Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

The Clean Power Plan overreached, in that it would have imposed massive costs on U.S. consumers. But it offered little gain in return. A fully implemented plan would have yielded only a theoretical 0.018 degrees Celsius reduction in global temperatures by 2100, and reduced power plants CO2 emissions by less than 1 percent.

Higher education is one of the most important investments for an individual’s future and our future as a state, an investment that will transform individual lives and elevate our state’s standard of living and quality of life.

This academic year, Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. In a few days, a record number of talented students will sit down for their first day of “The Human Event,” Barrett’s signature first-year seminar.

The Grand Canyon and Saguaro National Parks, Lost Dutchman and Patagonia Lake State Parks – if you’ve been to any of these popular outdoor places and many others in Arizona, you’ve enjoyed the benefits of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)

There is a rot spreading through the nation’s criminal justice system, and federal investigators and prosecutors in Arizona are showing symptoms of the disease. Prosecutors nationwide are bringing extraordinarily aggressive cases against Americans engaged in the political process, and federal prosecutors in Phoenix have recently concluded — and lost, due to a hung jury followed by a dismissal — a trial in which they accused four American citizens of a conspiracy to bribe a member of the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Since June 2017, 1,233 Arizona residents have died from opioid overdose – the highest reported number of opioid deaths in our state in 11 years. The opioid scourge in Arizona is very real. Data reveal that in one Arizona county, four physicians wrote more than 6 million prescriptions for opioids in a one-year period. That county has a population of 200,000.

Candidates would be wise to listen to Heidi and the other older voters who will turn out, because history has shown they are “The Deciders.”

The investigation to reveal all this looks very different than what is being described in terms of scrutiny of these signatures. It should start with a simple phone call to a sample of the voters to see if they signed the petition and, where were they when they signed, cross referenced against others on the same sheet. They should sample the bottom five signatures on each page separately from the first five signatures, particularly on full pages or perhaps only on full pages.

Arizona needs higher taxes to properly fund education for its current and growing population by adopting a sustainable and reliable taxation policy that is fair and balanced. Many voters favor taxing themselves more to increase funding for education and do not want to receive handouts from the wealthy. It would be a shame if voters reluctantly support #InvestInEd because they weren’t given a choice to vote for my alternative income tax proposal.

The issue of voting is complex, challenging and confounding. But with the report identifying certain gaps in the electorate, it is hoped that opportunities will surface as ways to collectively address Arizona’s voting crisis in a concerted effort to enhance a democracy of the people, by the people and for the people.