The Ruthie Report with guest Art Bedford

GUEST: ART BEDFORD of the Texas Border Volunteers and the National Tea Party Immigration Coalition

While “jobs”, the economy, and the deficit are certainly important to the majority of voters, illegal immigration, the terrorist threat it poses, and the drug cartel violence spreading over our southern border are prominent issues in our state. In fact, there can be no substantive discussion about jobs, budgets, the cost of health care, the cost of education, or the cost of social services, unless the issue of illegal immigration is also addressed. This issue has not been adequately addressed in any candidate’s campaigning and certainly not in the mainstream media debates. No candidate who visited Arizona raised the issue himself or even bothered to travel to the border area to see how safe it really is.

Art Bedford is an Air Force retiree who spent 39 years as a communications Intelligence Collector and Analyst. He was born in Northern New Jersey but claims Texas as his home. He has a Bachelors degree in Management from Texas State University at San Marcos, formerly Southwest Texas State. He is the Chairman of Texans for Initiative & Referendum Rights, a non-profit project whose sole purpose is to obtain for Texans the right of direct binding initiative and referendum for state laws and constitutional amendments. Art is also the State Coordinator for the Citizens in Charge Foundation, another non-profit national organization dedicated to promoting the initiative & referendum process. He is also an active member of the Texas Border Volunteers, a group dedicated to assisting law enforcement officials with securing the border, upholding the rule of law and educating the general public with regard to immigration issues.  Immigration Coalition dedicated to stopping illegal immigration, securing our borders, and preventing amnesty. He and his wife, Loretta, reside in San Augustine, Texas.