Gov. Doug Ducey appears to have solved one of the hairiest problems in Arizona politics: How to give more money to teachers—without raising taxes—and settle a long-standing billion-dollar lawsuit filed against the Grand Canyon state by its own school districts. Mr. Ducey, a former CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, apparently knows how to wheel and deal. 

​Arizona ranks near the bottom of states by total per-pupil funding for K-12 education. Voters tried to fix the problem in 2000 in the usual way: by throwing money at it. They approved a referendum to raise the state sales tax to 5.6% from 5%, with all of this new revenue to be reserved for education. The measure was designed to ensure that school funding kept pace with inflation. The language required the legislature to annually raise the base-level school funding or increase other educated-related expenditures.

RICOCHET

Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy was in a tense standoff with federal agents over the weekend. He wanted to keep grazing his cattle on the federal land his family has used for decades. Washington, D.C. wanted him to pay for those rights or they would seize his livestock.

After Bundy supporters flocked to the scene and a media spectacle followed, the feds backed off — at least for the time being. Much of the reporting has been contradictory, but the government claimed to be protecting the desert tortoise in the area. D.C. claims the reptile is endangered by grazing cows, while Bundy calls this nonsense.

There was a similar Rancher vs. Tortoise battle in Arizona. Through wise legal maneuvering and scientific savvy, this standoff was a win for both the cowboys and the reptiles. The anti-progress environmentalists and bureaucrats were the only losers.

RICOCHET

I recently fled the Phoenix area for a cool mining town-turned-artist colony tucked away in Arizona’s southeast corner. The eclectic community of Bisbee is not exactly Barry Goldwater country; on my first visit in the ‘90s I saw the only car to share Arizona plates with a “Nader for President” bumper sticker.

The times have changed, but Bisbee’s politics haven’t. Navigating the steep, narrow streets, we found ourselves behind the Hillary Art Car. I couldn’t resist taking a quick photo of the bedazzled auto before we headed to lunch at a local café.

FREEDOMWORKS

When I say “Arizona,” what springs to mind? Cactus. Rattlesnakes. Dry heat. However, politicians in one Grand Canyon State suburb decided that hockey was the perfect fit for their desert bedroom community.

The Phoenix Coyotes weren’t happy sharing a new downtown arena with the Suns. So the city of Glendale, Ariz., flush with tax revenue from the Sun Belt real estate bubble, built a hockey-only facility surrounded by miles of cotton fields.

Sure, the arena was 20 miles of rush-hour traffic from downtown, but the politicians promised if they built it, economic development would come. But Glendale’s rink of dreams quickly descended into a field of schemes.

DAILY CALLER

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer earned much conservative praise for her finger-pointing duels with President Obama. So Republicans from coast to coast were stunned to find her transformed into a passionate Obamacare booster.

Earlier this month, Brewer challenged the authority of her GOP-led state legislature and rammed through a vast expansion of the Medicaid program through Obamacare. A “Brewer Coalition” of every Democrat and a handful of Republicans engineered a 3:40 a.m. house vote, refusing to answer any questions about the controversial measure. The legislation was rushed through the state senate and proudly signed by the governor.

Now Brewer and her liberal allies are finding the fingers pointed back at them. Grassroots conservatives are fighting back with primaries, rallies, and now a possible repeal.

One group filed paperwork this week for a ballot referendum to reverse the Obrewercare expansion. They’ll kick off the “People’s Veto” with a rally at the State Capitol this Saturday at 10 a.m. They need to gather 100,000 signatures within the next 82 days, but organizers are confident it can be done.

Apparently Brewer agrees that it can be done. Within hours of filing the People’s Veto, the governor’s allies began attacking the URAPC, formed an opposition committee headed by former DC lobbyists, and scheduled a counter rally at the capitol.

It’s shaping up to be a long, hot summer in Arizona — even hotter than usual. With the help of conservatives inside and outside the state, fiscal sanity will carry the day.

FREEDOMWORKS

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer earned much conservative praise for her colorful duels with President Obama. So Republicans from coast to coast were stunned to find her transformed into a passionate Obamacare booster.

Earlier this month, Brewer challenged the authority of the GOP-led state legislature and rammed through a vast expansion of the Medicaid program through Obamacare. A “Brewer Coalition” of every Democrat and a handful of Republicans engineered a 3:40 a.m. house vote, refusing to answer any questions about the controversial measure. The legislation was rushed through the state senate and proudly signed by the governor.

RICOCHET

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has earned much conservative praise for her colorful duels with President Obama. Now out-of-state Republicans are shocked to find her transformed into a passionate Obamacare booster.

Earlier today, Brewer challenged the authority of the Republican-led state legislature and rammed through a vast expansion of the Medicaid program through Obamacare. A “Brewer Coalition” of every Democrat and a handful of Republicans engineered a 3:40 a.m. house vote, refusing to answer any questions about the controversial measure. The legislation was rushed through the state senate and is now on the governor’s desk.

Brewer’s unprecedented power play outraged the conservative leadership along with the grassroots.

FREEDOMWORKS

Once feted by grassroots conservatives nationwide, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer moved radically to the left in 2013. In her State of the State address, she surprised many by embracing Obamacare, calling for a massive expansion of Medicaid.

Like many state politicians, she claims the multi-billion dollar expansion would be largely funded by "free" federal money. Of course, the funding dries up in the out years and comes with strings attached that will tie up the state for years. And then there's that tiny problem of the federal government having no money in the first place.

RICOCHET.COM

Tatum Raetz' daddy couldn't make it to her kindergarten graduation. So hundreds of her adoptive daddies did.

Her father, Phoenix Police Officer Daryl Raetz, was struck down in the line of duty over the weekend. While investigating a possible DUI, another driver killed him and fled the scene.

As his daughter Tatum drove up to her elementary school, she learned that she had a bigger family than she ever imagined:

FREEDOMWORKS

Kids are weird — especially mine. Sure, I can identify personality traits as coming from me and my wife, but they’re jumbled up in odd ways. If we’re the original track, our kids are the dance remixes. 

My eldest daughter is analytical and conscientious when work needs to be done, but fearless and funny in her off time. Her younger sister will procrastinate and goof off, but will create elaborate, amazing projects just for fun. Definitely related, but wildly different.

Seeing first-hand how different kids can be is what finally made school choice personal. If my own daughters’ learning styles are this divergent, just imagine kids from different parents, regions and backgrounds. Since a parent knows their children’s quirks better than any government can, moms and dads should be able to choose how and where the kids are educated.