDA BENTLEY | AUGUST 3, 2011
Arizona collecting donations to build border fence feds won’t build
PHOENIX – SB 1406 went into effect July 20, allowing the state of Arizona to raise funds through tax-deductible donations from private citizens, businesses and corporations across the country to finance the completion of a border fence. Keep reading
BY LINDA BENTLEY | AUGUST 3, 2011
Running of the Bulls still under scrutiny over insurance issues
‘It is a lot more safe than what they’re doing at the Buffalo Chip’
CAVE CREEK – A jovial town council began Monday night’s meeting with Mayor Vincent Francia announcing the cancelation of the Aug. 15 and Sept. 6 meetings. Council will take a summer recess until the next council meeting on Sept. 19. Keep reading
AUGUST 3, 2011
South Dakota Sen. John Thune Endorses Matt Salmon
"Matt Salmon is a principled conservative who will be a strong leader for his district and state."
EAST VALLEY – Former Congressman and candidate for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District Matt Salmon announced today the endorsement of South Dakota Republican Senator John Thune. Senator Thune released the following statement regarding his endorsement of Matt Salmon for Congress:
"I served with Matt Salmon in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1996-2000, and I am pleased to endorse his candidacy to return to Congress. He is a man of integrity, having kept his pledge to his constituents to serve only three terms in Congress just as I did. Matt Salmon is a principled conservative who will be a strong leader for his district and state."
Matt Salmon stated, "I am grateful to receive the support from one of our country’s finest public servants. As his esteemed record demonstrates, John Thune is a strong and reliable voice for conservative values in the United States Senate. I look forward to working with Senator Thune to put an end to the failed policies of Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and the Obama administration so we can get America back on track."
AUGUST 3, 2011
What's the Budget Deal mean for Rural America?
Center for Rural Affairs statement on debt ceiling and budget compromise
LYONS, Nebraska – While President Barack Obama, Speaker of the House John Boehner, and other Congressional leaders worked to reach an eleventh hour compromise that would allow the national debt ceiling to increase in exchange for, potentially, as much as $2 trillion in long-term spending cuts, many in rural America continued to try to sort out what all the horse-trading will mean for their communities.
“Rural development funding for small towns and small business will face growing pressure under the federal budget agreement, which will reduce annual appropriations for all programs by nearly $1 trillion over the next decade,” said Chuck Hassebrook, Executive Director of the Center for Rural Affairs. “But rural development funding has already been cut by more than one fourth, just since 2003.”
According to Hassebrook, there is an alternative to reducing investments in the future of rural communities. “We should make the first cut by putting hard caps on subsidies to the nation’s largest farms – subsides they use to drive mid-size farms out of agriculture,” explained Hassebrook.
“The current policy of unlimited mega farm subsidies is so misguided that smart reforms could both save money AND strengthen rural America,” Hassebrook argued. “It seems like a no-brainer for both parties - cut counter productive spending first."
A 2007 Center for Rural Affairs analysis demonstrated that USDA and Congress have severely over-subsidized the biggest and most powerful farmers while consistently under-investing in rural America’s future, spending twice as much on subsidizing the 20 largest farms in each of 13 leading farm states as it invested in rural development programs to create economic opportunity for millions of people in thousands of towns in the 20 rural counties with the most out-migration in each respective state - (the full report - An Analysis of USDA Farm Program Payments and Rural Development Funding In Low Population Growth Rural Counties, a.k.a. Oversubsidizing and Underinvesting ... can be viewed or downloaded at: http://www.cfra.org/node/603)
