(THE ISSUES)
AL MELVIN FOR
AL MELVIN will fight for:
· SECURE BORDERS: Whether your primary concern is national security, eliminating wasteful spending, improving education, relieving overcrowding in our jails and hospitals, or fighting crime, the most important thing that we can do is to secure our borders. The cost of illegal immigration to our state is nearly $2 Billion every year and you, the taxpayer, are paying the bill. We must eliminate sanctuary city policies that encourage illegal aliens to come to Arizona and we must ensure that only those in the country legally are receiving government benefits.
· A QUALITY EDUCATION SYSTEM:The greatest indicator of someone’s future success is the quality of education they have received. As such, we have an obligation to give our children the very best education that we can. Unfortunately, our public school system is failing to do its job and it is failing our children. Whether because of a lack of competition or because of waste in a system that spends less than 60% of every dollar in the classroom, our schools are not getting the job done. It is not the fault of teachers, but rather Democratic politicians and their bureaucratic allies who put unions and administrators ahead of students. Unless we fix this broken system, we will not be able to compete in the world and improve our standard of living and quality of life. We need to better educate our students and give merit pay and other incentives to our better teachers.
· LOWER TAXES & SMALLER GOVERNMENT: Our State’s budget has ballooned more than 62% over the last five years, a fantastic sum that is much greater than needed to account for inflation and increases in our population. Governor Napolitano and big-spending legislators have forgotten how to say “No!” to the lobbyists and special interests who come to the state with their hands out. Now we face a budget shortfall of nearly $1 Billion and their solution is to raid the Rainy Day Fund and borrow hundreds of millions of dollars, increasing the debt burden for years to come. As always, they will refuse to cut out the waste or postpone programs that are luxury items. Enough is enough. We need to refocus on those programs that serve vital interests and get government back to doing those things that only government can do. Instead of borrowing, we must cut spending on wasteful or luxury items to balance our budget.
· ELECTRICITY AND WATER::Arizona can and must pursue abundant and affordable electricity and water because this pursuit will make Arizona one of the richest and most prosperous states in the USA. We can achieve this through atomic energy and desalination. By adopting this strategy, we will have plentiful and rewarding jobs for our people. This strategy will rejuvenate education in Arizona al all levels, K- 16, and higher. Young boys and girls in grade school and high school will have increased interest in math and science because this will lead to engineering degrees which in turn will be required by energy producing companies in Arizona. Arizona can become the most atomic energy friendly state in the USA. Surrounding states do not have the political will to do this. As a result, Arizona can export electricity to these surrounding states. Palo Verde, west of Phoenix, with three reactors, is the largest atomic energy complex in the USA. It employs over 2,000 people and it is the largest taxpayer in Arizona. If Arizona had three to five additional Palo Verdes, we would probably be the wealthiest state in the nation. With this as a reality, the current gut wrenching budget crisis would be a thing of the past, never to be repeated again. It is said that location is everything and with Arizona’s proximity to the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean, we can work with Sonora and California to exchange electricity for desalinated water rights.
· NATURAL RESOURCES:: We must use our natural resources to produce jobs for Arizona citizens. Mining, farming and cattle ranching must be encouraged and supported. I support the Rosemont Mine and all responsible mining endeavors in Arizona. Arizona must do everything possible foster uranium and copper mining in our state. Mining technology has come a long way in the last three decades. Anyone who doubts this should sign up for the tours conducted by Rosemont Mine. America has been environmentally held hostage for the last 30 years and this must come to a stop. We can develop our natural resources in an environmentally correct way and enjoy the resultant jobs and prosperity that go with this realistic policy. We must protect our farmers and ranchers from job killing federal regulations that, among other things, want to declare mud puddles navigable water ways. Sanity must prevail and states rights must prevail over federal over regulation.
· ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: Whether it is the quality of our air and water, our utility generation, or issues that relate to growth, dust, and pollution, we must find a reasonable balance that protects our environment and our state. Whenever possible, we must design and allow free-market solutions to fix these problems, reserving the heavy hand of government regulation for only the most desperate of situations.
· CULTURE OF LIFE, FAMILY AND TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE: I am pro-life and a strong supporter of pro-family efforts. Whatever your position on particular issues, I hope that we all agree that the decisions we make as a state are done with the best interests of families and children at heart.
· SECOND AMENDMENT & PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS: We must always protect the Constitutional rights of our citizens. I am an unabashed supporter of our right to keep and bear arms and was proud to support the 2006 effort to protect private property rights from abuse of eminent domain laws.
· IMPROVED TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE: For too long, Maricopa County has gotten more than its share of transportation and infrastructure dollars. I will fight to ensure that Southern Arizona will get its fair share of these precious dollars. We pay our fair share of the taxes and we deserve equal treatment when it comes to providing for our citizens.
· ANIMAL WELFARE: One of my goals is to be a key Senator in the Arizona State Senate regarding animal welfare issues. By 2020, Arizona can be a NO-KILL state by pursuing affordable, and preferably free, spaying and neutering of dogs and cats. At the present time, over 90,000 unwanted dogs and cats are euthanized in Arizona. Over a period of a few years, this animal population can be brought down to a manageable level where it can be adopted out to responsible homes. Sick and diseased animals should be euthanized but healthy animals can be adopted out to responsible homes. I want to establish an Arizona Animal Welfare Foundation, so our citizens can include it in their trusts to finance animal welfare projects in Arizona, including horse rescue projects. We should be using inmate labor in animal welfare projects throughout Arizona. This is an inexpensive way to run and maintain animal shelters and pounds. This type of effort benefits both the inmates and the animals.