So President Obama wants to end so-called “tax loopholes” for American oil and gas companies? Sounds like a good idea, until you learn that what the President is really asking. The “Close the Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act” essentially asks American taxpayers and businesses to shoulder the economic brunt of the administration’s ambitious green energy objectives.

Ahwatukee resident Michael Feyrer subscribes to the philosophy that his life is like a pair of shoes — to be worn out in service.

The Medicaid restoration plan put forth by Gov. Brewer is a prudent economic option that helps our state stay competitive while serving those who are most vulnerable.

There are so many reasons for the Legislature to approve Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal to expand Medicaid that it is hard for me to believe that any elected official would put ideology before the good of their constituents and the state of Arizona.

Local entrepreneurs are in the final stages of getting their portable medical clinic repurposed from a steel shipping container sent to Kenya.

On April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Phoenix Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

As the gun debate stirs and emotions rise higher and higher, we tend to leave ration and logic out of the subsequent efforts to address what is an important public issue. Emotionally charged solutions seldom fix anything. They simply make a lot of people feel like something positive is being done but they truly accomplish nothing. And marching out victims to use as props for your initiative is a shameless political ploy. Politicians are great at using emotional issues to push their pet plans. Most of the efforts currently in flight to answer the recent tragedies in Colorado, Arizona, Connecticut (all very liberal enclaves I might add) are labeled as “Gun Safety” and “Gun Violence” initiatives. Looking at those terms, who is not for Gun Safety? And who is not for ending Gun Violence?

It has been three years since members of the South Mountain Citizens Advisory Team (SMCAT) got together, but on Monday the group will reconvene to discuss air quality before the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS).

Homeowners associations are tasked with the unenviable responsibility of maintaining community standards. Personal property appearances, landscape maintenance and dog refuse in common areas fall within their purview; apparently so do banners advertising local businesses.

In recent national news, three major car crashes claimed the lives of 15 teenagers in Ohio, Illinois and Texas. Unfortunately, that is more of a common occurrence than we realize, and those are just the ones that made national news. The Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) recently reported that teenage driver fatalities were up in 2012 from previous years. Until now, the numbers were beginning to trend downwards and many attributed it to Graduated Drivers License (GDL) Laws that were being enacted around the country.

The Montessori Exploratory Committee has moved forward in its year-long proposal to build a stand-alone Montessori high school within Tempe Union, gaining added support from parents.

Robert Redford does his most compelling work in some time as both actor and director in "The Company You Keep," a tense yet admirably restrained thriller about a fugitive forced out of hiding after 30 years to prove his innocence. Adapted with clarity and intelligence by Lem Dobbs from Neil Gordon's novel, and lent distinguishing heft by its roster of screen veterans, this gripping drama provides an absorbing reflection on the courage and cost of dissent.

Rebuffed in his bid for oversight of Colorado City marshals, Attorney General Tom Horne now wants taxpayer funds for another police agency to patrol the polygamous community.

Ahwatukee Foothills residents called for increased transparency and increased accountability Thursday night as city of Phoenix staff presented the 2013-14 budget.

Recently deciding to collaborate with Canon in a Digital University partnership is just one of the steps Arizona State University is taking to maintain its goals to achieve higher sustainability. Implementing “Sustainable Printing” has decreased its number of printers by 32 percent, but is still easily accessible for students.

The city of Phoenix is working to improve parking around the trail heads for the Pyramid Trail in Ahwatukee Foothills’ Club West at the end of Chandler Boulevard, but the long-term solution may not happen until the city can identify the proper amount of funding.

State lawmakers edged closer Wednesday to allowing armed staffers in some public schools.

I am trying to find a way to legally copy DVDs we own to an external hard drive for storage connected to my laptop. When we take long road trips it would be nice to not have to haul all our movies along. — Bill

As spring temperatures warm, be ready to increase the irrigation cycle on some watering zones around your house. To make sure your spring-summer garden transition happens easily, complete a thorough irrigation check-up to detect any existing and potential problems — before temperatures rise and timely watering becomes a crisis.

In an uncertain economy, it’s natural for people to “tighten their belts” by cutting down on their spending. And yet by having too much cash on hand today, you could actually slow your progress toward your financial goals of tomorrow.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton would like to see more recycling in the city of Phoenix.

As you take out your trash this week, think about this: Phoenix families, businesses and industries generate enough solid waste to fill Chase Field to the top, 14 times each year. 14 times! And much of what we throw away is recyclable, reusable and valuable.

Whatever valid points Michael Reagan may have had (“The real answer to the immigration question,” AFN, March 8) was lost on me by his persistent need to be snarky, referring to the President as the “golfer in chief” and “part-time President.” While it is arguable that no President gets days off, Mr. Obama took 131 vacation days in his first term, including weekends at Camp David. That would put him on pace for 262 by the time he completes his second term, right around the average and 1/4 the “time off” of his predecessor.

Setting bold new standards for digital searches, a federal appeals court ruled Friday that Border Patrol agents need "reasonable suspicion'' a crime has occurred before delving into the hidden files on someone's computer.

Sorry, but Nancy Pelosi is wrong. We do have a spending problem and the heart of the matter is our inability to control medical costs. Spending on health care now consumes an astonishing 18 percent of our total economic output. Rising Medicare and Medicaid costs are the main drivers of our national debt crisis. Yet health care costs continue to shoot up relentlessly.