NOTE: The Arizona Republic article we referenced at the end of our Coffee Party Blog Talk radio show was not properly sourced because we had technical difficulties (sorry!). Here it is: Crime is not up on the Arizona Border -- Arizona Republic
ORIGINAL BLOG POST:
Hi from Arizona. With the controversy surrounding Arizona's pending implementation of SB 1070, a law that requires police officers to check the immigration status of those they have "reasonable suspicion" to think might be an undocumented immigrant, Coffee Party USA has decided to begain a conversation about the immigration issue -- both the impacts of measures that seek to enforce immigration law at the local level, and the solutions we can seek at the national level to address our sytemic challenges when it comes to immigration and our economy.
From Phoenix, Arizona, at 1 PM PDT (4 PM EDT), I will be hosting a Coffee Party Blog Talk radio with three esteemed guests.
Larry Sheffield is the founder and chairman of Goldwater Bank, and has over 30 years of entrepreneurial experience in banking, business and politics. Sheffield is also the founder of Sheffield Development Corporation, which has developed commercial and residential projects in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and Oklahoma. Sheffield was elected as one of New Mexico’s youngest state representatives, and has served on various boards and commissions, including the New Mexico State University Board of Regents, the White House Conference on Small Business, and the US Secretary of Defense Joint Civilian Orientation Conference.
Michael Stafford is a Republican Party officer from Delaware where he serves as a Regional Chairman and on the Republican State Executive Committee. He is a 2003 graduate of Duke Univeristy School of Law and works as an attorney in Wilmington, Delaware. He blogs on both national and local political topics, including immigration reform, on Delaware Tomorrow- a site dedicated to offering a fresh, forward-looking, perspective on a range of issues.
Lydia Aranda chairs Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's Hispanic Advisory Council, and also served under Governor Janet Napolitano for several years as Small Business Advocate, Executive Director of the Governor’s Small Business Council, and as Director of Small Business Services for the Arizona Department of Commerce. She also worked for Wells Fargo Bank as the Vice President & Regional Director of Diverse Growth Segments.
We will be adding some additional guests from the Phoenix business community, and perhaps from the Phoenix law enforcement community. Be sure to tune in, we might even get a member of the Arizona State Legislature!
