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

There are plenty of news commentators who say America’s workers are doing just fine. They see low consumer prices, low unemployment, and a booming stock market as signs that all is well. But out in the real world, things are more worrying. Millions of Americans are barely subsisting on retail work in shopping malls and restaurants. And the kinds of jobs available to them are now declining in quality.

Prescription drug prices are rising faster than summer temperatures in the Sonoran Desert. For more than a decade now, Arizonans have seen common prescription drugs double or triple in price. What’s more, this has left many vulnerable communities, especially seniors on Medicare, struggling to pay for their life-subsisting prescription drugs.

Democratic voters in Arizona and across the country are divided over which of the party’s top candidates should challenge President Trump. Joe Biden continues to lead the field in most polls, but Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are running in a close second and third place, respectively. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has been rising in the polls but he faces stiff odds of becoming the nominee.

I never set out to become an addict. Like so many people, my path of addiction began with a legal prescription for pain medication after I injured my knee. Every year, an estimated 3 million patients are prescribed post-surgical opioids and become dependent. More than 80% of heroin users trace their addiction to a legal prescription, including me.

Last week, the Morrison Institute released its survey findings on issues important to Arizonans.

When I turned 18, I registered as a Republican without giving it much thought.

After working in Mesa Public Schools for 15 years, I finally retired in 2012. One of the best decisions I made just before retirement was to install solar panels on my home in 2010.

Opioids cost 1,375 Arizonans their lives in 2018 alone. This is a public health epidemic, and we need to leverage every available public-health policy tool to reduce opioid addiction. Fortunately, research into safer pain relievers is paying off and FDA-approved, opioid-free alternatives are now available. This means patients can recover from medical procedures in comfort while taking fewer, if any, opioid doses.

From your most joyful to your most frightening moments, our health systems have been with you, the people of Arizona, on your journey. We, the CEO’s who represent those health systems, believe outstanding, reliable health care is an essential part of the infrastructure of the great state of Arizona.

For retailers, innovation isn’t just a catchphrase; it’s essential to survival. And this is perhaps one of the boldest innovations to come along in some time. Retailers, customers, and local governments will all benefit as we strive to keep retail centers healthy and whole.