Gov. Ducey rewards Kate McGee for turning LD 28 blue

To call this invitation to a toney fundraising reception at the Phoenix Country Club preposterous would be the height of understatement. Gov. Doug Ducey is listed as the “Honored Guest.”

The no-attendance-price specified “Save the Date”notice states individual donors are limited to $5,200 and couples can only donate $10,400. Those are top limits, but sends a clear message pikers are not who LD 28 candidate Kate Brophy McGee hopes to attract.

There’s a back story to this swank soiree that needs to be told. State Senator Kate Brophy McGee was so busy attempting to manipulate the 2018 election in Legislative District 28 that she barely squeaked back into the senate, winning by a razor-thin margin of 50.1% over a newcomer Democrat who captured 49.9% — separating them by only 267 votes. This was beyond shocking in the formerly longtime Republican stronghold where decades once passed without a single Democrat being elected.

This near loss was not a fluke. Brophy McGee was the recipient of Republican wrath for pulling strings to influence the election in an effort to bring her RINOcrat buddy Kathy Petsas on-board for one of the two House seats.  Petsas — who targeted conservatives and aided Democrats as far back as 2012 — lost.

McGee’s 2018 machinations were responsible for two Democrats winning both district House seats while bumping highly qualified Republican incumbent Maria Syms, the sole pro-life candidate. Syms’ stellar career includes having served as an Assistant Attorney General, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Paradise Valley Town Councilwoman, and a State Representative. She has a proven track record advocating for education, law enforcement, public safety and border security.

During that election Brophy McGee, described by the Hillary-endorsing Arizona Republic as a “moderate,” actively courted Democrats, declaring  her gratitude for their endorsements. Ducey, in a major miscalculation, endorsed Brophy McGee and Petsas, even recording a robocall urging Republicans to support Petsas.

Now the Democrat unionist teacher who almost routed Brophy McGee is emboldened and running again — hosting a Saturday night kickoff event. Despite being outspent by almost two-to-one, Leftist Christine Porter Marsh came within spitting distance of Brophy McGee. The Dems are banking on turning the entire district blue. With the two House seats now in the left’s column and scheming Brophy McGee in the Senate, Conservatives think it already is.  If Republican Ducey is supporting McGee out of fear of losing Legislative District 28 entirely, he needs to put some conditions on his endorsement. It’s unlikely that he has.

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Will Arizona go to (recreational) pot?

The sham of imperiling our youth for the promise of $300 million a year

The guise of medical marijuana has been a scheme that fooled no one. Suddenly there was a rise in youthful patients experiencing “chronic pain” and desperately in need of a “prescription” dispensed by pain doctors, who just happened to be working out of dispensaries with a marijuana plant on the building‘s signage.

The deceptively titled “Smart and Safe Arizona Act”* was filed Friday with the Secretary of State’s Office. There is little doubt the well-funded measure will collect the necessary signatures to be on the 2020 ballot.

To make the initiative with the deceptive name appear palatable to Arizona voters who turned down a similar measure in 2016, the current version has seemingly socially conscientious provisions attached via a 16% excise tax — including $15 million from the “medical fund” to be directed to the state universities’ Arizona Teacher Academy, $10 million to the Department of Health Services for public health programs and $10 million to the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to reduce impaired driving. Stoned drivers presumably will not get the same level of scrutiny as inebriated ones, who aren’t integral to the charade. It also promises to create thousands of “good-paying jobs” across Arizona, no doubt in dispensaries. The few penalties that are incorporated in the initiative are nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy raises awareness about the harms of marijuana and other substances, and opposes the legalization of marijuana. Its website states: Marijuana is a harmful, addictive substance. Public policy decisions involving marijuana should be based on science, not made in the ballot box.

As a gift to those with multiple convictions, the ballot initiative facilitates expungement and sealing of arrest records, convictions, adjudications, and sentences that were predicated on conduct made lawful by this Act.

For those seeking a more rational, medical assessment of marijuana usage, we urge you to read “Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence,” a Hillsdale College Imprimus article by Alex Berenson. He details a conversation with his wife, Dr. Jacqueline Berenson, then a senior psychiatrist at Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Institute. It’s one of three places the state of New York sends the criminally mentally ill defendants judged not guilty by reason of insanity.

There’s no flim-flam. Just cold, hard facts you won’t soon forget. We hope you’ll recall the article when it comes time to vote on this sow’s ear of a measure.

 *H/T AZFamily.com TV 3

GateHouse buys carcass: AZ Republic sold in Gannett deal

The dawn of New Year 2019 gave the Hillary-endorsing Arizona Republic little to celebrate as it became a homeless vagrant on borrowed time. Since then, the situation facing the newspaper has gone from bad to worse.

By June it was once again on the auction block. If it were a hospital patient, the term “critical” would apply. Earlier, Gannett — the Republic’s parent company — barely survived a hostile takeover by Digital First Media. The Republic has engaged in massive staff layoffs, including Pulitzer-prize winning cartoonist Steve Benson.

The latest news, buried on page 6 of the single page Nation & World section is headlined, “GateHouse buys owner of Republic, azcentral.” Slathering makeup on the corpse, it was announced that New Media will acquire Gannett. Following the close of the transaction, both New Media and its operating subsidiary GateHouse will be rebranded and operate under the “Gannett” label. The deal included GateHouse assuming approximately $600 million of Gannett debt.

Rick Edmonds, writing for Poynter, has compiled an in-depth report on the acquisition including links to memos sent to Gannett and Gatehouse employees.

Look for the next shoe to drop when the 2020 election cycle rolls around and the whichever interchangeable leftist Democrat presidential candidate, promising to give away “free” health care to all, including illegals, and “free” college tuition, wins the newspaper’s endorsement. The Republic’s 2016 Hillary endorsement resulted in a self-admitted massive loss of subscriptions. Repeating a similar move in these precarious circumstances could prove disastrous.

Today’s front page, with more white space and bolder headlines, deceitfully features, “Protests Greet the President” followed by the bogus sub-header, “Visits by Trump to Ohio, Texas stir residents who voice opposition to his rhetoric.” Here’s proof of the extent of the lie. The Last Refuge has more.

USA Today concluded its report with these predictive words:

“The stakes are high. The fate of for-profit local journalism hangs in the balance as the news industry spars with digital giants Google, Facebook and others for revenue and the attention of Americans.”

SRAZ suggests insulting the newspaper’s remaining readers is not a model for success. This is a practice routinely engaged in by the grievously ill Arizona Republic, which is why it is in need of resuscitation.  The conglomerate appears to have amnesia, forgetting that Arizonans — and the nation — overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump. 

We will again.

Sinema’s new concern for families? Rewind the film

According to this press release, Arizona’s leftist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has not only teamed up with Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D., she has taken a dive on her former stance regarding mothers with young children. 

This is a summary of their “Bipartisan solution” to help new parents, complete with government subsidies and no restrictions on how parents can utilize the advanced funds of up to $5,000. They’ve even collaborated on a booklet filled with “Frequently asked questions.”

Their generosity with our tax dollars is literally dripping off the page. Parents who already receive paid leave through their employer or state could continue to do so, forgoing the new benefit and continuing to receive their full yearly Child Tax Credit. Low-income families that do not qualify for the full, refundable Child Tax Credit could, under the senators’ bipartisan plan, claim a benefit adjusted to 100 percent wage replacement for 12 weeks of work. For those families, the proposal also extends the 10-year repayment schedule to 15 years.

When not blatantly lying about her homeless childhood to achieve maximum impact or hurling coarse insults, Sinema, an early supporter of Obamacare, learned to turn a phrase for optimum benefit:

“I used to say that I wanted universal health-care coverage in Arizona, which went over like a ton of bricks. Turns out, Arizonans hear the word ‘universal’ and think ‘socialism’— or ‘pinko commie.’ But when I say that I want all Arizonans to have access to affordable, quality health care, Arizonans agree wholeheartedly. Same basic idea, different language.”

Her documented ties to the Communist Party were revealed by Breitbart. The National Republican Senatorial Committee posted these videos of statements Sinema has actually made.

Sinema, who refused to take her oath of office on the Bible, scores 100 percent alignment with Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider and supporter of late term abortions, viewed by rational people as infanticide.

As a member of the AZ legislature — who ran and lost as a Green party candidate before becoming a Democrat — and an early supporter of same-sex marriage, the acknowledged bi-sexual mockingly blasted women who devote themselves to their families rather than working outside the home. Her crude comment was:

“These women who act like staying at home, leeching off their husbands or boyfriends and just cashing the checks is some sort of feminism because they’re choosing to live that life. That’s bulls**t. I mean, what the f**k are we really talking about here?”

Following the spirit of unity Dems claim to embrace, Sinema derided conservatives as “Neanderthals.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy, elected as a Republican, is a medical doctor who has been in D.C. since 2008. He didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. What would cause him to form this bewildering alliance?

Feds to retry harborer of illegals

Scott Warren is a man who has more empathy for illegal invaders than commitment to the United States of America. Aligned with the fallaciously named, “No More Deaths,” a group that provides assistance to illegal border crossers, he was charged with three felonies resulting from his Jan. 2018 arrest by Border Patrol agents in Ajo, for providing what the leftist media refers to as “humanitarian aid.” The Arizona Republic actually headlined his arrest as “suspicious.”

The Tucson jury deadlocked. Outside the courthouse, Warren castigated the government for charging him for smuggling illegals, saying it, “criminalizes humanitarian aid, kindness, and solidarity.”

“Today it remains as necessary as ever for local residents and humanitarian aid volunteers to stand in solidarity with migrants and refugees,” Warren said. “And we must also stand for our families, friends, and neighbors, and the very land itself, most threatened by the militarization of our borderland communities.”

A retrial is scheduled for November 12.

Parents who pay astronomical tuition and fees to send their kids to Arizona State University will be thrilled to know this 36-year-old goon is a member of the faculty providing his skewed brand of influence.

Cindy Hensley McCain’s misplaced sympathy

Dead APS customers have “impacted Don personally”

Cindy Hensley McCain has been moved to come to the defense of the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Arizona Public Service — a subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. — claiming authorship of a foolishly insulting ‘My Turn’ editorial in the failing Arizona Republic newspaper, her husband’s personal public relations vehicle.

What would cause her (or more likely a surrogate) to write, “Maligned Don Brandt of APS is a good and decent man”? She refers to him as “a community leader called to serve a greater good,” and, of course, drawing a parallel to her late husband, gifted deity status by the same newspaper. Brandt eulogized McCain during at least one of his three funerals, whose self-prepared guest list pointedly excluded President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania.

Acknowledging, “Donald Brandt, the head of APS, is a long, dear friend of John and mine,” and enumerating his many business awards, Hensley & Co. Anheuser-Busch beer heiress Cindy takes exception to the loud voices raised in protest of the utility’s policies that allowed electricity to be cut to the homes of elderly residents, resulting in gruesome heat-related deaths.

Responding to citizen outrage, Arizona Corporation Commission regulators recently imposed a summertime ban on disconnecting home customers following the latest such death of a Arizona Public Service Co. customer in Sun City West after her power was cut off for nonpayment of $51. The families of two other customers who similarly died have won undisclosed judgments against the utility.

Cindy‘s praise includes these inane words:

“And because I have seen Don’s kindness (during her husband‘s final illness), I know the recent tragedies that have befallen our community have impacted Don personally.

We all mourn the loss of life, and I hope he doesn’t mind my words on his behalf.”

After the deservedly bad press he’s been getting, “Don,” the exceedingly well compensated, high dollar donor to your husband’s campaigns and the McCain Institute, won’t mind a bit, Cindy.

Radical Sinema appears to veer right. What’s up?

Sinema joins GOP senators urging shortening of asylum review

After reading that Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a committed leftist, is taking a more appropriate hard line on illegals flooding across Arizona’s southern border, checking out her voting record made sense.

It turns out, though her views are consistently far left, ranging from her pro-abortion stance to withholding funding for the border wall, she has been voting with the Republican majority on more issues than would be expected. Conservative Review rightly gives Sinema an “F” Liberty Score.

According to her senate website, Sinema is now taking a stand against Mexican raw sewage flowing across the border into Nogales, AZ.

“Right now, the people of Nogales are forced to pay for Mexico’s sewage costs. That’s not fair, and we’re working to fix the problem so Nogales residents only pay for their responsibility,” said Sinema.

Sinema’s topic also rings true as it relates to the border invasion.

In this letter sent to President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan, Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, led a bipartisan group of senators — including Sinema — urging DHS to begin “Operation Safe Return” along a portion of the U.S./Mexico border. The program would allow immigration officials to implement a pilot program streamlining the asylum review process, permitting border officials to deport families without credible asylum claims within 15 days. The exploited children in many of those so-called families, were unrelated to the adults, but used to prioritize their processing.

This is not a reliable as it sounds, since the majority of illegal aliens have been coached by activists and immigration lawyers on the exact words to say to get them into the legal pipeline. If the Central Americans were actually seeking asylum, why didn’t they make such claims when they initially entered Mexico? One reason is the generous taxpayer-funded benefits illegals are able to access in the United States. The Center for Immigration Studies reports, 63% of non-citizen households access welfare programs.

Johnson and Sinema were joined by Republican Sens. Rob Portman, (OH); James Lankford, (OK); Michael Enzi, (WY); John Barrasso, (WY); and John Cornyn (TX). Democrat Sens. Joe Manchin (WV) and Doug Jones (AL) also signed on.