Category Archives: Arizona Politics

A Not-So-Magnificent Obsession: The History, Psychology, and Politics of Gun Ownership in America — Podcast November 9, 2015

Unfinished Business: The Second Amendment, the NRA, the Arms Industry, and 30,000+ Shooting Deaths per Year in the U.S.: Is Anyone EVER Going to Connect These Dots?  Democratic Perspective’s Mike Cosentino, Gary LaMaster, and Steve Williamson try to make some sense of the controversy over … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-Federalism, Arizona Politics, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Child Protection, Constitutional Issues, Criminology, Domestic Terrorism, Firearms and Explosives, Firearms Legislation, Founding Fathers, Gun Control, Law Enforcement, Podcasts, Policing, Political Polarization, States' Rights | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on A Not-So-Magnificent Obsession: The History, Psychology, and Politics of Gun Ownership in America — Podcast November 9, 2015

Sandy Bahr Interview — Podcast November 2, 2015

Conservation vs. Development: Follow the Money. Democratic Perspective welcomes Sandy Bahr, Director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon (Arizona) Chapter back the program for a discussion of the threat posed by an alliance of mining interests, anti-government oligarchs, and tea-party libertarianism to natural resource and wilderness conservation in Arizona. … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona Politics, Environment, Interviews, Podcasts, Special Interest Legislation, Sustainable Development | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sandy Bahr Interview — Podcast November 2, 2015

Eva Lee Sargent Interview — Podcast September 28, 2015

The Endangered Species Act, the Mexican Gray Wolf, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department: Yet Another Instance of Science Held Hostage by Right-Wing Ideology.  Eva Lee Sargent, Southwest Program Director for Defenders of Wildlife, joins Democratic Perspective’s Mike Cosentino, Gary LaMaster, and Steve … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-Federalism, Arizona Politics, Climate Change, Constitutional Issues, De-regulation, Democratic Governance, Environment, Environmental Issues, Federal Lands, Interviews, Nullification, Paul Gosar, Podcasts, Political Polarization, Public Lands, Public Policy, Regulatory Agencies, States' Rights, Sustainable Development | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Eva Lee Sargent Interview — Podcast September 28, 2015

Jan Nichols Interview — Podcast September 21, 2015

Feeding at the Public Trough: The Sleazy Economics of Charter School Scams and Ripoffs. Jan Nichols, Arizona native, retired Phoenix teacher, and education activist, joins Democratic Perspective hosts Mike Cosentino and Gary LaMaster for a discussion of charter school funding abuses — discover how … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona Politics, Corruption, Education, Education Policy, Interviews, Podcasts, Privatization, Public Education, Special Interest Legislation | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Jan Nichols Interview — Podcast September 21, 2015

Matt Capalby Interview — Podcast August 24, 2015

Arizona: the State of the State, the State of State Politics. Democratic Perspective’s intrepid investigative staff interviews Matt Capalby — Kingman native, Arizona Democratic Party stalwart, and highly regarded political consultant — about the state of play in Arizona politics as the 2016 race … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona Economy, Arizona Politics, Campaign Finance, Citizens United, Dark Money, Education Policy, Elections, Energy Policy, Environmental Issues, Immigration, Income Inequality, Interviews, Jobs and Employment, Journalism, Justice System, Law Enforcement, Local Politics, Mass Media, Media Campaigns, Podcasts, Polling, Public Education, Public Lands, Taxation, Water Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Matt Capalby Interview — Podcast August 24, 2015

Katie Hobbs Interview — Podcast July 20, 2015

Frustrated with an Unresponsive Government? How About Running for Office? Democratic Perspective interviews Arizona State Senator Katie Hobbs (Dem., 24th District). What happens when a social worker realizes that the needs of her clients are being ill-served by local and state … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona Politics, Child Protection, Democratic Governance, Demographic Trends, Education Policy, Elections, Health Care Delivery, Health Insurance, Interviews, Podcasts, Social Services, Social Work, Taxation, Welfare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Katie Hobbs Interview — Podcast July 20, 2015

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

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

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

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

Alessandra Soler Meetze Interview — Podcast April 20, 2015

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

The Arizona Legislative Lunacy Report: Spring 2015 Edition — Podcast April 30, 2015

The March of Ideology and Incompetence Continues in Phoenix: Democratic Perspective’s Mike Cosentino and Gary LaMaster take a detailed look at the Arizona Republic’s recently published docket of bills pending in the Legislature. Listen as our intrepid analysts subject the moderately acceptable, the irredeemably awful, and the crazy ugly to the test … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-Federalism, Arizona Budget, Arizona Economy, Arizona Politics, Budget Negotiations, Campaign Finance, Child Protection, Citizens United, Constitutional Issues, Corporate Welfare, Corruption, Dark Money, Education, Education Policy, Elections, Federal Lands, Firearms Legislation, Fiscal Policy, Gun Control, Immigration, Industrial Policy, Nullification, Podcasts, Political Contributions, Public Education, Regulatory Agencies, Special Interest Legislation | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Arizona Legislative Lunacy Report: Spring 2015 Edition — Podcast April 30, 2015