Year: 2018

Two Tempe Union High School Board Candidates Display the “Right Reasons” for wanting to be on a School Board

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Tempe Union High School Governing Board Candidate Andres Barraza
Tempe Union High School Governing Board Candidate Brian Garcia

In recent weeks, there have been news accounts of state and local school boards attempting to create standards that cloud the separation of church and state or eliminate renowned historical figures from curriculum standards or advance intelligent design. These boards, in Texas and Arizona, appear to have forgotten what the number one mission for school boards is as Tempe Union High School Board Candidate Brian Garcia relayed in a conversation with fellow Democrat Andres Barraza “It is the job to prepare kids for the next step in their lives.”

With two openings on the Tempe High School Governing Board, both Barraza and Garcia want to build on the strong foundations set by the current board and help enact school policies that benefit all stakeholders: students, parents, teachers, administrators, and staff.

At the LD 18 office in Tempe, both Barraza and Garcia relayed why they are the right fits to be on the board.

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Elizabeth Brown and Lynsey Robinson battle Depraved Hearts, Corruption and Dark Money Republican Interests in Arizona LD 12

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LD 12 Democratic State House Candidate Lynsey Robinson

The sense of entitlement and stench of corruption from Republican representatives in Arizona LD 12 has not lessened since last summer.

Recent news reports and activities at the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools have revealed that LD 12 State Representative Eddie Farnsworth has used his position in the State House to set up a “Banana Republic” system where legislation he has supported or objected to, has enabled him to earn $11 million for the sale of his Ben Franklin chain of charter schools to a 501(c)(3) corporation that will pay Mr. Farnsworth a consulting fee for his services.

LD 12 Democratic State Senate Candidate Elizabeth Brown

Benefiting from one’s position in elected office is very unethical and unseemly. It appears, unfortunately, to be normal operating procedure in the Arizona State Legislature under Republican stewardship as Dark Money special interests dictate what legislation and policies will be considered and what will not. It has come to the point where Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Brown contends that Republicans and their Dark Money benefactors “consider it a sin to help others,” “not caring” about those in need while actively promoting corporate welfare schemes and policies to assist businesses. She refers to this behavior as belonging to individuals with “depraved hearts.”

Meeting at the same IHOP as before, both Democratic House candidate Lynsey Robinson and Senate candidate Brown sat down and relayed what their campaign message is for LD 12, a district that includes all or parts of Gilbert, San Tan, and Queen Creek. Their plans, along with the other Democratic candidate Joe Bisaccia whom they have canvassed with, to beat the entrenched ultra-conservative interests of Eddie Farnsworth, Travis Grantham, and Warren Pedersen.

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Handy guide on the AZ General Election Propositions

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Early ballots for the Nov. 6, 2018 General Election go out this week on Oct. 10.  If you’re confused about the many Propositions on the ballot, here’s a handy guide from the Pima County  Democratic Party. Democrats of Greater Tucson meets every Monday at high noon at Dragon’s View restaurant, 400 N. Bonita Ave. Today … Read more

A constitution designed to preserve slavery now undermines our democracy

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America’s original sin, slavery, continues to define our society and political institutions to this day. This is because the U.S. Constitution, which was designed to preserve slavery, now undermines our democracy.

If Americans believe in democracy — and one of our two major political parties, the Party of Trump fka the Republican Party, decidedly does not — we must move to amend the Constitution to remove the lingering vestiges of slavery and usher in a revival of American democracy.

Voting is a privilege of citizenship under the Constitution. There is no express guarantee in the Constitution that the franchise to vote is a fundamental constitutional right. This has allowed the states to disenfranchise and to discriminate against its citizens denying them their vote in a myriad of creative ways. An amendment guaranteeing the franchise to vote is a fundamental constitutional right is necessary to fight GOP voter suppression efforts.

The electoral college is a lingering vestige of slavery. There is no direct popular vote election of the president and vice president, as in every other modern democracy in the world. Americans vote for electors who then vote to elect the president and vice president. There have been five United States presidential elections in which the electoral college winner lost the popular vote, twice since 2000, favoring Republicans. It is long past time to amend the Constitution to repeal the electoral college and adopt the direct popular vote election of president and vice president as in every other modern democracy in the world. Republicans are likely to oppose repeal of the electoral college because they have lost the popular vote in six of the last seven elections.

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Political Calendar: Week of October 7, 2018

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The Political Calendar is posted on Sundays. Please send us notice of your political events prior to the Sunday before your event (7 days would be most helpful). See the calendar icon in the right-hand column of the blog page for easy access to the calendar.

Send notices of your events to blogforarizona@gmail.com.

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Political Calendar for the Week of October 7, 2018:

Continuing: Oktoberfest on Mount Lemmon, 10300 Ski Run Road, Mt. Lemmon (Tucson). Free admission. $5 parking and highway fees. Enjoy a festival of German food and music in the forest at Mount Lemmon Ski Valley during the last two weekends in September and first two weekends in October: Sept. 22-23, Sept. 29-30, Oct. 6-7, and Oct. 13-14, 2018. No dogs admitted, please. For more information please call (520) 576-1321.

Monday, October 8: Columbus Day.

Monday, October 8, Noon: Democrats of Greater Tucson luncheon, Dragon’s View Restaurant (400 N. Bonita, South of St. Mary’s Road between the Freeway and Grande Avenue, turn South at Furr’s Cafeteria). New price: buffet lunch is $10.00 cash, $12 credit; just a drink is $3.50. Multiple Speakers on Ballot Initiatives. Next Week: Kalie Pawlik on “Yes on Prop 127.”

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