We don’t need The AZ Republic carpetbaggers

Dear Carefree Citizens:

As most of you are aware, due to health reasons I decided not to run for reelection. 

However, that does not mean I do not always have Carefree’s best interests at heart.

I find I must take umbrage with the AZ Republic holding a candidate forum in Carefree and then having the arrogance to make personal endorsements.  This is the same newspaper (with the exception of paid for advertising) that ignores Carefree throughout the year.  They have no real knowledge or interest in issues important to Carefree citizens and residents.  Yet, this newspaper is egotistical enough to make their personal endorsements on particular candidates.  Since they are unfamiliar with facts and issues, I can only assume they flip a coin or maybe read tarot cards.

If memory serves me, in the last primary election the AZ Republic endorsed three candidates: Fulcher, Meyer and Gardner who all quit after receiving fewer votes than most other candidates.

The point I am trying to make is that it is up to you, Carefree citizens.  Before you vote, visit candidates’ websites, talk to your neighbors and people you trust that hold the same opinions as you.  And then vote.

Councilman Bob Coady | Carefree

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A very close call … for the citizens of Cave Creek …

A special Cave Creek Town Council Meeting was hastily called on January 31st  for the town council to approve a resolution to send a taxable measure to the voters for “ Fire and emergency medical services (EMS).”

In principle I am in agreement with both sending this matter to the voters, and making these services payable by all property owners in Cave Creek.

In practice however, I am only in agreement provided we have all the sufficient facts and information upon which to make a logical choice for voting.

The Town Manager presented the case which started off well with details on the timeframe of the voting procedure.   Unfortunately the details seemed to end at that stage as when questions began coming from the town council members it was obvious that very few facts were available such as what the tax base of $1.3 million dollars was based upon.  There were no spread sheets with cost/expense details, no short term, medium term, or long term plans. As it turns out the property tax would only be for fire service and not for EMS.  Even the percentage of Cave Creek subscribers was not current and the miss was huge according to two councilmen.  The Rural Metro Fire Chief apologized late in the meeting for the significant variance in the numbers of subscribers.  He said the town manager was using old and dated numbers.

Even more telling was the fact that the spreadsheet the Town Manager had included calling out the proposed tax per your home’s value was also woefully understated according to another councilman.

While the Town Manager carefully quoted some of the recommendations of the two year old Fire Committee report on the need for this service, he neglected to note that the report also called for an additional fire station on the West side of town which is not included in this $1.3 million dollar property tax proposal.

While the Mayor was obviously disappointed with four councilmen who were unwilling to send this matter to you the voters; they were in effect protecting you from a less than even half baked plan being referred to you for a vote.   One councilman even said he was tired of trusting concepts and numbers which staff had presented and voting on them, only to have them blow up in his face.

When another councilman asked the town manager if there would be “town meetings” to publicly present and discuss this property tax issue; he replied that he had no such plans.
This matter is not over; plans are underfoot to bring this issue to you directly by petition.  I only suggest when someone asks you to sign this petition, ask them for the details of the plan as well as the long term financial impact.  This is not about giving you the right to vote on this matter, this is about giving you the complete set of facts so you can vote in an objective matter.   Until you get them, stand firm; remember the water company purchase and the unexpected water rate increases.  Same deal here!

Bob Moore | Cave Creek

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SOTU speech

I'm finding it interesting that many viewers of the State of the Union speech got little of the inspiration that was intended, however many have to be hit by a brick wall to penetrate common sense.  This generation needs to focus on what is possible to jump start the economy and focus on progress in the modern world. We may not be going to the moon, but challenges our nation faces are still great.  We live here in the sunniest state, but we are not to the point of relying only on solar energy. Drawing 80 percent of America's electricity from renewable sources by 2035 as the President proposed will not be a small challenge, and obstacles may exist, but the state of Arizona has the best access to a very powerful resource.

Let’s push forward to a "green economy." It will be a test of our great nation’s strength and ingenuity, and offers a great opportunity for Arizona to step up to the plate and hit a home run leading our country in the right direction. 

Maureen J. Fauss | Peoria

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Washington Speak: “Investment” means spending

As usual, the State of the Union was a well done piece of political theater.

Now that the annual address – President Obama’s first to a divided Congress – is done, it’s time to ask: What actions will follow the President’s words?

After the speech, it’s not clear.  Indeed, the words of the State of the Union often fail to materialize into meaningful action.

I think Democrats and Republicans alike agree that we have to get federal spending under control and do something about the debt.  The differences arise, however, when it comes to the specific actions that need to be taken.

President Obama highlighted the deficit, even calling it unsustainable. 

“[We] have to confront the fact that the government spends more than it takes in,” he said.  I agree, though it is a bit of an understatement.

This year, the federal budget deficit is estimated to reach a historic $1.5 trillion – that is, the government will spend $1.5 trillion more than it takes in!

His plan to control spending was to freeze domestic spending at current levels for five years.  But, the problem is current spending is already at unsustainable levels – we’re spending too much as it is.  That’s why members of my party have suggested cutting back spending to 2008 levels, if not the lower levels of previous years.  We also want to introduce reforms, such as a balanced budget amendment, that will help restrain spending in future years.  And, then there is entitlement spending, which the President gave only a cursory mention, in effect deferring leadership on reform to Congress.

Some, however, might see the President even discussing spending restraint as a conciliatory gesture toward the new House majority and the strengthened Senate minority. 
After all, this is the same President who previously championed massive spending measures like the failed stimulus spending, the ObamaCare law, and Cash for Clunkers, to name a few budget-busting initiatives.

But, at the same time that the President called for restraint, he also outlined some costly, new spending proposals, which he dubbed “investments.”  For example, in 25 years, he said, he envisions a country in which 80 percent of us have access to high-speed rail.  Who knows how much that will cost?  I suspect a lot, if our current rail system is any indication.  Since Amtrak’s creation 40 years ago, taxpayers have “invested” over $37 billion in subsidies into the system, yet Amtrak continually finds itself in the red every year.

Thus, the President managed to call for spending restraint at the same time that he was urging new stimulus-style spending on infrastructure, education, and clean energy.  That strategy may give some special interests what they want to hear, but when it comes to addressing the nation’s burgeoning debt, we can’t have it both ways.

State of the Union addresses often include lofty rhetoric and aspirations, but little in terms of specifics.  This speech was no different.  Congress will soon have to make difficult decisions regarding the nation’s spending and debt, and it won’t be able to just trim around the edges.  President Obama could have led the way and proposed bold cuts and reforms.  Such leadership would have gone a long way toward correcting the nation’s fiscal path.

U.S. Senator Jon Kyl

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Transgenics are dangerous to health

Transgenics crops are spreading worldwide. From the Green Revolution in Africa financed by Bill Gates and Rockefeller, pressure is being applied for the implantation of GMO (genetically modified organisms) in poor – and in not so poor- countries, threatening with the loss of American financial aid. It is a known fact that the UN’s World Food Program, including GMOs, is fostering a general plan for depopulation and total control (Agenda 21). Monsanto, who has the monopoly of transgenic seeds, in conspiracy with the governments has harmed farmers by forcing them to buy their patented seeds each year, in spite of the fact that their output is, according to studies, some 11 percent lower than the traditional.  Researcher  M. Monique Robin states that Monsanto’s goal is to control the world’s food, as he who is owner and handles the seeds (the company has patents for over 600 plants) which is the first link of the food chain, not only owns the food but also the health and  the life of the world population. It is also false that these transgenics have a drought resistant design which helps to alleviate world hunger; they leave the earth as if it were dead and work in combination with Round up Ready, a powerful insecticide manufactured by Monsanto which contaminates the water, soil and population. GMO crops are damaging to health as they require the use of more toxics, they carry marker proteins and genes of bacterias with both unknown and known effects, such as male sterility, allergy and resistance to antibiotics.

María Ferraz | Barcelona, Spain

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Regarding President Obama's statement on the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade:

Contrary to President Obama, abortion is not just a "private family matter." Further, all governments have a duty to eradicate it.

Legalized abortion is a true ecological disaster that has been unleashed throughout the globe and is turning it into a planet of death. Abortion affects the unborn child, the mother who has conceived him, the different people involved in the issue (the baby's father, the grandparents, health care workers, etc.) and all of society that will suffer from its negative impact.

Since the legalization of abortion the population has been prematurely aging and is dying of sadness and despair.

Legalized abortion is a right protected by a false freedom that leads women to do violence against their own bodies.

Psychologically, each one of these mothers will be wounded for life.

They will succeed in removing "something" from their wombs that today they find bothersome, but will not remove the crime they commit from their minds and hearts. To choose to extinguish in cold blood a life given by God to another person, to reduce to dust and ashes the body of a human being made in His image and likeness, should make us shudder.

Let us fight for life. Life is the future of man, never death.

Regards,

Paul Kokoski | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada


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Our nation is like the Titanic

The election results of last November were a repudiation of the deficit busting wealth redistribution programs passed by congress. Since 2007, the national debt has increased from 8.6 trillion to 14 trillion so both political parties share responsibility for delivering us to the brink of economic collapse.

The new members of congress were elected to change the paradigm. They are now being vilified by the progressives for obstructing compromise, not “working together”, being too partisan, for not “moving forward”. Anyone with a modicum of intellectual honesty must acknowledge both parties have for decades “worked together”, spent, borrowed, printed money, compromised, indebted and moved us forward to the brink of bankruptcy. The rising number of bankruptcies of cities and states are a preview of the fiscal calamity we will inevitably face as a nation as a result of our unsustainable national debt.

The voters are demanding a new paradigm; a non-negotiable commitment to cease spending money we do not have. The power to determine the course of our nation is in the hands of the Republicans who must balance the budget and uncompromisingly stop the progressives from spending money they don’t have, borrowing money they will never be able to pay back and passing legislation they will never read. Our nation is like the Titanic; we’ve struck an iceberg and the new congress must do more than rearrange the deck chairs and take food and beverage orders from the passengers.  

Ed Konecnik | Flushing, New York

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Should 9 year olds vote?

Your readers should truly reflect on Pres. Obama's actual words at a recent "memorial" pep rally. And I quote: "She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted. I want us to live up to her expectations.

I want our democracy (We are a Republic) to be as good as she imagined it.

All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations."

Regardless of how special Christina Taylor Green was, I don't want the fate of our nation to rest on the wisdom of a 9 year old. If this was so, we should lower the voting age and the minimum age to be a senator or president to 9. It is a cruel world out there. Children should be able to grow up innocent to the realities of that world until they are able to cope with them. I'm sure China would love us all to think like a child! I bet they are counting on it now!

Sincerely,

Joseph DuPont | Towanda, Pennsylvania

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The Tucson shooter

I keep waiting for someone … anyone … to mention that this 22 year old boy has had to live on a border riddled with Mexican drug cartels, dead bodies, bullets and congress people talking in Spanish to their constituents.

I think Americans are fed up. This is not right, what was done – but every politician in this country has pulled that trigger by allowing our laws to become lawless by a country that is not the USA.

Why blame this kid?? He was just trying to grow up and all the grown ups here in this greatest country on earth have let him down. Where is that slant on this story????

Yes, he is crazy but so are we citizens who are lied to daily by all the politicians who have promised over and over again to protect Arizona. No one has closed the border and we are being financially raped daily by broken promises.

What hope is there for a 22 year old??????? Where is the sanity in our not doing what we promise?

If people get elected and we ask you to close the border, close the border and restore some sanity to this country.

People have had it!

LP | Scottsdale

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