Maybe that explains a lot here in Arizona and The Valley of The Sun and here in Mesa: there's what's called "a cozy relationship" with a big media group like Times Media Group and the Sinclair Broadcast Group, based in Salt Lake City and owned by David D. Smith - both are looking to expand their political influences to what you read. You can see some of the public faces in the accompanying image, including ex-Gilbert Mayor John Lewis and ex-Mesa City Manager Mike Hutchison, who have moved up to positions of influence. Conservative context: Sinclair's management has always been right-leaning — over the years the company and its executives have contributed financially to Republican candidates, offered up primarily conservative think tank perspectives, and aired segments that have given Democrats some pause. Sinclair Broadcasting expands its footprint: Sinclair Broadcasting Group has been expanding its conservative profile with a series of hires and acquisitions in the last few years, and at an accelerated pace since Trump has come to power. See this report from Axios back on 28 April 2017 Playing ball with conservative Repub Billionaire$ - The Ricketts Family* from Chicago and owners of the Chicago Cubs sports franchise - the City of Mesa somehow managed to hoodwink taxpayers to the tune of over a $200+ Million$$$$$$-Bond Debt Service Obligation for a new sports stadium for the Chicago Cubs Pre-Season Spring Training @ Riverview. * This year 2017:Joe Ricketts, the wealthy TD Ameritrade founder who donated almost $1 million to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, bought Gothamist, a collection of local city news sites, (and soon after shut it down). Media consolidation boosted by political influencers: Other major conservative Repub Billionaire$ -The Koch Brothers - are investing $650 million to support Meredith Corp.'s takeover of Time Inc., and insist that they won't have any managerial or editorial influence over the combined magazine publishe The Koch investment is another example of how rapid consolidation in the media industry has created more opportunities for partisan influencers to expand their reach.
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Giving credit where credit is due - some snippets from the article published today where Jon's pen warms up a bit calling the tax overhaul "a dog's breakfast of hidden mischief" What’s wrong with the GOP tax plan, from 30,000 feet . . . you'll just have to read more to find out where he's going with this - and see where he ends up. How good will it get is yours to find out
If the tax overhaul passes, expect America to fall further behind Special to The Seattle Times
By Jon Talton
They mostly benefit the rich and the class that makes its money from investing rather than drawing wages...
Not since the time of the Carnegies, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts at the turn of the 20th century was so much owned by so few
The world’s super-rich hold the greatest concentration of wealth since the US Gilded Age at the turn of the 20th century, when families like the Carnegies, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts controlled vast fortunes. Billionaires increased their combined global wealth by almost a fifth last year to a record $6tn (£4.5tn) – more than twice the GDP of the UK. There are now 1,542 dollar billionaires across the world, after 145 multi-millionaires saw their wealth tick over into nine-zero fortunes last year, according to the UBS / PwC Billionaires report.
Josef Stadler, the lead author of the report and UBS’s head of global ultra high net worth, said his billionaire clients were concerned that growing inequality between rich and poor could lead to a “strike back”. “We’re at an inflection point,” Stadler said. “Wealth concentration is as high as in 1905, this is something billionaires are concerned about. The problem is the power of interest on interest – that makes big money bigger and, the question is to what extent is that sustainable and at what point will society intervene and strike back?” Stadler added: “We are now two years into the peak of the second Gilded Age.” READ MORE > https://www.theguardian.com
So sorry, dear readers, but your MesaZona blogger cannot let MAJOR BULLSHIT like this article written by The East Tribune's 'News Staff' pass muster - it's Fake News When Michael Cowan failed to show up in public at the 15th Annual Mesa Latino Town Hall Oct 28th, suspicion followed, so let's cut through the fog of fake news: Mesa schools chief retiring to follow a higher calling Tribune News Staff
The EVT News Staff doesn't waste any time at all getting right to the point creating a false narrative from the get-go: "Mesa Public Schools Superintendent Michael Cowan is stepping down from his position in the state’s largest school district to answer a higher calling.
Cowan announced he was retiring from the position he has held for nine years to take on a mission with his wife for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to an undetermined location. . . "
Perhaps some other people who know the circumstances better might want to suggest a certain location for what appears to be, by some fairly reliable accounts, that there was financial mismanagement by either undisclosed "friends-and-family" members or undisclosed business associations that are getting looked into by the appropriate authorities. (See information to the left) If anyone else has any other information on what might have forced his resignation, without Michael Cowan being held to account to face the consequences, they need to not only speak up now but to take action if there's any suspicion at all about fraud or ethics violations while he was the Superintendent of Mesa Public Schools. Do it now.
No more 'making nice' about this - and letting this guy get away to 'an undetermined location' without any recriminations at all, leaving without being held to account. . . it was hard not to wretch reading more of the fake news with all beatific platitudes programmed into what they always say while millions of dollars get spent on their big salaries in the educational bureaucracy that fails students for the last 30 years. It seems to be the way 'things work' for some in this city: they put in their time, they get good salaries and good generous benefit and pension packages, all the time looking honorable, but not getting caught while they rush to get out. Here's a clue: You need to get very good with the below document.
Blah, blah, blah-blah, BlaBah . . . Read the comments after the quotes from the article go on and on “I have had the distinguished honor of leading the finest educational institution in Arizona. As I begin this next chapter in my life, I will leave knowing each dedicated Mesa Public Schools employee will continue the important work of educating every child and preparing them for college, career and community,” said Cowan, who also is state LDS president." QUESTION: Why does the EVT News Staff mention this?
"Cowan, who will finish out the current school year, is the third East Valley school superintendent to call it quits this year. Gilbert Public Schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto left in June to take over the Hawaii school system and Tempe Union High School Superintendent Kenneth Baca announced he’ll retire in June.
Kishimoto was replaced by a Mesa assistant superintendent, Shane McCord, and Baca’s associate superintendent, Kevin Mendivil, will take over for him next summer.
Mesa said the school board would take up a process for replacing Cowan sometime in the near future.
Before becoming superintendent in 2009, Cowan served as associate superintendent, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, director of science, social studies and world languages, and district science specialist. He joined the district in 1988 as a teacher, educating students at Irving, Lehi and Porter elementary schools.
“In my 30 years at Mesa, I have watched the needs of our learners grow and change,” Cowan said. “It has been my unwavering passion to ensure we provide appropriate services for all students, especially those most at risk.”
Under Cowan’s leadership, the district has widely adopted Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, a program that focuses on developing a growth mindset in students and a college readiness culture in schools.
Through Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS), the district has increased enrollment of underrepresented populations in advanced high school courses. Most recently, Cowan spearheaded the launch of new grading practices that best represent a student’s level of proficiency on established skill-based standards.
He is a member of the national Large Countywide and Suburban District Consortium that advises federal legislators, sits on the College Board’s Superintendent Advisory Council and currently serves as president of the Arizona Association of School Administrators.
He also serves in a leadership capacity for many community organizations, including Mesa United Way, Mesa Chamber of Commerce, Mesa Public Schools Foundation, Boy Scouts of America and Arizona Brainfood.
WHO'S THIS UN-IDENTIFIED SOURCE??? > One source said it was no surprise Cowan was retiring now because he has 30 years in the state retirement system and the incremental increases in pension are not that significant after that time.
> The source also pointed out that being called for a mission is a high honor in the Mormon church.
Some details that seems less contrived from a person who retired from Mesa Public Schools:
This was Cowan's first Superintendent position. (Yes he was an Asst)
His predecessor was a veteran and she made nearly 1/5 less.
He asked the board for a raise before taking the job.
He spent millions on technology and test scores and enrollment decreased during his tenure. (More than 10 million in the district data center alone)
There were 6 additional positions added to the superintendency.
Most all of the directors were bumped to executive titles.
The Director of Information Systems was promoted to CIO (totally new position) and many other high paying positions were created and title changes.
All in all he spent a really really huge sum of money on a small amount of his inner circle and his results were pretty lackluster. Link: East Valley Tribune
Politics is roiling markets as the Trump era dawns, Chinese leadership turns over and major elections sweep through Europe. Bloomberg’s risk map signals where danger lurks . . .
This shows total foreign reserves (excluding gold) held by each country's central bank as a percentage of gross domestic product. They effectively act as a cushion against economic shocks, such as hyperinflation and currency depreciation, that could be triggered by external or internal events.
> Unemployment
Figures are 2017 estimates by the International Labour Organization for those in the labor force aged 15+. Unemployment can serve as a proxy for the overall health of the economy. Long-term high unemployment levels eventually lead to less spending power among consumers, lower tax revenues for governments and possible social unrest.
> Inflation
When prices are rising too quickly, the resulting confusion can lead to lower investment due to uncertainty about future costs and profits. Poor economic policies can spark or exacerbate inflation, as can a weakening currency.
> Currency Volatility
Figure is for 3-month at-the-money implied volatility of the currency's USD exchange rate. Currency options represent the market's overall expectation of a currency's future volatility. Significant movement in a currency's exchange rate can bolster or weaken returns, depending on the type of investment. Figure for United States is for implied volatility of the USD-EUR exchange rate. __________________________________________________________________________
Source: Bloomberg, IMF and ILO
Credits: James Crombie, Jeremy Scott Diamond, Dean Halford, Brittany Harris, Flavia Krause-Jackson, Alex McIntyre and Mira Rojanasakul
Why this matters: Focusing on the distribution of cuts lacks some nuance — Republicans say their tax bill will boost the economy — but only 25 percent of voters approve of the GOP tax plan, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll. And 59 percent of voters say the plan favors the wealthy at the expense of the middle class. These kind of approval numbers don't win elections, particularly following an equally unpopular health care bill. Dive in.
This was Cowan's first Superintendent position. (Yes he was an Asst)
His predecessor was a veteran and she made nearly 1/5 less.
He asked the board for a raise before taking the job.
He spent millions on technology and test scores and enrollment decreased during his tenure. (More than 10 million in the district data center alone)
There were 6 additional positions added to the superintendency.
Most all of the directors were bumped to executive titles.
The Director of Information Systems was promoted to CIO (totally new position) and many other high paying positions were created and title changes.
All in all he spent a really really huge sum of money on a small amount of his inner circle and his results were pretty lackluster.Link: East Valley Tribune