Michael Bryan By Michael Bryan Jesse Kelly: so cool he wears a black wool suit in the desert… Now, I certainly expressed the expectation that, if elected, Jesse Kelly would soon resign from Congress and just get a job as a highly-paid petroleum industry lobbyist. But now Jim Nintzel at the Tucson Weekly is reporting that Jesse … Read more
By Michael Bryan
With the current controversies and investigations and audits and partisan bickering around Rio Nuevo, one can hardly fault some folks – even Tucson Democrats – for wanting to wash their hands of the whole vexing thing and just kill the program.
Let me try to convince you that it is a grave error to give up on Rio Nuevo, and we can and should fault those who want to kill the program.
What is Rio Nuevo? Most folks would describe it as an attempt to 'revitalize' Tucson's downtown. Some folks would recognize that it is a very large investment in that goal: about $250 million, so far. A slightly smaller number might know that it is a Tax Increment Finance district dedicated to that goal which has generated that investment.
What do I hope you will think about Rio Nuevo? That it is Tucsonans investing in Tucson's future.
Consider:
Tucson has never had a vital downtown as a major metropolitan city. We had a downtown that worked for a large town many years ago, but that has long since died. We are not trying to 'revitalize' anything; we are now trying to create a vital urban core, essentially from scratch. That is a difficult project for which no one has a rulebook or blueprint. Many have tried in other cities – even here in Arizona – and failed far more miserably than we.
Where does the money come from? Tucsonans paying sales taxes in the TIF district. It's our money. And we have decided how to spend it – and should continue controlling that spending locally, not by remote control from Phoenix. We are spending the Rio Nuevo funds here in Tucson, on Tucson's future – and that is an unalloyed good thing.
Where would the money go if not for the Rio Nuevo TIF? To the general fund in Phoenix for whatever our wackadoodle legislature decided to spend it on. Probably for more tax cuts for the wealthy and powerful. Think that's a better use of our money? I sure don't.
Was the money really spent with "little to show for it" (as is so often claimed) if it was spent locally on local jobs, local ideas, and local contractors on infrastructural improvements, buildings, and projects right here in Tucson? Hell, I would rather dump a quarter billion down our sewers here in Tucson than send it to Phoenix.
Let there be no mistake: those who continue to support the Rio Nuevo TIF are fundamentally supporting the future of Tucson. Those who want to kill it, want to harm Tucson. If a local politician wants to end the Rio Nuevo TIF, they are no friend to the people of Tucson, nor of the people of Southern Arizona who look to Tucson as their metropole. Don't ever forget that, and don't let them use your frustration with the process and priorities so far undermine your support for Tucson's future.
More discussion after the click…
By Michael Bryan
I opined that Obamacare being sustained by the Supreme Court may have been a victory for conservatives in the long term. I discovered someone who laid out the case more eloquently than I ever could, Dr. Marcia Angell, a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School, who recently posted at HuffPo. Her views are required reading, so I have reposted here in entirety. Enjoy:
The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, puts me in mind of the old proverb: Be careful what you wish for. Democrats on a victory lap should watch their step, because John Roberts may have given Mitt Romney a gift. The impact on the health system will be much smaller than the political fallout, because with or without Obamacare, the American health system will continue to unravel — quickly if Romney is elected, slowly if Obama is re-elected.
First the policy, then the politics:
By Michael Bryan John Roberts has performed a brilliant political maneuver in his opinion crafted to uphold the ACA, though he'll get little credit from the crazy wing of the GOP (which is most of it…). He allowed a deeply conservative policy, which the GOP has backed for a generation and the corporate health care … Read more
By Michael Bryan
Let's face facts: given a 3 to 2 registration disadvantage, Democrats are not likely to win any races in CD 5. Barring the proverbial dead hooker, the winner of the CD 5 GOP primary will likely be taking a seat in Congress.
But in the process, a whole lot of GOP shibboleths will be whispered by candidates Kirk Adams and Matt Salmon. Wouldn't it be great if there were a Democrat there with a mic to challenge their assumptions, debunk their misinformation, and condemn their ideological orthodoxy?
There is. His name is Spencer Morgan.
He's not an ideal candidate. He's barely old enough to qualify for the office. He tends to include his time in student government among his leadership credentials. And he seems to think that a cardigan is sometimes acceptable campaign attire.
But Spencer understands why government is neccessary and beneficial, and how to persuasively and unappologetically stand up for Democratic principles – which is a damn sight more than can be said for some candidates twice his age.
During a recent Chandler Chamber of Commerce debate, he consistently challenged the two Republicans' talking points and presented an alternative view on the issues. This is something that Democrats should always do, even in hopeless districts – just in case a dead hooker turns up, and to ensure that the GOP doesn't have the opportunity to turn a Congressional race into a conservative echo chamber.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Spencer for providing that service in a deeply red district. He deserves our support and encouragement. I suspect that this is merely the first office Spencer will be running for, and he will certainly be paying his dues in his current endeavor.
See the debate video after the flip, in which Mr. Morgan throws the monkeywrench of truth into the gears of the GOP agitprop machine, again and again…