Eva Lee Sargent Interview — Podcast September 28, 2015

Posted on September 29, 2015 by William Timberman


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 Williamson, for a discussion of the Defenders’ programs to preserve and defend Arizona’s endangered species of wildlife, and the political barriers erected by the states’ rights extremists of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

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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

Posted on September 23, 2015 by William Timberman


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 and why much of the tax money earmarked for innovative projects in Arizona K-12 public education has instead been diverted to support private and religious schools, and to boost the profit margins of private education corporations with questionable connections to our state legislators.

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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

Sedona and the National Monument Controversy: a Closer Look — Podcast September 14, 2015

Posted on September 17, 2015 by William Timberman


The Sedona Verde Valley Red Rock National Monument Proposal: What’s Really At Issue In the Current Controversy. Democratic Perspective looks deeper into the current flap over a National Monument designation for the Sedona area.

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Posted in Federal Lands, Podcasts, Public Lands, Water Policy | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Sedona and the National Monument Controversy: a Closer Look — Podcast September 14, 2015

Labor Day: The Diminished Remnant of a Proud History of Struggle — Podcast September 7, 2015

Posted on September 12, 2015 by William Timberman

Paid For In Blood: the Forgotten History of the Labor Movement in The U.S. Democratic Perspective looks at the history of our second Civil War — the struggle of the American Labor Movement for decent wages, working conditions, and the political influence crucial to preserving their hard-won gains. Mike Cosentino, Gary LaMaster, and Steve Williamson remember — and honor — the price in blood and deprivation paid by American workers for the benefits we enjoy today. When we celebrate Labor Day, we should remember that the 40 hour week, paid holidays, vacations and sick leave, minimum wage legislation, and the right to organize were not granted as gifts by employers or government, but fought for by people who braved lockouts, beatings, and bullets to improve the lot of all of us who work for a living.

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Posted in American Jobs Act, Class Conflict, Income Inequality, Jobs and Employment, Labor Movement, Labor Unions, Minimum Wage, National Politics, Podcasts, Poverty, Unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Labor Day: The Diminished Remnant of a Proud History of Struggle — Podcast September 7, 2015

Peggy Chaikin Interview — Podcast August 31, 2015

Posted on September 12, 2015 by William Timberman


The Sedona Verde Valley Red Rock National Monument Proposal: Everything You Need to Know about Land Trades, Amendment 12, and the Protection of Sedona’s Public Lands. Democratic Perspective talks to Peggy Chaikin, volunteer at  Keep Sedona Beautiful and Secretary of Friends of Verde River Greenway, about Keep Sedona Beautiful’s involvement in developing a community plan for the National Monument proposal.

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Matt Capalby Interview — Podcast August 24, 2015

Posted on August 26, 2015 by William Timberman


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 for the U.S. Senate and the Congressional contests in CD-1 and CD-6 begin to heat up.

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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

The New Gilded Age: History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, But It Does Rhyme — Podcast August 17, 2015

Posted on August 19, 2015 by William Timberman

Oligarchs Then and Now: Democracy and the Distribution of Wealth. Democratic Perspective goes another round with the oligarchs. Mike Cosentino, Gary LaMaster, and Steve Williamson discuss what’s driving the increased concentration of wealth in the United States today, and why it poses a threat to democratic governance.

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Posted in Business, Campaign Finance, Capital Accumulation, Capitalism, Citizens United, Class Conflict, Corruption, Dark Money, De-regulation, Democratic Governance, Economic Policy, Entitlements, Government, Income Inequality, Journalism, Mass Media, Minimum Wage, National Politics, Podcasts, Propaganda, Regulatory Agencies, Social Contract, Social Security, Taxation, Unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The New Gilded Age: History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, But It Does Rhyme — Podcast August 17, 2015

Oligarchy: A Greek Name for an American Tragedy in the Making — Podcast August 10, 2015

Posted on August 13, 2015 by William Timberman

If Government By the People Is For Sale, Shouldn’t the People Be Getting a Higher Price? President Jimmy Carter said recently that the United States has become “an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations for president or to elect the president. And the same thing applies to governors and U.S. senators and congress members. So now we’ve just seen a complete subversion of our political system as a payoff to major contributors, who want and expect and sometimes get favors for themselves after the election’s over.” Was he right? Democratic Perspective looks at the evidence, from the Cayman Islands to Citizens United, from Koch to Adelson to Trump.

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Posted in Campaign Finance, Capital Accumulation, Citizens United, Constitutional Issues, Corruption, Dark Money, Democratic Governance, Elections, Ethics, Front Organizations, Government, Income Inequality, Media Campaigns, National Politics, Podcasts, Political Action Committees, Political Contributions, Taxation | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Oligarchy: A Greek Name for an American Tragedy in the Making — Podcast August 10, 2015

The Republican Presidential Candidates, All 17 of Them: Podcast August 3, 2015

Posted on August 5, 2015 by William Timberman


The Greatest Clown Show On Earth: The Republican Presidential Lineup for 2016. Democratic Perspective takes a long, flabbergasted look at the list of seventeen Republican presidential hopefuls for 2016. Should we laugh, cry, or, like Madame Defarge, go quietly back to our knitting? We report, you — or lots of somebodies very like you — decide.

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Posted in Campaign Finance, Citizens United, Conservatives and Reactionaries, Dark Money, Democratic Governance, Elections, Foreign Policy, International Relations, Mass Media, Movement Conservatism, National Politics, Podcasts, Political Action Committees, Political Contributions, Political Theory, Polling, Propaganda, Racism | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Republican Presidential Candidates, All 17 of Them: Podcast August 3, 2015

The U.S. and Other Major Powers Have a Deal with Iran: Will the U.S. Congress Accept It? — Podcast July 27, 2015

Posted on July 29, 2015 by William Timberman


A Credible Alternative to War: Why the Critics Are Wrong About the Nuclear Agreement with Iran. Gary LaMaster and Steve Williamson review the recently announced agreement between Iran and the P5+1, an ad-hoc negotiating group composed of representatives from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China), with the invited participation of Germany. Gary and Steve discuss the provisions of the agreement and what they mean for Iran, the U.S., and the international community. The benefits of the agreement to all parties are clearly significant, which makes the uncertain prospects for congressional approval in the face of Republican and Democratic hard-line opposition look very much like another potentially tragic failure of American foreign policy.

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Posted in Conservative Paranoia, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, International Relations, Iran, Islamic Republic, Middle East Policy, Military Policy, National Security, Nuclear Weapons, Podcasts | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The U.S. and Other Major Powers Have a Deal with Iran: Will the U.S. Congress Accept It? — Podcast July 27, 2015