Today’s quote: “The purpose of government is to rein in the rights of people.” President Clinton, 1993
Welcome
I would like to welcome you all to my “official” Arizona Republican Party BLOG site. One of the issues I raised during my recent election as chairman was party leadership’s need to communicate with party activists on a more regular basis. There are many ways to communicate your message, disseminate important information and to receive feedback from members of ones party. We currently do this through our website; email blasts; our newsletter, The Tusk Times; and now, blogging.
I will cover a wide range of local and national topics and issues in my attempt to keep you informed and ready to take on all comers from left of center. This is not any easy task as the Democrats, led by Governor Napolitano, have a cheering section in the form of the mainstream print and broadcast media. Individually, a reporter will tell you very sincerely that they have no bias and they just report it as they see it (just the facts), and there in lies the problem. How something actually happens and as one sees it varies in the eyes of the beholder.
I pledge to you to make the record right by pointing out each Friday the most egregiously reported media story of the week. I welcome your input during each week as to which article you think represents the worst reporting. At the end of the year, I will give an award to the one local reporter who has demonstrated the least amount of professionalism by incorrectly reporting the facts, editorializing and generally presenting a bias in his or her stories. Whoever wins this prize will have a job, no doubt, waiting for them at the New York Times or Washington Post.
Lets start out by giving the Worst Journalist of the Year award a name. Please email me your ideas.
CPS
As has been made so sadly clear over the years, Child Protective Services is an oxymoron. Their latest tragedies were pointed out by Laurie Roberts in the Arizona Republic on the front page of the Valley & State section this past Wednesday. Over the past few years, stories keep emerging from the Governor’s favorite state agency of incompetence and heavy-handed actions. Nowhere is this more painfully obvious than in the recent deaths of 4-year-old Ariana Payne, 5-year-old Tyler Payne and Brandon Williams. In each case, CPS was in charge and apparently failed to properly protect these children, resulted in their deaths.
Although it is difficult to know for sure what CPS was doing, as pointed out by Ms. Roberts, CPS actions are shrouded in secrecy in order to “protect the children”. I think we can all agree that we do not need any more examples of incompetence from CPS and it is way past time that this agency is fully investigated. We should all welcome the investigation that is planned this summer by representatives Jonathon Paton and Kirk Adams into CPS.
CPS has been the favorite child of the Governor. She has showered it with money over the past few years. Beginning with a budget of $150 million when she came into office, the Governor promised to turn CPS into a model agency if she was given the funds to act. Will, she got her wish and the budget has almost doubled to $274 million by this year. On average, this is almost a 20% a year increase. The amount of money spent by the agency on a per child placed in an out-of-home-care basis has increased from $19,900 to $27,900. This is a scandal waiting to come out of hiding, let’s hope this agency is outed for the sake of our children.
In closing, CPS is just another example of the lack of executive competence displayed on the part of this Governor. When you add CPS to the recent Veterans Home fiasco, the on-going illegal immigration fiasco, gas line fiasco, prison break stand off fiasco and Piestewa Peak naming fiasco you begin to get the picture. In each case it is someone else’s fault and not hers. She is very good at passing the buck. Unfortunately for us, she and Harry Truman have very little in common.
RANDY