Arizona News – August 19, 2022

The Prickly Pear will provide current, linked articles about Arizona consistent with our Mission Statement to ‘inform, educate and advocate’. We are an Arizona based website and believe this information should be available to all of our statewide readers.

 

On The Importance Of Keeping The Arizona Legislature Red

Will republicans be able to hold on to a majority in both chambers of the legislature after the upcoming November elections? Most likely, yes, but there are no guarantees. Most astute observers believe that republicans are poised to increase their majority to two, and possibly three, in both chambers. But that can happen only if we get all hands on deck pulling in the same direction. That simply means that the primary winners must make a serious effort to attract the supporters of the losing candidates, and the losing candidates must make a serious effort to endorse and/or encourage their followers to support the primary winners.

If the democrats were to gain the majority in the legislature, can we count on the governor to veto all the bad bills that they will pass? Most likely not. In fact, we have no guarantee that we will have a republican governor. Arizona voters have a spotty record in this area. Remember Babbitt and Napolitano?…..

 

Hobbs Commits To Pricey Chamber Forum With Lake, Balks At Citizen’s Debate

Democratic Party nominee Katie Hobbs has finally agreed to face off with Republican Party nominee Kari Lake in a debate. Surprisingly, Hobbs has opted for the pricey 2022 Gubernatorial Candidate Forum held by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, while expressing reluctance to participate in the more widely covered taxpayer-funded Citizen’s Clean Elections debate.

At a time when more Arizonans are struggling to deal with inflation and rising prices on food and gas for their vehicles, the corporatists at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce are charging $60 for a single ticket for the September 7 event.

In addition to the debate, that $60 will get attendees “cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a special presentation from our Presenting Sponsor, Amazon.”

 

Russiagate Lawyer’s Team in Lawsuit: Arizona’s Voter Rolls Are Dirty But Shouldn’t Be Cleaned

The legal team under the Democratic Party’s top election lawyer, Marc Elias, is suing to keep Arizona’s voter rolls as they are, even if they’re rife with ineligible voters.

According to a lawsuit filed on Monday, the legal team argued that SB1260, which Governor Doug Ducey signed into law in June, infringed on the right to vote as well as the rights of free speech and association. SB1260 requires county recorders to cancel voter registrations for persons registered to vote in another county, and makes it a felony to help cast a vote for an individual registered out of state…..

 

YouTube Suspends Popular Conservative Show For Kari Lake Interview

On Wednesday, YouTube suspended the “Louder With Crowder” show for their interview with Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake last week.

YouTube explained in a notice that the show contained content that propagated “false claims that widespread fraud, errors, or glitches” changed the 2020 election results leading to Joe Biden’s presidency…..

 

Arizona’s State Board Of Education Must Adopt Better History And Social Science Standards

History isn’t just something that ought to be taught, read, or encouraged only because it will make us better citizens,” wrote historian David McCullough. “It will make us a better citizen and it will make us more thoughtful and understanding human beings.”

Arizonans deserve and need the best social studies education for their children. Their elected representatives already have done a good deal this year to improve their public schools’ social studies instruction. Their work includes increasing the passing score for the civics test from 60% to 70%, requiring a comparative discussion of political ideologies that conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy, and providing age-appropriate instruction on the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

But Arizona won’t have a firm basis for social studies instruction until the State Board of Education adopts better History and Social Science Standards…..

 

Bulk Mail Voting Is the Main Obstacle to Election Integrity.

The debate over election fraud versus voter suppression is high-stakes and high-intensity. Trump loyalists insist the election was stolen, mechanically rigged, and rife with fraudulent actors. Democrats continue to insist that fraud never happens, an argument easily swatted away by the existence of thousands of documented incidents.

But Democrats have a point in that the problematic behaviors—bulk mail voting, ballot harvesting, and related practices—were permitted by law in most states. That means, according to the “fact checkers,” all reasonable people must agree that there was no fraud.

Trump fought the wrong war at the wrong time. While he was ranting about corrupt voting machines, rogue election workers, and a cascade of assorted allegations, Democrats in the last two elections were cleverly creating election rules intended to generate a permanent majority…..