When a person is sued, it’s a given that they should be able to hire legal representation. When you’re an elected sheriff and the ACLU sues you, that need is even more imperative. However, an Oct. 15 article by Arizona Capitol Times reporter Jeremy Duda might give readers the impression that I don’t have that right.

Arizona fought California and the feds to win 1.6 million acre feet of water supplies that we pump into the Valley each year. We can take on these fights and win, but not with a bunch of bureaucrats and watercrats.

I will be voting no in November on Proposition 109. This proposition to amend the state Constitution is nothing more than power grab by politicians to take away voter-initiative rights and put all wildlife-management decisions in their hands.

This country has not seen such division since the Civil War and Vietnam. Issues such as health care, unemployment, illegal immigration and countless others have brought heated conversations to water coolers all over the country. Politicians are pointing fingers and passing blame, not taking responsibility for the challenges at hand.

I know there will be plenty to debate regarding immigration, but I assume much time will also be given to the fiscal health of Arizona and to sensible state laws. Along that line, here are three questions people should ask political candidates as we get closer to the election:

As someone who wore a military uniform for 34 years and someone who is concerned about issues of honor and integrity in the military, I knew that I had to see “The Tillman Story” as soon as it came out.

Upon causing himself to be arrested during his protest of SB1070, former Arizona Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez stated: “We were sending a message to the Hispanic community.”

Democrat gubernatorial candidate, Terry Goddard, recently wrote in ~The Arizona Republic~ that we need to go on the offensive to fight border crime and solve the problem of illegal immigration now.

Sen. John McCain, while your daughter and wife support marriage equality, what grants you the right to block another loving couple from marrying or even adopting because they happen to be gay – just because they are gay – when your own lack of personal responsibility ended your marriage?

As a former governor of Arizona, you know the devastating effects illegal immigration and the Mexican drug cartels have on our state. As secretary of Homeland Security, you know the Tucson Sector along Arizona’s southern border has become the gateway for drug cartels and human smuggling activity.