Kyl andthe Budget Deficit

In an op-ed published in the Arizona Republic, Senator Kyl gave us his ideas about the budget deficit, repeating the same Republican chant, "It's not a revenue problem, it's a spending problem." Oh, really? Analysis of the deficit shows that Kyl is wrong. The largest share of the deficit (28%) is the revenue lost in the economic downturn. The next largest share of the deficit is attributed to the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 (13%) with an additional 8% revenue drop caused by other tax cuts. Just those three items add up to 49% of the current deficit. Revenue! Kyl, who was appointed to the Joint Select Congressional Committee on Deficit Reduction, cannot help solve our budget problems unless he is willing to look at it objectively, and accept that it is not a one-sided issue.

Earthquake Hits East Coast, GOP Blames Obama!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011 2:42 MST

An earthquake hit the East Coast today, and Republicans immediately blamed President Obama.

"It's Obamaquake!" declared Boehner.

John McCain was quick to point out that had Obama brought to bear the full strength of our military, the quake could have been avoided.

Jon Kyl blamed the quake on liberals, the unemployed, undocumented immigrants, and everyone under the age of 25.

David Schweikert could not be found.

In Arizona, Jan Brewer railed against the federal government for allowing an earthquake to rattle Virginia and nearby states, saying "This is yet another example of that oppressive federal government interfering with states' rights."

Russell Pearce is said to be drafting legislation that will allow Arizona to deny that earthquakes exist.

(The preceding is fiction, but the resemblance to real life is unavoidable.)

A Chandler Resident Campaigns for Greg Stanton

For the past few months I have been making phone calls and knocking on doors in support of Greg Stanton's campaign for mayor of Phoenix. I live in Chandler, not Phoenix, and I have been asked many times, "Why are you interested in the Phoenix mayoral race?" I have several reasons, but the most important is this. Phoenix is the largest city in Arizona, the sixth largest city in the country, and the positive changes that the mayor can make in Phoenix will also impact the rest of Arizona. Greg Stanton is the best candidate by far to make those positive changes. So it is not just Phoenix residents that should be interested in this election. Concerned voters in Tempe, Chandler, Mesa, and other towns and cities should get involved. This might be an "off year" for most of us, but it is definitely "on" in Phoenix, and it is up to all of us to get involved in this important political event in Arizona.

Contributed by Craig Falasco, Chandler

LD20 Chair Responds to DiCiccio’s Union Bashing!

Sal DiCiccio (Phoenix Council member for District 6) just couldn’t resist jumping on the union-bashing bandwagon in his May 25 newsletter. CJ Briggle, Chairwoman of the LD20 Dems had this response to his latest rant.

Councilman DiCiccio:

Unions provide the ONLY workplace recourse from bullies like you. Your silver-toothed outlook on life leaves very little compassion for the working class. Thankfully, unions exist today to protect the worker and working families. When we eliminate the world of workforce abuse, that’s when we can discuss eliminating unions. Until then, THANKS, AFL-CIO, for being there for us. Thanks, BIG TIME.

Proud union member,
CJ Briggle

Not a Single Vote in Support of Public Education by LD20 Legislators

Arizona Education Network published its 2011 Legislative Session: Education Funding Voting Record by Legislator. The report shows McComish, Dial, and Robson voted EVERY TIME to take budget dollars away from public education in Arizona. Read the full report including the methodology and links to legislative summaries. Contact McComish, Dial, and Robson, and let them know that they will be held accountable for their attacks on education in Arizona!

Be a part of history! Help recall Russell Pearce!

Let's get out this weekend and next week to get PLENTY of signatures before the May 31 deadline. We know that Pearce and his cohorts will stop at nothing to invalidate every signature possible. Here's the schedule for Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22. Meet at the Citizens for a Better Arizona office, 628 Center St., Mesa, Saturday at 10 am or 3 pm, Sunday at 1 pm or 4 pm. Don't wait to read about Pearce's demise in the news. Be a part of it!!

Schweikert’s statement on bin Laden fails to mention President Obama

David Schweikert released a statement today commending our armed forces in their effort to track down bin Laden, but he failed to mention President Obama! Maybe Schweikert does not know that President Obama is the Commander in Chief of those same armed forces. Maybe he’s not familiar with that section of our constitution, or he didn’t want to upset his tea party supporters, or maybe he just chose to be spiteful. In contrast, Senator McCain showed some class in his statement by commending the President and his team, as well as the military and intelligence professionals. From the beginning, President Obama said he would focus on al-Qaeda and finding bin Laden, and now we see the positive results of that focus. Schweikert’s pettiness cannot diminish the role that President Obama played in bringing the ten-year search for bin Laden to a successful conclusion.