Carmona said comprehensive immigration reform should include visas, day-worker programs "that don't impede commerce but actually enhance commerce." They both agreed that border security needs to be stepped up..
Carmona agreed on the need to fight for the state's water rights but blasted Flake for his support of uranium mining in the watershed area of the Arizona Strip, north of the Grand Canyon, which Carmona claims would contaminate water.
Flake countered that the mining would not threaten the Grand Canyon and said he is trying to protect a bipartisan agreement and the area's economic development.
Flake agreed on a need to redo the bill, describing it as being "out of whack." In particular, Flake said he opposes the bill's cotton subsidies to U.S. farmers, which have resulted in annual payments of $150 million to Brazil after they sued the US and the World Trade Organization found the subsidies "unfair" to the global market.
Flake's campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the discrepancy.
A: Not a big fan. They did it in California. They thought that it would result in a lot more competitive general elections there. It looks as if there will be only a few, if any, that will really turn out that way. I kind of like the nominating process we already have. It seems that when we go down this road--like we did with Clean Elections--hoping for something better, it always turns out worse.
Q: Proponents of the initiative hope it would address gridlock. How can we do that?
A: Right now, when you look at the gridlock we have, what's frustrating is that we passed a budget and some people may not like it, but it's a serious budget. And everyone knows that politics is the art of compromise. You have to compromise on some issues if you want to pass something.
A: On the border, we have now--and have had for a couple of years--operational security in the Yuma Sector. If we can just get the Tucson Sector to look like the Yuma Sector, then we have some political space where people will say, alright, let's solve the other attendant issue--employer-enforcement issues, some mechanism to deal with those who are here illegally now, some robust temporary-worker plan that can account for the labor needs we have, particularly in the ag sector, and then some way to deal with those issues like kids who were brought here when they were 2 years old and can't finish school. Those are all issues we're going to have to deal with. But I can tell you, it's a dead end until we can get better border security. Until then, we're just not going to get there.
Q: What does "there" look like?
A: It looks like the Yuma Sector. If somebody crosses illegally, we have a reasonable expectation of catching them.
A: We've got to find a way to ensure, first, that the system that is in place now remains solvent for those who've relied on it their entire lives, that we don't pull the rug out from under those who planned on this. With the Ryan budget, we do that. We say if you are at or near retirement, anybody 55 years of age or older, the system would not change. For those who are under that, we've got to do some things, we've got to recalculate benefits in a way that will make the system solvent over time and also continue to raise the retirement age beyond what it's going to in 2026 (67 years). The bottom line is, unless we change and reform it, it's not going to be there, so we've got to do it. But I don't think anybody's talking about privatization.
A: Obamacare. That's going to be big. For any supporter of Obamacare, that's a heavy anchor to drag around. A really heavy anchor. But then, just overall, debt and deficit; spending; and taxes and regulation. For Richard Carmona, having the president's support, that's nothing I would want to tout very loudly. I would welcome the president to come here and campaign with my opponent.
A: We have to have comprehensive reform. But those of us who have pursued it have realized that that is a dead-end. We have beat our heads against the wall for a long time. And until we have a more secure border, nobody's going to trust the federal government to move on with the other elements of comprehensive reform.
Q: What about opposition among many Latinos to S.B. 1070?
A: Well, one thing I can tell you is Arizonans are incensed when the president tries to sue the state for trying to do the job that the federal government just won't do. But it's not just rounding up those who are illegal that's the issue; that hasn't been the problem. It's what do you do when you've got them. What do you do to have a humane but effective policy to adjudicate the cases that are already here. And that's the bigger issue.
A: Well, I was at the federal level when it was passed here. And I made comments when it was initially passed--the first version that they put out had some language that could be construed as unconstitutional, certainly. And I said at that time that that was imprudent. And then, the legislature went back in and removed that offending provision. But I've just never been able to get excited about SB 1070, because I've known that that hasn't been the issue. We're able to find those who are here illegally easily enough. It's, what do you do when you've got them?
Q: What action should the Supreme Court take on S.B. 1070?
A: I hope they let it stand. I think all Arizonans are incensed when the federal government tries to sue the state for doing what they simply failed to do. So, I hope they let it stand, but when they do, they'll quickly realize that that was not the issue. The bigger issue is what do you do with a population that's already here?
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The above quotations are from 2012 Arizona Senate debates in primary and general election.
Click here for other excerpts from 2012 Arizona Senate debates in primary and general election. Click here for other excerpts by Jeff Flake. Click here for a profile of Jeff Flake.
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