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Ducey stacked the Supreme Court. In return, it diminished the power of the people while expanding the power of his allies.
Gov. Doug Ducey and his wealthy special interest pals were absolutely gleeful last week when the voter-approved education initiative known as the Invest in Education Act was overturned. Ducey & Co. worked overtime to ensure that nearly $900 million in additional education dollars will never reach our classrooms and that our tragic underfunding of special […]
Are they robots? Stepford wives? The Republicans running for governor are anything but real.
When Karrin Taylor Robson, a Republican candidate for governor, launched her first campaign ad last week, I did a double-take. Was this the same woman who Republican consultants pitched as the anti-Kari Lake, the “moderate” in the race who wouldn’t peddle Q-Anon conspiracies and Trump fantasies? If so, we’re in trouble. In Robson’s first ad, […]
The pandemic has been a godsend for Ducey and his anti-public education friends
For those who doubted whether Gov. Doug Ducey was silently working to undermine public education, doubt no more. As a lame duck governor, his war on district schools is no longer being waged in the shadows. He put his disdain for public education on full display during his State of the State speech on Monday. […]
The biggest crisis in Arizona is a leadership deficit
Raise your hand if you’re excited for the 2022 election! Anyone? That’s what I thought. Arizonans, including political nerds such as me, have little reason for excitement, even though the results of next year’s election could mean the difference between saving or undoing our nation’s democracy. The reason for the malaise is simple: far too […]
Katie Hobbs is a liability. Democrats need a plan B in the governor’s race, now.
Arizona Democrats are worried. And for good reason. Katie Hobbs — their frontrunner in the race for governor — has a credibility issue, and it seems to be getting worse with each passing day. The onus for this problem lies squarely with Hobbs. She had an opportunity to show real leadership after Talonya Adams won […]
Investments in people or tax cuts for the wealthy? That’s the real dividing line in Arizona politics
Donald Trump, cancel culture, fake news, critical race theory, border wall. Those are the soundbite issues Arizona Republicans are focused on for 2022 because they believe those are the issues that will motivate their base. Meanwhile, Democrats are focused on…well, I’m not so sure what they’re focused on. Unfortunately, the party has never been great […]
Is the ‘legalized corruption’ that let APS get its way over?
Plenty of APS ratepayers — myself included — have been complaining about our electricity bills for the past four years. We watched our bills skyrocket after the 2017 rate increase while also having to navigate novel and complex rate plans — plans that few consumers understood and that APS’ own customer service reps had difficulty […]
These two election reforms could moderate our increasingly toxic politics
Americans value independent thinking. Competition. Healthy debate. A marketplace of ideas. Or do we? If social media is a gauge of what we cherish, I’d say the opposite is true. These past few years, I’ve watched friends cut ties with family members because they subscribe to different political beliefs. I’ve seen candidates and elected officials […]
Tune in to the made-for-reality-television 2022 campaigns
Move over Tiger King. There’s a new reality show in town that’s even more outrageous than an exotic cat owner’s murder-for-hire scheme. I call this “show” the Real Politicians of Arizona because, just like the “Housewives” series, there’s plenty of back-biting, sensationalized drama and questionable fashion choices. Taking center-stage in this made-for-TV reality are Republican […]
If Kyrsten Sinema wants to be a bridge-builder, she should start with her own party
There is likely no other Democrat that has taken more fire from her party this last year than Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema. Sinema won the ire of progressives because of her insistence on preserving an archaic Senate rule that has historically been used to hamper civil rights: the filibuster. Democrats fear the filibuster will prevent […]
Pandemic polarization is bringing out the worst in some parents
In the not-so-distant-past, adults were expected to set the example for children. Be role models. Demonstrate respectful behavior. Follow the Golden Rule. But today, we are unquestionably failing our kids in this regard, especially as it relates to adult behavior toward school officials. Recently, an Arizona father, armed with “law enforcement-grade” zip ties, threatened to […]
The Supreme Court’s flawed ruling on Invest in Ed should not stand
The Arizona Supreme Court seems determined to find ways to undermine voter initiatives, particularly ones focused on education funding. In 2018, they kicked the Invest in Education initiative off of the ballot because the 100-word statement, which is supposed to be a simple summary of the main provisions of the bill, wasn’t specific enough and […]