Show cover of A View from the Left Side

A View from the Left Side

A Progressive Democrat in the Arizona House, Rep. Pam Powers Hannley and her guests break down the politics, policies and personalities in Arizona today.

Tracks

Season 2 Episode 13: Creation of a National Infrastructure Bank | 0:44The US Has Had Four National Infrastructure Banks  | 1:17Crumbling Infrastructure Hurts Competitiveness  | 2:30Rep. PPH Interview with Economics Experts on the Proposal for NIB  | 4:24Alphecca Muttardy, Board Member, NIB Coalition  | 4:53What Is an NIB and Why Do We Need One?  | 5:00Projects that Could Be Funded by the NIB  | 5:19Infrastructure Investments Are Good for the Economy  | 8:48Roosevelt's RFC Was Infrastructure Bank  | 11:28Nationwide Rural Broadband Funded by the NIB Is Modern REA  | 11:36Muttardy on the Scope of NIB Projects  | 12:27The Scope of the REA and Its Impact on Rural America  | 13:01'It Is a Disgrace that We Have Houses in America with No Running Water'  | 13:35Chinese NIB Is Building a Nationwide Water Grid.   | 13:49 NIB Projects Could Help Arizona Farmers  | 14:12Public Private Partnerships (P3s) vs NIB  | 14:29Arizona Water Initiative Allocates $750 mil in P3s for 'Water Augmentation'  | 14:37Keep Public Infrastructure in Public Hands. Water Is a Public Good.  | 15:09Ellen Brown, Founder, Public Banking Institute and Author  | 15:52'P3s Want Profits. NIB Is Basically a Bank at Cost.'  | 15:56Who Can Invest in the NIB?  | 16:40Muttardy: How the NIB Would Be Capitalized?  | 17:08Brown: Individuals Can Invest in the NIB  | 18:37Crumbling US Infrastructure Hurts Competitiveness  | 18:57China Invests 8% of GDP in Infrastructure. US Invests 2.4%.  | 19:35Putting People to Work Building Infrastructure Will Rebuild the Middle Class  | 20:00Given Current Economic Uncertainties, How Would Our Strategies Change if We Had NIB Now?  | 20:36Dr. Robert Hockett, Edward Cornell Professor of Law and Finance at Cornell University  | 21:45The US Relies Too Much on Private Sector Initiative  | 21:51If Your Motive Is Profit Maximization, It Is Not in Your Interest to Prioritize the Public Good  | 22:15Brown on Inflation: Shortages Are to Blame  | 23:28COVID Relief Money that Was Sent to the Banks Is Just Sitting There Unspent  | 24:05COVID Relief Money that Went to People Is Long Gone  | 24:28'People Are Spending Now But They Have Less Money than Before COVID'  | 24:52'There's Not a Lot of Demand Competing for the Goods. The Problem Is Shortages.'  | 25:11The American System Model of Building Infrastructure to Promote Growth & Production  | 25:19Keep the Farmers and Small Businesses  in Business  | 25:30Hamilton: 'This Bank Is to Be Used for Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Development of the Economy'  | 25:56'We've Had an Infrastructure Bank Before. The Problem Is Political.'  | 26:33'If the Money Goes to Productive Purposes -- Things that Do Pay Back -- then You Have a Sustainable System.'  | 27:06Muttardy: 'Policy Banks' Are Investing Money in the Most Productive Place  | 27:52The US Needs a Long-Term Infrastructure Plan  | 28:29What Are Common Objections to NIB?  | 29:31Muttardy: The NIB Has Checks and Balances as Well as Transparency  | 29:59NIB Will Have Engineers to Help Local Governments Design Efficient Systems  | 30:37All NIB Loans Are Transparent for Public to See  | 31:42Who Owns the Infrastructure Built with NIB Loans?  | 32:02Hockett: Who Owns the Infrastructure Depends Upon the Project  | 32:41Muttardy: Most NIB Loans Will Go to Public Entities who Own their Infrastructure  | 34:03To Relieve Bottlenecks, NIB Can Make Private Sector Loans  | 34:30The NIB's Role in Affordable Housing  | 35:35Hockett: Historical Perspective on Housing  | 36:19And more...

8/5/22 • 51:25

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. Time StampsSeason 2 Episode 12 Introduction by Rep. PPH  | 0:41Larry Bodine Blog for Arizona Author and Editor on the 55th Legislature  | 3:08David Gordon Blog for Arizona Author on Hot Legislative Races in Maricopa County  | 4:05Mike Bryan Blog for Arizona Managing Editor Comments on Republican Legislative Primaries  | 5:39Rep. PPH on Republican Primaries  | 7:13LD 18 and Other Southern Arizona Races  | 7:55Several Republicans Are Running Unopposed for the Legislature  | 12:42Statewide Candidates and Campaign Finance Reports  | 15:35Secretary of State Race  | 18:53Statewide Races  | 22:30Arizona Republicans Are at War with Each Other  | 24:47[Larry's parrot chimes in.]  | 25:42US Senate Race  | 26:00CD6, US House of Representatives Races  | 29:12Treasurer Race  | 31:51Congressional Races in Maricopa County  | 33:09Down Ballot Races  | 39:57Potential Polling Place Interference by Republicans  | 42:38Parting Comments  | 44:54

7/29/22 • 49:44

Season 2, Episode 11 of a View from the Left Side is a compilation of footage that I recorded on June 24, 2022, the day the Supreme Court of the United States struck down Roe v Wade, the landmark abortions rights decision from 1973. The Roe decision made abortion care up to the age of viability of the fetus legal in the US for nearly 50 years.  Now, SCOTUS has decided that access to legal and safe abortion care is a states rights issue. Why should a person's rights change when they cross state lines in the US? Whether or not to become pregnant is a parental choice issue --- NOT a government concern. There is a lot of yammering in the Arizona Legislature about "parental choice" in schools, curricula, and teaching materials. The ultimate parental choices are: whether or not to become a parent; when to become a parent; and who will be your partner in parenting. This SCOTUS decision takes these basic human choices out of the hands of people and puts them into the hands of state governments. This is horrific.A cascade of repressive laws -- some from the 1800s -- are still on the books but have been held in check by Roe for 50 years. Of course, Arizona has some of the most repressive anti-abortion laws on the books.Planned Parenthood of Arizona and the Arizona Democratic Party held a joint press conference at the Arizona Capitol on June 24, 2022. (All press conference speeches are included in this podcast.)  At the event, PP President and CEO Brittany Fonteno said that they stopped all abortion services in Arizona that day, due to multiple conflicting state laws. Fonteno was right about conflicting and confusing state laws that make Arizona "one of the most hostile states toward abortion services." According to a July 1 article in the Capitol Times, even some of Arizona's top Republican lawmakers disagree regarding which laws prevail, now that Roe is gone. Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who is running for Senate against Senator Mark Kelly, says Arizona's 1901 law criminalizing abortion supersedes the 2021 law making it illegal to abort a fetus due to genetic abnormalities, the 2022 law creating 15 week abortion ban, and a 1970s era injunction against the 1901 law. Although SB1164, the 15 week abortion ban, is scheduled to go into effect 90 days, Brnovich says the 1901 abortion ban will stand. Governor Doug Ducey claims that the 15 week ban will supersede the other laws.  In early evening on June 24, abortion rights supports nationwide held reproductive rights marches. Marchers in Phoenix gathered on the lawn of the Capitol after 6 p.m. After the press conference footage, this podcast includes footage from pro-choice rally, the noisy protest, and the Department of Public Safety teargassing protesters later that evening. Arizona Women not only lost the right to abortion on June 24, 2022, they lost the right to freedom or speech and the right to protest.  Time StampsSeason 2, Episode 11 Introduction by Rep. PPH  | 0:42SCOTUS Decision on Roe v Wade Ends Abortion Care in Arizona, June 24, 2022  | 1:53Arizona Reacts to End of Abortion Rights (Planned Parenthood and Arizona Democratic Party Press Conference), June 24, 2022  | 4:59Senator Raquel Teran, Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party  | 5:12Senator Victoria Steele  | 12:35Rep. Jennifer Jermaine: How SCOTUS decision affects women with miscarriages  | 14:25Rev. Dr. Cathy Clardy Patterson: SCOTUS decision disproportionately affects women of color, poor women and rural women  | 17:05Brittany Fonteno, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Arizona  | 22:01Question and Answer period with reporters  | 27:17Rev. Dr. Patterson has parting thoughts on choice and body autonomy  | 

7/21/22 • 33:30

Season 2, Episode 10 of A View from the Left Side focuses on the fight to maintain abortion rights in the United States. [This podcast was recorded before the June 24, 2022 Supreme Court decision on abortion.] Senator Nancy Barto brags that Arizona is the #1 "Pro-Life" state in the country. That's because, for years, Arizona Republican politicians have followed the extreme anti-abortion agenda laid out by Cathi Herrod of the Center for Arizona Policy. Barto often sponsors these repressive reproductive rights bills, like the recent 15 week abortion ban.If the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) strikes down the landmark abortion rights case, Roe v Wade, in the coming weeks, Arizona's  "Pro-Life" label will come back to haunt many residents as they find their right to body autonomy removed by state law. Arizona Republicans passed the contentious 15 week abortion ban in 2022, but there are many abortion-related laws on the books. Some Territorial Era statutes criminalize doctors and patients for abortion. Controlling reproductive rights and sexuality are popular topics for Republican legislation. Rep. Walt Blackman is running for Congress on a strong anti-abortion platform and has made at least three campaign-style anti-abortion speeches on the Floor of the House this year. If Roe goes down, the women of Arizona should brace themselves for an onslaught of more repressive laws from the Republicans, as long as they control the government. Arizona currently has 61 places in statutes that mention "abortion," but ZERO statutes that limit the reproductive rights of men. That is obviously state-based discrimination against women. Arizona needs a statewide Equal Rights Amendment.  Abortion care is NOT a states' rights issue. A person's reproductive rights should not change when they cross state lines. The government has no right to meddle in a person's medical, financial and family planning decisions. Will people move out of repressive states like Arizona, Texas, Mississippi and Florida -- or just not move in? Arizona touts sunshine and low taxes, but it also soon will have forced pregnancy and no water.The US Senate should dump the filibuster and protect reproductive rights (and voting rights). The filibuster is a roadblock to progress. It's time for systemic change to save our country. Bans Off Our Bodies Rallies NationwideIn May and June, there were rallies and marches around the country to protest this ideological strike against women's rights and body autonomy by a Supreme Court packed with appointees from a discredited President.The second half of the podcast includes two of the speeches from the Tucson Bans Off Our Bodies rally on May 14, 2022 -- one by Congressman Raul Grijalva and the second one by State Senator Stephanie Stahl Hamilton. Grijalva calls out Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema for clinging to the filibuster and for ignoring reproductive rights and voting rights. Rev. Stephanie's speech will bring tears to your eyes. The age, gender, ethnic and racial diversity of the Tucson crowd shows the diversity of the abortion rights issue. An estimated 1000 people showed up for the Tucson rally. Time StampsSeason 2, Episode 10 Introduction  | 0:42PPH Commentary: Abortion Care Severely Limited in Arizona if SCOTUS Strikes Down Roe v Wade June 8, 2022  | 1:26 Bans Off Our Bodies Rally at Armory Park in Tucson May 14 2022  | 6:16 Congressman Raul Grijalva's remarks at Bans Off Our Bodies Rally  | 7:16 Grijalva calls out Senator Kyrsten Sinema for her support of the filibuster  | 8:56 State Senator Stephanie Stahl Hamilton's remarks at Bans Off Our Bodies Rally  | 11:46 Rev. Stephanie says Nothing good can come from government-mandated pregnancies!  | 13:22

7/14/22 • 15:11

Season 2, Episode 9 of a View from the Left Side focuses on our country's epidemic of gun violence. My opening commentary, recorded on June 1, 2022, refers to the mass shootings at a Buffalo, New York grocery store and at the Uvalde, Texas elementary school. There have been more since then, most notably the Highland Park. Illinois Fourth of July Parade mass shooting. There have been more than 300 mass shootings in the US in 2022, according to the Washington Post. Mass shootings are when four or more people -- besides the shooter -- are killed or injured in the same incident. Mass shootings are averaging one per day in 2022, and there have been no weeks in 2022 without a mass shooting, according to the Post. This is not a well-regulated militia. This is a country more privately owned weapons than people. Following my commentary outlining common sense gun violence prevention legislation proposed by Arizona Democrats is the March for Our Lives Press Conference in the Rose Garden at the Arizona Capitol.On June 1, 2022, March for Our Lives Phoenix hosted a press conference calling for Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona Legislature to take action on common sense gun violence prevention legislation.Jacob Martinez, March for Our Lives Phoenix organizer, gave opening remarks and introduced Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman, Democratic House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding, and Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Rios. Hoffman talked about her School Safety Task Force, which she funded with $21 million in COVID funds; the Legislature has still not acted on this March for Our Lives request from 2019. Bolding discussed Red Flag laws and other popular Democratic proposals to stop senseless gun violence. Unfortunately, the Legislative "majority", which represents minority of Arizona voters, is loyal to the gun lobby and their campaign donations. Time StampsSeason 2, Episode 9 Introduction  | 0:50Rep. PPH Commentary on Gun Violence in the US  | 2:19March for Our Lives Press Conterence at the Capitol  | 6:04Jacob Martinez, March for Our Lives, Phoenix  | 6:20Kathy Hoffman, Superintendent of Public Instruction  | 9:32Unnecessarily noisy delivery guys trying to disrupt press conference  | 12:18How many times does the same delivery guy have to rev his engine in the parking lot?  | 13:31Rep. Reginold Bolding, House Democratic Minority Leader  | 14:51Bolding responds to reporter question about Legislative inaction on gun violence prevention  | 19:00Bolding responds to reporter question about forcing a vote on gun reform in the House  | 20:23Senator Rebecca Rios, Senate Democratic Minority Leader, responds to reporter question  | 21:01

7/12/22 • 23:00

The Arizona Legislature surpassed Day 150 this week. You'll remember that the target length for a session is 100 days. That shipped sailed in mid April.Season 2 Episode 8 of A View from the Left Side is a compilation of Legislative Updates recorded between April 18, 2022 and May 31, 2022. Three of these updates focus on the stalled budget process. The House Republican Caucus is fractured and there is no collaboration between the House and Senate leadership teams. There are rumors of another Republican budget but no bills have been dropped, and recent leaded spreadsheet likely doesn't have the votes to pass. Libertarians don't want to spend money on anything -- despite great need in the state and a $5 billion surplus.Democrats aren't likely to support a budget that doesn't include a significant investment in public education. Prop 208, which the Republicans took down in court, would have provided $900 million in revenue for public education by assessing a fee on excessive income over $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for couples. Here is my starting point. Republicans don't want Arizona's 1% to pay more in taxes, so take a billion from the surplus and put it toward public education. That's what the voters said they wanted when they passed Prop 208 in 2020.It's June 7. We have until June 30 to figure this out. Many people have planned vacations. Stay tuned. It should be interesting. Time Stamps Rep. PPH Intro to Season 2 Episode 8 of A View from the Left Side   0:51 Grover Norquist Tax Pledge Unrealistic in Tax Giveaway State April 18, 2022  2:57Republicans Propose Austerity Budget. Why? April 19, 2022 (Day 100)  7:24Divided Republican Party Delays Budget and Drags Out the Session May 18, 2022  12:04 House Hears Seven Election Bills ... Budget Remains Stalled May 17, 2022 (Updated May 31, 2022)  16:50[You can view the original video updates on my YouTube channel.]

6/9/22 • 24:47

As the Arizona Legislature approaches the 100-day target for the end of session, the Republican Legislators have shifted their focus to passage of their party's most extreme bills.In Season 2, Episode 7, Rep. Pam Powers Hannley's Legislative updates focus on the Culture War raging in the Legislature -- from the 15 week abortion ban and school voucher expansion to homeless encampments and inequitable ambulance services. Ironically,  Arizona Republicans routinely pontificate about "parental choice" when it comes to schools and school curricula BUT parental input falls by the wayside when it comes to statewide voucher expansion OR the ultimate parental choice -- whether or not to have a baby and when. Creeping authoritarianism in the Republican Party -- fueled by fake news and misinformation in social media -- is troubling.Time Stamps ...Rep. PPH Introduces Season 2, Episode 3  | 0:49Bills Tackling Homelessness and Addiction Ignore Poverty Link March 22, 2022  | 1:36Democrats Grill Boyer on Massive Expansion of School Vouchers March 23, 2022  | 7:36'Social Engineering Day': Featuring Republican Overreach into Personal Decisions March 24, 2022  | 11:17 Multiple Ambulance Bills Point to Need for Study Committee March 29, 2022  | 13:20Study Hall 1964 Collides with Education Culture Wars 2022 March 30, 2022  | 20:11

4/8/22 • 24:40

Season 2, Episode 6 of A View from the Left Side is a compilation of Legislative Updates from Arizona House member Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley. These updates were recorded during March 2022. They range in topic from the social media drama around HB2839 (the PC Bill) to wasting time in the Legislature, anti-worker bills and remembering Senator David Bradley.Time Stamps ...Introduction to Season 2 Episode 6 of A View from the Left Side  0:55What's the Controversy over HB2839 and Election of PCs?, March 8, 2022  1:25Duplicate Bills Waste Time and Money, March 9, 2022  6:07It Wouldn't Be a Session of the Arizona Legislature without Anti-Worker Bills, March 10, 2022  11:34Remembering Senator David Bradley on the Floor of the House, March 14, 2022  14:50To view the original video updates, check out my Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley channel on YouTube.

3/30/22 • 16:58

Season 2, Episode 5 of A View from the Left Side is a compilation of Legislative Updates from Arizona House member Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley. These updates were recorded in late February and early March, 2022. They range in topic from bullying in the Arizona House to building the Border Wall, voter suppression and more.Time Stamps ... Season 2 Episode 3 Introduction  0:50 Bullying in the Arizona House Is Unprofessional Feb. 18, 2022  1:29 Republicans Push 100 Voter Suppression Bills Feb. 22, 2022   4:06 Nursing Workforce Development Floor Speech Feb. 24, 2022   9:20 To Fix Housing Crisis: Focus on Ending Preemption and Keeping People Housed Feb. 28, 2022  10:22 Trickledown Economics in Ways and Means March 2, 2022   17:54 Republicans Propose $900 Million for Border Wall and More March 8, 2022   19:18 Remembering Senator Olivia Cajero-Bedford Floor Speech March 8, 2022  22:46To view the original video updates, check out my Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley channel on YouTube.

3/29/22 • 24:32

Season 2, Episode 4 of A View from the Left Side is a compilation of Legislative Updates from Arizona House member Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley. These updates were recorded in February 2022. They range in topic from banning the COVID vaccine and critical race theory in schools but making it easier to have guns at schools -- you can't make this stuff up.  Time Stamps ...A View from the Left Side, Season 2, Episode 3 Introduction  | 0:51 Republican Bill Blocks COVID Vaccines from K-12 School Vaccine List, February 7  | 1:26 I Am the Most Independent Voting Democrat in the Arizona House, February 8  | 6:06 Arizona House Raises Education Spending Limit (Floor Speech), February 8  | 10:44 African American Leader Calls Out Critical Race Theory in #AZLeg, February 10  | 12:57 More Guns in Schools & on Campuses Won't Make Anyone Safer, February 15  | 17:07 Republicans Plan to Expand School Vouchers ... Again, February 16  | 20:34 The Story of the Underground Railroad & the Oberlin Rescuers in Honor of Black History Month (Floor Speech), February 2  | 24:31To view the original video updates, check out my Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley channel on YouTube.

3/7/22 • 28:36

Season 2, Episode 3 of A View from the Left Side is a compilation of Legislative Updates from Arizona House member Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley. The original video updates were recorded between January 24 and February 3, 2022 and can be viewed on my YouTube channel.  Season 2,  Episode 3 Introduction  |  0:51 Should Marijuana Be Regulated like Other Recreational Drugs? January 24  | 1:30 There's Progress in Maternal & Child Health ... But We're Not Done, January 25  | 6:17  Does Arizona Really Need Cheaper Guns & Guns on Campus? January 31  | 10:37 Black History Month in #AZLeg Starts with Anti-Abortion Manifesto, February 1  | 14:06 Specialty License Plates: The Ultimate in Picking Winners & Losers, February 3  | 16:57To view the original video updates, check out my Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley channel on YouTube.

2/28/22 • 20:44

Season 2 Episode 2 of "A View from the Left Side" is a collection of Legislative Updates from the first two weeks of the 2nd Session of the 55th Arizona Legislature. These brief clips represent a wide range of topics from the Opening Day COVID Super spreader event and subsequent outbreak at the capital to food and housing security, prenatal care and clean elections. These updates were recorded and published on social media in early January 2022. The original videos updates can be viewed on my YouTube channel or my Facebook page.  Rep. PPH Introduces Season 2, Episode 2  | 0:51  #AZLeg Opening Day Super Spreader Event, January 10  | 1:36  Ducey Is Ignoring COVID Math, January 11  | 4:22 My Focus Is Food and Housing Security, January 12  | 7:19 Stay Safe! Many #AZ Legislators, Staff and Lobbyists Test Positive for COVID, January 13  | 12:18 Dirty Money Hates Clean Elections, January 19  | 14:48 Group Prenatal Care Would Benefit Moms and Babies, January 20  | 20:13To view the original video updates, check out my Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley channel on YouTube.

1/24/22 • 23:34

This podcast is a collection of speeches from the January 6, 2022 Vigil for Democracy in Tucson, Arizona. The event was a solemn commemoration of the January 6, 2021 insurrectionist attack on the US Capitol. Several current and former Arizona Legislators and two Arizona Congressman were highly involved in the Stop the Steal movement to disrupt the certification of the 2020 elections. Arizona is Ground Zero for voter suppression. Many of the elected officials who were involved in Stop the Steal and in the failed audit of the Maricopa County ballots are still in office. Watch out for more voter suppression bills in the coming session of the Arizona Legislature. On January 6, 2022, President Joe Biden said our democracy is still in peril. He's right. In Arizona, we must be particularly vigilant. | Rep. PPH Introduces the Vigil for Democracy Speakers 0:50  | Moderator Jenise Porter Intruduces Mayor Regina Romero 2:30 | Mayor Romero Introduces Congressman Raul Grijalva 10:27  | Jenise Porter urges calling Senators 17:36 | Billy Kovacs on Behalf of Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick 18:38 | Watch Out for More Voter Suppression from the Radical Right in the Legislature 25:27 | Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley, Arizona House 26:03 | [Correction: Savannah Guthrie] 26:16  | Rep. Andres Cano,  Arizona House 31:09 | Steve Valencia, Jobs with Justice 33:31  | Sylvia Gonzalez Andersh, USAF Retired and Common Defense 36:50 | Buzz Davis,  Retired Army and Veterans for Peace 43:32

1/22/22 • 50:23

Long-term drought, extreme heat, intense fires and unpredictable weather -- obviously, Arizona is feeling the effects of climate change now. Governor Doug Ducey and Republican Legislators continue to pursue the capitalist path of unbridled and unchecked growth as the road to prosperity, with no concern regarding the environmental impact or the long-term sustainability of their ideas.  In her speech to the  UN climate conference in 2019, teen climate activist Greta Thunberg called the corporate push for more consumerism ... more growth ... more building  "fairytale" and warned world leaders that the youth of planet Earth expect action. In 2021, Thunberg called the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow "more blah, blah, blah" and scolded leaders for making little progress. Climate change is a ticking time bomb. The human race has roughly this decade to make major changes in order stop the worst effects of climate change. For the commentary this week, you'll hear Thunberg scolding world leaders for inaction on climate change on behalf of the world's children in 2019.InterviewMy guest this week is Sandy Bahr, who is the Chapter Director for the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club. Bahr is a regular at the Arizona capitol. We discuss the current status of Arizona's water supply, weather, and politics.Time StampsPPH Commentary 0:42 Youth Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Addressing UN Conference in 2019 1:43  Interview with Sandy Bahr 6:42  What Does the Sierra Club Do? 7:38  What Is the Status of the Drought and Arizona's Water Supply? 8:40   Groundwater Pumping Is Killing Our Perrenial Rivers 10:27  Anything Goes' in Some Parts of Arizona. Enter 'Super Pumpers'. 11:44  Despite Water Shortages  Governor and Republicans Still Focus on Growth 13:45  Republican Pipe Dreams 14:27  Water Shortages in 2022 Due to Lake Mead Level 17:38 Agriculture Will Be Effected First by Water Shortages 18:12 If We're Going to Pay Farmers  Why Not Pay Them to Grow Sustainable Crops? 18:46  Heavy Groundwater Pumping in Cochise County Fuels Feed Crops for Other Countries 20:17   Will We Have Water Shortages and Rationing in 2022? 21:43  Cochise County Residents Want an Active Management Area to Save the Water Supply 22:43 Rep. Gail Griffin of Cochise County Has Blocked Good Water Bills from Republicans and Democrats 23:16  Did the Summer Rain Help Us with the Drought? 24:30  The Drought Is Not Over 25:02 Both Phoenix and Tucson Set Extreme Heat Records in 2020 25:12  Phoenix Creates Its Own Weather Patterns 25:40 With Climate Change Arizona Will Get Hotter and Drier 26:13  COP26: What Happens to Arizona if Global Temperatures Rise Above 1.5 Degrees? 28:03   This Is a Climate Crisis and an Extinction Crisis 29:59  NOW Is the Time for Bold Action if We Are Going to Avoid the Worst Impacts of Climate Change 30:59  Extreme Heat Kills People 31:43 Destabilizing the Climate Has Huge Implications for the Future of Humanity 33:06   COP26: Are World Leaders or Multinational Corporations in Charge of Our Planet's Future? 33:34  This Is the Time to Say 'NO' to the Fossil Fuel Industry 34:07  With Many Open Seats in the Arizona Legislature in 2022,  We Have the Opportunity to Elect Better Representation 34:45

11/18/21 • 36:30

Arizona’s 2021 Independent Redistricting Commission has been working on new Congressional and Legislative maps for a few months now. Controversial draft maps (version 10) were passed by the commissioners on October 28, 2021.   The maps are not final, and many people in Pima County, myself included, are not happy with the Pima County’s gerrymandered districts. Tucson proper is split into four different districts, ignoring natural boundaries like Interstate 10 and multiple mountain ranges and putting urban areas in districts that are heavily rural. This is where you come in. The draft maps have entered a 30-day comment period. There will be opportunities to comment on the maps in person at meetings throughout the state. In addition, you can comment online at the IRC’s website anytime. There is a virtual town hall on Saturday, November 6, 2021 to kick this off. My podcast guests provide a wealth of background information on the independent redistricting process. You’ll find out more about the Independent Redistricting Commission, the map-making procedures, the controversies behind the draft maps, and next steps. Republicans are trying to game the redistricting process by claiming more safe Republican districts that they are entitled to. We can’t let them do that. Republicans rule the state as if they had a mandate and a super majority—instead of a razor thin majority. They have no mandate. Arizona’s electorate is nearly evenly divided in thirds between Republicans, Democrats and Independents. Contrary to popular belief, Independents are all over the map politically. I have canvassed their doors. Arizona is a multicultural, multiracial purple state. The people of Arizona deserve maps that reflect our population—not maps that are based upon the desires of the powerful. Interview GuestsMy guests are Dr. Don Jorgensen and Brian Bickel, two guys who have been closely watching the IRC's mapping process very closely.Jorgensen is the founder of Jorgensen Healthcare Associates and owner of Arizona-based Human Factor Consulting. Don is an author, a global speaker and consultant in the areas of change leadership, strategic planning and team development. Don is a former Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party, and a regular radio guest on state and national politics. Don and his wife Kathy have visited all 7 continents, and have worked on humanitarian projects around the globe, in countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Brazil. Brian is a life long Democrat, born and raised in Michigan and a graduate of the University of Arizona. He is a former Marine and retired Army Major with combat tours in Vietnam, Panama, Saudi Arabia and Bosnia. He is a retired healthcare executive, most recently the CEO of Southeast Arizona Medical Center in Douglas. He is currently the treasurer for the Pima County Democratic Party. His wife, Susan, is an Arizona native. They have one son and two grandsons who live in Amarillo, Texas.Time Stamps | PPH Commentary 0:43    | Interview with Don Jorgensen and Brian Bickel 4:39  | What Is the Redistricting Process? 5:27   | Historical Look at IRC: 2000 and 2010 vs 2020  6:42   | Ducey Had His Thumb on the Scale 7:43    | IRC In-Person Meetings 9:49   | Pima GOP Chair Says They Want Their own Legislative District 11:10 | There Are Multiple Ways People Can Comment on Maps 12:57    | The Mapping Process Explained 14:29   | Controversial V8 Maps Skirted the Process 15:56   | Gerrymandering Gives Republicans More Safe Districts 17:04   | SALC Maps Popped Up at the Last Minute 21:51   | Thoughts on the 2022 Election 24:16  

11/5/21 • 29:46

During my five years in the Arizona House, I have been a crusader for increased funding and services for maternal and child health. Arizona is worst in the country for Adverse Childhood Experiences. Far too many Arizona children grow up with food insecurity, housing insecurity and financial insecurity, while the state government gives away billions each year in tax breaks. With so much cash on hand, it’s time for the Arizona Legislature to invest in the health and wellbeing of children and families – instead of more tax breaks for corporations and wealthy Arizonans. According to Arizona’s 2020 Statewide Maternal and Child Health Needs Assessment Report, Arizona has one of the highest poverty rates in the country. Between 59 and 74% of African American, Latino and Native American children in Arizona live in low-income households. Although some of Arizona’s infant and maternal health outcomes are better than average, racial and ethnic disparities exist. Arizona’s overall infant mortality rate is 5.6 (per 1000 live births), but that rate jumps to 9.2 (per 1000 live births) for African Americans and 9.4 (per 1000 live births) for Native Americans. Similar racial and ethnic disparities exist when you look at low birthweight.Arizona’s working families are at a crossroads. Many are struggling after losing pandemic benefits and are worried about loss of eviction protection in an uncertain world. Will the Arizona Legislature help them by easing some of their medical burden? Arizona’s Medicaid system, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) has flexibility options that it can opt into—especially now that the procedures have been streamlined and now that Arizona has plenty of money for matching funds. My guests today will talk about the state of maternal and child health in Arizona and steps that the Arizona Legislature can take in 2022 to improve the health and the lives of Arizonans, particularly our youngest residents. My guests for this podcast are Zaida Dedolph, director of health policy for the Children's Action Alliance, and Rep. Kelli Butler, who is ranking Democrat on the Arizona House Health Committee. They discuss Arizona's need for expanded maternal and child healthcare and the state's unique opportunities as we approach the next Legislative session.Time Stamp | PPH Commentary 0:42   | Interview with Zaida Dedolph 5:22   | Increasing Access to Care for Arizona Children 6:17   | Arizona's Rate of Uninsured Children Is Almost Twice US Rate 7:12  | AHCCCS and KidsCare 101 8:31  | Arizona Doesn't Have to Be Stingy with Healthcare  9:52  | Arizona Does the "Bare Minimum" for New Moms and Babies 11:27  | Arizona Maternal Mortality Report: 80% of Postpartum Deaths Are Preventable 12:36  | Instead of Action to Save Lives  |  AZLeg Wants More Reports 13:54  | Increased Access to Prenatal and Postpartum Care Would Save Lives and Money 15:45  | Arizona Needs Medically Accurate Reproductive Health Education  18:43  | There Are Generational Benefits to Increasing Health Coverage for More Families 20:17  | Interview Rep. Kelli Butler 23:04  | House Health Committee Is Meeting About Medicaid Expansion 24:06   | Legislators Discuss Seven Ways to Improve Access to Care in Arizona 25:19  | Butler Is Still Pushing for Expansion of KidsCare 26:16  | Democrats Have Been Trying to Pass Dental Care for Pregnant People for Years 27:10    | Expansion of Postpartum Care  28:35  | Other Expansions Discussed by HHC 29:59   | Prevention Saves Lives and Money 31:07  | More on Arizona's Maternal Mortality Report 32:48  

11/3/21 • 37:13

An overabundance of fake news, paid political advertising and trolls gaslighting the facts have turned most social media sites into cesspools of misinformation and click bait to boost engagement and profits.There is little or no regulation to protect the privacy of the unassuming public or to ensure the accuracy of information disseminated through social media. Consumers are left to ferret out scams and misinformation on their own.   The highly unregulated landscape of Internet-based commerce and finance is the ideal breeding ground for risky, questionable get-rich-quick schemes. Enter cryptocurrency, nonfungible tokens (NFTs), and blockchain.  Maybe you have heard these terms, but you don't know exactly what they mean or you're not sure why you should care. Today's podcast covers Internet privacy, cybersecurity and their relationship to cryptocurrency, NFTs and blockchain. My guests today are two of my colleagues in the Arizona House of Representatives. Serving LD10 in Tucson, Rep. Domingo Degrazia is a lawyer by profession, a Certified Information Privacy Professional, and drafter of the proposed Arizona Data Privacy bill. He is Whip for the House Democratic Caucus and serves on both the Judiciary and Rules Committees. Serving LD18 in Maricopa County, Rep. Mitzi Epstein is a computer systems analyst by profession. She worked for Olin Brass Manufacturing and in the Treasury Department at Citicorp Mortgage. She is Ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee and also serves on the Rules Committee and the Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.Time StampPPH Commentary 00:42Interview with DeGrazia and Epstein 05:26Privacy and Security on the Internet 06:08Are People too Trusting? 08:36Are Devices Listening to Us? 09:52There Is Little Government Regulation. Tech Regulates Itself 10:11Personal Information Was Used Against People in WWI, WWII 11:03Radicalization and Misinformation Spreads through Social Media 12:52Outrage Algorithms Build Anger and Profits 13:58European Internet Regulations 14:34Regulation Is Patchy or Nonexistent in Most US States 15:40Is It a Good Thing that Some Apps Track Your Every Step? 16:53Some of Your Data Is Being Collected and Used by Other Countries, including China 17:23Deleting Apps that Track You 18:33What about Cryptocurrency, Nonfungible Tokens, and Blockchain? 19:23Blockchain Is Just One Tool 20:46Which AZLeg Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Committee Members Are Invested in Crypto? 22:42Cryptocurrency Is Built on Nothing 23:03Nonfungible Tokens (NFTs)

10/22/21 • 33:49

"Ya know Arizona is a right-to-work state. Don't'cha? The right to work for less," my Dad warned me, 40 years ago when I moved to Tucson in the fall of 1981. Back in 1981, I knew what right to work meant, but I didn't realize how anti-union, right-to-work laws suppress wages for everyone. I also had no idea how moving from a highly unionized state to a right-to-work state would impact my career, my future wages and my children's opportunities to make a living wage.  Thank goodness that voters in low-wage states like Arizona can take matters into their own hands through Citizens Initiative when the state Legislature fails to act OR when the Legislature passes laws that outwardly attack workers and local jurisdictions that attempt reforms.In this Episode of A View from the Left Side, you will learn about efforts in Tucson and Flagstaff to raise the local minimum wage to $15 per hour and efforts by Republican Legislators to stop local voters from improving the local economy by raising the wage..My guest is C.J. Boyd who is campaign manager for Tucson Fight for $15, which is on the Nov. 2, 2021 ballot. If you are on the Permanent Early Voting List (PVEL), you should have received your ballot in the mail.In this episode, Boyd explains the Tucson citizen's initiative to raise the wage to $15 by 2025 and the worker protections that are also included in this ballot proposition.Time Stamp"PPH Commentary 0:19 ""Interview with C.J. Boyd 6:11 ""Tucson Fight for $15 Explained 6:42 ""Worker Protections 7:48 ""Worker Schedules 9:00 ""Wage Theft Is Biggest Type of Theft in US 9:58 ""Chamber of Commerce Fighting Labor Standards and Enforcement 10:57 ""More Wage Theft 12:40 ""Local Small Businesses 15:12 "Flagstaff $15 Minimum Wage & State Retaliation 17:35"State Law Says Cities & Counties Can Raise Local Minimum Wage 20:27 ""What about Pima County? 23:11 "Who Will Be Helped by Prop 206? 25:20Tip Workers 26:08

10/18/21 • 28:16

One of my pet peeves is reading a cliff-hanger news story, only to be left hanging when there is no follow up. Several stories reported in my previous podcasts have had newsworthy developments since those episodes aired.To catch you up on the details, Episode 8 is a compilation of updates. Many of my podcasts referred to petition drives and court cases that were trying to stop bad Republican bills from being enacted. These issues were decided last week because the General Effective Date for new laws was last week. Unless passed with an emergency clause or stopped by the courts, bills passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor are enacted 90 days after the end of session. Today, three previous guests return to discuss the status of the contested laws – particularly the flat tax, the alternative tax to get around Prop 208, the voter suppression bills, the bills attacking the power of the Secretary of State and the power of the governor, Arizona’s latest radical anti-choice bill SB1457, and mandated COVID public health protections. The good news is that progressives had some wins in the courts. We also had some disappointments. Needless to say, the struggle to beat back oppressive legislation continues. Of course, Governor Doug Ducey and Attorney General Mark Brnovich are appealing cases that the state lost.  Who is paying for these unnecessary lawsuits generated by unconstitutional or burdensome laws enacted by Republicans? You are. The taxpayer. Creating and fighting ideological court cases all the way to the Supreme Court is a badge of honor for red state legislatures nationwide and an enormous misuse of taxpayer funds – particularly when the states are defending suppression of voting rights, reproductive rights, civil rights and public health precautions. Besides the unnecessary court cases, does Arizona really need more than 300 new laws every year? I don’t think so, but that’s how many the Republicans pass each year. Thanks to Ducey, “small government” Republicans, and special interest groups including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the Goldwater Institute, Americans for Prosperity, the Institute for Justice, the Arizona Tax Research Association (ATRA) and the Center for Arizona Policy (Cathi Herrod), hundreds of new laws were in the queue to go into effect last week. Which ones were the people able to stop? Not enough. -------------------------InterviewsFor Episode 8, three previous podcast guests joined me to provide updates on the lawsuits and petition drives that Arizona voters used in an attempt to stop bad Republican bills from becoming law.  Children’s Action Alliance President and CEO David Lujan talks about the three Invest in Arizona referenda. Civil rights lawyer Dianne Post discusses Arizona’s new anti-abortion law. Arizona Public Health Association Executive Director Will Humble reports back on COVID19 in Arizona. There’s also news about sports betting, the filibuster and what’s going on with labor.Time Stamp PPH Commentary 1:00"Update on 'Fraudit' (E1) 4:47 ""Update on Referenda (E2) 5:39 ""Update on Online Gaming (E3) 11:41 ""Update on United Campus Workers (E4) 13:50 ""Update on Anti-Choice Laws (E5)  15:12 ""Update on COVID19 (E6) 20:20 "Update on Filibuster (E7) 27:49

10/10/21 • 30:22

In 2020, President Obama called the filibuster a relic of the Jim Crow era. Obama was putting it mildly. Historically, the filibuster has been a primary weapon against civil rights legislation for more than 100 years. Many Americans have celebrated the removal of statues and renaming of boulevards that glorified Confederate leaders. Taking down statues is just feel-good public relations as long as our politicians silently kill important legislation with a Senate rule that has been used to perpetuate structural racism and white supremacy since the Civil War. In 2021, the filibuster is being used to stop much-need legislation that would protect and expand voting rights, reproductive rights, worker rights and civil rights; reform policing; provide a path to citizenship for Dreamers; and tackle poverty. Blocking these bills from becoming law will disproportionately hurt people of color, particularly women of color. This is Jim Crow 2021.The filibuster has been in the news a lot lately because several key pieces of legislation are currently stalled in Congress due to a filibuster threat. What is the filibuster? How can crucial voting rights legislation be stopped because it doesn’t have 60 votes in the US Senate? What happened to passing laws with a simple majority? What is a cloture vote? What does it mean when people call for elimination or reform of the filibuster? My guests on this podcast break down the history of the filibuster, how it works, what reform would look like, and what’s at stake if Congress fails to reform or eliminate this arcane custom. Joining me today are two long-term colleagues of mine at Blog for Arizona, Michael Bryan and Larry Bodine. 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 is President of Democrats of Greater Tucson and 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.Time Stamp..."PPH Commentary 0:37 ""Interview begins  6:31 ""History of Filibuster 7:54 ""Filibuster Is Not in Constitution 9:23 "2000 Filibusters in US History 10:13"Reforms Reduced Disincentives to Filibuster 10:38 "Use of the Filibuster Has Skyrocketed  12:36 "Mitch McConnell Plans to Filibuster Raising Debt Ceiling 13:56 "Republicans Have Abused Filibuster 14:53"Constitutionality and Racist Roots of Filibuster 17:04 "What Bills Are Stalled Now in the Senate 19:45"Without Reform, Is the Return of Jim Crow? 22:28 ""What Can We Do? 25:28 ""Nuclear Option 25:48 "Executive Orders and the Deep State 27:22Sinema Raising Funds on Her Opposition to Biden Economic Plans 28:33"Would the Senate Function Better without the Filibuster? 31:15 "AZ Dems State Committee Warns Sinema of Potential Censure  32:49"Is the Filibuster Needed?  33:22"

10/1/21 • 35:41

Eighteen months ago the Arizona Legislature shut down due to the COVID19 pandemic and the governor's shelter in place order. Arizonans have traveled a rocky road since then.  Throughout most of the pandemic, Arizona's government has been willing to sacrifice lives in order to hew faithfully to the right's anti-science ideology, which dovetails neatly with the "open for business" mantra. Pressure from the Chamber of Commerce, COVID deniers, and the Trump administration caused Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to jump the gun more than once and open the state up for business too soon. In the summer of 2020, Arizona was worst in the world for COVID19. My guests today are Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association and former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, and Rep. Melody Hernandez, who is paramedic. Humble provides a brief overview of where Arizona has been and where we are now with the pandemic. He breaks down the history, the science, the policies, the politics, and the personalities. In contrast, as a frontline healthcare worker throughout the pandemic, Hernandez tells stories of tragedy, death and perseverance. Time Stamp: | Introduction 0:37 | Interview with Will Humble 1:28 | Arizona's COVID Story 2:13  | Vaccine Rollout 12:17  | COVID Deniers 13:23  | COVID & the Schools 15:01 | Face Masks Make a Difference 19:01 | Current COVID Wave Hitting Vaccine Deniers 20:31  | Some AZ Counties Hit Harder than Others 20:58  | Comparing AZ to Other States 22:24 | Why Is AZ #7 in COVID Deaths? 25:03 | Federal & Corporate Mandates for Vaccines & Masks 27:43  | Closing Comments for this Segment 29:15  | Interview with Rep. Melody Hernandez 30:24 | Working as a Paramedic during COVID 31:02 | When Hospitals Get Full 32:33 | Delta Is a Pandemic of the Unvaccinated 33:30 | County Differences: Maricopa v Pinal 35:22 | So Much Death 38:49 | On the Job COVID Precautions 39:53  | Gun Violence Increases as People Come Out 40:54 | Vaccines Save Lives 42:38 

9/26/21 • 44:20

In 2016, Senate Republicans stopped President Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court to replace Justice Antonin Scalia. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said it was too close to the election and that the new president should choose the new supreme court judge. Despite nationwide outcry against this, the Supreme Court functioned for months with only eight justices. After President Donald Trump took office, he nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch in January 2017,  Judge Brett Kavanaugh in July 2018, and Justice Amy Coney Barrett on September 2020, just months before the 2020 election. (I guess according to Mitch McConnell rules are meant to be broken.)The US is currently suffering the aftermath of these three conservative appointments. Multiple Republican-controlled state legislatures have passed restrictive anti-abortion bills during the past decade. Since the Supreme Court has taken a decided hard turn to the right with the Trump era appointments, states like Texas and Arizona are in the forefront with anti-choice legislation designed to challenge Roe v Wade. Now US Attorney General Merrick Garland is mounting a legal case against the Texas ban on abortions after six weeks. In Arizona, there is a lawsuit to stop SB1457, which criminalizes the woman, her doctor and anyone who helps her get an abort a fetus with a known birth defect, regardless of severity of the diagnosis or life expectancy after birth. My guests Rep. Athena Salman and Dianne Post discuss repressive antiabortion laws in red states, particularly Arizona and Texas and what we can do about it.To protest this latest round of legislation attacking reproductive healthcare, Women's Marches will be held around the US and around Arizona on Saturday, October 2, 2021 to protest repressive anti-choice laws like those passed in Texas, Arizona and other red states. Tucson Women's March: October 2 at 10 a.m. - noon, starting at Armory Park.Phoenix Women's March:  October 2 at 10 a.m. - noon, starting at the State Capitol.Podcast Time Stamp:PPH Commentary on Reproductive Choice 0:54 Interview Begins 3:34  Legal Issues 7:38   Texas v AZ antiabortion laws 12:27  Federal Case against Texas 15:29   AZ IS 'Pro-Birth'  |  Not 'Pro-Life' 17:53  Inadequate Prenatal Care in AZ 18:56  Health Is Not Ducey's Forte 20:50  AZ Antiabortion Law Is Worse than Texas 21:49Mail Order Drugs Illegal in AZ 25:13  Our To-Do List 28:06  Events 29:45  Will There Be Boycotts of Texas and AZ? 31:26

9/16/21 • 39:58

Work has changed dramatically in the past 40 years. In the 1980s, President Reagan busted the air traffic controllers’ union, corporations began closing factories and offshoring American jobs to countries with cheap labor, and trickledown economics dictated tax cuts for the rich and the dregs for the rest of us. It the 1990s, banking deregulation paved the way for the Wall Street crash of 2008 by eliminating financial protections enacted after the Great Depression. During the Great Recession, which dragged on for years, almost 9 million Americans lost their jobs. Unemployment hit its peak at 10% in 2009. Although, many governors tout robust recoveries from the 2008 Wall Street crash, the jobs Americans have today are dramatically different from jobs in the 1970s – before union busting, offshoring, and tax cuts for the rich became commonplace. Before politicians cared more about fundraising and getting elected, than about the people they claim to serve. In an episode of his podcast “Marketplace,” NPR’s Kai Ryssdal said, in 2018,  “Today is a much different picture. Unemployment is near its lowest level in 50 years. On paper, the American labor force has more than recovered, but when you dig a little deeper, the imprint of the financial crisis is visible in the types of work people now do and how they get paid for it.”Entry level pay for college graduates increased only 6% in six decades (1960-2018), although housing, healthcare and college debt have increased exponentially. Most of the jobs created in the decade after the 2008 Wall Street Crash were alternative work, according to NPR, temporary, on-call, contract, or freelance work. In a decade, the work/life norm in the United States shifted from fulltime work with decent wages, benefits and maybe even a union card to just-in-time labor and juggling multiple jobs and daycare in the gig economy. In this pre-COVID time period, one in three US adults reported doing some type of nonstandard, “gig economy” work to make ends meet. In 2018, participation in the labor force was 63%, a record low. Pre-COVID, the gig economy was pervasive in Tucson. So many people worked as ride-share drivers and/or delivered packages in their personal cars. I often wondered how many of them had careers and fulltime work before the crash. When COVID hit in 2020, there was another wave of job losses and more dramatic changes to work life. In March 2021, the Economic  Policy Institute reported that although the US economy had been adding jobs, particularly as the vaccinations rolled out, the US was still down 9.5 million jobs compared to pre-pandemic levels one year earlier. At this rate, they estimated it would take two years to get back to February 2020 employment levels. This prediction was made before the Delta variant caused another wave of the pandemic in 2021. When factoring in the number of jobs that weren’t created during the COVID economic slowdown, EPI says more than 25 million American workers were “directly harmed by the COVID labor market.” As I said in one of my 2020 pandemic videos, many jobs and industries may become obsolete or may be changed forever. The continuation of pandemic era consumer hesitancy toward large crowds, big indoor events, air travel and in-person shopping could stall economic recovery into the future. The steady stream of misinformation about vaccines and masks has given the COVID19 Delta Variant the freedom to infect and kill thousands of people unnecessarily.In my opinion, now more than ever, people need the protections that unions provide. In honor of Labor day, my guests today are Trish Muir, who is Chair of the Pima Area Labor Federation and a member of the Teamsters union, and Ryan Kelly, who is the PALF field director and a member of the National Writers’ Union, which is also my union. 

9/10/21 • 33:18

In early August, a friend of mine invited me to like the Facebook group entitled “Stand Against Barstool Sports Rape Culture.” It didn’t take much digging to figure out why my friend Kat Stratford had created this group. Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy has quite Internet rap sheet when it comes to sexist behavior and raunchy, misogynist comments about women. With boobs, butts, beers, and blackout parties, Portnoy built the “Bro Culture” and Barstool Sports. What started as a Boston fantasy sports and gambling newsletter and blog has become a multimillion-dollar, multimedia sports, pop-culture and gaming conglomerate. What’s the Tucson angle to this story, you may ask. On July 27, 2021, Portnoy announced on Twitter that the University of Arizona had offered him a “unicorn deal” by choosing Barstool Sports as the new naming sponsor of the heretofore lackluster Arizona Bowl, which is played at Arizona Stadium on New Year’s Eve. They will not only get multi-year naming privileges and notoriety through the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl, the deal with the University also gives Barstool exclusive broadcast rights to the game. Bye, bye, CBS TV. Exactly one month later on August 27, 2021 the Arizona Department of Gaming announced 18 of the state’s sports betting licenses and their corporate sportsbook partners. Phoenix Raceway was awarded an online sports betting license, and Barstool Sports is their partner. This contract allows Barstool Sports to run bets on the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl during the game. This is not a simple story about Portnoy, the feisty, shock jock blogger who made it big by using sex and social media to sell the bro culture and his business. The Barstool Sports story is much bigger than this.Buckle up for a wide-ranging discussion about sexism and misogyny in sports, the bro culture, and the looming explosion of gambling in Arizona when online sports betting begins.My guest is Kat Stratford. She’s a single mom and local activist who has spent the past two years working to promote policies that benefit survivors of sexual and domestic violence.If you're having trouble understanding the audio on the interview, check out the YouTube version with subtitles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxbPgKLLxl8

9/3/21 • 29:26

Fifteen months out from the 2022 election, the US is awash with conspiracy theories about the results of the 2020 election and the COVID19 pandemic. Arizona Senate's infamous audit of Maricopa County's 2020 ballots is rumored to be winding down, finally. What can we expect from the so-called "fraudit" report? Thanks to low vaccination rates, the COVID19 delta variant is running rampant in red states like Arizona and filling hospital beds. Unhappy voters are fighting back against the Arizona Legislature with multiple referenda, lawsuits and citizens initiatives. My guests are Michael Bryan and Larry Bodine from Blog for Arizona help me break down the crazy state of politics in Arizona in Episode 1 of a View from the Left Side.

8/27/21 • 30:34

As predicted many times by the House Democrats, the people of Arizona are fighting back against bad government and unconstitutional laws passed by Republican Legislators during the 2021 session, which ended on June 30. There are six referenda, a few citizens initiatives, and some lawsuits at play two months after the session ended. Signature drives are happening statewide to stop several bills from becoming law and sending them to the ballot box. This is a huge undertaking, but well worth the effort.This episode features interviews with David Lujan, President and CEO of Children's Action Alliance, talking about the three education-related referenda that are being proposed to stop an automatic annual $2 billion in tax cuts from going into law and Eric Kramer from Arizona Deserves Better talking about the three referenda aimed at stopping a collection of voter suppression bills from becoming law.All six referenda need more than 118,000 valid signatures by September 28, 2021 to put these bad Republican ideas on the ballot for the citizens to decide. Nobody asked the Republicans to suppress the vote and crush public education funding for the foreseeable future in Arizona.According to Lujan and Kramer, the groups are working together on signatures. All six referenda petitions and some citizens initiatives should be available at these locations.  The Arizona Education Association and Arizona Deserves Better websites have lists of events where people can sign all of the petitions.

8/27/21 • 37:21