Author Archives: William Timberman

The State of Public Education in Arizona: It’s Getting Worse — Podcast June 8, 2015

Posted on June 10, 2015 by William Timberman

Not-So-Great Expectations: Arizona Is Now Dead Last in Per-Pupil Education Spending.  Democratic Perspective  talks to Jim Ledbetter, Verde Valley Attorney and Past President of the Mingus Union High School District Governing Board and Ann Shaw, District Director of the New Visions Academy charter … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona Budget, Arizona Politics, Education, Education Policy, Housekeeping, Interviews, Podcasts, Public Education, Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The State of Public Education in Arizona: It’s Getting Worse — Podcast June 8, 2015

Yavapai College Update — Podcast June 1, 2015

Posted on June 3, 2015 by William Timberman

Putting the Community Back in Our Community College:  Mike Cosentino and Gary LaMaster welcome Bob Oliphant and Ruth Wicks to bring our audience up-to-date on the latest news from the Verde Valley Community College Citizen Advocates push for home rule — a separate administrative district for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Education Policy, Interviews, Local Politics, Podcasts, Public Education | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Yavapai College Update — Podcast June 1, 2015

Bacchus Ain’t Got Nothing On Us: Another Great Verde Valley Wine Show — Podcast May 25, 2015

Posted on May 28, 2015 by William Timberman

Wines and Winemaking: How To Do The Hard Stuff and Still Have a Good Time. Democratic Perspective talks viticulture (the science of vines) and oenology (the science of wines) with Michael Pierce, Director of Enology at the Southwest Wine Center, Tom Schumacher, President … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona Economy, Interviews, Jobs and Employment, Oenology, Podcasts, Small Business, Viticulture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Bacchus Ain’t Got Nothing On Us: Another Great Verde Valley Wine Show — Podcast May 25, 2015

Preserving the Verde River and Its Watershed — Podcast May 18, 2015

Posted on May 19, 2015 by William Timberman

Whiskey Is for Drinking, Water Is for Fighting: Arizona Water Politics and Citizen Advocacy in Defense of the Verde River. Democratic Perspective welcomes Chip Norton, President of the Friends of the Verde River Greenway, and Kathy Davis, Secretary of the Verde … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Environmental Issues, Environmentalism, Local Politics, Podcasts, Public Lands, Sustainable Development, Water Policy | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Preserving the Verde River and Its Watershed — Podcast May 18, 2015

Religion As an Excuse for Bigotry — Podcast May 11, 2015

Posted on May 14, 2015 by William Timberman

Are State-Sponsored Religious Freedom Restoration Acts Simply a Fig Leaf for Anti-Gay Discrimination? Democratic Perspective reconsiders the Establishment Clause of the Constitution’s First Amendment, the history of religious conflicts in Europe and elsewhere in the world, and more generally, the relationship of religion … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Gay Discrimination, Arizona Politics, Bigotry, Civil Rights, Conservatives and Reactionaries, Constitutional Issues, LGBT Community, LGBT Issues, LIberals and Conservatives, Podcasts, Racial Discrimination, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Religion As an Excuse for Bigotry — Podcast May 11, 2015

What We Do Know About Police Brutality Is Bad: What We Don’t Know May Be Worse — Podcast May 4, 2015

Posted on May 8, 2015 by William Timberman

Police Violence: a Statistical Black Hole. Democratic Perspective’s Mike Cosentino, Gary LaMaster and Steve Williamson review the shocking lack of statistical information on the frequency of unprovoked police violence against a citizenry they’re sworn to protect and to serve. Our cellphone cameras have now given … Continue reading →

Posted in Bigotry, Civil Rights, Government, Law Enforcement, Podcasts, Policing, Racial Discrimination, Racism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What We Do Know About Police Brutality Is Bad: What We Don’t Know May Be Worse — Podcast May 4, 2015

Debt Peonage as a Source of Revenue: Paying for Government by Fining the Poor — Podcast April 27, 2015

Posted on April 28, 2015 by William Timberman

On the Backs of the Poor: The Great Recession and the Criminalization of Debt. Democratic Perspective’s Mike Cosentino, Gary LaMaster and Steve Williamson analyze the effect on the poor, especially minorities, of the disturbing recent trend toward financing hard-pressed local governments through … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona Law Enforcement, Capitalism, Class Conflict, Constitutional Issues, Corrections Policy, Corruption, Democratic Governance, Income Inequality, Justice System, Law Enforcement, Legal Issues, Local Politics, Mass Incarceration, Minimum Wage, Penology, Podcasts, Policing, Private Prisons, Racism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Debt Peonage as a Source of Revenue: Paying for Government by Fining the Poor — Podcast April 27, 2015

Alessandra Soler Meetze Interview — Podcast April 20, 2015

Posted on April 23, 2015 by William Timberman

The ACLU in Arizona, 2014/15: Some Good News for a Change. Democratic Perspective’s Gary LaMaster and Steve Williamson discuss some recent civil liberties litigation victories with Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director of the ACLU for Arizona. Dreamers got their driver’s licenses, Joe Arpaio was enjoined from … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Gay Discrimination, Arizona Law Enforcement, Arizona Politics, Civil Rights, Constitutional Issues, Corrections Policy, Education Policy, Immigration, Interviews, Justice System, Law Enforcement, Penology, Podcasts, Policing, Private Prisons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Alessandra Soler Meetze Interview — Podcast April 20, 2015

U.S. Interventionism: In Search of a Coherent Foreign Policy — Podcast April 13, 2015

Posted on April 17, 2015 by William Timberman

Does Military Intervention in Other Countries Really Advance U.S. Interests? Democratic Perspective’s Mike Cosentino, Gary LaMaster and Steve Williamson  discuss the long list of American military interventions in the affairs of other countries, and the consequences to date. The balance sheet is far from positive, … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, International Relations, International Terrorism, Iran, Islamic Republic, Middle East, Middle East Policy, Military Policy, Palestinian/Israeli Conflict, Podcasts, U.S. Armed Forces | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on U.S. Interventionism: In Search of a Coherent Foreign Policy — Podcast April 13, 2015

The Iran Nuclear Framework Deal: Yet Another Historic Achievement to Bedevil the Right — Podcast April 6, 2015

Posted on April 9, 2015 by William Timberman

Binyamin Netanyahu and the Republicans Hate It: Will the Historic Nuclear Framework Agreement with Iran Survive the Meddling of Congressional Warmongers? Democratic Perspective’s Mike Cosentino, Gary LaMaster and Steve Williamson  discuss the framework plan agreed upon between Iran and the Six Powers for … Continue reading →

Posted in Disinformation, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, International Terrorism, Iran, Islamic Republic, Media Campaigns, Middle East, Middle East Policy, Military Policy, Nuclear Weapons, Palestinian/Israeli Conflict, Podcasts | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Iran Nuclear Framework Deal: Yet Another Historic Achievement to Bedevil the Right — Podcast April 6, 2015