For weeks, state leaders have insisted they could not identify the names of long-term care facilities with COVID-19 outbreaks because doing so would violate patient privacy laws. This, despite the fact that other states release similar information.

But now our state has admitted there was another (and I’m guessing, more pressing) reason they’ve refused: It turns out that information could be bad for business. And in Arizona, the business interests of private entities outweigh the concerns of consumers, even during a public health crisis.

Surprised?

We shouldn’t be. This is, after all, what it means to run government like a business. Private industries take center stage. Profits take precedence over people.

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“It’s basically a coin toss. Heads, APS wins. Tails, ratepayers lose.”

That was the sentiment from a recent conversation I had with Abhay Padgaonkar, a local management consultant who served as the expert witness on behalf of ratepayers in the Stacey Champion complaint against APS.

I called Padgaonkar last week in search of answers, specifically, how I could determine which APS rate plan would cost me the least.

Like many Arizonans, my summer electricity bills are sky-high, second only to my mortgage. With triple-degree heat combined with more people working and schooling from home, I’m looking for ways to save money.

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I understand why Democrats are pushing for an all-mail election.

Keeping voters away from crowds and minimizing the need for poll workers makes sense. Without a doubt, it’s the safest way to conduct an election during a pandemic.

But let’s be honest. Democrats’ chances of winning support from their Republican colleagues for an all-mail election is as likely as Trump tapping former President Barack Obama to lead a bipartisan task force on reopening the economy.

It ain’t gonna happen.

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Arizonans pride themselves on being an independent bunch.

We prefer our politicians as mavericks instead of sheep. We relish our ability to craft our own laws and outright reject those made by legislators.

That latter example – referenda and citizen initiatives – is what’s known in the political science arena as “direct democracy.” They are guaranteed to us in our state’s constitution, but have been under increasing attack by politicians and special interest groups who seem to believe every day Arizonans are just too stupid to legislate.

Efforts to weaken direct democracy intensified three years ago after voters approved – by a wide margin – an increase to the state’s minimum wage and a guarantee of paid sick leave for all employees.

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I’m not an epidemiologist or virologist, but…

Sound familiar?

Over the last week, a version of this line has spread across social media and onto the pages of our newspapers.

Conservative pundits have used it as a preface for viewpoints that are oppositional to the medical experts and scientists leading the charge against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The commentators and columnists have focused their arguments on two main points: 1) large-scale isolation efforts are unnecessary and/or overblown, and 2) testing isn’t all that important.

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As I write this, the stock market is officially in a bear market after one of the worst weeks in its history. All of Italy – 60 million people – are on lockdown. There are fears of a global recession. All because of coronavirus

But here in America we’re… well, confused.

Is the new COVID-19, caused by the coronavirus, worse than the flu? Should I cancel my spring break vacation to Mexico? How do I keep from touching my face?

Much of the confusion rests at the feet of our inept commander-in-chief, a man who is willing to contradict the experts at the World Health Organization and downplay the seriousness of the virus in an attempt to allay concerns on Wall Street.

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The number one question posed by Arizona political reporters of late is whether a Bernie Sanders nomination spells doom for Mark Kelly, the presumptive Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.

The answer is a resounding no.

A number of pundits believe Sanders harms Kelly because Sanders is just too liberal for purple Arizona. They audibly gasped when Kelly said he’d support Sanders if he became the eventual Democratic nominee, and worried Kelly’s independent image would be tarnished by having Sanders at the top of the ticket.

Critics insist the only way Mark Kelly can defeat Republican Martha McSally is if he follows Senator Krysten Sinema’s campaign playbook to a tee, refusing to endorse anyone in the presidential contest and remaining as politically neutral as possible.

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We live in polarized times, when almost every issue has turned into a wedge issue. Immigration. Climate change. Gun violence. Voting rights.

But one area where there seems to be unity – at least on the surface – is the desire to close the achievement gap in education.

From nonprofits to business chambers to cities and counties, a Who’s Who of Arizona influencers have signed on as partners with Expect More Arizona and the organization’s Arizona Education Progress Meter, which serves as a tool to measure the academic gaps that exist between minority and white and low- and high-income students and to demand our state take concrete steps to address it.

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There are some Phoenix activists who believe the city’s police department has a systemic problem with police brutality.

Others believe the problems are inconsequential, and the activists are part of a larger effort to wage a war on cops. 

My take? The issue is not as black and white as it seems.

Phoenix officers are not trigger-happy racists bent on targeting certain members of this community. The vast majority are exceptional individuals who joined the profession to protect and serve, and some, like my husband, have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their service.

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If you watched the governor’s State of the State address on Monday or viewed his flashy promotional video, you might believe Arizona’s problems are a thing of the past.

As we learned, the economy is roaring! Schools are getting boatloads of money! Jobs are everywhere! The average Arizonan earns $70,000! (The governor failed to note this claim refers only to select, high-income jobs that qualify for state tax incentives.)

Gov. Ducey needs us to believe this fantasy is reality.

Why?

Because otherwise we’d see through the pretty images and fancy talk about how Arizona is a leader among states.

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A recent op-ed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos had me questioning whether or not I was reading an article meant for the satirical news site The Onion.

DeVos was touting her plan to help America’s forgotten students, who she described as “those without the freedom the wealthy, powerful, and well-connected have always enjoyed.” In other words, those students with limited resources who generally end up in schools with lower graduation rates, fewer advanced courses, and dilapidated buildings.

I’m 100% on board with the notion that our country should focus its attention and resources on our so-called “forgotten students.” But DeVos’ ill-informed views that Arizona is somehow a model for doing just that is as laughable as it is frightening.

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We need to focus on the day after Trump is no longer president.

That’s a line Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who is now surging in the polls, repeats often. He believes the next president should be the opposite of Trump, someone capable of ending the chaos that currently dominates D.C. politics and turning the page to a new, sunny day.

I wholeheartedly agree, which is why I think Mayor Pete is the wrong choice for the Democratic presidential nominee.

Don’t get me wrong. I personally like Buttigieg, and he’s obviously quite different from Donald Trump.

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Most of us are familiar with the Goldwater Institute, the so-called liberty-loving conservative think tank that claims its goal is to “advance, defend, and strengthen the freedom guaranteed by the constitutions of the United States and the fifty states.”

It’s a noble mission statement, and one I would personally support. Too bad it’s counter to what the organization actually practices.

A prime example of how the mission falls short is evidenced in the organization’s most recent lawsuit threat.

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If you haven’t heard of the Residential Utility Consumer Office, otherwise known as RUCO, you’re not alone. Though this government organization has been around for more than thirty years, few Arizonans know about its existence.

RUCO is a consumer advocacy agency, funded by ratepayers, for the benefit of ratepayers. Its job is to advocate on our behalf whenever public utilities seek rate hikes at the Arizona Corporation Commission.

But it seems lately, or at least in the case of Arizona Public Service (APS) rate reviews, this agency has been asleep at the wheel.

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Democrats are supposed to be the party that embraces diversity and fights for equality, particularly in the workplace. When individuals in the private or public sector experience discrimination, we are oftentimes the first to demand accountability. 

Yet recently, Talonya Adams, a former staffer for the Arizona Senate Democratic Caucus, received a million-dollar verdict after a jury found her supervisors guilty of unlawful termination based on race and gender discrimination.

It seems Adams, an African American, was fired because she had the audacity to ask for a raise after finding out she was getting paid less than her male counterparts.

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know Arizona teachers are struggling.

Our educators are some of the lowest paid in the nation. Even after a recent round of pay raises, elementary teacher pay still ranks 49th nationally, which is the same ranking prior to #RedForEd.

The pay is so dismal that we’re in our fifth consecutive year of a massive teacher shortage crisis, one that has left more than 1,400 classrooms without a full-time teacher and thousands more led by untrained teachers.

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