canfield cartoon 11-6-13

Eggheads and audits

In my experience, an accepted definition for an ‘Egghead’ is a person who could afford to hang around a university for years, wear the faculty down and eventually collect several degrees. Webster, a bit more sophisticated, defines an Egghead as a highly educated person who may not know much about real life. Certainly Glassman and Trenk fit right in to any Egghead definition. Only an Egghead would believe that you could take a group of ASU students with no management experience whatsoever and taught largely by Eggheads, to conduct a management audit of the Cave Creek Town organization and staff and come out with anything useful. The Cave Creek ‘Silly Issue Meter’ is approaching its upper limit with this ASU “Management Audit”, The West’s Most Western Town nonsense, the Selection Committee and process for selection of the Town Manager, the $80k Road Management Plan, the $20k shiny horse statues to commemorate a historic mining town, etc. Don’t take too seriously any result from this so-called management audit.

Hani Saba
Cave Creek resident
Walgreen’s Pharmacist

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The Cram-U-on state (Grand Canyon State)

The gravy train is back on the tracks, the economic engine a runnin’ and the demise of our Sonoran Desert being out done by the good weather in, “the valley on the run,” Phoenix metro. Look no further than East Mesa at Ellsworth Rd. in the once remote region of our dear to heart desert the BLOB (batter land of beauty) is bubbling, boiling and consuming our loving desert like a Pac-man on steroids.

The economic engine is chugging along once again; the desert has gotten a reprieve for the last few years but, as the Allstate spokesman with the gruffly voice stated in his commercial heard across our radio dial, you can hear hammering and pounding in Arizona once again, “like that’s a good sign?”

Well to the developers yes and the warm weather seekers who love the shopping malls, amenities at the finger tips … four car garages but, how about us who’d rather see the desert than humongous homes with four car garages popping up in our Sonoran Desert like a fish out of water!”

Yes the engine’s running again and the bulldozer’s fired up but, what happens when all these new transplants by the thousands want to venture into our wilderness, our lovely Sonoran Desert but, it’s not there or is, but too overcrowded to enjoy the tranquility the desert provides because the recreational areas (bike trails, hiking ,lakes, rivers) are trampled by the masses in sunglasses.

People are working, construction is back in business, the economy is stabilizing. Unfortunately the silent desert and its creatures who wander into (these new master planned gated communities because their home is under street lights and four car garages will suffer … to accommodate the homosapiens who have moved into the once desolate area.

Lyle Anderson
Apache Junction

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Incompetence continues to reign in Cave Creek


Incompetence continues to reign in town hall. It is unbelievable that the town would enter into a 10 year contract to share its court without consulting with those who know the system best and without thoroughly understanding the costs and revenues!

The council bobbleheads just entered into a long term agreement with Carefree to share the court and on the surface, it looks mighty like a sweetheart deal for Carefree. This merger agreement may or may not be a good deal for the Town, although it never has penciled out in the past and the numbers presented to justify this merger are obviously wrong. Not surprisingly, the person responsible to thoroughly understand the issue has not a clue – our cracker jack interim Town Manager who just got a big raise. He simply looked at the projected cost to operate the court in the 2014 budget and said here is about what it costs us with no real understanding of what went into that projection and absolutely no understanding of the revenues. Worse, he never bothered to talk to the Town Magistrate who does understand the court, its costs and revenues! This is not management – it is pure insanity.

Trenk and his bobbleheads continue to demonstrate that they can spend tax money on every whim that comes along if it looks like good press – money, as candidates, they said the town did not have. This court merger sounds good in the press, but may significantly bleed the Cave Creek budget for the next 10 years.

Bob Williams
Cave Creek

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Oral argument scheduled in the "Guns Save Lives" censorship case!


Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, 9:30 a.m., KORWIN v. CITY OF PHOENIX; 1 CA-CV 12-0878
Arizona Court of Appeals, Courtroom Two, 2nd floor, 1501 W. Washington, Phoenix

[Backgrounder: We put up "Guns Save Lives" billboards on 50 public bus stops under contract, city of Phoenix tore them down, Goldwater Institute is suing on our behalf, ACLU joined as amicus, it's now three years later.]

It's a big courtroom, you're invited, dress nicely, behave appropriately.

This is history in the making.

The case will be decided on the merits, but a big audience won't hurt us. Come on down and see the system at work. Can we say, "Guns Save Lives – Educate Your Kids" in Phoenix or not? NOTE: Please forward this memo.

The ACLU has joined our case because the free speech, due process and equal protection elements are important and have major national implications.

Should the city be able to destroy our message because they don't like what we have to say? (They deny that's what's behind it all, but it's obvious from the evidence, written all over the case.)

Can government really get away with arguing that a public bus stop is a non-public venue, so they have power to control our content? (That's at the heart of the "forum analysis" issue the ACLU chimed in on, from a 9th Circuit Court decision, that could take this all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.)

Should Phoenix be able to muzzle us but let others do essentially the same thing? (That's the equal protection part, with public-service ads and non-commercial ads all over town, but ours singled out for special treatment – like censorship and destruction.)

See the ads before they were torn down, and read details about the case: http://www.trainmeaz.com/lower-court-censors-trainmeaz/

Our new ads are now getting 1.8 million views daily on Phoenix streets:
Someone's got to say it.

The "news" media and edutainment camps certainly aren't.

Alan Korwin
The uninvited ombudsman
www.gunlaws.com

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102 million insured with employer coverage could lose existing plans, Labor Dept. estimated in 2010

In 2010, when the Labor Department issued its interim final rule on employer-based health insurance, it was estimated that as many as 69 percent of the 149 million employer-covered market — some 102 million people — would not be grandfathered in under Obamacare. They are being forced to switch plans right now, because of the burdensome regulations imposed by the health care law, yet again putting the lie to Obama's pledge that if we liked our plans, we could keep them.

The Obama administration knew this was always a lie, and kept saying it anyway.

This is not news. In August of 2010, Americans for Limited Government commented to the Department of Labor on its regulation that forced employers to switch plans, and alerted the national news media to what was happening. While some elected officials in D.C. chose to keep their heads in the sand, this knowledge of the certain destruction of employer health plans is one of the many reasons why Americans for Limited Government fought to defund or delay the implementation of this disastrous law.

We welcome those politicians who have suddenly discovered this three-year-old regulation to the grim reality of the full impact of Obamacare, and urge them to stop its implementation by any legislative means necessary.

Nathan Mehrens, President
Americans for Limited Government

See also:
1. Labor Department estimate on grandfathering employer insurance plans under Obamacare, June 17, 2010 at www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2010-06-17/pdf/2010-14488.pdf#page=17
2. Comments of Americans for Limited Government on RIN 1210-AB42 Interim Final Rules for Group Health Plans and Health Insurance Coverage Related to Status as a Grandfathered Health Plan Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Aug. 16, 2010
3. "Labor Department health care regulation will force employees to switch health care providers," Aug. 16, 2010 at http://getliberty.org/labor-department-health-care-regulation-will-force-employees-to-switch-health-care-providers-2/

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Mayor – Another promotional taxpayer letter received today

Remarkable!!! Bragging about violating U.S. Trademark law. The Mayor appears to be building the case for Scottsdale. FYI – The postage on the envelope was $.46.

To Cave Creek Town Council:
In my opinion, the Town of Cave Creek's attempt to hijack promotional benefits from a federally registered trademark is unwise. Note my Sept. 17, 2013 e-mail to you on this subject.
John Hoeppner
Cave Creek


In a message dated 9/17/2013 7:29:52 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, Hoeppner writes:

To Cave Creek Town Council:
The City of Scottsdale has ownership of the United States trademark "The Wests Most Western Town" -registration #7664642| 7/17/2007. In the final analysis, the use of this mark by the Town of Cave Creek is inviting at a minimum an embarrassing cease and desist or the potential for expensive litigation.

In my opinion, the town government should be focused on governing and leave the marketing initiatives to the local chamber of commerce or event organizers.

Thank you.
John Hoeppner
Cave Creek

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Dear Patriot

Last Thursday, we took on the sizable challenge of raising $100,000 in only seven days to show the political establishment the Tea Party is stronger than ever.

And with your help, and the help of thousands of our fellow Tea Party activists, we met and surpassed our goal one week later on Thursday afternoon!

In only seven days' time, Tea Party Patriots raised an astonishing $108,573!!

We cannot thank you enough for helping us prove the political “ruling class” wrong yet again.
You see, after these Washington “insiders” forced a corrupt deal to fund Obamacare through Congress earlier this month, they were sure that they had finally beaten us.

The establishment was writing the Tea Party movement's obituary every chance they got.
But with your help, we have proven them wrong once again.

Together, we have shown them that grassroots patriots can raise the funds to go toe-to-toe with them.

And next, we're going to use those funds to show them that we have the organization and the know-how to defeat their big-government agenda.

We just announced the formation of our Rapid Response Team, a new initiative that will enable Tea Party activists to organize and mobilize for liberty like never before.

Over the next several months and as we move into the 2014 cycle, Tea Party Patriots will have several volunteer opportunities that will build up to having a profoundly meaningful impact. These activities include everything from going door to door to engaging in our cause online.

And it all starts with the Rapid Response Team laying the ground work for saving our country.
With your hard work, dedication, and generosity, the Tea Party movement has become stronger than ever before.

And as we move forward, we're well positioned to continue that vitally important work.
We can't thank you enough for your support in this aggressive season for our movement, and we look forward to continuing the work with you in the weeks and months to come!
For Liberty,

Tea Party Patriots National Support Team

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Wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing

The U.S. Department of Justice ought to be eligible for a Halloween prize for its wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing costume. (News article, October 30.) Surely its legal team was practicing illusion in arguing before a federal court that it represents the interest of Louisiana families who receive school-choice vouchers and that therefore the parents should not be allowed to join the state in defending the choice program.

In line with the Obama Administration’s anti-school-choice ideology, it was the Justice Department that earlier had asked the district court to block use of vouchers in any of Louisiana’s 22 parishes that still fall under federal desegregation orders. After a justifiable public outcry over Justice’s effort to prevent thousands of kids from gaining the educational opportunities that desegregation is supposed to yield, Washington’s legal eagles beat a strategic retreat and said they only wanted better data collection on the voucher program. However, Justice has not withdrawn the original filing that seeks to kill vouchers.

More than 90 percent of the voucher recipients are minority children. Many research studies have established that children in school-choice programs attend schools that are as integrated, if not more integrated, than the public schools to which they had been assigned.

Since they are not fools, these Louisiana parents see the Justice wolf in sheep’s clothing and wish to join such pro-choice litigants as the Goldwater Institute and the Black Alliance for Educational Options in defending the free-choice vouchers that Gov. Bobby Jindal and a bipartisan coalition in the Legislature put in place. It is outrageous that Justice is trying to stand in the courthouse doors (as Goldwater’s Clint Bolick has put it) to try to force them to be represented by federal ideologues who do not have their best interests at heart.

Robert Holland
Senior Fellow for Education Policy
The Heartland Institute

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FairTaxHR25 ends IRS

Americans paying income tax April 15 will have substantially less money that midnight. Many will take out loans and sacrifice to save the taxes due – giving up vacations, entertainment, upgrades on homes. "Can I pay my taxes?" is a daily worry. Satisfaction of payment is short-lived. Next year's tax worries resume.

When turning over your wealth this year, consider:
• In 2010 the IRS gave $4.2B in child tax credits to illegal immigrants.
• From 2003 - 2012 the IRS gave $110-$132.6B (your money) in tax credits to people not qualified to get your money.
• 21-25 percent of Earned Income Tax Credit payments went to someone who didn't qualify.
• In 2012 – a time of economic crisis for many taxpayers – IRS gave $11B in EITC payments to unqualified recipients. And the IRS does not think it can or will fix the problem!
IRS, used by the powerful to remain powerful at the expense of your wealth and liberty, silences opposition to the powerful status-quo. FairTaxHR25 ends IRS. Because it audits only businesses, it can more easily detect fraud. Unlike 73,000+ pages of code, HR25 uses a simple 1-3 page form.

Call Congressman Camp, Chairman of House Ways and Means, 202-225-3561 demanding support of HR25The FairTax.

Beverly Martin
Fulton, Missouri
[email protected]

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Expansion of governmental power and dominion over our lives

Do you believe that the attack on Benghazi resulting in four American deaths was prompted by a video? Do you still believe you can keep your doctor and your health plan? Will Lois Lerner at the IRS ever be held responsible for her actions? Do you believe the president was never informed of the NSA surveillance? Would you enter your private information on the government healthcare website with confidence?

President Barack Obama, our country’s Chief Executive Officer, seems disengaged from and uninformed about circumstances and effects of his policies, his directives, his so-called legacy. The illusion is that we are rudderless, drifting from one crisis to another with a commander in chief at the mercy of circumstances and obstacles beyond his control, instigated by Republicans, and who is doing his best to create a beneficent progressive utopia. I believe the purpose of these crises serve to justify the expansion of governmental power and dominion over our lives and economy. By appearing to be a bystander, he absolves himself from blame and responsibility for the chaos that ensues all the while engaging in double speak and untruths.

With regard to healthcare, the latest excuse is that only five percent, 15 or 20 million people, are going to lose their plan. If you kill a person, shouldn’t you go to jail even though the person you killed was only one person out of 300 million? Since when do you destroy people and it doesn’t count because it is too small a percentage?

Ed Konecnik
Flushing, New York

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