American Values

Why I Support Jim O’Connor for AZGOP Chair, and Not Jonathan Lines

Anita Christy

#1:      My personal experience of Jim O’Connor has been extremely positive.  First, he educated me on the serious problems associated with Rep. J. D. Mesnard’s National Popular Vote bill (HB2456), which he brought up during last year’s legislative session.  This was a complex issue, and Mr. O’Connor and I exchanged several emails and telephone calls in the process.  I also did independent research.  This resulted in an article that I published titled “Stop the National Popular Vote Compact in Arizona."  Mr. O’Connor made a very impressive appeal before the House of Representatives against the National Popular Vote leading them to defeat that bill last session.  He’s prepared to do it again. 

Second, as a member of the Mommy Lobby, I deeply appreciated Mr. O’Connor’s leadership in LD23 in helping to pass HB2088, which protects students against surveys that gather private, personally identifiable information.  He advised his representative in LD23, Heather Carter, "Our 444 Precinct Committeemen are reflecting the opinions of the 70,000 registered republican votes in our district overwhelmingly protecting the rights of parents and children. Please represent these and other republicans who desire to restrain government overreach."  She voted in favor on reconsideration, and this bill passed. Mr. O’Connor has stood firmly in support of legislation that honors parental authority and rejects federal control of education in Arizona. 

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Pearl Harbor plus 75 Years

Anita Christy

On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, an attack planned by Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese Marshal Admiral and commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, was carried out to demobilize the US Navy.  See Pearl Harbor plus 75 Years.

You probably have family members in their 80s and older who remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they got the news:  "We’ve just been attacked!"  Some memories fade quickly.  But not this one.  

My mother remembers.   She and my father had been married for less than a year.  He was a sergeant in the Army Air Corp stationed at Chanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois.  "It was a Sunday," she told me. They were visiting his parents on their farm in down state Illinois that day.   My father and grand-father were driving around the countryside looking at the land, which is what farmers often did and probably still do, after church on a Sunday.  They heard the news on the car radio.  "It was a ’40 Ford," Mom said.  They returned immediately to tell my mother and grand-mother.  "It was a total shock," remembers my mother.  "It was scary."  She and my dad returned quickly to their home.  "From that moment on, he had to be in uniform until the end of the war."  

The next spring, he shipped out to Seymour Johnson Air Field in North Carolina. Mom remembers that the base had been quickly constructed, using trees from the forest where the base was located. It was still being constructed when they arrived.  She recalls that it was a training base for mechanics and pilots.  My mother remembers that, throughout the war, she rarely saw pictures or got much word of what was happening.  "We didn’t have television."  Mostly, she saw newsreels in the local theater.  My father was eventually sent to India.  "It took thirty days for him to get there.  The ship had to zigzag across the ocean, to stay clear of submarines.  He didn’t know where he was going until he got there."    

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese killed 2402 Americans, destroyed 188 planes and damaged 159.  They sunk 4 battleships and damaged another 4.  "The Pearl Harbor attack spurred America into World War II, leading ultimately to Allied victory over the Japanese in the East and Nazis and other Axis powers in the West.  And the country promised never to forget this day of infamy."  See Unforgettable photos from the Pearl Harbor Attack, 72 years ago today. 

One of the battleships that was sunk was the USS Arizona.  See photos below.

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Please Reelect Jared Taylor for Gilbert Town Council

Anita Christy

(Gilbert Watch welcomes this guest letter by Jared Taylor, who is currently serving as the Vice Mayor in Gilbert. He has lived in Gilbert since 1996 with his wife and three daughters.)

Over the last few years, Gilbert has been showered in recognitions. I’m running for re-election to build on our strengths, address our challenges, and keep Gilbert the best place to grow a family and build a business.

Here are a few of the recognitions our wonderful residents and Town have earned: 22nd Best Place to Live (Money Magazine, 2014); 2nd Safest City in the US (Law Street Media, 2016); Best City for Raising a Family (Move.org, 2016); 7th Happiest City in America (Zippia, 2016), and Top 5 Safest Cities to Build Your Startup (Tech.Co, 2016).

We couldn’t live in a better place at a better time. Who would have thought that Gilbert would have grown from “The Hay Capitol of the World” to one of the most successful cities or towns in the US?

My appreciation goes to the many wonderful residents and Town leaders who have made Gilbert so great.  

While we have had tremendous success, we continue to need strong leadership to address the challenges we face.

Over the last few decades, a large part of Gilbert’s budget has come from construction sales taxes.

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Meet The Candidates! Andy Biggs, Warren Petersen, Eddie Farnsworth, Travis Grantham, Jake Hoffman

Anita Christy

Please attend a Meet the Candidates event on Wednesday, July 27, 2016, 6:30 – 8:30 pm.  Hosted by Rick & Jacque Gurney and Frank & Tricia Groe.  To request the address, please RSVP tlgroe@me.com.

Senator Andy Biggs is running for Congressional District 5 U.S. House of Representatives.

Rep. Warren Petersen is running for the Arizona Senate in Legislative District 12.

Rep. Eddie Farnsworth is running for the Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative 12.

Travis Grantham is running for the Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 12.

Jake Hoffman is running for Queen Creek Town Council

See below for a few articles and endorsements relating to these great conservative candidates. 

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Gilbert Watch Supports Warren Petersen for Arizona Senate

Anita Christy

It has never been more important than now to elect solid conservatives with a voting record that backs up their rhetoric.  So it is with Warren Petersen, who is running for Arizona Senate in LD12.  As a state representative, he stood up for families and the unborn, for local support and control of education, and for the independent business person.  His votes are testimony to his fight against overbearing regulations that hurt businesses and our economy.  He has repeatedly protected our Second Amendment rights.  Rep. Petersen is very knowledgeable about complex issues, and he knows how to protect the hard-working taxpayer from the big spenders at the Capitol.

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STOP these Free Market Killing ICC Building Codes in Gilbert – TOWN COUNCIL VOTES THURSDAY, 11/7/2013!

Anita Christy

Please see Gordon Ray’s email below. Thanks to the high level of research and persistence of Gordon’s team of dedicated citizens, the Gilbert Town Council is looking at the ICC 2012 Building Codes like they never have in the past.  So far the Council has hit the pause button. 

Tomorrow they vote.  PLEASE send an email and/or attend this meeting to speak out against adoption of these codes.  This email address will reach Mayor John Lewis and all Council members:  councilmembers@gilbertaz.gov.   Town Hall, 50 E. Civic Center Drive, Gilbert, AZ 85296.

How can any of these codes honestly be about safety issues?  Is your house still standing?  Is every house in Gilbert still standing?  What about all the office buildings, grocery stores, and government buildings?  All were built with tons of previous codes.  None were built with these proposed 2012 Codes!   None of the homes and buildings built without these codes have presented any hazards.  Children haven’t gotten shocked from sticking screwdrivers, paperclips, or anything else into the outlets. 

Please tell the Council:  Even if a code is an improvement, that improvement shouldn’t be made into a law.  The improvement should be a choice between the builder and the person paying for the construction.  Just because some private entities wrote those codes, forcing them on the citizenry is NOT supporting the Free market.  Leave the Free market to compete on its own, without more onerous regulations. 

Enough of Government Regulations at all levels!   All of these monsters got their start at the local level.  Kill the monster while it’s young, before it turns into the Rottweiler that runs your household.    

From: Gordon Ray mailto:gordonray49@gmail.com

ATTENTION!

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Gilbert Town Council Member Jared Taylor’s Opinion about adopting the 2012 ICC Building Codes

Anita Christy

This afternoon, July 30, 2013, the Town Council meets in a Study Session at 4 pm to talk about the 2012 ICC building codes.  Click here for more information.   Your attendance in support of the citizens of Gilbert is appreciated.  

A few weeks ago, I asked each Council member for his/her opinion on who has the burden of proof for adopting codes into law? Should individual citizens be expected to prove that each of hundreds of codes should NOT be made law?  Or should Town employees be required to prove why they SHOULD be made law?  

In response to that question, Council Member Jared Taylor responded by copying me on an email he sent on July 9 to Patrick Banger, Gilbert’s Town Manager:

Hi Patrick,

As far as I can tell, the purpose of having building codes is to solve problems.  For example, smoke detectors save lives so we mandate them.  There is clear data to show this.

As I’ve listened to Kyle’s team, I’m not sure they are focused on solving problems in our community, but more on passing along the recommendations from national/international bodies.

I realize a few state-mandated items were withdrawn, but that didn’t come from our building community.  Don’t get me wrong, the IBC’s have some positive things in them.

As you probably know, the 2012 codes will add hundreds of new regulations on our builders.  Many builders will profit by the additional work and just pass the cost on to our citizens.  The citizens will eventually carry the cost of all the expensive fees, inspections, and hours it takes to design, review, and inspect to the new and existing regulations.  This will cost Gilbert families millions of additional dollars very quickly.  I wonder about the real value here and can’t support something that isn’t empirically validated to solve problems.

As a result, it seems reasonable that I get hard empirical justification on every new regulation that is being recommended.  I would like to see the statistics of how many injuries, deaths, or other harms the lack each regulation has caused in Gilbert and how this new regulation is proven to address the issue.   

If we are not solving actual problems, we are simply creating a huge amount of waste for our citizens in government jobs, fees, reviews, inspections, etc.  This is a simple ROI exercise that should have been part of the original process.

I would like to have someone on your team provide me this analysis. I’m OK to receive it in a spreadsheet. I know this may seem like a tall order, but given the massive imposition on our community these hundreds of new regulations will place, it’s really not that much.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Jared

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