Baker Interview – Podcast August 17, 2020

08/18/20 • 44 min

Assessing The Economic Impact Of The Pandemic. Democratic Perspective welcomes Dean Baker, co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) in Washington, D.C. to discuss the short-term and long-term effects of the pandemic. He begins by noting that we’re really not out of the woods yet. Baker says that the current infection rate poses many problems for the immediate future saying, “It would be great to open the schools, but we’re really not prepared to do that, at least in many parts of the country because we did not take the steps necessary.”

Nevertheless, Baker is optimistic for the long-term. “I think we’re seeing some very, very interesting… stories play out here. We’re going to see permanent changes in behavior. A lot more people are not going to be commuting into offices so employers are not going to need as much office space. All of those people tasked with taking care of those offices won’t be needed. Restaurants, gyms – things that people do before and after work…purchases of business clothes. There’ll be a lot less demand in a wide range of areas. But we should really think of this as an increase in productivity. That’s a good thing. It frees up resources for a lot of other things. The list of needs is a long one.”

For example, Baker states that the capital can be used to respond to climate change. “There’s a whole range of things we need to do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he says. “We also need more childcare. That’s become very clear in the pandemic. Parents who want to work need a place for their kids during the day.”

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DiSanto Interview – Podcast August 10, 2020

Defeating America’s Goofiest Congressman. Democratic Perspective welcomes Delina DiSanto, Democratic candidate running to unseat incumbent congressman Paul Gosar. For those unfamiliar with Gosar, he’s a Trump apologist who uses divisive rhetoric and subscribes to a variety of wild conspiracy theories. For example, he boycotted the Pope’s speech to a joint session of Congress because he was afraid the pontiff was going to talk about climate change.

DiSanto says, “He definitely has a lot of name recognition. I just need to prove to people that he is not working for the people in CD4. Some people haven’t received their stimulus checks or unemployment. So, he’s not listening to them. Some victims of Covid-19 have bills of $500,000 for hospitalization. How can anyone ever pay those bills?”

Asked how she plans to unseat Gosar, DiSanto replies, “I want to listen to what people have to say and what they’re concerned about. In this district, it mainly is healthcare, Social Security, jobs, education, and schools falling apart.” She says she’ll also focus on Native American issues and veterans issues, such as mental health, suicide, PTSD, and cuts to the Veterans Administration.

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Whitmer Interview – Podcast August 24, 2020

Future Of The Verde River. There’s a saying in the American West that whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting. The issue is especially acute in the Arizona desert. To discuss the current and long-term availability of our most important resource, Democratic Perspective welcomes Tom Whitmer who, as Cottonwood Utilities Director, manages the city’s Water Resources division.

Whitmer is a fourth-generation Arizonan who has worked in the water industry for more than 30 years for companies such as the Salt River Project, Santa Cruz Valley Water District, Imperial Irrigation District, International Environmental Solutions, Troy Biosciences, and the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR). In his current position, he is responsible for ensuring the sustainability of water supplies for the City of Cottonwood while preserving baseflow in the Verde River. Given that Arizona is facing new development, a mega drought, and climate change, he offers a surprisingly optimistic and positive outlook.