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

As tensions between the U.S. and China escalate, Washington is waking up to the threat posed by Beijing’s longstanding espionage and cyber hacking. But there’s another looming problem – and one that’s been overlooked for too long: America’s growing dependence on China for prescription drugs.

Three things are clear after reading U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko’s June 27 opinion piece accusing Democrats of not wanting to address the crisis at the border: her willingness to mislead voters on the facts, her willingness to blame others for Congress’ inability to address the problem, and proving she has no solution herself.

In just a few years, new business and higher education centers have emerged downtown along with many more housing and entertainment options and a soon-to-be-completed new grocery outlet in the center of the city. In cities across the state, the downtown area no longer goes dark after 5 p.m., but is a place where people live, work and socialize throughout the day.

Misleading or factually inaccurate attacks on merit selection undermine the public’s confidence in the judiciary. Ducey’s appointments have been the least partisan and the most diverse of any governor, Democrat or Republican.

I urge my representative, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick and neighboring Democratic district representatives, U.S. Rep Tom O’Halleran and U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, to oppose raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Arizona employees, business owners and their local communities will thank them for it.

There is a reason the Los Angeles Dodgers don’t get to pick the starting pitchers for the Arizona Diamondbacks when they play against them.

The old saying, “Nobody can fight city hall,” does not apply to members of “Building a Better Phoenix.” We have decided to fight City Hall on August 27. Vote Yes on Proposition 105 and deliver a knockout blow to government waste and insensitivity to the little guy.

In Arizona, help for our schools can always wait, it seems. A 903-1 student-to-counselor ratio is an emergency. The consequences of delay could be tragic. Our state's response requires more urgency than "wait until next year."

The ERA is our nation’s conduit to everyone – male and female – reaching full human potential. The injustice to women and families stops here and now, when we raise our voices in unison and compel lawmakers to ratify the ERA. Let freedom ring and equality reign.

We are on an unsustainable path that we cannot continue. I will be introducing legislation in the coming weeks to address the border crisis and fix the loopholes in our immigration laws. I hope my Democrat colleagues will join me in ending this crisis once and for all.