According to a CNN report, President Barack Obama comes out of what is likely the worst week of his presidency with his approval rating holding steady, according to a new national poll.

With reports coming out of the Obama Administration tapping phones of reporters with the Associated Press, to the Benghazi controversy that will not die, to now having the Internal Revenue Service admit they targeted conservatives during the 2010 elections, President Barak Obama has his plate full.

MR. CARNEY:  Thanks for joining us on this quick trip to New York City.  You heard, obviously, the President today in his press conference with the Prime Minister.  So I hope that you found that helpful and useful, but I am here also to take your questions.  Anybody have anything?

According to a USA Report, investigations are likely after an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official dropped a bombshell on Friday, saying they singled out the Tea Party and other political organizations during the 2012 election.

Your editorial, “What can we really do?”, disappointed me for its pessimism. While many people who are discouraged by our political process and remain silent in resignation, that reaction is short-sighted and wrong.

During a visit in Oro Valley last week, Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Congressional District 1, talked about the first 100 days in Congress, and the continued struggles for Democrats and Republicans to agree on many of the important issues facing the nation.

After forming an exploratory committee to consider running for governor, Sen. Al Melvin, R-District 11, is confident that his bold ideas could lead him to the state’s top position in 2014.

 U.S. Rep. Ron Barber introduced bipartisan legislation earlier this week to force Congress to address waste and duplication in the federal government which is costing taxpayers billions of dollars annually.

(NAPSI)—Our economy is slowly rebounding from its collapse but it’s still far from healthy.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., visited the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Monday to discuss his platform on immigration reform and a pending immigration bill that would introduce a guest worker program for illegal immigrants already working in the United States. 

Those who know me, know that I have worked hard to limit the size of government, balance our state’s budget, and get our state’s economy growing again.  They know that I had signs made up that read “Jobs are Job #1” and had them distributed to my colleagues in the Arizona Legislature. And they know that I have had to battle against liberal candidates and groups every two years as part of this struggle.

Rep. Adam Kwasman, R-District 11, said his number one priority is defeating Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal to expand Medicaid in Arizona.

Some Republicans in the Arizona House of Representatives insist on wasting time on extremist legislation that promotes an ideological agenda focused on undermining the federal government instead of working on what matters most to Arizonans – creating jobs and improving education.

Dave Safier certainly stirred a hornet’s nest with his essay defending the Democratic Party.  

The opinions against David Safier and the partisan column by Senator Al Melvin show how much work must be done to restore our State to a Democratic form of government, a Republic, a government of, by and for the majority of the people. That is what David Safier was celebrating.  I am at a loss to identify anything Senator Al Melvin has voted for to help Pima County residents.  He is proud to carry out the agenda of his Republican friends in Phoenix.  We voted for a tax increase to be used for education.  Melvin voted to put the money in the General Fund. When Melvin talks of schools, he is talking about private schools, which can be owned by individuals for a profit.  It they fail, the owner can keep all the school capital assets paid for by tax monies.  Melvin also voted to deny Pima County its share for the Regional Transportation Authority money and to allow the recall of the Rio Nuevo development funds. Using his “hit woman”, Terry Proud, Melvin so intimidated the Redistricting Board, that he assured his re-election by getting an 11 to 16 point advantage against other candidates for his job. 

As the deadline passed for the nation’s across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration, the failure of Democrats and Republicans to strike a deal before March 1 now means $85 billion will be reduced from government programs and federal agencies over the next 10 months, the consequences of which could also be felt locally, though likely not immediately. 

Typically, liberal progressives rally away from facts and towards the use of standard sound-bytes to make their case. Why didn’t Mr. Safier include Jimmy Carter in all his applauds. Long gas lines, extreme interest rates and failed foreign policies, those were certainly bold plans.

Safier’s Explorer rant published Feb. 20, “Democrats create bold, visionary plans”, was party talking points wrapped in grand hyperbole. Dave confuses conservatives with Republicans and uses the terms interchangeably, even though they clearly are not equals. Liberals, both Democrat and Republican, have no trouble spending money that isn’t theirs. 

Just finished reading the Explorer “We Say” section by Thelma Grimes in 13 Feb 2013 edition concerning the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  Thelma says: “Really, we shouldn’t even be discussing it had lawmakers done their jobs and passed it in 2011.”   Well, Thelma, they didn’t, so that means we shouldn’t discuss it now?  Pass laws without discussion?  She goes on to blame the Republicans.  As I understand it the Republican House passed a version in 2012, which the Democratic Senate refused to appoint conferees to work out any differences.  The Senate just passed their version this week.  The House may wish to “discuss” this bill - wow.  Additionally, Senator Hatch (R-UT), one of the original proponents of the law in 1994, voted against this version.  I wonder why?  Perhaps there is the concern that breaches of the law on tribal lands be tried in tribal courts.  Courts that may not be bound by all the Constitutional protections of due process.  This can all be worked out, but it is certainly worthy of “discussion”.  Thelma, it’s time move beyond your version of partisan politics.  It’s not helping.

This article is in reply to a recent Special to The Explorer written by Jo Holt published in the Feb. 20 issue of the paper. Because Arizona has had two balanced General Fund budgets in a row, our state is ranked number one in the nation for business startups.  We went from 46th to number four in private sector job creation. We are 10th in overall great business climate compared to California which is ranked 50th.  During the past four-year recessionary period, we never let K-12 public school per pupil funding go below $9,000 (federal, state plus local funding). We mortgaged the Senate, House and Executive buildings in order to protect K-12 education funding. The north side of Tucson has four outstanding public school districts in Catalina Foothills, Amphi, Marana and Flowing Wells. We have more charter schools per capita and more school choice than any state. We have open enrollment between public school districts, tuition tax credits and a great home school program.

Earlier today, after lengthy debate, the U.S. Houes of Representatives passed the Senate-passed version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

People are a product of their upbringing, and Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) is no exception.

The recently elected State legislators from our part of Arizona seem to think that Arizona’s ongoing economic recovery is due to their leadership and ideology. This is no more the case than it would be to blame the State legislature for the Great Recession that devastated so many lives. They appear to believe that cutting Arizona’s educational system by billions in order to balance the budget has resulted in no real harm. A visit or two to some of our public schools might change their minds.

From Franklin Delano Roosevelt on, Democrats have created bold, visionary plans to improve the quality of life for Americans. Social Security. Civil Rights legislation. Medicare. The Affordable Care Act. They’ve pushed to clean up the environment and educate our children. For more than half a century, Democrats have done the heavy lifting to help make this country a better place, giving their efforts names like The New Deal, The New Frontier and The Great Society.

It’s been very frustrating to watch the debate over The Violence Against Women act continue with our lawmakers. While the Senate was set to pass the bill this week, there were still questions on whether or not the House of Representatives would follow suit and make this important piece of legislation law.