Adieu to Rogue Columnist Jon Talton

Make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position, and your seat belt is correctly fastened — this is not the kind of commentary that is welcomed by the Phoenix powers

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Here again, Talton is probably the only well-known writer with contacts deep enough to write knowledgeably about the problems themselves. 

 

The solutions necessarily sound less convincing knowing what we do about denial and Phoenix's reflexive boosterism.

The small community that meets here is not a church. There's no real dogma or cognitive style except thinking outside the Phoenix box. I hope you come back and think "out loud" about this place. 

 

 

The end

"I've been writing this blog since 2007 and little has changed. Now, I'm done. The archives will remain open, especially for those interested in Phoenix history. So will the comments section, although substantive and informative posts are most appreciated.

The Arizona Problem, as Soleri aptly named it, remains. Despite a Democratic governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, the Legislature — the most powerful branch of state government likely will remain in Republican hands.

If so, stopping sprawl, enabling cities to chart their own policies, planting real shade trees in the older parts of the city, recovering the garden city of my youth, adequately funding public education, shutting down the charter school and private prison rackets, restoring Amtrak service to Phoenix, and overpowering the Real-Estate Industrial Complex. Forget about it.

And now, Donald Trump — convicted felon — wins the 2024 presidential election. Don't believe for a nanosecond that Trump 2.0 will be a replay of his first term.

Continue reading "The end" »

Posted at 05:18 PM in Phoenix, Politics: Arizona/Phoenix, Politics: National | Permalink | Comments (86)