Dear Senator Gorman;
You seem to have forgotten whom you work for, please let me remind you, you work for the people of Arizona. I am a citizen of Arizona and a resident of the district you represent in the Arizona Senate, therefore, as a citizen of Arizona and a voter from the your district, you work for me.
Since the majority of the Arizona Senate and the Governor of Arizona are unable to reach an agreement concerning raising the sales tax temporarily by one cent to help close the budget gap and save some services to the people of Arizona and since you and Senator Ron Gould have blocked referral of this question to the ballot, I now want you to allow my fellow citizens and myself to decide this question by the process of a legislative referendum.
Enough is enough, you have made your point, you are against an increase in taxes, however, I really do not care about your making points, your ambition or some pledge you made to get votes, I care about Arizona.
If the governor can trust the people, why can't you?
Bob Haran,
Phoenix
This letter was sent to Senator Gorman via E-Mail on Monday, August 31, 2009.
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COMMENTARY:
I have made this letter to Senator Gorman public in an effort to get her to put the people of Arizona and her party before her own petty ambition, being nice doesn't seem to work with her.
The American Conservative Republican was started because I was seeing too many elected officials and candidates for office putting their ambition and party before God and country and politics before principle. I have seen this in people from both parties and every ideology. That "me first," mentality is hurting America and our state and our party. Pamela Gorman is a good example of the politician who puts their ambition before all else, including the good of the people and her party.
Pam Gorman was first elected only five years ago as a Republican to the Arizona House and moved up to the Arizona Senate in 2006 and at the beginning of this current session she was elected Senate Majority Whip. The position of Whip requires a certain level of party loyalty as it is the Whip's responsibility to make sure the votes are there to advance the position of the party caucus over the position of the opposition party. I'm not someone who demands blind party loyalty against what someone feels is in the publics best interest, we are not tin men without a brain, incapable of making our own decisions, we are human beings and the Republican party is not the Army or a corporation where the troops or employees must follow orders, but we do function as a party by a certain amount of loyalty and cooperation. Gorman seems to be lacking in both loyalty to the Republican party and cooperation with the party leadership.
During the 2008 primary in District 6, Gorman endorsed a candidate for the Republican nomination for the Arizona House who was registered as a Democrat only five days before filing for the position. The person Gorman endorsed was also being funded by the business group, "Wake Up Arizona," who have vowed to defeat any legislator or candidate who supported sanctions against employers for the hiring of illegal aliens. Not only did Gorman endorse, this life long Democrat, she did negative auto-dialer calls against a conservative Republican candidate with firm roots in the party and who supported employer sanctions, our current Representative, Carl Seel. Where was Gorman's Republican party loyalty? During the general election Gorman failed to appear for the Clean Elections candidates forum. Where was Gorman's accountability to the people of District 6?
On March 13, 2009, The Arizona Guardian reported that there was a blow-up in the Arizona Senate between Gorman and Senate President Bob Burns.
Here is what Paul Giblin and Patti Epler of the Guardian reported.
"Some Senate Republicans were mulling the possible removal of GOP Whip Pam Gorman, a day after a blow-up between Senate President Bob Burns and Gorman about the latest budget fix nearly cost Gorman her position.
The true strength of the movement could not be ascertained on Friday, but some members told the Guardian that a vote of no confidence could be called as soon as Tuesday."
The Guardian also quoted a senator who spoke on condition of anonymity as saying, referring to Gorman,
"She has a list of people she's alienated - and it grows daily."
Where was Gorman's cooperation with the party leadership? Can't we Republicans all just get along?
Gorman would later be kicked of the Rules Committee after voting against the Republican leaderships agreement with the governor on a one cent sales tax referral and still later she would resign as Majority Whip.
From 1994-99, I had the honor to serve as chairman of the district Bob Burns represented in the Arizona House, he is very easy to get along with and one of the most responsible and respected elected officials I have known. Bob Burns has always put the state of Arizona before himself.
Gorman has so little trust in the wisdom of the people, she blocked, along with Senator Ron Gould, the opportunity to decide for themselves to temporarily increase the state sales tax by one cent to help protect critical funding for education, public safety and Arizona's most vulnerable citizens such as children and the elderly or not to increase the sales tax.
Gorman's irresponsible actions in the Arizona Senate has called into question the Republican parties ability to govern when they have control of both houses of the legislature and the governors office, is dividing the Arizona GOP at a time when unity is necessary and has given the Democrats great leverage in budget negotiations with the governor, who unlike Gorman, cannot just say no and pass the buck to someone else.
The budget is one area where party members should cooperate with their caucus. Each member of the legislature cannot have their own budget for the state, the best they can get is a budget approved by the majority of their party. If there is cooperation amongst members of the majority party they should be able to get a budget to their liking passed and after negation with the governor, signed into law. If the majority party cannot work together and vote together, the minority party will hold the balance of power and want a budget more to their liking and less to the liking of the majority. 47 of the 53 Republicans in the legislature reached an agreement with the governor on a budget that offers income tax cuts to individuals and corporations in Arizona, which should help stimulate Arizona's economy, in exchange for a referral to the voters of a one cent sales tax increase to capture some that increased spending. The Wall Street Journal praised the agreement, as did many Arizona conservatives and business groups, but Senator Pam Gorman decided that she knows best and those 47 Republicans don't understand. I would like to know what advance degree in Economics Senator Gorman has to think she knows better then the Republican party, the governor, the Wall Street Journal and the voters about public finance? The only people that seem to agree with Gorman, besides Gould, are the no tax, no government, extremist on the lunatic fringe.
The latest I have heard regarding the budget is that Gorman still being stubborn and will not cooperate with Republican leadership to resolve the budget in the GOP's favor.
Gorman acts as if she is a party of one or is she really a Libertarian and Republican in name only. Wherever her political loyalty might be, her performance as an elected officials has been unacceptable. She is doing more harm then good to Arizona and the Republican party. If she is this selfish she should not hold any public office.
For God and country,
Bob Haran,
American Conservative Republican
