Noel Reck speaks out at Board of Supervisors Meeting
Reprinted with permission from MARK COWLING, Staff Writer, Casa Grande Dispatch, Jan 22-23, 2022
Pinal supervisors ponder special border protection fund for PCSO
FLORENCE — Pinal County officials are considering creating a $100,000 contingency fund to reimburse the Sheriff’s Office for overtime, travel and other expenses related to protecting Arizona’s southern border, if called upon to do so.
Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh, R-Coolidge, proposed the fund at Wednesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. He noted that Gov. Doug Ducey said in his state of the state address that he and other governors are making plans to actively protect the border.
Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer told the board creating such a fund would not be a simple process and would require budget amendments. He said if it’s something the board wishes to do, he asked that the board give direction to county staff to bring an item before the board for formal action.
Supervisor Mike Goodman, R-San Tan Valley, asked that the fund return for a vote on the board’s next regular agenda on Feb. 2.
The goal is to pay sheriff’s personnel for any special duties they’re called on to serve while the county awaits reimbursement from the state.
“In the meantime, I don’t think our people should go without and not be compensated, so this would allow us to bridge that gap,” Volkmer told the board.
“The concern is if there is an emergency or crisis, and they say ‘Get people there,’ knowing our sheriff, knowing the men and women who serve our community, they’re going to go down there,” Volkmer continued.
Noel Reck of Casa Grande was skeptical. He commented to the board that he agreed with Vice Chairman Jeff Serdy, R-Apache Junction, that sheriff’s personnel were needed at the Jan. 15 Trump rally in the interest of public safety.
“I would suggest that an audit of expenses incurred by the county for that rally should be instituted to avoid being stiffed, as has been the case for so many other cities and counties where these rallies have been held,” Reck said.
As for $100,000 to cover a potential sheriff’s mission to the border, “I ask why? At whose suggestion? Whose request?” Reck said the money could be better spent in Pinal County to analyze and address “the push-pull factors” that bring people to the border.
“Remember the Irish didn’t leave their homeland just for fun. They were pushed out, and then pulled in, just like many on the border today,” Reck said. He said immigration is a complex issue that won’t be solved by a foray into Pima County for the benefit of the American Sheriff Network.
“I’m sure there are many local agencies, dealing firsthand with the issues involved, that would love to partner with you and use this money in a far more productive manner,” Reck concluded.
Noel Reck is a teacher and a force for good in the community.
DCG Chair, Ralph Atchue, is guest columnist for Dispatch
Atchue: Jan. 6; We must never forget
You saw it. We saw it. All of America saw it. My wife and I stood in horror and disbelief as we watched MAGA insurrectionists storm our nation’s Capitol — our only words, “Oh my God — this can’t be happening.” Our eyes filled with tears, our hearts broken, our worst fears realized: It could happen here; it was happening here. At our iconic Capitol building, we saw police beaten, windows broken, doors breached, offices and chambers desecrated — we heard chants of “Where’s Nancy?” and “Hang Mike Pence!” All of this made more abhorrent with the apparently pleased commander-in-chief calmly sipping Diet Coke while waiting over three hours before making even a half-hearted effort to stop the carnage!
Jan. 6, 2021, is another day that will live forever in infamy. For most of us, it represents an atrocity worse than Dec. 7, 1941, and Sept. 11, 2001. The attempted coup of Jan. 6 was inspired, planned and carried out by Americans against their own government. This was not an attack by foreigners who hate our nation, this was an act of unspeakable violence meant to destroy democracy’s most integral process: a free and fair election. For the first time in our history, the peaceful transfer of power as determined by American citizens came under siege by American citizens.
There’s no question that the Jan. 6 Insurrection was the direct result of what has become known as the “Big Lie” and “Stop the Steal” conspiracy theories. The violence at our nation’s most sacred symbol of democracy came about because Donald Trump refused to admit defeat in the 2020 election. It’s clear that every losing court case and failed attempt to coerce election officials to break the law caused the Trump team to pursue a more direct and violent course of action — even if it meant executing members of Congress and the vice president of the United States. To be clear, there was no evidence of election fraud or that any “Antifa” provocateurs were among the insurrectionists.
The Jan. 6 House Select Committee has gathered incontrovertible evidence via documents, email transcripts and testimony demonstrating the degree and depth of planning prior to the horrible event. Coordination between the top levels of Trump’s team and right-wing extremist groups took place well before the attack. As of Jan. 2, the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters and the DC Brigade traded messages about bringing riot equipment. Trump himself along with Donald Jr., Steve Bannon and others invited Jan. 6 invaders to join in the “wild day” when “all hell would break loose.” In the immediate aftermath, both Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell publicly acknowledged Trump’s culpability in inspiring the insurrection. Now, however, they are among the deniers who want us to believe that the horror we witnessed was an innocent and peaceful demonstration conducted randomly by patriotic tourists.
Shamefully, Arizona is intimately tied to Insurrection Day. Gosar and Biggs were involved in the planning, QAnon shaman Jacob Chansley became its face, Mark Finchem attended and encouraged it in real time. Immediately after Congress reconvened that day, the entire Arizona GOP delegation voted to decertify our state’s election result. We spent many months watching Arizona GOP state senators conduct the most bizarre non-audit in election history! Even now, GOP elected officials and candidates continue the lying and conspiracy pandering. Many are encouraging violent behavior and even armed rebellion.
As we mark the one-year anniversary of one of America’s darkest days, the insurrectionist movement is far from defeated. Last week, the Associated Press, known for its nonpartisan and factual reporting, ran a story entitled “Slow motion insurrection — how GOP seizes election power. The article outlines how the GOP has changed election laws and turned vote counting and election certification over to partisan “Big Lie” believers. Here in Arizona, the GOP has already stripped the Democratic secretary of state of the authority to fight for election integrity, pushed for purging voters from the Permanent Early Voting List and attempted to give legislators the power to completely overturn election results based on their preference for a winner. There is no longer any room in the GOP for any candidate who isn’t radicalized. In other words, the insurrection is evolving but continuing today.
The planners and perpetrators are working hard to alter history and erase what we all witnessed — a violent and deadly attempt to destroy American democracy. Whether our nation survives depends on us, the American voters. We must stand united to ensure that another Jan. 6, 2021, Insurrection Day never happens again. No one can predict how Insurrection Day will be remembered by future American generations. As for now, you saw it, we saw it, all of America saw it and we must never forget!
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Ralph Atchue
THE BUILD BACK BETTER ACT, EXPLAINED
Information provided by 'Indivisible'
The Build Back Better Act (BBB) is the product of months of hard work and negotiations from Democrats in Congress. Building on plans proposed by President Biden in the spring of 2020, progressives got to work fighting for key priorities to be included in the legislation. Unfortunately we’ve faced opposition from conservative Democrats who have watered down significant portions of the bill, and consistently attempted to derail the entire package.
In the face of conservative Democrats obstructing the passage of BBB, Progressives struck a deal to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (BIF), and in return got a written commitment from those conservative Democrats that they would vote for BBB.
Because the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) stood together to demand that the BBB, which contains a large portion of the Democratic agenda, move forward, we’ve finally seen the bill pass the House. This would not have been possible without the tireless organizing going on across the country to push our MoCs to make use of this Democratic Trifecta and deliver on their promises.
Read on to learn what is actually in the bill, how your MoC voted, and what needs to be done to get the BBB passed the Senate and signed into law!
WHAT IS IN THE 'BUILD BACK BETTER' ACT?
The Build Back Better Act is a package of badly needed public investments across the economy, designed to support children and families, historic investments in climate action, make health care more affordable, and provide deportation protection and work permits for many immigrants, all while taking steps to make our tax code more fair for working families.
While a number of urgent priorities were not included (we’ll cover those below), there are a bunch of provisions that we should celebrate - and fight to make sure they stay in the final version that passes the Senate. Here are some of the highlights:
- Extends the improved Child Tax Credit to help meet the needs of parents and children. The bill would extend the monthly payments of $250-$300 per month to families through 2022, and permanently ensures the lowest income families qualify - a critical step towards ending childhood poverty.
- $550 billion in climate action, clean energy jobs, and environmental justice. With billions in clean energy tax credits, BBB will help spur us towards a clean energy future. A fully funded Civilian Climate Corps will create millions of good paying climate jobs. The inclusion of key environmental justice priorities like resilient and energy-efficient housing, Environmental and Climate Justice Block grants, and community pollution cleanup are a good step towards investing in environmental and climate justice. Finally, the inclusion of a methane fee will help the US cut emissions as we work to meet President Biden’s commitment to cut climate pollution at least in half by 2030.
- Historic investments in affordable housing. This includes $26 billion for rental assistance programs to assist more low-income families in affording quality housing, $65 billion to repair and renovate our public housing which has a backlog of needed upgrades, and $15 billion to increase the supply of truly affordable housing.
- Truly universal Pre-K and dramatically improved access to affordable child care. Preschool for 3 and 4 year-olds would be free and universal, covering as many as 6 million more children, and improving the quality of pre-k programs. States will also be able to cap child care costs at 7% of income for most families, with additional assistance for low-income families, while raising wages for child care providers.
- Guarantees 4 weeks of paid family and medical leave for all workers. The United States is one of the only countries in the world not to guarantee paid leave, and this bill would change that by providing all workers with at least 4 weeks, permanently.
- Strengthened labor rights for workers through meaningful penalties for abusive employers. Currently, employers who violate their workers’ labor rights face few consequences, incentivizing this type of abusive behavior. The BBB attaches fines to these types of violations, and increases enforcement so workers’ rights are more protected.
- Expanded access to home and community based care services for older Americans and people with disabilities and strengthening the caregiving workforce. Many seniors struggle to afford the home-based care they need and deserve, and millions of families are on waiting lists to receive care at all. This bill invests $150 billion to reduce costs, shorten the wait list, and improve wages for caregivers.
- Extends deportation protection and work permits to an estimated seven million undocumented immigrants for five years, with the chance of renewing for an additional five years. In general, immigrants who arrived by January 1, 2011 who can pass a background check are eligible.
- Takes positive steps towards lowering certain prescription drug prices for some Americans. The bill would (starting in 2023) cap the amount every person with health insurance pays for insulin at no more than $35 per month at in-network providers, eliminate deductibles for insulin, and require any cost-sharing on insulin to be applied to a plan's deductible and out-of-pocket (OOP) maximum. The bill also lowers drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries by allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of insulin and other select drugs starting in 2025, establishing a $2,000 per year OOP cap for Part D drugs. Lastly, the bill includes strong enforcement provisions to ensure Big Pharma comes to the negotiation table and does not raise prices above the point of inflation.
- Expands Medicare benefits to include coverage of hearing services, like hearing aids, starting in 2024.
- Extends enhanced ACA marketplace subsidies through the end of 2025.
- Closes Medicaid coverage gap in non-expansion states through the end of 2025. The BBB would temporarily qualify people in the 12 non-expansion states, who have been denied coverage for over 10 years, for advance premium tax credits (APTCs) and cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) to purchase marketplace coverage through 2025, typically with low copayments or no deductible.
- Expands eligibility and coverage under Medicaid and CHIP. Require Medicaid and CHIP to provide 12 months of continuous eligibility for children and coverage for postpartum people. The BBB would also permanently authorize funding for the CHIP program and extend Medicaid coverage to people exiting incarceration to ensure uninterrupted healthcare coverage.
That’s a lot! And we’re excited to see these provisions move one step closer to becoming law.
Tell your senator to pass the BBB!
Sample call or email script:
Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I am from [CITY/STATE]. I’m calling Sen. [SENATOR NAME] to make sure they will vote “yes” on the Build Back Better Act. We urgently need to invest in climate action, in supporting children and families, in affordable housing, and more. Does [SENATOR NAME] support passing the Build Back Better Act the week of November 29th?
Front and Center
Are corporations people?
Precinct Captains Needed!
Precinct Captains Needed!
If you're not convinced otherwise yet, check this out. Sign more people on to the Move to Amend petition by downloading and printing this petition. The more petition-signers from the district the better. Let's BLUNT CORPORATE POWER!
Precinct Captains Needed!
Precinct Captains Needed!
Precinct Captains Needed!
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DCG Cleaning things up!
Precinct Captains Needed!
What Arizona Voters Want
Our club members worked very hard to clean up the section of Jimmie Kerr Blvd. near Selma Hwy. going SE for about a mile. This will be done twice a year for a couple of years in the spirit of helping to keep our city clean. DEMOCRATS IN ACTION!
What Arizona Voters Want
Keep the Freedom to Vote!
What Arizona Voters Want
The 2020 Gallup Arizona Survey finds the state at an important juncture. Since the previous survey in 2009, the state has experienced tremendous changes, bringing unique challenges and opportunities.
Keep the Freedom to Vote!
Keep the Freedom to Vote!
Keep the Freedom to Vote!
Learn more about the For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Get detailed information on each bill and the impact they would have on our nation’s voting laws.
Videos of DCG Meetings
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Keep the Freedom to Vote!
Dems of Casa Grande have been holding Zoom meetings since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. However, we hope to resume in-person meetings in January 2022. Please check this website for updates.
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Message from the new Chair of the Pinal County Democratic Party
Message from the new Chair of the Pinal County Democratic Party
Everyone knows where the Dorothy Powell Senior Center is, and if not, you know where Peart Park is in Casa Grande. You can either drive up or park and walk up to the testing tent. Kind and knowledgeable health care workers will guide you through the process of registering and getting the test.
You will get your results the next day.
YOU CAN DO THIS!
PLEASE BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION TO THIS PANDEMIC
Message from the new Chair of the Pinal County Democratic Party
Message from the new Chair of the Pinal County Democratic Party
Message from the new Chair of the Pinal County Democratic Party
First I would like to thank Donald Hunt Sr. for all the hard work he put in as Chair of the Pinal County Democratic Party.
With Don’s resignation as Chair, just like every volunteer, PC, and member takes a step forward to become a leader, I now take another step forward like those that came before me and those that will follow me.
I understand the hardships rural communities face like the lack of medical care facilities, education, living in a food desert, and what it is like to live in a community where the only job in town is specific industry-driven, like our copper corridor area. I know what it is like to have to drive 30 miles to the nearest rural hospital, attend schools with leaky roofs, and be dependent on getting basic food staples from the local convenience store. I know these things because I have personally lived them.
As individuals we can make change, but as a team we can have a profound effect not just on our lives but the on the lives of every person that lives within Pinal County. It is going to take all of us working together to reach the goals we all have for the county and to address the local issues that matter to our neighborhoods, cities, and towns. Hope and passion are building blocks; because if we can give people hope, the passion that it creates will only drive us forward to build the team I know we can become.
As a team, let's create a little hope and let the passion we generate drive us towards our ultimate goal - Turning Pinal County Blue.
Lisa Sanor
Chair, Pinal County Democratic Party
Democrats of Casa Grande Meetings
The next meeting will be on January 27, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. Visit the calendar to find out who will be our special guests and featured speakers.
Please email or call:
demsofcasagrande@gmail.com or 520-251-8247 if you would like to attend this online meeting of the Democrats of Casa Grande.
DCG Newsletter
November 2021
Find out what your local Democrats are up to and sign up for the next Zoom meeting.
WHO WE ARE
The Club
The Democrats of Casa Grande is a local club made up of everyday people living in the immediate Casa Grande area and across Pinal County, AZ. We are committed to getting Democrats elected to office. Our meetings are designed to provide information by featuring interesting speakers on a wide variety of timely issuues. In addition to our monthly meetings, we invite members to participate in activities and projects designed to meet our goal of meeting other Democrats and getting Democratic candidates elected.
The Goals
Our goals are simple: to demonstrate the values upon which our nation was founded and to elect people who will do the same; to work toward maintaining and enhancing a good public education system; to ensure equal rights for all people; to promote justice and uphold the Arizona Constitution and the Constitution of the United States of America; to help those candidates who express the desire to serve our communities and state and who share these values and goals; and to uphold the values of the Democratic Party.
The Focus
In addition to meetings, speakers, and social activities, we pay close attention to state politics. With the federal government polarized into gridlock, state politics is that much more important. State lawmakers are more accessible and we can use that to our advantage. We The People have safeguards: the right to overturn bad laws through public vote, the right to recall lawmakers who aren't serving us, and the right to make our own laws via initiative. This right is constantly being undermined by the Republican Party.
Donations or Dues - Pay here!
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Your contribution and/or club dues makes it possible to obtain campaign materials and get the supplies and services we need to get our message out. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Every little bit helps! (Annual dues are only $20 but any amount is appreciated.) No, we won't use the money to go to the beach. That would be wrong.
Zoom meetings continue
Plan to attend our next meeting on Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.