Our good neighbor should be a good business partner
“God made us neighbors. We should endeavor to be good neighbors.” Former Arizona Governor Paul Fannin, who created the Arizona-Mexico Commission and recognized the importance of good relations and commerce with our neighbors to the south, said that in 1959.
The Arizona Corporation Commission, water issues and your pocketbook
Lately, accusations of impropriety within the ranks of the Corporation Commission have been released in various news media. It is imperative that the officials of the most powerful group affecting the pocketbooks of the greatest portion of the state’s population remain unbiased and deal with only “the facts at hand” over the rate cases they preside.
Lobbyists helped kill a popular science education bill
According to 2007 and 2013 Gallup polls, lobbying is the most despised profession. Lobbyists are ranked below lawyers, used car salesmen, and even politicians.
More federal research will save lives, kidneys and money
The same year I was born, my dad was diagnosed with a genetic form of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and told he had 20 years to live. When I was 20, I was diagnosed with the same kidney disease that took my father’s life in his early 40’s.
Governor’s plan to bolster education spending is not enough
I give Governor Ducey credit for finding a little additional money for schools, but it’s a temporary fix and it’s simply not enough. Assuming his proposal passes in 2016, it will only increase per pupil funding by $300 in 2017.
Fixing Arizona education: Outdated spending policies should be scrapped
Arizona’s K-12 education finance system must be reformed. This 35-year-old construct demands a review because structural deficiencies presently create significant distortions.
EPA tells Arizona: Not a drop is yours!
Once again the bright lights are shown on the caricature of the federal government regulating everything from cradle to grave – only this time it is from stock pond to ditch.
Renewed trade agreements benefit Americans, create jobs
Creating jobs in America depends on our ability to sell American-made goods and services to the 95 percent of the world’s customers living outside the United States. That is why it is imperative for Congress to renew Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation.
Epitaph for a logo: A book gives way to a sword
I feel I must write an epitaph for a pro bono logo I designed in 1992. On Friday, the Office of the Arizona Attorney General announced the rollout of a new seal. I’m quite certain no one at the office remembers when or who designed it, citing “many years” since a “significant update,” but it was me.
Immediate action needed to avert water crisis
Recent newspaper articles have been replete with accounts concerning the devastating water shortage impacting Arizona and other southwestern states. Due to severe drought conditions Lake Mead, the country’s largest water reservoir, is only 38 percent full and the water level at Lake Powell has dropped to 45 percent.
Restored Clean Water Act protections will benefit millions of Arizonans
With Memorial Day behind us, summer has unofficially begun. And that means Arizonans will escape the heat by enjoying rivers like the Salt and the Verde, fish in the cool pine lakes up north and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
Income tax is toxic to Arizona’s economy
States across the U.S. — including Arizona — are facing major budgetary challenges: 32 are dealing with budget gaps, and many governors are calling for more revenue by raising income taxes, broadening sales taxes, and hiking fees on everything from state park entries to hospital stays.