AZ: November Election Issues (illegals, light rail, hospital board)

Now that the Arizona Primary is over, there is no shortage of debate on the issues to be decided in the state's general election in November. The main topics are Prop 200/Protect Arizona Now, light rail and the new county hospital board in Maricopa County. The sanctity of life is front and center, as well.

During the September meeting of the Arizona Life Coalition meeting, in Phoenix, the issues of life and elections were juxtaposed by people who work on the front lines.

Cathi Herrod, director of policy for the Center for Arizona Policy (CAP), said her organization has surveyed candidates for the brand new Maricopa County Special Healthcare District election in November.

It is already known that District 2 candidate Charlie Gail Hendrix is a pro-life, less government conservative and that District 3 candidate Paulina Vazquez-Morris is a Planned Parenthood candidate.

"The pro-aborts would like to use the county board as a model for abortion; it's really a dangerous office," said Shane Wikfors, executive director of Arizona Right to Life.

"James Kraft may be the best in that (District 3) race," Herrod said. Maricopa County Supervisor Andy Kunasek is vehemently opposed to the county hospital being used for abortion training. Hendrix has said all along that this county board is being watched nationally because of the connotations it holds with the life/abortion issue.

Wikfors is urging pro-lifers to make calls and send emails to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to ensure that the county puts a deed restriction in place preventing any entity from performing abortions on property owned by Maricopa County.

This policy will need to be put in place prior to January 1, 2005, when the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will transfer all county health care policy over to the Maricopa Special Health Care District.

This newly elected board will be responsible for creating and managing Maricopa County's budget and health care policies -- including abortion and euthanasia.

"Prior to handing over authority to this new political body, it is imperative that the existing board of supervisors ensure that no Maricopa County property will be used to perform abortion services," Wikfors said.

"As the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors take up this important vote to protect your taxes and the life of the unborn, they need to hear from you. Please call or email your supervisor and ask them to support the deed restriction that will prohibit abortions from taking place in county facilities or on county property.

District 5 Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox (602) 506-7092 mrwilcox@mail.maricopa.gov

One of the spotlight races for the State Senate this fall will be in District 12 where incumbent Robert Blendu will try to fend off a challenge from former legislator Kathi Foster.

Herrod said, "If Blendu beats Kathi Foster, if Jake Flake wins in District 5, and if Linda Gray wins in District 10, we will have 16 pro-life votes in the Senate. That's never happened."

Sixteen pro-life votes would give conservatives control of the Arizona Senate. If pro-abort liberal Carolyn Allen remains chairman of the Senate Health Committee, that committee will need an infusion of pro-lifers to offset her. Pro-abort liberal Toni Hellon was also on the board last session, as was former Senator Linda Binder. The Education Committee, which Hellon chaired to a defeat of a school voucher plan earlier this year, also needs an infusion of conservatives.

Herrod said there may be between 29-34 pro-life votes in the Arizona House of Representatives next term. It may be hard for pro-life Independent Sylvia Laughter to win re-election in Kayenta. Two years ago, she left the Democratic Party because of its radical liberal ways. Democrats Ann Kirkpatrick and Tom Albert will join Laughter in the competition for two House seats in District 5.

"We need Sylvia Laughter to win," Herrod said. "If Laura Knaperek and Mark Thompson win in District 17 it would be huge. A lot of people got mad at Mark Thompson on the budget issue, but people need to get past that."

Thompson is a pro-life incumbent who voted with Republican renegades for the governor's big-government budget. The pro-life Knaperek was term-limited out of the House two years ago and lost a 2002 Senate election to pro-abort Harry Mitchell. District 17 encompasses Tempe and southern Scottsdale. Incumbent Meg Burton-Cahill and Ed Ableser are the Democrats in that race.

Herrod said that pro-life State Rep. Jennifer Burns will have a difficult time holding on to her District 25 House seat against challengers Monica Perez and Manny Alvarez.

Wikfors said there may be a record number of pro-life women in the legislature when the election dust settles. Such an achievement would dovetail the U.S. congressional elections which increased the number of pro-life women in Congress by an astounding 71 percent.

Tuesday Phoenix radio news reports included audio of Protect Arizona Now (PAN) director Kathy McKee claiming that former attorney general Grant Woods was fined twice for hiring illegal aliens. Woods has launched an organization to oppose Prop 200/Protect Arizona Now, which would ensure voter integrity and deny non-emergency state government services to illegals. Woods did not issue a denial. State Representative Russell Pearce, an advisor to the PAN initiative, has issued a news release of what the initiative "really says":

*Arizona's illegal alien population is now estimated to be over 500,000. The annual cost of providing public benefits to illegal aliens living in Arizona now exceeds $2 billion, or $1,400 a year per household. Section 2 of the initiative states that illegal immigration is causing economic hardship, contradicts federal policy, undermines border security, and demeans the value of citizenship.

* Proposition 200 Sections 3 and 4 require new voters to document their U.S. citizenship when they register to vote. Section 5 requires voters to present a photo ID at the polling place. These measures will protect the integrity of the voter rolls against corruption and fraud. Section 6.A.3 prohibits public agencies from accepting insecure identification cards to show eligibility for public benefits, unless the issuing agency has verified the immigration status of the cardholder.

* Section 6.A.4 requires state and local government employees who discover a violation of federal immigration law to make a written report to federal immigration authorities.

* Proposition 200 will not change the types of benefits that are denied to illegal aliens. Federal law already defines the types of state or local benefits for which lawful immigration status is required.

*The procedures for verification of eligibility that will be required under proposition 200 comply with federal regulations known as the SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement) system. Arizona has used the SAVE system to verify eligibility for federally-funded benefit programs since 1999.

* Illegal aliens cannot be denied access to benefits that are exempted from verification by federal law. These programs include K-12 education, emergency health care, immunization programs, in-kind disaster relief, emergency food assistance, federal school lunch programs, and public services that are necessary to protect life or safety.

* Eligibility for state benefits and services will be determined solely by verification of an applicant's identity or immigration and nationality documents. Proposition 200 Section 6.C creates additional protections against discrimination not found in other federal or state law. Advocates for illegal aliens gain a new right to sue any government agency that discriminates in the verification process in state court.

Rep. Pearce is opposing Proposition 400, an extension of a Maricopa County tax to fund freeway expansion and construct a light rail system. Prop 400 will be on the ballot Nov. 2. He is asking voters should look at the following list of facts:

The light rail lobby's own reports show how costly light rail is ($12 per passenger trip).

Too much money is allocated to transit (almost one-half), while we have not even started the 303, 404 or the 505

Freeways in the Phoenix region handle 20 times as many people per mile as light rail.

"It is your money," Pearce said. "If you, the taxpayer, want light rail let's vote on it separately and not hide it and force the taxpayers to vote all or nothing. Vote this proposition down and send it back to the legislature to do it right. We have plenty of time to fix it and let you vote on freeways without light rail and to vote separately on light rail."

Arizona's illegal alien population is now estimated to be over 500,000. The annual cost of providing public benefits to illegal aliens living in Arizona now exceeds $2 billion, or $1,400 a year per household. Section 2 of the initiative states that illegal immigration is causing economic hardship, contradicts federal policy, undermines border security, and demeans the value of citizenship.

California hears you! California is "home" to a few million illegal aliens. Can you imagine the costs here? Good luck in November!

How interesting that the ads on the radio for Prop. 400 seem to *forget* to mention light rail.

I'm involved with the anti-light rail campaign.... visit http://www.votenotax.com for more info, or get ahold of me if you'd like to get involved!

We are definitely voting against light rail. I hope and pray that the people of Phx. see thru this.

I noticed McCain is coming out swinging against the majority who favor denying illegals benefits.

I think we will see a lot of #*&^ flying before the election by McCain and Grant Woods.

6 posted on 09/16/2004 4:06:34 PM PDT by hsmomx3 (Who says the media doesn't control what Americans think/feel?)

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