Sun Lakes Republican Club Meeting Minutes
When: February 11, 2026 6:30-8:30
Where: Sun Lakes Country Club #1 Navajo Room
Who: approximately 80 people.
AGENDA:
- Mike Tennant welcomed the guests.
- Carolyn McCorkle led the Invocation.
- Len Minkus led the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Carolyn McCorkle made the following announcements:
- Starting in September, we will be switching to the 3rd Wednesday of the month for the regular club meetings.
- Shane Krauser is interested in providing a workshop on the Declaration of Independence and Constitution for $10-15.
- If interested let us know and we will schedule this workshop which will help you giving effective answers to your friends, family and neighbors about the importance of preserving our Republic that our Founding Fathers created. This is appropriate being as this year is 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. (About 6 people raised their hands.)
- We “go dark” in the summer months due to scheduling of people’s summer vacations. She asked how many people are interested in having a meeting informative or social during the summer? (About 6 people raised their hands.)
- She informed them that an email essay on ICE was mailed to them. If they wanted it sent out again they were to see the Secretary (2 people requested a copy)
- Constitutional Minute: The legislative powers are granted to the Congress (legislative branch) ONLY. That means only Congress has the power to make laws. You can find this in Article I. Constitutionally the bureaucracies which have been established are unconstitutional. These bureaucracies are not allowed constitutionally to make laws to govern us. They clog up our courts, cost us money and make our lives more complicated than they need to be. Some examples of bureaucracies are: DMV, IRS, EPA.
- Regarding Mid term elections: Primaries are coming sooner than first announced. The last day to register to vote in the Primary is June 22. Early voting begins June 24 and ballots are mailed. Primary Election Day begins July 21.
- Our first guest speaker was Mark Stewart. County Supervisor Mark Stewart kicked off the meeting with his presentation on “Maricopa County: Where We Are and Where We’re Headed!” Mark offered a brief recap of 2025 and then presented his vision of what he hopes will be accomplished during the 2026 session. Stewart is a devoted family man, a successful small business owner, and a passionate public servant who believes the most effective government operates minimally yet efficiently, with the community’s best interests at heart.
Before his election to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Mark served on the Chandler City Council, where he championed initiatives that prioritized safe neighborhoods, community engagement, and sustainable economic growth. His leadership focused on creating spaces where businesses could thrive, families could feel secure, and citizens could connect. Mark stands for transparency and rigorous accountability in government, and he was happy to answer our questions after his speech.
Some of the things he is interested in doing this year are : investing in AI for better customer service, getting the 1/5 of a cent “jail tax” passed to support our jails and police departments, and do what needs to be done to create more transparency in government. In dealing with the current issues between the BOS (County Board of Supervisors) and the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office, he is recommending a compromise could be made by moving the restraints put on the Recorder’s office back to the 50/50 split of control that existed before Adrian Fontes became Recorder. The BOS has asked Recorder Justin Heap to attend a public meeting to explain his remarks that the voters were “disenfranchised in the last election”. Recorder Heap is suing the BOS. They are still negotiating. Mark would like to have BOS meetings to be open public meetings which may be attended by the public or observed remotely by YouTube or the like. He wants to see more transparency. He explained that the BOS doesn’t make the rules as to how elections are conducted. All the BOS can do is enforce existing laws of elections. These laws are made by the legislature. They can also be established through voter initiatives.
There was a Question & Answer time after his talk. - The Key Note Speakers of the Evening were Keith and Sam Degreen. One of our very popular speakers is Keith DeGreen, who presented on the topic “Economic Trends Confronting America and the World.” Keith shared the platform with his son, Investment Advisor Sam DeGreen. Sam helped us glimpse the future-or at least the year ahead-across the world’s security markets with his topic, “Is This the Beginning of the Great Bull Market?”
Keith Degreen is a retired attorney and Certified Financial Planner. He founded two successful investment firms in the Phoenix area, was our Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate back in 1988, and hosted a radio show on KFYI for 35 years. He is an avid sailor and has written several books. Keith and his wife Lynn have five children and ten grandchildren.
Sam Degreen worked at DeGreen Capital Management and at Allworth Financial for five years. He established DeGreen Private Wealth in Scottsdale two years ago, which has become one of the fastest growing investment advisory firms in the state. Sam and his team develop and manage customized portfolio and financial planning strategies, as they continue to use diversified, efficient, and low-cost, exchange-traded fund portfolios. He hosts the “Financial Freedom Show” on Saturdays from 11 AM to 1 PM on 550 KFYI, along with a popular podcast. Sam and his wife Kelsey live in Mesa with their four children.
Sam explained that he believes there can be much optimism in the economy at present. The new Federal Chairman appointed by President Trump, Kevin Warsh, wants to lower the interest rate. This will put more money back in the pocket of the tax payer and prospective home buyer. He expects the economy to keep on improving under President Trump’s leadership. The market exceeded 50,000 this last week! Signs of a growing economy! Growth this Q3 was above expectations at 4.4%
Keith Degreen delivered an entertaining overview of our country during his own personal lifetime beginning in 1949 to today. One thing, he said, has never changed — people are the most concerned over their own personal “micro-economy”. He says this has always been the case because here in America, “If it is to be, it’s up to me!” isn’t just a cute slogan, it’s the driving fact and force of Capitalism. “It screams potential and personal responsibility. The problem with Socialism and Communism, is that in those systems upward mobility becomes a function of ‘who you know rather than your own productivity’”. He tackled questions like “Is American Less Affordable?”, “Is AI a Threat or an Opportunity?”, “Will Cryptocurrency Become the World’s Reserve Currency?”, “Globalization-Good or Bad for US?”, “Budget Insanity?” This was a lot of ground to cover in a 30 minute speech. His conclusions led back every time to preserving our Republic and
Capitalism which is its engine. He gave credit to President Trump for his policies that got inflation down to 2.4% in January of 2026. That was a huge WIN considering the Biden White House had run inflation up to a 40 year high of 9.1% when he left office in 2024. Americans lost 21% of their purchasing power during Biden’s 4 years in office. Making America more affordable by lowering energy costs was another accolade he gave the President. The President, he says,
has led the charge toward reversing Globalization. The President has encouraged ALL countries to put the welfare of their own workers first as he has done consistently with America’s workers. The more each country can manufacture what they need and less they are reliant on other countries, the faster their economies will grow and the safer they will become overall on the global stage. First rule of thumb: Don’t rely on an enemy for things you need, find a truly
friendly country to depend on. Squeezing China and Russia and other hostile countries out of the world economic picture not only weakens them as threats but creates stronger healthier bonds between countries with more similar values. Here at home Keith had some suggestions on how to make home ownership more affordable by letting home buyers get a “refundable tax credit” to cover depreciation on their home over the course of their ownership, This is what investors
have always gotten. It’s time to even the playing ground! Secondly we should try offering 50 year mortgages. This would lower costs for first time home buyers. Finally he repeated the same phrase we have heard from our elected conservatives: “We do not have a debt problem, we have a spending problem.” We need to elect fiscally responsible candidates to office! - The last speaker was Mike Gross running for Congress in District 5. He said his aim is to eliminate fraud and corruption, codify the Department of Justice, cut spending, and bring integrity back .
- The 50/50 Raffle winner won $61.00 this evening!
- The March meeting next month will be here at the same venue and the speakers will be Sheriff Mark Lamb and Congressman Andy Biggs.