Biden, Buttigieg, Sinema and Kelly stiff Pinal County on I-10 funding

VIA SBINSIDER | February 1st, 2023

Arizona re-elected Senator Mark Kelly in November 2022 marking the first time in many years that both Arizona US Senators were Democrats (Kyrsten Sinema now is an independent). In addition, in 2020 Arizona chose Democrat Joe Biden over incumbent Donald Trump. With the US Senate under Democrat control and the White House in Democrat hands, the voters were optimistic to expect that funding for Arizona projects would flow to the state. Especially after the passing of a monster infrastructure bill that included all the pork the Congress could include.

They were wrong. In January, the first openly gay Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, told Pinal County to kiss-off on the request for a grant to widen I-10 north of Casa Grande to the 202 interchange when it was not approved. The Secretary pointed out that the widening project lacked adequate “bike lanes” as part of the request.

Any thinking voter can immediately recognize the complete inanity of including bike lanes on or adjacent to a major interstate freeway. It was an obvious attempt to deflect the rejection and gave our two feckless Senators cover for not delivering for Arizona. This is either political tone-deafness or a thumb in the eye of Arizona voters, in that if Biden runs for President in 2024 he will likely need Arizona’s electoral votes to win. Sinema, (the first openly bisexual member of the Senate) has recognized the precarious and embarrassing nature of her position and scrambled to come up with some sort of funding for the project. Accordingly, she has sent a letter to Sec. Buttigieg that was made available in a media release last week asking for funds for the Kortsen Road I-10 interchange north of Casa Grande-a kind of measly award for those with zero political clout.

T.J. Shope Pinal County state representative, last year secured about half of the funds needed from the state transportation budget in the expectation that the Federal funds would follow. Now, he is trying to get the additional funds from this year’s state budget but with a Democrat Governor, it might be a difficult task

Will Arizona voters remember in 2024 if the project is not at least underway? We will see.

For more on Sinema playing oops….

Superior Copper Mine Thwarted Too

Right after Joe Biden (openly cis-gender white male) was sworn in, he stopped the Superior mine project from going forward. The Trump administration had green-lighted project before it left office. Biden bowed to the pressures from left-wing environmental groups and Native American interests. This mine when fully operational, would generate hundreds of  high paying blue collar jobs and an estimated $400 billion in annual tax revenues-a huge boost to Pinal County, likely reducing residential property taxes. The real puzzler is that in order to produce more electric vehicles, thereby saving the planet, Copper is essential in large quantities! Why would Biden road block the stated goal of his own administration? It’s no joke, Joe, but you and your team are.