How To Tell Which Candidates Support Common Core Tutorial

Just find out where former Intel CEO, Craig Barrett, donated his money.

Barrett is the Chairman of Achieve who was charged with developing the Common Core Standards.

Barrett is also the Chairman of Governor Brewer's Arizona Ready Council who has been marketing and promoting the new (sub) standards.

Obviously, he and his wife donated to John Huppenthal.  Although, it was only a measly $320.  Based on Huppenthal's recent debate performance, he probably won't be seeing any more financial help from the Barretts.

However, the biggest jackpot has gone to LD 16's Chamber of Commerce employee-newcomer, Taylor McArthur. Mr. and Mrs. Barrett have donated $4000 to Taylor's campaign.  

LD16 is home of the former Arizona State Senator, Medicaid sellout, Wyoming State Superintendent,  Rich Crandall.

McArthur has received over $24k in primary Independent Expenditure support from the "Stand for Children" PAC and the Chamber of Commerce.

According to the 2013 annual report, Stand for Children receives over $1M annually from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as donations from the Broad Foundation, Bashas Grocery Stores, Arizona Community Fund (whose board members include Paul Luna - President of the Helios Foundation who also donates to Stand for Children, and Lisa Arias with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), and the Arizona Chamber's Greater Phoenix Leadership Council.

Accomplishments in the annual report state:

"We educated and engaged more than 66,000 parents and community members on Common Core, fighting misguided attacks against improved academic standards that will help more students succeed."

Also that they helped pass HB2425 "replacing the existing AIMS test with an improved performance assessment aligned with the Arizona College and Career Ready Standards.  In addition, Stand Arizona partnered with the Arizona School Boards Association to train over 125 school board members and other education leaders across the state on these standards."

The Chamber of Commerce, of course, has been actively marketing the Common Core standards.

STAY VIGILANT, MY FRIENDS!

LD16 Primary Candidate Works For The Chamber Of Commerce.

So what else is new?

Legislative District 16 spent a great deal of time last year finding a good candidate who would replace the mess that Rich Crandall left behind. 

Of course the Rich Crandall Republicans can't have incumbent David Farnsworth run unopposed.  So, enter a young, recent college graduate, never bothered to even gather signatures to be an elected precinct committeeman, no-name candidate, Taylor McArthur.   

McArthur's bio is rather telling.

INTERN
Office of U.S. Senator Jon Kyl
January 2011- May 2011

(A failed start-up)
FOUNDER and CEO
Abel Foods
May 2011- April 2012

PRESS AIDE AND OFFICE MANAGER
Office of U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar
April 2011 - July 2013

and of course our favorite:

DIRECTOR OF EVENTS
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
March 2013 - Present

One of McArthur's first campaign propaganda hit pieces was to actually attack his challenger for drafting legislation which would protect a person's property rights!  These were bills which were created because Mr. Farnsworth listened to his constituents who approached him with their concerns.  Remember, Thomas Jefferson originally wrote in the Declaration of Independence that we have a right to "life, liberty, and PROPERTY."  

Not a good start to a campaign, Mr. "Republican Conservative" McArthur.

Mr. McArthur patted himself on his back recently when he announced that he out-raised his opponent by 8-1 in his first finance report.

What he failed to point out?  Who his donors were including:

Wendy Briggs with Veridas (whose majority of donations went to Coleman, Ducey, Pierce, Brophy-Mcgee, Campbell, Meyer, McComiish, Hobbes, Huppenthal, Shope, Driggs, Reagan)

Jay Kaprosy with Veridas and chief lobbyist for the Chamber of Commerce (see list above for donations)

Michael Mansour (Legislative Assistant to Paul Gosar)

Jeremy Harrell (another Legislative Assistant to Paul Gosar)

Steve Twist (lobbyist with the Chamber of Commerce)

Tom Van Flein (Chief of Staff for Paul Gosar)

James Keating

Thomas Grier (former LD16 candidate and also with the Keating Group)

So, where does Mr. McArthur actually stand on the issues?

Let's look at his brief statement on education since that was Rich Crandall's pet issue.   

I believe that education is truly an investment in our future. As a State Senator, I will promote quality education that prepares students for the workforce.


These are the same vague buzzwords used by proponents of Common Core.  "Quality Education" and "prepare for the workforce" were the excuses that led to the Federal Department of Education power grab to transform our educational system. 

And who has been actively campaigning for Common Core?

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber's push for Common Core falls right in line with their support for other cheap labor issues like amnesty. They often use the word "skills" when referring to the needs of area businesses.  That is exactly what Common Core does.  It teaches "skills" not "standards."  Driving a truck is a "skill."  Coding repetitive computer codes is a "skill."  What better way is there to suppress wages and saturate a labor market with low skilled workers than to dumb down the educational system and create more (un)educated cheap "skilled" labor. 

Proponents of Common Core including the Chamber of Commerce, have spent the last couple of years trying to coerce companies to endorse the new "higher" standards  skills.

The Arizona Chamber has worked closely with the Arizona Ready Council to help market Common Core.  Just last month, the U.S. Chamber held a Common Core Strategy Session meeting in Phoenix where attendees learned how to "tailor your messaging to make the biggest impact in your community." The Arizona Chamber has helped to coordinate a Common Core "toolkit" which is provided to companies to make it easier for them to promote the new "higher" skills.  This kit is complete with tag lines, talking points, pre-written letters to the editor, email samples for employees, media contact information, and an elevator speech.  

The non-profit Achieve has also been working closely with the Chamber to coordinate efforts.  In fact, Craig Barrett, former CEO of Intel is the Chairman of Achieve and strangely enough, Barrett also chairs the Arizona Ready Council.

Recently, the Arizona Chamber was actively involved in defeating bills in the state legislature which would have brought back state and local control of education. Todd Sanders, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Chamber said, "We are going to need a world-class educational system to compete regionally and globally."  

Maybe the Chamber hasn't read the recent study which found that 81% of U.S. engineers are qualified to work in multinational corporations compared to only 10% of Chinese engineering graduates and 25% of Indian engineers who are prepared to work in multinational corporations outside of China or India. 

Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber stated that his organization intended to make sure that none of the bills get to the Governor's desk.

Why?

Cheap labor.

We have serious reservations about a candidate who comes out of no where, is barely old enough to run for office, didn't bother to make the effort to be an elected PC, works for an organization that is actively working to create amnesty for illegals and ram Common Core down our throats, and will be nothing but a clone of Rich Crandall, Bob Worsley, John McComish, Michelle Reagan, Adam Driggs, and Steve Pierce.

Haven't we had enough?