Arizonans for a New Economy

05/30/2026

Tucson, then the whole State of Arizona has this experience although the Republican-controlled State Legislature, the chambers of commerce and such business groups like the Arizona Restauranteurs try to hide it. Higher wages in worker paychecks stimulate economic growth and fill tax coffers.

In the fall of 2011, one of us gave a presentation on the idea of a $15 minimum wage to a gathering of the Democracy Alliance—one of the most influential networks of left-leaning donors and advocates in the country. It did not go well. Heads shook. Some people in the audience laughed out loud. Lat...

05/17/2026

What is "neo-liberalism" and what does it have to do with the war against Iraq and the 2008 financial crash? Read all about it in Thom Hartman's essay here:

Your weekly excerpt from one of my books. This week: "The Hidden History of Neoliberalism: How Reaganism Gutted America and How to Restore Its Greatness"

05/13/2026

https://ellenbrown.com/2026/04/11/all-wars-are-bankers-wars-iran-and-the-bankers-endgame/

“The powers of financial capitalism had another far reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each coun…

05/01/2026

I saw his longest speech. It is highly informative about the origins and operations of the Bank of North Dakota, the nations only state public bsnk.

Don Morgan, President and CEO of the highly successful Bank of North Dakota, discusses the structure, operation, checks and balances, the business lines and verticals with examples, and brings everything together with a clear and engaging overview of the strategy, key factors, and purpose behind the State-owned bank...in 5 easy to understand videos sponsored by AFLEP of NM You can find the entire series of 5 videos with a 6th for Q and A free online here:

http://publidbankinginstitute.org/bank-of-north-dakota

05/01/2026

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell states what was generally accepted prior to the Trump circus. At the very least, it has to be free from political interference.
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BL64s9gFX/

04/27/2026

Glendale, Wisconsin Mayor Bryan Kennedy, President of Democratic Municipal Officials states why he endorses HR 5356 to create a National Infrastructure Bank.

Thousands of local projects could proceed with loan assistance from the federal government.

04/22/2026

If you missed the Coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank April 16, 2026 town hall, "A Bold Plan to End the Western Water Crisis" you can watch a video recording of it here:

A Bold Plan to End the Western Water Crisis- April 16 NIB Webinar

03/27/2026

The US Treasury Bond is not impervious to shock. The US Treasury would like investors to regard it to be nearly risk free. It is still enjoying an Aa+ rating as the current Federal deficit adds $1.9T to the national debt that stands at $39T.
The interest on the debt has now swollen to be the 3rd largest budget outlay as Congress borrows more and more to make interest payments.
US Treauries are a commodity. They do not stand aloof from the law of supply and demand. Currently, the Federal Reserve is easing the Treasury market at $40B/month in short term instruments of bills and notes.
It does keep them on its balance sheet and does press them back onto the banks via quantitative tightening. But each month it must "print" $40B of cash with which to buy the Treasuries. This practice further engorges the M1 money supply and risks dollar devaluation, i.e. hyperinflation.
Trump and his War Dept. casually ask Congress to allocate $200B with which to prosecute the Iran war as if the budget has a surplus. This would be in addition to the current $1T War Dept. allocation. This, of course would mean another $200B in Treasury issuance because Congressdoes not have it.
The article reports how Spain, in the 15th and 16th century made war upon European neighbors funded by silver extracted and coined in Latin America. This currency chased interest payments until it exhausted and Genoa quit lending.
This will happen sooner or later to the USA when London and Brussels quit supportin deficits as far as the eye can see. Congress is so gridlocked it cannot even pass budgets but must continuously operate with gap funding.
Smart investors might look to diversify their fixed income portfolios with sovereign debt not dollar denominated. They might also buy cases of pet milk and shotgun shells.

Let’s set the scene. The U.S. government is staring down a projected $1.9 trillion deficit for this fiscal year, with the total national debt now pushing $39 trillion.

02/24/2026

Rep. Al Green exposes Securities Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins' gross incompetence, corruption, and deceit during a Feb. 5th 2026 Congressional hearing. Green quizzed Atkins about Trump's evident market manipulation in which Trump recommended investors to buy Trump Media and Technology Group, of which he was a principle shareowner. Green told Atkins that in the course of announcing, then rescinding tariffs, the stock, which ticker is "DJT" increased in value by $453M overnight.
Atkins aparrent feasance (to the dereliction of his duty) to Pres. Trump should be of concern to investors.
My thought reflects to the CFA Society whose Tucson chapter I was four years Secretary and briefly, President. The Society has a stated mission to advocate for the investing public. If its national leadership team has remained silent in the face of this then it has failed its mission and could be considered complicit with SEC Chairman Atkins' dereliction of duty.

02/18/2026

What might concern investors is this part of Heather's newsletter:
"Peter Grant of the Wall Street Journal reported today that banks that have loaned money to finance the purchase of commercial real estate are requiring borrowers to pay back tens of billions of dollars as the delinquency rate for such loans has climbed to a high not seen since just after the 2008 financial crisis. About $100 billion in commercial real estate loans that have been packaged into securities will come due this year and probably won’t repay when they should. More than half of the loans are likely headed for foreclosure or liquidation." -excerpt
If you look at the FDIC Quartery report for Arizona and, likely for other states, banks have a high concentration of credit in commercial real estate. If I have time today, I'll find and share the most recent FDIC Quarterly for Arizona. If you recall, the 2008 financial crisis began with the bursting of the residential real estate bubble. Securitized mortgages that were rated AA, A, even BBB were found to contain mortgages that were 60, 120 or more days delinquent, calling into question the quality of the security. Eventually, the banks that were trading in these mortgage-backed securities had to admit they were clueless as to their actual value.

Trump’s White House website welcomes visitors with a pop-up that reads: “WELCOME TO THE GOLDEN AGE!” But on this heavy news day a year into Trump’s second term, it is increasingly clear that as his regime focuses on committing the United States to white Christian nationalism, the country is ...