Author Archives: Gary LaMaster

What Is Government For?

Democratic Perspective posed the question to Lane Kenworthy, Professor of Sociology and Political Science at the University of Arizona and author of Progress for the Poor, Jobs with Equality, Egalitarian Capitalism and In Search of National Economic Success. We began … Continue reading

Posted in Government, Interviews, Medicaid, Medicare, National Politics, Social Security | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on What Is Government For?

Avi Chomsky Cont’d – Scapegoating Immigrants

As Democratic Perspective continued its interview with the author of They Take Our Jobs! and 20 other myths about immigration, we began by asking if the immigration problem is just too big to solve. She responded by saying, “It depends … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona Politics, Immigration, Interviews, National Politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Avi Chomsky Cont’d – Scapegoating Immigrants

They Take Our Jobs! and 20 other myths about immigration.

That’s the title of a book by Avi Chomsky who was interviewed by Democratic Perspective. As a historian, teacher, and coordinator of the Latin American studies at Salem State College, she has become a strong voice for fairness in our … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona Politics, Immigration, National Politics | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on They Take Our Jobs! and 20 other myths about immigration.

The End Of Extreme Politics In Arizona?

Democratic Perspective had an opportunity to visit with Andrei Cherny, former Arizona assistant attorney general, White House aide, business consultant and current Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party. We began by asking him about the political environment in Arizona. He … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona Budget, Arizona Politics, Elections, Interviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The End Of Extreme Politics In Arizona?

Noam Chomsky Cont’d – Immigration And Arab Spring

On July 18, Democratic Perspective continued its interview with Professor Emeritus Noam Chomsky by asking how we should deal with the fear of immigration.  He responded by saying, “We deal with it by a sympathetic understanding and education.  We can … Continue reading

Posted in Foreign Affairs, Interviews, Middle East, National Politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Noam Chomsky Cont’d – Immigration And Arab Spring

Immigration – A Conflict Of Values

Recently, Democratic Perspective had the great privilege of discussing the immigration debate with Noam Chomsky, Professor Emeritas at Massachussetts Institute of Technology’s Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy. He has authored more than 150 books and, according to Wikipedia, is the … Continue reading

Posted in Foreign Affairs | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Immigration – A Conflict Of Values

A Bitter Pill To Swallow.

If you’re a Democrat, indeed if you’re an informed American, it’s hard to get very excited about the new plan which has been proposed to expand the debt ceiling. Certainly the debt ceiling needs to be raised to prevent the … Continue reading

Posted in Military, National Debt Ceiling, National Politics, U.S. Budget | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A Bitter Pill To Swallow.

A Manufactured Crisis

For months now, the Republicans (especially the Tea Party representatives) have used the debt ceiling as a means to leverage power against President Obama and the Democratic Senate. As we recently pointed out on Democratic Perspective, this is an entirely … Continue reading

Posted in National Politics, Social Security, U.S. Budget | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

“A Very Broken System”

Democratic Perspective continued our conversation with AZ House Minority Leader, Chad Campbell. This week, the subject was privatization. According to Campbell, privatization sometimes makes sense, but you need to look at each situation carefully. For example, he talked about the … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona Budget, Arizona Politics, Privatization | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on “A Very Broken System”

A Rare, Sane Voice In The Arizona Legislature

Democratic Perspective spoke with Chad Campbell, House Minority Leader in the vast wasteland otherwise known as the Arizona State Legislature. We began by asking about the Republicans’ refusal to extend unemployment benefits to as many as 45,000 Arizonans who have … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona Budget, Arizona Politics, Elections, Interviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A Rare, Sane Voice In The Arizona Legislature