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

Mr. Montgomery’s most recent defense of programs that only touch on Arizona’s bloated prison system misses the point. With Arizona spending an average of $23,000 per prisoner, we know we can use taxpayer dollars far more effectively to reduce crime, save taxpayer dollars, and improve outcomes than Mr. Montgomery has proven willing to do.

At the Democratic presidential primary debates in Detroit last week, the candidates jockeyed to explain their plans to reduce health care costs. Each candidate backed some form of Medicare for All system, which researchers say would only further increase health care costs -- even if patients are further shielded from them.

Senators Baldwin and Hawley know that achieving a competitive dollar is not a partisan issue. It’s an American concern that can boost manufacturing, raise incomes for farm families, and rebuild our middle class. Those are goals we can all share.

rizona will need to bring the same quality of leadership and creative problem-solving that produced the DCP success story when water stakeholders resume work on the other pillars of a sustainable water future: protecting groundwater in both urban and rural areas, starting the regional process of re-negotiating the 2007 Interim Guidelines, and finding collaborative ways of conserving water while benefitting Arizona’s rivers and streams.

Public utility commissioners and policymakers need to think very carefully about passing the costs of these mandates onto consumers. Trading reliable, affordable power for less reliable, more costly alternatives deserves serious scrutiny.

President Trump has employed bold and creative measures to resolve the humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border, and the new asylum rules are among the most important initiatives he’s taken so far.

PropTech keeps the momentum going. I thank Gov. Ducey for his leadership and the Legislature for the bipartisan support to keep Arizona’s frontier heritage alive for the high-tech pioneers of the future.

Besides the imposition of a new special statewide taxing district which would be a first, we also are potentially facing the largest single tax increase, if passed, in state history. It is almost an outright 15% annual increase for the entire state budget!

ERA proponents ought to make their case to the public based on fact: The ERA is not necessary for women’s equality or reaching one’s “full human potential,” but it could set the stage for virtually unrestricted, taxpayer funded abortion.

For the second year in a row, Phoenix earned a ‘D’ grade in financial health from Truth in Accounting due to our pension debt.