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

Anyone who says talk is cheap hasn’t hired a lobbyist lately. Arizona government bodies know this well. They’ve been using millions of taxpayer dollars to pay lobbyists for years. Whether it’s fighting against tax cuts or for more government spending, ...

Recently the Legislature increased the homestead exemption protection for Arizona homeowners to $150,000 from $100,000. This was a step in the direction of protecting up to $150,000 of a person’s equity in his or her primary residence from attachment, execution ...

Barry Wong Some days you never forget. It was 110 degrees outside and almost a relief to be in the dentist’s chair. The cell phone rang. It was the governor. A week later I was sworn in to complete Marc ...

Sen. Jay Tibshraeny The November elections demonstrated that voters across this country are questioning the leadership being provided by their elected officials. Arizona’s Legislature can begin the process of restoring the public’s confidence by setting priorities that are in touch ...

Jeff Hatch-Miller A young mother, baby in arms, her 2-year-old in tow, arrived at a small crisis pregnancy center in Phoenix. A hand-written note posted on the center’s door read simply “Closed Due To Vandalism.” The woman, seeking a few ...

At a time of record tuition hikes in the state’s higher education system it is remarkable how some have attempted to sensationalize and criticize a key program and the people responsible for it that reduces student loan costs and increases ...

For candidates, there’s a vacuum in the amount of attention received following an election that leaves plenty of time for reflective thinking. I suppose it’s a normal progression to first look back to take note of lessons learned and to ...

While Democrats in Washington are rightfully basking in their newfound power, it is puzzling why Democrats in Arizona feel they can do the same. Certainly Democrats Governor Napolitano and Attorney General Terry Goddard won convincing re-election, but so did Republicans ...

Sen. Karen Johnson I just returned from a week in Washington, D.C., with a group of concerned women where we learned about the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), also known as “The North American Union.” This partnership was agreed upon ...

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court decided in 1908 that water to grow crops was reserved for Indians who gave up their nomadic ways to settle on reservations and become “civilized,” there has been a question about how much water ...