Everyone’s in a flutter over Governor Ducey’s plan to increase education funding without raising taxes. How marvelous that the Governor, after working tirelessly to defund schools and defeat ballot initiatives for additional funding, now sees the need to pull Arizona schools up from the very bottom of the funding pile. What a coincidence (wink, wink) …
Read MoreRemember those WWJD – What Would Jesus Do — bracelets from the 90’s? They were a popular way for young adults to wear their beliefs on their sleeve (or wrist), and remember that one’s choices should reflect the teachings of Jesus. Our Republican legislators and Governor Ducey are quick to wear their religion on their …
Read MoreI’d love to have a frank discussion with Arizona voters about education funding. I’d like to know if they really believe more of the same is going to change things or if they just don’t care that we’re in a battle for last place with states like Mississippi. For decades, Republicans have told us that …
Read MoreLet me start by making a confession. My oldest son attends a BASIS school. BASIS schools are some of those “highly performing charters” that reformers love to use an example of everything that’s right with charter schools, while traditional school advocates use as an example of everything that’s wrong. I suspect the majority of folks …
Read MoreOn this week’s Sunday Square Off, I discuss the Protect Your Right to Vote coalition’s efforts to put HB2305 on the ballot, pension spiking in the city of Phoenix and the possibility of U.S. intervention in Syria.
Read MoreI’ve long railed that citizens need to be more than merely spectators in American politics. We must be active and informed participants if we want our country to thrive. And so I’ve decided to heed my own advice and join a coalition that has banded together to overturn legislation that will negatively impact the vast …
Read MoreSal DiCiccio is a masterful politician. In the time he has been in office, he has managed to convince many middle class workers and retirees that other middle class workers and retirees are the reason our city’s economy has tanked, our budget has been squeezed, and our groceries are now taxed. It’s genius, really. When …
Read MoreGovernor Jan Brewer likes to call herself the “Solar Queen.” She often talks about her own personal use of solar power and the fact that under her administration, solar industries have been booming in Arizona. But just as they are doing with Medicaid expansion, Tea Party Republicans, in the name of principle, are set to …
Read MoreThe word “pro-life” has come to define a movement of individuals who believe life begins at conception and that abortion should be neither condoned nor legal. But what about life after birth? Does concern for a living, breathing individual end when that individual is no longer attached to his or her mother by an umbilical …
Read MoreIn the last presidential race, a handful of billionaires handed over millions to their favored candidate to try and sway the outcome of the race. One such billionaire, Sheldon Adelson, gave $95 million to political committees supporting Mitt Romney and other Republican candidates. Imagine how many lives could have been improved, even saved with a …
Read MoreThe Unitarian Universalist Association started an advocacy campaign a while back called “Standing on the Side of Love.” They believe much of what’s happening in today’s world is predicated by hate and fear, and if we “harness the power of love,” we can overcome oppression, exclusion and violence. Compare that message to the one given …
Read MoreThe continuation of the food tax is the least of Phoenix’s worries. The Great Recession along with Arizona’s housing bust ensured we’d feel the pain of an economy dependent on growth for many, many years. Though the Mayor is getting a lot of flack for a broken campaign promise, the reality is we were misled …
Read More“While the legislature’s leadership ignores efforts to target pimps who sell children for sex, Kavanagh is worried about bathroom etiquette.” This was a quote on my Facebook page from retired Mesa police officer Bill Richardson after I expressed my dismay over Representative John Kavanagh’s bill, SB1432, which would criminalize using the wrong bathroom. Kavanagh is …
Read MoreArizona’s first school accountability bill is working its way through the state legislature. SB1444 would base a portion of schools’ state funding on performance, starting at 1 percent the first year and incrementally increasing to a total of 5 percent after five years. The ‘performance funding’ as it’s called, is based on two factors: overall …
Read MoreOn this week’s Sunday Square Off, host Brahm Resnik asks, “Who’s school safety plan is better? Mayor Stanton’s or Sheriff Arpaio’s?” In the race for Arizona’s Attorney General, will Terry Goddard challenge Felecia Rotellini in the Democratic primary? Will anyone in the Republican party challenge Tom Horne? LGBT Ordinance… good or bad for …
Read MoreTwenty years ago when I was in journalism school – before smart phones and iPads and Twitter — I was taught that reporters report the news while columnists editorialize. In other words if you’re a reporter or a news anchor, your goal is to inform your audience, and you should never infuse your personal beliefs …
Read MoreHave you heard about the ‘Bathroom Bill?’ It’s at the top of the kill list for Phoenix’s City Councilman Sal DiCiccio and Center for Arizona Policy’s Cathi Herrod. Also known as the LGBT Ordinance, this proposal would amend Phoenix’s civil rights policy to include sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and disability in its list …
Read MoreArizona State Senator Michele Reagan, rumored to be eyeing a run for Secretary of State, has proposed legislation not to bolster voter turnout but rather to make voting more complicated and cumbersome. This seems counter to what a Secretary of State, the overseer of elections, would desire and counter to the Republican Party’s mantra of …
Read MoreRepublican legislators do not like it when Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts calls them kooks. They want us to believe they are serious lawmakers. But who, in her right mind, would call these bills anything other than kookery? We have a bill that tells the federal government to “go fly a kite.” Another one that …
Read MoreI’m less concerned about who takes credit for implementing comprehensive immigration reform than I am about ensuring it gets done. But since yesterday’s announcement by the Gang of 8, which includes Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, I’ve heard lots of complaining and very little thanks. Who cares if it’s Congress or the President …
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