Political movers and shakers offer GOP advice to presidential contenders

All StoriesTerry Wimmer0

Listen up Mitt, Newt, Rick and Ron. There are some tricks to get Arizona voters to like you.

That’s the opinion of Arizona political operatives who offer advice to Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul heading into Tuesday’s Republican presidential primary.

“Border issues are very important. Particularly with the Tea Party, right-wing of the party that tends to vote in primaries, they continue to be pretty tough on illegal immigration,” said Bruce Merrill, the senior research fellow for the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University who has a Ph.D. in political behavior.

Merrill said Santorum and Romney have an advantage because of this. Gingrich has been more tolerant of not displacing families and has supported the “Dream Act.”

Carolyn Cox, chair of the Pima County Republican Party, said Arizona Republicans are different than other Republicans for one primary reason.

“I think the main difference between Arizona and other states is that we have a border,” Cox said. She believes candidates need to address border issues in order to appeal to Arizona Republicans. She also encourages addressing government spending and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, dubbed Obama Care by Republicans.

“I think they need to be absolutely honest in explaining how you are going to reduce the deficit, how you going to cut back government and how you are going to replace Obama Care with a free-market type system,” Cox said.

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Legislature would ban some classroom books with HB 2563 but welcome the Bible

All StoriesTerry Wimmer0

Arizona’s legislators want Bibles in the classroom, but state teachers could find themselves punished if they bring other texts into public and charter schools.

Teachers could have their licenses revoked if they bring any supplemental books into the classroom that aren’t pre-approved by the district and posted on a website for parental view.

Many teachers say these bills are an intrusion into the classroom where local principals and school boards should keep control.

But many legislators ended up arguing the Bible elective was necessary to address lower standards and morals in the public school system.

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Recreation in Arizona Continues to Thrive Despite Tough Economic Times

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The economy over the past decade hasn’t been kind to many Americans but in Arizona there’s one industry that’s doing just fine.

“They say nothing in life is free, but I say just look around you,” said Vince Trinidad, director of sports develpoment for the Tucson Sports Commission. “Arizona is just so beautiful with the lakes, rivers, and various mountain ranges. It doesn’t cost much just to go outside.”

According to the Arizona Office of Tourism, the Grand Canyon National Park, South Mountain Park, Glen Canyon National Park, and Lake Mead combined to attract nearly 10 million people in 2011. That’s just over a million more than the four combined to attract in 2010, and nearly 1.5 million more than in 2009 

The state’s overall income from the travel industry has increased from $13.3 billion brought in in 2002 to nearly $18 billion in 2010 just from the various national parks and campgrounds around the state according to the Arizona Office of Tourism. The state as a whole last year earned $16.4 billion just on out-of-state travelers alone, also according to the Arizona Office of Tourism.

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The Business of Snowbirds in Arizona

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Nancy Bale and her husband last owned a home in Colorado before they decided to sell and travel state to state, so where do they go in the winter? Arizona, of course.

Welcome to the snowbirds.

Shortly after Thanksgiving, they suddenly seem to appear in large numbers and take over the road, shops and RV parks. With them comes something good for the state: money.

Statistics on snowbirds cannot be easily found. Data of winter visitors in Tucson are kept but are not separated into a separate snowbird database. According to a study done by Arizona State professors, during the 2002-2003 winter season, more than $600 million was put into the Arizona economy by snowbirds living in RV/trailer/mobile homes.

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