by Steve Miller

This is the land of the free. However, as I write this, a large percentage of the population in America is behind bars. Over six million people are locked up – more than there were in Joseph Stalan’s Gulag. We lead the world in the number of citizens incarcerated. The United States has become a police state.

“Mass incarceration on a scale almost unexampled in human history is a fundamental fact of our country today,” writes the New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik.

This is a relatively new phenomenon fueled by two legislative mistakes: The war on drugs and mandatory minimum sentencing. How many times have we heard a judge say, “I know this sentence is unfair but my hands are tied in this matter. I have no choice.” Unfair sentences should NEVER be a part of the American justice system. Continue reading →

by Steve Miller

Before last June, Kim Davis of Rowan County, Kentucky, was simply a 44-year-old three-time divorced woman with two children out-of-wedlock. She was hardly a candidate for true north indicator on the moral compass of America, especially by Christian standards. Through the miracle of divine intervention and forgiveness, today that’s changed.

Kim is an elected official who refuses to do her job. Nothing new there. Congress has let the government grind to a halt many times while refusing to vote on a budget. Congress is guilty of political posturing in trying to get one special interest bill or the other passed in order to forward a budget. Kim neglects her duty because God told her to.

Kim Davis, Rowan County ‘s personal Ayatollah .

Kim Davis, however, invoked “God’s authority” as she defied a series of federal court orders and continued to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In fact, she denied marriage licenses to everyone in a clever attempt to appear non-discriminatory. She also knew that by not issuing marriage licenses at all, she would draw maximum attention to her misguided cause.

This lady has the Lord on speed dial. According to her, he talks directly to her and has told her what is right for the citizens she was elected to serve — regardless of what the law says.

She is known for wearing dresses down to her ankles.  That’s probably the only public service she provides. Continue reading →

by Steve Miller

Last month I wrote about the fifteen dollar minimum wage being demanded by fast food workers everywhere. It seemed strange to me that a burger flipper in Manhattan is asking for the same $15 that a worker in Norman, Oklahoma, where the cost of living is about twenty-five percent lower. I don’t expect these guys to be economists. I don’t even expect them to be good at arithmetic. In fact, I don’t expect them to be good at anything except for menial and closely supervised tasks.  That’s why fast food workers have pictures of the food item on cash register keys.

While we may not expect them to be capable of doing anything else, that doesn’t mean that’s all the typical minimum wage earner is capable of.  Most are capable of much more and their minimum wage job is a stepping stone to bigger and better things.  Students and others with full-time commitments use these jobs to either earn extra income or bridge the time until they’re qualified and ready for more rewarding employment.  Many of today’s executives started behind the counter of a fast food restaurant.  These jobs were never intended to be a career or to provide a living wage for a family of six. Some folks never got that message.

It seems that the Progressives were listening carefully to the cry for more money from the masses. Now, the Democratic Party platform calls for a $15 per hour national minimum wage for all hourly workers. (Note that I blatantly bolded some key words. We’ll get to those in a minute). Based upon a 30 hour week, that would put flippers, lawn mowers, car washers, and Wal-Mart greeters at over $31,200 per year based upon a 40-hour work week. But wait, there’s more.

Here’s why I bolded a few words in the previous paragraph: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average non-supervisory hourly employee works over four hours of overtime per week. That’s an additional $4,680 per year, which brings our minimum wage earner up to a minimum of $35,880 per year. Continue reading →

Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene. It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (Public Law 92-195)

By Steve Miller

Think of it as a bill of rights for horses. This act ensures their life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness – unless they live along the Salt River.

Public outrage ensued earlier this month when the US Forest Service announced that they were going to dispose of feral horses along the Salt River. Most people rattled their sabers and some even went to court to stop the USFS from doing anything stupid. I use the word “stupid” because their announcement, which left precious little time for intervention or challenge, stated that the horses that weren’t claimed by owners, if there were owners, would be rounded up and “…sold at public sale may be sold at private sale or condemned and destroyed, or otherwise disposed of.”

Both of Arizona’s US Senators and the Governor weighed in on the issue in support of the horses. A conservation group supporting the horses, the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group, proposed some alternative solution to eradicating these beautiful animals from the landscape, but that fell upon deaf ears at the USFS. The news media was abuzz with stories of the impending doom of the wild horses and all of the effort being made to stop the Forest Service from removing them.

It seems like a no-brainier. Everyone loves the horses. Nobody can come up with a good reason to remove them except for the lame “we are not authorized to manage wild horses” excuse given by the USFS. Look, these horses are completely self-supporting. They aren’t hurting anything… or are they? Continue reading →

By Steve Miller

Yesterday, the United States opened an embassy in Cuba for the first time since 1961.   For some, it was an event that brought about a warm fuzzy feeling of friendship for many. However, even an untrained observer could detect a chill surrounding each diplomatically chosen word and carefully choreographed action at the embassy’s opening ceremony.

To me, this whole thing is reminiscent of a couple of 5^th graders, standing in the principal’s office after a fisticuffs on the playground, and forced to shake hands and make up. They do, but it’s reluctant and without ceremony. It’s the epitome of hypocrisy that the United States can broker peace deals in the Middle East when and at the same time support continued animosity with one of their closest neighbors.

The icy winds blowing across the Caribbean aren’t just coming from one direction. While the US made it known that they want to see democratic reforms and human rights improvements before they join any group hugs with the Cubans, Raul Castro stepped on his dick by making a statement that the United States owed Cuba millions of dollars for the damage that the American-imposed embargo caused to the Cuban economy.   An opportunity to gain favor with the most powerful economic influence in the world was just flushed down the toilet. Continue reading →

By Steve Miller

How does an illegal lane change warrant a trip to jail? No, there wasn’t any impairment. There wasn’t a weapon, an outstanding warrant, or any drug possession involved. We’re talking about someone who’s going the speed limit, changes lanes, and forgets to signal the change.

Imagine this: Within seconds of changing lanes, your rear view mirror lights up with red and blue flashing lights. You’re not sure why but you immediately pull over to the curb as you’re supposed to do. Nervously, you light up a cigarette as you wait to hear why you’re being stopped. Minutes later, you have an officer screaming at you, then ordering you out of your car. Seconds after that, as righteous indignation turns to terror, you’re ordered at gunpoint to the curb.

A really pissed off cop with a 9mm pistol pointed at you screams for you to get on the ground. Before you can comply, he smashes your face into the dirt.

You’re probably thinking that this couldn’t happen to you. After all, you’re not a criminal.   You’re not black. You’re an American citizen on US soil.  The black lady in the incident that I am talking about didn’t commit a crime either. Her transgression wasn’t even a misdemeanor or a violation of a civic ordinance. It was a traffic infraction of the very least significance.

And don’t think this doesn’t happen to white people too. It does. It’s just that when it happens to blacks, it’s more likely to make the news.   Media scrutiny over cases like these is bringing to light a growing problem in our country, which is disregard for due process and civil liberties by authorities. It’s not a new problem but it’s one that we’re finding is more prevalent that most would imagine. Continue reading →

by Steve Miller

In 1968, when I graduated from high school, the minimum wage was $1.60 per hour. Working a 40-hour week, a minimum wage earner would earn about $3,328 per year. The economy was different then; gasoline was around 35 cents per gallon and the median household income was just under $8,000 per year.  In today’s dollars, adjusted for inflation, that dollar sixty works out to around $7.75 per hour. It wasn’t a livable wage then and it isn’t now, nor was it ever meant to be.

Fish: The cure for poverty in America.

Let’s go back a few centuries and look at when government first got into the business of regulating a worker’s wage. King Edward III, in 1349, issued a decree setting a maximum wage. It seems that the Black Plague had wiped out most of the work force and the short supply of workers drove up the demand. Consequently, wages skyrocketed, putting a dent in the good king’s wallet along with that of other wealthy landowners who depended on serfs to work their land. Setting a ceiling on what a worker could demand as compensation, and also what an employer could pay, put things back in perspective and kept the rich wealthy and the poor underpaid. So much for supply and demand. Continue reading →

by Steve Miller

By the end of last month, more than 200 Maricopa residents applied for permits to beat ED3s imposed solar installation deadline of July 1.  That should provide some idea of how much demand there is from residents to use free energy from the sun versus paying ED3 one of the highest electric utility rates in the state.

Unilaterally, over the vocal objections of myself and others, Electrical District No. 3 initiated a policy of only 30 solar conversions per month.  Why?  To protect their revenue source.  In addition to throttling solar progress,  ED3 also raised their fixed recovery cost from 70 cents to $3 – a more than 200 percent increase.

The solar installation providers haven’t screamed too loud – yet.  The 30-per-month policy was the best promotion for solar sales yet resulting in a windfall of new customers.  As with anything where the supply is limited, customers literally threw themselves at solar companies to get in before the deadline.  Year-to-date, solar permits in Maricopa are over 400 percent higher than they were this time last year. Continue reading →

by Steve Miller

“I’m gay, I’m a Latino, and I’m a senator,” said Steve Gallardo, Maricopa County Supervisor, his voice quavering with emotion. “And it’s okay.”

Last March, Gallardo decided to put it all out on the table and let people know what he really thought. “It’s time to let people know about me. And to send people a message.,” he said. Apparently it’s okay to send a message if you’re gay and Latino, according to Gallardo, but it’s not okay if you’re white and straight.

Gallardo’s tearful appearance calling for the City of Phoenix to deny Donald Trump a venue to speak his mind aired on local news channels yesterday. You could see the emotion in his face, boiling with rage, as he called upon the city to not rent meeting space in the Phoenix Convention Center to “The Donald”. Why? Because, in his opinion, his message was filled with hate.

Does Gallardo really think that the city should deny renting a venue to a presidential candidate based solely on his political message?  Maybe he also thinks that the politician of the 20th century should be removed from his soap box and banned from the park because his message wasn’t politically correct.

What Gallardo is calling for is censorship.  Censorship is the control of the information and ideas circulated within a society and it has been a hallmark of dictatorships throughout history. FCC censors made sure that nothing related to homosexuality made it on the airwaves through the early days of television.  Do you think that freedoms such as gay marriage would have ever taken place if those ideas would have continued to be suppressed by the government today? Continue reading →

by Steve Miller

Sometime in the near future, President Obama is expected to issue executive orders freeing dozens of federal prisoners locked up on nonviolent drug offenses. Once this has been done, he will have commuted more sentences in a single action than any president has in nearly half a century.

I am not a progressive Democrat but I agree completely with what he’s doing. We should get rid of long sentences and mandatory minimums – especially for nonviolent drug offenses.

The United States has less than five percent of the world’s population yet we have twenty-four percent of the world’s prison population. According to the Department of Justice, over seven million people were are in prison, on probation, or on parole. In Arizona, over one percent of the adult male population is locked up.

The result of the war on drugs in particular has been explosive growth in our prisons. It has accomplished nothing but to generate a whole plethora of social problems when inmates, who are ill-equipped to deal with society after long periods of incarceration, are finally released. Continue reading →