Partisanship and misplaced priorities are holding Arizona back
Arizona worked better when I grew up here and got my start. The Babbitt-Barr era was one of the most productive periods in Arizona’s history, but there was no secret to our success — we set big goals and worked together.
Here are reasons why Brewer should sign optometrists’ prescription bill
HB2380 allows optometrists to write prescriptions for several types of medicines, including the Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors that helps glaucoma patients in emergencies. Forty other states allow optometrists to use oral glaucoma medicine.
Supreme Court’s campaign contribution decision to have substantial impact
Pundits have alternatively saluted and denounced the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this month striking down aggregate campaign contribution limits as unconstitutional. Few, however, have addressed the decision’s impact on states, candidates, and contributors in years to come.
Why Arizona’s regulatory moratorium is unnecessary
We expect our drinking water to be clean and safe and our lakes, rivers and streams to be places we can fish and swim. Why is this so? Forty-four years ago on April 22, the world embarked upon a still unfinished journey to protect the environment from the unintended effects of our industrial society. The Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act are just two of the key pieces of legislation our Congre[...]
A fond memory: ‘Kicking Butts’ at the Arizona Capitol
High school graduation is around the corner and among this year’s greatest memories is my day at the Arizona Capitol as a youth advocate for Students Taking a New Direction (STAND), Arizona’s anti-smoking youth coalition.
Guess who’s coming to dinner: Wolves
Recently a benefit was held in Scottsdale dubbed “Dinner with Wolves.” The Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, and many environmental groups want the Mexican wolf returned to what they consider the wild landscape of Arizona. They also want to maintain protections for the Mexican wolf by listing it as “endangered.”
Scott Smith: Leadership requires us to be bold
In the world of politics, full of polls and focus groups, “safe seats” and stacked districts, few people ever see fit to take a chance. That’s the opposite of business, where every day entrepreneurs put everything on the line in pursuit of success and happiness.
Say no to predatory-driven risky loans
While Arizona recovers from an economic crisis rooted in predatory lending practices, a bill before the Legislature proposes another round of risky loans not too far removed from the horrific payday-lending loans now mostly a good-riddance memory.
Arizona’s rideshare bill, HB2262, strikes the right balance
It seems so obvious now. But 25 years ago there was a lot of uncertainty about an idea of mine to create a catalog that would introduce millions of airline passengers with loads of downtime to quirky, unique products they didn’t know they needed (or, in some cases, didn’t know existed).
Saving money, improving lives – investing in medical innovation is a smart budget decision
From our nation’s capital to state houses to all of our kitchen tables, the cost of health care and health care delivery are important conversations.
A flawed education system — standardized testing demands reform
On March 8, thousands of students poured into testing rooms armed only with a sharpened #2 pencil, a calculator and the knowledge that these next few hours could make or break their college applications.
Extensive study generates recommendations to expand public health system
When I agreed to chair the Maricopa Integrated Health System’s Bond Advisory Committee, I thought I knew all about Maricopa County’s public hospital and health care system.