Professor of the Phoenix College and Engineering Manager for a State agency, Arif A. KAZMI,  PH.D., Licensed Professional Engineer, working on water transportation for the last 30 years in Arizona, will be running for the Central Arizona Water Conservation District in November this year. Kazmi sees no professional engineer on the CAWCD board, “At this time when innovative solutions are becoming more critical in the arid west,  Arizona needs the expertise of a professional engineer in the Board to oversee the technical operation of this important agency”, he stated. Please visit Kazmi’s web site for additional information. www.ArifKazmi.com —————————————————————

]]> http://www.district10dems.com/?feed=rss2&p=172 http://www.district10dems.com/?p=171 http://www.district10dems.com/?p=171#comments Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:54:37 +0000 rknox http://www.district10dems.com/?p=171

* Upcoming Events – Get Your Calendars Out!!!

          * EVERY Sat. morning and/OR Sunday afternoon in Aug/Sept.!!  Every weekend in Aug/Sept., D 10 Dems will meet to canvass( i.e., drive around in air conditioned cars) stopping to knock on the doors of other Democrats to say hello & sign PEVL cards & find more activists.  Specific e-mails will be sent a few days before each event letting you know where to meet us. However, you can always call Nate Levinsky at 602-435-9117 or Rivko at 602-942-6436 or bvaandrk@earthlink.net for more info.

            * Aug.  24 -  Primary Election 

            * Sun., Sept., 12 - West Dems Picnic in the Park!! Come & meet D 10 + County/State wide candidates from 5-9 p.m. at Rio Vista Park (T-bird & the 101) with free hot dogs etc. & a playground.

            * Tues., Sept. 14, 2010 – Clean Elections Debate for LD 10.  Join us at 6:30pm - ASU West Campus, La Sala Ballroom, 4701 W Thunderbird Rd., Glendale, AZ  85306

            * Tues., Sept. 21 -  D 10 Monthly Meeting, 7-9 p.m. D 10 Office (address below).  Speakers to be announced later.

            * Oct.  4  -   Last day to register for General Election

            * Oct.  7  -   Early voting for General Election starts

            * Tues., Oct. 12 – Last D 10 meeting before the Election.  Come one/come all.  7-9 p.m. at the D 10 Office (see below for address)

            * Oct 16 -   Deadline to request a PEVL for the General Election

            * Nov 2 -    General Election 

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D 10 OFFICE

Please stop by and visit us.  We’re located at 9040 N. 19^th Avenue, on the NW corner of 19^th Avenue and Dunlap in the N end of the strip shopping mall, right next to the M&I Bank.  We have all kinds of candidate signs, snacks, lot of phones that we need you to come in and use, even if it’s for just a few hours per week.  Contact Nate Levinsky at 602-435-9117 if you have time or just drop by.  It will take all of us, working hard, to ’save AZ’ and elect Dems!!

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WEB SITES FOR DEMO CANDIDATES!! (all uncontested races; not a complete list)

*** D 10 House: Jackie Thrasher – www.jackiethrasher.com  **D 10 House:  Aaron Jahneke –www.aarondistrict10.com   ***         D 10 Senate:  Justin Johnson – www.johnson4arizona.com

***CD 2:  John Thrasher – www.thrasherforcongress.org               *** CD 3:  Jon Hulbard – www.hulbardforcongress.com   *** Gov: Terry Goddard – www.terrygoddard.org     Learn about how you can make a difference in helping them get elected!!! 

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WANNA KNOW WHO’S GETTING MONEY FROM WHOM?   Please go to the AZ Secretary of State’s updated web site that racks campaign finances by candidate, party, contributor etc.  Azsos.gov/cfs

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15 of the most outrageous things the R’s have been spending time (and our resources) on:
            1)    Cut $1.2 billion out of Arizona’s already dismally funded public education system and forced schools to loan the state government another $1 billion to help balance the state budget.
            2)    Voted to give a $1 billion tax cut to special interests and the rich.
            3)    Tried to make milk the official state drink.
            4)    Eliminated the need for a person to get a permit & complete training to carry a concealed weapon.
            5)    Passed legislation banning human-animal hybrids in Arizona.  Whew!!!…
             6)    Voted to deny over 47,000 children access to KidsCare.
            7)    Allowed guns in bars.
                Increased property taxes; asked voters to tax themselves; left tax loopholes allowing country club memberships, spas & pet grooming to be exempt from the sales tax. Clothes/school supplies are taxed!!!
            9)    Voted to override renewable energy requirements created by the Arizona Corporation Commission, jeopardizing solar industry jobs and economic investments statewide.
            10)    Made it a crime for teachers to talk to students of color about their own history and heritage.
            11)    Based environmental policies on the belief that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, as cited by a state senator.
            12)    Cut off services to 36,500 seriously mentally ill patients, creating a public safety threat as those individuals start to wander through Arizona’s communities homeless, untreated and unmedicated.
            13)    Jumped on the extreme so-called “birther” movement that questions President Obama’s citizenship, requiring US Presidential candidates to show proof of US citizenship to be on the Arizona ballot.
            14)    Eliminated funding for Science Foundation AZ, a public private partnership to stimulate high tech economic development, science & math ed efforts to ensure AZ has a high-tech work force.  The $25 million annual state funding would leverage $100 million in private funding for the project over four years.
            15)    Passed bills that make it harder for childless couples to take advantage of infertility research to have a family.   (Courtesy of Chad Campbell, Candidate for State Rep, Distict 14!!

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WHY YOUR VOTE AND VOTING IS SO IMPORTANT — New leadership is needed. 

·         Children, families, and vulnerable adults have sustained the largest, most brutal attacks and most devastating health and human services budget cuts in the last twenty five years at the hands of the last two legislatures controlled by current leadership.   New leadership is clearly necessary.

·         The litany of pain and suffering is in the hundreds of thousands of persons.  The litany of cuts includes destructive cuts in health care, behavioral health, human services and housing services.  The list http://www.pafcoalition.org/budget/  is long and overwhelming.  But it requires repeating lest we forget the pain and economic havoc imposed on children, families, and vulnerable adults needing health and human services and housing. The Legislature has created its own natural disaster exceeding the aftermath of Katrina by abandoning hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children and adults in Arizona.  

·         The Department of Economic Security (DES) has been reduced by 33% of its state general funds going from $808 million to $536 million by Legislative and Governor’s actions.   About 8,000 families, some of the poorest in Arizona have lost their assistance.  20,000 children are on a child care waiting (actually a denial list) and the cuts cut across all programs.

·         The Department of Health Services —  state public health & behavioral health programs were reduced by 47% from $270 to $143 million.   14,000 persons with serious mental illness lost care this July. 

·         AHCCCS programs eliminated include KidsCare parents & KIDSCARE children’s program has an enrollment freeze—about 40,000 children were denied applications & 9, 000 parents have lost coverage.  

·         And these cuts even in this recession were not necessary, there are alternatives. Go to the JLBC website for very detailed information — http://www.azleg.gov/jlbc/5yearplan.pdf  (Courtesy PAFCO, 8/20/2010)

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ECONOMY — ONE YEAR EXTENSION OF THE BUSH TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH COSTS $36 BILLION, BENEFITS 2% OF AMERICANS: … the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) released an analysis of what would happen to the tax code if the …proposal to extend all of the Bush tax cuts were to be adopted….tax cuts are currently scheduled to expire at the end of the year & the Obama administration has proposed renewing only those for the lower- & middle-class. “You will find Republicans resisting very strongly any bill that allows taxes to be raised on any segment of Americans today,” said Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ); Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)said the House GOP will throw “everything we’ve got” into preserving tax cuts for the wealthy…. According to the JCT analysis, extending the cuts for the wealthy — which affects only 2% of the population — for just 1 yr will cost $36 billion. Obama’s plan.…focuses the tax increase on the very top of the income scale…608,000 taxpayers who make between $500,000-$1 million “would pay $6.5 billion more or an average of almost $10,000″ & the 315,000 taxpayers who earn more than $1 million would “owe $31 billion more or almost $100,000 on average.” Even under Obama’s plan, the very rich will be paying less in taxes than they did in 2001 as they would be paying a lower marginal rate on their first $250,000 in income…the Wonk Room’s Pat Garofalo writes, “…remember income inequality is currently the worst it has been since the 1920s. The richest 1% percent now receive nearly 25% of the US’s income, after earning less than 10% in the 1970s.”  The Progress Report, 8/13/2010

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SOME QUESTIONS FOR THE ‘UNELECTED’ GOVERNOR   & LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES (from PAFCO)

•        What do you believe is government’s role, specifically state gov’s role, in funding for health & human services for vulnerable children, families &adults? What are the key values to guide you in your decision?

•        What is your assessment of the recent cutbacks in funding for critical health/human services safety net programs, enrollment caps in areas like child care & health care?  Should some or all these budget cutbacks be restored?  How would you restore these cuts?

•        How will you…balance the budget over the next couple of years? What do you think of the current tax structure? Should it be reformed to provide for stability, economic development & adequate revenues for health & human services? …your view of the current tax exemptions, personal &corporate income taxes?  Would you propose to do tax reform if elected and… how would you go about it?

•        What do you think government’s role should be in addressing poverty, hunger, homelessness, health care & family violence,& providing a safety net for families?  

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Top 5 Social Security Myths  (from MoveOn.Org)

Myth #1: Social Security is going broke.   Reality: There is no Social Security crisis.  By 2023, Social Security will have a $4.6 trillion surplus (yes, trillion with a ‘T’).  It can pay out all scheduled benefits for the next quarter-century with no changes whatsoever.¹ After 2037, it’ll still be able to pay out 75% of scheduled benefits—and again, that’s without any changes. The program started preparing for the Baby Boomers’ retirement decades ago.²  Anyone who insists Social Security is broke probably wants to break it themselves.

Myth #2: We have to raise the retirement age because people are living longer.     Reality: This is a red-herring to trick you into agreeing to benefit cuts. Retirees are living about the same amount of time as they were in the 1930s. The reason average life expectancy is higher is mostly because many fewer people die as children than they did 70 years ago.³ What’s more, what gains there have been are distributed very unevenly—since 1972, life expectancy increased by 6.5 years for workers in the top half of the income brackets, but by less than 2 years for those in the bottom half.⁴ But those intent on cutting Social Security love this argument because raising the retirement age is the same as an across-the-board benefit cut. 

Myth #3: Benefit cuts are the only way to fix Social Security.    Reality: Social Security doesn’t need to be fixed. But if we want to strengthen it, here’s a better way: Make the rich pay their fair share.  If the very rich paid taxes on all of their income, Social Security would be sustainable for decades to come.⁵ Right now, high earners only pay Social Security taxes on the first $106,000 of their income.⁶  But conservatives insist benefit cuts are the only way because they want to protect the super-rich from paying their fair share.

Myth #4: The Social Security Trust Fund has been raided and is full of IOUs.    Reality: Not even close to true. The Social Security Trust Fund isn’t full of IOUs, it’s full of U.S. Treasury Bonds. And those bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.⁷ The reason Social Security holds only treasury bonds is the same reason many Americans do: The federal government has never missed a single interest payment on its debts. President Bush wanted to put Social Security funds in the stock market—which would have been disastrous—but luckily, he failed. So the trillions of dollars in the Social Security Trust Fund, which are separate from the regular budget, are as safe as can be.

Myth #5: Social Security adds to the deficit.      Reality: It’s not just wrong—it’s impossible!  By law, Social Security’s funds are separate from the budget, and it must pay its own way. That means that Social Security can’t add one penny to the deficit.⁸

Defeating these myths is the first step to stopping Social Security cuts.  Can you share this list now?

                Sources: 1.”To Deficit Hawks: We the People Know Best on Social Security,” New Deal 2.0, June 14, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89703&id=22234-591666-5Lu05Hx&t=4. 2. “The Straight Facts on Social Security,” Economic Opportunity Institute, 9/09.   http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89704&id=22234-591666-5Lu05Hx&t=5.  3. “Social Security and the Age of Retirement,” Center for Economic and Policy Research, 7/10.  http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89705&id=22234-591666-5Lu05Hx&t=6.  4. “More on raising the retirement age,” Washington Post, 7/8/10  http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89706&id=22234-591666-5Lu05Hx&t=7. 5. “Social Security is sustainable,” Economic and Policy Institute, 5/27/10. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89707&id=22234-591666-5Lu05Hx&t=8.  6. “Maximum wage contribution and the amount for a credit in 2010,” Social Security Administration, 4/23/10  http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/240. 7. “Trust Fund FAQs,” Social Security Administration, 2/18/10  http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ProgData/fundFAQ.html. 8.”To Deficit Hawks: We the People Know Best on Social Security,” New Deal 2.0, 6/14/10.   http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89703&id=22234-591666-5Lu05Hx&t=9

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STATISTICS TO FIGHT FEARS WITH FACTS!!! Bob Cesca 7/28

• 61% of Americans “always or usually” live paycheck to paycheck, up from 49% in 2008 and 43% in 2007.
• 6% of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.
• Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, a 32% increase over 2008.
• The bottom 50% of income earners in the US now collectively own less than 1% of the nation’s wealth.
• In America today, the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks.
• More than 40% of Americans who are employed are working in service jobs, which are often very low paying.
• Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16% to 7.8 million in 2009.

Oh, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reported that wages for the highest 20% of earners rose by nearly 300% since 1979, while wages for the bottom & middle 20% increased only by 41% — combined. Plotted on a graph, middle & working class wages have flatlined for 30 years. Roll all of these tragic figures into a slow growth recovery and here we are. Most of us in the middle class are screwed.

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RETURN ON INVESTMENTS.  According to Moody’s Analytics (hardly a left-wing apparatchik), for every $ of govt money spent on extending the Bush tax cuts, there’s only a 32-cent return on investment in terms of economic stimulus.  How about cutting the corporate tax rate? Also a 32-cent return in economic stimulus. Capital gains tax cuts? 37-cents. And, lumped together, there’s your Republican plan for growing the economy….

*** But what about Democratic spending? For every $ spent on unemployment benefits, there’s a $1.61 return in economic stimulus! How about infrastructure spending? $1.57 return. Aid to the states? $1.41. Temporary increase in food stamps? $1.74…. Obama tax credits for the middle class, $288 billion of the Recovery Act, account for up to $1.30.

*** Meanwhile, the Obama administration is working with a deficit commission which will focus on trimming the deficit after (we hope) the economy and jobs are back on track. The R’s…voted against forming a deficit commission.

*** Given the choice between deficit spending that significantly stimulates economic growth or deficit spending that barely makes a dent, which choice are the R’s trying to sell?…stupid deficit spending for the wealthy that barely makes a dent in the recovery. That’s the Republican plan.

*** Also, contrary to popular far-right myths, it’s worth noting that the Dems & the White House have no intention of allowing the tax cuts for families earning less than $250,000 to expire. Those tax cuts will be renewed this year. As for the top tax brackets, you find me a multi-millionaire who pays the actual marginal rate every April & I’ll show you a very rich moron. Most of these guys, after deductions/loopholes, pay an effective tax rate much lower than the middle class tax brackets…don’t tell me millionaires Glenn Beck & Paris Hilton will be financially burdened by a 2.6% bump in their margin tax rate next year. Sorry, no. They won’t be…why do middle class Rs give a rip about Paris Hilton’s tax rate? Because they believe they’ll be as wealthy as Paris some day. But read those bullet-points again. It’s not happening.

*** Unless there’s some sort of mass epiphany, or unless the Democrats actually speak up and take the discourse by the horns and fight, middle class Americans will be an extinct species!!

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WINNERS AND LOSERS in AZ: As the SB-1070…battle rages on, a growing list of stakeholders is taking shape. A local AZ TV news station…discovered “two of Brewer’s top advisers have connections” to private prison giant Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). Paul Senseman, Brewer’s deputy chief of staff, is a former lobbyist for CCA & his wife continues to lobby… Chuck Coughlin…leads her re-election campaign, chaired her transition into the governorship & is one of the Gov’s policy advisers…(is) president of HighGround Public Affairs Consultants that lobbies for CCA.  Brewer’s connections to CCA are significant…  the company…bills $11 million a month to AZ to house immigrant detainees & if SB-1070 is successfully implemented, its profits would soar as it would take responsibility for imprisoning immigrants arrested by AZ police. Brewer herself…built her campaign around the law, has benefited from signing SB-1070 in terms of popularity…Brewer has raised over $1,104,935 just for her legal defense fund. However… AZ public schools are experiencing a drop in enrollment …could account for a drop in millions of $$ of fed. funding. AZ’s Office of Tourism is reporting a $12 million loss in canceled hotels & reservations…”.. embracing the law carries the risk of permanently alienating the critical Latino vote. (Progress Report, 7/28/2010)

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Web Sites PLUS….    www.district10dems.com,  www.azdem.org, www.maricopademocrat.com & www.westdems.com.     Please HELP ME Make This YOUR E-letter.  Please send suggestions, comments etc. to  bvaandrk@earthlink.net.

NOTE:  Please note the opinions reflected in this e-letter are those of the editor & contributors & not of the D 10 Democratic organization per se. If you want to read ‘different’ stuff, send it to me please!

Please join us for our D 10 monthly meeting, to be held from 7-9 p.m. at the D 10 Office, 9040 N. 19th Avenue (in the strip mall on the NW corner of 19th Ave. and Dunlap).  There will be speakers, announcements and a chance to meet other committed Dems.  For further information, please contact R. Knox at 602-942-6436 or bvaandrk@earthlink.net

NOTE: D 10 Dems normally meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. However, the September meeting was moved to allow everyone to attend the D 10 Clean Elections Debate that will be held on 9/12.

Please plan to join us (and cheer on D 10 candidates Justin Johnson, Senate, and Jackie Thrasher and Aaron Jahneke, AZ House) as they participate in a Clean Elections Debate to be held at ASU West.    Please contact R. Knox at 602-942-6436 or bvaandrk@earthlink.net for details as to the time and room number of the event.

Please join us for our Tuesday, November 16 D 10 Dems RE-ORGANIZATION Meeting (required by AZ law) at which we will will elect new officers and State Committee members.  This will be a very important meeting that will determine the leadership of the District for the next two years.

NOTE:  Please note that the meeting is NOT the usual 2nd Tuesday of the month in order to comply with AZ laws.

Please check back later for the details as to location.  For further information, please contact Rivko Knox at 602-942-6436 or bvaandrk@earthlink.net

Please plan to join us on Tuesday, October 12 from 7-9 p.m. for our regular D 10 Dems monthly meeting AND the last one prior to the November election!!!!

Please check back later for details re location and speakers.  For further information, please contact Rivko Knox at 602-942-6436 or bvaandrk@earthlink.net

D 10 Dems will be hosting a phone bank (using auto dialers — so everyone gets to talk to people vs. machines!!) on Thursday, August 19 from 6-9 p.m. at the AZ State/County Democratic Offices, located on the NW corner of Central and Thomas.  For further information, please contact R. Knox at 602-942-6436 or bvaandrk@earthlink.net

Please join us on Tuesday evening, August 10, 2010 for our regular monthly meeting from 7-9 p.m.  We will meet at the new D 10 OFFICE, which is located at 9040 N. 19th Avenue, which is on the NW corner of Dunlap and 19th Ave.  (the office is the most northern one in the little strip mall on the NW corner).

Our speakers will be

Please join us; and if you have further questions, please contact me at 602-942-6436 or bvaandrk@earthlink.net

From:             Rivko Knox, Secretary, bvaandrk@earthlink.net  602-942-6436

* Upcoming Events – Get Your Calendars Out!!!

        * Saturday, July 17: GRAND OPENING, D 10 Office.   10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Come one, come all. 9040 N. 19^th Avenue!!  Bagels and coffee provided, met more Dems and find out how you can help in this upcoming election.  See story below for more information.

            ** July 26 - Last day to register for the Primary Election

            ** July 29 - Early voting for Primary Election starts

            * Tues., August 10, 2010 – Regular D 10 Monthly Meeting.  Cholla Middle School, NW Corner of 31^st Avenue and Cholla, which is located about half way between Cactus and Peoria Avenues.  Room 305.  The meeting will start at 7 p.m. and end no later than 9 p.m.  Details about speakers to be sent later.

          * EVERY Sat. morning OR Sunday afternoon in July and August!!  Every weekend in July and August 2010, D 10 Dems will meet to canvass( i.e., drive around in air conditioned cars) stopping to knock on the doors of other Democrats to say hello & sign PEVL cards & find more activists.  Specific e-mails will be sent a few days before each event letting you know where to meet us. However, you can always call Nate Levinsky at 602-435-9117 or Rivko at 602-942-6436 or bvaandrk@earthlink.net for more info.

            * Aug. 7   -  Deadline to request a PEVL (Permanent Early Vote by Mail List) ballot for Primary Election

            * Aug.  24 -  Primary Election 

            * Tues., September 14, 2010 – Regular D 10 Monthly Meeting.    Cholla Middle School, NW Corner of 31^st Avenue and Cholla, which is located about half way between Cactus and Peoria Avenues.  Room 305.  The meeting will start at 7 p.m. and end no later than 9 p.m. Details about speakers to be sent

            * Oct.  4  -   Last day to register for General Election

            * Oct.  7  -   Early voting for General Election starts

            * Oct 16 -   Deadline to request a PEVL for the General Election

            * Nov 2 -    General Election 

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NEW D 10 OFFICE

Please stop by and visit us.  We’re located at 9040 N. 19^th Avenue, on the NW corner of 19^th Avenue and Dunlap.  We’ll be needing lots of volunteers to make phone calls, canvass, be the ‘office manager’ for a few hours per week AND to donate ’stuff,’ from furniture to coffee and toilet paper (i.e., the essentials.)  Contact Nate Levinsky at 602-435-9117 if you have time or donations.  It will take all of us, working hard, to ’save AZ’ and elect Dems!!

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WEB SITES FOR DEMO CANDIDATES!!

*** D 10 House: Jackie Thrasher – www.jackiethrasher.com  **D 10 House:  Aaron Jahneke –www.aarondistrict10.com   ***         D 10 Senate:  Justin Johnson – www.johnson4arizona.com

***CD 2:  John Thrasher – www.thrasherforcongress.org               *** CD 3:  Jon Hulbard – www.hulbardforcongress.com   *** Gov: Terry Goddard – www.terrygoddard.org     Learn about how you can make a difference in helping them get elected!!! 

Note: This is NOT a complete list of all the Dem candidates; right now I’m focusing on D 10 offices + the two Congressional Districts that cover D 10. If I missed someone please let me know.

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Who the Heck is Nate Levinsky and Why Should You Care??

            To start with Nate (born Nathan) is the current D 10 Field Organizer (as the prior person, Courtney Frogge was ‘promoted’ to be in charge of all of organizing CD 2 and 4). He started in mid June. 

            Nate was born at Good Samaritan Hospital in 1987 and raised in Phoenix Arizona.  He graduated from Paradise Valley High School in 2005.  He then attended Paradise Valley Community College  and Graduated from ASU West with a Bachelor of Science in 2009.  Nate says “I became disillusioned with the direction of the country during the Bush administration and felt that I needed to get involved.  I was an intern for the Bob Lord for Congress Campaign in 2008 and this was the start of my interest in politics. “  After the campaign, Nate completed his last semester of college during which he completed another internship with Free Arts of Arizona, a non-profit organization that helps expose underprivileged youth to art under the direction of adult mentors.  One of their slogans is Art+Mentors=Healing.

The commencement speaker at Nate’s graduation ceremony was President Obama (lucky guy is Nate), who declared that we “have no excuses not to change the world.”  That call stuck with Nate and inspired him.  As a result he applied to ASU West’s Communication Studies Graduate program which emphasis communication as advocacy.  The program describes advocacy as giving a voice to the voiceless.  Nate has completed a year in the program and has studied issues involving the rhetoric of social movements and the use of social media by politicians. 

Using President Obama’s challenge as inspiration, Nate said “I felt that I needed to have a more direct role in changing the direction of this country and, more importantly, the leadership in Arizona.  I am taking the fall semester off of school so I can devote my attention to this campaign because I feel that only with a well organized and successful ground operation can people be mobilized to change the world.  AND WE HAVE NO EXCUSES!!!”

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WANNA KNOW WHO’S GETTING MONEY FROM WHOM?   Please go to the AZ Secretary of State’s updated web site that racks campaign finances by candidate, party, contributor etc. 

Azsos.gov/cfs

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KUDOS AND THANKS TO….

            Carole Vandercook, and Barb and Ken Buedel for offering their homes for two very social & enjoyable summer meetings AND to those who volunteer their time at the Demo Office and/or canvass (in the heat yet!!); Susan Archibald, Barb and Ken Buedel, Pat Davis, Naomi Michael, Michael Mahoney, Robert Motley, Michael Payne, Gabe Pentkowski, Carol Vandercook, the Wixons, John Zimmer and of course the D 10 candidates and their staff and friends/relatives!!

            That’s what its going to take to achieve victory in November so…now’s the time to step forward and say “YES I will make phone calls, YES I will canvass, YES I will enter data” and with the new D 10 Office, “Yes I will help staff it”          so that all together we CAN win in November!!!

P.S. Rivko apologizes to anyone whose name I inadvertently left out (and please contact me and let me know!!)

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“AZ Stands OUT Again” 

From Public Citizen Health Letter, June 2010, Vol. 26, #6.  “Severely Mentally Ill More Likely to BE in Jails Than Hospitals, Report Shows.”  That’s the title of a recently released study by the Treatment Advocacy Center and the National Sheriffs Association>  “…a very strong correlation between …state…more mentally ill persons in jails and prisons an those state that are spending less money on mental Health services”  “….Arizona (and Nevada) have 10 times as many mentally ill inmates in prisons and jails than in hospitals. “  And then people complain about all the ’strange acting and looking homeless people on the streets of AZ. (And that doesn’t count the folks in the AZ Legislature!!)

So What Did Our Founding Fathers Really Say About the Constitution and Being an “Originalist?” 

The Nation, July 19/26, 2010.  Pg. 5 (paraphrased) Who said “We have not yet so far perfected our constitutions as to venture to make them unchangeable…the real friends of the Constitution in its federal form, if they wish it to be immortal should…make it keep pace with the advance of the age.”    Give up?  Just one of its authors, Thomas Jefferson.  So, when Elena Kagan, citing former Justice Thurgood Marshall, said that “…the constitutional that we live under does develop over time…the original intent is unlikely to solve the question….because we live in a world that’s very different from the world in which the framers lived.”  Yet, the response (predictably) from Republicans, was to decry her ‘expansive’ view of matters constitutional. 

Is the Filibuster an “American Tradition” or a Republican Ploy??

The Nation, July 19/26, 2010.  pg. 6.  “Fixing the Filibuster”   “In 1939, the year Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, was filmed, there was not one filibuster in the Senate.  In the 2950’s….an average of one per-two year Congressional session. …during the 2007-8 Congress, 139 bills ere filibustered…in the current Congress, since January 2009, …more than 100…  James Madison and his colleagues at the Constitutional Convention rejected a requirement of a supermajority vote to pass Legislation.  As Alexander Hamilton explained, a supermajority requirement would mean that a small minority could ‘destroy the energy of government.”   (And guess what the Republican Party has been doing the last few years????) (from an article by Senator Tom Harkin.)

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ANOTHER NEW NAME AND FRESH YOUNG FACE:  BRIDGET SHARPE

Bridget is the new CD 3 Coordinator (somewhat over half of D 10 lives in CD 3, with the rest being in CD 2).  She was born in Arlington Heights, IL and moved to Phoenix, AZ in 1998. I She attended NAU in Flagstaff where she received her BS in Public Relations.  Bridget says “I started my career in politics working for the Arizona Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign in East Mesa as a Field Organizer in 2008. I worked with the GEDEMS and a group of wonderful volunteers who by the time GOTV came around, were overflowing out of our office and sitting outside using their own cell phones to make phone calls to voters! This experience really encouraged me to continue working with volunteers and on Democratic campaigns. I gained even further knowledge and compassion for AZ politics working for SEIU AZ in Phoenix and Repower America in Flagstaff. I most recently spent some time in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago before coming back to Arizona to become a Regional Field Director for Congressional District 3. I’m looking forward to working with a vibrant, driven staff of field organizers and group of hard-working volunteers that care about the future of Arizona as much as I do! 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

One (More) Difference Between Dems and R’s.   (from The Progress Report, 6/18.  Speaking at the America’s Future Now! conference last week, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) summed up the contrast between progressive and conservative ideology this way: “When we see somebody who’s unemployed, we want them to have a job; when we someone who is homeless, we want that person to get a home; when you look at it deep down, we’re following a 3,000 year old imperative, one that every just society has known for three millennia, and that’s very simple: it’s to feed the hungry, to shelter the homeless, and to heal the sick. That’s what we believe in. Now the other side really has an entirely different point of view. The other side wants to have you solve all your own problems even if they’re beyond your ability to solve them. They want us to be like atoms bouncing off each other in the void rather than like human beings.” 

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Let’s Not Let the Facts Interfere, Especially When it Comes to Immigration!!

            “If you look at one particular county on the border, crime may be down, but then a lot of the crime has migrated up to Phoenix.” — Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol, 7/01/10     VERSUS
            “The incidence of violent crimes such as murder, rape and aggravated assault … plunged 16.6% in Phoenix, despite a perception of rising crime that has fueled an immigration backlash.” — The Wall Street Journal, 5/25/10

AND

• The Arizona Guardian reported that there were no known instances of headless bodies found in the desert, according to six county coroners.
• On Horizon’s Friday Journalists’ Roundtable, the panel of three political reporters went on a rant about how Brewer’s lies are damaging the state’s tourism industry. Even the normally Brewer-sympathetic Howie Fischer said, “Every tie she opens her mouth, there’s a hundred thousand dollars of bad publicity.”
• E.J. Montini’s column on Sunday sported the headline, “Truth distorted by Arizona funhouse mirrors.” Montini said, “the problems we have with border security, criminal cartels and illegal immigration are real. Exaggerating them has nothing to do with finding solutions but with frightening people.”

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THE U.S. HOUSE  AZ-03: Is Hulburd making this GOP open seat a pickup opportunity?
In a solidly Republican open seat in the suburbs of Phoenix, local media are starting to take a very serious look at the lone Democrat in the field, attorney Jon Hulburd. Hulburd has raised monster cash thus far, including another quarter-million in the second quarter, according to the campaign. The analysis by the local Arizona Capitol Times points out, accurately, that the GOP field, numbering at an almost absurd ten candidates, could result in one of the fringier candidates making the cut with 15-20% of the vote. In short: Democratic pickup opportunities are few and far between this cycle, but keep an eye on this race.

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Web Sites PLUS….   Please don’t forget to periodically check these web sites:  www.district10dems.com,  www.azdem.org, www.maricopademocrat.com and www.westdems.com.     Please HELP ME Make This YOUR E-letter.  Please send suggestions, comments etc. to  bvaandrk@earthlink.net.

NOTE:  Please note the opinions reflected in this e-letter are those of the editor &contributors ¬ of the D 10 Democratic organization per se. If you want to read ‘different’ stuff, send it to me please!

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SPEAKING OUT!!!! Please use it to let Pres. Obama & the AZ members of Congress know what you want done (& not done) * Pres. Obama: 1-202-456-1111 or  www.whitehouse.gov/contact    *John McCain- 602-952-2410  *Jon Kyl - 602-840-1891 *Ann Kirkpatrick, CD 1 - 928-445-3434 *Trent Franks, CD 2 -  623-776-7911 *John Shadegg, CD 3 - 602-263-5300 * Ed Pastor, CD 4 - 602-256-0551 *Harry Mitchell, CD 5 Ph - 480-946-2411*Jeff Flake CD 6 - 480-833-0092 * Raul Grijalva, CD 7 - 520-622-6788 *Gabrielle Giffords, CD 8, Ph: 520-459-3115.  And in AZ: Gov. Jan Brewer, 602-542-4331; D 10’s Sen. Linda Gray, 602-926-3376; Rep. Jim Weiers, 602-926-4173. 

Please join us from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. for the Grand Opening of the new D 10 office.  Stop by the meet the candidates, pick up literature, have refreshments and sign up to be a volunteer.

The office is located at:  9040 N. 19th Avenue, which is on the NW corner of 19th Avenue and Dunlap.

For more information please contact Nate Levinsky at 602-435-9117.

Please plan to join the District 10 Democrats for their July monthly meeting, which will start with a ‘dessert’ potluck at 5:30 p.m. followed by a short regular meeting at 7:00 p.m.  The meeting will be held at the home of Barbara and Ken Buedel, at 8523 N. 49th Drive, Glendale, AZ 85302 (S of Dunlap.)  The dessert potluck (bring something ‘great’ to feed 6-8 plus a serving utensil) will be a great way to meet other Democrats in your neighborhood in an informal setting, tho we tend to be quite ‘informal’ and relaxed folks at all times.  The meeting will end no later than 9 p.m. and probably a lot earlier!!  The speaker will be announced later altho the D 10 candidates, Jackie Thrasher, Aaron Jahneke (State House) and Justin Johnson (State Senate), will definitely be there and give brief updates on their campaigns.  AND we will definitely be discussing upcoming events, as the campaign season (along with the weather) heats up!!  Please contact me with questions or for directions at 602-942-6436 or bvaandrk@earthlink.net.

To:                  All Interested District 10 Democrats

From:             Rivko Knox, Secretary, bvaandrk@earthlink.net  602-942-6436

* Upcoming Events – Get Your Calendars Out!!!

            * Tues., June 8, 2010 – Potluck Plus Regular D 10 Monthly Meeting.  Home of Carol Vandercook, 3650 W. Aire Libre Ave., Phx, 85053 – west on Paradise Lane off 35^th Ave. (between Greenway & Bell Roads), right/north on 37^th Ave., & right again to Aire Libre.  We’ll start with a potluck at 5:30 p.m. & then at 7 have a short meeting with our speaker, Felicia Rotellini, Candidate for State Attorney General PLUS D 10 candidates. Please RSVP to Rivko (above.)

            * EVERY Sat. in June!!!  Every Sat, in June, D 10 Dems will meet at 9 a.m. to drive around (in air conditioned cars) stopping to knock on the doors of other Democrats to say hello & sign PEVL cards & find more activists.  Specific e-mails will be sent a few days before each event letting you know where to meet us. However, you can always call Courtney N. Frogge at (520) 240-7522 or Rivko at 602-942-6436 or bvaandrk@earthlink.net for more info.

            * Tues., July 13, 2010 – Potluck Plus Regular D 10 Monthly Meeting.  Home of Barbara and Ken Buedel, 8523 N. 49^th Dr., Glendale 85302 (south of Dunlap).  We’ll start with a desert potluck at 5:30 p.m. and then at 7 have a short meeting with a speaker plus D 10 candidates.  More details to come.

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WEB SITES FOR DEMO CANDIDATES!!

*** D 10 House: Jackie Thrasher – www.jackiethrasher.com  **D 10 House:  Aaron Jahneke –www.aarondistrict10.com   ***    D 10 Senate:  Justin Johnson – www.johnson4arizona.com

***CD 2:  John Thrasher – www.thrasherforcongress.org   ***      CD 3:  Jon Hulbard – www.hulbardforcongress.com   *** Gov: Terry Goddard – www.terrygoddard.org   

You can contribute to all of them on their web sites AND learn about how you can make a difference in helping them get elected!!! 

Note: This is NOT a complete list of all the Dem candidates; right now I’m focusing on D 10 offices + the two Congressional Districts that cover D 10. If I missed someone please let me know.

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MORE ABOUT THE D 10 LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES!!!

(no D 10 candidates have primary competition)

AARON JAHNEKE FOR AZ HOUSE

A) Short Bio:  I was born and raised in Phoenix. I am single, with two siblings, sister Erika, and my brother Adam who will be 14 on May 30th. I am an insurance agent in Glendale for the family Allstate agency, and I an adjunct history teacher at CollegeAmerica in Phoenix. I like concerts, Suns basketball, and attending Washington Elementary School district events when available (I also was elected to the WESD Board in 2008.) I have always been interested in politics, particularly watching coverage on CSPAN of past presidential elections. I have come to believe local elections are the most important ones, and I became involved with the Judy Kennedy 2002 senate campaign in District 10 and Jackie Thrasher’s first campaign that year because they both were pro-public education.  I

B) Three Key Campaign Issues:

1) More transparency at the state legislature. I believe they should be subject to some of the open meeting laws they have imposed on other forms of government.

 2) Balancing the budget in a responsible way that does not do so on the backs of the poor or children. We need a long term business plan to make Arizona more attractive for businesses to come here.

3) Changing the K-12 funding formula so it’s simpler and easier for taxpayers to understand where the money is going. We must protect and enhance public education in Arizona.

C) Filing of Nominating Petitions/Fund Raising: I filed my signatures on April 26th, and I currently have over 200 $5 contributions. I need about 240 before I file.

JACKIE THRASHER, FOR AZ HOUSE

A) Short Bio:  Jackie Thrasher was born in Detroit, moved to Phoenix with her family when she was just 2 years old and considers herself an “almost native”! She attended Palo Verde Elementary School, Apollo High School, Glendale Community College & graduated from ASU with a Bachelor of Music, in Instrumental Music Education. She is married to John Thrasher & they have two grown children Jessica and Jason. Jackie is a flute player & a music educator, having recently retired from full time teaching in the Washington Elementary School District after 30 years.   Jackie is a former State Representative who ran twice before being elected the third time. In 2006 she was the first Democrat elected to the State House since 1964 in the area that is now District 10. Jackie narrowly lost her re-election bid in 2008, but that did not end her passion for public service and she decided to run again this cycle. She became interested in public policy after seeing firsthand how underfunded education is in Arizona. She leaves full time teaching to fight for education and kids full time.

B) Three Key Campaign Issues:  Her three top issues are improving education funding in Arizona, diversifying our economy and investing in high tech and renewable energy jobs across our state.

C) Filing of Nominating Petitions/Fund Raising:  Jackie filed her petitions to officially qualify for the ballot on May 24th, is running as a participating Clean Elections candidate & is still collecting five dollar qualifying contributions from registered voters in D 10.

JUSTIN JOHNSON FOR AZ SENATE

A) Short Bio:  Justin Johnson has spent most of his life in AZ’s Leg. District 10. He was born & raised in Sunnyslope, where he attended Sunnyslope Elementary School & Sunnyslope High School. After graduating from Occidental College with a degree in Economics, Justin returned home to start a family with his wife, Lauren. They have one son, Cohen, who is a third-generation Phoenician/Arizonan. Justin’s father is former Phoenix Mayor, Paul Johnson, who has nine brothers and sisters. Currently, Justin is the Chief Operating Officer for Old World Homes, where he oversees all entitlement project managers, reviews all of the due diligence material, assists in product design & manages the organization internally, from payroll allocations to hiring new employees. Since the company’s inception in 2005, Justin has managed an employee base that has doubled in size & he has overseen the development of 20 commercial & residential communities. In 2007, Old World Homes, which Justin co-founded, was named the fifth largest local townhome builder in Arizona. Justin currently serves on the Citizens Transit Commission, Development Services Ad Hoc Committee, former Alhambra Village Member & now a North Mountain Village Member, Valley Leadership

Phoenix Parks & Preserve Conservation Foundation & ASU Board of Advisors for Downtown Campus.

B) B. Three Key Campaign Issues:  Justin’s top three issues are: Jobs, Education & Non-Partisanship.

C) Filing of Nominating Petitions/Fund Raising:  Justin filed all his Nominating Petitions on 5/14/2010. He is running as a Traditional Candidate and has raised about $81,000 as of May 31^st.

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REPUBLI—CANT’S

By Barb Buedel, D 10 1^st Vice Chair

We are the Democratic Party and we are Democrats. 

We are not the Democrat party!!!! 

There is a Republican party and they are Republi- cants??? (they can’t offer solutions to our real problems but they CAN oppose Democratic solutions at the state and national level re public education, the environment, jobs, health care, and more….see below for more about what the ‘Republi-cants’ have wrecked here in AZ with their budget!!)

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Officials say (D 10 Rep.) Quelland’s seat now vacant  (see related story page 4)

By The Associated Press Published: May 28, 2010 at 9:10 am

            Arizona officials say the state House seat held by Republican Doug Quelland of Phx is officially vacant because of a court ruling upholding Q’s removal from office. But Q’s lawyer says that isn’t so & the state is acting prematurely. Sec. of State Ken Bennett on Wed. informed the state Republican Party of the need to begin work on appointing a replacement. Bennett acted after the Citizens Clean Election Commission formally notified him of the vacancy. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge on May 17 ruled against Q’s appeal of the commission’s May 2009 order. That order said Q padded his publicly funded 2008 campaign with private spending. Q could still take his case to an appeals court or the state Supreme Court. But he hasn’t decided whether he’ll do so, said his attorney, Tim Casey. Casey called the letters a “pre-emptive move by aggressive government actors” and said his client’s seat isn’t considered vacant unless he fails to appeal by the June 14 deadline. “In our legal system, until all due process and legal appeals are exhausted, no one loses an office unless they voluntarily forfeit or resign,” Casey said. Q chose to participate in Arizona’s Clean Elections system for his 2008 campaign, accepting public money but agreeing to stay within strict spending limits. The commission contends Q knowingly cheated the system by using his businesses to pay a public relations firm $15,000 in fees & free rent on retail space. Testimony by Larry Davis, the firm’s owner, supported the commission’s claim. Q maintains he did nothing wrong. He has said work done for his campaigns by employees of Intermedia Public Relations was on a volunteer basis & he paid the firm only for work done for his businesses….Q is running for re-election in Nov…. again participating in the public campaign financing program.

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Some Quotes to Live By (relevant in light of the Tea Party and extremists around us)

            Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.
            Do justly, now.  Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now.
            You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.  (The Talmud)                                                  OR

As Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

                                                                        OR

As Martin Niemöller wrote:

“They came first for the communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for me and by that time no one was left to speak up.”

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The AZ Legislature as Described by Rep. Kyrsten Sinema.

Rep. Sinema, the Assistant Leader of the Minority Caucus, spoke to the D 10 Dems at our May meeting. Highlights:

            * She was glad the ‘danger of centaurs & mermaids flooding AZ & depleting our tax base by taking advantage of all our public services,’ was prevented by the Governor’s very recent signature of a bill forbidding human/animal hybrids.  That bill, she said, shows the focus of this Legislature while

            * AZ has: a huge deficit, lost 90,000 jobs, taken away health care from 400,000 people, cut education, the Departs that protect AZ such as Revenue, Water Resources, Environmental Protection and Public Safety, and defunded the Department of Tourism, although tourism is a major source of income for AZ.  

            * “…the goal of the Republicans in this Legislature, with the support of our ‘unelected’ Governor. is to dismantle the infrastructure of the state of AZ because ‘they can’ during this two year period.”

            * This is the worst budget in the history of the AZ; that even if the 1 cent sales tax passes (it did), there will still be huge cuts in education, health & human services (to include Meals on Wheels & transportation for the disabled) because it will generate only enough revenue to fill 1/3 of the budget deficit. 

            * The Republican majority in the Leg. has consistently refused to close tax loopholes totally $10 billion!! (compared to AZ’s $8 billion total budget) to include such things as 4 ½ in. nails being tax free (estimated to bring in $17.5 million, which is more than the total cost of KidsCare, a program for the working poor!!); and of course the huge private and parochial school tax tuition credit that was even expanded this year!! 

            *  The only Constitutional requirement for the Leg. is to adopt a balanced budget & they have not been able to do that (in a real way vs. a fake document that will require more cuts or taxes to balance).

            * Budget problems AZ is facing are due to the R’s who have controlled the Leg. for the past 40 years!!!   

            * Re SB 1070, Sinema, who was born & raised in AZ, said it is a distraction & not a solution to the real problems of drugs, guns & human smuggling, the real criminal issues.  She & other Ds had introduced bills that would actually have addressed some of these criminal enterprises but the Rs rejected them, e.g., to track gun smuggling. If there was a legal way for immigrants to enter AZ, then the illegal border crossers would almost totally be the dangerous criminals & tighter border control would work.

            * Sinema urged all of us to keep two words in mind “November 2010!!!” & to double our efforts so we don’t wake up on November 3 saying “…if only I had knocked on 3 more doors…”

            * We must use arguments that will work in AZ focusing on what is happening in AZ vs. federal issues; pointing out that as the Rs have controlled the Leg. for 40 years, all the blame (correctly) falls on them & using words such as ‘unelected Governor.”  

            * The key to economic growth in AZ is public education which AZ has cut more than any other state.

            * The goal is to win over Independents & R women, which is how Ms.Thrasher got elected!! & Sinema said she really misses Ms. Thrasher’s assistance in the Legislature!!

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Quelland’s bills against Clean Elections went nowhere

By Jeremy Duda - jeremy.duda@azcapitoltimes.com  Published: May 28, 2010 at 8:18 am

            A package of bills sponsored by Rep. Doug Quelland reads like a list of grievances against the Clean Elections system he’s fought for the past two years. Q sponsored only 6 bills in the 2010 legislative session, 5 of which were intended to expand the rights of candidates accused of violating Clean Elections laws. All 5… failed to receive a committee hearing, but they left little doubt about the Phx. Republican’s feelings about the Clean Elections system that once helped him get elected & later called for his removal from office. Three of Q’s bills – H2588, H2590 and H2592 – would have created new laws to require the Citizens Clean Elections Commission to disclose all evidence prior to a hearing in which a candidate is accused of wrongdoing. The commission would have been required to inform all accused candidates of their rights to discovery/disclosure of evidence, & the commission would have had to comply with requests for disclosure within one day. H2589…required the commission to award attorney’s fees to defendants if false claims/evidence are presented against them. Another, H2591…prohibited the AZ AG’s Office from representing the commission in its enforcement actions against candidates. Q & his attorney, Tim Casey, did not return several calls seeking comment. Clean Elections Commission Director Todd Lang said…Q didn’t attend the hearing where the commission voted to expel him from office & …Lang said the commission requested copies of checks Q wrote to consultant Larry Davis & Q denied the checks existed. The commission ultimately found the checks…until his appeal hearing, at which point Q said the payments were for business consulting, not campaign consulting. Q made requests for evidence, Lang said, but not until after the commission voted to remove him from office. He said Q’s requests for the commission to seize Davis’ computers didn’t come until his trial before the administrative law judge had already begun. “He never asked us to start seizing computers and the like until after he lost,” Lang said.            The commission ordered Q’s removal from office after finding he paid a consultant $15,000 in violation of Clean Elections rules. An administrative law judge later upheld the commission’s decision. Q has remained in office as he continues to appeal his ouster. A Superior Court judge denied Q’s request for a new trial in his case, though he can appeal the decision. In the meantime, Q is seeking re-election to a District 10 House seat. And he’s running as a Clean Elections candidate.

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THE LEGISLATIVE IMPOSED DISASTER WITH 2009/2010 BUDGET CUTS:Thanks to Protecting Arizona’s Families Coalition (PAFCO) but edited.

Children, families & vulnerable adults sustained the largest, most brutal attacks & most devastating health & human services budget cuts in the last 25 years…at the hands of the last two legislatures controlled by Republican leadership…The litany of cuts includes health care, behavioral health, human services & housing services. See the list at http://www.pafcoalition.org/budget/…it requires repeating often lest we forget the pain imposed…

DES…reduced by 33% of its state general funds going from $808 million to $536 million.

·         … programs severely cut or eliminated include elimination of general assistance, …an enrollment cap on subsidized child care (…a denial list where the program is withering away by attrition to about 20,000 children now on a denial “waiting” list) —reductions in TANF cash assistance for thousands of families. 

·         TANF cash assistance serving the very poor…attacked…in 2009 & 2010…cutting the monthly cash stipend by 20% (try living on $240 a month)… the 36 month eligibility limitation impacting 17,000 families potentially eliminating up to 39,000 participants including lots of grandparents and their children.

·         Child Protection/Adult Protective Service no longer investigate 100% of referrals leaving thousands children and adults at risk. 

·         Other deep and sustained cuts …domestic violence safety/shelters, emergency crisis services, homeless prevention services/shelter services, aging independent living services, respite care, vocational rehab services, foster care, in home services for CPS families, Healthy Families, substance abuse treatment & cuts to state in-home and prevention programs for children/adults with developmental disabilities. 

Health Services — …public health/behavioral health programs reduced by 47% from $270 to $143 million.

·         Community health centers have essentially lost all of their state funding. 

·         Behavioral Health programs are eliminating services to thousands of people receiving general mental health care and substance abuse.

·         Other programs cuts include vaccinations, senior food programs & eliminating over 4000 children from children’s rehabilitation services while imposing an enrollment cap on non Medicaid eligible children. 

AHCCCS programs eliminated include KidsCare parents — about 9, 000 parents, imposition of enrollment cap on KidsCare despite restoration of the statutory authority.

·         Before federal health care reform legislation forced restoration of KidsCare & AHCCCS cuts to about 400,000 poor and low income persons, AZ’s public policy was to eliminate health care coverage for these people with the intent to send them to emergency rooms.

·         89,000 people classified as dual eligibles (Medicare & Medicaid) lost prescription drug support…

These cuts were NOT necessary. There were/are plenty of alternatives…example, the so-called Five Year Plan stopped budget cuts to health, human services & public education while restoring past cuts in health care & human services. JLBC website for very detailed information — http://www.azleg.gov/jlbc/5yearplan.pdf. The Leg. didn’t even consider certain cuts to corrections proposed in various …proposals….lots of options not driven by ideological mindsets committed to eliminating health/human services & attacking public education & public service jobs.

So what does the future look like in Arizona as the Leg. proceeds with its budget 2010 cuts on top of what…  2009?…not a pretty picture….The Leg (supported by the Gov.) has created its own natural disaster by abandoning hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children & adults with budget cuts the last 2 years.  Overcrowded emergency rooms, homelessness, hunger, illness, desperation, hopelessness, & even deaths will be the result. 

The health and human services system is like a balloon where we push on one side & the balloon expands out the other side. Push too hard & the balloon bursts. The state is on the verge of bursting the balloon as the Leg. imposes these draconian cuts…the Leg. is destroying the health/human services safety net when it is needed most for more & more families who never knew hardship…because of the lingering recession & years of underfunding.

The budget fight is not over — tell the story of the consequences of these cruel cuts to anyone who will listen and constantly and persistently to the media. 

o        Don’t let any opportunity pass without sharing your story, the story of the people you serve, the agency impacts, the layoffs, and the pain and suffering. 

o        If the consequences are invisible, the general public will not know or understand the great disservice of these cuts to our shared community life.

o        Continue to write the Governor and your legislators with your stories of impact. Share them with PAFCO and others.

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(The Progress Report, 5/27/2010)

BP’s attitude toward the Gulf catastrophe resembles the shrugs of Wall Street firms who caused the near collapse of the global economy. BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles has expressed his optimism that both his company and the Gulf will “will fully recover,” even though Prince William Sound has yet to “fully recover” 21 years after the Exxon Valdez spill. Likewise, BP CEO Tony Hayward — who received a 40 percent pay raise last year to about $5.8 million — said he believes the “environmental impact of this disaster is likely to be very, very modest” because the Gulf of Mexico is a “very big ocean.” BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said his company is a “big and important company for the US” and expects that BP will be able to “move on,” although its “reputation will be tarnished.” Financial analyst Tom Nelson believes BP’s stock drop “is a fantastic opportunity to buy a very high quality long-term business on a very cheap rating.” Center for American Progress senior fellow Joseph Romm called BP “the Goldman Sachs of big oil” because of its spotty safety record, insistence on voluntary “trust me” self-regulation, and willingness to cut corners to “save a few bucks.” The moral hazard created by privatized profit and socialized risk has allowed bankers to cripple our economy and energy companies to destroy our planet.  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Unpublished Letter to the Editor by Rivko Knox (cause no one else will send me the copies of the letters they write!!)

            “Of course my grandparents were immigrants but….”  I’ve heard so many people say that it’s not immigration per se they oppose but ‘illegal’ (I prefer undocumented) immigration. “My parents/grandparents were immigrants but they came in legally,” they say. Well, how many people who say this know that until the 1920’s there were few, if any laws limiting immigrants (with some sad exceptions dealing with people from the Far East)? When people wanted to come to the US, whether from England, Ireland, Germany and later more from Russia, the Ukraine, Poland, Turkey etc., their real problem was finding the money to pay the boat fare!!! Once they got that, and arrived in the US, the went through Ellis Island (mainly), were checked for diseases and sent into the US proper!!  So, why were they ‘legal’ and so many of today’s immigrants are not? Because there were no laws to prevent them from coming!!! Get rid of today’s poorly enforced and almost unenforceable immigration laws, and …. illegal immigration goes away!!

            And regarding those ‘recent intruders from Mexico, have we all forgotten that about 1/3rd of Arizona WAS Mexico until the Gadsden Purchase in 1853/54; and even the area north of that, had more Mexicans living there until the early years of the 1900’s than Anglos?

            And may I remind folks that through much of the middle/late 1800’s and into the early years of the 1900’s the Irish, Italians, Polish, Hungarians, Russians, Catholics and Jews who came to the US were considered ‘inferior races’ who would never assimilate, never learn to speak English and learn American ways. Anyone see any 3rd generation Irish or Italians who look and act ‘unassimilated’ and don’t speak English well?? Give it time folks; the genius of the USA is that it does assimilate people, while at the same time the American culture incorporates so many interesting and unique aspects of all these other cultures to create a stronger and more vibrant USA.

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(The Nation, 5/10/10, page 35) In a book review dealing with evolution (of all things), this wonderful statement came up that is very applicable to today’s discussion about immigration, “….. (in the late 1900’s, people worried about a nation that was being “…mongrelized by ostensibly unassimilable immigrations (Catholics, Asians and Jews).   Does fear of the ’stranger’ never end??  Are the majority of immigrants in those 3 groups, still different??

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Web Sites PLUS….   Please don’t forget to periodically check these web sites:  www.district10dems.com,  www.azdem.org, www.maricopademocrat.com and www.westdems.com.     Please HELP ME Make This YOUR E-letter.  Please send suggestions, comments etc. to  bvaandrk@earthlink.net.

NOTE:  Please note the opinions reflected in this e-letter are those of the editor &contributors &not of the D 10 Democratic organization per se. If you want to read ‘different’ stuff, send it to me please!

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SPEAKING OUT!!!! Please use it to let Pres. Obama & the AZ members of Congress know what you want done (& not done) * Pres. Obama: 1-202-456-1111 or  www.whitehouse.gov/contact    *John McCain- 602-952-2410  *Jon Kyl - 602-840-1891 *Ann Kirkpatrick, CD 1 - 928-445-3434 *Trent Franks, CD 2 -  623-776-7911 *John Shadegg, CD 3 - 602-263-5300 * Ed Pastor, CD 4 - 602-256-0551 *Harry Mitchell, CD 5 Ph - 480-946-2411*Jeff Flake CD 6 - 480-833-0092 * Raul Grijalva, CD 7 - 520-622-6788 *Gabrielle Giffords, CD 8, Ph: 520-459-3115.  And in AZ: Gov. Jan Brewer, 602-542-4331; D 10’s Sen. Linda Gray, 602-926-3376; Rep. Jim Weiers, 602-926-4173; Rep. Douq Quelland, 602-926-3024.

* Upcoming Events – Get Your Calendars Out!!!

            * Sat., May 8 – Canvass (drive/stop etc.) for Democratic Candidates and to get Permanent Early Vote by Mail (PEVL) cards.  Meet at 9 a.m., at the South end (Dunlap area) of Cortez Park.  Look for the tent!!!

          * Tues., May 11, 2010 – Monthly D 10 Dems Meeting.  7 p.m. -9 p.m. Cholla Middle School, Room 305; NW side of 31^st Avenue and Cholla, which is about half way between Cactus and Peoria Avenues.  The featured speakers will be Representative Krysten Sinema, one of the most ‘dynamic’ young AZ legislators and spokespersons for the AZ Democratic Party. She will discuss the just ended (whew!!) Legislative Session and other issues.

            Also, don’t forget to bring your completed Precinct Committeeperson Nominating Petitions!!

            * EVERY Sat. in May!!!              Every Saturday in May (excluding the Memorial Day Weekend), D 10 Dems will be meeting around 9 a.m. to drive around (in air conditioned cars) stopping to knock on the doors of other Democrats to say hello & get them to sign petitions, give $5 Clean Election contributions & sign PEVL cards.  Specific e-mails will be sent a few days before each event letting you know where to meet us.

            * Tues., June 8, 2010 – Potluck Plus Regular D 10 Monthly Meeting.  Home of Carol Vandercook, , 3650 W. Aire Libre Avenue, Phx, 85053. As it will be ‘too hot’ for a total regular meeting, we’ll start with a potluck at 5:30 p.m. and then at 7 have a short meeting with out speaker, Felicia Rotellini, Candidate for State Attorney General.

Editor’s Comment:  I know, I know, you’ve all missed me and my e-letters desperately!!  But I tried to make up for my silence by sending a lot of quick e-mails dealing with specific issues, which…while the Legislature was in session – were coming ‘hot and heavy.’  Now that there’s more ’safety’ in the land, I’ll go back to my periodic e-letters.

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WEB SITES FOR DEMO CANDIDATES!!

*** D 10 House: Jackie Thrasher – www.jackiethrasher.com  **D 10 House:  Aaron Jahneke –www.aarondistrict10.com   ***    D 10 Senate:  Justin Johnson – www.johnson4arizona.com

***CD 2:  John Thrasher – www.thrasherforcongress.org   ***      CD 3:  Jon Hulbard – www.hulbardforcongress.com   *** Gov: Terry Goddard – www.terrygoddard.org    *** Senate: Rodney Glassman – www.rodneyglassman.com

            You can contribute to all of them on their web sites AND learn about how you can make a difference in helping them get elected!!! 

Note: This is NOT a complete list of all the Dem candidates; right now I’m focusing on D 10 offices + the two Congressional Districts that cover D 10; & on high profile races. If I missed someone please let me know.

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In Memorium  –Gloria Murillo 

            Murillo, Gloria — 77, of Phoenix, AZ passed away on April 26, 2010.  Gloria was born in Kingman, AZ and graduated from Kingman High School where she was a cheerleader.  She was a majorette at NAU.  Gloria worked many years at the Bank of America in CA and Valley National Bank in AZ.  She became a real estate agent and enjoyed that for many years.  Gloria was on the parish council at St. Vincent de Paul church and was on the board of the Phoenix Honors Cotillion.  Most recent, she (along with her husband) was a very active precinct committee person for the Democratic Party, District 10.  She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Moe Murillo, son, Richard (Sandy-wife), daughter Vikki Kroff (David-husband), granddaughters Jennifer Cox, Allison Kroff and grandson Kyle Kroff, 1 sister, 3 brothers, many nieces and nephews and 13 godchildren.”  Services were held on Monday, May 3 at 11 a.m. at St. Raphael Catholic Church, 5525 W. Acoma Rd, Glendale, AZ and were attended by District 10’s Chair and vice chairs, and several other D 10 activists who knew and admired Gloria.

            The District 10 Dems send our most sincere condolences to Mo, whom we all know so well, and the rest of the Murillo Family.  Gloria’s enthusiasm, endless energy, community contacts (she brought in almost all the gift certificates for the D 10 auctions!!) and commitment to the Democratic Party will be sorely missed by all of us

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WHO is Courtney Frogge and WHAT Was Her Path to Being the D 10 Dems Field Organizer??

    * Courtney was born in 1981 in Tucson, a 5th generation Arizonan. When she was 11 month old, she had open heart surgery at the U of A Medical Center.  And she continues to feel that ‘every day is a gift’ because so many with the same surgery have recently passed away. Also, the operation and on going care, caused her family to have huge debts (anyone still opposed to health care reform??)

    * Courtney’s family moved to Phoenix where she was raised, attending schools in the Osborn School District and then St. Mary’s High School, from which she graduated in 2000. 

    * She then moved to San Francisco to attend the University of San Francisco, a small Jesuit school.  She had a double major- philosophy and communication, with an emphasis on rhetoric.  Courtney chose to participate in a special Great Books program, from which she got a Certificate that enabled her to attend Oxford for her junior year.  She graduated from the University of San Francisco in 2004 with honors.  After graduation, she had two jobs- working for a General Assistance Advocacy Project, out of UC Hastings School of Law — located in the Tenderloin District — which resulted in her actually training 1st year law school students regarding public benefit issues; & as an intern with the International Rescue Committee, where she was responsible for assisting about 30 Liberian refugees to acclimate to the US.

    * Courtney received her Master’s Degree from the London School of Oriental and African Studies (and London School of Economics and Political Science) in International Violence, Conflict, and Development, where her focus was on the role of water issues in international conflicts, especially in the Middle East and North Africa.

    * Courtney was on the path to the Middle East/North Africa, when she got a call from her grandmother (a retired U of A professor with whom she was very close) saying she had terminal ovarian cancer.  So, she returned to Tucson to be with her grandmother during the last few months of her life, and was able to be at her bed side when she passed away.

    * Her grandmother was a very very strong advocate for Obama, the candidate, and Courtney promised her before she died that she would do everything she could to help Obama get elected; and she did!!!  She worked in five different states on the Obama campaign, starting as a volunteer in Arizona during the Primary and ending up as a paid staffer. 

    * After the election, Courtney ’slept,’ visited family & friends, one of whom she helped in her work with a non profit.

    * AND then she got a call from Ken Chapman, Maricopa County Executive Director to come to AZ; and felt this was the right time and place because she wants to help ‘her’ Arizona become the kind of state that she (and her grandmother) would be proud of! 

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Update from the Washington Elementary School District Board: by Aaron Jahneke, Governing Board Member, Washington Elementary District 6 (former D 10 Chair & PC Golden Precinct).  

May is a busy month for both district employees and the governing board. I get to speak at two 8^th grade commencements this month, one at Mountain View and one at Royal Palm. Generally speaking, the superintendent likes each board member to speak at one K-8 school and one 6-8 or 7-8 grade school.

The governing board is going to be meeting for a study session in June to discuss our policy with respect to employee affiliated groups & sole representation. Basically, we are trying to revisit our relationship with our teacher association & other groups that deal with the district administration & governing board on a regular basis. I believe this is a discussion that we have put off for the last year because of the economic crisis we are dealing with, but I am hopeful this discussion will help us determine whether there are ways to improve our collaboration with these affiliated groups. I am trying to balance the needs of the association with the progress the administration has made in the last 5 years improving the image of WESD.

I am hopeful the sales tax referral will pass. While imperfect, it allows the district to look at $8 million in cuts instead of the possibility of $14 million in cuts and potential salary reductions for teachers next year. If you only do one thing this month, please remind your friends and family to vote for Prop 100.

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Legislature sends nine referrals to ballot – initiative still coming

By Jim Small - jim.small@azcapitoltimes.com  Published: May 3, 2010 at 5:14 pm

            Lawmakers are asking voters to weigh in on nine items when they head to the polls in November, including revamping the way the state’s top two elected posts are chosen.

            Two more questions – one seeking the elimination of photo-enforcement cameras, and another that would legalize medical marijuana – could land on the ballot courtesy the citizen’s initiative process, which allows people or groups to put things to a public vote, provided they turn in enough signatures from registered voters.

            The Legislature considered nearly two-dozen ballot referrals during the past session, which ended April 29. Some measures simply didn’t have enough support to pass, but lawmakers also were trying to avoid the type of ballot overload that perplexed voters with 19 statewide measures in 2006.

            This year, legislators sent another six questions to the ballot. Two were approved in March as part of the budget to ask voters to sweep the money from a pair of voter-approved funds in order to help fill in deep shortfalls. Taking the money from the two funds, 1) First Things First and 2) Growing Smarter, would cut the deficit by about $500 million.

            On April 21, the House gave final approval to another measure, which would 3) ask voters to allow the state to exchange trust land for other public lands in order to preserve military bases.

            The Senate followed suit the next day by passing a measure that would ask them to 4) amend the constitution to make hunting and fishing a fundamental right of Arizona citizens. It would also give “exclusive authority” to regulate hunting and fishing to the Legislature and declare hunting and fishing as the preferred means of controlling wildlife.  Lawmakers also sent two more items to voters in the waning days of the legislative session to

 5) ask voters to rename the Secretary of State’s Office to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. If approved by voters, it would also change the mechanics of general elections by requiring same-party candidates for governor and lieutenant governor to run as a team. The other ballot measure would 6) require petition signatures for citizen’s initiatives to be turned in to the secretary of state two months earlier.

            Last year, lawmakers agreed to send three constitutional amendments to this year’s ballot. One would

7) end programs that give preferential treatment to minorities and women, while another would 8) guarantee secret ballots for the election of public officials or for union representation. The third would amend the state Constitution to say that 9) no law shall require Arizonans to participate in a health care system or be penalized for failing to do so. The measure, if it passes, may set up a showdown with the federal government over the health care law, which requires most Americans to buy health insurance or pay a fine.

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Capitol Quotes: April 30, 2010
“What would you think if a state started arresting people and convicting them of a state crime of evading federal income tax?” — ASU law professor Paul Bender, on arguments that S1070 violates the supremacy clause in the U.S. Constitution and usurps federal authority over immigration law.
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The True Cost of the LACK of Federal Regulation!!!  (from The Progress Report, May 4) 

BP made $163 billion in profits from 2001-2009 — & another $5.6 billion in the first quarter of this year — & has asked other oil companies, including Exxon Mobil, to pitch in with the cleanup effort. Despite their extra cash, however, the company decided to forgo “a remote-control shutoff switch that two other major oil producers, Norway and Brazil, require,” in order to save $500,000 on the rig.

    And from the Tom Hartmann show on 1480 (also May 4):  the idea of making automatic ’shut off’ devices and similar safety devices was made ‘voluntary’ as a result of the Competitiveness Council chaired by Vice President Dan Quayle during the first Bush Presidency AND issues regarding energy came to that Taskforce from the Energy Taskforce chaired by……… Dick Cheney of Haliburton!!!!  (’interesting’ how BP and Halliburton are now involved in the oil spill but it’s probably just coincidence, right??) 

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    “Justice will not come to Athens until those who are not injured are as indignant as those who are injured.”  Thucydides (p. 5)

    “Increasing support for state and long government activities should not be seen as merely a short-term stopgap but as a major element of a longer-term job-creation agenda.  The main activities supported by state and local governments are all effective sources of job creation, in comparison for example with military spending.  Thus infrastructure projects create 40% more jobs per dollar than spending on the military; health care creates 70% more jobs and education creates 420% more jobs.  So if the governments just moved its 2008 budget of $188 billion for Afghanistan and Iraq into support for education and infrastructure programs at the state and local levels, this alone would produce a net increase of about 2.3 million jobs per year.”  Robert Pollin, a professor of economics and co director of the Political Economy Research Institute at the Univ of Mass. ) The Nation, March 8

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“Arizona Needs KidsCare – Not Just Half Of It” by Dana Wolfe Naimark,  president & CEO of the Children’s Action Alliance.

            KidsCare offers affordable health insurance for children in working families. It has been an AZ success story for more than 10 years, helping thousands of children grow up healthy & strong. But a year ago, Gov. Jan Brewer & our legislative leaders began cutting KidsCare.  First they eliminated coverage for 10,000 parents. Then, in January, Brewer put a freeze on new enrollment for children…. Due to the freeze, more than 100 uninsured children are being turned away from the health care they need every day.

            Just last month, Brewer signed a state budget into law that will completely eliminate KidsCare on June 15. That means 47,000 children going uninsured…. more children missing school, more parents missing work, more childhood illnesses going untreated, & more expensive emergency room visits… more jobs lost from our health care sector…,our federal tax dollars going to help kids in other states… more families bankrupt due to large medical bills they can’t afford to pay.

            The good news…the new federal health reform law is causing our state Leg. to reconsider their mistake. That law removes $7 billion in federal funds from AZ’s health care system each year if we cut back on KidsCare after the date the law was signed…. the Leg…(did belatedly)…restore (part of) KidsCare. It appropriates $9 million to cover the children who are currently enrolled…wonderful…but it only gets us halfway there….(left)… the enrollment freeze in place & continue to turn away more than 100 uninsured kids every day — kids with asthma, disabilities, special needs & life-threatening illnesses…..

            Bringing KidsCare halfway back is like giving your sick child only half the medicine he needs to get better. It’s not good parenting, and it’s not good policy. With only $11 million more in state funds, AZ could really bring back KidsCare. That’s a cost of less than 1 % of the state budget that brings in more than $40 million in federal funds & very large returns to our families & economy.

            …at least 3 easy ways to pay for bringing KidsCare all the way back without raising taxes or cutting something else. 1)…accept the offer of First Things First & ask voters to approve using $60 million of the First Things First tobacco tax money to temporarily pay the state’s share of KidsCare…2) use additional federal dollars that will come in when Congress approves an extension of extra health care matching funds for all states.  3)…restore to the AZ Dept. of Revenue the more than 100 auditor & collector staff positions that have been cut so they can collect taxes that are already owed to the state…Revenue… estimates that each dollar spent on an auditor brings in $15 in collections.

Governor Brewer and state lawmakers, it’s time to stand up for children and pay for KidsCare.

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Littwin: Let’s stop denying what Arizona laws are really about

By Mike Littwin    303-954-5428 Denver Post Columnist  - Updated: 05/02/2010

            You’ve probably heard the news about the AZ sheriff’s deputy who was shot along a drug-smuggling corridor, about 50 miles south of Phoenix.  That’s what people don’t understand, I’m told, about the new AZ law. It’s not about illegal immigration per se. It’s a reaction to the Mexican drug cartels & the violence that is overrunning the state. It’s about the kidnapping in Phx.  There was the rancher who was killed near the border, almost certainly by drug smugglers. And now there’s the deputy, whose wound was thankfully superficial, who was apparently shot by smugglers. (We won’t ask where the cartel’s guns come from. We know, but it’s not a topic we like to broach.) What we’re told is that since the Fed. Govt. won’t act to stop the inflow of violent drug smugglers, the state had no choice but to act — even if acting means that people violating rental codes (you know which codes we’re talking about) may be required to prove their citizenship. Start your racial profiling now. I’m not sure how this applies in, say, Scott McInnis’ Colorado, where the border is with New Mexico, not the old one, & where we now get to grow our own marijuana.

            According to Daniel Griswold of the right-leaning libertarian Cato Institute think tank, the AZ law isn’t really about crime at all.  Citing Dept. of Justice data, Griswold writes that, as of 2008, Arizona’s crime rate was the lowest it had been in four decades. It gets more interesting. Griswold notes that over the past decade, when illegal immigrants have poured into the state, the rate for violent crime in AZ has fallen by 23% & property crime by 28%.   In an article Griswold wrote for Commentary last Dec., he takes his case nationally. Over the past 15 years, in a time of rapid growth in immigration — legal & illegal — Griswold says we’ve seen “the most rapid drop in crime rates in the nation’s history.”

            If Griswold is right — that the fear of crime from an immigrant population is vastly overstated — his story is an old story, as old as the Know Nothing Party, as old as George Washington warning John Adams of the newest immigrants.    Griswold points to a famous example in which a Harvard economics professor took out an ad in The New York Times in 1913, warning that “hordes of new immigrants” — mostly Italian & Jewish — were “a menace to our Anglo Saxon civilization.”

            OK, we have immigration issues in this country. We proudly say we are a nation of immigrants. But we worry, always, about the next wave of immigrants — our forbears were always legal, it seems — and how they’ll change the country.           Tom Tancredo & Lou Dobbs warn of the threat of multiculturalism. But you might note that in 1900, New York’s third-largest newspaper was German-language, & yet I don’t hear much German in the streets these days. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, 57% of Latinos who have been here at least three generations intermarry. Do their children press 2 at the ATM?

            I know that illegal immigration is a real issue. We obviously need to control our borders. We need to stop potential terrorists. We need to combat the violent drug cartels.  The overreaction to people who have come here — most at great risk — is also real. I don’t know what the poll numbers show, but it seems like time for immigration reform that addresses both issues.  And it doesn’t matter which accent you use.

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Web Sites PLUS….   Please don’t forget to periodically check these web sites:  www.district10dems.com,  www.azdem.org, www.maricopademocrat.com and www.westdems.com.     

Please HELP ME Make This YOUR E-letter.  Please send suggestions, comments etc. to  bvaandrk@earthlink.net.

NOTE:  Please note the opinions reflected in this e-letter are those of the editor &contributors ¬ of the D 10 Democratic organization per se. If you want to read ‘different’ stuff, send it to me please!

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SPEAKING OUT!!!! Please use it to let Pres. Obama & the AZ members of Congress know what you want done (& not done) * Pres. Obama: 1-202-456-1111 or  www.whitehouse.gov/contact    *John McCain- 602-952-2410  *Jon Kyl - 602-840-1891 *Ann Kirkpatrick, CD 1 - 928-445-3434 *Trent Franks, CD 2 -  623-776-7911 *John Shadegg, CD 3 - 602-263-5300 * Ed Pastor, CD 4 - 602-256-0551 *Harry Mitchell, CD 5 Ph - 480-946-2411*Jeff Flake CD 6 - 480-833-0092 * Raul Grijalva, CD 7 - 520-622-6788 *Gabrielle Giffords, CD 8, Ph: 520-459-3115.  And in AZ: Gov. Jan Brewer, 602-542-4331; D 10’s Sen. Linda Gray, 602-926-3376; Rep. Jim Weiers, 602-926-4173; Rep. Douq Quelland, 602-926-3024.

            * Sat., Feb. 13, 2010 – Annual Valentine’s Chocolate Extravaganza.  Lots of chocolate of all kinds, auction AND Heart Awards to two outstanding Democrats who have worked for years to improve AZ – Gloria Furman and Doug Kilgore, AEA.  More details to follow!!