Dr. Richard Carmona events in Baja Arizona this weekend
The Flake: Grand Canyon ‘Prime Mining Lands’ for Uranium
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
I don't know what it is with Tea-Publicans in this state. They have had a jones on for years about wanting to mine for uranium in the Grand Canyon. The Colorado River is a critical water source to Arizona, Nevada and California downstream. If you poison that water supply, we're all screwed.
The Dr. Richard Carmona for U.S. Senate campaign fact checks Rep. Jeff Flake's support for uranium mining in the Grand Canyon.
Congressman calls to open Canyon, watershed to mine uranium
Ever since Congressman Jeff Flake repeated his call to open up the Grand Canyon and its watershed to uranium mining over the weekend — calling it "prime mining lands" — the 12-year incumbent Congressman and former lobbyist has been trying to back away from his record.
The Congressman's campaign is denying that he ever advocated for uranium mining around the Grand Canyon, but the record is clear. On several occasions, Congressman Flake has pushed to open up the Grand Canyon and its surrounding watershed to uranium mining.
If Congressman Flake got his wish, he would endanger the drinking water of 25 million people in the Southwest. Flake's documented history of pushing uranium mining claims at the Grand Canyon has earned scorn for press throughout Arizona and surrounding states. So why is Flake pushing this so hard for this? Because he was a uranium mining lobbyist before he became a career politician.
"Before Jeff Flake was elected to Congress, he was a lobbyist and registered foreign agent for Rossing Uranium," said Carmona for Arizona communications director Andy Barr. "The Congressman's advocacy to open up the Grand Canyon and its watershed would endanger the drinking water of millions and threaten Arizona's agriculture and tourist industries. It's a dangerous position only a former uranium mining lobbyist could justify."
Latino Decisions Tracking Poll: Latino voters highly engaged
CD 2 Congressional debate tonight at the U of A
Dr. Richard Carmona leads by four points in new poll
Jonathan ‘Payday’ Paton collecting from his payday lender pals
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Jonathan "Payday" Paton has frequently bristled at being a lobbyist for the Payday Loan industry. He even recently got some assistance in this regard from Arizona Republic(an) columnist apologist Laurie Roberts who wrote Payday Paton ads factual, but are they true? Spoiler alert: according to Ms. Roberts, because Paton was not an obscenely paid lobbyist this somehow makes a difference. That's some situational ethics you got there, Ms. Roberts.
This subsequent reporting in the Arizona Republic begs to differ. Paton tied to payday lending.
Let's hear from someone in the trenches who has had to actually deal with the consequences of Payday Lenders exploiting people in dire financial circumstances, Navajo County Attorney Brad Carlyon, who sent this e-mail today on behalf of the Ann Kirkpatrick campaign:
Character matters.
That’s why I find it especially galling that Jonathan Paton, a lobbyist who worked for the payday-loan industry – a man who fought to keep an exploitative industry alive — is flooding our airwaves and mailboxes with character attacks on Ann Kirkpatrick.
As the Navajo County Attorney, I know how bad the payday-loan industry was for our communities. The voters agreed with me, and in 2010 they voted by an overwhelming 2-1 margin to end predatory payday loans in Arizona – forever.
The initiative they voted down was known as Prop. 200. At the time, a lobbying firm called Copper State Consulting was being paid to run the Prop. 200 campaign in hopes of keeping the payday-loan industry alive in perpetuity. Their strategy? Call it “reform.”
But editorial boards across our state called it what it really was: A “cruel hoax.” “Shameful.” And plenty more.
And here’s where things get awfully sketchy: As a sitting lawmaker, Jonathan Paton was also on the payroll of Copper State Consulting. He even wrote a ballot argument in favor of Prop. 200. In other words, Paton fought for this “cruel hoax” under the guise of "reform." All to help his old payday-loan bosses.
And now those payday-loan bosses are returning the favor. This past weekend, The Arizona Republic wrote a story with the headline: “Paton tied to payday-lending industry – Says he didn’t lobby for industry but records show payday money has been a fixture of his career.”
Boehner and the big money machine come to AZ for McSally, Paton, & Parker
by Pamela Powers Hannley
In case your invitation got lost in the mail, here's a reminder to dust off your "business attire", break out a few thousand greenbacks, and hit the road for a Paradise Valley VIP fundraiser.
Arizona's elite Congressional team will be joined by Speaker of the House John Boehner to raise big bucks for Republican candidates Martha McSally (CD2), Jonathan Paton (CD1), and Vernon Parker (CD9), who are running against Ron Barber, Ann Kirkpatrick, and Kyrsten Sinema, respectively.
I guess the Republicans have really given up on Gabriela Saucedo Mercer (Congressman Raul Grijalva's Teapublican challenger), since she is not listed on the invitation. It is odd that Senate hopeful Jeff Flake– who is running against Dr. Richard Carmona— is not listed as a beneficiary. (I guess he's getting plenty of help from the Koch Brothers and their ALEC pals.)
See the rest of the invite after the jump.
