Labor Unions Protest Amazon on May Day (video)

Posted on by Pamela Powers
Amazon in Tucson

Protesting outside of an Amazon warehouse on May 1, International Workers Day, has become an tradition for Tucson labor unions. Organized by the Pima Area Labor Federation (PALF), the 2023 event drew about 50 protesters on a blustery day. AFL-CIO Organizing Specialist Ryan Kelly highlighted many union organizing accomplishments in the past year.

This video includes the speeches from several Tucson union leaders. It was heartening to see so many young people rising in the ranks of a revived union movement in the US. (My apologies for the wind and the street noise.)

Continue reading Labor Unions Protest Amazon on May Day (video)

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

Posted on by Pamela Powers

Election Day, Nov. 8, is fast approaching.

Early ballots are arriving in mailboxes all over Arizona.

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 on candidates and issues.

Traditional television 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 and which messengers are trustworthy.

This is where constituent education comes in …

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

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

Posted on by Pamela Powers
National Infrastructure Bank

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.

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

Divided Republican Party Delays Budget & Drags Session Out (video)

Posted on by Pamela Powers
Rep. Pam Powers Hannley

For more than a month, the Legislature hasn’t done much except pass a few bills and take random days off. The current glacial pace is the result of multiple feuds within the Republican Caucus of the Arizona Legislature.

The budget appears to be going no where. For weeks, the Republican leadership has been stuck between a rock (pleasing their Libertarian wing) and a hard place (negotiating with the Democrats). The Republican austerity budget died on a bipartisan vote in the House Appropriations Committee in late April. (Check out my late April blog post and video on that subject.)

Libertarians don’t want to spend money on anything — even to save lives. This is unrealistic and cruel when our state has $5 billion in the coffers and chronic poverty. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership wants to continue their tradition of not negotiating with the Democrats on the budget. Our ideas are not extreme; we have common sense spending proposals (like funding public education, basic healthcare, affordable housing, and infrastructure).

Continue reading Divided Republican Party Delays Budget & Drags Session Out (video)

Podcast: Rep. PPH Capitol Updates: Taxes Breaks & Voter Suppression to the Border Wall

Posted on by Pamela Powers
A View from the Left Side podcast

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 tax breaks and trickledown economics to bullying in the Arizona House, nursing workforce development, fixing the housing crisis, funding the Border Wall, and remembering Senator Olivia Cajero-Bedford.

Continue reading Podcast: Rep. PPH Capitol Updates: Taxes Breaks & Voter Suppression to the Border Wall

I Am the Most Independent Voting Democrat in the #AZHouse: Here’s Why (video)

Posted on by Pamela Powers
Rep. Pam Powers Hannley

I am the most independent-voting Democrat in the Arizona House and perhaps in the Arizona Legislature. How did that happen? When I first ran for office in 2015, I said I would look at every bill and ask myself, “How does this help the people of Arizona?” And if it didn’t broadly help people OR if it was a carve-out for the connected, there was no reason for me to support it.

Continue reading I Am the Most Independent Voting Democrat in the #AZHouse: Here’s Why (video)