ROBBED OF $380,591

12/12/2006 Item 5-C on the City of Mesa Council Agenda:   authorizes the City Manager to sign an agreement on behalf of the City of Mesa with Mesa Housing Associates LL, LLC; and MHA III LLC.  The following is a summary of the agreement.

1. The City will sell a 0.59 acre partial at a market value of $129,000 to Mesa Housing Associates II, LLC for a 3-story 24 unit apartment project. 

2. The City will sell a 63, 400 SF (1.45 acre) lot adjacent to #1 above for $1 provided the developer obtains Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) approval for a 5-story, 71 unit affordable senior apartment building (ie low income).  The developer has until June 29, 2018 to obtain LIHTC award and close escrow.  If he doesn’t achieve LIHTC approval, the developer will purchase the land for $380,591. 

#1 (Market Rate Parcel) above is not of much concern to me because it simply is following a successful pattern of a recently constructed projects and should benefit the City.

However, #2 was a big concern to me.  Why?

• Low Income Housing is not needed in this part of town
• It makes no sense to sell land worth $380,591 for $1.  The City Council needs to learn a basic law of economics = Buy Low, Sell high!!  not the other way around.
• Lack of Transparency.  The Council did not go through a reasonable bidding or public comment phase.

The following were the Players in the game to make this decision:

DEVELOPER:  The developer is in the game for one purpose---to make money.  I do not fault him for that and I hope he continues to be a successful businessman.  In this particular case he has proven he can build a quality product that is successful---which he has completed right next door to this property.  There is some negative press about this developer in the Tempe News where there were some pretty shady things going on in the City of Tempe on an unrelated project, but I do not have the facts and will not pass along what I do not know.  If someone wants to research it, they can easily enough.  The developer would be crazy to not take a chance on this property if he can get it for $1 with Federal subsidies to boot.  This is a sweet deal for the Developer at Tax payer expense.  There is no doubt the Developer has nurtured the City Staff and City Council to ensure the project passes.  It would be interesting to know which Council members received campaign donations from the Developer.

CITY OF MESA STAFF:  If you read the City staff report you will find the staff supports this project and even make the statement in Section L of the “Amended and Restated Development Agreement” that this project is “in the vital and best interest of the City and the health, safety and welfare of the residents”.   It makes no sense to me why the staff would say this project is "vital" or has anything to do with health and safety of the community.  You could argue that those who live in the low income housing have increased welfare, but it seems strange the staff thinks the project is so vital.  It would have been more 'vital' to sale the land for market value and use the money for Police and Fire personnel that did not pass in the recent Question 1.  It makes me wonder what was going on behind the scenes.

CITY COUNCIL: 6 of the council members were present at the council meeting.  In the end only Mayor Giles voted against the item.  Councilmen Luna, Kavanaugh, Finter, Thompson and Richins voted for the item.  Even though there were many people who spoke passionately against the issue, Councilmen Luna and Kavanuagh didn't think it important to explain their vote to the public.  I respect and appreciate all of the Councilmen.  Each of them are good men and I have no doubt have a sincere interest in the City.  They are intelligent and successful in their careers.  So it seems very strange to me indeed why they would vote to give a valuable piece of land away for $1.  I wish I really understood the forces acting behind the scene to make them choose this option.  I am sure that if any one of them had personal title to this piece of land and were asked to give it away for $1, not one of them would do it!

PUBLIC: 2 people spoke in favor--the Developer and a businessman next door who good see increased income if the item passed.  8 members of the public spoke against it.  Nearly every one expressed concern about having more low income housing in the area and some mentioned the land giveaway. Anyone familiar with Mesa recognizes that the West side of Mesa is deteriorating because it is the older part of Town.  Residents believe that more low income housing will simply turn downtown Mesa into a 'destination site' for welfare recipients and will continue to devalue property.

RANDOM QUESTIONS:
When the City posted these parcels to receive bids from Developers, it was for only a few days---really not adequate time to test the market.  Why?

There was no 'Public Comment' phase during the process that lasted nearly a year.  The item was on the Consent agenda and would have passed without Public Awareness.  Why?

Why is the price per SF for the Affordable project nearly $1 greater than the price set on the Market rate land?  It isn't a lot of money, but it appears there was a conscious effort to increase the value of the land the City was giving away.  Why?

The price on the land was fixed early 2016 and remains fixed until November 2017.  Why is there no allowance for adjustment of price given such a long period before close of escrow?

I and a few friends only had 2 days to research this agenda item and prepare a rebuttal, but we did our best.  We prepared fliers and got them out to people, I and Arizona Senator David Farnsworth, District 16, visited with Council Kevin Thompson before the meeting to try to convince him to vote ‘NO’.

I attended the Council study session and requested item 5-C be removed from the Consent agenda.  Then I and about 8 people spoke during the Council meeting.

Here is a video of me speaking.  CLICK HERE

The right thing for the Council to have done is to vote 'NO' on the item which would have effectively killed the deal.  The City could then begin the process again with a sufficient time to receive more competitive bids and to receive public comments or could have just let the land sit until a more opportune time.  There is no pressing need to give away $380,591!

In the end, Mayor Giles voted ‘NO’ and Councilmen Thompson, Luna, Kavanaugh, Finter and Richins all voted ‘YES’.  

As a result the residents of Mesa were robbed of $380,591.

The 6 members of the council who made this decision are like the Team on a basketball court.  They are the 'players'.  I am confident that none of them would have given this land away for $1 if it had been their personal land.  So I ask myself, these are the players, but who is the coach calling the shots or at least who is really in control of the decisions that are being made on the playing field?

I am not happy about the result.  But I am happy for the opportunity to understand better how the council thinks, to develop more relationships, establish additional credibility and to have the opportunity to work with some of my friends learning how to magnify the power of our Civic Authority!  So for me, I consider the activity a great success and had a lot of fun doing it!

Please leave comments on this blog!  

National Popular Vote Interstate Compact

Hello Fellow Americans!

Do you feel you need "Election Recovery Classes" following the recent election?

Do you feel your vote for the President and Vice-President did not really count for anything?

Are you frustrated with the Electoral College Process?

The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College process as the preferred method to elect the President and Vice President.  Read about it in Article II Section 1 of the Constitution.

THE PROBLEM:   There is a movement under way to effectively change the Electoral process through an interstate compact that throws all the Electoral votes from the states who sign the compact to the President who receives a majority vote throughout the entire country.  This movement is called the NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE (NPV).  or the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.

You can read all about what the proponents have to say about it at this site:

NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE-

I personally feel NPV is a bad idea.  The following provides the main talking points from the above web site of the proponents and my counter to those arguments:

1.  NPV Proponents Argument #1: NPV is a Constitutionally Conservative Approach; State winner-take-all laws are State laws, not part of the constitution and were never debated by Constitutional Convention or mentioned in the Federalist Papers.

My Counter #1:  I really hate it when people don't tell the truth.  NPV was in fact debated during the Constitutional Convention and rejected.   During the CC, the Founding Fathers discussed 3 ideas for selecting the president:  1.  Congress select President    2.  State Legislatures select president   3.  Direct popular vote   4.  Finally, the Committee of Eleven came up with the idea of the Electoral College  :  Art II Section I  and empowered the States not the popular vote to guarantee a Republican form of government: Art IV Section 4  The United States of America is a Republic (review your Pledge of Allegiance!).  A Democracy always implodes on itself eventually.

My Counter #2:  Alexander Hamilton explained the reasons to prefer the Electoral College over a NPV in Federalist Paper #68  Federalist Paper #68--

My Counter #3:  We have used the Electoral College process for over 200 years.  To change it now is neither conservative nor is it in principal-- Constitutional.  Two Centuries have encouraged coalition building, given a voice to big and small states alike, and discouraged voter fraud.  NPV proponents think they are smarter than 200 years of a successful system!

My Counter #4:  A NPV will open the door for much greater possibilities for voter fraud with its resultant law suits, protests and riots.  That is far from a 'conservative' approach!

2.  NPV Proponent Argument #2:    NPV is a State Based system; States remain in control.

My Counter #1:   NPV is not State Based by the very definition of NPV.  The States give up their Sovereignty when they sign this agreement.  They no longer can decide how their Electors vote since the Electors are bound by the Compact with other States to cast their votes according to the NPV regardless of how their State popular vote decided.  What happens in another State can totally reverse the will of the people in the State.  I believe there will be riots in that State whose Electoral votes are cast different than their popular vote.  Why stir up contention if the current system is working fine? 

My Counter #2:     Individual states set their own rules as to who can vote,  such as early elections, etc, but the State no longer controls how their State Electoral votes are cast.

My Counter #3:   Under NPV, the election code in any given state will always effect the election results in another State because codes are very different from one State to another (early voting, registering to vote, qualifying to register, felon voting, recounts).  Each of these differences is an opportunity for lawsuits claiming unfair treatment.  The list of possible complaints is endless.

My Counter #4:  The small less populated States will never have much influence against a blockade of populous States who have signed the NPV agreement.  Therefore, small States will end up with absolutely no control.

3. NPV Proponent Argument #3: NPV is not changing the Constitution

My Counter #1: Technically none of the 'words' of the Constitution are being changed, but in reality, NPV is an 'end-run' around the Constitution to effectively put in place something even worse then the National Popular Vote considered by the Founding Fathers.  If enough States sign the NPV agreement to total 270 Electoral Votes, then it doesn't matter what the rest of the States think.  They will have no say on whether such a process is put into place or not.  The reality is that if a NPV were made a matter of a Constitutional Amendment, it is highly unlikely that it would pass by the required 3/4's of the States and the Proponents of NPV know it.  What they are doing is sneaky underhanded politics.

My Counter #2: The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) has been signed by 11 States all of which are "blue states" for a total of 165 Electoral Votes.  There are plenty of legal opinions stating that "Congress would have to approve the NPVIC before it could go into effect. Article I, Section 10 of the US Constitution states that: "No State shall, without the Consent of Congress . . . enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power." See wikipedia:  NPVIC--

 NPV is a liberal approach which guarantees the President will always be elected by densely populated Cities and States.  If NPV had been in place, Al Gore would have been president instead of Bush and Hillary Clinton would have been president instead of Trump.  NPV is neither Constitutional nor Conservative.

NPV would stir up mountains of contention which we do not need right now.  There is no compelling reason to change how we have been doing things successfully for over 200 years, so why take a chance on this liberal idea?  If it ain't broke, don't fix it!  A NPV, would theoretically require recounts in EVERY PRECINCT IN EVERY STATE, not just selected precincts in selected states. So principles and Constitution aside, from a pragmatic level, this would be chaos well beyond what we are seeing this year.

WHY A POPULAR VOTE FOR PRESIDENT IS A BAD THING


This is an interesting News Report:           FOX NEWS ON NPV


What can you do to stop NPV?  By convincing your representatives at the State level to reject it!

1.  Find out who your State Senate and House Representatives are.  In Arizona, follow this link:

State of Arizona Legislature

2.  Email them  a simple message: Click on this link to get a downloadable word document you can customize:                                        Letter to your Legislator

__________________________________________________________

Did you send a letter or email to your representative?  Please make a comment on this post if I have moved you to action.
_______________________________________________________________
I invite you to learn more about the Center for Self-Governance at this link.  Sign up for their Level 1 class or ask me where the next class is.

Center for Self-Governance

Arrested!

The following is a true story!

My partner and I walked into a fancy law firm in down town Mesa and asked to see the supervisor of the business.  The supervisor seeing the police uniform and gun sensed things were not exactly right and invited my partner and I into her office.  We then told her we were there to arrest one of her employees.  Not wanting to make a scene, she asked us to wait just out the front door.  We obliged and were standing outside the door when a nice looking well dress woman in high heels came outside and asked what was going on.  

You should have seen the look of shock on her face when we told her we were there to arrest her! My partner explained she had failed to appear in court on an issue dealing with domestic violence.  She was crying explaining how she had endured abuse and now she was being arrested!  How could that be?!  I was feeling sympathetic to her cause and thinking maybe we needed to go reason with the judge, but my partner kindly explained our duty was to follow the orders of the judge and asked her to come with us peacefully.

He handcuffed her, put her in the police van and we hauled her off to court.  We stayed with her through the process.  She saw the judge, was ordered to pay some money and renew her address with MVD and then my partner and I took her back to work.

Next my partner and I rushed off to the scene of a couple fighting in the parking lot of a Jack in the Box at Main and Val Vista.  They were in an argument what to do next after they had been sitting in their car and 20 random young men came up with baseball bats and broke all the windows in their car while they were sitting in the parking lot!  There was indeed glass everywhere.  We checked their auto registration and found the auto to have an expired registration.  Now that the auto had broken glass and no registration they could not legally drive the car anywhere.  My partner interviewed them some more.  We couldn't really do much so advised them to get someone to help move their car.  My partner said this was all part of a drug war and they showed all the signs of being druggies.  There wasn't any more we could do, so left.

Next my partner and I made a high speed chase trying to catch up to a car we thought was being driven by a man who had a $300,000 reward on his head.  When the car pulled into a drive way and he got out, it wasn't our man, so we smiled and waved and drove on to our next adventure.

This time we went to a woman's house who had graffiti on her garage door and sidewalk.  This poor woman had been harassed for the last 4 years with phone calls, messages, emails with lewd pictures and messages, entry into her home, threats to family and friends, etc.  While there the bad guy actually called her several times.  We were recording the conversation between the woman and the bad guy without the bad guy knowing.  Finally my partner broke into the conversation and talked to the bad guy and told him to leave her alone.  Then we took the woman to the City Court with a stack of emails she had received over the years and helped her filed an order of protection against the bad guy.  Because of my partner's diligence and persistence, this is the first time this woman has had the courage to do something solid to stand up against evil.

Wow!  What a day.  We worked all day and didn't even have time for lunch.  At the end of the day a message had come across the computer saying the City was at "Critical Service Levels" and there was a general call for officers to work another 6 hours = 16 hour day.  I was too tired, so I went home.

So was accomplished my assignment with the Mesa Leadership Class to have a 'ride-along' with a City of Mesa Police Officer.  I don't want the job.

My take away from this experience:

1. I have a new respect for the service being provided by our Police officers.  I find them to be a little big-headed, but it looks like a certain personality is really needed for this type job.  The Police are in harms way every minute of the day and have to deal with an element of society that moves about around us that the rest of us fear and want nothing to do with.
2. I found this officer to be and I believe most officers are compassionate and really do want to help people, but they must be vigilant and ready for action at any moment.
3. I feel stronger than ever that Question 1 the City of Mesa is pushing purportedly to fund Police and Fire is a big smoke screen.  The City Council has neglected the Police department for a long time, yet they always have money to do other less important projects.  Really Question is intended to pump money into the general fund for pet projects down town.  There is no guarantee the Police and Fire will get anything and the funds collected will be collected forever and used for whatever pet projects a Politically minded Mayor wants as his legacy. 
4. If you really care about Police and Fire, vote no on Question 1.  Tell the council to analyze the budget they do have, get rid of the fluff and then if necessary propose the Question again with just Police and Fire and I would vote for it.

Arizona Brain Food and Question 1

I hope I have convinced all City of Mesa residents to vote 'NO' on Question 1.

Here is my analysis:  QUESTION 1: VOTE 'NO'

Mayor Giles, Mesa, is the biggest proponent of Question 1.  He appears in meetings all over the place, has call-in webinars, and recorded messages that come over the phone.

I was surprised to see that I am captured on the City of Mesa Facebook page talking to Mayor Giles discussing Question 1 as we were packing bags for Arizona Brain Food.    

VIDEO WITH MAYOR GILES AND WALLACE

Please vote 'NO'.  The Mayor is not telling the whole story.

VOTE 'NO'

Trick or Trump

TRICK OR TRUMP and the SCARIEST DAY OF THE YEAR

I received several comments on my last post "Who to Vote for" which prompted me to prepare a new post about the Presidential Race.

First, let me say I do not intend to stir up hard feelings among my friends and people I respect.  Let us express our opinions respectfully and thoughtfully.  The Presidential race is a very important one, but not more important than my family and friends.  Election Day 2016 is truly the Scariest Day of the Year!  

One commenter addressed my particular personal concerns about the Presidential race that I want to share and its impact on me.

I present those reasons as the 'Trick or 'Trump' of election day, the scariest day of the year.

   1. Donald Trump will appoint a conservative to the supreme court.

       Trick. Hillary will appoint a liberal judge. Will Trump really appoint a conservative to the supreme court?  He is so unpredictable you cannot be sure about that.  Trump's condemnation of a sitting Judge simply because of his Spanish heritage suggests Trump doesn't understand what it takes to be a good judge and that Trump will base his judgment on petty issues.   

  2. We need a Republican in the White House.

      Trick.   I agree it would be of tremendous value to have a Republican president with a Republican controlled House and Senate.  The problem is Trump is not a true conservative or a real Republican.  He was a Democrat from 2001 to 2008 and it was difficult to tell what he was prior to that.  Now during the most important race of my life time he has disavowed the Republican Party.  Worse, Trump is so destructive to the Republican Party that he will likely be a cause of the Republicans losing seats in Congress and in state elections. Republican candidates are distancing themselves from Trump because it weakens their chance for election or re-election.  What will the situation be after a few years of Trump in the White House - will the Republican party be stronger or weaker or even exist?  Will Congress be more Republican or less?  Will he be inclined to work with the Republican leadership in Congress whom he now treats as enemies or is he determined to do just his own thing?  

  3.  Trump is the only chance to beat Hillary Clinton.

       Trick.  Now this is the ONLY reason I would vote for Trump, but Trump has disrupted the political landscape within the Republican party so bad that the now splintered Republican party doesn't stand a chance to beat Clinton, in my opinion!  Every time Trump opens his mouth he widens the gap and fractures the Republican party further.  Vice President nominee, Pence can't even defend Trump.  The media doesn't make this stuff up.  I have seen Trump time and time again put his foot in his mouth.

  4. Trump will make America great again.

      Trick.  He has repeatedly demonstrated an inclination to lie, ignore facts and do whatever is best for "Trump" and Trump alone.  In my opinion he doesn't understand the Constitution and has a willingness and inclination to ignore it.  Many political analysist say his policies have the potential to be more destructive than Hillary's policies. His actual words and lack of intelligent logic do not engender confidence in his abilities on the world stage or in America.  To me he is divisive and lacking in serious judgment.  

Trump or Trick?  I want neither.

I reveal who I will vot for in this post:

 WHO I WILL VOTE FOR

We have a Democracy only 1 day out of the year.  We have a Republic 365 days out of the year.  The problem is that most of us do not have a clue what it means to have a Republic or how to exercise our Civic Authority.  

If you truly want to make a difference in America, find where the Center for Self-Governance is teaching their classes.  Start with Level 1 and end with Level 5 and you will be part of a powerful Team who through development of game plans can and are making a true difference in America.

Check it out here:  CENTER FOR SELF GOVERNANCE

At least watch the videos found on NATIONAL CENTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL STUDIES.

AZ Judges: Keep them or Dump Them?

In the past I have never known what to do about the question of Judges, so I would just blindly marked them.  But we can do better than that!

AZ JUDICIAL ORGANIZATION

The Arizona Supreme Court is the highest court in Arizona. The court currently consists of one chief justice, a vice chief justice, and three associate justices. Justices are appointed by the governor from a list compiled by a bi-partisan commission. The justices are re-elected after an initial two-year term following their appointment. Subsequent re-elections occur every six years. 

The Arizona Court of Appeals, further divided into two divisions, is the intermediate court in the state. Division One, based in Phoenix, consists of 16 judges, and has jurisdiction in the western and northern regions of the state, along with the greater Phoenix area. Division Two is based in Tucson and has six judges.

Each county of Arizona has a Superior Court, which is a trial court of general jurisdiction. The size and organization of individual superior courts are varied and generally depend upon the size of the particular county

HOW ARE JUDGES SELECTED?
SUPREME COURT
There are five justices on the Arizona Supreme Court, each appointed by the governor from a list of names compiled by the Arizona Commission on Appellate Court Appointments. The initial term of a new justice is at least two years, after which the justice stands for retention in an uncontested yes-no election. Subsequent terms last six years
COURT OF APPEALS
There are 23 judges on the Arizona Court of Appeals, each appointed in an identical fashion to those of the Arizona Supreme Court (although with different job qualifications, as seen below). Like supreme court justices, court of appeals judges serve initial terms of at least two years and subsequent terms of six years
SUPERIOR COURTS
The 174 judges of the Arizona Superior Court are selected in one of two ways:

• In counties with a population exceeding 250,000, judges are selected through the merit selection method. (OnlyPima, Pinal and Maricopa counties currently subscribe to this method, though the constitution provides for other counties to adopt merit selection through ballot initiative). After appointment, judges serve for two years and then must run in a yes-no retention election in the next general election. If retained, judges will go on to serve a four-year term.^[1]
• In the state's other 13 counties, judges run in partisan primaries followed by nonpartisan general elections. Interim vacancies are filled through gubernatorial appointment, and newly appointed judges must run in the next general electio

HOW DO WE DETERMINE WHETHER TO KEEP A JUDGE OR NOT?

The first way to be an informed voter is to visit JUDICIAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW

Watch this video on VOTING FOR JUDGES

The "2016 General Election Publicity Phamplet" also provides some pretty good information and a score for all of the judges.  See page 94

Since I am in Maricopa County, I can see how all of the judges performance reviews at this location:    MARICOPA COUNTY JUDICIAL REVIEW

You can click on each of the judges listed to get a more detailed report of their judicial review.

MY OPINION
Based on my own personal assessment, I am voting YES on all the judges except: Garcia, Jeanne M and  Gentry, Jo Lynn

AFFH

AFFH = Affirmtively Furthering Fair Housing

Quoting from Housing and Urban Development (HUD):
"Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) is a legal requirement that federal agencies and federal grantees further the purposes of the Fair Housing Act. HUD's AFFH rule provides an effective planning approach to aid program participants in taking meaningful actions to overcome historic patterns of segregation, promote fair housing choice, and foster inclusive communities that are free from discrimination."

You can read the full text     AFFH Text

You can be trained by HUD and receive education credits at this link:

AFFH Training

HUD has probably already prepared a map for your community mapping such things as income level, ethnicity, etc---see list below

AFFH Mapping tool

Here is a result of one of the maps for Mesa.

This "New Rule" by HUD is in direct connection to Agenda 21 signed by George W Bush and promoted by Hillary and Obama.  You can watch a video and read the full text of Hillary's speech at the Brazil summit here:

HILLARY AT BRAZIL SUMMIT

Every home-owner should be shaking in their boots knowing what HUD is planning for your community.  

The AFFH Training material cited above makes it clear, the Federal government feels they have the legal authority to dictate where you live and who your neighbors will be to ensure the "rights" of the "Protected Classes".  

You will begin to see a very concerted effort by your City government for data collection to complete the creation of ethnic and diversity maps of each community according to a deadline put forth by HUD and forceful steps will be taken to integrate the protected classes into communities that do not comply with a Federal Government HUD standard of diversity.

SHAKING IN YOUR BOOTS

This action by the Federal Government is unconstitutional and threatens our liberty on so many fronts we must resist it at all levels of government!

The idea that the reach of the federal government would be restricted to a few enumerated powers is articulated by James Madison in Federalist Paper No. 45:

“	The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. "

The powers of the Executive branch are:

1. Military power; repreieves andpardons
2. Treaties; appointments
3. Filling vacancies
4. Messsages; extra sessions; receiving ambassadors
5. Execution of the laws

The power currently being exercised by HUD and the iron fisted regulation to be imposed by AFFH goes way beyond the limited and defined powers delegated to the Federal Government.
  
Right now, it is almost certain the Planning and Zoning directors and the Action committees appointed by your City Councils over "Housing and Urban development" are receiving the above AFFH training and are coerced into compliance at the threat of losing millions in government grant money.  Our cities and non-profit organizations would cry bloody murder if the faucet of grant money were turned off.

What can you do about it?

Take the courses from the Center for Self-Governance and become part of a Team who understands the Constitution and is teamed together to mend the breeches in the Constitution!

Center for Self-Governance

What will be on the Ballot?

Enter your address into Ballotpedia and it will return a list of all candidates for all offices and issues on the ballot in the particular jurisdiction in which you live.  It doesn't matter in which State or City you live in.  Check it out here.  

-WHAT'S ON YOUR BALLOT

One of the most important things that will be on your ballot, no matter where you live is for the office of President of the United States.

I have friends and family who provided me with the following interesting food for thought.

Evan McMullin
If you don't know about Evan, he is a possible write-in candidate for president.  He is not affiliated with any political party.  You can type his name into google and find out all about him if you want.  He is gaining momentum in Utah.

Check with your Secretary of State for a list of legal write-in candidates in your state.  You can also look at other offices to see who the other write-in candidates are as well.  Here is a link for Arizona:

STATE OF ARIZONA WRITE-IN CANDIDATES

Quoting friends and family:

"Evan McMullin can actually win this election, but his strategy is different than what we're used to. If he can win at least 1 state, it might be enough to block both Trump and Hillary from the required 270 electoral votes to win. According to the 12th Amendment, this would throw the election to the House of Representatives, who would then choose the next president out of Trump, Hillary, or Evan McMullin. The House is controlled by the Republicans, so they would never choose Hillary. Many of them don't like Trump, and since their own bids for reelection will be over, they can drop their support (if they ever had any) for him. Also, Evan McMullin has literally been working with the Republicans in the House for the past few years, so they all know him. He also aligns with them on more issues than Trump does. It's very likely that in a 12th Amendment situation, the House would choose Evan as the President!"


Here is a comparison of the top candidates for President:

How important is the Presidential race?  It is the most importance political decision of my life.

If Hillary is at the helm of the ship, our nation is headed for an iceberg that will bring us down.   Our country is drowning in debt and marching to the tune of a Socialist agenda.  The Clintons will drive us over the edge.  I seriously fear for our freedoms!

Is our only hope (remote as it is) to have a Republican controlled congress with a Republican President?  

Is voting for Trump the only way to achieve that?

Do you really think with such a little time left until the election that a 3rd party candidate can win?

Do you really think there is even the most remote chance a write-in candidate now can or would be elected by the House of Representatives?  To me this extreme long shot will be realized only in our dreams. 

Is voting for Trump the only way to keep the Clintons out of the White House?

Is voting your "conscience" (meaning voting for the person you feel is truly the most qualified) more important than keeping the Clintons out of the White House? 

Someone, please save me from my fears!  If I have to pull the lever in favor of Trump I might get deathly ill!  He makes me sick!  But out of fear there is a strong possibility I will vote for Trump anyway.

Someone, please save me from my fears!

All of us should have been involved long ago!

I urge you to get involved and the best way I know is to take the courses for the Center for Self Governance, learn the Constitution and become part of a small team focused on a specific branch of government, local-State-or National.

Here is a link to the CSG where you can learn about classes in your area.

Center for Self-Governance

Here is a blog post I wrote on how to get involved.

GET INVOLVED

Who I will vote for

The die is cast.  I have mailed in my early ballot with the following as my recommended choices.

President of the United States: Evan McMullan, write-in candidate
                     see Trick or Trump for my reasons for leaving Trump
                     some thoughts about Evan McMullan  CLICK HERE

US Senator:    John McCain, Republican (even though I am very very disappointed in him)

US Rep for Congress District 5:  Andy Biggs

State Senator:  There is only one person running, Juan Jose Mendez.  He is too liberal for me.  I will not vote for him so I guess I have no one to vote for.

State Rep Dist 26:  Steven Adkins is a good choice.

Corporation Commission:  Burns, Dunn, Tobin

County Bd of Supervisors:  Steve Chucri

County Assessor:  Paul Petersen

County Attorney:  Bill Montgomery

County Recorder:  Helen Purcell

County School Superintendent:  Steve Watson

Sheriff:  Joe Arpaio

County Treasure:  Royce Flora

Constable:  Ed Malles

Central Arizona Water Conservation District:  This is a very important position.  Please vote for the following:

              Francis, Mike

             Lewis, Mark

             Brown, Jen

Maricopa County Community College:    John B Heep

EVIT:    Dave Lane

Mesa Unif No 4:      Sears, Kiana Maria
                                 Hink, Dan
                                 Peterson, Steven J

Question 1:  Vote 'No' if you really care about police & fire

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO KNOW WHY

Vote:  "Yes" on all the judges EXCEPT FOR

                                     Garcia, Jeanne M.

                                     Gentry, Jo Lynn

Prop 205 Marijuana:  Vote "NO"   

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHY

Prop 206  Minimum Wage:  Vote "NO"

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHY

How to become involved

All of us as citizens of the United States, residents of the State of Arizona and residents of the City of Mesa have agreed to the respective Social Contract that defines each level of government over the geographical jurisdiction in which we live.  Since our form of government is a Republic with balanced control between the governed and the governors, we need to understand how we can become involved in our Republic and make a difference.

You can stage protests on the steps of the Capital or go on long marches, but I really doubt these make any difference on public policy.  So what do we do?

There are different levels of involvement.

CIVIC DUTY:  It is our 'Civic Duty' to be governed by the laws ie obey the laws of the land.  This is the lowest level of involvement which if not done will ultimately land you in jail.

CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY;

• Vote:  Become a registered voter and vote in every election.  Those who do not register to vote or do not vote are not exercises their simplest of Civic Responsibilities and Liberties.  It demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the freedoms that we enjoy in America and how fragile they can be.  We are a Democracy on voting day. 
• Educate yourself on the issues and candidates and vote intelligently
• Sign petitions for those candidates or issues important to you.  Help pass petitions around
• Participate in election campaigns to ensure good people are elected

CIVIC AUTHORITY:

I used to be the type of citizen who exercised his Civic Duty and Responsibility and passionately expressed my opinion as we sat around and pounded the kitchen table.  But exercising Civic Duty and Responsibility does not do much to make a difference.  I learning now how to make a difference because of two things.  1.  The Republican party nominated Donald Trump as their Republican candidate for President.  I dislike Trump so much and Hillary even more that I wondered how is it possible that two people who are hated by nearly every one be the only candidates for President--- surely there is more I can do.  2.  I started taking the Constitution classes from the Center for Self Governance which I highly recommend.  From the Center for Self Governance I learned Civic Authority includes.

1. Recognize the boundaries within the 'system' (government)
2. We the people of the responsibility to enforce the boundaries.
3. Build relationships with people; the governed as well as the governors
4. Harness political power with others to identify where boundaries are blurred or breached
5. Harness political power with others through gaming and planning to enforce and maintain boundaries and implementing those plans on a daily basis.

GAME PLAN:

Where Civic Authority is pretty much limited to election years, Civic Authority to truly make a difference must involve a game plan exercising political power every day of the year.  The following are some ideas stolen from the powerful lobbyist who are in fact exercising their 'Civic Authority' for selfish purposes usually to get gain.  You can exercise the same power on an individual basis to protect your freedoms.

Prepare yourself:

1. Learn about the Constitution.  Listen to the videos offered by the National Center for Constitutional Studies and read some of their books.  Take the course offered by the Center for Self Governance.
2. Decide which level of government you can impact the most.  The Federal Government is so far away, complex and out of control it is almost a hopeless case.  Your local municipality, County, or School Board is more practical because you might even know some of these people personally.
3. Study the Legislative process for the level of government you selected.  Become familiar with how the elected officials are organized and governed (legislative, executive, judicial); terms of office, district maps, etc.
4. Create a list of who's who for your selected branch of government.
5. Build a relationship with the public officials in your branch of government

Join a team of like minded people:

Getting the change you want in public policy will occur most readily when you join with other people in coalition who are interested in many of the same things as you.  The Center for Self Governance is particularly keen on developing a Team pledged to each other to understand the Constitution, identify breeches in the Constitution and develop gaming plans to rectify those breeches.

1. Identify a group who understands the Constitution.  This requires visiting other organizations, listening to people and feeling out where their interests are.
2. Invite people to be part of a team.

Identify a Project

If you or a team are going to have an impact, you have to identify a specific issue or concern to work on.

1. Review council or board agendas.  Identify an issue or person who is advocating causes you oppose.
2. Look for allies.  Research the interests of your elected officials to find out if they have professional or personal ties to your interest or cause.
3. Research everything you can find out about the person or issue and discuss with the Team.

Become of Voice for your Cause

1. Identify other groups working on the same issue if possible and build a coalition.
2. Become a source of reliable information.  Must be accurate.  Create a packet of information on your public policy agenda item.  Building credibility is vital to the long-term strength of your public policy efforts.  If you are not sure of your facts about the issue, don't fudge.  Get it right!
3. Build a relationship with your elected officials or a key staff person.  Inform them of your game plan and work cooperatively with them if they are like minded, and work openly with those who do not agree with you.  Remember, most decisions are made well before council or board meetings!

Increase or sustain your advocacy

1. Know the staff.  Often the staff of a legislator may be the most knowledgeable person in the legislator's office about your issue.  Find out staff or committee people who are working on your issue and get to know them.  Send them an information packet that you prepared.  Meet with them as appropriate.  Invite them to speak to your group.
2. Use the Telephone.  Make telephone calls to your elected officials about pending legislation, regulations, or other priority public policy matters to describe how it will impact your issue.  
3. Send a letter.  Each member of your team can send a letter at critical times.  You may have friends outside your Team that would be willing to send a letter.  (Be sure to thank them)  Recent surveys show that a well-written letter from a constituent is one of the most influential ways of communicating with an elected official.
4. emails are not necessarily effective.
5. Initiate grassroots support.  Write an action alert to your Team, neighbors, friends, etc urging them to a specific action.
6. Seek for speaking opportunities with other political action groups in your area
7. Testify at committees.  Remember, most decisions are made before an issue ever goes to the council, board or polls.  Find out when the appropriate committees in your political body meet on subjects related to your issue and give personal testimony.  Pick a member of your Team who is well informed and articulate!.  You better have your facts right or your opinion can be denigrated.
8. Become a member of an appointed committee which deals with your issue.
9. Meet with elected officials.  Convene a small meeting of key Team members with one of your elected officials to explain your goals.  Cover all the bases and work with all elected officials you can.  Get support on a one-on-one basis before they meet the public eye.
10. Inform and Educate the public.  When you have success, document it!  Success brings credibility.  Write articles for public media or private distribution to let them know of your success.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO KEEP THE REPUBLIC WE HAVE, YOUR EFFORTS WILL NEED TO BE FAIRLY CONSTANT ALL YEAR LONG!!

Important Links

Learning the Constitution:     CENTER FOR SELF GOVERNANCE
                                           
                                                NATIONAL CENTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL STUDIES

Public Forum:                  FREEDOM EXCHANGE

Federal Government  DOWNSIZING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: CATO INSTITUTE

                                   INTERACTIVE CHART OF FEDERAL SPENDING          

Family:               FAMILY WATCH INTERNATIONAL

The Constitution: Do you understand it?

Follow this link for the Constitution: Click here=>  United States Constitution

The following are links to the best places I have found to understand the United States Constitution

___________________________________________________________________
Click Here: =>   NATIONAL CENTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL STUDIES

The National Center for Constitutional Studies has free Constitutional Classes in the form of videos presented by Mr. Earl Taylor.  There are also inexpensive books that are worth reading.  I highly recommend becoming familiar with this site if you want to understand the Constitution.

___________________________________________________________________
CENTER FOR SELF-GOVERNANCE
Most people do not realize the form of our government is a Republic not a Democracy.  The Center for Self Governance offers instructions on the constitution as well as teaches what it means to have a Republic.

SELF-GOVERNANCE is "A self-determined person exercising individual liberty for the maintenance and shared control of the governance system".

 The foundation of self-governance is that the control of a system of government is in the hands of those that build and maintain it.  Self-governance is not completely self-evident, but must be learned. 

The Center for Self-Governance offers amazing classes at a nominal fee to teach the Constitution as well as how to maintain the unique "System" of government we have.  I highly recommend these classes to you as they will give you the know-how and power to truly make changes in your government and maintain the Republic through strategic planning.  If you take the courses, and choose to do so, you will be able to participate as a team in your neighborhood or community to exercise your Civic Authority in amazing ways.

Get more information about them and learn when and where their training will occur in your area.

Click here => CENTER FOR SELF-GOVERNANCE

If you are ready to become part of a Team in your area and really make a difference, check out their schedule of classes in your area and if you are interested in checking out our team in Mesa, Arizona, send me a message at   defenditnow@gmail.com

AZ Prop 206 Raise Minimum Wage?

I provide some BACKGROUND on this initiative followed by my ANALYSIS and OPINION

BACKGROUND
A "yes" vote supports this measure to raise the minimum wage to $10 in 2017, and then incrementally to $12 by 2020, and to create a right to paid sick time off from employment.

A "no" vote opposes this measure, keeping the minimum wage at $8.05, adjusted for cost of living, and retaining employers' ability to decide whether or not to offer paid sick time off.

The actual text of Prop 206 can be found here:  PROPOSITION 206

A quick start to understanding this proposition can be found at ballotpedia.org 
The following is a summary:

Starting in 2021, Proposition 206 would increase the minimum wage with the cost of living.^[1][2]

The measure retains Arizona's law regarding tipping, which permits employers to pay employees who receive tips up to $3.00 less than the minimum wage.

Proposition 206 would also guarantee 40 hours of annual paid sick time to employees of large businesses and 24 hours to those of small businesses. Employees would be entitled to accrue one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. The measure would permit earned paid sick time to be utilized for an employee’s medical care, an employee’s need to care for a family member, a public health emergency, or addressing domestic violence.

A “yes” vote shall have the effect of increasing the minimum wage from $8.05 per hour in 2016 to $10.00 per hour in 2017, and then incrementally increasing the minimum wage to $12.00 per hour by the year 2020; entitles employees to earn 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked with limits based upon the size of the employer; broadly defining the conditions under which paid sick time may be taken, including mental or physical illness, care of a family member, a public health emergency, or absence due to domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse or stalking; prohibiting various forms of retaliation against employees for exercising any rights under the law; and requiring employers to provide various notices to employees about the law.

A “no” vote shall have the effect of retaining the existing minimum wage (along with the existing method for annually increasing the minimum wage for inflation) and retaining employers’ existing ability to determine their own earned paid sick leave policy

According to the Arizona Department of Administration, 706,845 workers earned a wage of $12.00 or less during 2015.

The committee warns that increasing the minimum wage could increase labor costs for employers, who would pass on costs as price increases to consumers or decrease employment. However, the committee also notes that research on how minimum wage increases impact employment often contradict. Therefore, "the impact that Proposition 206’s minimum wage increases would have on employment in Arizona is highly uncertain."

It is interesting to note the top 3 financial donors in support of Prop 206 are:

LUCHA $1,000,000             The Fairness Project $300,000     UFCW  $25,000

LUCHA is "Living United for Change in Arizona" is primarily a group organized to help Latino social causes.

The Fairness Project is a group organized to address minority social issues through state ballot initiatives across the United States.

UFCW is United Food and Commercial Workers Union

Are some well written opinions both in favor and in opposition at  Ballotpedia

ANALYSIS and MY OPINION

Without hesitation I recommend VOTE NO.

1.  The State should not interfere with the free market economy.  There are better ways to deal with poverty than to take further steps in the direction of a Socialist agenda where big government controls everything.  Artificially inflating labor costs will force business owners to lay off workers, reduce hours or increase prices. 

2.  Labor Unions push Prop 206 because Prop 206 would not apply to Union Workers.

Under Proposition 206, if a business agrees to be unionized, it would not have to pay the minimum wage or comply with the paid sick time requirements. They will be exempt, just like the unions. Guess who will collect more union dues out of the union worker paychecks? You guessed it: the union bosses.  If passed, the very people the proposition’s out-of-state labor union supporters claim to help will be the most harmed. The poor, young people and those with few skills who would benefit most from an entry-level job will find themselves shut out of the job market as employers will have fewer dollars to devote to new hires.

3.  Proposition 206 is 20 pages long with language that is difficult to understand and will surely be twisted, contested and fail to accomplish its purposes

The foundation principle used by those who push this type agenda is that there is Inequality in America!  Hillary Clinton's focus is to soak the rich and give to the poor, because there is Inequality in America.  Read this article from the Cato Institute  that debunks this theory.

"5 myths about economic inequality in America"

For those who want to pass Prop 206, I would ask if raising minimum wage is so good, why stop at $12 per hour?  Let's make minimum wage high enough that a person can make a decent wage.  Why not make minimum wage $20 per hour or maybe even $30 per hour?  Why wouldn't you do that?  The reasons are obvious.

1.  The people you are trying to help will loose their jobs because no employer can afford to hire them.

2.  If businesses raise the price of products to cover the cost of higher minimum wage, nobody can afford to buy the product--the business fails and the people you are trying to help loose their jobs.

The truth is that in a Free Market economy there will always be Inequality.  Inequality is not a bad thing. The Free Market economy is the only way we are going to be able to raise up the poor.  If there were no motivation to climb the economic ladder, there would be no inventors, no innovators, no risk takers, no freedom to try and no freedom to succeed or fail.

The result of achieving "Equality in America" is to make everyone equally poor!

Milton Friedman (July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and the complexity of stabilization policy.^[4] (Wikipedia)

Type the name Milton Friedman into Google and watch any of his lectures on youtube.  He masterfully defends the virtues of a Free Market Economy.

Milton Friedman