Phoenix Wants to Eliminate Parking Spaces in Another Ridiculous Push to Become a 15-Minute City

Phoenix Wants to Eliminate Parking Spaces in Another Ridiculous Push to Become a 15-Minute City

How much do you like to walk in 110-degree heat? If you’re a resident of the city of Phoenix, you may need to start getting used to it if the city council gets its way.

A proposed ordinance in Phoenix is looking to significantly reduce the minimum number of parking spaces it requires for apartments. Currently, Phoenix requires a minimum of 150 parking spaces for every 100 one or two-bedroom apartments. Under the proposed ordinance, that number would decrease to 125 spaces. But that’s not the end of it. For new affordable apartment complexes near light rail stations, the requirement for most would be reduced to zero! Yes. Zero parking spaces at an apartment complex. Have you caught on to their agenda yet?

If you’ve been keeping score, you already know that—in just this year—climate change zealots have been seeking to prohibit gas stoves; put limits on things like lawn and garden equipment, motorized boating, and water heaters; and ban the internal combustion engine. Now, this latest attempt to reduce parking spaces makes it clear. They want to force you out of your air-conditioned car to walk in 110-degree heat with your reward being to wait for a bus or light rail—all the while hoping that you don’t develop heat stroke. Then, once you’re riding on whatever form of public transit you’ve been forced to use, you get to hope that you won’t be assaulted or victimized on a system of transportation that’s seeing an increase in crime. Finally, you’ll get off said public transit and be rewarded with yet another long walk in 110-degree heat. (But at least it’s on Phoenix’s “cool” pavement. Oh wait. It turns out, that’s making people feel even hotter.)

Remember when they said, “You’ll own nothing, and you’ll be happy”? They’re certainly doing everything they can to make the first part a reality. But there isn’t a soul in Phoenix who would be happy walking around the city during an afternoon in July.

All this nonsense is aimed at their agenda to turn Phoenix into a 15-minute city, and they’re not even trying to hide it anymore. Case in point, meet Phoenix’s Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari who recently took to Twitter to hype the proposed ordinance and the 15-minute city concept—where cars will be phased out and everything you need will supposedly be available by foot, bike, or public transit. Of course, if Ms. Ansari is so passionate about Phoenix becoming a 15-minute city, perhaps she’d be willing to lead by example. Why doesn’t she give up her car, walk to the bus stop every day in 110-degree heat, and ride the public transit that she believes is so safe?

But she won’t. And none of the liberal elites pushing this plan will either. They will continue to use their own car and park in their premium parking spots while all of us regular folks are left to deal with these outrageous policies.

They hate how we live and how we get around, and now they want to make us miserable until we surrender to their climate change agenda. But with the proposed parking plan up for a vote sometime in September, there’s still time to fight back. Stay informed. Build a passionate argument based on facts. And make your voice heard. Tucson residents recently defeated a similar attempt to create a 15-minute city by voting down Prop 412. Now, Phoenix should follow their lead.

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ASU’s Carefully Worded ‘Fact Check’ of Our Article Leaves a Lot to Be Desired

ASU’s Carefully Worded ‘Fact Check’ of Our Article Leaves a Lot to Be Desired

It looks like we struck a nerve at one of the largest universities in the United States. Last week, the Free Enterprise Club published an article on Arizona State University’s (ASU) failure to uphold free speech. The article came in the aftermath of an event held by the T.W. Lewis Center for personal development—a center of the Barrett Honors College—that featured prominent conservative speakers like Robert Kiyosaki, Dennis Prager, and Charlie Kirk.

While the event was allowed to proceed, it faced a campaign from 39 of the 47 faculty from the honors college who tried to shut it down. Then, in the months following the event, the center was not only dissolved, but two staff members lost their jobs. Now, ASU has offered a “fact check” of our article in a desperate attempt to save face. And as you might expect, it’s another swing and miss.

It begins by referencing our organization as the Free Enterprise “Club.” Yes. That’s right. It put “Club” in scare quotes for whatever reason, as if that may not be part of the name of our organization. But it has inspired us to consider recognizing ASU as Arizona State “University” moving forward. After all, universities are supposed to be institutions of higher education, and ASU appears to be trending away from that mission to fulfill its desired woke agenda.

Speaking of agendas, ASU also accuses the Club of being “a non-profit, political organization with a political agenda which utilizes what have now become standard political techniques of making brash, attention-getting statements and accusations in a well-orchestrated campaign to secure more social media engagement, more media hits and more donations.”

We’re certainly glad our article got the attention of ASU and others. That is, after all, what an article is supposed to do. And it’s in line with our mission. Since 2005, the Arizona Free Enterprise Club has been the leading organization in the state dedicated to advancing a pro-growth, limited government agenda in Arizona. And through active lobbying, litigation, and our extensive grassroots network, the Club has secured numerous policy victories in the state, including historic income tax cuts, expanded school choice, and protection of free speech. So, yes, when we see violations of free speech, we call them out. We want to get the attention of the people of Arizona, so they know about it and can speak up. And once again, this strategy proved to be a success as the state legislature holds a hearing today about free expression at Arizona’s public universities.

But what about the content of the article itself? What did ASU specifically refute or identify as factually incorrect? We would like to call out a few particular highlights from their alleged “fact check”:

This is how ASU responded to this particular sentence. No talking points. No arguments. Just a link to the “About” page on its website that says nothing about its commitment to free speech.

Some ASU faculty members disagreed? We’re talking about more than 75 percent of the Barrett Honors College faculty signing on to a letter condemning the event and calling the speakers “purveyors of hate.” That’s certainly more than “some.” And ASU’s claim that it is “unaware that students were ‘recruited’ by faculty to oppose [the event],” is laughable when we know at least one faculty member emailed the condemnation letter to her students.

This is just another carefully worded response. ASU’s fact check says that “employees” are not forced to sign diversity statements. But our article doesn’t mention employees. It references “job applicants,” and according to a report from the Goldwater Institute, as of the Fall of 2022, more than 81 percent of job postings at ASU mandated a diversity statement from applicants.

ASU’s “fact check” claims that Lin Blake left for reasons having nothing to do with the Lewis Center event, which certainly makes it sound like she left of her own accord. But then it goes on to say it would be glad to provide more information about her leaving. That makes no sense. Just like it makes no sense to fire someone who was referred to as a “rockstar” within months of pulling off a successful event amid controversy while dealing with staffing shortages due to the Super Bowl occurring the same week.

While ASU has certainly hosted conservative events, our article didn’t say that the school cancels every single conservative event that comes its way. That would’ve thrown up red flags years ago. But it can’t deny that it did cancel a conservative fundraiser in January 2022 with conflicting explanations. And it did cancel the events featuring Brett Weinstein and Katie Pavlich after faculty opposed them in a survey until President Michael Crow felt pressure and restored the events.

Finally, ASU claims that no centers were closed or personnel were fired as a result of the event. Their stance is that the donor to the Lewis Center simply withdrew his gift. But once again, ASU isn’t disclosing the entire story. T.W. Lewis says that he pulled his funding because of ASU’s hostility to conservative thinkers. And Ann Atkinson—the executive director of the T.W. Lewis Center who was fired—says that she offered a diversified group of donors to offset the funding, but that Barrett Honors College Dean Tara Williams wasn’t interested.

Perhaps, instead of spending so much time fact-checking, ASU should simply stop giving in to the leftist faculty mob and follow through on its supposed commitment to free speech. It’s not enough to just allow speakers to speak. Everyone should be able to freely participate in the marketplace of ideas without fear of government censorship or retribution. That’s the heart of the First Amendment. And if ASU won’t commit to it, Arizona lawmakers should do it for them.

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ASU Deserves an ‘F’ for Its Failure to Uphold Free Speech

ASU Deserves an ‘F’ for Its Failure to Uphold Free Speech

Universities are supposed to be the “marketplace of ideas.” With a “green light” rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), you would think that Arizona State University (ASU) would understand this. But apparently, the school would rather be just another woke university that shuts down free speech. Now, the T.W. Lewis Center for Personal Development—a center of the Barrett Honors College—and its executive director Ann Atkinson have found out the hard way.

Back in February, Atkinson organized an event on “Health, Wealth, and Happiness” as part of a series from the Lewis Center focused on connecting students with professionals who can offer career and life advice. Speakers for the event included Rich Dad, Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki, radio talk show host and founder of Prager U Dennis Prager, founder and president of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk, and heart-transplant cardiologist Radha Gopalan. For a university that offers classes on subjects like witchcraft and critical theories of sexuality, this event felt pretty tame by comparison. But the mere mention of these conservative speakers caused more than 75 percent of the Barrett Honors College faculty to have a meltdown. (Looks like ASU’s commitment to force job applicants to sign diversity statements is paying off.)

Along with sending a letter to Barrett Honors College Dean Tara Williams condemning the event and calling the speakers “purveyors of hate,” some faculty spent time in class denouncing it while others actually recruited students to oppose the program. On top of that, on-campus marketing of the event was removed with fliers torn down and all digital advertising scrubbed. Atkinson was also told by the dean that she couldn’t send an email promoting the event all while ASU continued to promote a counter-event. And she was warned that if the speakers made any political statements, it wouldn’t be in the “best interests” of the Lewis Center.

Atkinson ignored all the threats, and the event proved to be a great success with 1,500 attendees in person, more than 24,000 attendees online, and zero disturbances or traumatized students.

So, how did ASU respond to this success?

Lin Blake, the event operations manager at ASU Gammage Theater (where the event was held), was fired despite initially being labeled a “rockstar” for how she handled the event. And as of June 30, ASU dismantled the Lewis Center and terminated Atkinson’s position.

Of course, this isn’t the first time ASU has shown disdain for conservative events. In January 2022, the university offered conflicting explanations for canceling a fundraiser that was set to feature Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs and former Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz. And in March 2022, the school initially canceled two other conservative events that included speakers Bret Weinstein and Katie Pavlich. The March events were eventually restored with a follow-up email that stated, “Under the leadership of President Michael Crow, Arizona State University is committed to intellectual diversity.”

For President Crow and ASU, it now appears that “intellectual diversity” and free speech are simply limited to allowing speakers to speak. But if those speakers even dare to hold ideas that are counter to the prevailing orthodoxy on campus, there will be retribution. Positions will be terminated. Centers will be closed. And students will suffer because of it. After all, many undergraduates skipped out on the “Health, Wealth, and Happiness” event because they were worried that their attendance could hurt them academically. That very real possibility should serve as a “red light” to any parent who’s considering paying to send their child to ASU. And it should inspire lawmakers to find ways to ensure that free speech is protected at our state’s taxpayer-funded universities.

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The Bar Complaint Filed Against AG Kris Mayes Is a Great First Step to Holding Her Accountable

The Bar Complaint Filed Against AG Kris Mayes Is a Great First Step to Holding Her Accountable

We all know it’s been a rough start for Governor Katie Hobbs as Arizona’s Chief Executive. Along with high-profile staff exits and breaking the veto record after killing the bipartisan “Tamale Bill,” Hobbs alienated many Democrats when she signed the budget sent to her by the Republican-led legislature.

Not to be outdone, Attorney General Kris Mayes has come along since taking office with one clear message to Hobbs: “Hold my Bud Light.”

Mayes has been occupying the AG office for a couple of months, and she has already figured out a way to abuse her power and violate her attorney client obligations. All driven by her desire for headlines and trying to claim the mantle as top Democrat demagogue in the state.

Her antics began in April when she decided it was a good idea to threaten action against the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), demanding that the department supply her with documentation showing that the agency is in compliance with its responsibilities.

Then she kicked off last month by falsely claiming that the budget agreement that protected universal school choice would bankrupt the state, despite the expenditure data showing that the growing and wildly popular Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program saves the state money.

When her social media blustering against ESAs didn’t stop the budget from being signed by Governor Hobbs, Mayes doubled down on her ESA assault by announcing her intent to investigate parents and the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) over the ESA program.

Kris Mayes has always had a reputation of trying to bully other people around (just ask anyone that dealt with her at the Arizona Corporation Commission), but one would think she would at least confer with legal counsel in the AG office before engaging in behavior that can get you disbarred. After all, making public threats as a lawyer that you want to investigate your own client (ADWR or ADE) and accusing them of illegal behavior is a severe ethical violation. But Mayes wanted the headlines and adoration from Red For Ed. Well she got it, and her reward is a formal complaint filed against her with the State Bar of Arizona demanding an investigation.

We believe a comprehensive investigation by the State Bar is necessary to hold AG Mayes accountable for her reckless behavior. At a minimum, a closer look at her inappropriate behavior should bring to a screeching halt any rogue investigation that Mayes was planning on conducting—without evidence—against the ESA program at the Department of Education.

And despite the rhetoric coming from Mayes, Hobbs, and other leftists like Rep. Andrés Cano that ESAs will bankrupt our state, the opposite has proven to be true. Arizona’s bet on universal school choice has been paying off in spades. During this fiscal year, the ESA program has exploded with more than 58,000 now enrolled.

But if you believe the lies of Mayes, Hobbs, Cano, and their allies in the teachers’ unions, you would think that Arizona would be suffering from a severe budget deficit. Instead, the nonpartisan Joint Legislative Budget Committee has estimated a revenue surplus by an extra $750 million—a surplus that has increased as ESA program enrollment has increased.

The fact is that a typical ESA scholarship award is around $7,000 per student. But public schools spend roughly twice that per student to the tune of $14,000 per year. This means that any time a student is awarded an ESA, taxpayers get a 50% discount. No wonder Arizona families will be getting some cash back from the state later this year. The ESA program is not only sustainable, but it puts money back into the wallets of taxpayers!

Once again, the left proves that it’s really bad at math. They can’t count signatures, and they think that spending less per student will lead to bankruptcy. No wonder they’re trying to prevent Abe Hamadeh’s challenge to the Arizona Attorney General Election. They’re worried that the over 9,000 provisional ballots remaining will put them on the wrong side of the count once again. And that would be the final straw for Kris Mayes.

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Protecting ESAs in the Budget Is Good News for Education and the State’s Surplus

Protecting ESAs in the Budget Is Good News for Education and the State’s Surplus

Save Our Schools Arizona (SOS) and some Dem lawmakers were up in arms last week. And anytime that happens, you know you’re probably doing something right.

Last Wednesday, the Republican-led legislature passed the $17.8 billion budget, and it was a big win for students, parents, school choice, and Arizona’s taxpayers. Despite the fact that Governor Katie Hobbs made it clear that she planned to dismantle school choice for all with a full repeal of the beloved Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA), Hobbs signed the budget without any cap or restrictions on the historic program. This should be cause for celebration—unless, of course, you’re SOS or certain Democrat lawmakers.

Predictably, SOS got right to work on spreading lies about the popular ESA program, claiming it would drain K-12 public schools of funding, hurt Arizona’s economy, and even bankrupt the state. That last lie is particularly absurd, but then again SOS has a history of such desperation when its back is against the wall. (Can you imagine being this bent out of shape that children from all walks of life can get an education that best fits their needs?)

The reality is that the ESA program has absolutely exploded during this fiscal year, and if you believe the lies of SOS, then you would think that Arizona would be suffering from a severe budget deficit. But the opposite occurred. According to data released last month by the nonpartisan Joint Legislative Budget Committee, Arizona’s estimated revenue surplus surged by an extra $750 million, putting the total state budget surplus this year at $2.5 billion. And all of this has taken place with more than 40,000 new students joining our state’s universal school choice program, bringing the total number of students enrolled to over 56,000.

So much for that bankruptcy talking point. But then again, SOS is the group that miscounted signatures on its ballot initiative back in September by more than 52,000. This just proves once again that there really is no math quite like “Save Our Schools” math.

The truth is that a typical ESA scholarship award is around $7,000 per student, and that is about half of the roughly $14,000 spent on average per student in a public school. This means that the ESA program serves around two students for the cost of one in a traditional public school, and the last time we checked, that means saving taxpayers money.

But don’t just take our word for it. The proof is in the budget itself. Included in this fiscal year’s budget for our state was the insertion of the Arizona Families Tax Rebate. That means Arizona taxpayers are going to get some extra cash this year thanks to Republicans giving back. You can’t do that if you have a severe budget deficit. And you certainly can’t do that if you’re heading toward bankruptcy. But for the first time in at least 30 years—and after already historic tax cuts—our lawmakers were able to provide such a rebate to Arizona’s citizens. So, while students get the education of their choice, you get more money in your wallet. And that’s a win-win for everyone.

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HCR2039 Is an Important Amendment to Reign in Emergency Powers

HCR2039 Is an Important Amendment to Reign in Emergency Powers

Next week, the COVID-19 national public health emergency is set to terminate, three years or 1,166 days after it was initially declared. Here in Arizona, the state of emergency was ended by Governor Ducey on March 30, 2022, just over two years or 749 days after it was initially declared. For those counting, that’s quite a bit longer than the promised 15 days to “slow the spread.”

COVID-19 brought with it unprecedented uses and abuses of emergency powers in every state, Arizona included. Businesses were arbitrarily shut down. Workers were told their jobs were nonessential. People were prevented from going to church, couldn’t visit their dying parents and grandparents in hospitals, and kids were put in masks and barred from their schools. Many questioned how these mandates were even constitutional. Lawsuits were filed, but executive emergency authorities were largely upheld – including in Arizona.

That’s why our lawmakers are currently considering a critical constitutional amendment sponsored by Representative Chaplik, HCR2039, to reign in these powers, provide proper legislative oversight, and ensure checks and balances to protect the rights of individuals.

Where These “Emergency” Powers Come From

Many have appropriately wondered where the legislature derives the authority to enact such statutes that delegate this awesome authority to the Governor and how they are even constitutional. After all, there isn’t an explicit provision in the Arizona constitution saying they can. But this is a key aspect of our system of governance. Unlike the U.S. Constitution, which consists of explicit enumerated powers for Congress, states have inherent powers, like the police powers, and state constitutions act to limit, not explicitly enumerate each one of them.

Whether we like it or not, we have a long history of courts interpreting these inherent police powers of states broadly. This includes the U.S. Supreme Court upholding state laws that require individuals to quarantine (Compagnie Francaise De Navigation A Vapeur v. La. State Bd. of Health – 186 U.S. 380, 22 S. Ct. 811 (1902)), mandatory vaccinations for smallpox (Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905)), and even the destruction of private property to secure the safety of the general public (Miller v. Schoene, 276 U.S. 272 (1928)).

In other words, it was within the inherent authority of the legislature to enact these emergency power statutes to begin with.

However, just because they can, doesn’t mean they should. We can and ought to continue the public policy conversation about reforming and restricting current emergency powers statutes. Considering the difficulty in pulling back a power already delegated to the executive (requiring Governors to relinquish their power), another solution must be crafted, and that solution is HCR2039.

Arizona’s Emergency Powers Statutes

Our emergency powers statutes were enacted in the early 1970s, more than fifty years ago. They sat quietly on the “books” with little discussion, though many (there are currently 41 active declarations) “emergencies” have been declared under them, some even lasting for decades, including a drought emergency that has been in place since 1999. But by definition emergencies are temporary, not permanent. COVID-19, and the resultant unprecedented use of the powers granted by those statutes, spurred a necessary and overdue public policy discussion about the extent of these powers and the propensity for them to be abused.

Emergency Powers Are Not, Nor Should They Be, Unlimited

Individuals can and ought to continue to sue when the state has infringed on their rights during an emergency. Although Arizona’s emergency statutes hand over broad police powers, the Governor “can only take actions consistent with other statutes and the constitution.” That remains true with HCR2039.

The Governor cannot operate outside of statute or other constitutional protections of individual liberties. If he or she does, people can and should sue, and the courts will consider the specifics of the case to determine if the violation of an individual’s liberty was outweighed by a legitimate and compelling state interest. That judicial check will remain the same under HCR2039.

Emergency Powers Are Necessary

It is true that our emergency powers statutes currently hand over broad authority to the Governor, including “all police powers” of the state. Statutory reforms are necessary to more narrowly tailor these delegated powers. But the fact is emergencies do exist, such as wildfires and floods, which require quick, executive action – something a deliberative body, such as the legislature, is not designed to handle.

Just look at Gila Bend, which in 2021 was completely overcome with monsoon rains resulting in the death of two and the injury of 30. Governor Ducey quickly declared a state of emergency to expend $200,000 and deploy necessary resources to help the community recover. The quick action was critical, but these emergency declarations must be limited, they must be temporary, and there must be adequate legislative oversight to protect the liberties of individuals.

HCR2039 Is the Solution to Protect the Rights of Arizonans

While reforms are necessary, it’s crucial to have a mechanism in place now that ensures proper checks and balances of the delegated authority no matter what current or future statutes on emergency powers look like. The most appropriate place to resolve these fundamental questions of how our government functions and how to employ checks and balances is within the framework of the constitution. Right now, it is entirely devoid of a process for the legislature to check executive authority.

That’s why it’s critical that the legislature send HCR2039 to the voters. If passed, it answers this question in the Arizona Constitution to restrict the power of the Governor during a declared emergency. After the declaration, the Governor would be required to call the legislature into a special session by the tenth day and it would automatically terminate after 30 days unless extended by a concurrent resolution of the legislature.

HCR2039 does not expand, confer, or endorse the existing breadth of emergency powers in the constitution. The legislature could (and should) now, and after passage of HCR2039, place more statutory restrictions on the powers it delegates in times of emergencies. They could even repeal them altogether.

Critically, HCR2039 enshrines meaningful legislative oversight in the constitution to ensure proper checks and balances to protect individual liberties. That’s why it is supported as an essential measure by pro-liberty groups like the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Goldwater Institute, Republican Liberty Caucus of Arizona, EZAZ, and Arizona Freedom Caucus legislators. It’s also why the Democrat caucus is unanimously opposed, as are groups like the Arizona Public Health Association who wish to maintain the status quo, and not restrict the rule-by-one powers of the Governor.

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