Thread: Businesses, farmers fund Pearce opponent

Businesses, farmers fund Pearce opponent
By Paul Davenport
The Associated Press
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 08.11.2008

PHOENIX — State Rep. Russell Pearce's hard-line assault on illegal immigration has put him on the political map, giving him national recognition and making him a force at the Arizona Legislature.
It's now also galvanized opposition to the outspoken champion of immigration crackdowns, as Phoenix-area business owners and farmers from as far as Yuma — 170 miles from his legislative district in Mesa — contribute to the campaign of his opponent in the Sept. 2 primary.
"I think Pearce is harmful to our state," said Paul Muthart, a produce-company manager.

Muthart is among dozens of Yuma County residents who have contributed a total of nearly $20,000 to attorney Kevin Gibbons in his race against Pearce for the Republican nomination for an open Senate seat from Legislative District 18.

Pearce, House Appropriations Committee chairman since 2003, sponsored a 2007 law that lets government yank business licenses from employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. He also helped lead a successful campaign in 2004 to get voters to deny certain government benefits to people in the country illegally.

Muthart, who in April donated $100, said he and fellow farmers believe in border security to keep out terrorists and drug smugglers but also want access to legal immigrants to do work that doesn't attract Americans.
He believes Pearce's hard-line approach is too narrow.

"We want people to take a little bigger-picture look at this thing and not just be one-dimensional in looking at this situation down here," Muthart said.

Pearce, 61, shows no sign of retreat.

"I've always supported legal immigration. What I won't tolerate is people who think they have a right . . . to break the law while they're making money," he said. "Do I have compassion for the agriculture business? Absolutely, they're the backbone of America. But you've got to do things right."

Gibbons, an immigration lawyer, said Pearce has contributed to ideological polarization at the Legislature, leading to division that means fiscal conservatives weren't at the table when the new state budget was hammered out.

The employer-sanctions law "was a mistake the way it was rolled out," Gibbons said. "I'm a firm believer in enforcing, but I'm a firm believer in free enterprise. I'm a business owner, and hurting businesses is not what we should be doing."

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/252183

Will some people ever get the point; there is no gray area on illegal criminal aliens?

You either enforce or not; it is that simple.

American taxpayers don't want to pay for business illegal employers workers benefits any further: health, dental, school costs, anchor baby cost, jailing ,and etc.

Then we have the diseases, crimes, and drug cartels

Business people the word is "NO"

We can all do what we can to help the cause...


I wish I had millions of dollars to financially support ALIPAC, and other organizations and politicians fighting on behalf of the American people.....I pray that we can get the bums out of Washington that are Pro-Amnesty Pro-Illegals junkies...and put in political leaders that actually care about us and our country!

Well, I tell you what ... if farmers and businesses want to profit from breaking our immigration laws ... then there should not be 1 dime of federal or state money used to support their enterprises.

If that's the side of the line they picked to stand on and put their money into, then they can live on it without any help from the American People or the American Taxpayer or this side of the line.

Stop all subsidies, charge farmers and businesses user fees to pay for all regulations and end corporate and farming welfare in all its forms.

Here's Pearce's website. Support him if you can (Sheriff Joe and other patriots are on his Campaign Committee):

http://www.russellpearce.com/home.htm