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

An international research team led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) recently found the cause of a rare type of ovarian cancer that most often strikes girls and young women.

As I watched various committee debates on education issues unfold over this last session, the former 5th grade teacher in me couldn’t help but think about how some of those very same communications and collaboration life skills we teach to Arizona 10-year-olds might just benefit everyone.

Another legislative session is completed. The Republican majority has again failed to work with Democrats for the common good in Arizona. Many of us hoped the bipartisan efforts in 2013 would lead to an increased focus on substantive issues like fixing CPS, restoring the massive cuts to education or passing meaningful ethics reform. Instead, Republicans have concentrated on a strategy of appealing to the most extreme elements of their party to the detriment of Arizona’s children, businesses and workers.

The 51st Arizona Legislature’s Second Regular Session was solid and productive for the National Federation of Independent Business with Arizona’s small business owners scoring gains on taxes and regulatory reform while turning back troubling efforts to unlevel the playing field for small business in economic development.

In a fit of modesty, the GOP-dominated Arizona Legislature stuck to basic business this session, passing a straightforward budget containing a few core funding restorations, and otherwise made few gaffes, despite the efforts of a few headline-seeking members.

Although aggressive driving is a significant contributor to traffic fatalities, attempts to address this problem have not led to a significant reduction in aggressive driving-related fatalities. Understanding the reasons of aggressive driving and how to stop this could help increase traffic safety.

It would be refreshing if our elected officials would occasionally come armed with facts instead of merely opinions. Rep. Bob Thorpe freely admits that he is “unfamiliar with the (Bundy) legal case.”

I vehemently oppose the adoption and continued imposition of the Common Core machine on our state by two non-educators, Gov. Jan Brewer and Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal.

Although the Arizona Legislature and governor continue to outright deny or completely ignore the impacts of climate change, the news for Arizona is not good.

It is my duty and responsibility, and that of every red-blooded American, to speak up whenever government officials behave inappropriately or unlawfully. The aggressive BLM action was completely out of proportion to the 20-year old grazing dispute in question, and thank God no one on either side was injured or killed.