Recently I've noticed that elected Democrats are advocating for "tough and fair" immigration. US immigration law is plenty tough enough already. The US needs to legalize immigration for those peaceful immigrants who wish to live and work in the US. It appears to me that Democrats think immigration is a tough on crime issue when the issue is that crime *is* the issue when separated from peaceful immigration. The only way to reduce crime related to immigration prohibition is to make it possible for immigrants to live and work in the US. Given that Libertarian Party candidates are the only people (that I've noticed) willing to identify prohibition as the problem and eliminating prohibition as the solution I hope voters in November will support a solution (ending prohibition) to the crime that results from prohibition.

Photo credit: Houston's Clear Thinkers

With the current State of Arizona government budget is acknowledged to be in a state of deficit spending there are many plans being proposed on how to make Arizona government operation more efficient. One of those plans involves contracting out (privatizing) the operation of incarceration with private business, thereby replacing Arizona Department of Corrections staff with private employees. Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce (LD-18) is often mentioned as the originator of this plan.

Voters and citizens would do well to keep in mind another recent Arizona "innovation" when it comes to contracted out government services. Photo radar enforcement is no more popular than when it was introduced and now that several levels of government are considering abolishing it, the private operators are bringing up financial penalties that the public was never briefed on.

Contracted out government operations are an option to be considered after full review and public disclosure of the terms. Arizona voters should also keep in mind the poor contract terms that government has negotiated in the past when considering the actions of their elected officials.

If there is one thing that the Libertarian Party is known for it is their desire to reduce government spending. The Arizona Libertarian Party is walking the walk as well as talking the talk unlike some other political parties of late.

ARIZONA LIBERTARIAN PARTY PRESS RELEASE
1/27/2008 Phoenix Arizona
## For Redistribution ##

Arizona Libertarians Save State Tax Payers $1,000,000.00

The Arizona Libertarian Presidential Preference Primary Election will take place from January 30th through February 5th, 2008. It will be conducted online using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) with candidate information links. RCV allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, better reflecting voter intent. The winning nominee must receive a majority of the vote not a plurality. All registered Libertarians are encouraged to study the candidate’s positions and participate. Voting instructions will be posted online prior to the election at http://www.lpelection.com

The Arizona Libertarian Party (AZLP) has statewide ballot status as a major political party. By statute, the AZLP was invited by the state to participate in the Presidential Preference Primary Election in which party members cast votes which are non enforceable upon the convention delegates. The AZLP decided to save Arizona taxpayers from this expense and hold the election as an internal party function. Independents who can't vote in a partisan primary should not be forced to subsidize an internal beauty contest.

For more information on this primary or Ranked Choice Voting visit http://www.lpelection.com or contact the Arizona Libertarian Party at 1-800-875-7369 or in Maricopa County at 602-595-5451.