by admin | Nov 11, 2020 | Elections, News and Updates, Tax
While public attention has been on the highly charged speculations of the Presidential race, voters in 17 states throughout the country were asked to vote on a variety of tax measures at the ballot box.
The results of these measures were fascinating to say the least, especially the results in typically blue states that are generally favorable to higher taxes.
Despite Biden’s incessant promise to undo Trump’s tax cuts, voters in the country’s most liberal states rebuffed proposals to increase taxes across the board.
It is a well-known fact that these traditionally high-tax states have driven droves of citizens and businesses to lower-tax states such as Arizona, Texas and Utah in the past decade. Except for measures to increase taxes on marijuana, tobacco, and other drugs, ironically, Arizona is the only state this election to pass the same economically ruinous policies blue states are now trying to undo.
Illinois voted on a measure to eliminate their Constitutional flat income tax system and institute a progressive, soak the rich system, which failed by a wide margin of 10 points. Opposition to this change was realistically much higher than even 55 percent because in Illinois a Constitutional amendment can be ratified with a simple majority and voters who leave the question blank count as an affirmative for the measure!
California too, asked voters to increase taxes in the form of removing a cap on property taxes for commercial owners. Like Arizona’s Prop 208, California’s Proposition 15 would have constituted the largest tax increase in California’s history. Surprisingly, the measure has failed, leaving intact one of the shelters for California’s businesses.
Despite an oppositional education lobby and the proponents being outspent almost 2:1, Colorado’s voters passed a REDUCTION in their income tax by a margin of 15 PERCENT! Colorado’s flat tax system protects taxpayers from class warfare at the ballot box.
Even in Washington state that does not have an income tax – cutting taxes is popular. The legislature repealed four separate onerous taxes on businesses including a plastic bag tax. These changes were on voters’ ballots as “advisory votes” which allow the electorate to affirm or oppose tax changes made by the legislature – all were supported by the majority of voters. One of these measures was a repeal of a tax targeted at the aerospace industry which has threatened to send Boeing out of the evergreen state. Alaskan voters too saw the wisdom of not killing the golden goose, where voters could have passed a measure to raise a $1Billion by sticking it to the oil industry, but the proposal failed by an almost 30 percent spread.
These results are astounding. State and local economies have been pounded by the COVID19 shutdowns and there is almost universal acceptance that lower taxes on individuals and businesses will encourage growth and recovery. The failure of the left’s tax policies is apparent to even the die-hard leftists in the bluest states in the country. Their uncompetitive tax systems have driven away businesses and job-creators and hamstrung economic growth and they are now changing course.
After a decade of climbing out of the Great Recession, Arizona has rebuilt its economy by controlling spending, adopting competitive tax policies, and limiting regulatory burdens on businesses. That has led to thousands of new jobs, a more diversified economy and prosperity in the state which has allowed for over a $1Billion of new sustainable monies to flood the education system.
Proposition 208 undoes all this progress. Despite our state’s success story and liberal states trying to adopt our playbook, it looks like Arizona will have to learn the hard way.
by admin | Oct 28, 2020 | Elections, News and Updates
Watching American cities devolve into daily riots and chaos has spooked most voters, even those sympathetic to the idea of police reforms. Recent polling shows that residents in riot-torn cities such as Portland overwhelmingly support a crackdown by police, and that nearly half of likely voters are worried that violent protests will come to their communities.
These results are unsurprising—most people don’t like seeing their communities burned to the ground. They like their local law enforcement officials and prefer that violent criminals are punished for their actions.
Yet here in Maricopa County voters will be deciding in less than a week whether they elect a County Attorney that sees Portland as a cautionary tale or as a model for Arizona to adopt. On one side is Allister Adel, the current County Attorney who has adopted a tough but fair approach toward criminal justice.
Her challenger is Julie Gunnigle, a radical democrat with a checkered past as a front-line prosecutor that believes that we need to reimagine how the County Attorney office should operate.
What would Maricopa County look like if Gunnigle is elected?
- Gunnigle supports defunding the police, and actively campaigned in Phoenix for a 25% reduction in police funding. It was such a radical position that most Democrats on the Phoenix Council opposed the plan.
- Gunnigle supports ending cash bail, which would allow criminals back on the street and put victims at risk. This reform was adopted in New York at the beginning of 2020 to already disastrous results.
- Gunnigle supports reduced jail sentences for convicted criminals, including those who participate in rioting and looting. Americans this summer were appalled as rioters and looters were given a pass by law enforcement as they rampaged through US cities. Eliminating punishment for these crimes would only invite this destructive behavior to Arizona.
This is just a sample of Julie Gunnigle’s platform, and demonstrates why she is completely unfit to be Maricopa County Attorney. Her only path to victory is if voters remain in the dark about her extreme jailbreak positions while George Soros and the ACLU spend millions attempting to trick voters into believing she is a mainstream candidate. Don’t be fooled.
Julie Gunnigle must be stopped, which is why the Club was the first outlet to go public exposing her extreme agenda.
And now with less than a week before the election, we urge everyone to reject Gunnigle’s lawless agenda by supporting Allister Adel, a law and order candidate for County Attorney who won’t turn the Phoenix Metro area over to the mob.
by admin | Oct 27, 2020 | Elections, News and Updates
We are exactly one week from election day, and with that a reminder of the Club’s 2020 general election endorsements.
Our list is similar to our previous release, except the Club does want to highlight that several Judges are being targeted by the left for their convictions to uphold the Arizona Constitution. These are often forgotten races, but we do encourage voters to vote to retain our recommended judges, including Andrew Gould, John Lopez, Christopher Coury, Jennifer Perkins and David Weinzeig who have been targeted by the left to be removed from the bench.
We also encourage everyone that has received an early ballot to PLEASE return your ballot prior to election day. If you have concerns of voter fraud in regards to mailing in your ballot, you can drop off your ballot in person or vote early at polling locations in your county. For Maricopa County, you can find a polling location near you by visiting the following link: https://recorder.maricopa.gov/pollingplace/
Ballot Propositions
Proposition 207 – No
Proposition 208 – No
US President
Donald J. Trump
U.S Senate
Martha McSally
U.S Congress
Tiffany Shedd, CD 1
Brandon Martin, CD 2
Daniel Wood, CD 3
Paul Gosar, CD 4
Andy Biggs, CD 5
David Schwiekert, CD 6
Debbie Lesko, CD 8
Corporation Commission
Eric Sloan
Jim O’Connor
State Legislative Races
Judy Burges, LD 1 House
Quang Nguyen, LD 1 House
Deborah McEwen, LD 2 House
Travis Angry, LD 4 Senate
Joel John, LD 4 House
Regina Cobb, LD 5 House
Leo Biasuicci, LD 5 House
Walt Blackman, LD 6 House
Brenda Barton, LD 6 House
David Peelman, LD 7 House
Vince Leach, LD 11 Senate
Mark Finchem, LD 11 House
Bret Roberts, LD 11 House
Warren Petersen, LD 12 Senate
Travis Grantham, LD 12 House
Jake Hoffman, LD 12 House
Sine Kerr, LD 13 Senate
Tim Dunn, LD 13 House
David Gowan, LD 14 Senate
Gail Griffin, LD 14 House
Becky Nutt, LD 14 House
Nancy Barto, LD 15 Senate
Steve Kaiser, LD 15 House
Justin Wilmeth, LD 15 House
Kelly Townsend, LD 16 House
Jacqueline Parker, LD 16 House
JD Mesnard, LD 17 Senate
Liz Harris, LD 17 House
Suzanne Sharer, LD 18 Senate
Paul Boyer, LD 20 Senate
Anthony Kern, LD 20 House
Shawnna Bolick, LD 20 House
Rick Gray, LD 21 Senate
Kevin Payne, LD 21 House
Beverly Pingerelli, LD 21 House
David Livingston, LD 22 Senate
Ben Toma, LD 22 House
Frank Carroll, LD 22 House
Michelle Ugenti-Rita, LD 23 Senate
John Kavanagh, LD 23 House
Joseph Chaplik, LD 23 House
Tyler Pace, LD 25 Senate
Rusty Bowers, LD 25 House
Tatiana Pena, LD 27 House
Jana Jackson, LD 28 House
County, City, Town
Maricopa County
Proposition 449 – No
Stephen Richer, County Recorder
Allister Adel, County Attorney
Steve Chucri, Board of Supervisors District 2
Bill Gates, Board of Supervisors District 3
Shelly Boggs, Maricopa County Community College District Board – At Large
Laurin Hendrix, Maricopa County Community College District Board – District 1
Susan Bitter Smith, Maricopa County Community College District Board – District 3
Gilbert
Matt Nielsen, Mayor
Scottsdale
Lisa Borowsky, Mayor
Phoenix
Merissa Hamilton, Mayor
Judges
Supreme Court
Robert Brutinel, YES
Andrew Gould, YES
John Lopez, YES
Maricopa County
Jay Adleman
Sara Agne
Scott Blaney
Lori Horn Bustamante
Rodrick Coffey
Connie Contes
Christopher Coury
Adam Driggs
Pamela Gates
Michael Kemp
Daniel Kiley
Suzanne Marwil
Scott McCoy
Paul McMurdie
Kathleen Mead
Scott Minder
James B. Morse
Jennifer M. Perkins
Adele Ponce
Timothy J. Ryan
Timothy Thomason
Peter A. Thompson
David K. Udall
David D. Weinzeig
Christopher T. Whitten
by admin | Oct 23, 2020 | Elections, News and Updates
When Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act last spring, the goal was to help families and businesses struggling with layoffs, closures and hardships caused by the pandemic.
Yet to no one’s surprise, the multi-trillion-dollar spending package has become the latest example of reckless spending and abuse emanating from our nation’s Capitol.
Tens of thousands of PPP small business loans have been found to be at a high risk for fraud, with no plans on how to fix the problem. At least 1 million stimulus checks were sent to dead people throughout the country. Millions in cash were sent to non-profit organizations to help create leverage for them to engage in radical political campaigns.
And if you thought it could not get any worse, it has now been decided that we will be sending stimulus checks to convicted felons in prison.
It seems like only a short time ago when such a bizarre and farfetched idea would never have been considered or interpreted.
But welcome to the Twilight Zone – Year 2020 Edition– when anything goes.
No More Trillion Dollar Stimulus Giveaways
It may be easy to blame the trial attorneys who have exploited the CARES Act loophole and sued the IRS, or even the US District Court judge who ruled that taxpayers must fork over $1,200 checks to thousands of prisoners. But they weren’t the ones that drafted the bill or have remained indifferent to fixing these legislative defects.
It’s the politicians in Washington that don’t seem to care that massive amounts of deficit spending are being given away to criminals and dead people. They have already moved on to their next trillion-dollar idea to bail out their political friends while driving our Country closer to bankruptcy.
Enough is enough. In November, voters will have a stark choice on the ballot, one that will determine the future of this country. It is a choice between one side who wants accountability and law and order, and another who wants to simultaneously defund the police while funding criminals with stimulus checks. As Ronald Reagan stated in 1964, this will be a time for choosing, and hopefully voters will choose wisely.
by admin | Oct 13, 2020 | Elections, News and Updates
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club has released its final slate of endorsements for the 2020 general election cycle.
The endorsed candidates represent individuals who align with the organization’s principles and key policy goals. Club President Scot Mussi stated, “It is critical Arizona has leaders and policy makers who are able to articulate and stand up for free market principles and pro-growth policies. This slate of candidates has proven they can and will.”
Proposition 207 – No
Proposition 208 – No
U.S Senate
Martha McSally
U.S Congress
Tiffany Shedd, CD 1
Brandon Martin, CD 2
Daniel Wood, CD 3
Paul Gosar, CD 4
Andy Biggs, CD 5
David Schwiekert, CD 6
Debbie Lesko, CD 8
Corporation Commission
Eric Sloan
Jim O’Connor
State Legislative Races
Judy Burges, LD 1 House Bret Roberts, LD 11 House
Quang Nguyen, LD 1 House Warren Petersen, LD 12 Senate
Deborah McEwen, LD 2 House
Travis Angry, LD 4 Senate
Joel John, LD 4 House
Regina Cobb, LD 5 House
Leo Biasuicci, LD 5 House
Walt Blackman, LD 6 House
Brenda Barton, LD 6 House
David Peelman, LD 7 House
Vince Leach, LD 11 Senate
Mark Finchem, LD 11 House
Travis Grantham, LD 12 House
Jake Hoffman, LD 12 House
Sine Kerr, LD 13 Senate
Tim Dunn, LD 13 House
David Gowan, LD 14 Senate
Gail Griffin, LD 14 House
Becky Nutt, LD 14 House
Nancy Barto, LD 15 Senate
Steve Kaiser, LD 15 House
Justin Wilmeth, LD 15 House
Kelly Townsend, LD 16 House
Jacqueline Parker, LD 16 House
JD Mesnard, LD 17 Senate
Liz Harris, LD 17 House
Suzanne Sharer, LD 18 Senate
Paul Boyer, LD 20 Senate
Anthony Kern, LD 20 House
Shawnna Bolick, LD 20 House
Rick Gray, LD 21 Senate
Kevin Payne, LD 21 House
Beverly Pingerelli, LD 21 House
David Livingston, LD 22 Senate
Ben Toma, LD 22 House
Frank Carroll, LD 22 House
Michelle Ugenti-Rita, LD 23 Senate
John Kavanagh, LD 23 House
Joseph Chaplik, LD 23 House
Tyler Pace, LD 25 Senate
Rusty Bowers, LD 25 House
Tatiana Pena, LD 27 House
Jana Jackson, LD 28 House
County, City, Town
Maricopa County
Proposition 449 – No
Stephen Richer, County Recorder
Allister Adel, County Attorney
Steve Chucri, Board of Supervisors District 2
Bill Gates, Board of Supervisors District 3
Shelly Boggs, Maricopa County Community College District Board – At Large
Laurin Hendrix, Maricopa County Community College District Board – District 1
Susan Bitter Smith, Maricopa County Community College District Board – District 3
Gilbert
Matt Nielsen, Mayor
Scottsdale
Lisa Borowsky, Mayor
Phoenix
Merissa Hamilton, Mayor
Judges
Supreme Court
Robert Brutinel, YES
Andrew Gould, YES
John Lopez, YES
Maricopa County
Jay Adleman
Sara Agne
Scott Blaney
Lori Horn Bustamante
Rodrick Coffey
Connie Contes
Christopher Coury
Adam Driggs
Pamela Gates
Michael Kemp
Daniel Kiley
Suzanne Marwil
Scott McCoy
Paul McMurdie
Kathleen Mead
Scott Minder
James B. Morse
Jennifer M. Perkins
Adele Ponce
Timothy J. Ryan
Timothy Thomason
Peter A. Thompson
David K. Udall
Christopher T. Whitten
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