It took Arizona three months to reach 20,000 cases of COVID19. After Governor Dour Ducey opened up the economy in early May, it took only three weeks to add another 20,000 cases. Arizona now has the WORST outbreak of COVID19 in the nation. In addition to our state’s disregard for solid public health policies, such…
Bank of North Dakota, the only public bank in the US, didn’t sit on its #COVID19 relief funds. Working with local community banks, it has distributed more funds per capita to workers through Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) than in any other state. This is in sharp contrast to Arizona, which has distributed a fraction of…
The Bank of North Dakota (BND), the only public bank in the US, celebrated 100 years of economic liberty from Wall Street banks this week. BND was created in 1919 by the grassroots efforts of the Nonpartisan League. Back in the early 1900s in the Gilded Age, railroads and banks were controlled by wealthy east…
In a recent article in TruthDig, author and Public Banking Institute Board Chair Ellen Brown says that progressive policies are affordable with public banking. China and Japan are cleaning our clocks by building their infrastructure with public banking. What are we waiting for? Progressives can have their policies and pay for them too
In June, we had the honor of being in Princeton, New Jersey on the night Phil Murphy won the Democratic Party Primary for governor. Tea-Party-Tax-Cut-King Governor Chris Christie is termed out, so this is an open seat. Many Legislators across the country– including Tucson’s LD9 Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley– have campaigned and won on a…
Japan has found a way to write off nearly half its national debt without creating inflation. We could do that too, according to PBI founder Ellen Brown. Let’s face it. There is no way the US government is ever going to pay back a $20 trillion federal debt. The taxpayers will just continue to pay…
Neighbors Oakland and Richmond, California, are supporting each other as they explore public banking. As public banking initiatives wind their way through the political process in multiple states and cities, we often see a few steps forward followed by a step or two backward. Such is the political process. Despite some recent ups and downs,…
Author and public banking guru Ellen Brown has assumed the position of Chair of the Board of the Public Banking Institute (PBI). Former Chair Walt McCree stepped down on July 4, 2017. Read the announcement from PBI here: Ellen Brown Assumes Chair of PBI. Keep informed on public banking progress by subscribing to PBI’s weekly…
Jimmy Tobias of The Nation offers a comprehensive look at city-based public banking efforts in Oakland, California and Santa Fe, New Mexico. He also provides background on the only public bank in the US—the Bank of North Dakota—and offers solid economic reasons why cities and states should consider establishing a public bank. From Seattle to…
The state of Arizona has been cutting taxes every year for more than 25 years in an attempt to spur economic development. So far trickle down economics hasn’t worked well. Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley introduced HB2532 to establish a feasibility study to collect baseline data regarding the benefits of establishing an Arizona state bank. Powers…
In early June, NJ gubernatorial candidate and public banking supporter Phil Murphy won the Democratic Primary. Is this the beginning of a new era of mainstream acceptance of public banking in American public policy? What does it mean for the movement? Check out this blog post from the Public Banking Institute’s Blog… Last week’s gubernatorial primary resulted…
During the third week of June, hundreds of southwestern Quakers met for their annual gathering at Ghost Ranch in northern New Mexico. The theme was “About Money: a call to Integrity, Community and Stewardship”. While there, I spoke about Quakers’ history with public banking, and about the explosion in public banking efforts happening across our…
Futurists tell us that there won’t be enough work in the future because technology will replace workers who now do repetitious or low-skilled work. This has prompted Libertarians (who want smaller government) and Progressives (who want to guarantee a social safety net for workers) to look at the idea of basic income. Would it be…
When Arizonans for a New Economy gives talks about public banking and the Bank of North Dakota, invariably someone in the audience claims that North Dakota is prosperous because of the oil boom. We politely point out that the oil boom started in 2010 and that the Bank of North Dakota was profitable for before…
In the name of economic development, Rio Nuevo and Pima County are poised to dole out $70 million in corporate welfare to two big corporations– $50 million to Caterpillar and $20 million to World View. Ironically, one day before the Rio Nuevo Board announced the multi-million-dollar Caterpillar package for Tucson, I posted this article on…
Arizonans for a New Economy 