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

Living in Arizona for over 30 years I have come to love many aspects of our great state. One area that greatly concerns me, however, is the performance of our education system. Rather than just complain about it, I’ve devoted more than 20 years to reforming K-12 education.

In the debate over Medicaid expansion, the ace up the sleeve of expansion advocates is federal largesse. The federal health care law requires states to eventually cover 10 percent of the cost of expanding Medicaid eligibility; but for the next three years 100 percent of the cost is covered by the federal treasury.

Arizonans are watching as the misinformed rhetoric and vitriol obfuscate an issue that close to a million voters made perfectly clear they support. . .twice.

As a precinct committeewoman from Legislative District 28 in North Central Phoenix, I was once again dismayed and insulted by my own party’s actions. The party faithful toils so hard while party officials squander their labor on undisciplined, mean-spirited name-calling that serves no other purpose than to bolster big egos and small ideas.

With the “fiscal cliff” behind us, Americans now have a new concern on the horizon — the debt ceiling. The fiscal cliff resulted in an average tax increase of $1,600 per year for most taxpayers, and the impact debt ceiling negotiations will have is still uncertain. In light of the uncertainty, consumers are becoming even more diligent when it comes to their spending and saving habits.

As a Phoenix firefighter for 26 years and the president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona (PFFA), an organization that represents more than 6,700 firefighters statewide, I know quite a bit about “protection.” In fact, protecting others has been the basis of my career.

The governor who once championed the plight of ranchers on Arizona’s southern border has created a chasm equal to the landmark in the northern part of the state.

We know when our opponents do not have a strong argument, they resort to personal attacks and don’t really address the key issue, in this case, clean air. In its hit piece “Sierra Club 'Clearing the Haze' comments undermine its credibility” published March 15 in the Arizona Capitol Times, Arizona Electric Power Cooperative (AEPCO) leaves out key factors regarding the cleanup of its coal-fired Apache Generating Station.

Following on the success of the 2011 ouster of state Senate President Russell Pearce, immigrants’ rights groups and others are now aiming at a more prominent official — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

As the father of two young boys, I have great respect for the good work of Keep Arizona Drug Free, even as I may disagree with their political punditry, as expressed in the Feb. 22 commentary “Marijuana legalization is far from inevitable.”