Senator Kyrsten Sinema Polls Low Among Democrat Voters

Senator Kyrsten Sinema Polls Low Among Democrat Voters

By Corinne Murdock

Democratic voters don’t approve of Senator Kyrsten Sinema as of late, according to a poll conducted earlier this month by OH Predictive Insights (OHPI). A total of 47 percent of Democratic voters reported an unfavorable view of Sinema. Only 42 percent of Democrats liked Sinema. The same poll found that 84 percent of Democrat voters hold a very favorable view of President Joe Biden, despite his low approval ratings nationwide hovering between the mid 30s and the low 40s.

Democratic voters responded to hypothetical alternatives with an overwhelming preference for Democrats other than Sinema. 72 percent indicated that they would prefer a Democrat other than Sinema, if given the choice. 47 percent said they would support either Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) or Greg Stanton (D-AZ) over Sinema, while only 24 and 25 percent said they would support Sinema, respectively. If Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman were to toss her hat in the ring, 42 percent of Democrats indicated that they’d prefer Hoffman while only 24 percent would prefer Sinema.

OHPI Chief of Research Mike Noble said that though Sinema isn’t up for re-election until 2024, these numbers still don’t bode.

“Sinema’s growing unpopularity with voters from within her own party could prove fatal in 2024 when she will have to ask for Democrats’ support for re-nomination,” said Noble. “While there is still time between now and then, Sinema has ground to make up with her constituents in the next three years.”

These poll numbers come after multiple incidents in which constituents tracked down and harassed Sinema for her work at the Capitol. Early last month, activists filmed Sinema as they followed her into an Arizona State University (ASU) bathroom to demand answers for her delay in voting for the reconciliation bill. Sinema had been teaching her regular class when the activists came to protest.

Sinema rebuked the activists for the disruption, asserting that it wasn’t a legitimate protest. ASU Police Department later recommended that four individuals involved be charged with misdemeanors.

Then at the end of the month, activists disrupted a wedding in Bisbee, Arizona where Sinema was in attendance. One of the protestors filmed the bride coming out of a building, where she thanked protestors for “ruining her wedding” – to which one protestor responded, “You know what? She’s ruining our lives.”

The individual who filmed the interaction also interacted with the bride.

“It’s just my wedding…” said the bride.

“I know,” responded the camerawoman.

“Well, I really wish I could enjoy my wedding without you ruining it,” said the bride.

“I know you do,” repeated the camerawoman.

Later, the mother of the bride appeared, crying, and pleaded with the protestors to move their protest “just for an hour.” The protestors demanded that the mother confront Sinema and “throw her out” out of the wedding.

In an interview with ABC 15 last week, Sinema said she appreciated feedback from constituents.

“I appreciate when folks are willing to tell me they agree with me or they disagree with me. If they want to protest, if they want to offer thanks, all of that is welcome—that’s how I hear feedback from folks in Arizona. And I’m grateful for that feedback,” said Sinema. “I’ll also say that I’ll get up every single day and do what I’ve always done, which is just put Arizona first, put my head down, not get distracted by the noise, and just deliver the results. So I guess my message to folks would be keep telling me what you think. I appreciate it.”

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.

Arizona Among States Worried Banking Industry Being Used As Pawn Against Law-Abiding Energy Companies

Arizona Among States Worried Banking Industry Being Used As Pawn Against Law-Abiding Energy Companies

By Terri Jo Neff |

A partisan effort to make it harder for fossil fuel-based energy companies to obtain bank financing and banking services prompted a warning letter to the U.S. banking industry on Nov. 22 from the top financial officers of several states, including Arizona.

“Denying banking services to traditional, reliable energy production industries simply to advance radical, socialist policies from the White House, is both immoral and goes against the very free market principles that our country was founded upon,” said Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee in announcing the letter. “In this case, they are picking the energy industry as the losers and that goes against the free marketplace in America.”

Yee joined the financial officers of Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming in signing the letter, cautioning the banking industry of potential consequences for allowing itself to be used as a political pawn against law-abiding companies in the coal, oil, and natural gas industries.

According to the letter, the Biden Administration is “pressuring U.S. banks and financial institutions to limit, encumber, or outright refuse financing for traditional energy production companies.” The White House is also supporting an end to American financial support for traditional energy production projects in developing countries around the world, “likely ceding future development and exploration to Chinese interests,” the letter states.

“We believe, as almost all Americans do, that the free market should remain free and not be manipulated to advance social agendas,” the letter states. “We are not asking for special treatment of the fossil fuel industries. To the contrary, we simply want financial institutions to assess fossil fuel businesses as other legal businesses – without prejudice or preference.”

The letter also says the states have a compelling government interest “to select financial institutions that are not engaged in tactics to harm the very people whose money they are handling.”

Each state will undertake its own actions to counter the “undue pressure” being placed on the banking industry, according to the letter. Yee has not outlined what steps her office might take if financial institutions which do business with the state engage in efforts to deny services to the energy industry.

Job Creators Network Says Biden Trying To Turn Business Owners Into Health Police

Job Creators Network Says Biden Trying To Turn Business Owners Into Health Police

By Terri Jo Neff |

Yet another business advocacy group is challenging President Joe Biden’s continued calls for employers to implement COVID-19 vaccination mandates in the face of constitutional challenges.

“This mandate is not a small ask of America’s employers. Businesses are just recovering from the pandemic. They are dealing with the highest inflation in over 30 years, and they are struggling to deal with a supply chain and labor shortage crisis,” Alfredo Ortiz of the Job Creators Network wrote to Biden. “Now is the worst time to deputize them as the health police.”

The Job Creators Network is a petitioner in one of the federal court challenges to OSHA’s vaccination mandate for employers with 100 or more employees. That case and others federal challenges to Biden’s mandates are being transferred by order of the U.S. Supreme Court to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit so all such cases can be heard in one court.  

Such lawsuits should not be necessary, Ortiz argues, but even more concerning is the fact White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki publicly stated last week that “nothing has changed” with the mandate timelines in the face of recent court orders.

The result, according to Ortiz, is that the Biden Administration is putting small business job creators in an “untenable position” of following the White House directives or following the court rulings.

“Despite two recent federal court rulings staying the employer vaccine mandate, the White House continues to willfully ignore the judiciary and call on businesses to continue implementing the rule by January 4, 2022, as if these judicial decisions never occurred,” Ortiz wrote to Biden. “We expect the White House to respect and listen to the judiciary rather than barnstorming ahead and bullying businesses to comply with this rule whose legal fate is in serious jeopardy.”

Small business owners in every community across America are caught in the middle and paying the price, Ortiz wrote.   

“This conflicting guidance is unfair to small businesses simply trying to get their businesses back to pre-pandemic levels,” he said. “By following the White House guidance, they are incurring expenses and time-consuming setup costs.”

2nd Grade Girl Fundraising To Buy Christmas Toys For All 14K Foster Kids In Arizona

2nd Grade Girl Fundraising To Buy Christmas Toys For All 14K Foster Kids In Arizona

By Corinne Murdock |

Christmas cheer came a little early this year, in the form of 7-year-old Avery Bell – the elementary school girl hopes to raise enough money to buy Christmas toys for the 14,000 foster children of Arizona, and she needs your help. Avery and her family call their effort, “Fidgets for Fosters.”

Fidget toys are small, often colorful objects usually made from plastic or rubber. Apart from helping to pass the time, some studies indicate that fidget toys may alleviate stress and anxiety as well as help concentration. They may be purchased for as low as $1 – Avery’s goal is to raise at least $14,000.
Greater awareness of fidget toys emerged with the rise in popularity of “fidget spinners” around 2017 – a metal or plastic toy with three arms that children can hold between two fingers and spin.

Avery told AZ Family that she’s confident these toys can bring joy to those in the foster care system, based on how they helped her this past summer.

“It would make them happy, and when they grow up, they can give them to another kid and to another kid and keep going, spreading joy all over the world,” said Avery.

Avery was inspired to buy gifts for Arizona’s foster care children after she broke her leg and was temporarily confined in a wheelchair over the summer. Avery’s father Andrew Schmid explained that’s when she discovered fidget toys, and how much joy they brought her.

“That made her think about foster kids; maybe they had challenging days, and maybe having fidget toys would help them get through their day and cope with some of their challenges,” shared Schmid.

According to Foster Focus Mag, the holidays are hard for many children in the system: they may not get to experience Christmas, may be missing their families, or they may be processing negative experiences from holidays past.

Readers can help Avery make Christmas come true by donating to her GoFundMe page here. As of press time, she was well over halfway to her goal.

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.

Olson And O’Connor Say Reliable Utility Service Can Be Ensured By Protecting Workers From Mandatory Vaccinations

Olson And O’Connor Say Reliable Utility Service Can Be Ensured By Protecting Workers From Mandatory Vaccinations

By Terri Jo Neff |

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) could vote as early as next month on a proposal that would ensure the reliability of electric, gas, and water service across the state by protecting thousands of utility employees from termination for not receiving a COVID-19 vaccination.

Commissioner Justin Olson and Commissioner Jim O’Connor are advocating for the ACC to adopt a policy and associated rules to prohibit the agency’s regulated utilities -also known as public service corporations (PSCs)- from compelling employees to be vaccinated to keep their jobs. Each violation of the policy could come with a hefty fine under the proposal. 

“The Biden administration has unconstitutionally sought forced vaccinations and has intimidated companies into complying with this inappropriate policy,” Olson said of the proposal presented to the other three commissioners last week. “Workers should not have to choose between losing their jobs or being forced to receive a vaccine against their will.”

But Olson told AZ Free News on Tuesday he has another concern with the mandates, one that involves potential negative impacts to Arizona’s regulated utilities due to losing valuable employees through COVID-19 related resignations or terminations.

“Our utilities rely on a highly experienced and trained workforce.” Olson said. “We cannot allow Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandate to drive away critical employees whose skills are necessary to maintain safe and reliable power and water.”  

The letter Olson and O’Connor sent to their fellow commissioners points out that the agency has the authority in the Arizona Constitution to “make and enforce rules, regulations, and orders” related to the safety and health of employees of PSCs.  

“This is especially true when the federal government is intimidating companies to develop, implement and enforce such mandatory vaccine policies,” the letter states.

There are currently two federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates which could impact Arizona’s utilities. One is an executive order issued by President Joe Biden requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to impose mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies.

According to Olson and O’Connor, the broad language of the executive order implicates the very PSCs which the ACC regulates “that have legally enforceable agreements with the federal government, including military bases in Arizona.”

The other mandate was issued by OSHA. It requires all private employers with 100 or more employees to implement a vaccination policy that can require stringent, invasive testing.  The OSHA mandate is currently on hold while under review by federal courts across the country.

One of those courts, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, said OSHA’s mandate “raises serious constitutional concerns” and grossly exceeds the agency’s statutory authority.

Olson and O’Connor have asked that their concerns be placed on the agenda for discussion and possible vote at the ACC’s Dec. 15 and 16 open meetings. 

State Representatives Who Survived Communism to Propose Anti-Communist Civics Education

State Representatives Who Survived Communism to Propose Anti-Communist Civics Education

By Corinne Murdock |

Arizona State Representatives Quang Nguyen (R-Prescott Valley), a refugee from communist Vietnam, and House Majority Leader Ben Toma (R-Peoria), whose family emigrated from communist Romania, announced their intent to sponsor a bill establishing anti-communist civics education for K-12 students. The legislation would require social studies curriculum to include a contrast of this country’s founding principles with conflicting political ideologies. In order to accomplish this inclusion, the State Board of Education (SBE) would work with experts in civics and government structures.

Nguyen plans to introduce the bill in the upcoming legislative session. In a press release, Nguyen cited his loss and continued hardship due to communism as the inspiration behind the bill. The legislator fled from the Communist Party of Vietnam at 12 years old in April 1975 – a week before the Fall of Saigon. Ngyen reiterated the importance of knowing history in order to not repeat it.

“This is very personal to me, as someone who has survived a communist war,” said Nguyen.  “I have lost very close family members to the evil ideology of communism. I know what it feels to lose a nation to communism and that’s why I do not want my fellow Arizonans to ever go through what I have. It is up to us to ensure that future generations have an honest understanding of what communism truly is and the horrors it has produced for mankind.  Otherwise, it is likely to be repeated. The victims and survivors of communism deserve to have their voice heard.”

Toma emigrated to America when he was nine years old in the 1980s. In an interview with Scena9, a Romanian publication, Toma offered an anecdote about life under the regime of the communist dictator at the time, Nicolae Ceaușescu. Ceaușescu and his wife were executed by firing squad on Christmas Day in 1989, the culmination of the Romanian Revolution that ended the 42-year-old communist regime.

“Toma […] still remembers some of the absurdities that people would need to do for those in power. He claims that, before Ceaușescu visited their town, Șăulia, people painted the grass green and hung fake apples in the trees, even if it wasn’t summer yet, so Ceaușescu would feel satisfied by his country’s prosperity,” reported Scena9.

In the press release, Toma concurred with Nguyen’s insistence on the importance of a civics education informing students about the truth of communism.

“I believe in America and its cornerstone principles of liberty, freedom, and democracy,” said Toma.  “I also believe that we have a solemn obligation to prepare today’s students to be tomorrow’s leaders.  This legislation strengthens a student’s foundation in civic literacy and understanding of what makes our nation exceptional, and how it stands in stark contrast to dangerous ideologies, such as communism and totalitarianism, that would have our founding principles erased from history.”

The legislators’ announcement comes after months of Democratic colleagues insisting that current hot button ideologies like white nationalism posed a bigger threat than communism. During a floor session in June, Nguyen fired back at those same claims made by State Representative Daniel Hernandez (D-Tucson). Hernandez implied that subjects like white nationalism and the January 6 incident demanded greater attention in classrooms than communism.

“You know, I just recently heard somebody say that […] communism is not the enemy, but white nationalism [is]. So, let me tell you something about white nationalism. White nationalism didn’t drown 250,000 Vietnamese in the South China sea. The communists did,” stated Nguyen. “White nationalism did not execute 86,000 South Vietnamese at the Fall of Saigon. Communists did. White nationalism did not put me here. Communism did. So don’t take it lightly. Don’t mock me. Don’t mock what I go through in life. It’s rough. I lost most of my cousins, my family members due to communism. If we don’t stand up to teach communism to our children, we’ll lose this country. So sir, don’t mock me.”

The K-12 budget bill originally included a provision requiring schools to teach how political ideologies like communism conflicted with American principles of freedom and democracy. Courts voided that bill, HB 2898, for not abiding by the state’s single subject rule for legislation.

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.