The Farley Report: April 13, 2010

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Time once again for the Farley Report from Rep. Steve Farley (D-LD28):

Sometimes it's not easy to get the words to paper for the Farley Report, and this is one of those times. It is so hard to sit here every day to watch this Repubilcan majority steer our beloved state further and further to the right — right off a cliff.

The House just passed the most dangerous Russell Pearce (R-Mesa) immigration law yet, SB 1070, which has the effect of forcing all of us to turn in our friends and neighbors and students and patients if we suspect that they are not here legally, and allowing all Arizonans' private data to be shared amongst all levels of government in order to determine legal residency. It does this while doing virtually nothing to really stop illegal immigration — instead, law enforcement will have to waste most of their time checking papers instead of fighting crimes.

Last week the Legislature sent to the Governor's desk (for her likely signature) another Russell Pearce bill, SB1108, that will allow any Arizonan over 18 years old to carry a concealed weapon anywhere that is not controlled by federal law. No background checks or training will be required. People with mental illness or a criminal history can no longer be kept from carrying a concealed weapon.

Yesterday, the Senate Finance Committee by a party line vote passed HB2250, the Speaker's corporate bailout bill I spoke about last week that will add another $650 million a year to our state's structural deficit. It gives away barrels of cash to large out-of-state corporations while raising property taxes on middle-class Arizona homeowners. If the Governor signs this bill, she will be condemning her one-cent sales tax to failure because that tax will simply become a tax shift off of big business and onto middle-class Arizonans.

And there is still no word about moving to restore KidsCare health care for 38,000 Arizona children, a move that will cost us nothing. If we do not act before June 15, we will lose $7 BILLION a year in federal funds that pay for most of the costs of our state Medicaid program, AHCCCS. That will devastate our economy and our healthcare system, causing hospitals, emergency rooms, and assisted living centers to close, while tossing an estimated 42,000 people out of their jobs.

This is the sort of disastrous mismanagement that I suppose we should expect after one party has been in power for 44 years.

Please, for the sake of our parents, our children, our grandchildren, and our future generations, I ask you to act. We cannot wait any longer to turn our state around and get on the right track. Arizona is taking a merciless beating from this bunch, and it is time to stand and fight back.

Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors about politics. Find out about candidates for state offices, and devote time and money to their campaigns. You've spent a whole lot of time in the last few years educating yourself by reading the Farley Report — it is time to put that education to use so we can save our state.

If you'd like to talk with me about how we can help create that change, or hear more stories about what's been happening up here, please come meet me at a great event I am supporting next Sunday, April 18, in Tucson. It's called Cyclovia, and it is a wonderful way to experience what some of the streets of Tucson would be like without cars.

From 10 am till 2 pm, you and your family and friends can walk, bike, skate, or jog along five miles of central Tucson roads that will be closed to automobile traffic, including part of the future Modern Streetcar route. The streets will be filled with spontaneous activities, adventures, and lots of great people.

You can find out more about Cyclovia and find a map of the events at http://www.cycloviatucson.org  

I will have a table in the Main Gate area on University Blvd. where I will be talking with constituents about how we can create a better future, and why we need to act now. Please come by and say hello!

There is hope, and that hope can be found in the power of people coming together. Join me at Cyclovia and regain your inspiration!