Chandler mom Lindsay Barnes already knows what the National Retail Federation is reporting in a recent study – it costs a lot to send kids back to school.

New labor statistics show that Arizona ranks next-to-last in its recovery of jobs lost in the Great Recession as it still struggles to dig out of the hole from the collapse of the construction industry.

When Mitch Ruttenberg teaches economics at Trevor G. Browne High School, he ends each semester with lessons on credit cards, taxes, budgeting and other aspects of personal finance.

Some Arizonans, especially those in rural areas, face having their water bills dramatically increase when providers need to finance infrastructure improvements.

The old adage — “If it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger” — generally applies to biological organisms. But it could also apply to the financial system in Arizona, which has had 14 bank failures since 2009.

I was surprised to learn from the Friends Committee on National Legislation that 37 cents of every dollar we pay in federal income taxes goes to pay for current and past wars. At the same time, education, diplomacy, and help to the nearly 100 million people living in poverty in this country get only pennies on every dollar.