Michael Bryan By Karl Reiner The anemic economies of Latin America have never been a U.S. foreign policy priority. There were always more important matters to contend with: the Cold War, events in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. As the American economy expanded, it attracted job seekers from the sluggish economies to the south. They followed … Read more
Dem? Green? Nope. You will note that Republican candidate for state legislature Ethan Orr has signs up around the district. You can see one here. There are are a few unusual things about them. They are blue and green, not the usual color choices for Republican candidates. More indicative of Dem and Green party candidates. … Read more
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: