Rep. Pam Powers Hannley on ballot propositions

10 Props in 14 Minutes: What You Need to Know About Arizona’s Ballot Propositions (video)

Election Day, Nov. 8, is fast approaching. Signs are popping up on street corners, in front yards and on vehicles around town. Social media is abuzz with clever memes and video pop-ups to snag your attention and sway your vote. Traditional TV advertising is carpet-bombing living rooms across the nation with negative messages fueled by special interest groups, billionaires, and dark money. This tsunami of mixed messages from random sources with questionable credentials leaves many voters overwhelmed and wondering which messages are true.

National Infrastructure Bank

Podcast: National Infrastructure Bank Would Rebuild US, Create Jobs & Restore Global Competitiveness

In our history, beginning with President George Washington and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, the US has created four National Infrastructure Banks (NIB). Under Presidents Washington, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin Roosevelt, National Infrastructure Banks built and upgraded infrastructure across the country from roads, damns and bridges to health clinics, schools and the national parks; provided productive work and good pay for thousands if not millions of Americans; increased production and manufacturing capacity nationwide; and created economic vitality.

Known as a “Hamiltonian Bank” or “The American System,” a federal infrastructure bank is a proven way not only to build massive public works projects and put people to work, it is a proven way to jumpstart the economy during or after a major national crisis — like the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Great Depression … or the COVID19 pandemic.

When the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) was created, 90% of rural America was living in the dark. The REA, under Roosevelt’s Reconstruction Finance Corporation, electrified rural America and, with that, increased commerce, the standard of living and wealth in those areas. Today, much rural America is “in the dark” when it comes to reliable Internet. The next National Infrastructure Bank could bring broadband to rural America. That is just one example of how big public projects can solve big public problems and create wealth and stability in parts of the country that have lacked resources and investment.

It’s time for a fifth National Infrastructure Bank in the United States. Across the globe, countries are using The American System to build massive nationwide and sometimes international/regional infrastructure projects. We invented this financial system. Why aren’t we using it?

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A View from the Left Side podcast

Podcast: Blog for Arizona Authors Breakdown the AZ Primary Races

Season 2 Episode 12 of  A View from the Left Side focuses on Arizona’s primary election races — from the Legislature to Statewide, Corporation Commission and Congressional races.

Joining me today for this podcast are three long-term colleagues of mine at Blog for Arizona Michael Bryan, Larry Bodine and David Gordon. Mike is the founder and managing editor of Blog for Arizona. He is a local attorney and served as a prosecutor for the City of Tucson. Larry has been a writer and editor at Blog for Arizona for many years. Larry is also an attorney by profession and a former newspaper reporter. David is a prolific blogger who has interviewed many Democratic candidates for Blog for Arizona. He’s also an accomplished science fiction author.

We’re going to touch on the Legislative races first, since there could be many changes on both sides of the aisle, thanks to redistricting, term limits, deaths and resignations to run for higher office. We’re also going to cover the statewide offices, since Arizona will be electing a new governor and others in the executive branch this year and there is a lot of competition. We’ll close with some comments on the Congressional races and other races as we have time.

We’ll start with the hot races in the Legislature on both sides of the aisle.

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Phoenix

What Did the Arizona Legislature Do in the First 100 Days of 2022? (video)

The Arizona Legislature has a 100 day target for the length of each session. With more than 1000 bills proposed and more than 300 signed into law each year, the Legislature rarely finishes in 100 days.

April 19, 2022 is day 100 for this year. We are lurching slowly toward a budget, with more than 100 bills waiting to be heard and a few large projects — like education funding, the proposed Water Authority, and a potential “repeal and replace” revival of the Flat Tax — hanging in limbo. As I write this note, it is  Wednesday, April 13, and the Arizona House is temporarily adjourned until Monday, April 18. This is a repeat of last week, when we gaveled in for business on Monday, April 4 and promptly adjourned until Thursday.

NOBODY wants a repeat of 2021.

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