In our inaugural Friday Edition, we talk about our quixotic hopes and dreams, what happened this week and what's happening next week. And we have a couple actual nice things, too.
There are two ways of "listening to people". The first way is to listen to what outcomes people would like: plentiful jobs, affordable housing, flowing traffic, safe neighborhoods, great schools. Then to adopt policies which achieve those outcomes, no matter how unpopular those processes may appear to be.
The second way of "listening to people" is to ask them which policies should be adopted. Higher taxes, more pay for government employees.
Republicans have been elected for 30 years and controlled the legislature because they produced the outcomes that people like. One of the best job producing states in the nation, in the world for that matter. The best schools in the nation for producing academic gains. Safe neighborhoods.
Tucson and Pima County, the largest government entities controlled by Democrats, has gone the other route, higher pay for government employees, higher taxes. It works for them. They get reelected without significant opposition. They have fewer jobs now than they had in 2007, 15 years ago. Tucson just set an all-time murder record. A mediocre school district, the worst of all our large school districts based on parent ratings and academic gains. 380,000 miles of cracks and crevasses in 2,400 miles of roads. A complete mess.
I think there are far more than two ways to listen to people. One would be, when they take time out of their day to wait for hours to talk to you, you treat them with a baseline level of respect and decency.
Yes, that should go without saying but... One of my constituents called when I was in the legislature: "Senator Huppenthal I put my entire life savings into a Title Company to purchase a home. The owner of the Title company stole all the money, $25 million from everyone. Now they tell me I will only get pennies back on the dollar."
Turned out that a Title company was failing every other year, a horrible danger to home buyers.
I did legislation reforming Banking Department auditing of Title companies. My constituent got his money back along with every one else and there hasn't been a Title Company failure in the last 25 years.
Altogether, I did 212 pieces of legislation like that. Number two in AZ history is 167. That's a different kind of listening, skilled listening.
Responding to the mob isn't listening, that's cowardice.
No matter how passionately someone believes that putting more money in education or other forms of government, will result in improvements, that doesn't make it true. Arizona state government and our AZ schools are proof of that. While parent's ratings of their child's school and academic gains have collapsed to their lowest level in 50 years across the nation, AZ schools have hit all-time highs.
With woefully few exceptions, MAGA faithful brought bills that do harm and are not good! #WendyRogers, #NancyBarto, #JakeHoffman, I’m talking about you! Thank you to Walt Blackman for proposing legislation that actually helps people.
I have been to committee hearings where virtually the whole committee leaves the room when "the public" is testifying. They generally do not even want to talk to the people that show up. The legislators could at least show a little respect.
The city of Maricopa just opened a beautiful new library. The Copper Queen library in Bisbee is a must see as well.
"Listen to people"
There are two ways of "listening to people". The first way is to listen to what outcomes people would like: plentiful jobs, affordable housing, flowing traffic, safe neighborhoods, great schools. Then to adopt policies which achieve those outcomes, no matter how unpopular those processes may appear to be.
The second way of "listening to people" is to ask them which policies should be adopted. Higher taxes, more pay for government employees.
Republicans have been elected for 30 years and controlled the legislature because they produced the outcomes that people like. One of the best job producing states in the nation, in the world for that matter. The best schools in the nation for producing academic gains. Safe neighborhoods.
Tucson and Pima County, the largest government entities controlled by Democrats, has gone the other route, higher pay for government employees, higher taxes. It works for them. They get reelected without significant opposition. They have fewer jobs now than they had in 2007, 15 years ago. Tucson just set an all-time murder record. A mediocre school district, the worst of all our large school districts based on parent ratings and academic gains. 380,000 miles of cracks and crevasses in 2,400 miles of roads. A complete mess.
I think there are far more than two ways to listen to people. One would be, when they take time out of their day to wait for hours to talk to you, you treat them with a baseline level of respect and decency.
Yes, that should go without saying but... One of my constituents called when I was in the legislature: "Senator Huppenthal I put my entire life savings into a Title Company to purchase a home. The owner of the Title company stole all the money, $25 million from everyone. Now they tell me I will only get pennies back on the dollar."
Turned out that a Title company was failing every other year, a horrible danger to home buyers.
I did legislation reforming Banking Department auditing of Title companies. My constituent got his money back along with every one else and there hasn't been a Title Company failure in the last 25 years.
Altogether, I did 212 pieces of legislation like that. Number two in AZ history is 167. That's a different kind of listening, skilled listening.
Responding to the mob isn't listening, that's cowardice.
No matter how passionately someone believes that putting more money in education or other forms of government, will result in improvements, that doesn't make it true. Arizona state government and our AZ schools are proof of that. While parent's ratings of their child's school and academic gains have collapsed to their lowest level in 50 years across the nation, AZ schools have hit all-time highs.
With woefully few exceptions, MAGA faithful brought bills that do harm and are not good! #WendyRogers, #NancyBarto, #JakeHoffman, I’m talking about you! Thank you to Walt Blackman for proposing legislation that actually helps people.
Bisbee has a lovely library! It’s on the 2nd story of the old hotel/mercantile building on the Main Street.
I have been to committee hearings where virtually the whole committee leaves the room when "the public" is testifying. They generally do not even want to talk to the people that show up. The legislators could at least show a little respect.