Stand Up Old

Stand Up for
Freedom

Reproductive Rights

Public Education

Healthcare

Climate Change

Voting Rights

Prosperity for All

As residents of SaddleBrooke, we realize the good fortune that comes from living in America. But as we look around our state, we are concerned that our children and grandchildren may miss essential opportunities.

That’s why we are launching the Stand Up for Freedom campaign! We vow to protect fundamental freedoms outlined below. For more info, please scroll down to see the fact sheets.

Enshrine Abortion Rights in the Arizona Constitution
- Access to birth control and safe and legal abortion care is essential to women’s health and well-being
- Sadly, the conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court chose to overturn Roe v. Wade
- This fifty-year precedent recognized a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion
- We are joining Arizonans for Reproductive Freedom to enshrine abortion rights in the Arizona state constitution
Address Reduced Combat Readiness
- According to Stars & Stripes Magazine, the reversal of Roe v. Wade has resulted in “diminished combat readiness, recruitment woes, and lower retention of service personnel”
- “Analysts with the RAND Corporation estimated that 80,000 female active-duty troops live in states that ban abortion or have plans to curtail it.”
Eliminate Unnecessary Restrictions to Abortion
- Abortion restrictions make this form of healthcare less safe and disproportionately impact the same people who consistently face systemic barriers to care—communities of color, low-income people, young people, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities

Enshrine Reproductive Rights

I grew up in a fundamentalist Christian home. Abortion was not discussed but my virginity was a regular dinner table topic. My father made it clear that he expected me to be a virgin when I married. Having sex become something I feared. I remember when my friends in high school had sex with their boyfriends and end up needing an abortion. But even in the 70’s, getting an abortion wasn’t easy. I remember it cost $250. My good friend stole the money from her employer (no, the boyfriend didn’t pay). She was caught and fired. While I felt bad for her, I was glad girls could wait until they were older to start a family.

The decision about when and whether to have a child is critical. I grew up with the freedom to choose whether I wanted a child. Because my father was abusive, I didn’t want to have children fearing that I might be an abusive parent as well (now referred to as generational abuse). But with the support of my husband and a trained psychiatrist I eventually moved
forward with having a family and in 1994 gave birth to a daughter whom I cherish.

Due to my strong affinity for public service, I ran for office as an independent and was proud to serve as a councilwomen for the town of Silverthorne, Colorado. I learned about how a city funds essential services such as police, roads buildings
and utilities. I met with angry constituents and learned to solve problems with my Democratic and Republican colleagues. Due to health issues I had to give up my elected office, but I took the knowledge I gained with me.

I assumed my daughter would have all the opportunities I enjoyed. I helped her attend a top university and begin a
successful career in California. But then the world changed. Not due to Covid but because the U.S Supreme Court decided
to take away a women’s fundamental reproductive rights. I was astounded that this could happen, and knew I had to do something. Having recently moved to Arizona, I looked at the candidates representing me and realized that it was time for
Arizona to make fundamental changes to better help all it citizens. So, I joined the Democratic Party and now work to get abortion rights memorialized in the state’s constitution.

Karla T.

Stop Underfunding Public Schools
- Demand legislators stop underfunding Arizona public schools by moving public funds to pay vouchers for private schools
Provide Free Kindergarten
- Countless research shows that the earlier we begin educating young children, the longer they stay in school and the higher their grades and test scores
- We must stop thinking free kindergarten is an “extra” and force school districts to fund free full-day kindergarten through overrides and grants
Demand Equal Accountability
- All schools receiving public money should be accountable
- While public and charter schools do administer state and federal assessment tests, we must require any school receiving public money to conduct the same testing
- We must also demand the same level of teacher credentials to ensure every Arizona student receives a quality education

Support Public Education

After retiring from the Air Force, I wanted to continue to serve in some capacity. I decided to focus on where it all starts...with the education of our children. So, I ran for school board.

Attending public schools ensured I received a well-rounded education in a diverse, safe environment, all of which prepared me for success in life. That’s what wanted for the students in our district as I began my school board service.

I became passionate about ensuring all students had every opportunity to succeed. In fact, my mantra was, “One’s success in life should not be dictated by the circumstances of their birth.” Unfortunately, as it turns out, there is still much work to be done.

School board service opened my eyes to the reality of public schools as the one constant in some children’s lives. A place where they can get at least one meal per day, feel safe for several hours, and have their minds expanded beyond their immediate existence. I also saw how often, given the opportunity, children rise beyond
expectations.

Traveling throughout Arizona and out-of-state as an executive committee officer and eventual president of the Arizona School Boards Association, I learned more about the challenges our children experience. But I also learned how our public schools help them deal with those challenges while continuing to support America’s greatness.

Thomas Jefferson understood that “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people”. He also presciently said a democracy “cannot function without wise and honest officials” and “that talent and virtue, needed in a free society, should be educated [at common expense] regardless of wealth, birth or other
accidental condition”.

Some 220 years later, we are seeing Jefferson’s words come home to roost. A focus on standardized testing has narrowed curriculum, culture wars have vilified teachers and librarians causing a mass exodus of valued professionals, and valuable resources for educating all our children have been drained off by an unaccountable voucher system to fund private educations for mostly wealthier students with taxpayer dollars.

How do we Stand Up for Freedom? We stand up for our public schools. We support requests for local funding (bonds and overrides), we demand our state legislators support public schools, and we run for school board and or support or those who do. The stakes are just too great to do anything less.

Linda L.

Elect Leaders Who Respect the Will of the People
- We value our freedom to elect leaders who respect our will
- Multiple grand juries of everday Americans across races, backgrounds, and parties have indicted former President Donald Trump with 78 felonies in three different jurisdictions
- Trump incited supporters in the deadly January 6th assault on our country, attempting to overthrow the people's vote
Stop Election Interference
- Arizona leads the nation in the number of election interference bills introduced since 2022
- New restrictive voting bills introduced in Arizona include provisions to limit the availability of mail ballot drop boes, tighten voter ID rules, and expand voter purge practices

Protect Voting Rights

Reverse Pinal County Becoming Unlivable
- According to a study by ProPublica and Rhodium Group, Pinal County is the second most at-risk county in the United States of being uninhabitable in the near future due to climate change
- The county faces major challenges regarding heat, farm crop yields, wildfires, and economic damages
Protect Precious Water Supply
- Stop the purchase of water rights by foreign countries and venture firms who want to sell our resources out of state
Reduce Rising Utility Costs by Adding More Democrats to Arizona Corporation Commission
- Utility-scale photovoltaic solar is now one of the cheapest forms of energy generation, and even without government subsidies can cost less than natural gas generation
- Unfortunately, Arizona Electric Power continues adding more natural gas to its generating portfolio and plans to add 180MW of new fast-starting gas-fired turbine generators

Stop Climate Change

Reduce Prescription Drug Costs
- Health & Human Services released a new report projecting that nearly 19 million seniors will save approximately $400 per year on prescription drug costs when the $2,000 out-of-pocket prescription drug spending cap from the Inflation Reduction Act - President Bidn's historic lower cost prescription drug law - goes into effect in 2025
Helps Seniors Retire with Dignity
- Protecting essential programs that seniors depend on, including Social Security and Medicare, is to fulfill an obligation to all Americans: that if you work hard and pay your taxes, these programs will there for you in your retirement
Increase Healthcare Affordability
- With our American Rescue Plan, Democrats expanded the promise of the Affordable Care Act to make healthcare more affordable and accessible than ever before-saving a family of our an average of $2,400 in annual premiums

Safeguard Healthcare Programs

Stop Thinking Supply-side Economics Work
- Under Reagan, Bush, and Trump, giant tax cuts exploded the federal debt, fueled huge profits in the most prominent firms and financial institutions, and stoked a surge in billionaire wealth but did nothing for the average working person
- Trickledown economics has not worked for the vast majority of Americans
Invest in Higher-Paying Jobs
- Manufacturing construction in high-tech electronics quadrupled; tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure spending funneled to states road, water systems, and internet upgrades
- More clean-energy manufacturing facilities were announced last year than in the previous seven combined
Reduce Economic Worries
- According to CNN, the US economy appears to enjoy a soft landing, which many argued was nearly impossible last year
- Inflation has cooled dramatically, unemployment remains low, and the Federal Reserve could deliver rate cuts as soon as March. Plus, US stocks ended 2023 with a bang