Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu has staked his political career on winning the battle against illegal immigration. Unfortunately, he’s used fictional tales, exaggerations and inaccurate statistics to make his case. But this week the sheriff took a new approach in his dialogue on immigration and wrote about solutions beyond border enforcement. The article the sheriff …
Read MoreOn Sunday, I had the opportunity to debate several issues currently in the news during a roundtable discussion with 12 News Anchor Brahm Resnik. I was joined by Republican district chairwoman Jeanette Dubreil and former Democratic district chairwoman Laura Copple. To see the discussion, click on the link below. 12 News Sunday Squareoff
Read MoreI sat down the other night to zoom through some of my programs on DVR and came across the Sunday morning news show, This Week with Christiane Amanpour. She ran a special program on ‘God & Government’ and the role religion plays in public discourse. The program had me hooked… religion, politics, civility… who could …
Read MoreAmerican schools spend an awful lot of time focusing on student deficiencies. In our zeal to leave no child behind, we concentrate our resources on those who have lower than average test scores in reading, math or science, while doing little to advance students’ average or above average abilities. This lopsided take on a one-size-fits-all …
Read MoreWith all the craziness that has hallmarked Arizona’s current legislative session, there’s been little cause for celebration. But yesterday evening, smiles and cheers rang through the state, and we have Governor Brewer to thank. It’s unusual for me to praise Governor Brewer. We have differing ideas about immigration reform and education funding, among other things. …
Read MoreBased on everything I’ve read or watched in the local news, I’ve gathered our state pension problems, specifically the problems with the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) are the result of cushy retirements… greedy fat cat cops and firefighters milking the system while the rest of the workforce deals with unemployment and dwindling 401Ks. …
Read MoreRepresentative Kirk Adams and other Republican legislators are touting the fact that Arizona now has a balanced budget free of gimmicks or borrowing. Accordingly, we should be proud of our legislators for doing the difficult job the federal government has yet to do and likely, will not accomplish anytime soon. And how I wish I …
Read MoreIn today’s Arizona Republic, Representative Jeff Flake went on the defensive, saying, in effect, that he hasn’t changed his views on immigration reform but rather that politicians in D.C. have closed the door on any type of compromise. And to be honest, he’s correct. The political atmosphere in our nation’s capitol is hostile and self-serving …
Read MoreI recently did an interview with Stephen Lemons of the Phoenix New Times. The original line of questioning revolved around my feelings toward the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (PLEA) and its stance on immigration and the role of local police. The resulting article was a flattering write-up on the blog. You can read Mr. …
Read MoreIn a repeat of Arizona politics, Congressman Jeff Flake rips a page from the playbook of Senator McCain and goes from maverick moderate to right wing revivalist. It seems the pressure from his party’s extremist base turned a once independent thinker into just another typical politician. While many progressives claimed they weren’t surprised by the …
Read MoreSince guns don’t kill people and more guns equal safer communities, Arizona has decided it plans to be the safest state in the nation by arming as many individuals as possible. In the last year, we’ve eliminated permits for concealed weapons, stripped the requirement for training, allowed guns in parks and bars and are now …
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