Vote Yes on Question 1 and Question 2

The Tribune has an excellent article covering the needs that are included in the two bond questions that will be decided along with everything else on Tuesday. If you think this is just some sort of giveaway, take the time to look at their slide show and tell me if you think the Police and fire people have enough room to do their job effectively.

I can see that the same old naysayers are at it again telling people to vote no. Clearly, they have their thoughts about taxes and the function of government. However, this time around, their argument of Mesa being a wasteful city just doesn't ring true.

First, we have a new city council who started out by cutting the bonds to make them as small as possible. To me, that doesn't sound like a group trying to line their pockets or spend money unwisely.

Second, we have seen actual cuts to police and fire announced. I know that people think that this is just a stunt, but when the government wants to punish people, they take away softer things like libraries and museums. To borrow a term from someone in the article, its "political suicide" to cut money to emergency services. Seems to me like the cuts seem pretty serious.

Finally, if other people are having to make cuts to their budget or try to find ways to squeeze out more money, why shouldn't Mesa be doing the same. I don't know about you, but I have been seeing a lot more yard sales lately, with people looking for ways to make up for lost revenue. Mesa's budget is sales tax driven and has been losing already, even before the economy went in the tank.

In the end, I think its best to vote Yes on Question and Question 2. We are talking about $19 to $40 a year depending on how much your house costs. For that, I think its worth it to make sure that we have people who can respond to emergencies and keep Mesa safe. I think the new council has earned a shot, lets give it to them and see what they can do.

The election nears

Here is a great recap of the District 18 senate race, which has been relatively quiet. Well, a nuclear blast would be considered relatively quiet compared to the mudfest that was the LD 18 Senate primary. You have to give Pearce and Nativio credit that they have both stuck to their issues and offered a consistent message.

If the lines for Early Voting are any indication of the turn out on Election Day, you may want to wait 2 hours for an early ballot instead of 4 hours or more to vote in person. Its great to see so many people participating and here's to hoping that they take the time to learn about the rest of the ballot and participate in local issues as well.

If you would like to vote early, the closest location in Mesa is:

Maricopa County Elections Department (Mesa) - 222 E. Javelina Dr., Mesa

Major cuts for planned freeway expansion

The local association of governments is looking to make major cuts to the freeway plan that is supposed to guide this valley for the next 20 years. The cuts will be about $4.5 billion and a lot of freeway projects on the chopping block. Look for big ticket items like the South Mountain Freeway to probably fall off the map.

Needless to say, this is fairly disappointing since the plan is only a couple years old, but the economy has certainly taken a turn for the worse. However, I do have to say that the timing is bad to be talking about cuts to freeways and watching the different parts of the fighting to keep projects just as the light rail is starting to go up and running.

I understand that they are two different items and the money comes from different places, but people are going to naturally connect the two and be under the impression that we are sacrificing freeways for light rail. While not necessarily the case, that is the perception out there.

Robbery Case just keeps getting weirder

Awhile back, I wrote about the value of knowing your neighbors and having them look after your house when you are out of town. This was in the wake of a guy burglarizing a house and living there for awhile before the family came back.

Well, the case just keeps getting weirder. Now the police have arrested a 3rd man in connection with the robbery. The story says that not one, but two people were living in the house, and the third guy is the one who helped pawn the goods for drugs. You'd think that neighbors might be able to miss one guy coming in and out, but three druggies? I mean, come on!

Glad the police were able to track these guys down. In these tough economic times, we should all do a little more to make sure we are on the look out for crime and do our part to keep the neighborhoods safe.

Looking for a pet?

Make sure you check out the Pet Adopt-a-thon at Mesa Riverview a week from Saturday. There will be around 30 different rescue groups at the event, which means there should be a lot of different animals to choose from. Its a great reason to go out and check out the event and spend some time shopping in Mesa.

Get ready for Photo radar on the US 60

I don't know about you, but I started to avoid Scottsdale's section of the 101 when they put the traffic cams in. Not because I love speeding, but because I don't think its fair to be busted going along with the normal flow of traffic. Well, it looks like nowhere is safe anymore. The US 60's traffic cameras will be activated by the end of the week.

So, look out for getting caught speeding on the 60 at Alma School, Mesa Drive and Gilbert Road. Also look out for people hitting the brakes and causing accidents in an attempt to not get cited. Remember that the limit is 10 miles and over. So, if you are going 75, you are going to get ticketed.

Don't worry, its only a $181 ticket to help the state budget. It doesn't go on your permanent record. But that's certainly not just a cash grab or anything. I have heard a few people call them "Janet Cams," which I think may end up being the Governor's legacy if she skips town to join Obama if he wins.

In their own words: Cecil Ash

We have asked each of the legislative candidates to submit their own editorial to be posted on Mesa Issues. Over the past few weeks, we have posted responses from each of the candidates. Here is the final in our series "In their own words" with Legislative District 18 House Candidate Cecil Ash:

The recent bailout (aka “the rescue”) by the federal government has prompted anew queries concerning the appropriate role of government. What seems evident is that we have greatly strayed from the original purposes of government, and more specifically from the Constitution which formed our government. Who is responsible for this deviation? While Republicans would blame Democrats and Democrats would blame Republicans, the fault most directly lies with us as a people. Those who have made the decisions to exceed constitutional authority have, after all, been the elected representatives we’ve placed in office by democratic vote. As with any time we point the finger at someone, there are three pointing back as us.

Speaking collectively, and not individually, we have voted for those who offered us the most. We have been pandered to, and not only permitted it, but encouraged it by electing those who told us what we wanted to hear: “No work, all ease. All honey and no bees.”

One of the aspects of running for office in this, my first attempt, has been the number of questionnaires one receives as a candidate. Nurses, realtors ®, conservationists, farmers, businessmen, teachers, gays, gun owners, contractors, accountants, apartment owners, social workers, and the list goes on and on. The questions are cleverly phrased to determine whether or not a candidate will vote, if elected, in such a way as to benefit the particular group seeking his opinion. While many of these groups have legitimate concerns, it nevertheless presents significant ethical dilemmas for an elected representative. John Kennedy in his book, Profiles in Courage, discussed this issue. When there is a difference, does an elected representative vote the way his constituency wants him to vote, or does he vote his conscience, and do what he thinks is right? I’m sure there are occasions when either answer is appropriate.

When it comes down to it, however, the only oath that a representative takes is to uphold the constitution. In Arizona, Article 2 of the State Constitution states in Section 2: “All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.

If elected, I pledge to uphold the Constitution. I believe that government should be limited to those matters authorized or permitted by the Constitution. It is not up to the legislators to be nice to people, to manipulate society to accomplish the specific aims of a needy group, or to tax and spend for someone’s personal agenda. I don’t want the government to tell me what charities to support, or to promote a particular business, or to interfere with general commerce. If there is one thing that governments have in common, it is that they generally over-spend and over-regulate.

What I hope to accomplish at the legislature is to control spending, to limit government growth, and to encourage a robust business climate that will hopefully lead to an improved economy. How that is to be done is a challenge. But I’m willing to devote full time to the process. The solutions exist to improve our government. We need to persevere, open-mindedly, until we find them.

I would appreciate your support.

Cecil Ash
http://www.cecilash.com/

Arizona Republic Healthcare District Endorsements

How funny! The day after I question if the Republic is going to endorse, out come their recommendations. Ask and ye shall receive.

They are recommending:

District 1: Bil Bruno
District 2: Greg Patterson
District 3: Susan Gerard
District 4: Gerald Cuendet
District 5: James Marovich

Mesa is represented by District 2, to which they recommended blogger and outspoken Arizona Republic critic Greg Patterson. The irony was not lost on him. Congrats on the endorsement Greg!

Mesa doing more to keep contractors accountable

Following the dust-up with the Sheriff's office and the subsequent coming to terms, the City of Mesa has announced that they are going to do more to ensure that all of the contractors have employees who are working in Arizona legally.

While the onus is on the contractor, I applaud Mesa for taking the steps to make sure that they are doing their own audit to make sure that the law is being followed. I am glad to see that the city is willing to admit their shortcomings on this issue and let the citizens know what they are doing to fix the situation.

The value of libraries

Isn't it funny? When people are looking to do more with less, they turn to public services such as the library. However, when things are going better, we see less focus on the public services and sometimes, even a push to close them down.

I'll admit that I am not that big of a library user, but I recognize the value they provide to the community, and believe they help our quality of life. Many people use the library on a regular basis, doing research, taking out kids books, reading the latest best seller for free instead of buying it at a bookstore.

When the economy recovers and people go back to buying their books and movies, lets not forget why these services are here in the first place.