Year: 2018

The corrupting influence of dark money in the Arizona Governor race

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Governor Doug Ducey, the ice cream man hired by Koch Industries to run their Southwest subsidiary formerly known as the state of Arizona, is repeating the corrupting influence of dark money that he used to get elected in 2014 in his reelection bid in 2018.

This after Governor Ducey and his lickspittle lackeys in the GOP controlled Arizona legislature spent the last four years removing any remaining restrictions on “dark money” and blocking every citizen effort to force transparency and disclosure in campaign finances. The final insult to democracy was Ducey’s court packing scheme of the Arizona Supreme Court, which paid off with the court blocking the Outlaw Dirty Money initiative from this fall’s ballot for specious reasons enacted into law by his lickspittle lackeys in the GOP controlled Arizona legislature, the will of the voters be damned.

This is what GOP authoritarianism and its culture of corruption in Arizona looks like. It is grounds enough for you to vote them all out of office.

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Ride Sun Link streetcar for free on October 13, 2018

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 FREE STREETCAR RIDES ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 Ride Sun Link for free to Tucson events  TUCSON, Ariz. – “Tucsonans and visitors can ride the Sun Link streetcar for free all day on Saturday, October 13th, starting at 8 a.m. The streetcar provides convenient travel to several events taking place in Downtown Tucson over the weekend, … Read more

Robert Robb agrees: vote no on Prop. 126

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According to our blog stats, the most searched and shared post during this election has been my post No on Prop. 126, the false and purposefully misleading Protect Arizona Taxpayers Act. Because there is no organized opposition to Prop. 126 spending money on television ads, I am guessing that individuals and organizations have linked to this post as a grassroots No on Prop. 126 campaign. Somebody had to do it.

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The Arizona Republic‘s Robert Robb, the former flak for the “Kochtopus” Death Star, the Goldwater Institute, and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has added his voice in opposition to Prop. 126, albeit to promote his Libertarian hobby horse of a consumption tax, which is bad tax policy.

While we approach this from different perspectives, we both conclude that Prop. 126 is bad public policy that will have dire consequences for the fiscal health of Arizona, and we urge voters to vote no on Prop. 126.

Robb writes Prop. 126 cuts short a necessary discussion about Arizona tax reform:

Proposition 126 is intended to shut the door on an important discussion before it has a chance to get started. And it may have even more devastating consequences than that.

Bankrolled by the realtors, Prop. 126 would amend the state Constitution to prohibit the imposition of a sales tax on services.

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Voter Approval of Prop. 126 will Cut Education and Road Funding

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If voters approve Prop. 126 on Nov. 6, the state will lose $250 million annually in current funding for education and counties will have a dramatic shortfall in money for road improvements. The Grand Canyon Institute estimates that the education sales tax renewal will lose one-third of revenues if Prop. 126 passes, which would currently … Read more

In Memoriam: Carolyn Warner (Updated)

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It is with great sadness I have to post that a cherished member of the Democratic Party family has passed away. Carolyn Warner was one of the nicest, warmest and funniest people you would ever meet. She will be greatly missed.

The Arizona Republic reports, ‘She was a giant’: Education leader Carolyn Warner dies at 88:

Carolyn Warner, an education leader and advocate who nearly became Arizona’s first female governor, died of cancer Tuesday.

She was 88.

“Arizona has lost an icon,” Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams said in a statement Wednesday. “A trailblazer in her own right — Carolyn Warner leaves a legacy of tireless dedication and advocacy for public education that will always be remembered.”

The chairwoman and founder of Corporate Education Consulting began her political career nearly 50 years ago as a Phoenix Union High School District board member. The mother of six said she was approached to run after moving to Phoenix from Oklahoma in 1953.

She became the first non-educator elected as state superintendent of public instruction, a post she held for 12 years. She ran for U.S. Senate in 1976 but lost the Democratic primary to Dennis DeConcini.

A decade later, Warner became the second woman in Arizona history to win her party’s nomination in the governor’s race, only to lose in the general election to Republican Evan Mecham.

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