See Also: The Truth About SB1062 The Economic Impact of the Super Bowl
Read moreEconomy
Gilbert Watch Welcomes Contributing Editor, Patrick O’Malley
Patrick O’Malley is the newest member of the Gilbert Watch editorial team, and we are honored that he has joined us.
Patrick is an electrical engineer with 40 years experience, mostly with Motorola and Freescale Semiconductor, as a design and application engineer. He holds four patents. He chose to emphasize time over money and retired early to grow citrus, get a license to operate public drinking water systems, and study water and the environment. His previous political experience was limited to serving on the Board of a small irrigation district. The overwhelming conservative win in the 2010 elections followed by the disappointing lack of change in government policies convinced him it was time to stop complaining and get actively involved. Patrick is a Republican Precinct Committeeman in Legislative District 12, and serves as its Treasurer.
Patrick has written the following articles of serious interest to all Arizona’s citizens:
Read moreWaco Style Shoot Out Brewing in Nevada Against Cattle Rancher?
Please keep an eye on this issue! The federal government along with radical environmentalists are willing to destroy a multiple-generation operation and steal this rancher’s cattle over an "endangered" …………….desert tortoise.
YET, just 8 months ago the government and environmentalists planned to euthanize the desert tortoises, due to budget cuts in a refuge. See Government Plans to Euthanize hundreds of desert tortoises after budget cuts to Refuge.
The very same scenario is unfolding in Arizona, compliments of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and radical environmentalsts who want to declare the Mexican wolf as endangered and release wolves across 15 Arizona counties. The gross economic output of the agricultural industry in the area is estimated to be $4.2 billion annually.
Send an email to both Clark County Sheriff Douglas Gillespie (Sheriff@lvmpd.com) and Governor Brian Sandoval and tell them to stand up against the BLM and order the federal government out of Clark County and out of Nevada. To contact Gov Sandoval, click HERE
Read morePeter Schiff Ridiculed in August 2006 when he Predicted the Recession of 2007
Remember this televised debate between Peter Schiff and Art Laffer on August 28, 2006? Schiff correctly predicted the Great Recession, and he was soundly ridiculed by Laffer and the moderator on Kudlow & Company. Pay attention to everything that Peter Schiff said. It all came true in December 2007, for exactly the reasons that Schiff stated.
Read moreNational BMX Bicycle Racing on Greenfield/Germaine
by Denine Driggs, Gilbert Resident This past spring the Gilbert town council seriously considered building the next USA BMX headquarters and facilities in our town. This would be a recreational area for bicycle racing. Though I am not opposed to developing a
Read moreGilbert Public Schools – Another Property Tax Override?
by Patrick O’Malley
Precinct Committeeman LD12
Gilbert Public Schools (GPS) finished their zero based budgeting process some time ago and were given several budget options from which to choose. They could have gone for steeper cuts in the budget immediately (option C), but chose less cuts this year and are now discussing asking the voters for an override to avoid the additional cuts that will come up next year. A 10% override has been mentioned, but there are no specific proposals yet.
Almost every school district has one or more property tax overrides in place. It’s the new normal. Capital improvement overrides provide additional money for a specific purpose, like a major upgrade of a school district’s computer system. Maintenance and Operation (M&O) overrides provide schools with additional money for everyday expenses. Theoretically they are used to get past a financial rough patch, but there aren’t any examples of that happening. Instead, the school spends the money like it will be there forever, and as the time approaches for the override to expire, they begin the process of asking the voters for another override to keep the money coming. That’s what is being talked about at GPS.
What Happened to the Technology Override Money?
Another issue with overrides is that the additional money doesn’t always get used the way it was sold to voters. In 2007 GPS voters passed a $57.4 million dollar capital override for computers and internet access. That’s a lot of technology, $1400 per student, but where are the results? There are a few technology bright spots within GPS, but overall the capability is fair to poor.
Read moreBMX Coming to Your Neighborhood? Come to the Open House April 8
Some projects are just not appropriate next to a residential neighborhood, no matter how much money Gilbert thinks it’s going to make. This is one of them.
Isn’t it the local government’s responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens? Should local government introduce a project with known high noise and traffic levels next to the homes of Gilbert residents who seek a retreat from noise and traffic?
Even if you don’t live in the affected neighborhood, do you care about your neighbor’s quality of life? Or just your own? As Mike Webb puts it, are you a PIITBY? (Put it in Their Back Yard)
What about the cost of this public/private partnership? If things don’t go quite right, who gets left holding the debt? BMX or Gilbert citizens?
The Town of Gilbert will be holding a second BMX Open House on Tuesday, April 8 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM, at 50 E. Civic Center Drive, Gilbert. It seems that, after the first open house, some residents started asking some "vetting questions" that hadn’t been asked by the Town of Gilbert or the Town Council. Were they too mezmerized by the dog and pony show put on by BMX?
Mike Webb asked some of those very important vetting questions ignored by others. See Is Gilbert Really Serious about BMX?
Here’s the news article regarding the open house: Second BMX Open House Scheduled for April 8.
Read moreIs Gilbert Really Serious about BMX?
by Mike Webb
Gilbert Resident
In case you haven’t heard Gilbert has been planning a public/private deal with USA BMX to build an Olympic size bike track right in the middle of south Gilbert. The track, BMX offices, and museum will be built just South of Germann Road, on the West side of Greenfield in the now empty former farm land that was part of the infamous Zinke Dairy land purchase from a few short years ago. The BMX facility would be northeast of the soccer fields already in this area. The facility being discussed will have seating for four thousand people with an expected attendance of up to eight thousand people several times a year when regional and national events are held. This deal with BMX will also include a public freestyle bike park and twenty acres of gravel overflow parking in addition to parking at the BMX track itself.
As far as I can tell, I was the first Gilbert citizen (that is not associated with any special interest groups) to find out any details regarding the facility. This was on March 7, when I met town employees Dan Henderson and M. Scott Powell from the Office of Economic Development, along with John David, COO of USA BMX. It was also at this meeting that I learned that the first open public meeting was scheduled just four days later on March 11 and that the project was scheduled to be voted on by the Town Council on March 27, just 20 days after I found out about the project. However, after expressing my concern over the timing and only having twenty days’ notice before the vote to approve the project, the Town moved the vote date to April 17.* That’s still not much time for review by the general public.
I was invited by both USA BMX and the Town of Gilbert to attend a race event at the Black Mountain BMX track in north Phoenix on March 15. So to be diplomatic about this situation and to possibly ease my concerns, I agreed to attend. I packed up my two nine-year olds and carpooled with Mayor Lewis and his son to the event. I believe full disclosure is always important, so I will tell you that we had VIP passes and sat in the VIP tent where they provided lunch consisting of a burrito and soda.
Read moreThe Truth about Job Growth in America
by Captain Rick of Atridim News Journal
Jobs
The economy added 74,000 jobs in December while the unemployment rate dropped to 6.7 percent, the Labor Department reported Friday. Analysts had expected job growth of about 200,000, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists.
Captain Rick: Our economy is in sick shape…in spite of the hype we hear on the evening news…mostly being pumped by the DC political machine. This miserable jobs report is a prime example. The only reason the unemployment rate dropped to 6.7% is because a large number of job seekers have expired their unemployment benefits. Those who no longer qualify for unemployment are no longer included in the unemployment numbers. How inaccurate is that? The U.S. unemployment percentage is totally bogus…meaningless. The actual, real unemployment figure is twice as high. I believe the Fed is using this fictitious reduction to justify their reduction in Quantitative Easing…the pumping of $85 Billion (now reduced to $75 Billion) of red ink dollars into the US economy each month…in an attempt to make the US economy look like its doing OK…when it’s really sucking. The truth is that the Fed must lower the red ink dollars it prints each month because the recent budget deal will not allow it…so that another rise in the U.S. National Debt can be avoided. How wonderful it would be if our political bureaucrats in DC would tell us the truth of what is really going on. I have a hunch they think most Americans are stupid and will believe the garbage fed to us via the evening news. Fortunately you have Captain Rick keeping an eye on things and reporting the truth.
For more reports from Captain Rick, visit him at Atridim News Journal
Center for Biological Diversity: Liars and Defamers
The Center for Biological Diversity is an evil organization that was proven guilty in 2005 of making "false, unfair, libelous, and defamatory statements against Jim Chilton, a Southern Arizona rancher."
Jim Chilton and his family were awarded $100,000 in actual damages and $500,000 in punitive damages. He planned to use part of the money to pay his lawsuit expenses, and donate the rest to the Arizona Cattle Growers Association to "promote truth and responsibility with respect to cattle grazing issues."
"Our opponents don’t use science. They subvert science," stated Mr. Chilton. "Endangered species are just their tool to raise money and impose their anti-production philosophy." He is incensed over the lost livelihoods of tens of thousands of rural westerners: timber workers, ranchers, and miners who have lost productive well paid employment. "Too many other victims just couldn’t defend themselves against relentless attacks by the CBD (Center for Biological Diversity) and Forest Guardians."
"Environmentalists wear people down until they can no longer function," stated a witness.
As Jim Chilton said, "Ranching is not a job. It’s a culture. It’s a unique western American way of life and a national cultural treasure worthy of preservation."
Dear friends of liberty, the Center for Biological Diversity is one of the many radical environmental groups that has learned how to subvert the legislative process and, between FY2009 – FY2012, fleeced American taxpayers out of over $2 million in their ESA (Endangered Species Act) lawsuits against federal agencies. It’s quite a racket. See This is How Radical Environmental Groups Fleece the Taxpayer and Use the Money to Advance Their Agenda.