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Here and Now

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About the Show

Here and Now is a weekly one-hour talk show that airs from eleven to noon on Wednesday. The program focuses on public policy and politics in Arizona, but regularly examines legal, social, medical, economic and environmental issues. The goal is to provide in-depth information and analysis without all the rhetoric you’ll often find on talk radio. Listeners also play an important role by calling in or posting questions and comments online. Here and Now is hosted by Steve Goldstein, who grew up in the valley and hosts All Things Considered weekday afternoons. Steve has a keen interest in state history and public policy which is reflected in the depth of research he does for each show and the quality of questions he asks guests. Goldstein was named Best Radio Talk Show Host by Phoenix New Times Best of 2008. Here and Now is produced by Paul Atkinson, who has covered public policy and politics in Arizona for more than a decade. Paul seeks a wide range of topics that help listeners better understand what’s going on and why. When he books guests, he does so with the aim of finding informed, articulate people who’ll complement—rather than talk over—each other.

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Upcoming Show

Here and Now - State Budget, Transportation

The broadway musical RENT (which recently came to the valley) features a catchy number that starts like this:
"Five-hundred twenty-five thousand six-hundred minutes..." The refrain ends with the question "How to do you measure, measure a year?"

In legislative terms, as of midnight Sunday, lawmakers have "two-thousand eighty minutes and zero seconds... to approve a budget, a budget to begin the new year." Question is, will they?

And will it be enough to pay the RENT?

If Here and Now is starting to sound like a record that's skipping--playing the same song over and over--I apologize. There are plenty of other important topics to discuss. Just one problem. Nothing compares to the historic almost $4-BILLION budget deficit the state faces. And solving it is proving to be as elusive as finding DB Cooper and all the money he had with him when he jumped from a jet into the northwest wilderness.

Okay, I digress. But the point is, we know there are plenty of important topics to get to, but first we must make sense of what's going on a 1700 Washington west of downtown Phoenix.

That being said, one of the important topics we plan to discuss is transportation--buses, light rail, cars, roads, interstates, airplanes, etc. Fares for mass transit goes up Wednesday. And guess what? Revenues for expanding light rail and bus service is not going up. It's going down. Meaning there are fewer tax dollars to pay for it.

And not just mass transit, but for building roads, highways, freeways, and the like. Less driving is one option, (right?) but another is to speak the unspeakable word at the capitol. So I will spell it slow as not to cause such a fuss. Ready? T-a-x-es! Anyone shooting yet? The bottom line. If we want our roads and interstates, then we have to pay for them somehow. And even those in the transportation industry think one fair way is to tax gas more, so those guys driving tricked out 4X4 trucks, will have something else they'll have to compensate for.

So, we plan to talk budget (again) and visit an issue important to everyone --transportation. Have a comment, question, or clever retort? Please submit it! We do have to moderate comments to keep those darn spammers from filling up our pages with their stupid pharmaceuticals and the like. So, if you don't see your comment, right away, no worries, it will be up soon. Thanks! Paul


Posted by Paul Atkinson - Here and Now Producer at 11:00 | Comments (2)
Governor's Talks

Steve Goldstein and Governor Napolitano

Check out past shows where Governor Napolitano joined host Steve Goldstein for her monthly chat about issues affecting Arizona.

Please note: This show takes place once a month from 11am to Noon on KJZZ (although the exact day of the week may vary). To contact the governor, visit www.azgovernor.gov, phone Constituent Services at: 602.542.1318, or email at azgov@az.gov.

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