Category Archives: Podcasts

Tom O’Halleran Interview — Podcast June 29, 2015

National Monument Status for the Sedona-Verde Valley Area: Tom O’Halleran on the Need, the Politics, and the Process. Democratic Perspective’s Mike Cosentino talks to Tom O’Halleran, former Arizona State Representative and Senator, and former President of Keep Sedona Beautiful, about the campaign for a Sedona Verde Valley … Continue reading

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James Bishop Jr. Interview — Podcast June 22, 2015

Journalist, Writer, Environmentalist: A Man of Many Parts. Democratic Perspective’s Mike Cosentino talks to James Bishop Jr., 25 year Sedona resident and visionary, about his life, his writing, his long association with Sedona, and his hopes for the future. https://verdevalleyindependentdemocrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DemPerspective-06-22-15.mp3Podcast: Play in … Continue reading

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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

Yavapai College Update — Podcast June 1, 2015

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

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

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

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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