Goldwater Institute

When I saw House Speaker Jake Flake at a barbeque the other day, I asked him why he was supporting the Legislature's bid to spend $800 million on research labs at Arizona universities. He told me what any rancher knows: to get growth, you have to put a bull in the pen with the cows.

Forget Indian gaming. The real high-stakes betting action is going on over at the capitol.

When you're lost, a good road map sure can come in handy. As Arizona enters its third year of fiscal shortfalls, we might do well to look to other states to see how they are dealing with their fiscal crises.

As Arizona's governor and the Legislature battle over how to balance the state budget in the wake of huge revenue shortfalls, it would be a good idea for them to look toward the northeast.

It is time for straight talk on the fire service initiatives on the May 20 ballot. The good news in that Scottsdale is one of the safest communities in the nation and is fortunate to have excellent fire, police and emergency services. I do not support the fire service propositions as they are written and strongly urge Scottsdale voters to vote NO on Propositions 200 and 201.