by admin | Jul 8, 2021 | Misc, News and Updates
Every American should be free to support nonprofit organizations they believe in without being harassed or intimidated. You would think this is obvious. But leave it to California’s former Attorney General, Kamala Harris, to trample on that freedom.
Back in 2010, Harris began ordering nonprofits that fundraise in the State of California to disclose the information of their major donors. Of course, the California government had no real need for this information. And, despite the fact that the state was required to keep donor names private, they were regularly leaked to the public.
You may even remember the name of Brendan Eich. In 2014, Eich, who created JavaScript, became CEO of Mozilla. But soon after, he was forced to step down from his position amid a flurry of backlash when it was made public that he donated money in support of California’s Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that would define marriage as between one man and one woman.
The harassment didn’t stop with Eich. Organizations like Thomas More Law Center and Americans for Prosperity Foundation faced similar intimidation. In fact, Thomas More Law Center donors, employees, and clients even faced death threats, hate mail, and an assassination plot from those who oppose them.
That’s why both organizations filed lawsuits in 2014, challenging California’s rule. And after the cases were granted by the U.S. Supreme Court, they managed to do something nearly impossible. Groups from across the ideological spectrum, some of which never agree on anything, filed amicus briefs in support of Thomas More Law Center and American for Prosperity Foundation. These groups included the ACLU, NAACP, Human Rights Campaign, Southern Poverty Law Center, Alliance Defending Freedom, Becket Fund, PETA, and the Institute for Justice.
Thankfully, last week, on the same day the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Arizona’s ban on ballot harvesting, the high court issued a landmark decision that struck down California’s demand that nonprofits disclose the private information of their donors.
This is an important win for people across the country who want to support organizations of their choice. But it particularly hits home here in Arizona. After all, for years now, Arizona’s former Attorney General Terry Goddard has been leading a campaign to “Stop Dark Money.” And you’re probably not surprised to learn that his campaign also supports HR1, a piece of piece of legislation that would be a disaster for our elections and the First Amendment.
Just like in California, Goddard’s effort has one clear purpose: to force organizations to disclose their donors. And who do you think they are planning to target once they gain access to this information?
Conservatives.
They want to dox them. They want to intimidate them into silence. And they want to harass anyone who doesn’t believe what they want them to believe or say what they want them to say.
That’s why the people of Arizona must put a stop to this. If Goddard gets his way, we’ll be dealing with Kamala Harris 2.0 right here in our state. But donors deserve privacy. And last week, the Supreme Court made that clear.
Help Protect Freedom in Arizona by Joining Our Grassroots Network
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by admin | Jul 1, 2021 | Misc, News and Updates
They’re still trying to scare us. Apparently, some people in our country just don’t like seeing businesses reopen, people unmasked, and a return to normalcy. So, as the threat to COVID largely dwindles, it should come as no surprise that the media is now pushing a new threat: the Delta variant.
Of course, the messaging is predictable:
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- More contagious (CNN)
- Exploded in the UK (CNBC)
- Worst and scariest variant yet (MSNBC)
It will be interesting to see how state and local governments across the country respond to this so-called “latest threat.” As you’ll recall, it didn’t go so well the first time around with most seizing the opportunity to abuse emergency powers, even here in Arizona. And although Arizona’s COVID response puts it ahead of most other states in the country, there’s still work to be done.
Thankfully, our state lawmakers haven’t ignored the problem. And with various provisions in a series of Budget Reconciliation Bills, they have taken important steps to protect Arizona from more COVID mandates and government overreach.
- SB1819
Vaccines should always be voluntary and never be forced. SB1819 addresses this fundamental freedom by including a provision that amends the ability of the state to require vaccination during a public health emergency to allow for an individual to refuse vaccination based on their personal beliefs.
- SB1824
Getting back to normal shouldn’t involve vaccine passports or requirements. But that hasn’t stopped the left from pushing this ridiculous concept to go back to our schools, to go back to our offices, or to enjoy the freedoms we should already have access to as American citizens. SB1824 takes this head on.
Section 12 states that vaccines with an emergency use authorization are not allowed to be required for in-person attendance at K-12 schools. Only after a vaccine has been prescribed by an Arizona Department of Health Services rule can it then be required for in-person attendance at K-12 schools.
Section 3 requires that an employer provide reasonable accommodation to an employee whose religious beliefs prevent them from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
And section 13 prohibits the state and any city, town, or county from establishing a COVID vaccine passport, requiring a COVID vaccine, or requiring businesses to obtain proof of vaccination status from customers.
- SB1825
Just like K-12 students, university students shouldn’t be required to get COVID vaccines. But Arizona State University (ASU) certainly tried. In June, Dr. Joanne Vogel, ASU’s Vice President of Student Services, announced that students who have not received a COVID vaccine would be subjected to daily health checks, testing twice a week, and mandatory face mask use.
Governor Ducey responded swiftly, issuing an executive order that banned Arizona’s universities and community colleges from mandating students to show proof of their COVID vaccination status or be forced to wear masks to participate in learning.
A provision in SB1825 codifies Governor Ducey’s executive order, prohibiting universities from requiring COVID vaccines for attendance and from placing any conditions on attendance or participation based on a lack of vaccination.
- HB2898
Although they’ve been nothing but divisive and lack any data to back them up, the left LOVES mask mandates, especially in our schools. That’s what makes a provision in HB2898 particularly fun.
Section 12 prohibits a city, town, county, school board, or charter school governing body from requiring students or teachers to wear masks. Additionally, it prohibits a school board or charter governing board from requiring COVID vaccines in order to participate in person. (Can you feel the teachers’ unions squirm?)
There’s no doubt that COVID was an issue that warranted some action. But it never should have included trampling on the rights of the people. As the corporate media ramps up its scare tactics with new COVID variants, we cannot make the same mistakes. The government cannot be allowed to overstep its bounds. Thankfully, Arizona’s lawmakers recognize that. And now they’ve taken steps in the right direction to prevent more COVID overreach.
Help Protect Freedom in Arizona by Joining Our Grassroots Network
Arizona needs to have a unified voice promoting economic freedom and prosperity, and the Free Enterprise Club is committed to making that happen. But we can’t do it alone. We need YOU!
Join our FREE Grassroots Action List to stay up to date on the latest battles against big government and how YOU can help influence crucial bills at the Arizona State Legislature.
by admin | Jun 17, 2021 | Misc, News and Updates
The indoctrination needs to stop. And thankfully, many parents are fed up.
For quite some time, activists have been trying to force Critical Race Theory or similar programs into government and especially our schools. This movement combines Marxist theories of class conflict within the lens of race. It teaches that some races have been “minoritized” and are considered oppressed while those who are “racially privileged” are called “exploiters.”
These sorts of programs made their way into our public schools because proponents of Critical Race Theory are good at disguising it. They use terms like “social justice,” “diversity,” “inclusion,” and “equity” which seem harmless enough. So, you can see how easy it could be for a busy parent with a mountain of responsibilities to overlook such a curriculum.
But parents around the state of Arizona are starting to catch on. And they’re speaking up.
In 2019, Chandler Unified School District adopted a program called “Deep Equity” (note that keyword). Parents spoke out then, and the program was phased out.
Just a few months ago, Litchfield Elementary School District published an “equity statement” along with a set of “equity goals.” These “goals” were presented at a school board meeting by a “district diversity committee” because someone on the school board must have been using their Critical Race Theory dictionary. But parents and other community members voiced their opposition, and the district agreed to revise these “goals.”
And last month, parents in Scottsdale demanded more transparency from the Scottsdale Unified School District after some parents heard indoctrination from teachers while their kids were in school online at home.
It’s great that parents are speaking up. And they should continue to do so. But multiple states around the country have started to ban Critical Race Theory. And parents should demand that Arizona lawmakers do the same.
Idaho was the first to pass such a law, banning teachers from indoctrinating students with Critical Race Theory. Oklahoma came next when Governor Kevin Stitt signed HB1775 into law. Iowa (HF802), Tennessee (SB0623), Arkansas (SB627), and Texas (HB3979) have also followed suit by banning Critical Race Theory to some degree. (Although Arkansas’s ban is limited to state entities and not public schools.)
And more than a dozen other states have some form of legislation regarding Critical Race Theory pending. Now, it’s time for Arizona to get on board.
The Arizona Senate had passed SB1074 at the end of May. The bill would have prohibited state government entities, including cities and counties, from forcing employees to engage in orientation, training, or therapy that is based on a theory of blame or judgment on the basis of race, ethnicity, or gender.
But Governor Ducey vetoed the bill due to the budget stalemate. And while our lawmakers have been working on reforms, they haven’t passed anything that bans Critical Race Theory in our public schools.
That needs to change. Our children are being taught that, by virtue of their race, they are inherently racist whether consciously or unconsciously. They are being taught that their moral character is determined by their race. And they are being taught that by virtue of their race, they bear responsibility for past acts committed by members of the same race.
These are among the many bigoted teachings of Critical Race Theory. It is undoubtedly racist. Other states are doing something about it. And parents are speaking up. Now, Arizona’s lawmakers need to listen and act.
Say NO to Critical Race Theory
Critical Race Theory has no place anywhere in our nation, which was founded on the principle of equal dignity of every person as an individual. It has no place in Arizona, and it certainly does not belong anywhere near our students.
If you want to see Critical Race Theory banned in Arizona, sign the petition now!
by admin | Jun 10, 2021 | Misc, News and Updates
If you’ve tried to book a room at the Suites on Scottsdale (formerly known as Homewood Suites) since May 24, you’ve probably been left frustrated. All the rooms are currently listed as “Not Available” through the rest of the year.
A normal person would likely assume that this is because the hotel is going out of business. But that’s not the case. Instead, the hotel was secretly converted into a makeshift migrant shelter by the Biden administration almost overnight.
In this recent shady move, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) paid “Family Endeavors” $86.9 million in a no-bid contract through September 30 to house more than 1,200 migrants at a time in Arizona and Texas. (And in case you’re keeping track, the group also received a second no-bid contract from the Biden administration for $530 million in April.)
That comes out to $352 per bed per day of your hard-earned tax dollars.
While hotel rooms in Scottsdale can certainly be expensive, those rates tend to drop significantly in the summer months. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds to do a search that produces a long list of rooms (not just beds) available at hotels in Scottsdale for $75-$150 a night. That’s because people don’t usually flock to Scottsdale when the forecast says it will be 117 degrees on June 15.
But the outrageous no-bid contracts and extravagant bed rates aren’t the only problem.
ICE and DHS didn’t inform the city of Scottsdale about any of this until the day before. And while it’s still unclear if this arrangement is aligned with the franchise agreement and Scottsdale zoning codes, the location itself is a complete nightmare. This immigrant detention center is located next to an apartment complex and senior living facility, across the street from a residential neighborhood, less than a block from a high school, less than a mile from a preschool, and less than two miles from a middle school.
That’s right. The Biden administration didn’t see any issue with putting a low security prison on Scottsdale Road with easy access to children and the elderly!
But what do you expect? After all, this administration refuses to take any sort of responsibility for failing to control the growing crisis on the southwest border. And even though Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas admits that, “We are on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years,” Vice President Kamala Harris still hasn’t visited the border.
Thankfully, some Arizona residents have had enough. Hundreds began protesting last week to share their concerns with the federal government. And they should continue to do so. It is vital to put pressure on the Biden administration to reverse this move.
But along with that, it’s also time to put direct pressure on our congressional delegation. Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly need to stand up to the Biden administration and tell them to stop housing illegal immigrants in the middle of our communities with children, families, and seniors!
After all, flooding a suburban area with migrants not only poses serious public health and safety risks, but it signals to the rest of the world that our southern border is wide open.
Act Now
Tell Senators Sinema and Kelly to stand up to the Biden administration and stop housing illegal immigrants in the middle of our communities.
by admin | Jun 3, 2021 | Misc, News and Updates
“15 days to slow the spread.” Do you remember that? It was all the rage in the media in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. You’d hear it on news broadcasts. You’d see it in commercials. And you’d read it as you scrolled through the various social media platforms.
But it didn’t take long before those calls to “slow the spread,” became calls to “cancel everything.” And too many government leaders across the country bought into it by instituting huge lockdowns and other draconian measures.
Certainly, COVID was an issue that warranted some action, but it never should have included crushing small businesses or trampling on the rights of the people.
And yet, here we are more than a year later. The states with the most severe COVID restrictions are experiencing much slower economic recovery than those that fully reopened.
Blue states are struggling
California still has not reopened, despite being the first state to lockdown back in March 2020. Finally, after months of inconsistencies, confusing decisions, and hypocrisy from leaders like Governor Newsom, the state appears to be poised to fully reopen by mid-June.
But the outlook isn’t bright. Even with such extreme lockdowns and other measures, California still experienced a deadly surge from COVID. And along with that, its economy is in turmoil with one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates at 8.3%.
Not surprisingly, there’s been a mass exodus from the state, causing it to lose a seat in the House of Representatives. And those that have remained are so fed up that they are trying to recall their governor.
But California is not alone. In a recent report, Michigan has been named as the state with the slowest recovery. Even Governor Whitmer couldn’t help but acknowledge that her radical measures, which at one point included prohibiting citizens from visiting family and friends, couldn’t stop COVID.
And then there’s New York, where Governor Cuomo’s COVID failures have been well documented. Just like California, the state also lost a seat in the House of Representatives due to a significant decline in its population. New York City alone lost approximately 900,000 jobs with a current unemployment rate of 11.4%.
But how do these blue states compare to our own?
Arizona is ahead of pace
Our own state certainly wasn’t immune to COVID restrictions. Governor Ducey issued a stay-at-home order for the people of Arizona in March 2020. But he stopped short of a full lockdown and other more extreme measures that destroyed the economy in states like the ones mentioned above. Instead, Governor Ducey opted for a more balanced approach, which currently places Arizona at #15 among states with the fewest COVID restrictions.
And although Arizona’s unemployment rate (currently at 6.7%) may be higher now than it was before COVID, experts remain optimistic that our state’s economic recovery will be quick. After all, this higher unemployment rate is largely due to the higher number of people seeking a job.
So, while there is still a long way to go to make a full recovery, the post-pandemic future in Arizona looks strong. And thankfully, it didn’t require any sort of recall to get there.
Help Protect Freedom in Arizona by Joining Our Grassroots Network
Arizona needs to have a unified voice promoting economic freedom and prosperity, and the Free Enterprise Club is committed to making that happen. But we can’t do it alone. We need YOU!
Join our FREE Grassroots Action List to stay up to date on the latest battles against big government and how YOU can help influence crucial bills at the Arizona State Legislature.
by admin | May 27, 2021 | Misc, News and Updates
Be careful what you wish for. Maybe it’s time for someone to tell that to Mayor Gallego and several other members of the Phoenix City Council.
In case you missed it, last week the council approved a civilian “oversight” office of the police in a 5-4 vote. The Office of Accountability and Transparency, which Mayor Gallego referred to as a “national best practice,” will cost taxpayers nearly $4 million.
In reality, this new office has nothing to do with “accountability” or “transparency.” If it did, then Mayor Gallego and other members of the far left would be honest that this office is nothing more than a politicized endeavor designed to undermine the police. And ultimately, they want to use it to help build momentum toward what the far left really wants: imposing progressive policies in the police department and defunding the police.
But maybe Mayor Gallego ought to check her definition of “national best practice.” Because around the country, efforts to defund the police haven’t exactly gone so well.
Cities at the forefront of the “defund the police” movement, have seen dramatic increases in crime rates and mass departures of police officers. Even CNN can’t help but acknowledge it!
Take Seattle for example. You may remember this major American city being referred to as CHAZ or CHOP during the Black Lives Matter riots last summer. Under pressure to cut police spending, the Seattle City Council redistributed nearly 20% of its police budget this past November. And what was the result? A dramatic increase in homicides and shootings so far in 2021. And this comes after a similar increase in 2020!
Maybe things are looking better in New York City, which cut $1 billion from the NYPD’s budget last June. Nope. Crime in the Big Apple is up more than 30% with shootings up 166% over last year.
But surely the outlook must be brighter in Minneapolis, which was at the center of the “defund the police” movement after George Floyd’s death. Wrong again. After cutting $8 million from the Minneapolis Police Department, the city is now bringing in outside help to address the rise in violence.
Yes. You read that right. The City of Minneapolis has asked for help from state and federal agencies, and cited its “shortage of officers.” (You can’t make this stuff up.)
Thankfully, some of these cities are starting to see the light with elected leaders in Minneapolis, New York City, and even Los Angeles seeking to increase funding to their police departments.
And yet, the push to defund the police in Phoenix remains, with just a slim majority in the city council against it.
But the Phoenix City Council better make sure to do its research before it tries to launch any more destructive anti-police programs. “Defunding the police” may have been the trend in 2020, but so far in 2021, it’s been nothing but a disaster. If Mayor Gallego and the other council members really care about their citizens, they should make reducing crime their new “best practice.” And that starts with properly funding Phoenix’s police department.
Help Protect Freedom in Arizona by Joining Our Grassroots Network
Arizona needs to have a unified voice promoting economic freedom and prosperity, and the Free Enterprise Club is committed to making that happen. But we can’t do it alone. We need YOU!
Join our FREE Grassroots Action List to stay up to date on the latest battles against big government and how YOU can help influence crucial bills at the Arizona State Legislature.
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