Our recent Republican majorities have done a great job in growing and strengthening our economy and job market. Arizona is now a national leader, but we can actually do even better. We still need to further reduce onerous tax burdens and regulations on businesses both large and small. We should also continue to actively promote the success story that Arizona has been across the country, so that we can attract more employers to our state, especially to rural Arizona, where the economic recovery takes longer to reach.
Fiscal responsibility will be a top priority for me. My family business cannot survive by spending more than we take in and neither can our state. Efficient and effective use of our taxpayer’s dollars is of the utmost importance. Financial prudence today ensures financial freedom and security for tomorrow.
My mother legally emigrated from Mexico in 1956 when she married my dad. In 1969 she proudly became a U.S. Citizen. She instilled in me the value, pride, and gratitude of what it means to be a citizen of this great country. It is those values that guide me through this emotionally charged issue.
Let’s be clear – We can and must enforce the laws that are already on the books. Yes, we are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. We need to know who is entering our country. This doesn’t make us anti-immigrant, it makes us pro-security and vigilant. It means we take the responsibility of securing the homeland and all who live here.
For many sections along the border, a wall/fence/barrier will serve as an effective deterrent, but geography, animal migration, and natural obstacles in other areas will require a greater commitment of manpower and technology. We also need to encourage the federal government to fix the broken legal system that is inadequate to handle the illegal immigration casework in a timely manner.
It is also important to recognize that several industries that are dependent on legal immigrant labor are currently facing labor shortages. Today’s process is convoluted, costly, and takes years to complete. This is another area where our federal government is failing Arizona and where speedy reform is needed.
For too long government at every level has chipped away at our Constitutional freedoms, showing no respect for their God-given origin. Whether it is our First Amendment, Second Amendment, Fourth Amendment, Tenth Amendment, or other foundational right, it will be my purpose to defend our rights and restore those that have been lost over time. If our nation returns to its founding values, learns fiscal restraint, and governs according to our founding documents, we will restore her to her full greatness.
Before Arizona statehood, agriculture was a leading industry. When the framers of Arizona’s constitution designed the state seal, they wanted to depict thriving industries to put Arizona on the map. They would include Roosevelt Dam, irrigated fields, orchards, and grazing cattle as well as a miner and a quartz mill. The 5 C’s of Arizona was established, three of which pertained directly to agriculture.
Today, Arizona agriculture contributes $17 billion to the state’s economy. Our farmers and ranchers have made desert agriculture one of the finest in the world. Always mindful of the environment, water use, and animal care, they have been able to produce more food while using less water, less land, and fewer animals. Efficiency and technology is the name of the game.
If I sound a little proud of our farmers and ranchers, it’s because I am! I married into a third generation dairy farm family. Agriculture is my deepest passion and I am very thankful and humbled to be part of it.
LD 13 boasts of some of the most diverse agriculture in our state. Yuma is the leafy green capitol of the nation from December through April. Many dairies, irrigated farms, specialty crops, and cattle ranches reside in the district.
It has been estimated that Arizona agriculture provides approximately 77,000 jobs related to agriculture.
It will be my top priority to ensure that agriculture is recognized as a primary industry, without which, secondary industries would not exist.
I will work diligently to make sure famers and ranchers have full access to their allocated water supply and protect their water rights. Feeding a hungry and growing population is being done by fewer than 2% of our population. I will be a strong and outspoken voice for these amazing men and women who work 24/7 providing our state, nation, and world with sustenance for life.
The success of our communities and the long-term survival of our culture depend on the strength of our families. Promoting legislation and policies that support our families will ensure a bright and healthy future for all of Arizona.
That means protecting life, taking care of the needy and hungry, ensuring a strong health care system that is free of the constraints of ObamaCare, and protecting the rights and liberties of all Arizonans to live freely, worship as they see fit, and make choices for themselves.
As we continue to look forward to the future for our state, country and world, we need to recognize that education must be a top priority in order to empower and equip our young people for the jobs of the future.
I believe Arizona is a great state for education despite the many obstacles facing our education system. We lead the nation in school choice which helps parents have a greater say in their children’s education.
When increases in school funding are redirected to other places rather than teacher pay and classroom needs, too many schools remain below average. It is imperative that we continue working to put students first, increase teacher pay and classroom funding, and encourage our most successful schools to grow and expand, and use their model to lift under performing schools to greater success.
My youngest daughter is a public school teacher so I have had the privilege of witnessing her dedication and determination that she and her colleagues give to bring out the best in their students. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all of the teachers for their unwavering dedication to our kids – their students – and everyone’s future.
Three military installations are located in LD 13. Luke Air Force Base, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, and the Yuma Proving Grounds. These are all stellar installations providing exemplary training for our men and women in the armed forces.
In my family there have been numerous members who have served in the various armed services. On my father’s side, five consecutive generations of servicemen dating back to the Civil War have served our country. The latest member, my nephew, completed his service last May at the Marine Air Corps Station in Yuma.
I am deeply proud of all of our service men and women and remain extremely grateful for their unselfish willingness to sacrifice so much of themselves and their families to serve and defend our country.
We cannot forget those who gave their lives defending our precious freedom and the families they left behind, nor can we thank them enough, but we can always honor and remember their sacrifices. Freedom is certainly not free.
Being the daughter of a veteran who served at the end of WWII and fought in the Korean War, I know all too well how our veterans suffer not only from debilitating physical wounds but also from the wounds which cannot be seen and may never completely heal. Their families suffer along with them in ways that are difficult to describe. It is imperative that we provide all the necessary support they have earned and deserve. Whether it is medical care and benefits, or educational opportunities, we must give them our very best.