By deferring pension payments, the City of Phoenix is kicking a structural deficit down the road and making it bigger.
Category Archives: State and local
Sense and nonsense about in-state tuition for Dreamers
Small differences in reasoning in the recent Arizona Court of Appeals decision can have big consequences for how much Dreamers have to pay in tuition.
My fantasy: Lawmakers enact a Prop. 301 replacement
There are big problems appropriating through ballot measures, as illustrated by a proposal from prominent businessmen to significantly increase the dedicated education sales tax.
Not so fast on voter support for vouchers
The record is fairly consistent: voters support vouchers in the abstract, but vote down specific proposals that make the ballot.
Which Ducey will run for re-election?
There have been two Doug Ducey’s: the transformative conservative reformer and the pragmatic steady hand at the helm. Which one will run for re-election?
Congress’ shrinking role on climate change and war
Presidents weren’t intended to be able to make binding international commitments unilaterally or engage in combat without congressional authorization.
Ducey, Trump and First Amendment confusions
The First Amendment protects the right to write or say what you want. That’s it.
State AGs shakedown Target
Private companies have sufficient incentive to protect data without being hustled by lawyer-politicians.
Horne decision illustrates the need for administrative law reform
Big consequences should only occur after a truly independent adjudication. Arizona law doesn’t provide that.
The surest way to boost teacher pay
House Speaker J.D. Mesnard was right to withdraw his bill requiring schools to use half of their inflation funding for teacher salary increases, and shouldn’t revive it. But he does raise an important question: Why isn’t there more upward pressure on teacher compensation at the school level?