I recently spoke with Kristi Marinez, the wife of medically retired Apache County Sheriff’s Office deputy Robert Marinez. On Nov. 6, 2001, Robert was shot twice in the head while making an arrest.
We’re treated with regular reports about the progress and success made by U.S. Rep. Gabriel Giffords following her head wound, but Marinez’s recovery is far from a happy headline.
Kristi told me how her family’s life has changed since her husband was wounded. Her tale was sad and disturbing, their suffering painful to hear.
There is no storybook ending for the Marinez family.
Kristi was extremely concerned about the legislative plans of state House Speaker Kirk Adams and state Senate President Russell Pearce, both R-Mesa, to eliminate the annual pension increases provided to disabled police officers and firefighters — something the Marinezes have come to depend on since Robert was medically retired in 2003. I can’t repeat her words about the planned cuts, but she told me they’re just barely getting by as it is. Right now she’s trying to figure out where to find $2,000 to pay the taxes on their home.
When we first spoke several years ago, she told me she had to drive 150 miles one way three times a week, in a car with well over 100,000 miles on it, to get her husband rehabilitative care. She now only has to drive 75 miles one way when her husband needs treatment. Having that mileage cut in half is a big deal to Kristi.
While thinking of how thankful Kristi was that her trips are shorter, I couldn’t help but think of Adams and Pearce and other legislators whose names have been mentioned in the Fiesta Bowl scandal being chauffeured around the country to watch football games.
The Fiesta Bowl is under investigation for possible criminal, civil, tax code and collegiate football rules violations for its involvement with the Legislature. The scandal is being compared to the 1991 AZSCAM corruption investigation of the state Legislature.
As the Fiesta Bowl spends thousands of dollars lobbying the Legislature and our elected legislative leaders are treated like rock stars — eating good and sleeping in fine hotels like the five-star Ritz-Carlton — the Marinez family isn’t able to afford health insurance from the vendor selected by the Legislature to provide coverage to public safety pensioners.
The Marinezes can’t afford to lobby the Legislature like the Fiesta Bowl to get the help they need, or to even keep the benefits they have. I doubt seriously whether anyone at the state Capitol would even be interested in taking or returning a call from Kristi — or would even remember Robert’s injury.
Until the scandal broke, I’d have bet a week’s pay dozens of state legislators would have been standing in line to take a call from the Fiesta Bowl. No doubt those who traveled and partied on the organization’s dime remember the names of those who rolled out the red carpet for legislators and their families.
That royal treatment has paid off for the Fiesta Bowl: The Tribune carried a report on March 30 that since 2002, nine pieces of legislation have been introduced designed to benefit the Fiesta Bowl.
Sadly, a wounded deputy can’t afford to pay to play with the Arizona Legislature, so no one has introduced legislation to benefit the Marinezes — just to hurt them.
• Retired Mesa master police officer Bill Richardson lives in the East Valley and can be reached at bill.richardson@cox.net.
Dale Whiting posted at 7:39 am on Fri, Apr 15, 2011.
Those who complain about public employee unions and lavish retirement benefits need to contribute some thought to Bill's observations. Far fewer people would opt to serve as police and fire men and women if these benefits were not a part of the benefits given in exchange for these jobs. We sing the praises of our all voluntary military who "fight for our freedoms" overseas, giving them VA medical benefits and disability retirements. Why not do the same for those who fight for our freedoms here?
Leon Ceniceros posted at 9:13 am on Fri, Apr 15, 2011.
I GUESS THE DAYS OF POLICE OFFICERS TAKING CARE OF ONE OF THEIR OWN ....LIKE SO MANY OF OUR GREAT AMERICAN VALUES...HAS FALLEN BY THE WAY SIDE. POLICE DEPARTMENTS ALL OVER OUR GREAT STATE HAVE...ARIZONA FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE LODGES (FRATER IN LATIN MEANS BROTHER).
THIS WOUNDED POLICE OFFICER SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING OTHER THAN HEALING. HIS "BROTHER" POLICE OFFICERS NOT ONLY IN APACHE COUNTY BUT ALL OVER OUR GREAT STATE SHOULD BE STANDING NEXT TO HIM, SUPPORTING HIM AND OFFERING ANY ASSISTANCE THAT HE NEEDS.
EVERY MONTH THERE ARE POLICE CHARITY DRIVES FOR NATIONAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS. I SEE FANCY BENEFITS DINNERS AND FANCY CONVENTIONS ON THE NEWS ALL THE TIME....WHY CAN'T SOME OF THIS MONEY GO TOWARD HELPING THEIR OWN BROTHERS IN NEED.
ONE OF THE MISSION STATEMENTS OF THE ...ARIZONA FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE IS TO..........."CULTIVATE A SPIRIT OF FRATERNALISM AND MUTUAL HELPFULNESS AMOUNG OUR MEMBERS AND THE PEOPLE WE SERVE".
I HOPE THAT ONE OF THE BIG SHOTS IN THE ...ARIZONA FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE (LOCATED HERE IN PHOENIX) WILL COME TO THE AID OF THIS WOUNDED APACHE COUNTY POLICE OFFICER.
AS TO EQUATING OUR MILITARY WARRIORS AND POLICE OFFICERS...YES, I AGREE THAT THE MISSION IS THE SAME BUT THE DAY TO DAY CIRCUMSTANCES ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
POLICE OFFICERS GO HOME TO A HOT MEAL, A HOT SHOWER AND A CLEAN BED.
OUR MILITARY WARRIORS ARE 5000 MILES FROM HOME, MANY LIVE IN TENTS WITHOUT HEAT OR AIR CONDITIONING, EAT PRE-PACKAGED "MRE" MEALS 3 TIMES A DAY (IF THEY ARE LUCKY THAT IS), 3 MINUTE SHOWERS ONCE A WEEK (AGAIN IF THEY ARE LUCKY) AND SLEEP IN THE SAME SLEEPING BAG FOR 12 TO 15 MONTHS. IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME....GO TO ..."ANYSOLDIER.COM" AND CLICK ON "WHERE TO SEND" AND READ THE "WISH LISTS" OF HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF OUR MILITARY. THEY AREN'T ASKING FOR "BABY WIPES" BECAUSE THEY HAVE INFANTS OUT THERE...THEY NEED THEM TO "CLEANSE" THEMSELVES BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE A HOT SHOWER TO COME HOME TO EVERYDAY.
AS FOR "AUTOMATIC" COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS...........DO AMERICAN CITIZENS (NOTICE I SAID "AMERICAN" NOT ILLEGAL ALIENS FROM SOUTH OF THE BORDER)...GET "AUTOMATIC" COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS......HECK NO !!
WE ONLY GET THEM IF THE INFLATION RATE GOES UP.
I READ SOMEWHERE THAT IN 2002...THE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT FOR AN ARIZONA PUBLIC SERVICE RETIREE WAS ....12.5% OF THEIR MONTHLY SALARY.
SOCIAL SECURITY RETIREES ARE LUCKY TO GET $20 A MONTH AND THEN THE GOVERNMENT RAISES OUR MEDICARE ACCORDINGLY SO THE RETIREE GETS = SQUAT.
AS FOR OUR POLITICIANS GETTING FREEBIE BOWL TICKETS ....HOW MANY BIG SHOT POLICE CHIEFS AND FIRE CHIEFS GET THE SAME ....FREEBIE'S ????
mikedurham posted at 10:31 am on Fri, Apr 15, 2011.
The opportunities to care for those who protect us go down through budget cuts and the opportunities to get shot go up with the advance of the guns bills. No middle ground seems to exist. If health care cuts go through, then the Martinez drive may actually go back up to 150 miles because of health care industry elimination of jobs to accommodate cash flow adjustments. As I understand it the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee recently received a threatening note from a person who owned a .45 Remington, of course the Chairman called the police and turned over the evidence in the form of the note to the responding officers. The Chairman also ardently supports liberalizing gun laws. With the Martinez case in the mix of issues, I just wonder, "What is wrong with this picture?"
KJDaVinci777 posted at 10:07 pm on Sat, Apr 16, 2011.
Bill, You are on target again, and it does not surprise me that Guv wannabe Pearce is behind this travesty...Question: How can a corrupt person like 3 K Pearce have Ariz BS'ed. Is he the same Pearce that Napolitano saved from being indicted...Is it true that Joe the AR-Clown was going to fire Pearce...If that is the case how can one corrupt fire another corrupt? Ariz must stop voting for evil clowns...The DaVinci State deserves better...Pearce and your 2 "super" sheriffs (in their own mind) should go work for the Obama regime.aka as the OUTFIT...also can be found in the OC section of any Mafia store near you...