Dear Don
We are folks from Calgary, Alberta who spend a lot of time in your neck of the woods and I love reading Sonoran News, including your editorials, both online and in hard copy when we are down there. My wife and I agree completely with your thoughts regarding the much-needed success of the Romney/Ryan ticket as well as the re-election of Sheriff Joe once again!
I have one simple question regarding Election night – are there specific venues (bars, restaurants) in Cave Creek/Carefree where a Republican victory will be observed as a positive, exciting and much-needed result? Maybe that is most places – we just do not know for sure.
We arrive in Phoenix early that evening, so would love to know where some of the best places may be to watch the results roll in.
Thanks in advance,
Craig Hill
Editor note: Larry Wendt, owner of the Buffalo Chip Saloon and Steakhouse in Cave Creek, is planning a "Goodbye Obama" event at The Chip on election night. They will have free food (BBQ) and a cash bar. See you there!
Good info
Don, thanks for the information. As I fill out my mail-in ballot, I'm referencing your feedback. I've certainly never been more serious about an election than I am this November!
Regarding "feedback" about the Judges - I totally agree it's time MANY of them are held accountable for their rulings and decisions and reassigned into the private sector!
I would suggest you Bing or Google Judge Jose Padilla. The TV news segment you see will break your heart and make your decision that he should GO! As a single mother and domestic violence survivor, I've dealt with judges like this, and it can destroy your life.
I would second the motion on Judge Robert Miles.
My experiences with him over and over were that he was more concerned with protecting the rights of the father than he was of making an intelligent, informed decision and saving the life of the mother and the child. Me and my son. As he likes to say, "It's not about the rights of the parent." (okay) Unless, of course, it's about the rights of the father.
GO ROMNEY!
Thanks again!
Lisa Zembal
Email
It's a Double Dog Dare
The memos and emails recently released by the U.S. State Department regarding the attack on our consulate and the murder of FOUR AMERICANS makes it crystal clear that story provided to the American public by the criminally negligent Obama administration was a total fabrication. Their inconsistent and contradictory scenarios were concocted in an effort to hide their crumbling and bumbling foreign policy of appeasement and coddling of radical Islam.
Once again the mainstream media did its usual less than stellar performance of accepting at face value every lie and denial issued by the three stooges, Obama, Carney and Susan Rice.
It's very tiring to witness the continual failure of the media to provide America with the information they should be getting in a fair and balanced manner.
They have been used and abused by the Democratic Party in general and the Obama administration in particular. The news hasn't been reported as much as it's been "cleansed" to protect the increasingly inept Barack Hussein Obama, "his" administration and its "change America at all costs" agenda, the people be damned.
The media has remained silent throughout Obama's overwhelming failures. They continued to say nothing about Obama’s lies, his disrespect to Americans who oppose him, his disrespect to our military, his disrespect to our flag and country and his attack and dismissal of American values and ideals. The media was complicit; they bought into it all; they became a partisan sales agent rather than a provider of the news. In the process they have given up their self respect and have lost the respect and trust of the majority of America. They have become a joke, an after thought and therefore irrelevant.
I would say they have reached a crossroads that may determine their future and their acceptance by the American people.
It's "Double Dog Dare" time. I dare them to do the right thing for America.
Will they continue to protect and "double down" on their investment in the fraud they help create and sell to America?
The lies, deceit and total incompetence are cracking the facade of the fraud known as Barack Hussein Obama. These fissures are opening at an ever increase rate.
Their choices are clear, "double down" and continue to sell and protect this failing, hate filled, divisive administration or come to the realization that selling Obama's "dream" was never something they should have done, "bail out," jump ship and try to recover their honor and self respect. Return to what they were meant to do, report the truth and the facts in an honest, unbiased manner.
If they were smart, becoming honest is exactly what they should do.
Let us all hope for the best, but don't hold your breath.
Tom Carbone
Phoenix
Open letter to Obama
Mr. Obama, not in the history of the United States has a president openly condoned and advocated fornication for our young people at the paying taxpayers' expense.
Truly you are neither a Christian nor a Moslem. Your beliefs are simply amoral and/or based on "which group can garner the most votes for me."
You continue to divide us: Rich vs. Poor ... Black vs. White ... Democrat vs. Republican ... Young vs. Old (units over 70) ... Union vs. Non-union ... Big Government vs. Limited Government.
A president is like a shepherd who cares about his flock and tries to keep them together. I view your philosophy as "divide, conquer and blame." How long do you think this will last??????????
Rose M. Sampieri
Scottsdale
Rules for Voting
1. Never vote to raise taxes. The Legislature and Congress do enough of that without your help.
2. Never vote for anything you don't understand. If they want you to vote for their referendum or initiative, they can write it so you can understand it.
3. Never give power back to the government. Ever. Especially on citizens' initiatives, our last line of defense against an ever-expanding and overreaching government.
Lynne Weaver
Phoenix
Opposition to Proposition 115
As a police officer and a leader of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, I count on Arizona judges to properly apply the law and ensure that people seeking justice are treated fairly. Members of the law enforcement community rely on judges to respect prosecutors, defendants and victims. A November referendum, Proposition 115, threatens to inject politics into our courtrooms, jeopardizing justice for all involved.Judges in Arizona's largest counties make their way to the bench through merit selection. Nominating panels take applications for judicial openings and conduct interviews. The top three candidates are sent to the governor for appointment to the bench. Since 1974, attorneys wanting a seat on the Supreme Court, court of appeals and courts in large counties have undergone this merit selection process. In fact, Arizona's merit selection process remains a model for other states.
The nominating commissions are comprised of five attorneys recommended by the State Bar and 10 members appointed by the governor. Only the top three candidates go the governor for consideration. Under Prop. 115, a governor would receive 14 of the 15 appointments. And eight candidates must be sent the governor for consideration. Cronies and friends of the governor and unqualified applicants would then have equal chance of making it to the bench.
Law enforcement members oppose this new process. We prefer the most qualified candidates be selected, not the most politically connected. Merit, not political affiliation or ideology, must remain the key component of our judicial selection process. We at the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association urge voters to reject Prop. 115.
Joe Clure, President
Phoenix Law Enforcement Association
C4
For 15 years C4 – the Cave Creek Coffee Company – served as an oasis to gather, sip tasty homebrews and to chat with friends and strangers about everything from local politics to the possibility of extraterrestrial life.Now C4 has closed its doors.
I found out about C4 closing on my Facebook page. The irony did not go unnoticed: the announcement of demise of something very real by something very virtual.
Once an all-purpose hardware/general supply store where one could purchase everything from auto supplies to keep the pickup humming to earthworms to catch The Big One at Bartlett Lake, the facility was purchased by Dave Anderson in 1998.
To say that that hardware store underwent a dramatic transformation would be like saying Joan Rivers once had a discreet facelift. Anderson had a flare for interior decorating. C4 was at once eclectic in style and tone. It was Cave Creek, southwest funky at its best.
The C4 name and what it offered, stuck, and in doing so created a tapestry clientele that was diverse, dedicated and were devotees about spreading the good word.
Anderson then added outdoor concerts to the C4 motif. This music addition created controversy, dividing the town into aficionados for the new and different and those that preferred quieter nighttime ambiences. Of course, what is Cave Creek without controversy?
Then in 2007 Anderson sold C4 to Todd and Rose Newman. The couple also had a C4 vision and brought it to life by embellishing the work already in progress. Bold, friendly swatches of color were added to the walls, oversized chairs and sofas sectioned off open space into inviting, relaxing cubby sections, the restaurant menu got deliciously creative, especially the to-die for desserts and yes, the outdoor concerts continued thus ensuring that controversy did not dust-devil itself out of town.
On Sunday, October 14, C4 served its café final. After the council meeting the following evening I drove through the Historic Core. C4 was enveloped in darkness, the black hole type of darkness that permits no light in and prohibits light from getting out.
C4 was many things to so many. Anyone could alight there. Be it with friends on the porch or going solitary with a lap top inside, C4 provided refuge and comfort, while encouraging lively group dialogue or low-light, glass of red wine, intimate one-on-one exchanges.
The old refrain: “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone,” readily applies. C4 filled a void for those of us that call the town home. It also welcomed everyone, nearby locals and passers through, to come together and enjoy being together with each other.
Anderson said it best. “In the years I was involved with C4 I thought I was selling coffee. But what I was really selling was community.”
That’s quite an accomplishment for a coffee and wine bar.
Vincent Francia
Mayor of Cave Creek
One wonders!
In a recent Scottsdale Republic article, all five candidates for the CCUSD93 Governing Board cited higher teachers' pay as a priority for them. What utter nonsense! Don't some of the past and present board members running for reelection ever read the reports they eventually certify and send to the state? Apparently not!
One of the board candidates cited the low level of the district starting salaries. What has this got to do with the "supposedly" low average salaries of district teachers? In the 2010-11 school year, the average FTE teachers salary at year end was $59,333, which represents a 44 percent increase over CCUSD93 average FTE teachers salary of $41,133 in the 2006-7 school year.
Another of the board candidates cited CCUSD93 as "being one of the lowest-paying districts in the state and our surrounding districts are able to pay more." Again, more utter nonsense! Surrounding districts paid average year-end FTE teachers' salaries ranging from $44,461 (Deer Valley) to $46,440 (Scottsdale). As for Arizona school districts equivalent in student size, average year end teachers' salaries ranged from Lake Havasu ($32,615) to Nogales ($47,910).
The above numbers were derived from the Arizona DOE Annual Report for the 2009-10 school year, which were based on Annual Financial Reports issued by CCUSD93. Doesn't the governing board ever read these reports? One wonders!
Anonymous
Light Rail – Cost is not the same as Price
The recent Arizona Republic headline stating that the “Cost of public transit may rise” from $1.75 to $2 is misleading. “Cost” is an accounting term that includes all of the various pieces of a given item. In the case of Light Rail, when you include all of these various pieces (construction, maintenance, power, etc) the actual cost of each person who takes the Light Rail is around $13. Since the “price” (the proper name of the increase you were describing) has been $1.75 person, this means that someone other than the rider (in this case it is we taxpayers) is paying the balance. Dividing 11.25 (the taxpayer portion) by 13 (the total cost) yields approximately an 86 percent taxpayer subsidy. With the rise in price to $2 the taxpayer subsidy drops all the way down to 84 percent.
Roy Miller
Phoenix
“Open Elections” Initiative is anything but open
Prop 121, Arizona’s so-called “Open Elections” initiative, is the ultimate political Trojan Horse.
Its supporters contend it will weaken the two-party system, which they argue has transformed American politics into a bitter partisan battle. In reality, Prop 121 will further strengthen the two-party system, to the detriment of third parties, independent candidates, and ultimately all voters across Arizona.
Prop 121 asks voters to authorize a single primary in which all candidates, regardless of party, run against each other. The two candidates who earn the most votes in this primary would then move on to compete in the general election. While this system sounds benign, in practice it creates troubling situations that leave many voters disenfranchised.
We don’t have to guess at the results of a “Top Two” system. California implemented this same idea earlier this year, and the system has already produced disastrous results. This November, in one of every five California elections both candidates come from the same party, meaning there’s no real choice for voters.
Not surprisingly, incumbents with high name identification fare well in the top-two system. In California, every single incumbent advanced to the November election this year, all but four placing first in the opening round. Meanwhile, only 7 candidates who are not Democrats or Republicans will be on the California ballot this fall – compared to 125 two years ago. Want to vote for a Libertarian, Green Party, or Independent? Forget it; there won’t be any on the ballot.
Supporters argue that Prop 121 produces elections in which districts with a majority party could choose between two candidates of that party. This isn’t always the case. Historically, when more candidates from the majority party run in a top-two system, they divide their party’s vote, allowing the few candidates running for the minority party to accrue more concentrated votes and move on to the general election. Under the top-two system, powerful and well-funded candidates can scam the system by aiding the primary candidate who will be their weakest opponent in the general election. In California’s 31st congressional district, where Democrats enjoy a 15 percent registration advantage over Republicans, the Democrat widely favored to win the general election was knocked off by two Republicans in this year’s primary. As a result, voters in that majority-Democrat district will have no choice beyond Republicans in November’s election.
If the top-two system been in place this year during Arizona’s primary, we would have seen bizarre outcomes. For example, in the state’s 8th congressional district, which has a slight Republication registration edge, Republican Vernon Parker will face off against Democrat Kyrsten Sinema this fall in a classic conservative v. liberal contest. But if the top-two system were in place, Sinema would be facing off against fellow liberal Democrat David Schapira in November, simply because he received the second-most votes overall in the primary.
It’s no surprise that Prop 121’s biggest supporters are out-of-state special interests and unions—these are precisely the groups that benefit from electoral gamesmanship and behind-the-scenes scheming. If passed, Prop 121 will create stronger political bosses, and fewer electoral choices.
No one loves our current electoral system. But everyone treasures our democracy and the fact that every November, in most elections we have a choice among Democrats, Republicans, independents, and third-party candidates who give voters a wide array of options to express their political preferences. If we junk that system in favor of this latest utopian scheme, we will regret it. Let’s keep this bad idea on the California side of the border by voting “No” on Prop 121.
Clint Bolick
Goldwater Institute
Keep Sharia Law out of U.S. courts – Support H.R. 973!
The Muslim Brotherhood's avowed goal in the United States is to "wage a grand jihad in eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house."
This is achieved through thinly-disguised front organizations with supposed qualifications as "moderates" that can obtain the friendliness of the media and officials.
Sharia Law will not take over our United States courts system!
Sharia Law is already making a permanent difference in the entire Middle East and northern Africa.
Sharia Law must be stopped right now!
I desperately urge you to help Co-Sponsor HR 973 to make sure that NO foreign law (including Sharia Law) can infiltrate our United States courts system. Apparently, it has already happened!
I urge Senators to introduce a comparable bill to H.R. 973 in the United States Senate!
This Sharia subversion of America must stop . . . right now!
It has been in the House Sub-Committee for well over one year, so it must come up for a Congress-wide vote! Whatever you have to do, please make sure that it happens!
Respectfully,
[Your Name]
If you want to tell Congress to keep Sharia Law out of U.S. Courts, (click here) to fax this article to your Senators and Representative free of charge. To insure Congress knows how Americans feel about this issue please fax this statement free of charge to your two Congressional Senators and one Representative.
Silent Majority USA
P.O. Box 402
Douglass, TX 75943
We-The-People-USA.com
