Re-election of Arpaio a vote for rule of law

(PNI) As a snowbird, I was happily surprised at the support for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

It's good to know that most people believe in the rule of law.

I am very pro-immigration and very anti-illegal immigration.

We definitely need reform. Until we get it, the existing laws should be enforced.

-- Dean Dalrymple,

Sun City

An archaic ballot system

As a former poll worker and supervisor in the 2008 election, I'm dismayed but not surprised at the number of provisional ballots cast in the recent election. It is the reason I did not offer my time this year and one of the reasons I now vote by permanent mail ballot.

I believe Arizona's voting laws are archaic and detrimental to the tradition of in-person voting. Why? Because polling places constantly change and voters constantly move.

Our poll workers have many important duties. Verifying polling places for voters should not be one of them. Nor should they have to endure the anger of voters who wait in line only to be told they must go to another location or use a provisional ballot.

Why should it matter where a registered voter casts his ballot, any more than it matters what mailbox I use to cast mine?

Our voting laws must be updated, or we will continue to see more provisional ballots -- which take days to review, verify and be counted -- and there will be fewer people willing to work at the polls.

-- Mary Marshall, Mesa

Cut Congress' pay, perks

Why would someone sign off on a document from a no-name nobody like Grover Norquist unless that person feared losing his or her cushy job?

It seems obvious that the reason these politicians sign the document for no higher taxes is that they will lose campaign funding from Grover and his cronies. That may lead to having to get a real job and go to work for a living.

Solution: Reduce salaries and benefits in Congress to teacher-level wages so you get people to run for office who truly care about doing the right thing for the people of America and would never bow down to a Grover type.

-- Gary Graham, Anthem

God provided marijuana

Regarding the "Medical-pot prescriptions studied" article last week:

I'm endlessly amazed at the state government's audacity against the will of its citizens when it comes to marijuana. The last thing the government has is the right to look at its citizens' medical records. There are laws against it.

If we're going to update the law, let's remove the restriction where patients won't be allowed to continue growing their plant medicine when the courts finally allow a dispensary to open within 25 miles of their location.

It's a plant, folks. We have an endocannabinoid receptor system for the THC and CBD molecules. It means we have a symbiotic relationship with the plant. Look it up.

Wonder when we're going to realize it's a vitamin that God has provided for us. For free. The peaceful plant is coming home. Prepare.

-- Mike Templeton, Mesa

Mormonism's bright face

Now that the election is over and the candidate I voted for lost the election, I can now pick the real winner: the Mormon religion.

Mitt Romney demonstrated by his actions that he lived a faith devoted to service to mankind. (I am not a Mormon.)

Had he won, he would have been a superb example of what a true American looks and acts like.

It is unfortunate that the other side of the coin is Chicago-style politics (Need I say more?) and Hollywood fakes.

It was unfortunate that, when Romney said 47 percent would not vote for him because they are on the government dole, he was right.

The United States will never again be the same because 50 percent or more are getting freebies from the government, and that is growing every day and people feel it is owed to them. Now that we have passed that threshold, we can never turn back.

It is a very sad state of affairs, but the Democratic Party is now the Socialist Party of America, and we are headed in the same direction as Greece, Spain, France and all other socialist countries using a failed model.

-- Richard Ksenich,

Phoenix

We must back education

I wish to sound the alarm over our failure in Arizona to support education.

In California, voters approved a ballot measure to raise taxes by $6billion annually over seven years to help California's public schools. By contrast, to quote this newspaper, "Arizona voters … rejected a ballot proposal to retain a sales-tax increase dedicated to education."

I am retired, no longer have children, and as a retiree am not eager to pay more taxes. However, I am also a retired pediatrician and now work as a full-time elementary-school volunteer coordinating a science lab for children in grades K-6.

By starving Arizona's schools financially, we will surely deprive our children of an education as good or hopefully better than the one we received.

Wake up, Arizona!

-- Dr.Ted Hecht, Scottsdale

Ads should thank voters

Now that the election is over, will we see any political ads thanking us for our support? Will that 30-second spot declare that the winner promises to work with the other side to finally get something done in the statehouse or Congress? Just wondering.

--Judy Darling,

Apache Junction

Founding Fathers aghast

Big government, the concept of voting in your own entitlements, and the something-for-nothing mentality triumphed.

Hard work, self-sufficiency, checks and balances, and small government lost big time.

Our Founding Fathers are rolling over in the grave.

--Richard Allen, Phoenix

Final note to Republicans

Well, well, well. Thanks to all of the overly rabid, poison-spewing, toxic-ad Republicans out there: You blew the election!

--Art Cote, Peoria

Copyright 2012 The Arizona Republic|azcentral.com. All rights reserved.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Group plans ads attacking Arpaio

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's massive financial advantage over his challengers in the November election is well documented and on display on Valley airwaves daily as television advertisements tout his 20 years in office.

But an independent expenditure group formed late last month aims to raise money to highlight the sheriff's mistakes and buy airtime for ads focusing on fiscal mismanagement, misguided investigations and other issues. The group said its ads will be designed to appeal to a base of conservative voters who view some of the sheriff's projects with increasing skepticism.

The founders of Citizens for Professional Law Enforcement have a track record of success. The group's chairman, Phoenix attorney Jesse Wulsin, and its treasurer, Phoenix attorney Stephen Benedetto, were also behind a non-profit political group named Phoenix Citizens United that targeted Mayor Greg Stanton's opponent in last year's mayoral race.

Independent expenditure committees are not allowed to contribute money to a candidate, but they may spend money to influence an election. State law prohibits a candidate from having any involvement in the operation of an independent campaign committee.

Phoenix Citizens United was the subject of a complaint filed last year with the Arizona Secretary of State's Office alleging campaign-finance violations during the Phoenix mayoral race. That investigation is open and ongoing, according to a spokesman for Secretary of State Ken Bennett.

As an independent committee, the anti-Arpaio group does not expressly endorse either of his two opponents, former Scottsdale Police Lt. Mike Stauffer, an independent, or former Phoenix police Sgt. Paul Penzone, a Democrat.

The independent committee plans to focus on financial issues in Arpaio's office instead of attacking his treatment of inmates and undocumented immigrants, as many of his critics and prior opponents have with little success, said Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, a co-chairman of the group. The recent decision by the U.S. Justice Department to close a long-running criminal probe into Arpaio's agency without filing charges does not detract from that message, he said.

"No matter what the DOJ came down with, if you look at the mismanagement, the lack of control over spending, the misappropriation of time and energy to chase down a conspiracy theory using taxpayer dollars, those are the issues that are appealing to these people, including to Republicans, with this campaign," Gallego said. "The history of Sheriff Joe in terms of misappropriation of funds, targeting political enemies and using tax dollars to do that is what's going to drive participation."

Arpaio has been criticized by his opponents for raising more than $7.5million for his campaign largely from out-of-state donors. Arpaio critics also have made an issue of the fact that a former sheriff's captain lost his job this year for lying to investigators about his role in the Sheriff's Command Association, a political-action committee that raised money from affluent, out-of-state donors. That money was used to run ads against Arpaio's opponent in 2008.

Complaints against independent expenditure committees are common, and Arpaio's camp could raise questions about Citizens for Professional Law Enforcement. But the nature of the committee allows Penzone and Stauffer to maintain a distance from the fundraising group while enjoying the benefits of campaign attacks on Arpaio.

"We feel, unlike with what the sheriff did with SCA, we're certainly going to be complying with the law and being transparent as possible," Gallego said. "Our goal is, at the end of the day, to inform the public about Arpaio's shortcomings, and we will be partnering with any donors and, of course, complying with the law in terms of financial disclosure."

Arpaio's campaign has dealt with a variety of other campaign groups, some targeting the sheriff and others ostensibly raising money on his behalf.

The sheriff's campaign had $4.3million on hand as of early August, and Arpaio's campaign manager, Chad Willems, said the campaign would show similar results on a finance report due late next week.

"There are several groups out there that are purporting to be doing a variety of different things. This is just another one of them," Willems said. "We're just going to continue to run our campaign."

A pro-Arpaio committee, Americans for Sheriff Joe, requested contributions from donors around the country based in part on the rumor that billionaire liberal George Soros was going to bankroll an anti-Arpaio group. Americans for Sheriff Joe has raised more than $2.2million, according to the most recent filing, but spent more than $1.8million on operating expenses.

Penzone, meanwhile, has reaped the rewards of the Democratic Party's work on his behalf. Earlier this week, state Democratic Party executive director Luis Heredia sent an e-mail to supporters as part of a "nationwide call to action" to generate financial support for television ads on Penzone's behalf. The effort raised $24,000 in a single day, according to Penzone's campaign.

Penzone's campaign welcomed the arrival of Citizens for Professional Law Enforcement as another sign that Penzone, the former public face of Silent Witness, was gaining the traction to unseat Arpaio.

Stacy Pearson, Penzone's campaign manager, said three things were needed to successfully challenge Arpaio this year: "A strong contender, which voters get in Paul Penzone. There had to be continuing missteps by Arpaio, which he's demonstrated in 'birther' investigations and ongoing sex crimes. And there had to be citizens that got involved beyond complaining. Those groups mobilizing, that's going to be the difference between what happened in 2008 and what happens in 2012."

Copyright 2012 The Arizona Republic|azcentral.com. All rights reserved.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Penzone to challenge Sheriff Arpaio

Former Phoenix police Sgt. Paul Penzone is next in line to challenge Sheriff Joe Arpaio for the title of Maricopa County sheriff, winning the Democratic primary Tuesday over his counterpart, John Rowan.

Penzone led Rowan by more than a 2-to-1 ratio with fewer than 5 percent of precincts left to count Tuesday night. Penzone will face the Republican Arpaio and former Scottsdale police Lt. Mike Stauffer, an independent, in November.

In a roomful of supporters Tuesday night, Penzone delivered a message to Arpaio: "He can pile up his tank, his green bologna, his pink underwear and his tents, and we will go through it, over it and around it ? whatever we need to do to restore integrity to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office."

Penzone enjoyed the support of the Democratic Party and the financial base that comes with it.

Rowan, former assistant to the Goodyear police chief, struggled to generate momentum with his self-styled grass-roots campaign.

Penzone raised more than $220,000 through early August. Rowan, who was fired from the Goodyear Police Department in December for insubordination, raised more than $2,500 from donors and loaned his campaign more than $12,000 to stay active in the race.

Rowan's campaign took a hit last month when he helped to bail assault suspect Kolton Clark out of jail. Clark claimed sheriff's detention officers beat him, but the Sheriff's Office later accused Clark of making a false report.

Penzone now faces Arpaio, the five-term incumbent whose national support remains high even as polls show his popularity in Maricopa County has waned.

Penzone has already created one ad attacking Arpaio over the handling of sex-crime investigations in the Sheriff's Office. He said he will continue to focus on how the agency lost focus under Arpaio by pursuing initiatives not directly related to the sheriff's statutory responsibilities to operate the jails, bring inmates to court and patrol unincorporated areas.

Arpaio has raised more than $7.5million in his re-election effort, with most of those funds coming from out-of-state donors.

Arpaio had about $4.2million on hand as of early August, launching new television ads that hit the air this week. Penzone had a fraction of that -- about $72,000 -- available for his campaign at the end of the most recent reporting period, but last week he made a trip to the Bay Area to generate support at an event hosted by former Mesa Police Chief and current San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón.

Copyright 2012 The Arizona Republic|azcentral.com. All rights reserved.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Penzone poised to challenge Arpaio

Former Phoenix police Sgt. Paul Penzone appeared to be next in line to challenge Sheriff Joe Arpaio for the title of Maricopa County sheriff after establishing an early lead Tuesday over his counterpart, John Rowan, in the Democratic primary.

Penzone led Rowan by more than a two-to-one ratio with more than a third of the votes counted. The winner faces Arpaio in November.

Penzone enjoyed the support of the Democratic Party and the financial base that comes with it. Rowan, former assistant to the Goodyear police chief, struggled to generate momentum with his self-styled grassroots campaign.

Penzone raised more than $220,000 through early August. Rowan, who was fired from the Goodyear Police Department in December for insubordination, raised more than $2,500 from donors and loaned his campaign more than $12,000 to stay active in the race.

Rowan's campaign took a hit last month when he helped to bail assault suspect Kolton Clark out of jail. Clark claimed sheriff's detention officers beat him, and his family called Rowan to plead for help. The Sheriff's Office denied any employees touched Clark during his incarceration on assault charges. The Sheriff's Office later accused Clark of making a false report.

Penzone now turns his attention to Arpaio, the five-term incumbent whose national support has remained high even as polls indicate his popularity in Maricopa County has waned.

Penzone has already created one ad attacking Arpaio over the handling of sex-crime investigations in the Sheriff's Office. He said he will continue to focus on how the agency lost focus under Arpaio by pursuing initiatives not directly related to the sheriff's statutory responsibilities to operate the jails, bring inmates to court and patrol unincorporated areas.

Arpaio has raised more than $7.5million in his re-election effort, with most of those funds coming from out-of-state donors. Arpaio had about $4.2million on hand as of early August, launching new television ads that hit the air this week. Penzone had a fraction of that -- about $72,000 -- available for his campaign at the end of the most recent reporting period, but last week he made a trip to the Bay Area to generate support at an event hosted by former Mesa Police Chief and current San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón.

In a roomful of supporters Tuesday night, Penzone delivered a message to Arpaio: "He can pile up his tank, his green bologna, his pink underwear and his tents, and we will go through it, over it and around it ? whatever we need to do to restore integrity to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office."

Copyright 2012 The Arizona Republic|azcentral.com. All rights reserved.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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