Arizona Capitol Times Election Coverage Your Inside Track to Arizona Elections
Republican primary winner in the Maricopa County Attorney race, Bill Montgomery, said he would work with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to enforce Arizona's new immigration law, if elected in November. (Photo by Evan Wyloge/Arizona Capitol Times)
County attorney candidate Bill Montgomery convinced Republican voters he is their man, ending a short-lived return to the office for Rick Romley.
Montgomery, who was unsuccessful in his 2006 bid for attorney general, has a solid lead with 597 of 1,142 precincts reporting and Romley has conceded.
“The numbers are substantial,” Romley said. “I’ve recognized he has won.”
Romley served as county attorney from 1989 to 2004 before being appointed on an interim basis in April.
Montgomery said the endorsement of Sheriff Joe Arpaio was a huge boost to his campaign.
“There are people who specifically wanted to find someone who could work with him and partner with him on behalf of Maricopa County,” Montgomery said. “Certainly that’s what voters will get with me.”
Montgomery must now face Libertarian Michael Kielsky in a Nov. 2 special election that was necessary after the resignation of Andrew Thomas, who is running for attorney general. The winner will finish Thomas’ term, which ends in 2012.
The special election seems to be a sure thing for Montgomery, who has the backing of the Republican Party, growing name recognition and more money to spend than Kielsky.
Kielsky doesn’t intend to spend more than $500 on the race and he won’t accept any contributions, according to campaign finance reports.
The race was marked by attack ads and a war of words. Romley not only had to contend with Montgomery, but also the Republican establishment, which didn’t take kindly to his associations with Democrats, his endorsements of Democratic candidates, and his criticisms of SB1070.
Even Sheriff Joe Arpaio jumped into the fray by attacking Romley in a TV commercial and direct mail piece that was paid for by Arpaio’s 2012 re-election campaign.
A special counsel hired by the county to review complaints Romley filed determined Aug. 24 that the commercial was legal but a mailer Arpaio sent attacking Romley was not.
Romley, said the advertisements were a factor in the campaign and election laws have to allow for quicker resolution of complaints.
“Harm was done,” he said.
Montgomery’s victory signals a return to policies closer in line with Thomas’. Romley, who accepted the role of interim county attorney upon Thomas’ resignation in April, had restructured the office’s approach to battling illegal immigration, focusing on busting large cartels and organizations that deal in human smuggling, drug smuggling and gun running.
Thomas and Arpaio worked more or less as partners in the illegal immigration front, with Arpaio investigating businesses and raiding them on allegations of violating state laws against knowingly hiring illegal immigrants and targeting loads of illegal immigrants for arrest during crime sweeps of specified areas.
The raids on businesses never yielded charges against the owners, but Thomas would prosecute the workers on charges such as forgery and identification theft in connection with their using fake IDs to get employment.
And Thomas would prosecute illegal immigrants who were swept up in smuggling busts as co-conspirators to human smuggling, a practice that drew the ire of immigrant activists.
Montgomery has said in interviews that he will continue the policies of the previous administration and work with Arpaio as a partner in fighting illegal immigration.
Before you Scream and show Ignorance and Hate at least read the Immigration Law regarding Undocumented Immigrnats. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:1:./temp/~c111807rby:e428513:
The Undocumented immigrants paying more taxes than you think!!
http://www.cfr.org/content/publications/attachments/ImmigrationCSR26.pdf
http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/
http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/images/File/factcheck//EconomicsofCIRFullDoc.pdf
Eight million Undocumented immigrants pay Social Security, Medicare and income taxes. Denying public services to people who pay their taxes is an affront to America’s bedrock belief in fairness. But many “pull-up-the-drawbridge” politicians want to do just that when it comes to Undocumented immigrants.
The fact that Undocumented immigrants pay taxes at all will come as news to many Americans. A stunning two thirds of Undocumented immigrants pay Medicare, Social Security and personal income taxes.
Yet, nativists like Congressman Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., have popularized the notion that illegal aliens are a colossal drain on the nation’s hospitals, schools and welfare programs — consuming services that they don’t pay for.
In reality, the 1996 welfare reform bill disqualified Undocumented immigrants from nearly all means tested government programs including food stamps, housing assistance, Medicaid and Medicare-funded hospitalization.
The only services that illegals can still get are emergency medical care and K-12 education. Nevertheless, Tancredo and his ilk pushed a bill through the House criminalizing all aid to illegal aliens — even private acts of charity by priests, nurses and social workers.
Potentially, any soup kitchen that offers so much as a free lunch to an illegal could face up to five years in prison and seizure of assets. The Senate bill that recently collapsed would have tempered these draconian measures against private aid.
But no one — Democrat or Republican — seems to oppose the idea of withholding public services. Earlier this year, Congress passed a law that requires everyone who gets Medicaid — the government-funded health care program for the poor — to offer proof of U.S. citizenship so we can avoid “theft of these benefits by illegal aliens,” as Rep. Charlie Norwood, R-Ga., puts it. But, immigrants aren’t flocking to the United States to mooch off the government.
According to a study by the Urban Institute, the 1996 welfare reform effort dramatically reduced the use of welfare by undocumented immigrant households, exactly as intended. And another vital thing happened in 1996: the Internal Revenue Service began issuing identification numbers to enable illegal immigrants who don’t have Social Security numbers to file taxes.
One might have imagined that those fearing deportation or confronting the prospect of paying for their safety net through their own meager wages would take a pass on the IRS’ scheme. Not so. Close to 8 million of the 12 million or so illegal aliens in the country today file personal income taxes using these numbers, contributing billions to federal coffers.
No doubt they hope that this will one day help them acquire legal status — a plaintive expression of their desire to play by the rules and come out of the shadows. What’s more, aliens who are not self-employed have Social Security and Medicare taxes automatically withheld from their paychecks.
Since undocumented workers have only fake numbers, they’ll never be able to collect the benefits these taxes are meant to pay for. Last year, the revenues from these fake numbers — that the Social Security administration stashes in the “earnings suspense file” — added up to 10 percent of the Social Security surplus.
The file is growing, on average, by more than $50 billion a year. Beyond federal taxes, all illegals automatically pay state sales taxes that contribute toward the upkeep of public facilities such as roads that they use, and property taxes through their rent that contribute toward the schooling of their children.
The non-partisan National Research Council found that when the taxes paid by the children of low-skilled immigrant families — most of whom are illegal — are factored in, they contribute on average $80,000 more to federal coffers than they consume. Yes, many illegal migrants impose a strain on border communities on whose doorstep they first arrive, broke and unemployed.
To solve this problem equitably, these communities ought to receive the surplus taxes that federal government collects from immigrants. But the real reason border communities are strained is the lack of a guest worker program.
Such a program would match willing workers with willing employers in advance so that they wouldn’t be stuck for long periods where they disembark while searching for jobs. The cost of undocumented aliens is an issue that immigrant bashers have created to whip up indignation against people they don’t want here in the first place.
With the Senate having just returned from yet another vacation and promising to revisit the stalled immigration bill, politicians ought to set the record straight: Illegals are not milking the government. If anything, it is the other way around.
The Undocumented Immigrants pay the exact same amount of taxes like you and me when they buy Things, rent a house, fill up gas, drink a beer or wine, buy appliances, play the states lottery and mega millions . Below are the links to just a few sites that will show you exactly how much tax you or the Undocumented Immigrant pays , so you see they are NOT FREELOADERS, THEY PAY TAXES AND TOLLS Exactly the same as you, Now if you take out 10% from your states /city Budget what will your city/state look like financially ?
Stop your folly thinking , you are wise USE YOUR WISDOM to see the reality. They pay more taxes than you think, Including FEDERAL INCOME TAX using a ITN Number that is given to them by the IRS, Social Security Taxes and State taxes that are withheld form their paychecks automatically.
Taxes, paid by You & the Undocumented are the same in each state check your state : http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales.html
GAS Taxes paid by you & the Undocumented are the same. Go to and check out your states tax; http://www.gaspricewatch.com/usgastaxes.asp
Cigarette Taxes paid by you & the Undocumented are the same, check this out in : http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/cigarett.html
Clothing Sales Taxes, are the same paid by you & the Undocumented Immigrant; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_the_United_States
City Taxes, are the same paid by you or the Undocumented, since he pays rent and the LANDLORD pays the city : http://www.town-usa.com/statetax/statetaxlist.html
Beer Taxes, are the same paid by you or the Undocumented: http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/beer.html
TAX DATA : http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/245.html
THE FACTS ARE THAT JAN BREWER AND THE REPUBLICANS ARE DOING THIS TO GET REELECTED, HERE ARE FACTS.
1, HOW MUCH MONEY $$$$$$$ IS ALLOCATED TO ENFORCE THIS LAW?? NONE.
2, HOW MANY NEW POLICEMEN / WOMEN SHES HIRED TO HOLD AND PROCESS THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS? NONE.
3, HOW MANY NEW IMMIGRATION JUDGES SHES HIRED TO PROCESS THE THOUSANDS OF DEPORTATION CASES?? NONE.
4, HOW MANY NEW JAILS SHES BUILT TO HOLD THE THOUSANDS OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS? NONE.
5, HOW MANY BUSES / PLANES SHES BROUGHT TO DEPORT THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THOSE WHO ARE ORDERED BY THE IMMIGRATION JUDGES TO BE DEPORTED?? NONE.
CAN ANYONE ANSWER THESE FACTS? THE REPUBLICAN STATES ARE TRYING TO MAKE THIS THEIR PLATFORM, THEY WILL LOSE BIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG TIME.
ALL ARE GODS CHILDREN. NO HUMAN IS ABOVE ANOTHER. ALL ARE CREATED BY ONE ALMIGHTY GOD WHO LOVES ALL HIS CHILDREN.
I AM NOT SAYING DON’T CLOSE THE BORDERS I AM SAYING STOP THE FOOLISH HATE AND IGNORANCE.
What both these Republicans FORGOT to Mention in their SPIN POLITICS is that
It’s all about economics! Removing undocumented workers from the U.S. would total a loss of $1.8 trillion in annual spending and $651.5 billion in annual economic output, according to a study by the economic analysis firm The Perryman Group. It would cost about $28 billion per year to apprehend illegal immigrants, $6 billion a year to detain them, $500 million for extra beds, $2 million to judicially process them and $1.6 billion to transport them home. $230 Billion is the estimated amount it would cost over the next five years to enact the scenario of the mass-deportation caucus and deport the undocumented population, according to a report by the Center for American Progress. Legalization of undocumented immigrants would significantly expand the economy—by a cumulative $1.5 trillion in gross domestic product over 10 years. A deportation approach, by contrast, would have the cumulative effect of draining $2.5 trillion over 10 years from the U.S. economy. Illegal immigrants are paying their share of taxes, they pay the same taxes as you and me when they purchase anything, They don’t carry a card that says Undocumented Immigrant, DON’T CHARGE TAXES
Start looking at FACTS & NUMBERS.
Who’s behind these laws?
The Immigration Reform Law Institute, or IRLI, the legal arm of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, drafted the Arizona law and most of the copycat bills. The Southern Poverty Law Center designated FAIR a hate group because of its founder’s writings, its repeated participation with white nationalist groups, and its receipt of major funding from a racist organization.
Copycat laws frequently rely on the work of attorney Kris Kobach, who works for IRLI. Kobach’s lawyering has cost localities who have hired him millions of dollars while the laws have been found unconstitutional. The Arizona law was brought forth by State Senator Russell Pearce, who the Arizona press has described as having a history of associating with neo-Nazis and sending anti-Semitic emails.
Moments after signing Arizona’s tough new immigration law in April, Gov. Jan Brewer was asked WHAT A ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT LOOKS LIKE????
The question, posed during a news conference that was broadcast live on TV, seemed to catch Brewer off guard. After a long pause, she said, “I DON’T KNOW WHAT A ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT LOOKS LIKE. I can tell you that there are people in Arizona that ***-U-ME they know what an illegal immigrant looks like. I DON’T KNOW IF THEY KNOW THAT FOR A FACT OR NOT.”
Her answer cut to the very heart of the controversy surrounding the law, which takes effect July 29. Although there are many people who assume they know what an illegal immigrant looks like, the fact is, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to tell a person’s immigration status by appearance, experts say.
So despite assurances to the contrary, some civil-rights groups and others fear that enforcement of the law will lead to racial profiling. Several lawsuits already raise worries of civil-rights violations, and a group of Arizona law professors concluded the law authorizes enforcement based on ethnicity. That, they allege, would mean officers would end up harassing and possibly detaining people who aren’t illegal immigrants.
The vast majority of illegal immigrants are Hispanic. But most Hispanics in Arizona are not illegal immigrants – they are legal residents or U.S. citizens, many with roots dating back generations.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/07/18/20100718illegal-immigration-profiling.html#ixzz0u2wY1a1d
WONT IT COST ARIZONA CHEAPER TO HAVE 2000 BORDER PATROL AGENTS AND STOP THEM AT THE BORDER THAN TO LET THEM IN AND JAIL THEM FOR MONTHS, ?/ DOES NOT MAKE SENSE, UNLESS ITS DONE FOR POLITICAL GAIN. IT COST MORE TO HOLD SOMEONE IN JAIL THAN TO STOP THEM AT THE BORDER.
In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us. -Flora Edwards
Sophocles~ Money Theres nothing in the world so demoralizing as money.