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Contract with Arizona
by Arizona State Repesentative Russell Pearce
1 July 2005

Arizona may no longer be the conservative state it used to be, but it still has conservative legislators whose priorities include illegal imigration, school choice, reducing spending, tort reform, passing a marriage amendment, restraining judicial activism, and states rights.

America was originally designed under the U.S. Constitution to be a limited government with strong individual freedoms and states rights.

"Families must continue to be the foundation of our nation. Families --not government programs -- are the best way to make sure our children are properly nurtured, our elderly are cared for, our cultural and spiritual heritages are perpetuated, our laws are observed and our values are preserved. Thus it is imperative that our government's programs, actions, officials and social welfare institutions never be allowed to jeopardize the family. We fear the government maybe powerful enough to destroy our families; we know that it is not powerful enough to replace them. The New Republican Party must be committed to working always in the interest of the American family." Ronald Reagan

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Amnesty: Winning the Jackpot for Breaking the Law!

We have continually witnessed the erosion of this concept along with the dilution of traditional America in many ways including massive "illegal" immigration. Our present huge government is mostly oblivious to these matters including the foreign invasion and in fact, promotes it in many ways.

Enforcement not Reform is needed. Local law enforcement officers must be engaged in this effort and cannot sit on the sidelines and be spectators while our Nation/neighborhoods are being destroyed. America is a nation of legal immigrants, however so is every nation. There is nothing racist about upholding the law. We need representatives who are willing to speak clearly for legal immigration and speak clearly against illegal immigration.

*Enforcement: State and local law enforcement officials have the general power to investigate and arrest violators of federal immigration statutes without prior INS knowledge or approval, as long as they are authorized to do so by state law. There is no extant federal limitation on this authority. The 1996 immigration control legislation passed by Congress was intended to encourage states and local agencies to participate in the process of enforcing federal immigration laws.

*Go after employers, take away state licenses.

*Put the National Guard and assign DPS to work the border area and cooperate and assist the federal government.

*Require proof of eligibility applicants on ALL public benefits before citizens tax dollars are given away.

Until the day I die, I will insist that 'illegal' is 'illegal.'

Illegal Aliens cost taxpayers $69 Billion annually (just in social services) in federal programs in 2002. Studies estimate that amnesty would increase that three fold.

Perhaps as high as 80% of the violent crime in Phoenix area involves illegal aliens (according to Phoenix Chief Hurt and Mesa police violent crimes response team)

Over 4000 homicide warrants issued by the border states to suspects who are believed to have fled south of the border into Mexico.

$311 Billion in uncollected taxes (Barron's study).

$200 Billion annually in-lost American wages. Native-born American men lost an average of

$1700 in wages in 2000 due to US immigration policy (Harvard University).

Maricopa County Hospital loses over $2 million weekly on uncompensated care (largely do to illegal aliens) (2003, 77 border hospitals filed for bankruptcy).

1/3 of our federal prisons are illegal aliens, over 5000 illegal aliens in our State Prison.

Arizona spends over $800 million (K –12) annually to educate illegals. Not counting the $150 million additional on children of illegal aliens (English Learners) and an additional $200 million this current governor wants to add.

Over half of AHCCCS births are from illegal mothers 1/3 of children in Arizona have immigrant parents.

"The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican form of Government, and shall protect each of them against invasion." Article IV Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution.

Today, the majority of these elected officials are in violation of their oath of office, with severe consequences to their law abiding U.S. citizen constituents’.

EDUCATION/SCHOOL CHOICE
We must support parents and school choice. All parents should have a choice of where to send their children to school, not just the wealthy (like those in Congress who send their kids to private/parochial schools but oppose school choice for those who are not wealthy). School choice needs to be there for all parents. It is the Public's money, not Public money.

TAX REFORM: ENACT A "TAXPAYERS BILL OF RIGHTS" TABOR
TABOR would require lawmakers to set priorities, reduce wasteful spending, and reform entitlement programs. TABOR would save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade and could be enforced by requiring a 2/3's supermajority to pass the budget or any spending bill that exceeds TABOR allowances. Such a bar is low enough to clear during an emergency and yet high enough to prevent abuse. Colorado enacted TABOR law in 1992. Since then, the state government's growth has been reduced to 3% and taxpayers have received $3.3 billion in tax rebates. By, 2002 the average Colorado household was paying $3,729 less in state taxes then if spending had continued at its Pre-TABOR rates.

LOCAL AND FEDERAL SPENDING
Require “Truth in Budgeting” a transparent system with not gimmicks, no borrowing, and one that does not spend more than it takes in, in revenue. Individuals and couples in America have to reduce their overall spending when less revenue comes in (due to job loss or pay reduction, etc.). Why shouldn't we be required to do the same thing? This is not a conservative or liberal principle; this is a reasonable expectation that the American people should have of its government. Most politicians are unwilling to say no to any program. We a Governor who will say no to out-of-control spending and yes to spending restraint, even if a program is "popular."

TORT REFORM
A Nat'l poll by ATRA found that 83% of Americans think there are too many lawsuits filed in the US and that greedy personal injury lawyers are to blame. Elected Officials have been unwilling or unable to pass meaningful legislation that will result in Tort Reform. We need a Governor who will push for Tort Reform.

MARRIAGE AMENDMENT
We must preserve marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Marriage, as of one man and one woman, has been the bedrock of civilization from the beginning of recorded history. We should not allow intolerance by the few to pre-empt the settled moral judgment of civilization.

ENGLISH AS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
Americans can speak whatever language they choose, but anyone who doesn't speak English loses out in the America. We are not an English Only nation and never have been, but we should not become an English Optional Nation either. We need a Governor who would require that government do all it can to promote and enhance English as the Official Language. This would not restrict residents or business in anyway and only require the Official Record of government to be in English.

REAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
If you are willing to put limits on what individuals can contribute to candidates (i.e. $2,000 federal, $280 state office), are you willing to put that same limit on what you can spend of your own money on your campaign? This is the hypocrisy of Campaign Finance Reform, including the Clean Elections Commission in Arizona. Supporters are quick to put limits on what individuals can contribute, but when it comes to putting limits on what they can donate from their own funds, that's different. Look at Arizona. Personally I don't think there should not be any limits on individual contributions, except for these: Contributions must be from individuals with the right to vote in America, and there must be full disclosure of contributions over $1,000. In this way the voters can determine whether or not a candidate's platforms benefit only the big money contributors or the voters as a whole.

JUDGES - Judicial Activism
We have many examples of Judicial Activism and it is one of the greatest threats to our Republic. We must elect or appoint judges who honor the Constitution and the Separation of Powers.

· California’s Prop. 187 (passed by a large majority of the voters, overturned by the Courts)

· Arizona’s Official English (passed by voters and thrown out by an unelected Judge)

· Massachusetts where the Courts ordered the legislature to write a law (again Unconstitutional)

· Arizona a federal Judge ordering the state to spend more money on the children of illegal aliens above what we spend on the children of U.S. Citizens

STATES RIGHTS
"A bill for an act entitled: "An act providing for nomination of political party candidates for the office of United States Senator by a caucus; defining "caucus" for the purpose of nominating candidates for the office of United States Senator; requiring political parties to adopt rules for a caucus called for the purpose of nominating a candidate for the office of United States Senator.

The object of the bill is to make it so the Republican Caucus in the State Legislature will nominate the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate election and the Democrat Caucus in the State Legislature will nominate the Democrat candidate for the U.S. Senate election. The caucuses shall nominate these candidates by secret ballot in an open caucus.

While the Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires that elections for U.S. senators be conducted by a vote of the people, the nominations of these candidates can still be by legislative caucuses.

This bill should reduce the cost of primary elections for U.S. Senate candidates and make the successful U.S. senators much more responsive to the issues of the States.

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