Knock it off, Phil: This is one bad idea

One-armed bandits before paying baggage fees

Sanctuary City Mayor Phil Gordon is exploring the possibility of partnering in a profit sharing venture with a Native American tribe to bring slot machines to the airport.

You read that right.

Philly’s hope is increased revenue for the cash-strapped city.

The mayor has put together a team to come up with “revenue enhancement” plans for Phoenix without raising taxes or fees. After all, such tax hikes wouldn’t be a good footing on which to base his gubernatorial run. The slots are one of the plans under consideration.

“We’re broke,” said the desperate mayor.

Seeing Red AZ has a suggestion. How about returning the costly illegal aliens to their homelands? Such a move would save the city, county and state mega millions in education, implementation of English language learning, extra teachers, public safety personnel, public defenders, prosecutors, court staffing, costs associated with incarceration, medical care, public safety personnel….. well, you get the picture Phil.

One-sided grudge match pits recruited in-law against stalwart Pearce

District 18 is ground zero

The daily runs another notable front pager — this one detailing how the Arizona Republican party is in a fight to stay alive, facing tough primaries from previously lackluster Democrats, now flexing increased registration muscle.

What is especially humorous, is the insertion of the District 18 GOP senate race in the article. If they are looking to make comparisons between squishy Republicrats and proven Conservative Republicans, this is a good place to start.

Congressman Jeff Flake was none-too-happy when state Rep. Russell Pearce was eyeing a challenge to the amnesty-oriented Flake. Although Pearce ultimately decided to run for the state senate seat being vacated by the retiring Karen Johnson, the grudge wore heavy on Flake.

In retaliation, Flake encouraged his immigration lawyer brother-in-law to challenge the popular Pearce. Kevin Gibbons, the recruited in-law, has caused even the stiffest East Valleyite to choke back laughter, when he asserts his credentials, claiming at last week’s debate that, “I’m the immigration expert here.” (Press OPEN to view video.)

Pearce is the author of numerous bills dealing with immigration issues, sponsoring the employer sanctions law that clamps down on illegal hiring.

Gibbons is backed by the businesses interests which enjoy reaping the benefits of paying sub-standard wages to illegal laborers.

AZ Court of Appeals rules illegals can be convicted as co-conspirators

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas prevails

The Arizona Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of an illegal alien prosecuted as a co-conspirator under the state’s human-smuggling law.

The court found that the law’s wording is clear and unambiguous - illegals can be convicted for conspiracy to smuggle themselves into the country.

The defendant, Juan Barragan-Sierra of Mexico, had argued that the Arizona Legislature didn’t intend to punish anyone but smugglers when it passed the law. The 2005 law made it a state crime to smuggle humans, already a federal crime.

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, has successfully prosecuted more than 750 such defendants — charged and convicted of violating the law as conspirators. Convictions can bring up to two years in prison.

Barragan-Sierra, 23, had admitted paying a smuggler $2,000 to be taken into the U.S. in June 2006, according to the daily.

Thomas called the court’s ruling intellectually courageous. “It’s another historic milestone in the fight against illegal immigration, and it shows that Maricopa County continues to lead the way in that effort,” he said.

This decision cannot be warmly received by the editorial board at the Arizona Republic which advocates on behalf of the continual flow of illegal traffic into the United States in editorials, fluff features, poignant photos, skewed news reports, via columnists and the paper’s favorite top-of-the-editorial page brief blurbs.

Scott helps his younger brother in Michigan

Could it be a mere coincidence or is this the groundwork for a political union of national proportions?

This strategy could present the windfall McCain desperately needs to regain lost Republican votes. It could also bolster his image in a significant number of states.

It’s the same old hash — reheated

The gravy is the involvement of the Republic’s lawyer

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s crime suppression patrols are being targeted in a lawsuit alleging his officers have racially profiled Hispanics, as reported in an early edition of the daily.

“From what we have been hearing on the ground, he has been violating people’s civil rights left and right,” said Kristina Campbell, an attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). The allegations were filed Wednesday as part of an existing lawsuit.

Today’s revised and inflated edition features an above-the-fold front page article complete with two full-color photos and a jump covering the entire continued page. One of the photos dates back to March.

“4 Americans,” have been found to front the lawsuit and claim mistreatment.

Sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Paul Chagolla declined to comment on the lawsuit’s contents, but said the agency doesn’t racially profile people and that the sweep allegations were an attempt to refresh a civil case against the sheriff. “This is not a new lawsuit,” Chagolla said

Vincent Picard, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said the Sheriff’s Office has not violated their agreement. The agreement allows up to 160 specially trained sheriff’s deputies and jail officers to enforce federal immigration laws.

ICE, the federal agency that provided the officers special training said the sheriff has stayed within the bounds of its training agreement.

This lawsuit is the latest legal round fired by agendized groups such as the ACLU and Hispanic advocacy organizations trying to prove Sheriff Arpaio engages in racial profiling while arresting illegal aliens.

The lead attorney is David Bodney. Bodney also represents The Arizona Republic.

How convenient.

PAChyderm Coalition endorsements

Contested primaries front and center

CD1 - Sydney Hay

CD5 - David Schweikert

Corporation Commission - Joseph Hobbs, Rick Fowlkes, Keith Swapp

County Assessor - Kevin Ross

Justice of the Peace, Desert Ridge - Paul Henderson

Senate:

LD1- Steve Pierce

LD4 - Jack Harper

LD18 - Russell Pearce

LD22 - Thayer Verschoor

LD26 - Al Melvin

House:

LD3 - Nancy McLain

LD6 - Sam Crump and Carl Seel

LD12 - Jerry Weiers and Steve Montenegro

LD18 - Ron Middlebrook

LD20 - Jeff Dial and John McComish

While there are other conservative Republican candidates who are worthy of election and are more than acceptable to the PAChyderm Coalition, they did not rise to meet the rigid standards necessary for the PAChyderm Coalition to formally endorse their candidacy over their rivals.

Working within the caucus to ensure the best possible outcome on overarching critical issues is one significant standard. This year’s budget is a prime example. In our representative democracy, we expect our leaders to have the wisdom and discernment to work for the best possible decision - even when it hurts.

Hopefully, in the future, that lesson will be learned by all Reagan Republicans.

In this election cycle, it’s difficult to quarrel with his reasoning

Fox News Channel’s Brit Hume, the network’s top political anchor, intends to step down from his nightly newscast after the presidential election, according to the New York Times Brian Stelter’s TV Decoder.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, and it’s just not as fascinating to me as it used to be,” Hume told the New York Observer two years ago. “Look, journalism is a lot about enthusiasm. You have to have it. I find I am no longer as interested in politics as I was.”

Bingo! Laurie Roberts nails it twice in a week

 

Taking the Best Mayor in the Galaxy to task for his obvious inattention to Phoenix’s deteriorating neighborhoods, Roberts has earned the scorn of some Phil Gordon supporters. The truth is often a bitter pill, but she addresses this issue directly, nonetheless.

While Phil Gordon runs campaign ads in an off-election year, jets off to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates attempting to cut international deals, or ensures sanctuary city status for illegals in Phoenix, middle-class neighborhoods are falling into ruin. Many of these areas are still populated by original owners who have devoted decades of care to their largest single investment: Their home.

As newcomers are pre-qualified for homes on government grants and have neither the pride or financial resources to maintain their residences, the blight becomes infectious, leaving neighborhoods to spiral downward.

The City of Phoenix has a Neighborhood Preservation Division that claims to resolves issues pertaining to property maintenance. The Code Enforcement Policy is described on their website as a “guideline,” which renders it virtually useless. If your new neighbor moves into a home where the grass was painstakingly groomed and watered by underground sprinklers, but he decides to use it as a parking lot until the grass dies and the sprinkler heads are destroyed, that is the newcomer’s option. Although the dirt yard will surely bring down your property values, the city calls that a personal choice. Ditto for peeling paint or shingless roof.  Old tires and paint cans decorating the yard might be dealt with if you call often enough and provide your name, although the violator might live right next door.

Mr. Best Mayor in the Galaxy, how about putting some teeth in the code? That could undergird a great, and perhaps, even positive, column.

Following the money in AZ’s congre$$ional race$

Here are the numbers!

The Federal Elections Commission has released the second quarter listing of campaign finance fundraising and expenditure reports for Arizona’s congressional candidates. The figures were released yesterday in compliance with FEC requirements.

District 1

District 2

District 3

District 4

District 5

District 6

District 7

District 8

No surprise, incumbents have an edge. But many observers smell victory on the horizon for challengers, most notably Republican David Schweikert, who is mounting an aggressive challenge to freshman Democrat Harry Mitchell in the CD 5 race.

The CD 1 race could prove interesting as well, with Rick Renzi’s departure providing the open seat. It will likely be a race between two women. GOP hopes are pinned on Sydney Hay as she vies for the seat against Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick.

In Southern Arizona‘s 8^th Congressional District, Republican Senate President Tim Bee challenges freshman Democrat Gabrielle Giffords. President Bush is making a fundraising appearance, signaling the importance of that race.

Republican Congressmen Trent Franks (CD 2), John Shadegg (CD 3) and Jeff Flake (CD 6) are odds-on favorites to retain their seats.

Sheriff’s deputies arrest 40 in unannounced Mesa crime suppression sweep

Reporter stifled by PC guidelines

Last month the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office conducted an announced two-day Mesa crime sweep, arresting 72, including 28 unlawful international trespassers.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said that not announcing his office’s most recent sweep likely increased the percentage of illegal aliens arrested, 65 percent, compared to 39 percent with the June patrols, according to a report in the daily. Mesa Police Chief George Gascon turned the previous patrol into an expensive media circus in his effort to publicly undermine Arpaio.

In the four sentence newspaper article, reporter Senta Scarborough miraculously managed to use the words “undocumented immigrants” three times.

These folks are not undocumented,” Senta. In fact they have plenty of documents. Drivers licenses, Social Security numbers, birth certificates, checks and other personal identification are merely stolen from innocent American citizens, forged or otherwise counterfeited. They are then sold to the people you refer to as “undocumented,” to enable them to obtain employment, housing, enroll their children in school and establish credit. All the while victims of their treachery struggle to put their own life back in order — a costly process that can take years.

No. These folks are not undocumented. Neither are they “immigrants.”  They have illegally entered our country in violation of our nation’s laws and sovereignty.

That’s a fact worth considering as you type out your next report.