BY LINDA BENTLEY | JULY 3, 2013
Brewer, Carter, Pierce and 13 other legislators censured by GOP
They ‘formed an alliance with Democratic elected officials for the express purpose of
thwarting the will of the Republican majority …’
On June 17 Gov. Jan Brewer signed HB 2010 into law that implements government-run health care, dubbed OBrewercare by opponents, with Medicaid expansion that will invite over 300,000 new people into the welfare system.
CAVE CREEK – Legislative District 15 Republican precinct committeemen passed a resolution in opposition to HB 2010 and what has come to be known as OBrewercare, a bill that implements government-run health care with Medicaid expansion that will invite over 300,000 new people into the state’s welfare system.
Fifteen Republican legislators, including Rep. Heather Carter, Dist. 15, and Sen. Steve Pierce, Dist. 1, joined Gov. Jan Brewer and Democrats in supporting state-run health care with an unaffordable expansion of Medicaid, which Brewer ceremoniously signed into law on June 17.
Back in March, the Maricopa County Republican Committee’s Executive Guidance Committee overwhelmingly approved a resolution opposing the governor’s push for expansion of Medicaid.
In fact, Republican precinct committeemen throughout the state have passed resolutions in opposition to Brewer’s Medicaid expansion.
LD15 precinct committeemen voted 54-5 in favor of a motion during their last district meeting that stated: “We issue a vote of no confidence on Representative Heather Carter because of her support of HB 2010 ‘The Medicaid Expansion.’ She did this in direct opposition to the overwhelming majority of LD 15 Precinct Committeemen.”
The June 17 Republican Legislator Rankings report issued by the Arizona Conservative Coalition, which ranks legislators on a scale from 100 percent (supports Republican principals) to zero (opposes Republican principals), ranked Carter second from the bottom with a score of 40.9 percent. Only Rep. Frank Platt, Dist. 8, ranked lower than Carter with a score of 35.5.
On the Senate side, our District 1 Sen. Steve Pierce received a score of 34 percent, the worst ranking in both Houses.
According to the coalition, anyone with a score of 50 or less is considered a RINO (Republican In Name Only).
On June 19, LD 1 Precinct Committeemen passed a motion expressing “a vote of no confidence in our LD1 Senator Steve Pierce who overwhelmingly and completely voted with Democrats regarding the Medicaid expansion and amendments (some are saying up to 50 times) in opposition to his fellow Republican senators, constituents and party platform.”
Meanwhile, on June 21, LD 25 passed a resolution to censure the governor and 15 Republican law makers, whom they state “formed an alliance with Democratic elected officials for the express purpose of thwarting the will of the Republican majority in the legislature and violating Republican Party principles and the Republican Party Platform, including but not limited to the following:”
• They implemented the passage of Medicaid expansion.
• They implemented government healthcare.
• They approved taxpayer funding for abortion and increased funding for abortion services.
• They expanded eligibility for welfare benefits, and invited 300,000+ new people into the welfare system.
• They raised taxes.
• They voted against tax relief & kept Arizona as the state with the 2nd highest tax rate in the nation.
• They voted against auditing the hospital bed tax.
• They increased property taxes.
• The only tax relief they offered was for special-interest industries who could afford to hire lobbyists
• They rejected a balanced budget and voted for one with a structural debt of $400 million.
• They removed government oversight for special interests.
• They voted against verifying citizenship as a requirement for Medicaid benefits.
• They removed funding for English immersion for non-English-speaking students, thus ensuring the continuation of the failed, Democratic-Party-supported, bilingual programs.
The resolution censures the following legislators: Sen. Rich Crandall, Dist. 16; Sen. Michele Reagan, Dist. 23; Sen. Adam Driggs, Dist. 28; Sen. Robert Worsley, Dist. 25; Sen. John McComish, Dist. 18; Sen. Steve Pierce, Dist. 1; Rep. Doug Coleman, Dist. 16; Rep. Frank Pratt, Dist. 8; Rep. Jeff Dial, Dist. 18; Rep. Bob Robson, Dist. 18; Rep. Kate Brophy McGee, Dist. 28; Rep. Doris Goodale, Dist. 5; Rep. Thomas “T.J.” Shope, Dist. 8; Rep. Heather Carter, Dist. 15; Rep. Ethan Orr, Dist. 9; and states “they corrupted the legislative process by suspending the rules and depriving the public of the opportunity to scrutinize and comment on the proposed legislation.”
It also asserts “they stymied the legislative process, dishonored American legislative traditions, stifled democratic notions of fairness and openness, and violated decorum by refusing to debate.”
The 15 legislators are further accused of violating “the wishes of the vast majority of Republican precinct committeemen in the state of Arizona who had overwhelmingly opposed the passage of Medicaid Expansion, making their wishes known in formal resolutions.”
In voting in favor of national health care, the 15 legislators disregarded the will of the voters of Arizona who amended the Arizona Constitution via Proposition 106 in 2010 to oppose national health care.
They are also accused of violating the separation of powers defined in the Arizona Constitution by voting for a budget amendment originating from the executive branch of government.
The resolution goes on to state “they violated the Arizona Constitution by surrendering the legislative authority to tax to an unelected bureaucrat in an Executive branch agency, and made such taxes subject to approval of the federal government,” and “forced passage of a tax increase by a mere majority vote instead of the constitutionally required 2/3 vote.”
