Steve Yarbrough

Beware Arizona Public Servants who Rob from the Taxpayer and give to Themselves.

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Recent reports have revealed the extent legislators have relied on outside extremist groups to craft legislation to be considered on the State House and Senate Floors. Other accounts, by reporters like  Laurie Roberts of the Arizona Republic and Jim Small of the Arizona Mirror have focused on some public servants like LD 20 State Representative … Read more

One of Arizona’s worst ousted. There are many more to vote out in 2020.

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While it is right that Arizonans celebrated and hailed the forced resignation of Legislative District One State Representative David Stringer citizens need to remember that he is not the only reactionary legislator that does not serve the public good that needs to be defeated. Some of his vile comments on education like “public schools should … Read more

Greed Fueling AZ’s 48th Ranking for Anti-Corruption

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We currently have many crises in America, but one that affects our ability to deal with them all, is the crisis of confidence in our public institutions. Some might argue this lack of confidence is fueled by those seeking power and profit via privatization of said institutions. Whether manufactured or organically grown, the lack of accountability and transparency among public officials is no doubt contributing to the crisis.

In 2015, PublicIntegrity.org ranked the Arizona Legislature 22nd in the nation for state government accountability and transparency. And although the scores are not directly relatable, a 2018 report by the anti-corruption Coalition for Integrity, ranking Arizona 48th in the nation, leads me to believe we are not headed in the right direction. The Coalition’s scorecard is called the “States With Anti-Corruption Measures for Public officials” or “S.W.A.M.P. Index”. It “analyzes the laws of the 50 States and District of Columbia regarding the establishment and scope of ethics agencies, the powers of those agencies, acceptance and disclosure of gifts by public officials, transparency of funding independent expenditures and client disclosure by legislators.” This is important said the Coalition’s CEO Shruti Shah, because

“There is a strong link between an ethics regime and trust in government—and state laws are the first line of defense against corruption.”

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What the Republicans Have Done to Us

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Facebook Posting by Democratic Secretary of State Candidate Katie Hobbs showing Republican Governor Doug Ducey posing with White Supremacists.

Recently on YouTube, I happened by a scene from one of the all-time great comedies Monty Python’s “Life of Brian.” While not as good as “The Holy Grail,” there are many funny moments.

The scene which inspired this piece (link below) is when the Judean revolutionaries ask “What have the Romans Ever Done for Us?” The gathering then brought up the many contributions the Romans did make to the Judean Society. It is a very funny scene.

With that in mind, it came to mind to write down what have the Republicans done to us at the State and Federal Level over the last 30 years. They have:

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Pawlik and Weichert Offer a Progressive Problem Solving Vision for LD 17

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AZ LD 17 State House Candidate Jennifer Pawlik

Over iced tea and ice water at the Starbucks in Chandler, LD 17 Democratic House Candidate Jennifer Pawlik and LD 17 Democratic Senate Candidate Steve Weichert enthusiastically discussed their united vision for taking care of children in poverty, who have been largely forgotten by the current Republican LD state representatives and senator.

The LD 17 District in Arizona contains parts of Gilbert, Chandler, and Sun Lakes. No Democrat has ever claimed victory in this district. Two Republicans in the State House currently represent it. This includes the current House Speaker J.D. Mesnard who has decided to run against Weichert for the State Senate Seat being vacated by State Senate President Steven Yarbrough. Pawlik is the only Democrat running for a seat in the State House.

Arizona Legislative District 17
Arizona Legislative District 17

Pawlik and Weichert are not newcomers to the political arena in Legislative District 17. They ran for the same state legislative seats in 2016 that they are running for today. While the results did not turn out as they hoped in 2016, they feel that three trends will propel them to victory in 2018:

  • The marked increase in voter enthusiasm, ignited by the election of Donald Trump.
  • The insensitivity of the Ducey Governorship and his allies in the state legislature.
  • The spark of the Red for Ed Movement.

Like neighboring LD 18, the Democratic candidates and District Chair Jacob Schmitt see their electoral prospects improving with an increasingly bluer (or purple) population receptive to the centrist problem solving progressive ideas and vision that they offer. Both Pawlik and Weichert have united as a team, tailoring their message to all the people in LD 17, especially those ignored and forgotten by the current Republican leadership in the district who has fallen under the influence of anti-democratic, tax cutting, special and Dark Money interests.

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