Close the Meth Lab of Democracy: Vote Blue Today

Fred DuValIt’s time for Arizona to stop being the brunt of jokes on Comedy Central and time to close the Meth Lab of Democracy.

Meth– like dark money from the Koch Brothers, ALEC, and Arizona Public Service– is addicting and #Bad4AZ. We need politicians who are clean and not addicted to or swayed by dark money.

To do your part, here are the top 10 things you should do on Election Day:

1- Vote for Fred DuVal, Terry Goddard, Felecia Rotellini, David Garcia, Jim Holway, Sandra Kennedy, Ron Barber (or Raul Grijalva, Ann Kirkpatrick, Mikel Weisser, or James Woods, depending upon where you live), and your Legislative reps (like Victoria Steele, Randy Friese, and Steve Farley) if you haven’t done so already.

2- Vote “No” on Props 122 and 303 because they are all about challenging the federal government and sparking new costly and unnecessary lawsuits. Not #Good4AZ.

3- Vote “Yes” on Prop 415 to build the new animal shelter. It’s only $3/year to treat animals humanely.

4- Take your early ballot to your polling place if you still have it. Volunteer to drive friends to the polls or to drop off their mailed ballot.

5- Ask everyone you see if they have voted and encourage them to follow steps #1, #2, #3, and #4 if they have not.

6- If you have adult children, contact them and encourage them to vote.

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DuVal: Consider Public Banking to Heal Arizona’s Economy (video)

In early 1900s, progressives from both political parties joined forces to create the Non-Partisan League. This led to creation of North Dakata's public bank. (Cartoon published in the Non-Partisan Leader in 1912.)
In early 1900s, progressives from both political parties joined forces to form the Nonpartisan League and create North Dakota’s public bank. One of the original goals was to save family farms from foreclosure by big banks. Thanks to North Dakota’s public bank and its local investment policy, it was the only state whose economy didn’t collapse during the 2008-09 Wall Street crash. (Cartoon published in the Non-Partisan Leader in 1912.)

Both gubernatorial candidates agree that Arizona’s economy is not performing well, but they don’t agree on what to do about it.

Republican candidate Doug Ducey likes to ask audiences how many of them are from somewhere else, and of course, some people always raise their hands. Ducey’s conclusion is that because of Arizona’s great weather, people will continue to move here– despite the shortage of good-paying jobs (and water). Tourism, transplants, and related services have made money for Arizona and will continue to do so, Ducey contends.

To please his corporate donors, Ducey’s economic plan is to push for more unaffordable corporate tax cuts and follow other red state governors– most notably Kansas’ Sam Brownback and NJ’s Chris Christie— to the poor house. He also wants to duck the court order requiring the state to fully fund education (instead of paying back the $1.6 billion that the Arizona Legislature illegally took from schools). Ducey is offering more of Governor Jan Brewer’s failed Tea Party economic policies: give tax cuts even though we’re broke, balance the budget on the backs of the school children and the middle class, hope people will continue to move here, and quietly pray for more water. This is what Ducey calls “kick starting the economy.”

As Democratic Party candidate Fred DuVal aptly points out, Ducey’s plan is based upon “tooth fairy economics” (AKA trickle down economics). Although DuVal is sometimes vague on specifics, at least he doesn’t rely on magical thinking to solve Arizona’s economic woes. In debates and speeches, DuVal talks about growing local small businesses to re-build Arizona’s economy, vows to repay what the Republican Legislature stole from the schools, ties a strong public education system to economic expansion, and suggests student loan relief for teachers.

How can DuVal do all of this? One bold non-partisan strategy is to establish a public bank to keep Arizona tax money at home and use it for local investment…

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Fred DuVal

A Vote for Fred DuVal Is a Vote for Integrity (video)

It’s no secret that the Koch Brothers and other dark money, out-of-state donors have spent millions to buy offices for Tea Party Republican candidates in Arizona this year. The struggle for control of our state is a David and Goliath epic. David– armed with citizen volunteers knocking on doors, making phone calls, blogging, Tweeting, Facebooking, … Read more

Reproductive choice

Rocker Joan Jett Says ‘When Women Vote, Women Win’ (video)

Reproductive choice
Rocker Joan Jett wants YOU to vote— and bring friends with you.

Women are not just a voting block; we make up 53% of the voters in this country. Despite the power of our numbers, somehow 100% of the Republicans in the Senate don’t believe that we deserve equal pay for equal work, and several Republican-led Legislatures– including Arizona’s– think it’s perfectly OK to restrict your rights and force YOU to have an unnecessary vaginal ultrasound– and pay for it yourself– before you can have a legal medical procedure. (Don’t even bother to ask them if we deserve equal rights that would be granted by passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.)

In Arizona, the vote is crystal clear for women. ALL Democratic Party candidates– Congressional, statewide, and legislative— stand for equal pay, equal rights, and reproductive choice for women. Republicans stand for repression of women through continued bad legislation in Phoenix. For example, Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Ducey — and all of the Republicans in the Arizona Legislature– signed the Center for Arizona Policy’s fetal personhood pledge to fight for the rights of the unborn, over the rights of mothers. (Now you know whose side they’re on, and it’s NOT ours.)

Women– Republicans think you’re too stupid to vote. Prove them WRONG on Nov. 4. Joan Jett video and background facts after the jump.

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Doug MacEachern is yelling at a cloud again

cba activist

Oh my, they let Doug MacEachern go off on a tear again.

One day before the primary elections ended, on Aug. 25, a young fellow wearing a Citizens for a Better Arizona tee shirt walked into Maricopa County elections headquarters carrying a box. It was filled with hundreds of mail-in ballots, which he merrily delivered to county election workers.

A Republican activist who happened to be there filmed the CBA worker delivering the ballots. His video recently went viral on YouTube. Conservative groups and media picked up the story. For conservatives, it was a true “ah HA!” moment. It was, to them, evidence of “ballot stuffing.” Of fraud.

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