Recent Articles from Guest Opinion
Stories from Arizona classrooms tell us what’s at stake
In 2020, we must see to it that our committed educators and passionate students have the resources and support they need to be successful.
Celebrate the selfless Americans serving their country
There is a lot to be concerned about right now as there are a lot of unknowns and possibilities yet to unfold. But I encourage everyone to take a minute to celebrate the 0.5% of Americans selfless enough to put aside their own politics and protect us all from whatever mess is either started or needs finishing.
Criminal justice reform should set up ex-prisoners to succeed
About 95 percent of prison inmates will eventually be released from custody and will return to our communities. They could be the person standing next to you at the grocery store or your neighbor across the street. While always keeping public safety first in mind, we should all agree that more should be done to set them up to succeed after incarceration. That must be the goal of any criminal just[...]
House Code of Conduct should include funds for time-out chairs
Name calling. Bullying. Making faces. Walking out of a room mid-conversation. Refusal to listen. Playground behavior among 10 year olds? No. This is what happened daily during the 54th Legislature First Regular Session.
Mandatory licensing would reduce gun violence
Arizonans cannot afford to wait to act on the epidemic of gun violence in our state. Contact your legislators today and ask them to introduce a firearm licensing bill.
Congress should suspend Health Insurance Tax
Sometimes it seems that our politicians are more concerned with fighting each other than getting something done for their constituents. But I am pleased to see that some our Arizona representatives in Washington have done the right thing and co-sponsored the Health Insurance Tax Relief Act (S. 172 and H.R. 1398).
Proposed fed law could lower drug prices for Americans
Impeachment may be the only thing on the news these days, but it's certainly not the only thing happening in Congress. On Dec. 12, the U.S. House passed H.R. 3 , the Lower Drug Costs Now Act.
Arizona’s electric grid has vulnerabilities, but there are solutions
Serving as the Vice Chairman of the CNA’s Military Advisory Board and having served in the U.S. Navy for 35 years, I can assure you that having reliable, accessible, sustainable, and affordable electric power is a national security imperative.
America’s Workers Need Better Jobs
There are plenty of news commentators who say America’s workers are doing just fine. They see low consumer prices, low unemployment, and a booming stock market as signs that all is well. But out in the real world, things are more worrying. Millions of Americans are barely subsisting on retail work in shopping malls and restaurants. And the kinds of jobs available to them are now declining in qua[...]
Proposed federal law can help manage rising drug prices
Prescription drug prices are rising faster than summer temperatures in the Sonoran Desert. For more than a decade now, Arizonans have seen common prescription drugs double or triple in price. What’s more, this has left many vulnerable communities, especially seniors on Medicare, struggling to pay for their life-subsisting prescription drugs.
Warren rises on popularity of anti-wealthy rhetoric, falls on Medicare for all
Democratic voters in Arizona and across the country are divided over which of the party’s top candidates should challenge President Trump. Joe Biden continues to lead the field in most polls, but Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are running in a close second and third place, respectively. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has been rising in the polls but he faces stiff odds of becoming the nomi[...]
We need sweeping action to curb opioid crisis
I never set out to become an addict. Like so many people, my path of addiction began with a legal prescription for pain medication after I injured my knee. Every year, an estimated 3 million patients are prescribed post-surgical opioids and become dependent. More than 80% of heroin users trace their addiction to a legal prescription, including me.