TroyHayden's Blog

The DNC is almost over. I've enjoyed watching the coverage, both ours and the cable outlets'.

It seems like even hard core republicans think the democrats have had some good moments.

Here's my question: Has watching this convention changed anybody's mind about how they are going to vote?

Were you on the fence and are now with the dems? Or have they turned you off?

Let's have a good, clean debate.

Something happened here in Phoenix yesterday that I've never seen happen before.

It takes a minute to get there, so stay with me.

Have you been following the story of Julie Erfle vs. KFYI talk show host Bruce Jacobs?

A quick recap: Erfle's husband, a police officer, was killed by an illegal immigrant about a year ago. She made a trip to Washington D.C. with Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon to urge a new U.S. immigration policy.

Jacobs trashed her for going on the trip, and being pro immigrant. Among many other things, he said her dead husband would be "ashamed of her."  

To hear everything yourself: http://www.kfyi.com/pages/bruce.html

Here's where it got strange for me.

Yesterday, the Phoenix police chief, and several other high ranking state law enforcement officers called a news conference.

They trashed KFYI and Bruce Jacobs, and they didn't stop there.

They put up a list of all the station's major advertisers, and basically told them to stop advertising with the station.

My personal opinion on this, is the police department overstepped their bounds.

I understand why they are upset, but I don't think its their place to put economic pressure on a private business that didn't break any laws.

Were Jacobs' comments distasteful? I think so.

But they are also protected by free speech.

What's your take? 

So the numbers are in on what it cost for president Bush to go to Tucson last month.

According to the Associated Press, "city and county law enforcement agencies spent about $99,000 to escort and provide security for President Bush during a fundraising trip to Tucson. The Pima County Sheriff's Office provided 161 deputies each day. The agencies reported that the cost to the city was about $57,000 to staff the president's visit and the county paid $42,000."

Almost $100,000 spent. Why?

So Mr. Bush could raise about $300,000 (if I remember the amount correctly) for a republican congressional candidate.

Add in the federal costs of the trip icluding the use of air force one and the secret service and hotel, and meals, and I bet the whole thing is close to a wash.

Basically, the taxpeyers just cut a big check to some guy running for congress.

A spokesman for Tim Bee, the candidate in question, said the campaign did cover some of the expenses.

But the fact that he won't say how much tells me its not close to covering everything.

This is not just a Bush thing. Clinton was a master at it. All presidents do it.

And they usually do some sort of "official" visit so it doesn't look like just a fundraising trip. (In this case he gave some award to a volunteer.)

I think this stinks. I think the republican and democratic parties should pay their way if they are going to trot the presdient around the country to raise money.

I'm tired of footing the bill.

Anybody else?

So the sheriff is heading out on one of his immigration sweeps again tonight.

As I'm writing this (8-13 3:30pm), we've only been told its going to be in the west valley.

Earlier today governor Janet Napolitano said again that she's against the sweeps.

Her reason: they are "not taking people off the street who endanger public safety."

I disagree.

My argument would be, even if the individuals picked up haven't committed serious crimes, they are still endangering public safety.

The fact that we have a huge population of undocumented (and sometimes unidentified, uninsured, etc.) people in our state endangers public safety every day.

Dealing with people they can't identify takes up officers' time. Having people on the road with no insurance or real ties to the community is unsafe as well.

I'm not angry at the immigrants for being here.

I understand why they want to be here.

I'm angry at our leaders (especially federal) who fail time and again to secure our borders, and to deal with the people who are already here.

Thoughts?

Here we go again with the marginal offerings of both the republicans and democrats.

Some people like fantasy football, how about some fantasy politics.

Maybe we could call it the Fantasy party.

Here are some Fantasy party rules:

Fantasy party candidates are required to tell the truth about their personal and professional dealings. They will be given regular polygraph tests, and if they fail, the will not be allowed to run again.

They will not spend more money than they have coming in. 

They can't vote to send our troops to war unless they have a son, daughter, or spouse in the military.

They will secure our borders within one year of taking office.

They will invest real money in finding new sources of energy, and use incentives and penalties for and against oil companies until they join the effort.

They will keep their campign promises. Any vote against a campaign promise will keep them out of the next election.

Keep them coming.

What would you like to see in your Fantasy party? 

As if our opinions of politicians can get much lower.

John Edwards now admits he cheated on his wife.

That's after denying it for months.

The cheating is one thing, but seeing that he was applying to work for me (as president), the lying bothers me even more.

How can you look people in the eye, calling the story "trash journalism," knowing its true.

You also have to know that at some point you will be found out.

Nice judgement.

I will not be crying over the end of your political career.

Can we trust any of these guys?

So in response to a John McCain ad that mentioned her, Paris Hilton releases her own tongue in cheek campaign ad.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/64ad536a6d

Its pretty funny, and in it, she spells out her own energy plan.

Basically, she says we should do a little environmentally sensitive offshore oil drilling, and at the same time give big tax credits to major auto makers and other technology companies to come up with better electric and hybrid vehicles.

The drilling would bridge the gap between now and when hybrids and electrics cut down on our oil dependency.

It sounds close to the plan that both candidates are pitching right now, but she boils it down to two or three easily understandable and reasonable thoughts. And those thoughts are being seen by thousands of young, and hard to reach,  people on the internet.

While the whole thing should be taken for the joke that it is, I think the sketch demonstrates the kind of writing and humor the campaigns often lack.

Anybody agree?

So now Sen. Obama says he would support some offshore oil drilling.

That's a big change from a few weeks ago. But the polls show the public would support drilling.

So now Obama supports it.

Using this as a jumping off point, here's a question:

Would you rather have a President who listens and responds to  polling  on controversial issues (listening to what the people want)?

Or would you rather have a President who sticks to what he believes in, even if it conflicts with what the majority of u-s citizens want?

I've been in the news business for nearly 20 years.

I've gotten to the point where very little surprises me anymore.

But then I saw the story today of a father who walked into a valley 7-11 store carrying a two year old son, and followed by his six year old.

He pulls out a gun and shoots and kills the clerk. Right in front of both little boys. With the two year old in his arms.

There was no robbery.

How do you explain something like this? Dave Munsey and I were talking about it off the air. It has to be mental illness right?

Nobody in their right mind would do something like this.

Thoughts?

Thank you John McCain.

Finally today you came out and said, bottom line, you will not raise taxes. (Sure, it came after a bit of waffling over the weekend about the possibility of raising the social security tax, but you caught yourself.)

How confident, and maybe arrogant,  is Obama in this race that he is promising to raise taxes as part of his pitch for the job.

I say enough of my money is going to government. They don't need any more. They need to find better ways to spend what they have.

Here's my question, though, to conservative thinkers.

Obama says he will raise income, and social security taxes only on those making the highest wages (from what I've seen, over 250k).

With that money, he says he will give a tax break to the middle class.

Most people don't make anywhere near 250k, would you support a tax on the rich to put a little more money in your wallet?  

So the President was in Arizona today.

Why?

Officially, he gave some award to a woman for her volunteer service.

But please. He was here to raise money for a republican congressional candidate.

All Presidents do it, republican and democrat.

They fly our plane (air force one), spending lots of our money to put up their huge staffs.

All to raise money for themselves or some crony.

It would be easier to swallow if they didn't come up with weak "official" reasons for their trips.

How many of you think the President would go to Tucson to give some award away if there was no money to be made?

Anyone else bothered by this?

So Janet Napolitano says she's looking into a four day work week for state workers to save on fuel.

Casa Grande schools could go to 4 days.

Some counties already have.

Count me in. Who wouldn't want a 4 day week? (or more to the point, a three day weekend)

Here's my question:

Could you do your job as well working four 10 hour shifts?

Be honest. And if so, are you pushing your boss to go 4 days? 

For the first time today, a light rail train rolled through central Phoenix.

It was just a test, but the people behind the light rail project have got to be elated at their timing.

With gas prices the way they are, mass transit has never looked so good.

The trains will start rolling for real in December, and my guess is those trains will be packed. 

I have two big problems with the project, though.

The trains still use city streets.

And the routes (even planned into the future) leave too much of the valley out.

Would you be willing to put up more sales tax to build the system out?

Or do you think light rail is a waste of money as it is? 

Joe Arpaio's immigration crackdowns have brought out some protestors.

That's their right.

But now some of those protestors have taken to spray painting graffiti all over Mesa as part of their protest.

The graffiti is a stencil of Joe Arpaio's face, with the word's "Nazi Joe" spray painted on top.

My message to those doing the spray painting: graffiti is a real problem in some neighborhoods.

Don't commit a crime, and trash somebody else's home or business trying to prove a point.

I've been lucky enough over the years to have only caused one car crash.

It happened two weeks after I got my license, and I was driving my mom's brand new Camaro.

Nobody was hurt, it was only a fender bender.

But I thought about that crash today when the teen driver safety act went into effect.

The new law keeps brand new drivers from driving during late night hours, and limits the number of underage passengers they can have in the car. (My mom's Camaro was packed with fellow players on my high school basketball team. I hit a fence trying to whip a U-turn in front of some other friends.)

After six months, the restrictions expire.

I think its a good law.

Your thoughts?