Thanks to all who contributed to my 2002 campaign for District 8 State Senate. Despite my late start in the 2002 election cycle, I earned 15.4% of the vote. I am encouraged by the show of support I received, and have begun my 2004 campaign. Expect an energetic campaign as I walk District 8 talking to as many folks as I can between now and November 2004.

Urgent: POLL WORKERS NEEDED!

Campaign Contributions Needed ASAP!

Carolyn Allen Missing

At last count Ms. Allen had received contributions from 65 different special interest PACs. In contrast, Orville Weyrich has accepted no PAC money and did attend the debate to answer his future constituents' questions.

Allen, Turnansky and Weyrich Meet

• Although Allen thinks that Light Rail is a bad idea, she supports Prop 400 anyway because the East Valley only wants highways, and if she doesn't support the whole package, she won't get what she wants [apparently buses]. Weyrich pointed out that to properly represent her constituents she needs to be willing to "walk out" on negotiations like Ronald Reagan did at Reykjavik when pressed to make unacceptable compromises. Weyrich pointed out that since the current tax doesn't expire until 2006, there is plenty of time to "get it right". Weyrich also pointed out that not only were buses less expensive than light rail, but that light rail was inflexible -- whereas buses can easily be redeployed for special events or changing traffic patterns, the rails are immovable.
• Allen voted in favor of All Day Kindergarten, despite the fact that the legislature failed to reach any agreement on funding it. She looks forward to implementing the list of tax "reforms" identified by Governor Napolitano [in order to pay for this and other new programs]. Weyrich opposes the governor's tax reform package, which is nothing more than a thinly veiled tax increase that will especially hit the small business community and service providers who live and work in Arizona. Instead, Weyrich proposed funding All Day Kindergarten via tax credits and incentives for parents to move their children to lower cost [to the state] private school venues [see below].
• When asked why he was running against Allen, Dr. Turnansky replied that he really liked Ms. Allen's positions, but he wanted to build the Democratic Party.
• When asked the same question, Weyrich responded that Ms Allen was a big spender, and was hostile to pro-life issues. Ms. Allen responded that her religion did not recognize life before birth, and that it was un-libertarian to be pro-life. Weyrich disagreed [see the web site Libertarians for Life, and pointed out that simply on the basis of medical ethics, fully informed consent prior to an abortion was a necessity. Weyrich argued that absent any religious considerations, clearly any unborn child that was capable of viable life outside the womb was entitled to equal protection of the law. Ms. Allen responded that abortion in the third trimester is illegal in Arizona. Apparently Ms. Allen in uninformed of the fact that fetal viability begins in the second trimester. Or perhaps Ms. Allen, who was a founder of the Planned Parenthood Central Arizona Board is aware that when women are presented with ultrasound images of their unborn children (thus becoming fully informed), they voluntarily opt to not undergo abortion.

Orville Weyrich's Opening Debate Remarks

Good evening. I'm Orville Weyrich, a Pro-Life Libertarian Candidate for State Senate. I am also endorsed by the Reform Party, which currently lacks ballot access.

My pledge to you tonight is that when elected I will vote for No New Taxes. My opponents may label me as far-right wing for this. But is it moderation to vote for expensive new programs without identifying funding sources?

I don't think so. Even if no new taxes are enacted, state revenues will increase as property values and economic activity naturally increase.

The other side of taxes is spending.

Everybody lobbies the legislature to spend more on their own hot button projects and less on others. No doubt all of these projects would be "nice to have." The problem is that when you add a few million here and a few million there, pretty soon you have broken the bank.

I have a solution.

My legislative goal is to move towards funding these "nice to have" projects through tax credits in which each taxpayer gets to allocate a portion of their tax burden to the projects of their own choice.

Take education for example. Every one of the candidates here tonight wants to improve education. But how can we do that without breaking the taxpayers' back? That's the real question.

My answer is to offer tuition tax credits or vouchers to parents at say 90% of the cost to the state to educate each child. This will leave more money per pupil who remains in the public schools, and reduce future capital expenses for new school construction. The taxpayers get a bigger bang for their buck and parents get greater freedom of choice.

That's win-win. That's the kind of solution I will work for in the Senate.

On a similar note, an educated workforce is essential for attracting and retaining good paying jobs in Arizona. I propose granting tax credits to students attending Arizona colleges, which they can roll forward so that when they enter the workforce in Arizona, they can use the tax credits to offset the cost of repaying their student loans. This will help our sons and daughters to get a quality education, and encourage them to stay in-state to help build a stronger Arizona. Again, this is a win-win solution.

I look forward to elaborating on these themes throughout this debate.

Compare the Candidates

No New Taxes Pledge

Orville Weyrich	Carolyn Allen	Stewart Turnansky
YES	Proven Big Spender	Promises Big

Protect Arizona Now (Prop. 200)

Orville Weyrich	Carolyn Allen	Stewart Turnansky
YES	Opposes	Opposes

Informed Consent Prior to Abortions (SB2072)

Orville Weyrich	Carolyn Allen	Stewart Turnansky
YES	Voted No	?

Parental Consent for Abortions by Minors (SB1296)

Orville Weyrich	Carolyn Allen	Stewart Turnansky
YES	No Vote	?

Light Rail Transit Tax (Prop 400)

Orville Weyrich	Carolyn Allen	Stewart Turnansky
OPPOSES	Supports	Supports

Pledge to Vote for Arizona Taxpayer Bill of Rights

Orville Weyrich	Carolyn Allen	Stewart Turnansky
YES	?	?

Supports Tuition Tax Credits and Vouchers

Orville Weyrich	Carolyn Allen	Stewart Turnansky
YES	?	?

Supports Second Amendment

Orville Weyrich	Carolyn Allen	Stewart Turnansky
YES	?	?

Supports Judicial and Tort Reform

Orville Weyrich	Carolyn Allen	Stewart Turnansky
YES	?	?

Standing on Principles

Government is too big, inefficient, and intrusive. I am running as a Libertarian with the support of the Reform Party of Arizona (which lacks ballot access). In my campaign and when elected, I will emphasize the unifying principles of both reform and libertarianism.

Unifying Principle of Reform:

Government exists solely to serve the needs of the citizens it represents. It should do so fairly, honestly, efficiently, unobtrusively, and in compliance with the Constitutions and Local Charters that define its scope of action.

Unifying Principle of Libertarianism (Non-Aggression Principle):

Individuals have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not initiate force or fraud to interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.

Whereas the libertarian philosophy calls for the elimination of tax-and-spend programs, the reform philosophy acknowledges that when programs cannot be eliminated, they should at least be constitutional, fair, honest, unobtrusive and efficient.

Sadly, far too many government programs fail to meet even these minimal requirements.

Budget Issues

The state has a budget crisis because of big-spending incumbents backed by special interests. The elected State Senator, Carolyn Allen, voted to protect taxpayers 9 times out of 153 opportunities in 2000-2002 (due to illness she missed 73 votes entirely). The best way to balance the budget while protecting essential state programs is to require state programs to be of demonstrable benefit, to fight against open-ended spending like the alternative fuels debacle, and to return "nice-to-have" programs that are not mandated by the Constitution to private charity, replacing forced taxation with voluntary tax credits for supporting "worthy causes."

Education Issues

As an educator, I have taught in AZ at the community college level and at the graduate level in basic medical sciences. I know that the best way to improve the public schools is not AIMS testing of seniors, but ensuring that students in the lower grades have demonstrated grade-level mastery in reading and mathematics before being promoted. But an even better idea is to separate school from state! Stay tuned for details on this issue.

Protecting American Jobs

2006 Campaign Web Site

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P.O. Box 5782, Scottsdale, AZ 85261-5782.
e-Mail: liberty@AmeriRoots.com
Phone: (480) 391-0821
 
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