The Think Tank with Mike O'Neil

Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (@katiehobbs ) leads off this week’s Think Tank with her observations on the ongoing vote count at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.  She has weighed in on aspects of this effort publicly; this is a good chance to hear Arizona’s chief election officer firsthand.

We also talk with Grand Canyon Institute’s (http://grandcanyoninstitute.org/) Research Director, Dr. David Wells on the impact of Arizona’s decades of tax-cutting and on the proposed “flat tax” that is currently before the state legislature.  He is the principal author of three analytical reports on the subject.

And finally, we pay our annual, and perhaps final, tribute to Dick Rowe on the occasion of what would have been his 100th birthday.  Name doesn’t wring a bell?  Listen in and you’ll find out why we regard him as the King of Oops.

The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com.   Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Arizona state legislature voted to authorize the issuance of four year degrees by the state’s community colleges for the first time.

This change has been sought by the community colleges and successfully opposed by the state’s universities for decades.

We explore the implications of this decision with

Linda Thor, member Maricopa Community Colleges Governing Board, former community college President at three institutions inside and outside of the Maricopa system.

Ernest Calderon, former Chairman of the Arizona Board of Regents

We discuss the implications of this change:

What types of degrees and programs are likely to be offered?

When are they likely to be available?

What kinds of costs are likely to be involved?

The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at  ktar.com.   Older shows are archived at  www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two stories have dominated the news this past week. 

ELECTION “AUDIT”. The Arizona State Senate mandated an additional  “audit” of the 2020 election.  No observer has been more on top of this issue than Jen Fifeld of the Arizona Republic. For example, when “auditors” had access to ballots it was she, and not the “auditors” who noticed that they also had black or blue markers on the desks, which could have been used to change votes.  This is absolutely prohibited and it was Jen, and not the “auditors,” who noticed.  And Amy Chan, an attorney and former Elections Director for the State of Arizona can speak to many of the legalities involved in this “recount” with highly relevant expertise. You could not find two more informed – and complimentary – experts on this topic.

FLAT TAX PROPOSAL. With little prior public discussion, the Governor and Republicans in the legislature tried to completely revamp the state’s tax system in a way that would both substantially reduce revenues (likely gutting education spending) and shifting the tax burden to the lowest income taxpayers in the state.  But because Repubicans control both legislative chambers by a single vote, there are 48 Republican legislators any one of whom has the power to kabosh the entire effort.  And some of these exercised this power. Chuck Coughlin and Tony Cani are among the state’s most astute political observers. They tell us what they know about what is going on behind the scenes.

Either one of these two issues would easily command a full show.  But both are fast-moving and we could not wait an extra week to cover either.

The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com.   Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fernanda Santos (fernandasantos.com) is a reporter who was the New York Times Phoenix Bureau Chief for five years. She is currently Southwest Borderlands Initiative Professor of Practice at ASU’s Cronkite School of Journalism and is an editorial writer for the Washington Post.

We discuss her interesting career path into journalism from her immigration from Brazil, to work in a small town paper,  to the Times and the Post, two of journalism’s iconic publications.

We also talk about immigration and immigrants, border issues, the state of journalism and other issues.  But mostly we listen to a very interesting person’s perspectives.

In that sense this is our third consecutive “interesting person” show.  If you missed either of the last two shows, with Ernest Calderon or Francine Hardaway (or other recent shows), podcasts can be accessed at www.ktar.com as can this show after it is broadcast.

The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com.   Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year around Tax Tim the Think Tank takes a look at taxes.

This year’s guest is Bob Lord, who is a tax attorney and a Fellow with the Institute of Policy Studies.

Among other things, Bob observes that the richest .01 percent of Americans, about 33,000 lucky souls, now pay just one-sixth of what they used to pay in tax, when measured as a percentage of their total wealth and that billionaire tax payments, as a percentage of their wealth, have dropped by an astounding 79 percent since 1980.

How did this happen?

And how do they do it?

To understand this, we delve into the difference between “nominal” tax rates (which are moderately progressive) and the actual rates that people actually pay.  And the various devices buried deep into the tax code that few understand.

All things Taxes in this week’s Think Tank.

The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com.   Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.

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Terry Green Sterling was regularly selected by her peers as Journalist of the Year and is now Journalist in Residence at ASU’s Cronkite School of Journalism. Jude Joffe-Block is a Phoenix-based journalist who currently works for the Associated Press.

They have collaborated on a new book “Driving While Brown: Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Latino Resistance.” (https://www.amazon.com/Driving-While-Brown-Sheriff-Resistance-ebook/dp/B08W3682BD/ref=pd_cart_vw_crc_2_2/145-1531749-3313738?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B08W3682BD&pd_rd_r=f790abe5-3c03-4b05-b1d9-daebd4a45be4&pd_rd_w=Dtqer&pd_rd_wg=chw12&pf_rd_p=01004c92-8f40-4f1a-bee8-08cb36dccac2&pf_rd_r=AZVM6Y1B091RVA06BJ38&psc=1&refRID=AZVM6Y1B091RVA06BJ38#customerReviews). It documents, of course, the story of Sheriff Joe. But it is also the story of the (mostly Latino) resistance that developed in response to his aggressive anti-immigration policies.

I found this to be an "I can't put it down” book. Even as one who has followed the career of Joe Arpaio for over 25 years, I found it fascinating to learn in detail of the grass-roots movement that arose in opposition to his policies.

Some of these were well-known and included both former and current officeholders. But some of the most significant figures labored in relative obscurity. To an equal extent as Sheriff Joe, this book is about their decades-long struggle with him and his policies. Like a novel, the story involves both victories and losses and documents an extended struggle and is ultimately a book with a lesson about the value of persistence in the face of obstacles.

And, for those who were not here at the beginning of his tenure, there will be surprises. For example, one of his first forays into the issue was when a citizen, Patrick Haab, held a group of presumably undocumented immigrants at gunpoint in a "citizen's arrest". Arpaio's department had the gun-wielding Haab arrested. Clearly the "Sheriff Joe" that became the champion of the anti-immigration forces did not start out this way, his positions evolved over time. And the authors don't just relate events, they tell the stories of some of the most noteworthy players in this drama. We get a sense of their humanity, their conflicts, and their struggles. This makes the book not only a definitive treatment of the Arpaio phenomenon, but also a highly readable gripping story.

Terry and Jude are our guests in this week’s Think Tank. They tell a compelling story.

The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To the astonishment of every observer, Arizona will not get a 10th Congressional seat as a result of the 2020 Census.   As a professional survey researcher, Mike shares professional knowledge and tells us why Arizona didn’t get the 10th Congressional seat, and why a better count would have certainly done so.  The result: we not only lose congressional and electoral college clout, we will also lose many millions of dollars in federal aid each year over the next decade.

We then move to a discussion of the legislature, with former legislative leader and Executive Director of the Center for Economic Progress (https://azeconcenter.org/), David Lujan.

Essentially legislative actions have been in three areas: abortion, taxes, and voting restrictions.

We conclude with a brief discussion of the “audit” of the Maricopa County 2020 vote occurring at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com.   Older shows are archived at  www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fernanda Santos (fernandasantos.com) is a reporter who was the New York Times Phoenix Bureau Chief for five years. She is currently Southwest Borderlands Initiative Professor of Practice at ASU’s Cronkite School of Journalism and is an editorial writer for the Washington Post.

We discuss her interesting career path into journalism from her immigration from Brazil, to work in a small town paper,  to the Times and the Post, two of journalism’s iconic publications.

We also talk about immigration and immigrants, border issues, the state of journalism and other issues.  But mostly we listen to a very interesting person’s perspectives.

In that sense this is our third consecutive “interesting person” show.  If you missed either of the last two shows, with Ernest Calderon or Francine Hardaway (or other recent shows), podcasts can be accessed at www.ktar.com as can this show after it is broadcast.

The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com.   Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or emai

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is intergenerational poverty the rule rather than the exception? America considers itself the “land of opportunity,” yet so many cannot escape the poverty they are born into.

Why don’t the poor just “pull themselves up by their bootstraps”?

Francine Hardaway’s experiences document how difficult this turns out to be.

When she was introduced to a couple of young kids who were being warehoused in the foster care system, she decided to step in personally to help; she become their foster mom.

And Francine had financial, educational, and bureaucratic resources at her disposal, way beyond that of a typical foster parent:

No, Francine was NOT your typical foster mom. One would think her success would be guaranteed.

But her experiences show how difficult it is, especially from the perspective of a lifetime. The “kids” are now adults with kids of their own. One of the two kids has been in and out of prison (even after her help), and life has been a struggle for both.

This week’s Think Tank lets Francine tell this story. Her book, Foster Mom https://www.amazon.com/Foster-Mom-Self-Discovery-Francine-Hardaway/dp/0595314317/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=francine+hardaway&qid=1618519020&s=books&sr=1-1 is a great read, and tells it in greater detail.

The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com. Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Think Tank welcomes the return of the Think Tank “A Team,”  Attorney Tom Ryan and political consultant Chuck Coughlin to discuss several of the most pressing Arizona issues.

Arizona is getting $12.2 billion of America Rescue Plan Act relief.  But there is a requirement that they money be used for the specified purposes, not to fund tax cuts.  AG Brnovich has indicted he will sue over this provision. Will his court challenge have a chance?

Proposition 208, passed by the voters last November provides additional education funding paid for by a tax on ultra-high income earners.  The Voter Protection initiative, also passed by the voters, prohibits the legislature from any action whose purpose is to undermine the will of the voters. The governor and Republicans in the legislature think they can evade this provision with artful legislation. Will this survive a court challenge?

The Arizona State Senate “won” the right to “audit” the Maricopa County election results. But they seem to have no idea of how to do this given that the County has already subjected the results to two independent audits.  President Fann does not appear to have a face-saving way to get out of this mess.  (Like the dog that finally catches that car: “What do I do NOW?)

With Governor Ducey’s support, Native American gaming legislation is in the works that will augment the tribes’ gaming footprint, but also pour a small fortune into the hands of the billionaire owners of the four major league sports franchises (who also all benefitted from publicly financed stadiums).

We conclude with a discussion of the demise of civility in our politics with a discussion of a couple of pertinent incidents this week in our own legislature.

The Think Tank airs from 6-7pm Saturdays and Sundays from 9-10pm on KTAR 92.3 FM. After broadcast, podcasts are available at ktar.com.   Older shows are archived at www.mikeoneil.org which can also be used to reach the host via Facebook, Twitter, or email.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.