How the Tea Party Senate lost Russ Pearce

CONGRATULATIONS, Arizona!!! 

For those who haven't yet heard, the President of the Tea Party Senate 

was thrown out of his job by Mesa voters this week...

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Dethroned: Host of factors helped oust Russell Pearce

Gary Nelson - Nov. 10, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Political experts will spend years analyzing how a political novice emerged from obscurity in west Mesa to knock off Arizona's most powerful lawmaker in Tuesday's unprecedented recall election.

But analysts and people involved in the fierce campaign pointed Wednesday to an array of factors in Jerry Lewis' improbable upset victory over Senate President Russell Pearce.

Those factors include:

The nature of the recall itself, which allowed Democrats and independents to vote in what amounted to an "open primary" election pitting two Republicans against each other.

The influence of outside groups, some aligned with liberal causes, that allied with the conservative Lewis to knock off the even more conservative Pearce.

Political blunders by Pearce and, more spectacularly, by his supporters.

Dissatisfaction with Pearce's tone, style and priorities.

Unhappiness among Mormon voters over the image that Pearce, a Mormon, had cast on their religion.

Lewis himself, described by backers as the "perfect" candidate to challenge a politician of his own religion and party.

Open election

Under the recall provision of Arizona's Constitution -- a century-old vestige of the Progressive Era -- any number of candidates can run, and all voters in the electoral district can cast ballots.

Pearce campaign officials said that created a situation where Democrats and independents could vote in what would, under other circumstances, have been a Republican primary election.

Pearce campaign manager Chad Willems said recall organizers deliberately set out to create that kind of race, announcing early on that their preferred candidate would be a White, Mormon, Republican conservative -- all of which describe Lewis.

"They knew they would split the Mormon vote and split the Republican vote," Willems said. In the meantime, Democrats would be almost certain to vote against Pearce; recall organizer Randy Parraz said on Election Day that Democrats turned out in large numbers.

Outside influence

Most of Pearce's campaign cash, and a great deal of his high-profile support, came from outside the district in the nationally watched campaign.

Lewis got outside help as well. In addition to his own campaign committee, which was run largely by Mesa residents with little political experience, Citizens for a Better Arizona -- the group that launched the recall drive to begin with -- was a powerful force for Lewis once the actual election campaign began.

Other groups weighed in as well.

Eliseo Medina of the Service Employees International Union, said Wednesday that his group worked to get out the Hispanic vote in District 18, and Petra Falcon, executive director of Promise Arizona in Action, said her Phoenix-based group used 300 volunteers to do the same thing.

"Mr. Pearce has always had his enemies, and by default they became Jerry's friends," said John Giles, a former Mesa vice mayor and one of Lewis' campaign chairmen.

Political mistakes

Pearce already was in some political trouble as the year began, nearly losing a seat on the state Republican committee.

In the spring he rushed to the premature defense of a Senate colleague involved in a domestic-abuse incident; he was found to have received almost $40,000 in benefits from the scandal-scarred Fiesta Bowl; and Republican senators helped defeat five of his immigration bills last session.

As the recall campaign kicked in, Pearce allies committed blunders that may ultimately have cost him his job.

A phony Twitter account in Lewis' name tried to falsely paint him as an advocate of open borders and lawlessness. Campaign signs were erected in violation of state and city law.

Then a Mexican immigrant named Olivia Cortes emerged as a candidate, and Pearce supporters admitted helping her get on the ballot in an effort to siphon votes away from Lewis. She survived one court challenge, but withdrew before a second. Her name stayed on the ballot, and she earned 1.2 percent of the vote.

Then, the Saturday before the election, Democratic voters got a "robocall" from someone with a Hispanic accent saying both remaining candidates were Republicans and suggesting voters enter write-in candidates.

Michael O'Neil, a Valley consultant and pollster who supported Lewis, said the Cortes matter was particularly damaging for Pearce.

"For the first 30 days of this election, he was completely off-message" as he dealt with allegations about Cortes, O'Neil said. "It wasn't offense for him. It was total defense."

Even Willems and Pearce spokesman Ed Phillips said some of the pro-Pearce schemes were boneheaded.

"You could make the argument that it could have been death by a thousand cuts," Phillips said. "It's sad the campaign centered on Cortes when it should have been about how Senator Pearce has helped get this state back on a sound footing."

"I think Russell was not successful last night because of friendly fire," Willems said, adding that the accented robocalls probably only reminded Democrats that there was an election Tuesday.

Launching the recall

Parraz, a Scottsdale Democrat, said he and his allies had been wary of Pearce but became alarmed last fall when he was elected Senate president.

Pearce was "already extreme in his own party," Parraz said, and "now had risen to one of the most powerful positions in Arizona."

Early in the new legislative session, Parraz said, Pearce "was focused on nullifying federal law, changing the Constitution, putting guns on campuses, gutting education, cutting off people who were waiting for organ transplants."

Parraz's group wrote Pearce in January asking him to change his priorities. Pearce ignored it, and the recall drive was launched three weeks later.

Lewis, who reluctantly agreed to run weeks after the recall was certified, did not participate in the recall drive or sign a petition. He differs little from Pearce on most issues, but said immigration is only one problem that must be addressed.

Lewis favors border enforcement but also reforms that would accommodate illegal immigrants already in the country. Pearce favors legal sanctions and deportation to deal with the issue.

Lewis' view is in line with a majority of Arizona residents, according to a statewide poll that was released Wednesday, the day after the election.

"On many levels, there was support for a change that permeated the district, and there were warning signs that have been flashing and ignored for months, if not years," said Lewis campaign co-chair Dea Montague.

Question of religion

The candidates' membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meant the campaign always would have elements of a Mormon family fight, and observers were cautious in discussing that.

But the religion issue really flamed late in the campaign when Pearce distributed an e-mail from a supporter who claimed divine inspiration in calling Lewis a "Judas goat" -- a highly charged term in Mormon quarters -- insinuating that Lewis was a tool being used to lead the Mormon faithful to political slaughter.

Regardless of whether that tipped Mormon votes in one direction or the other, Giles said Mormons knew which candidate most closely comported with church views.

"His enforcement-only approach to immigration is contrary to the LDS church's official position," Giles said.

'Perfect' candidate

Lewis, Giles said, "is a political novice but on the other hand he was a heavyweight in other categories that most candidates can really only dream about."

Giles noted that Lewis learned Spanish because "he was a church leader over a Spanish-speaking congregation ... he became their champion and they came out for him."

"Until you got a Jerry Lewis to be the candidate, (the recall) is a truly bad idea," Giles said. "It was doomed to failure. I don't know who else could have pulled this off."

Russ Pearce Recalled!

Russ Pearce was actually recalled tonight. Hopefully this signals an evolutionary shift for the better in the consciousness of the electorate here...

--------------AP via Tampa Bay On-line----------

Author of Ariz. immigration law loses recall election

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 08, 2011

 

PHOENIX — Senate President Russell Pearce conceded defeat Tuesday in an unprecedented recall election, a stunning turnabout for the author of Arizona's tough immigration law and one of the most powerful politicians in the state.

With thousands of ballots counted and results in from all 16 precincts, charter school executive Jerry Lewis led with 53 percent of the vote, compared with about 45 percent for Pearce, a margin of about 1,800 votes.

An unknown number of early ballots turned in Tuesday remained to be counted, but Pearce was resigned to defeat.

"It doesn't look like the numbers are going in my direction with this, and I'm OK with this," Pearce said Tuesday night, surrounded by Republican legislative allies, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and other supporters.

Pearce voiced determination, but no regrets. "I'm grateful for the battles that we've won," he said, adding later, "If being recalled is being the price for keeping these promises, then so be it."

Pearce didn't explicitly say that he was conceding, but campaign spokesman Ed Phillips later said that was the lawmaker's intent. "It was a concession," Phillips said.

Pearce was the author of the 2010 immigration law that put Arizona in the national spotlight and was replicated by several states around the country. The recall vote was seen by some as a referendum on the Legislature's hardline immigration laws that Pearce has championed over the years.

Republicans have said that a Pearce defeat would send a message to GOP lawmakers that they need to take a more moderate approach to avoid suffering a similar fate.

"Certainly the immigration issue is important to many people including myself," Lewis said. "We need to bring a civil tone to that discussion, a professional approach to solving it, an approach that is reasonable and won't be … in the courts for years to come."

A Pearce loss means that Lewis replaces him in the district's Senate seat and that majority Republicans would have to pick a new president to lead the legislative chamber.

Pearce accumulated a large amount of power as he rose through the ranks of the legislature to become leader of the Senate. Republicans hold more than a two-thirds advantage in the body, giving the party enough votes to easily advance its conservative agenda in GOP-dominated Arizona.

As a result, Pearce and his colleagues have taken a forceful role on conservative causes including business tax cuts, school private school vouchers, abortion limits, gun rights, union restrictions and immigration.
The recall election, forced by a petition drive, was the first for an Arizona legislator.

Recall supporters and Lewis' campaign did not emphasize the immigration issue, with the challenger instead focusing on education and consensus building. But Pearce and others said he was challenged because of his sponsorship of the 2010 law known as SB1070.

Key provisions of the law were put on hold by a federal judge before they could be implemented, but Republican Gov. Jan Brewer is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to let it take effect.

The law's enactment gave Pearce national notice as a leading proponent of Arizona's efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. He previously won enactment of a 2007 state law requiring employers to use a federal database to check new employees' work eligibility.

However, the 2010 law led to protests and boycotts of the state, and business groups urged legislators to take a timeout on the issue and to instead push for federal action.

That opposition led the Arizona Senate last spring to dramatically reject a handful of new Pearce-backed bills on the subject.

Pearce had support from Brewer and dozens of other elected Republican officeholders, but he was dogged by disclosures that he accepted numerous free trips from the Fiesta Bowl to out-of-state college football trips. He said he took the trips at the bowl's request to help support its economic role in the state.

While Lewis' campaign drew support and contributions from hundreds of Mesa residents, Pearce outspent his 54-year-old challenger by more than a 3-1 ratio and painted the recall advocates as liberal outsiders who were targeting him because of immigration.

A third name also was on the recall ballots, but Olivia Cortes withdrew from the race, so ballots cast for her were tabulated but won't count. She had faced a legal challenge to her candidacy that produced court testimony indicating tea party activists orchestrated her candidacy to dilute the anti-Pearce vote.

Cortes was getting a little more than 1 percent of the vote.

Destination Phoenix: No SB1070. April 23, 2011.

WHY YOU MUST BOYCOTT

THIS HATEFUL STATE,

AMERICA!!!

If you turn out, make it for the rally:

Saturday, April 23, 2011.

From Dennis Gilman Humanleague002

Slightly edited for format only.

(I love this man for what he does.)

"This video shows students in Arizona defending themselves as they are attacked mercilessly on the State Senate floor.

These are some of the young protesters that showed up at our State Capitol in February and March of 2011. Are they gangsters?

You decide for yourself.

This year, Russell Pearce and other Republicans pushed beyond SB 1070 by introducing numerous bills from denying newborn babies their human rights under the 14th Amendment to requiring all school and hospital officials to act as ICE agents.


In a bizarre attempt to sell these bills, racist attacks are made from the Senate floor against Hispanic students lowering the bar for hateful, racist rhetoric even in Arizona. Tom Horne shows up at the Capitol and is quick to call the young protesters thugs in a press release days later. You would think an educated man like Attorney General Tom Horne could tell the difference between thugs. I took the liberty to show Tom Horne what people act like that have never taken Ethnic Studies.

5 of the 26 anti-immigrant bills were voted down due to The Phoenix Chamber of Commerce's pressure on a handful of Republicans. The business community made it clear the current boycotts over 1070 have hurt the economy and they want no more anti-immigration laws passed.


But don't think for one minute we won anything.

While education and health care were cut drastically, millions of dollars of additional money will go to private prisons. There are so many moronic, unconstitutional and racist bills floating around, I simply can't go into all of them.

Arizona has over 117,000 millionaires under-taxed while the rest of us are barely surviving. Maricopa County ranks 5th in the Nation. They are never asked to pay their fair share while drastic and dangerous cuts are made everywhere else."

In Arizona, the hateful bills never stop. They never will as long as Russell Pearce is in power.

See you all at the Capitol April 23, one year after 1070 was signed.

Thanks,

Dennis Gilman

Horne, Pearce malign activists? Shocking.

Seems to me that the AZ Republic endorsed most of this slate of fools in the legislature and Governor's house...these are among the least of these men's crimes, by the way...this is just an example of their dirty tactics.

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Recent events show pattern of recklessness

Mar. 25, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic


Two recent events raise disturbing questions about what kind of state Arizona is becoming. One involves the Legislature. The other concerns the attorney general.

In both cases, elected officials sought political advantage at the expense of Latinos, who make up 30 percent of Arizona's population.

You've heard a lot about the one incident. Last week, Republican Sen. Lori Klein read a letter on the Senate floor that said Latino students are more interested in being gang members than in getting an education.

The letter had been e-mailed to Senate President Russell Pearce by a substitute teacher, whom Pearce initially declined to identify. It said, "most of the Hispanic students ... hate America."

The tone and language were so inflammatory - and so typical of extremist anti-immigration rhetoric - that it would have raised red flags for most people. The letter said students refused to pledge allegiance to the flag or speak English. It included negative depictions of Latino youngsters and decried an "invasion of our state."

The author of the letter, later identified as Anthony Hill, offered no proof of his charges. Nor did he have any way of knowing whether the students he was condemning were undocumented, the children of undocumented people or descendants of families that have lived in the Valley for generations.

Glendale Elementary School District began an investigation and found the allegations to be inaccurate. But that came a week after the letter was read in the Senate.

Pearce passed on the letter before the district checked it out. He continues to defend it. Klein accepted the diatribe as information worth sharing and used it to argue in favor of unwise immigration measures that were subsequently - thankfully - rejected.

In the process, ugly stereotypes about Latino children, not just undocumented children, were presented as fact.

Reading this letter was particularly reckless considering the increasingly divisive tone of the debate about immigration.

Arizona has a large population of Latino citizens who have as much right to be here as any member of the Legislature. They and their children should not be fair game in the maneuvering to gain a political upper hand.

Arizona deserves better from its elected officials.

Which brings us to the second event.

Republican Attorney General Tom Horne sent out a news release last week under the subject line: "Horne Releases Raza Mob Video." The video showed a group of what appeared to be Latino protesters chanting and following Horne outside the Capitol.

Horne's release described these peaceful protesters as "a thuggish mob," a charge not backed up by the video.

As superintendent of public instruction, Horne made quite a campaign of opposing raza studies in the Tucson Unified School District, and this editorial page shared his concerns.

But his use of the term "raza" in this release had an incendiary tinge that a man in Horne's position should recognize.

Coupled with "mob," it conjures images of dangerous and threatening people and positions the AG as a bulwark against this Latino ethnic threat. Please.

Arizona is an ethnically and racially diverse state that benefits from the contributions of many people. It also would benefit from leaders who bring us together instead of working the edges.

It was reckless to read in the Senate a letter that is steeped in negative stereotypes. It was irresponsible to characterize a group of peaceful protesters as a "raza mob."

Arizonans should hold elected officials to a higher standard.

St Patrick's Day: Immigration Bill Teach-in at the Capitol.

I actually missed all the protests myself, today - the students and teachers at the capitol and the arrest of George Bush - so I got my fix down at ASU's Taylor Mall on 1st St. - that's looking North towards my place past Roosevelt.

A cop came by as I was wrapping it up - he was rolling around one of those silly motorized unicycle things they stand on (I'd fall down laughing if they actually chased me down in one - except that they'd probably shoot me for it. I think the cops who use their weapons the most tend to be the laziest). He took in my message, my camera, and my costume for a moment, admonished me to be sure to stay off of ASU property with a smile, and left me to carry on.

---------------------------------

No wonder we need to add another 5,000 state prison beds - they're for the teachers, nurses, and children who defy the state. This is what happens when you give the bad guys an inch in the AZ Legislature - they want it ALL for themselves and their kin at the expense of the rest of us. I just want to go into the Senate during the pledge of allegiance or prayer opening each session and scream at the top of my lungs : "What is wrong with you people?!!!"


But they'd just lock me up and order a Rule 11 Hearing on the grounds I might shoot someone (I'm not the crazy one, I can assure you. Nor do I own a gun). This legislature has gone insane and very few people seem to notice it these days - there are 26 anti-immigrant bills pending: Go to Border Action Network to read them and act. This post addresses only four of them. Where are the armies of resistance - did everyone just go back to their lives and hope the whole SB1070 thing would blow over soon?


If a different person screamed at the legislature every day, they'd have a much harder time burying me - I'd volunteer to be the first. Or we could be more discreet (and maybe live to fight another day)- we could each just go in quietly with a t-shirt that says: "FUCK AZ FASCISM!" that we prominently display to the Senate floor once inside...they'll quickly ban EVERYONE from committees and sessions to prevent anyone from expressing their disgust and outrage at their conduct.



My hopes for overthrowing the state government are no doubt unrealistic; this is Arizona, after all, not Libya, where people will fight and die for their freedom and rights while we stand impotently by, chastising the man murdering them. There's only a handful of people showing up to protest Pearce et al each day anymore - we're still probably outnumbered by the bad guys' lobbyists on the inside. Never mind that we've plunged deep into a moral abyss here at their direction.


The vast majority of these people do not represent me, I assure you. Mine are relatively cool, though, because I live among artists, anarchists, and other poor people. We kind of get it, as a community.


You know what this state would do if we took over the AZ Senate like people in other states are taking back their Houses? Brewer would make Gaddafi seem pretty tame in squashing a real rebellion here...which is maybe what people voting for those fascists need to see, up close: blood in the streets, before giving her power to constitute her own little army of white supremacists to call out on us...


They sure don't care about bodies in the desert, here - or the children in the schools, young parents dying without health care, or any of the rest of us, for that matter. It's the Me Party Senate of Russ Pearce.

I really hope Mesa recalls that mean SOB they empowered to lead this pack of mad lemmings they call Republicans in this state. Too bad Fountain Hills doesn't have enough of a collective political clue or heart to recall John Kavanagh - he must be working out okay for enough of them, though I know there sure are families suffering there. Just try to be a single parent or live on a teacher's salary there.


That guy doesn't think our taxes should be used to cover health insurance for "these people". He knows damn well the people he's condemned to die are taxpayers, too. No one does anything in Arizona without paying the state their sales taxes - they're shifting as much as possible off the rich that way, on to the poor, while making the middle class think that it's being bled dry by the shiftless bodies populating our AHCCCS rolls, and that the feds are into socialism (hardly!)...


That sales tax last year was passed by voters on the claim that it would help spare education and other cuts, by the way. Advocates for the poor were even begging us to do so in order to save their programs, despite the negative impact the tax itself would have on so many families already on the edge. Now look at where we're at: she's cutting our programs despite taking more money from us, and now she's trying to lower business taxes despite the budget crunch. (It's part of the plan to make the tax shift shuffle permanent.)


Brewer's really got her priorities for The People straight - she'll dump $20,000/person per year to incarcerate drug and property offenders who we can't even keep safe inside, but she won't fund the schools adequately or support neighborhood programs that are key to protecting kids from being both victimized and criminalized in the first place. That's not a difficult connection to make - it would also be consistent with the trends towards evidence-based practice standards across the judiciary and in corrections. The people spending a billion dollars a year of our tax dollars on state prisons and extensive community surveillance aren't paying attention to outcomes of research or the consequences of the legislation they push on the public, though - they just twist data to justify pursuing their objectives. (which are apparently not really to prevent crime - just to punish it. Somehow that doesn't make me feel any safer knowing they're in charge).


As I said earlier: "What is wrong with you people?!!"


It's really quite disturbing that Kavanagh chairs the Appropriations Committee - the problem in our legislature won't be alleviated just by getting rid of Russ Pearce (though it's a good start). Who does he think "these people" are on AHCCCS, anyway? I've lived in Fountain Hills, and know a few good people there still: unless they do something about their elected representatives, they're hurting themselves and their kids, too.


AHCCCS patients aren't just our neighbors, they're OUR LOVED ONES - they're US - when we get leukemia, can't work, have to re-finance our homes and go bankrupt because the Republicans in Congress are determined to undo employer health care mandates. How can anyone raking in less than $250,000/year buy into what these people are up to?


You wouldn't know it by the Tea Partiers' promotions of their own entitlement and privilege while depriving others of any, but very few of the citizens of Fountain Hills can actually withstand that kind of economic devastation. Of course, our legislators and good sheriff needn't worry about that because they're pretty well taken care of. The rest of us need a safety net held by the entire community, though, when struck by disaster: no less so when that disaster is cancer or Hepatitis C than when it's an earthquake, tsunami, or hurricane. That's when people can be at their best.


It's a natural response for people to extend themselves when suffering is visible...if it hits home, particularly. My mom's whole town - Fountain Hills - has organized around helping her get to her chemo and radiation treatments in the next few weeks. Her illness hasn't burdened the people who love her - it's given us all a chance to give back, and makes us stop to take the time to be present in the day.


Why would Kavanagh want to discourage that impulse - it's what makes us better people. Compassion and generosity of that kind helps build stronger, more resilient, and less crime-ridden communities, too. Invest in more of that, instead of the vitriol that people like these guys spew, and we can start closing down the prisons and bringing people back home.


They are "our people", you know - like it or not. Many are, anyway - not the sociopaths who go out of their way to harm others, but the ordinary Americans who got convicted of breaking a law - not all those in prison are really guilty, you know. Similarly, not all the guilty are in prison - remember that. Some of them actually make the laws.


My mom's a retired teacher, by the way, who would have never turned in a child for being undocumented. This legislature will criminalize people like her if they can, and steal our health insurance and retirement benefits for their own pet projects - like suing the federal government (i.e. the American People - us TAXPAYERS you're so valiantly championing in our House and Senate buildings every day.)

So what about "Boycott Arizona!" does the rest of this country not understand, anyway? We could use your help out here, America. Especially you musicians and artists - what's the deal with coming to the Dodge in Phoenix, anyway: look at these people! If you think you're progressive and you're coming here to perform, you are selling our people OUT!


Get on with the Boycott, tell these people you're canceling conferences and vacations and performances here because our fascism is growing beyond SB1070 (give them an inch and they'll take your child here), and be serious about the damage you do! These legislators are criminalizing and killing people out here - don't you get it? You could be next, too - your state lawmakers may well be modeling your next laws after these below! Look at Georgia! (not surprisingly, they neglect and abuse their prisoners, too. ) Tell them you're supporting the workers of Wisconsin, instead of businesses here.

PLEASE SEND HELP!!!

And stay tuned to blogs like Fires Never Extinguished, O'odham Solidarity Across Borders , Censored News, Survival Solidarity, Resistance to SB1070, and Chaparral Respects No Borders for the stories from the resistance to this fascist beast in the Deep Southwest that you seldom ever Google. We don't just want reforms. We want revolution and a sane, decent world where people are taken care of when they get ill instead of being imprisoned for being no more than a nuisance.

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I know a lot of the folks going to this thing, but we didn't conspire about this post, and my promoting their event here isn't suggesting that anyone affiliated with Promise Arizona agrees to any of the above editorial. I take full responsibility for what I put up here...

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Anti-Immigration Bill Teach-In
Thursday, March 17 · 12:00pm - 3:00pm


Arizona State Capitol
(Wesley Bolin memorial across the street from the flagpole)
1700 West Washington St. / Phoenix, AZ


Promise Arizona


Promise Arizona We're organizing this teach in to ensure that members of our community understand the process and are equipped to with the knowledge needed to fight against these laws! *Please wear your PAZ t-shirts (or white t-shirts)

If you can't make it, call your senators and tell them to vote no on laws that will attack our families and economy!

English: 866-794-6052
...Spanish: 866-891-0358


· SB1611- “Immigration Omnibus” or the “Throwing Arizona Under-the-Bus” bill –Sponsored by Senator Russell Pearce, this bill is a 30-page, measure requiring business owners, police officers, apartment renters, school employees, and others to verify citizenship, notify immigration and in some cases, failure to do so could result in loss of licenses, certification or imprisonment.

· SB1308 and 1309 – “Eroding Children’s Futures and the Constitution” bills. Two bills introduced by Senator Ron Gould to create a new Arizona Citizenship that excludes children born to parents in the U.S. without immigration authorization. The bills are an attempt to ignite a national legal battle challenging the 14th amendment of the Constitution’s recognition of birthright citizenship.

· SB1405 –“Turning Health Providers into Health Deniers” bill. This bill introduced by Senator Steve Smith would require hospital employees to verify the citizenship of people seeking emergency and non-emergency medical attention and to notify immigration agents if someone cannot prove they are authorized to be in the U.S.
· SB 1407 - “Schools as Immigration Checkpoints” Requires the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to collect data from school districts on populations of students who are enrolled and who cannot prove lawful residence in the United States (U.S.) Schools who fail to comply would result in loss of funding.

Legislating Hate: State Legislators for Legal Immigration.

This is a great report to arm ourselves with; people need to know more about the think tanks spitting out the racist garbage that becomes law in this land. Is it any surprise that the people the AZ Me Party Senate President gets his brilliant immigration legislation from are so closely affiliated with hate groups? Pearce and Burges should be ashamed of themselves - but then this is Arizona - they're heroes to the white supremacists who think they own this state. I believe Pearce quotes FAIR directly for his propaganda campaigns all the time...

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SPLC Report Examines Extremist Views of Lawmakers Attacking 14th Amendment

Southern Poverty law Center
03/09/2011

The coalition of state lawmakers seeking to undermine the 14th Amendment’s birthright citizenship protection includes a dozen legislators who embrace a raft of radical beliefs, including conspiracy theories about supposed government concentration camps and claims that President Obama is a foreigner.

Attacking the Constitution: State Legislators for Legal Immigration & the Anti-Immigrant Movement profiles 12 leading members of State Legislators for Legal Immigration (SLLI), which has announced a national campaign to end the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship for all children born in the United States. The group is also pushing a number of other harsh, anti-immigrant proposals in states across the country.

"The radical beliefs of SLLI members parallel their radical agenda – rewriting the 14th Amendment," said Heidi Beirich, research director for the SPLC and author of the report. "The fact that we're talking about people who wield real political power should scare everyone who cares about our constitutional ideals."

SLLI, which has about 65 members in 40 states, was founded by Pennsylvania state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe in 2007. The group works closely with the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which the SPLC has designated as an anti-immigrant hate group because of its white nationalist agenda and ties to racist groups.

Metcalfe has said that immigrant parents "live the life of a criminal" and should have their children taken away. He has routinely demonized undocumented immigrants as criminals, despite studies that clearly show immigrants are on average much less criminal than native-born Americans.

Metcalfe once denounced Pennsylvania's Domestic Violence Awareness Month as part of the "homosexual agenda" because it included men as possible victims of domestic violence. He characterized military veterans concerned about climate change and foreign energy dependence as traitors promoting a "leftist agenda." And, like others in the so-called "birther movement," Metcalfe has cast doubt on Obama's U.S. citizenship.

Along with Metcalfe, the report profiles Rep. Tim Bearden, Georgia; Rep. Leo Berman, Texas; Rep. Judy Burges, Arizona; Rep. Sally Kern, Oklahoma; Rep. Charles Key, Oklahoma; Sen. Brian Nieves, Missouri; Sen. Russell Pearce, Arizona; Rep. Michael Pitts, South Carolina; Rep. Matt Shea, Washington; Rep. Randy Terrill, Oklahoma; and Sen. Danny Verdin, South Carolina.

It includes these details:

• Charles Key, an Oklahoma legislator, has claimed the federal government had advance knowledge of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and engaged in a "cover-up." He managed to get a grand jury convened in 1999 to investigate the allegation, only to denounce the grand jury when it found nothing to support his theory.

• Matt Shea, a Washington legislator, appeared on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' radio show and expressed concerns about supposed concentration camps operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

• Sally Kern, an Oklahoma legislator, told a newspaper that she opposed high-resolution driver's license photos because she believed they were a sign of the end times. She apparently feared a coming one-world government could use the photos.

• Danny Verdin, a South Carolina state senator, has compared the fight against undocumented immigrants to the Confederacy's struggle against the Union. In 2000, he was one of the main speakers at the "Heritage Celebration" held in Columbia, S.C., to defend the Confederate battle flag. He reportedly helped to organize the rally, and he shared the podium with several neo-Confederate and white supremacist leaders.
  

"Not all members of this coalition have voiced such radical opinions, but by virtue of pursuing this attack on the 14th Amendment, they all have signed on to an attempt to radically reinterpret the Constitution – an attempt that one conservative commentator accurately described as a fool's errand," Beirich said.

SLLI contends that the 14th Amendment has been misapplied to grant automatic U.S. citizenship to the children of undocumented immigrants. But it is clear from the record of debate in Congress leading up to the amendment's adoption in 1868 that its sponsors did intend for the amendment to cover the children of non-citizens, including Gypsies, perhaps the group most analogous to today's undocumented immigrants, as well as Chinese immigrants, who retained citizenship in their home countries, were present in large numbers and were barred from naturalization.

First Things First: Russ Pearce's deception and lies.

The AZ Republic's BS-detector found quite a mound of it in Russ Pearce's propaganda on the First Things First program. Don't them let them rob our schools through Prop 302. They'll just be using it to build new prisons for our kids, instead.

-------------------------Hooray for the AZ Republic Fact Checker-----------------

The issue: Use of funds by First Things First

Who said it: Russell Pearce (R)

by Mary Jo Pitzl - October 7, 2010, 7:27 pm

What we're looking at:

In an e-mail supporting Proposition 302, Sen. Russell Pearce claimed the First Things First program, which provides health and human services to preschool-age children, spends money on illegal immigrants, funds abortions, and pays its staff $70,000-plus salaries.

The comment:

"PLEASE VOTE YES ON PROP. 302: THE ATTACHMENT SHOWS YOU THE WAST (sic) OF MONEY, BUREAUCRACY, IN ADDITION I UNDERSTAND THE FUNDING OF ABORTION, STAFF PAID $70K AND UP FOR JUST HANDING OUT MONEY, MONEY BEING SPENT ON ILLEGAL ALIENS."

The forum:

E-mail sent to Pearce supporters in September.

Analysis:

First Things First is the target of Proposition 302, which seeks voter approval to repeal the 4-year-old program. Lawmakers such as Pearce say they need the money in the program's fund balance -- about $345 million -- to help balance this year's state budget. First Things First makes grants to various programs that provide services to improve the health and education of children from birth to age 5.

Pearce made three specific allegations against the program.

1) Pearce claims that the program spends money on illegal immigrants. In explaining that accusation, Pearce claims that a man, whom he identified as a pastor, walked into one of the offices of a First Things First service provider and made it clear that he had a family that needed help, but the family did not have legal status in the U.S.

Pearce refuses to identify the man, the office's location, the date of the interaction or any other details beyond a list of four agencies that have received First Things First dollars. They are: Teen Outreach Pregnancy Services, Mariposa Community Health Center, Association for Supportive Child Care, and Pinal Gila Child Care Services.

Liz Barker Alvarez, a spokeswoman for First Things First, said the program meets all state and federal laws governing people who are not legally present in the U.S., "and to the best of our knowledge, our grantees are also."

She added that Pearce has not contacted the agency with his complaints, leaving her to rely on his remarks to news media. "We are dealing with allegations and innuendos," she said.

At the Association for Supportive Child Care, Executive Director Susan Wilkins was unaware of anyone getting services they're not entitled to receive.

Besides, she said, the group does not provide tangible services such as housing, transportation or financial aid. Rather, it offers professional development for preschool teachers and uses First Things First dollars for scholarships for those teachers. Scholarship recipients have to work at licensed day-care facilities, which are regulated by the state and therefore checked to ensure they are not providing service to people in the country illegally, Wilkins said.

In addition, the scholarships are typically used at local community colleges, and the colleges' entry requirements would screen out anyone not legally present in the U.S., she said.

Pearce said he will seek an investigation into the First Things First program, either by the state Attorney General's Office or a county attorney. Pearce said it is against state law to use taxpayer money to provide services to people who are not authorized to be in the United States. There is no indication that he has yet sought such an investigation.

2) Pearce also indicated First Things First may have provided funding for abortions.

Pearce says that information also came from an inquiry made to a First Things First grantee about a crisis pregnancy, and the service provider indicated that the situation could be dealt with.

Again, Pearce gave no specifics other than the agency names.

Once again, Barker Alvarez said Pearce's claims that First Things First pays for abortions are allegations and innuendo.

Representatives of the groups Pearce highlighted said they're unaware of the inquiries the senator referenced.

Marie Fordney, outreach director for Teen Outreach Pregnancy Services, said that her group provides free pregnancy tests for anyone younger than 21. But First Things First dollars are not used for these services.

"It is ridiculous to imagine that First Things First would fund abortions, since its goal is to support children age zero to 5 and make sure they enter kindergarten ready to succeed," she said. "(It's) not to have fewer children in Arizona."

3) As for the salaries, Barker Alvarez acknowledged that some staffers make more than $70,000, but a breakdown of all 126 staff salaries is still being produced.

Bottom line:

Pearce could not provide documents or details to back up his allegations, and they could not be substantiated.

Sources:

E-mail from Sen. Russell Pearce
Interviews with Sen. Russell Pearce, First Things First, Teen Outreach Pregnancy Services, Mariposa Community Health Center, Association for Supportive Child Care, and Pinal Gila Child Care Services.
Arizona Revised Statute 8-1171

We Shall Overcome SB 1070.

Hey Folks - Note the new widget to the left and click on the Police State to take action against SB 1070. It'll take you to a page to email the Governor. You can use the canned letter they provide, or write your own. Even though she's received over 6,000 emails from the site, I wrote my own:

----------------------------------------Subject: "We Will Resist SB 1070"-------------------------------------

"We were kind of hoping you would save us from the fascists, not collude with them, but rumor has it that you'll be signing SB 1070 any day now - or just letting it pass into law - not vetoing it.

You still have time to save the day – you can still be the hero of this civil rights movement. Or, you can pave the way for people like Pearce to have even more power over people like you and I.

This will be your great test, I guess – do you have what it takes to fend off the bad guys in the legislature, or do we need a new chief executive?

I don’t believe you would sign this bill if Pearce didn’t have some kind of leverage with you that we can’t see, because I think you know the harm it will do us all. It’s going to tear this place apart.

Remember Mississippi's Freedom Summer? Arizona may have a similar boost in tourism soon - possibly of people not carrying documents. What a mess that could be, all those civil rights activists getting stopped and detained because they're passing through Arizona looking too brown...how embarrassing, and what a waste of law enforcement resources, verifying that they’re all citizens…

And no doubt hate crimes against Latinos and their sympathizers are about to go out of sight. The bad guys here carry guns everywhere, you know. Most poor people don't.

So, many prayers are with you tonight, as are the hopes of young citizens with undocumented parents, communities with undocumented neighbors, and a whole lot of undocumented and silenced victims of crime who will never feel safe anywhere again...

Would you tell the young woman from Chiapas who is raped that she should have known better, and deport her in cuffs? Or the Guatemalan teenager looking for his parents that it's their own fault if they're lost in the federal detention system (earning big bucks for CCA every day they stay "lost" there) - then lock him up, too, until they're "found"?

That's the kind of stuff you do, Governor, every time you sign off on one of these abusive pieces of legislation that Pearce pushes through. It's all only gotten worse for people of color in this state under you. If you really believe, with all your heart, that this bill is good for Arizona - sign away. By all means, be true to yourself and honest with us about the implications.

But I don't think you really believe it will be good for Arizona. I think you know there's a fascist or two among us with far too much power, and that this piece of legislation comes not from a love of America, but from a fear of everyone brown - citizen and non-citizen alike. It's about white supremacy. If you sign it, you can't later claim ignorance or innocence - you've been advised by the very people who would know what evil this is.

We’re saddened to think you'll be signing SB 1070, Governor. Just don't think it will win you any votes from the far right - and be sure it will lose you many from the center - once this thing sinks in.

This bill makes us the most racist, fascist state in the country, and we will resist it until the young and the wise and the poor are powerful enough to throw you all out of our State House and Governor’s Mansion..."

FASCIST SB 1070: Russ Pearce's Laments.

"Illegal Employers": That's a new phrase to me. Wonder if the SBA has heard it and how they like it. 

Anyway, not to worry any more about this horrible legislation, folks – Pearce is already on top of our concerns – we just need to trust him to be acting in “our” “best interests” since he’s clearly a proven American patriot. After all, look at all his years of public service and the legislation he’s already passed. He makes such a good argument that he should be more respected, that I bolded it in red letters below for you.

It will take us at least a generation to undo the damage that his good work has done to Arizona families and communities…and some can never be healed.


Please tell your legislators to shoot this bill down.

---------------- From: russellpearce.com  (April 10, 2010 7:47pm) ----------------------------

Friends, 

Some concerns have been raised with portions of the legislation I have introduced, SB 1070 safe neighborhoods; immigration; law enforcement (that will known as:  Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhood Act).  

I would like you all to know that I have made a good faith attempt to address any legitimate issues in a manner that I feel will not weaken the legislation while hopefully still addressing  your concerns. 

As you know we have to examine each issue as it relates to real world implications and from a perspective that will provide judicial clarification if any challenges are brought against this legislation. 

I would like to take this opportunity to clarify exactly what issues have been raised and how they will be addressed in the Floor Amendment sponsored by Representative Biggs on behalf of myself.  

Provisions of the Biggs Floor amendment:

What about states that issue licenses without confirming legal presence?

v     The Biggs amendment clarifies that federal, state or local government-issued ID only provides a presumption of innocence if the entity requires proof of legal presence.

Does local law enforcement have jurisdiction to transport an illegal alien across state lines?

v     The amendment requiring judicial authorization before transporting an illegal alien out of the state, to ensure that law enforcement is complying with federal requirements.  

Are there any provisions that may “open the door” for implementation of REAL ID?

v     The amendment statutorily prohibits the implementation, authorization, or establishment of REAL ID alleviating any concerns raised by the language.

Will this law create a scenario where cities and counties are continuously battling frivolous lawsuits, including lawsuits from people all across the country?

v     The Biggs amendment stipulates that only legal Arizona residents may brings actions against sanctuary cities and requires and loser pays all reasonable cost and attorney fees. 

NO ONE fights any harder for freedom, limited government and public safety than I do.  Our laws must be enforced, our borders must be secured and citizens have a Constitutional right to this protection under our laws and our Constitution.  I will continue to defend States Rights and our Constitutional liberties.  We must support our law enforcement officers in the protection of Life, Liberty and Property, that includes the rule of law.  

I have two legal opinions which are attached.  However, in spite of this, some folks continue to promote concerns that are not in the bill and are already prohibited by law and the Biggs amendment will even make clear and prohibit Arizona from participating in any form of national ID. 

I have spent several hours working with Governor's Office, F.A.I.R. to address these concerns and others.  I have put words in which will be in the amendment Tuesday, April 13th, prohibiting a form of National ID or radio chip of any kind as indicated in the Obama plan for new ID. 

I also will strengthen the civil rights provision that is already in the bill to prohibit any racial profiling.  I have also strengthened other areas of concern.  I also added language to make sure the verification of information is about aliens and the transportation part is for those in furtherance of an alien remaining in the U.S. such as sanctuary movements or smuggling and NOT a little ole lady taking someone to church or a good Samaritan or any emergency medical needs.  In 25 years there has never been a prosecution of anyone for simply taking someone to church, a church outing, boy scout outing, etc.  I am disappointed some continue to ignore the simple and plain language in the bill.  

SB1070 is the most comprehensive enforcement bill in the nation, it will remove all "illegal" sanctuary policies that exist in many of our cities, and it will allow law enforcement to enforce our immigration laws as intended.

I guarantee this will save lives, American jobs, reduce the cost of government, improve neighborhood safety, improve congestion, move toward smaller classrooms, shorter lines in emergency rooms, reduce rapes and molestations and reduce the number of deaths and maimings of our citizens and more.

Please note that Phoenix has had a more than 50% reduction in homicides this year over last year, after we passed employer sanctions and other illegal alien legislation, and our illegal alien population has decreased by twice the national average in the past two years saving lives and hundreds of millions of dollars in services.

SB1070 will add a "trespass" provision to law enforcement giving them the ability to hold an illegal alien under state law if need be or to just a phone call to ICE and turn them over to ICE.  This provision will allow our law enforcement folks to complete investigations on a suspect and not allow them to be deported before the investigation can be completed.  It also goes after illegal employers and illegal aliens soliciting work and provides for law enforcement to more easily enforce public safety issues on busy streets.

AS I have promised: SB1070 will be amend to clarify issues of concern, but will not be weakened so it jeopardizes our ability to enforce our laws appropriately and withstand future court challenges by the normal suspects.  

(The civil rights activists, you mean? - this italicized comment inserted by Peg. Words below are his, though...)

I must admit, I am disappointed in some folks who have expressed unwarranted concerns in my opinion.  I have worked for over 30 years to protect states sovereignty and in defense of our Republic as intended by our Founding Fathers.  You would think after years and years of caring the torch of freedom, states rights, limited government, in defense of Constitutional government in defense of Life, Liberty and Property some would have a little more trust. 

To be sure, I have asked for additional legal opinions and have been assured by several competent independent Constitutional attorneys, legislative council attorneys and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office that my interpretation is correct.  However, I want to be very clear and will add language to eliminate those concerns as best as I can.

We have already passed legislation to prohibit the State of Arizona from participation in any kind of National ID or Real ID Act and it is current law.  This bill did not and does not change that.  Having said that, I will put language in the bill that enhances the clarity on these issues of concern and make it very clear that nothing in this bill will allow Arizona to be a part of any national ID program. 

There will be similar language to deal with concerns over improper or prolonged detention.  I have had Legislative Council and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office examine this legislation and both have assured me it does allow for any kind of National ID or expand ID requirements in any way.  I have also attached the letter from the MCAO that answered my questions.  I am also pasting the legal opinion from the Arizona Legislative Council at the bottom of this email.

I will make some changes (in the Biggs amendment) to protect the first responders and those good Samaritans transporting illegal aliens (little old ladies taking someone to church) are not in jeopardy in any way.  They are not now under this bill, because they must be committing an additional criminal offense to the state law to be so charged, but I will make it even clearer in the new language.

We should be able to have this bill heard the first of next week on the House floor for COW and 3rd Read.

I will keep you appraised on our progress.

For Liberty,

Russell

Pearce alert! Fascists and Cowards for SB1097!

Well, I was expecting a House Committee on Sentencing meeting at 2pm Weds, but haven't been able to pin it down on the House website. At least the day has other things happening: it looks like there's just as much potential for fun and excitement with Russ Pearce in the Senate Building (their security is real uptight over there about chalking the sidewalks, though). Didn't I just say something about how the legislature hasn't even BEGUN to stick it to the teachers yet? This is the beginning of the beginning. The teachers, you see - en masse - betrayed both their race and class. They have a whole lot more coming. School employees are being criminalized with this bill - doesn't everyone get it?


Maybe it will still get a whole lot worse here before it gets better.


You know they're trying to do away with their term limits, too? They aren't going to cede power without a fight - not even if we're white (I believe our sympathies just makes us white trash - or some kind of terrorist - so we might as well throw in with everyone else they're screwing over at the state house these days.)

Get how he gives us the down low on supporting this fascist legislation, then signs off in the name of Freedom. How is it that chasing little children out of one of the few safe places they may have in our communities makes anyone more free? Little kids, now. That's who he's targeting.


There's something seriously wrong with this man's thinking. That's just mean - he's doing that to prove he can screw the schools all he wants, not because there's any real public safety need for this legislation. Now they're going to sneak in this REQUIREMENT that public schools extract tuition from families if they aren't considered Arizona residents?

My understanding of civics is that this is the country that I get to help create, too - it's not all up to people like you - no matter how much money or power you may have.

My grandfather was a Republican: he'd never treat people the way Pearce does - what makes him a Republican, anyway, other than the fact the the real Republicans are too scared of him to throw him out? Look at this guy: he is not of substance. He goes after children. Only cowards go after children and their teachers like that. Fascists and cowards running scared, holding school children hostage, do not get re-elected to high office. They eventually get exposed for what they are and run out on a rail...

Some image for an American legislator. Not unexpected when one hears it comes from Arizona, but sooner or later Arizonans are going to stop bragging about that and realize it means the rest of the world thinks that we're bigots and idiots because we repeatedly elect people like Sheriff Joe and Russ Pearce to represent us. I frankly don't know what other explanation there could be, than that the majority of the public here really is so ignorant or disturbed that we'd want those guys parading themselves around the country even one more day in our name...

This is too much like South Park Hell.

----------------------pearcealert@russellpearce.com-------------------- 

Hi ,

SB 1097 (Student Data Collection):

Arizona Legislators will meet during a committee meeting this week to vote on bills mandating that all school districts gather information on the citizenship status of students, including the number of students who cannot prove lawful status. This information will then be given to the Department of Education. Any school district that fails to comply may have their state funding withheld.

SB 1097 will be heard at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 in Education Committee (SHR1), it will be amended to include a requirement to require a tuition for all students that are not legal residence of Arizona. 

To see the bill either click on the link below or cut and paste it in to your browser
http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1097p.htm

If you are member of www.lifelibertyfreedom.com  just select the Senate Education Committee to send your email in support of this Bill.


For Freedom.

Russell

Pearce HB2779: "Fair and Legal Employment Act"

Lots of criminal activity has been sanctioned here, and I've never really known Arizona to be "fair" to low-wage workers, whatever their citizenship. Somehow this doesn't seem to be fair - but they'll make it legal if they can.

I think we need to find a way to encourage some of these guys like Pearce to leave - think of a good law for them, one they break just by waking up in the morning, and we'll see if we can't get it proposed somewhere.

------------from russellpearce.com---------------

Let’s Get the Facts Straight about HB2779.

Arizona’s “Fair and Legal Employment Act” will prove to be one the most effective and non-discriminatory laws enacted anywhere in the United States.  It will truly prevent illegal aliens from obtaining permanent employment in this state and will serve as an example of real comprehensive immigration reform for the rest of our nation.

The disinformation campaign on HB2779 would have made a Soviet propagandist proud.

The politicking regarding Arizona's worksite enforcement law is at a full swing, it is creating real concern with the illegal employers, ACLU and the open border crowd.

In his decision to refuse to block HB2779 Judge Wake said, "Those who suffer the most from unauthorized alien labor are those whom federal and Arizona law most explicitly protect. They are the competing lawful workers, many unskilled, low-wage, sometimes near or under the margin of poverty, who strain in individual competition and in a wage economy depressed by the great and expanding number of people who will work for less.

In 1986, Congress made it clear employers can only hire legal workers and to do otherwise is a felony.  Finally as of January, 2008, employers throughout the state will be required to verify work eligibility status of all new employees, and they must employ only legal workers as required by federal and Arizona law.

Using the E-Verify Program puts the responsibility for verifying the documents on the government, with a 99.7% accuracy.  Employees have ample opportunity to prove their right to work and employers who properly use the system will have a strong defense against any criminal or civil action.

The people of Arizona should be proud that we are the first state to enact legislation that will truly prevent illegal immigrants from working in Arizona and put Americans and legal businesses first.

This law only punishes businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Repeated violations could result in the business losing its licenses to operate.

The ACLU, the open border crowd and the Arizona Chamber and those that rely on illegals argue it is unfair.  If you've moved to Arizona in the past few years and tried to get a driver's license and were successful, I think there's a good chance you can prove your citizenship to a potential employer.

The law is simply, don't hire an illegal alien and you will never have to worry about the law.

Honest mistakes or deception by an illegal aren't grounds for action by law enforcement against a business.

We have instituted the toughest worksite enforcement laws in the nation. To be sure, the new law is first and foremost fair.

For far too long, we have turned our backs on the root cause of illegal immigration.

I have sponsored other measures to protect citizens and taxpayers from fraud from illegal's by requiring proof of eligibility and by demanding proof of legal presence in the U.S.  

Until 2006, I had been unsuccessful in passing a bill to clamp down on employers. That year, Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed the legislation in an effort to protect business interests and her liberal base.

In the 2006 election, four illegal alien propositions passed with more than 70 percent support.  So in 2007, she couldn't ignore the will of Arizonans anymore and signed my bill.

And ever since then, we have heard anecdotes of illegal's packing up and moving home or onto another state. Businesses that cater to illegal's report slower sales. Businesses that hire illegal's report their employees are leaving and they will have to raise wages to attract new and legal workers. In last week's Arizona Republic, Yuma lettuce growers reported they had to raise wages to attract legal workers.
 
Soon, wages will rise to meet the demand for labor across all sectors. Last year, voters raised the state's minimum wage. Ridding Arizona of illegal workers, however, will do more to increase pay for workers than any artificial baseline imposed by government.

Some argue prices for goods and services will rise. But what we fail to realize is that we already are paying for those goods and services. More than $1 billion of our state budget goes to educating illegal's, Maricopa County Hospital loses $2 million every week due to uncompensated care.

With illegal immigration on the decline, benefits go far beyond the economic.

Arizona leads the nation in crime stats such as car thefts and Phoenix is one of the most violent large cities in the nation. The reason: illegal immigration and the crime associated with it. Smugglers transport their human and drug cargo into and through the state. Their gun battles rage along our freeways and they rent houses in our neighborhoods and bring violence to our communities.

As one of the leaders to curb illegal immigration in Arizona, all I can say is, our efforts are working.

If we have reversed that trend and encouraged those here to leave, then it is a great start.

I am excited about the direction Arizona is headed. After years of ignoring the consequences of illegal immigration and after beating back attempts to in Congress to provide amnesty to illegal's, we are finally going forward.

We will do it by putting America and Americans first and protecting honest businesses and the taxpayer.

Your Voice for Families, Freedom, Constitutional and Limited Government and a Consistent Conservative Voice:  God... Family ... Country

 Russell