In case you missed David Campbell’s radio show last week on KFNX dealing with small business challenges coming from Washington DC – here is a link to the show!

http://campbellmanagement.us/media.html

-Susan Bitter Smith

If anyone wanted an example of how fast international events are happening, you only have to turn to Phoenix and its new trade agreement with Bahrain. Literally as Phoenix officials were inking their deal , which certainly made sense for Phoenix, demonstrators were crowding into the country’s main square in a fashion reminiscent of recent demonstrations in Cairo. With Bahrain’s Parliament in chaos, who knows the value of this new agreement? No Phoenix official could have predicted the ironic twist of fate that linked these two events. However, it does tell you that what happens outside our borders is important and elected leaders at all levels need to be paying attention to international happenings.
– Susan Bitter Smith

It is interesting and concerning to watch the events in Egypt unfold. As a college senior I actually met Hosni Mubarak who was then the Secretary of War as part of a delegation of young political leaders who were touring Egypt and Israel. At that time in Egypt’s history you saw members of Egypt’s military armed at every corner, but then the presumed enemy was different. Then the enemy was Israel, now the enemy is internal.
– Susan Bitter Smith

Despite great focus on budget issues this session at the Arizona Legislature, the volume of bills dealing with water issues is large. This is appropriate. Although budget issues loom large at both the state and federal level, policy makers should not ignore those important water issues!