Biden v Trump Grandpa Debate: We Must Focus on What's at Stake
On June 27, 2024, the world watched Grumpy Grandpa Donnie and Kindly Grandpa Joe duke it out in the worst presidential debate in history. Trump repeated the same campaign talking points -- regardless of the question -- and Biden looked as befuddled as the rest of us listening to a string of lies. Many are calling for Biden to step aside. That's so April 2023. The Trump Supreme Court is showing us how bad it will be with an imperial president in charge. We must focus on what's at stake -- civil rights, voting rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, the environment and more -- not who's standing at the podium.
How Much Is Too Much Concrete?
In honor of Earth Day, April 22, I'm asking: In a warming world, how much concrete is too much? The Tucson Agenda recently published a story about how dangerous Tucson streets are. The story had a map of vehicle-related traffic deaths that included another vehicle, a cyclist or a person. Wide, fast streets were blamed for the pedestrian and cyclist deaths. It was suggested that Tucsonans go on a "road diet" and that traffic be slowed down and lanes eliminated to make the streets safer.
So ... if we know that freeway-sized roads are dangerous to human life and we know that more concrete increases the heat island effect, why are we going ahead and widening Grant Road ... and adding more stupid Michigan Louie turns? Grant Road will be widened to six lanes, plus very wide bike lanes and sidewalks. That's a lot of concrete and basically no shade.
Why are we doing this when we know it's a $63 million bad design?
Yes, I know this RTA project was approved by the voters decades ago. We live in a world with rising temperatures. More concrete is a bad idea.
Where are the pedestrian bridges going to be located? Grant Road is going to be very difficult to cross safely.
It's Time for Sanctioned Urban Camping
Homeless people are people, too. Let's not forget that.
Clearing out homeless camps in Phoenix and Tucson has been in the news, particularly with the recent announcement about clearing of "100 Acre Wood" encampment on the east side. An Oregon homeless camping case has made it to the Supreme Court.
Is is humane for cities to force the homeless people in tents and nomads living in cars to move along when there is no place for them to go?
No. I think we should give them a place of respite. I shot the featured image for this video when Tucson Occupiers and homeless people were camped in downtown Tucson right outside city and county government buildings.
More than 10 years ago, the city was talking about sanctioned camping for the homeless. The time has come for this. The City of Tucson website says the city owns thousands of pieces of property. Surely, there are a couple of plots where that could be designated as "sanctioned" camping -- places that are designated for homeless people and nomads to say without law enforcement intervention.
My vision is more than "100 Acre Wood" or the "Bravo Camp". These were places where homeless people could roll out a sleeping bag or pitch a tent and not get arrested or hassled, but still there are no services or public restrooms.
Downtown business owners have complained about people pooping on the sidewalks and in doorways in front of their businesses. Give them a place to go ... in more ways than one.
My vision is to have a plot of city land with rows of large solar panel ramadas (like the ones at Sky Bar.) The large ramadas would provide shade and electricity to campers who can roll out a sleeping bag or pitch a tent in the shade. It would also help people living in their vehicles. The solar panels would power a building with showers, toilets, laundry facilities and referrals to services.
Homelessness and the affordable housing crisis aren't going away anytime soon. Due to bad decisions made by the Arizona Legislatu
I Got Issues: Housing, Infrastructure, Jobs (Part 1 on Housing)
In early April 2024, I announced that I put my name in for the appointment to the Ward 6 Tucson City Council seat, previously held by Steve Kozachik. This video on housing and homelessness is the first in a three-part series of issue videos.
I think the city should take a broad view when it comes to affordable housing and collaborate with other cities and towns to end preemption of local control on inclusionary zoning, rent control, annual rent increase caps and regulation of short term rentals. Ending preemption would expand the innovation toolbox for all cities and towns in Arizona.
I support sanctioned camping on designated plots of city land for homeless people and nomads living in their vehicles. I have ideas for sanctioned camping that are environmentally sound, humane and affordable.
Stay tuned for Part 2 on Infrastructure and Part 3 on Jobs.
Please support me in this endeavor by submitting a letter of support for "Powers for Ward 6" to the Mayor and City Council Members. The names and email addresses are at the end of the video. Also, please like and share my social media. Thank you!
Powers for Tucson City Council, Ward 6
Although I was born and raised in a small rustbelt town in Northern Ohio, I have called Tucson my home since 1981. I served Tucson and Legislative District 9 in the Arizona House for six years. Both of my children and all four of my grandchildren were born in Tucson. My kids are graduates of Tucson Magnet High School. My daughter and I are University of Arizona alumnae, and all of us have benefitted from taking classes at Pima Community College.
My family has deep roots in Tucson. I have seen a lot of changes in Tucson and Arizona in the 43 years I have lived here. I served in the belly of the beast -- the Arizona Legislature under the influence of radical dogma -- and know how it works.
For these reasons, I submitted my letter of interest and my resume to be considered for the appointment to the Ward 6 Tucson City Council seat, recently vacated by Council Member Steve Kozachik.
Please support me in this endeavor by submitting a letter of support for "Powers for Ward 6" and sharing my social media. Thank you!
AG Mayes Goes after Corporate Landlords for Price Fixing
I have waited a long time for another attorney general who would stand up for consumers. Thank you, Attorney General Kris Mayes for taking on price fixing by corporate landlords in Arizona.
I saw this first hand. As a out-of-town legislator, I had to rent an apartment in Phoenix every six months for six years. In December 2016, all of the 500 square foot apartments were $1000 per month plus electricity, Internet and fees (loads of fees), then the apartments were all $1200 per month + +, and toward the end of my tenure in the Legislature, they were $1500 per month ++. At least one of my former landlords is on Mayes' list of bad actors. :-)
How Old Is Too Old?
The negative buzz about President Joe Biden's age is just the next shiny thing on social media to distract us from real issues.
Did the media just do the math? Biden and former President Donald Trump are contemporaries. They were already old in 2020. They're four years older now.
Chronological age is how many years you have been alive. It's not the best measure of health. To assess fitness for office, we should be looking at biological age (not chronological age) and criminal record.
AND let's not forget about the sharp policy differences between Biden and Trump!
Women nationwide are being discriminated against because we no longer have reproductive freedom, thanks to Trump and his hand-crafted, corrupt Supreme Court. Women are being forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term against their will because of repressive state laws -- in state's like Arizona -- following the demise of Roe v Wade.
With the recent Alabama ruling about invitro fertilization and embryo personhood, we now know that Roe v Wade was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to rights the authoritarians want to take away from us.
Focus, people! Turn away from the distractions. There's a lot at stake here.
Republicans talk about freedom, but if you want elected officials who will protect your reproductive rights, voting rights, your right to a safe good-paying job, your right to food, housing and education, and your right to love who you want, dress and present yourself to the public the way you want and use the pronouns you want, vote Democrat and vote for Joe.
The Arizona Primary is March 19. If you have a mail-in ballot, mail it in!
"Crossover week" in the Arizona Legislature was February 19-23, 2024. Crossover week is the last week that House bills can be heard in House committees and Senate bills can be heard in Senate committees. Bills that are not heard in committee in their chamber of origin by the end of crossover week are theoretically dead.
Nothing is really dead until sine die, the last day of session. Zombie bills rise from the dead all the time, thanks to strikers, duplicate bills and amendments. Now, bills that made it through the gauntlet in one chamber go to the other chamber.
Now is also the time for the Legislature to be negotiating the budget and figuring out how to fix the $1 billion+ budget deficit they created with bad policies over the past few years.
And now is also the time for Democrats to speak truth to power and stop some of these bad policies with questions, debates, votes and vigilance.
We -- the voters -- also must be vigilant. Our Legislators need to hear from us. They have already heard from the lobbyists!
Arizona Commerce Authority Data Needs Transparency (2021)
The need for more effectiveness reporting on business incentives and transparency in the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) data is as relevant today as it was in 2021, when I recorded this Legislative Update video.
The ACA is the arm of Arizona government that doles out the business tax incentives to lure corporations to Arizona. This is often referred to as "picking winners and losers." It was created in 2011 by then Governor Jan Brewer with urging from the Phoenix business community. (Watch the Jerry Colangelo ACA video from Opening Day for details on creation of the ACA.)
The ACA is up for renewal by vote of the Legislature in 2024, after a bumpy renewal in 2018 and a **SCATHING** review by the Auditor General, which was released in the fall of 2023.
Look for an upcoming Substack article about the ACA's review and drama around the renewal.
In the meantime, everything old is new again. Check out the video.
Colangelo Promotes AZ Commerce Authority Renewal
The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) had a high-profile booster speak in favor of their renewal during the Opening Day ceremonies in the Arizona Senate on January 8, 2024. Jerry Colangelo, prominent Phoenix businessman, professional sports investor and namesake of the Grand Canyon University School of Business, gave a wide-ranging speech -- the first half of which was a litany of professional sports teams he brought to Phoenix, beginning with the Phoenix Suns. My ears perked up, seven minutes in, when he started describing his role in the creation of the ACA under Governor Jan Brewer.
Fun fact: Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs also promoted renewal of the ACA in her state of the State of the State address on Opening Day, which you can see on my YouTube channel.
Affordability & Accessibility: Legislative Democrats on Opening Day 2024
Although the official business of Opening Day at the Arizona Legislature happens inside the House and Senate Buildings, there are press conferences and protests outside. Traditionally, the Legislative Democrats hold an early morning press conference to explain their priorities. This is the last segment of the press conference on Opening Day on January 8, 2024.
You also can watch Governor Katie Hobbs State of the State Address on my YouTube channel.
Opening day at the Arizona Legislature 2024 was fascinating, as opening days usually are. It was a bigger affair than the years during Covid and right after but not the grandiose affair with parties and lots of protests and speeches outside, as well as inside.
Frozen car doors and iced windshields, due to 27 degree temps at 6:30 am, delayed my arrival in Phoenix. I had planned to arrive during the 9:30 AM Democratic Party press conference. I got there for the last chunk but missed the beginning. I saw lots of old friends and other former legislators. (More details, phots and video on my Substack.)
It's worthwhile to have independent journalists like me go to events like this. I was able to videotape part of the Democratic Party press conference, the guest speaker at the Senate (that was weird) and all of Governor Hobbs' speech. 
Hobbs did a great job with a very hostile audience in one half of the chamber. The House seating is now organized so the Democrats are on one side and the Republicans on the other side. Lori Cinnamond, Marisol Garcia, Pam Simon and I sat by Rep. Nancy Guiteriez.
I thought it was really inappropriate for both Speaker Ben Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen to make disparaging political comments before Hobbs walked into the room.
On the way home, I heard a very disappointing and one-sided KJZZ report of the event. Seriously, it should've been labeled as commentary and not news. The reporter said that the "governor's speech fell flat on most of the Legislature." By a handful of seats, the Legislature is controlled by right-wing Republicans who are annoyed that they don't have another Republican governor to rubberstamp every bad idea they have ... or ALEC has ... or Americans for "Prosperity" has.
There was *no reporting by KJZZ* about the large part of her speech that was completely bipartisan and no mention of the Democratic side of the asile --48% of the Legislatuee-- giving her multiple standing ovations.
Out of 90 Le
I'm Taking My Camera to Opening Day at the Arizona Legislature
Just a casual video from my living room to let you know that I'm taking my camera, microphone and tripod to Phoenix tomorrow (January 8, 2024) for Opening Day of the 2nd Session of the 56th Arizona Legislature. I'm looking forward to taping speeches and getting some interviews. Watch for future content on YouTube and Powers for the People on Substack.
Bullet Journaling: Self-Care for the New Year
When the world is flying apart around you -- thanks to war, hate, misinformation and fake outrage -- what should you do? Before you reach for a bottle, a joint, a pill or your smart phone, may I suggest some analog self care instead? I have kept a diary or journal on and off for most of my life, but my life changed when I discovered the bullet journal system a few months before the pandemic in late 2019. Bullet journaling has given me a system to not only organize my calendar and tasks but to center my life and make more intentional decisions. I have come up with ten reasons why you should try bullet journaling. My Substack article that goes with this video lists six organizational benefits and four mental health benefits of journaling on a paper.
Reproductive rights are a patchwork in the US. Why should a woman's rights change when she crosses a state line?
Power & Control: The Authoritarians' War on Women
Since the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the landmark abortion rights case Roe v Wade on June 24, 2022, abortion access is a patchwork in the US. How it this fair? A woman's rights should not change at the state line. The anti-abortion laws are state-based sex discrimination. Who said American women don't need the Equal Rights Amendment? Check out my latest Substack article on this topic: Power & Control: The Authoritarians' War on Women, linked in the comments.
Scenes from the Arizona Capitol now. DPS is riot gear is dispersing the reproductive rights protesters with tear gas and flash grenades. Arizona women have lost more than abortion rights today. They have lost freedom of speech. The Speaker Pro Temp Travis Grantham just told me that the women "should have stayed home." Yeah ... the AZ Leg wants us to be in the kitchen -- barefoot and pregnant.
Reproductive rights advocates are gathering at the Capitol. DPS is on the roof, and they have a drone overhead.
