What does the PMRA do?

The Arizona Republican Assembly (ARA) provides an aggressive, intelligent, informed organization for Constitutional-Conservative citizens to participate in the political process.

As a chartered Unit member of the ARA, the PMRA studies and disseminates INFORMATION to provide our members with the informed KNOWLEDGE necessary to make decisions and take ACTION on issues important to restore Republican Principles to the Republican Party, and to maintain and restore Constitutional law in our nation. We provide information through monthly meetings where we present studied issue documentation, videos, and guest speakers with which we conduct intensive Q&A sessions.

Q&A sessions provide a means of introducing member thoughts and ideas as input to speaking officials regarding issues and legislation. --- We hear their comment, and they hear ours; exactly as the Founders of our Democratic-Republic intended! After all, our elected officials are our agents in government, not our rulers!

With the INFORMATION and KNOWLEDGE we provide, we are also in a position to develop, endorse and support candidates who subscribe to our ARA Principles, the original intent of the Republican Party.

Contrary to the Republican Party itself, we ENDORSE Republican candidates in contested Primary Elections, but only those who closely subscribe to ARA Principles. Since it takes a 2/3rds vote to gain ARA/PMRA endorsement, when there are two, or more qualified candidates, it is possible that no one may receive our official endorsement. This is as it should be, as our endorsement indicates a clear choice, not a deceptive narrow margin.

Also, where none of the candidates come close to qualifying, no one gets our endorsement. After all, the “lesser of evils” is still evil!

What has the PMRA Accomplished?

The ARA/PMRA is not just another “meet, greet and retreat” organization. Using the INFORMATION and KNOWLEDGE gained, we take ACTION to produce measurable results.

Some of our ARA/PMRA accomplishments have been:

· Following the 2002 census redistricting (requiring re-chartering for a new area), our newly chartered PMRA Unit helped two conservative Republican legislators (Steve Tully and Barbara Leff) defeat two of the three RINO (Republican in Name Only) legislators (Steve May and Susan Gerard) in an all-incumbent face-off. In the 2004 primary, we helped replace the third RINO (Deb Gullett) with an additional conservative Republican (John Allen).

· During late 2003 and early 2004, the PMRA volunteers gathered over 5,000 petition signatures of the approximate 40,000 volunteer signatures obtained for the statewide voter initiative that became Proposition 200 on the November 2004 Ballot. Thus, PMRA volunteers gathered one out of every eight volunteer signatures obtained statewide on the way to gaining Ballot position for Prop. 200. – Then, two of our PMRA members, Randy Pullen and Gene Reed, headed-up the “Yes on Proposition 200” Committee that gained ultimate victory by a 56% - 44% margin at the polls. This victory for Arizona came despite opposition by our entire Arizona Congressional delegation (both Republicans and Democrats) and the opposition of Democrat Governor Napolitano and Attorney General Terry Goddard. As you will recall, Proposition 200 requires positive prove of citizenship before voter registration and valid ID before ballot count validation. Proposition 200 also requires positive proof of citizenship before obtaining State taxpayer paid benefits.

· In early 2006, PMRA volunteers distributed over 11,000 STOP Committee flyers (Stop Taxing Our Property) door-to-door in Phoenix in an ill-fated attempt to defeat an $880 Million Bond issue that will now be paid for by the huge property tax dollar increase that will now result in 2007. The Stop Committee was headed-up by PMRA members, Jeff Greenspan and Tom Husband. The huge tax dollar increase results from the incredible increases in property valuations resulting from the 2005-2006 real estate purchase craze that artificially doubled and tripled property values.

The City sold the bond issue on the ruse that there would be no tax rate increase. This deception was used to cover the fact that the property tax dollar you pay is the product of a fixed percentage of your property valuation times the tax rate. Thus your property tax bill increases with your increased property valuation when there is no tax rate increase! In this case, a huge increase in your taxes will result given the current situation!

Under the law, without the bonds, the City tax rate would have had to be lowered resulting in little, or no tax dollar increase.

The issue was lost due to our unfortunate late start; the overwhelming amount of money spent by the bond proponents (the usual corporate suspects) versus our low budget grassroots campaign; a very low voter turnout; and the fact that the voter’s incredibly large property valuations were received after early balloting (which generally makes up more than half of the total vote).

· Also in early 2006, PMRA member Randy Pullen led a Phoenix petition drive to get an initiative on the November 2006 Ballot that, if passed, will force the City of Phoenix to enforce federal and state immigration law. Phoenix is currently an “illegal alien sanctuary city” prohibiting law enforcement from cooperating with Immigration Officials in enforcing immigration law, and aiding and abetting illegal aliens with the support of “Job Centers”. With the volunteer help of several of our PMRA members and many others, the initiative has achieved ballot position as Phoenix Proposition 405 on the November 2006 Ballot.

· In mid-March 2006 following the Phoenix Bond election, several PMRA members, lead by Jeff Greenspan began an initiative drive to place two Constitutional Amendments on the November 2006 Ballot. One would rollback property valuations and limit their future increases and the second would limit tax rate increases. These would act along the lines of California’s famous Proposition 13 of the late 1970’s to keep homeowners from being taxed out of their property, while retaining “reasonable” tax levels.

Time did not permit gathering of the required signatures for the 2006 Ballot. The drive will resume after the November Election.

· Many other actions were partaken by PMRA, but the above represent most of our major action achievements in the short four-year span of time since the PMRA was chartered by the ARA in mid-2002.

(See Newsletter/Archives)