Economy – Powers For the People

Labor Unions Protest Amazon on May Day (video)

Posted on May 6, 2023May 5, 2023 by Pamela J. Powers

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.)

Arizona’s 10 Ballot Propositions: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly (video)

Posted on October 7, 2022October 10, 2022 by Pamela J. Powers

Arizonans will face a long ballot when they cast their votes in the November 8, 2022 election. Besides voting on statewide, legislative, judicial and school board candidates, there are 10 propositions on the ballot. Of the 10 propositions, eight were referred to the voters by the Legislature. For the Legislature to make a ballot referral, the body must pass enabling legislation. Six of the legislative referrals are bad ideas that limit the rights of Arizonans or attempt to game the system. Five of them are Constitutional Amendments.

My views on the propositions are in the graphic. Below, you can read more about the propositions and watch the two part video from The Arizona Ground Game (TAGG) Speed Dating the Ballot Propositions event held on Sept. 17, 2022 and inserted at the end.

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

Posted on August 6, 2022September 13, 2022 by Pamela J. Powers

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.

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Podcast: Blog for Arizona Authors & Rep. PPH Breakdown AZ Primary Races

Posted on July 29, 2022September 13, 2022 by Pamela J. Powers

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.

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Podcast Rep. PPH Capitol Updates: Back Story on the Budget

Posted on June 10, 2022June 10, 2022 by Pamela J. Powers

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.

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House Hears Seven Election Bills … Budget Remains Stalled (video)

Posted on June 3, 2022June 3, 2022 by Pamela J. Powers

It is a sad state of affairs when our government’s most important decisions — how to wisely invest $5 billion and how to maintain our water supply into the future — are made behind closed doors by a tiny group of (primarily) white men.

The Libertarian and Corporate wings of the Arizona Republican Caucus in the Legislature have been battling each other over the budget, since the skinny austerity budget failed in April on a bipartisan vote.

While Republicans twist each other’s arms over the budget, water, and tax giveaways, floor action focuses on culture wars, 2020 election conspiracy theories, voter suppression and guns. Since April, the Legislature has had sketchy schedules with a handful of votes and many days of adjournment. (Don’t get me wrong the extra days working from home in Tucson are greatly appreciated.)

In 2021, Republican disarray over the budget dragged out the session until June 30 — the very last day to pass a budget. If the Republicans are going to make backroom deals until they get 100% of their members to agree on the budget, I prefer 2022’s the somewhat random scheduling to 2021’s 28 days of “Pledge and Pray” with no votes. (That was a real waste of time and money!) Although many Legislators (Ds and Rs) stated publicly that they didn’t want a repeat of 2021, that is where we are headed.

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