Pamela Powers

Long-time blogger and political activist, Pamela Powers holds a masters’ degree in public health from the University of Arizona and a bachelors’ degree in journalism from the Ohio State University. She has worked for many years in communications and public relations. Powers stepped down from her position as the managing editor of the American Journal of Medicine to serve Legislative District 9 in the Arizona House. Powers won her seat in November 2016 and won her re-election bid in 2018. She continues to work part-time social media editor for the journal. In addition to Blog for Arizona, she writes her own blog, The The Tucson Progressive and has contributed political stories to the Huffington Post. Powers Hannley is co-director of Arizonans for a New Economy, Arizona’s public banking initiative. Political website: PowersForThePeople.net Facebook Page: Pamela Powers Hannley for House Tucson Progressive on Facebook: Tucson Progressive Twitter handle: @p2hannley Instagram: p2hannley

Who’s Your ‘Best Blog’? Blog for Arizona

April 27, 2014 by Pamela Powers

The Tucson Weekly has been sponsoring its Best of Tucson contest since 1987. This year–for the first time ever– the contest not only gives you six ways to vote for the best pizza in town, but it also allows you to vote for the Best Blog in Tucson. With the Arizona Daily Star’s dramatic reduction in staff a few years ago and consequent reduction in original content, the final death of the Tucson Citizen, and the recent sale of the Tucson Weekly and Inside Tucson Business, news from blogs is increasingly important in the Tucson media market.

We here at Blog for Arizona hope you will vote for us as the Best Blog– before the April 30, 2014 deadline. Why vote for us?

Top 10 Reasons to Vote for Blog for Arizona as Best Blog

10. Blog for Arizona is a statewide political blog that is not afraid to step on the toes of the rich and powerful.

9. Blog for Arizona has a searchable calendar, with political and community events from around the state.

8. Blog for Arizona is not the mouthpiece for any political party or candidate. Yes, we grouse about Republicans and Tea Partiers more than Democrats or Progressives, but just ask the Blue Dogs, and they’ll tell you that we’re not easy on them either. We care about integrity, and we’re not beyond holding anyone’s feet to the fire.

7. Blog for Arizona has 11 seasoned bloggers and several contributors– including three women. This blog has more than one voice. Yes, Blog for Arizona has a decidedly progressive tone, but we don’t always agree with each other– which is a good thing because that gives you– the reader– more information upon which to make wise decisions.

6. Blog for Arizona has new content throughout the day– every day. With so many authors, BfAZ publishes as many as 10 new stories per day.

Protest Planned to Greet Boehner at $500/plate Fundraiser for McSally & Tobin

March 28, 2014 by Pamela Powers

As announced earlier this week, the worst-ever Speaker of the US House of Representatives, John Boehner, is coming to Marana on Saturday to be the headliner at a $500/plate fundraising dinner for CD2 candidate Martha “I got no opinions” McSally and gubernatorial candidate Andy “I heart the Christian Right” Tobin.

These three Regressive knuckle-draggers are perfect for each other: anti-abortion, anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-education, anti-immigration-reform, anti-healthcare-reform, pro-military-industrial-complex, pro-NRA, pro-Christian-Taliban, pro-Wall-Street. It’s a menage-a-tois made in ~~heaven~~… er… backroom deals with the Koch Brothers.

By refusing repeatedly to offer opinions on just about any issue except the fate of her old aircraft, the A10, McSally has been playing it even safer with her campaign in 2014 than she did in 2012. But actions speak louder than words. Her alignment with Teapublican Tobin (who has been in the thick of Arizona’s anti-gay and anti-woman legislation and personally tried to stop the Equal Rights Amendment this year) speaks volumes. Campaigning with one of the Arizona Legislature’s Christian Taliban adds to McSally’s street cred as a Teapublican “Regressive”.

Hidden-Camera Investigation Shows ALEC Wining & Dining Arizona Politicians (video)

March 26, 2014 by Pamela Powers

A Phoenix television station’s “Candid Camera” caught Arizona Republicans eating $70 steaks and drinking bourbon while schmoozing with ALEC lobbyists. Check out the TV news video here and listen to Arizona Representative and ALEC Chair Debbie Lesko explain how great ALEC is.

From ProgressNow Arizona…

With a tip and assistance from ProgressNow Arizona, KPHO-TV 5 News aired an eye-opening hidden-camera investigation Tuesday night that reveals how the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) wines and dines Arizona politicians to advance its right-wing corporate agenda.

KPHO investigative reporter Morgan Loew crashed a lavish back-room ALEC recruitment dinner attended by at least 17 Republican state legislators at one of the finest chop houses in Phoenix. ALEC is an out-of-state right-wing corporate bill mill that has wielded heavy influence in Arizona and at state legislatures around the country.

Read more

‘SPINtervention’: Frame yourself or get framed

March 26, 2014March 26, 2014 by Pamela Powers

We live in a world flooded with fact-free spin. Faux News started it. The astroturf Tea Party used it to rise to power. And billions of dollars from the Kochtopus are being spent to perfect it, with the goal of solidifying corporate control over our government. Don’t be depressed. Come hear Andrea “Connect the Dots Lady” … Read more

ACA Update: Are Insurance Companies Ill-Equipped for ‘Obamacare’ Roll-Out?

March 19, 2014March 19, 2014 by Pamela Powers

HealthNet stock prices from Bloomberg News. Note the stock price on Nov 8, 2013 was 27.7 (a few days after the ACA began), and the stock price for March 10, 2014 was 35.09.Someone is making money.

Since October 2013, Americans have been enrolling for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Healthcare.gov or through insurance agents and brokers. With only a few weeks to go before the March 31, 2014 ACA enrollment deadline, the US Department of Health and Human Services has reported that more than 5 million Americans have enrolled for health insurance through the state-based exchanges.

Enrollment in the ACA and in expanded Medicaid has been patchy because states were given too much leeway regarding what care would be available, how people should enroll, and how much money and effort would be invested into educating residents about enrollment. Some states (like California) have well-developed online insurance exchanges of their own, while other states (like Arizona) allowed the federal government to create their ACA exchange websites and did little to educate residents about health insurance enrollment.

During the final weeks, non-profit groups and volunteers in Arizona have been scrambling to enroll people, while the Arizona Republican Party is scrambling to spread misinformation to discourage enrollment– with multiple speaking engagements and mass distribution of an editorial entitled Obamacare: To Enroll Or Not To Enroll? That Is The Question by local doctor, Elizabeth Lee Vliet. And on the national level millions is being spent to dissuade Americans from enrolling, while Republicans in the House offer bait-and-switch alternativesto the ACA which would cost more and cover fewer people.

As both sides of the political spectrum work hard to sway the public, my question is: Are the insurance companies really up to the task of providing care for so many new enrollees?