When discussing Arizona’s economic future, add water
If you want to glimpse the future of a city or state, all you need to do is look at how it’s managing its water supply.
Working Poor Tax Credit needs to be indexed
Food has the ability to bring people together. We will see that as we go home to spend the holidays with our families this weekend and we experienced it recently when St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance met with legislators and staff at the Capitol.
Time to stop stalling a national conversation about transportation
In Congress, members of both parties are trying to figure out how to fix the nation’s transportation funding problem. What they need to remember, though, is that funding is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the problems with our transportation system.
Patients should not be subjected to dubious medical practices
Senate Bill 1318 now awaits the pen of Governor Doug Ducey. This anti-women's healthcare bill is egregious for many reasons, but its provision on so-called medical abortion reversal is tantamount to quackery.
Arizona voices deserve to be heard by our state Legislature
A game-changing project to increase the public’s participation in the state legislative process is taking shape in Arizona, making it a first again for our state.
Raising expectations for Arizona’s schools
As a product of Arizona public schools and former resident, I am saddened by the bill recently passed in the Arizona House of Representatives on March 11 to repeal the implementation of Common Core State Standards.
Eliminating Common Core would harm student achievement, waste taxpayers’ money
It was just a few years ago that Arizona took a positive step forward with the new academic standards in English, language, arts and math: the Arizona College and Career Ready Standards (ACCRS). Since its adoption in 2010, the ACCRS [better known as Common Core] have been implemented throughout the state’s public schools in grades K-12.
Funding higher education in Arizona – the looming question
How many times are we going to watch this movie? State imposes budget cuts. Recipient fights back. Repeat. Play. Repeat. Play. We’re sick of this movie and have worked diligently to change the script.
Responsible budget puts Arizona on right track
Every election, it seems, politicians give lip service to the need for fiscal responsibility and a balanced budget. But once they are in office, they lack the courage and resolve to actually achieve one. It’s always politically more convenient to spend more than we take in, hide growing debt and liabilities through clever accounting tricks, and leave the consequences for someone else to clean up[...]
Parents, grandparents, students aren’t fooled by the new state budget
Earlier this legislative session, many state lawmakers grilled Charles Flanagan – who was then director of the Department of Child Safety – about why reports of child neglect are still going up. They pointed fingers, made speeches and issued statements about how important it is to protect child safety and reduce child abuse and neglect.
Let’s slash government regulation and open the door for Tesla sales
Government overregulation isn’t a friend of either the business community or consumer. I’ve been pleased that many voices from Gov. Doug Ducey to key legislators to community business leaders desire to cut red tape and simplify government policies to promote economic development.
Arizona faith leaders oppose prison expansion
As people of faith, we are united in opposition to any further prison expansion in Arizona. In particular, we are opposed to the practice of incarceration for profit, through contracts with private prison corporations.