Keeping up with those pesky bills can be such an annoyance

Newsweek reports on unpaid property taxes mounting for four years on a La Jolla oceanfront condo property. Humorist Andy Borowitz provides some comic relief.

The Supremes and George Will tackle the First and Second Amendments

Arizona’s “Clean Elections” constraints could come into question as McCain-Feingold is challenged

It was quite a day for those who value America’s founding documents and our Constitutional protections.

In writing the majority opinion in yesterday’s Heller decision, Justice Antonin Scalia underscored the right of each individual to protect his rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The Second Amendment is integral and second only to the First for these essential reasons.

In our zeal to celebrate DC v. Heller, (”the right of the people to keep and bear arms”) we neglected an equally important 5 - 4 U.S. Supreme Court victory– one that repudiates the death grasp constraints on First Amendment free speech rights imposed by McCain-Feingold

The court ruled on an appeal brought by Ohio businessman Jack Davis, a 2004 and 2006 Democrat congressional candidate, that federal election-law provisions which impose different campaign contribution limits on candidates competing for the same congressional seat are unconstitutional. Davis self financed his races while his opponent Rep. Thomas Reynolds, spent no personal funds.

Columnist George Will’s excellent column, McCain’s Day Of Repudiation, is a must read.

 

Congratulations on a bloated baby

A state budget has been birthed. The obese little guy may never be able to take his first steps due to so much flab, but everyone is cooing over how glad they are to see him — at last. They decided to call him Bipartisan, because some of his genes got mixed up with the neighbors from across the way. Other relatives thought a more fitting name would be Defector.

His Republican aunts Rep. Lucy Mason (R-Dist.1), Rep. Michele Reagan (R-Dist.8), Rep. Jennifer Burns (R-Dist.25) and uncle Rep. Pete Hershberger (R Dist-26) chose to abandon the family and join up with 27 Democrats to cut a deal on the $9.9 billion budget.

On a 31-29 vote, the House of Representatives approved the budget that previously won Senate approval in the wee morning hours after an all-night session.

Whether or not the family can manage a reunion for baby Bi’s christening remains to be seen. In the meantime, he is scheduled to visit with Nana Napolitano, who has her fingerprints all over him.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, THIS arrives in the mail

Timing as odd as the collective chairmen

At first glance, it looked benign enough. The letter had a return address photo of Barry Goldwater, bearing the familiar square, jutting chin and horn-rimmed glasses Arizonans came to know so well.

Of course, it was a fund-raising letter. All of the compulsory components identified it even before the words were read. There were the italicized sentences, the bold face and underlines, along with the assurances that all contributions are completely tax deductible. It was printed on both sides of one page to indicate a watchful (dare we say conservative?) eye on your donations.  We‘ve all seen hundreds of these. This one had the obligatory return envelope (unstamped), the contribution card which accepts all the major credit cards and that intriguing letter signed by Jim Kolbe, a onetime congressman, who served as a congressional page for Sen. Barry Goldwater in the 1950s.

The National Honorary Co-chairs are the recently deceased William F. Buckley, Jr. and former Sen. George McGovern, a liberal Democrat who failed to win his home state of South Dakota when he ran for President in 1972. National Co-chairs are Mary Dell Pritzlaff, mother-in-law of former Gov. Fife Symington, and Bob Hobbs, Sr.

But it’s the Arizona Honorary Co-Chairs that must have Barry spinning a bit. Uber-liberals Gov. Janet Napolitano and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon don’t appear to have much in common with the man known both locally and nationally as “Mr. Conservative.” Ditto some of the members of the Arizona Executive Steering Committee. There we have another list of formers: Sen. Dennis DeConcini, another liberal, best known for his deciding vote to give away the Panama Canal; U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe, who had a few problems regarding alleged improprieties with Capitol pages before he stepped down; Govs. Fife Symington, Jane Hull and even the Dairy-Queen coifed Democrat, Rose Mofford. Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup completes the list.

The charitable corporation’s statutory agents, officers and directors are listed here, along with declared assets of $86,361.00. Initiating a capitol campaign in today’s faltering economy is odd. Trying to rally funding for an endeavor bearing the name of Barry Goldwater with this peculiar list of agents, is downright bizarre.

There’s got to be more to this. We’ll wait for a shoe to drop. So far the silence is deafening.

Arpaio victorious over orchestrated pro-illegal demonstrators

Supervisors approve slight increase in county budget

Pro-illegal alien proponents who oppose the neighborhood crime suppression efforts of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, engaged in a loud and unruly demonstration at the Board of Supervisors auditorium yesterday. The intimidation techniques of the newly formed group, Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability, were intended to apply pressure on the supervisors, with the expectation of curtailing law enforcement funding to the sheriff’s office.

Ultimately, the approach was unsuccessful as the Supervisors unanimously approved a $2.4 billion county budget, up slightly from this year. The overall budget reflects $42.2 million in cuts for county departments–including the Sheriff’s Office–as well as another $56 million to non-departmental budgets.

Sheriff Arpaio vowed he will continue to enforce “all of the laws of this land” despite the criticism. The protest and ongoing political controversies over his immigration sweeps can be placed on the collusion among Democrat open borders advocates including Gov. Janet Napolitano, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox. Yesterday’s demonstration was organized by former state legislator and Spanish language radio talk show host, Alfredo Gutierrez, who was covered on valley newscasts crudely disparaging Sheriff Arpaio.

Arpaio thanked the four Republican supervisors–who stood at one point to indicate their support - “I’m the sheriff and I decide on the policies of this office and I’ll continue to do so,” he said.

The daily gave coverage to the Sheriff’s supporters with this–the last line of the article:

A small group of Arpaio supporters spoke in his favor and Anna Gaines was among them: “I support . . . the sheriff 100 percent,” she said.

The Republic reporters conveniently neglected to identify Anna Gaines as Hispanic and a spokesperson for the group You Don’t Speak for Me, as they threw her in as an afterthought at the bottom of the report.

Garbage in, petrol out

No more worries about carbon footprints, off-shore drilling or environmental concerns in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).  Just get yourself a beaker and some bugs, and off you go….

Daily’s editorial agendized drum beat drowns out reason

Obsessions are illegals, gays and promotion of liberal candidates

The mission of the declining dinosaur known as the Arizona Republic is to use its last gasps of breath to regurgitate the issues that raise its passion levels. Today they are enthusiastically fixated on all three topics. Here is a sample of issue número uno:

In this morning’s lead editorial, Ripe for reform, the focus is on immigrant labor. The paper steadfastly refuses to use the word “illegal,” so we’ll help you out by providing the missing adjective. The thrust is that the labor shortage is so extreme in Arizona that a Willcox, Arizona tomato farming operation, oddly called Eurofresh Farms, transports their product to Mexico for packaging, where it is then transported back to Arizona for shipping.

The conclusion drawn by the daily Fish-wrapper is that this ruse is necessary due to a scarcity of American workers. The truth is that this charade cuts the costs for Eurofresh. Mexicans can be paid less than American workers which is the obvious bottom-line issue.

Offer a competitive wage to American workers and they will be happy to package your tomatoes, Mr. Ferguson. Remember the lines of willing American job seekers stretching around the Swift meat packing plants after raids removed the illegal workers using stolen identities to secure jobs previously held by U.S. citizens?

Democrats scramble to finance national convention

The host committee for the Democratic National Convention faces a possible shortfall of $15 million, complicating logistics for the August event and forcing it to abruptly postpone a scheduled media walk through of the site.

The Democratic National Committee has asked the cash-strapped panel to raise $40.6 million by today to finance the event. Last month, the committee said it had just $25 million in cash, and it has failed to meet each of several fundraising deadlines since signing a contract with the DNC last year.

Host committee members consistently have refused public comment on their fundraising efforts.

If the other reasons didn’t work, here’s a new improved version

Escaping drug wars edges out economic security

New border crossers are now said to be professionals.

Many are entering the United States on tourist visas and running their company by telephone. Investor visas are given to people who open businesses and employ workers in the U.S., allowing for indefinite stays.

According to the daily, the number of investor visas, known as E-1 or E-2 visas, issued to Mexican citizens grew substantially, to 42 percent from 2005 to 2007, from 1,321 to 1,874.

High priced cigarettes aid health, harm programs dependent on taxes

$10 a pack smokes

Will Arizona follow the lead of New York, and impose exorbitant taxation on smokers? If more people stop smoking, the cessation of income derived from the cigarette taxes will negatively impact the income stream upon which so many government programs have become dependent.

Such a dilemma.  It’s difficult to admit we need the unhealthy and addicted to fund program for others.