Guests - Joanie Hammond, David Jenkins, Gary Galles
Supreme Court Rules States Can Block Planned Parenthood Medicaid Funding
Recent Supreme Court Decision Impacts Planned Parenthood Funding
The Supreme Court recently ruled 6-3 that states can block Planned Parenthood, the country's largest abortion provider, from receiving Medicaid reimbursements for non-abortion health services like contraception and cancer screenings. While the case wasn't directly about abortion, it represents a significant shift in how states can handle Medicaid provider eligibility and coincides with broader efforts by Republican-led states to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, according to the Associated Press.
Joni Hammond, from Hands of Hope Tucson, sees this as a victory: "Any money that doesn't go to them is a good thing." She argues that Planned Parenthood doesn't genuinely care about services like mammograms but rather focuses on abortion services and transgender care.
The ruling effectively tells Planned Parenthood to "fund themselves," Hammond notes, pointing out that pregnancy centers like Hands of Hope already operate this way: "We fund ourselves at pregnancy centers."
Hands of Hope Tucson: Community-Supported Pregnancy Services
Hands of Hope Tucson operates without federal funding, relying entirely on community support. "We are 100% donor funded," Hammond explains. The organization's continued existence and recent expansion demonstrate community desire for their services.
Strategically located "40 steps from William Richardson, an abortionist who's actually done more abortions in the past year than Planned Parenthood, and 200 steps from a Planned Parenthood," Hands of Hope aims to reach abortion-minded or undecided women before they make a decision.
The organization offers comprehensive services including:
Free pregnancy verification and ultrasounds
Diaper distribution (primarily supplied by churches)
Abortion pill reversal
STI testing for clients
Perinatal hospice and miscarriage care
Abortion healing retreats
Extensive referral networks
Hammond emphasized their commitment to showing women "you can keep your baby and still be a student. You can keep your baby and still be a career woman."
Fatherhood Initiative: Supporting Both Parents
In 2023, Hands of Hope added a fatherhood initiative to address an important gap in services. "What we were finding is women would say, 'I'm going to have an abortion because I don't have the support of the father,'" Hammond explains.
When talking to potential fathers, they often responded: "I don't know how to be a father because I didn't have a father."
To address this, Hands of Hope now employs a male client advocate who works directly with fathers, teaching them parenting skills and connecting them with resources to help them become the fathers they want to be.
Abortion Law in Arizona
Following an unsuccessful legislative effort, abortion is now legal in Arizona up to birth. Hammond expressed concern about the removal of safety measures: "Choices filed a lawsuit against the state to take out all the safety measures. So that just strikes fear in my heart. For women, they're going to have ER visits. They could go septic if they get that pill online and they're past 10 weeks, they could hemorrhage."
She recounted alarming cases of online abortion pill purchases: "In the last four weeks, we've had five women who've come in who had got the abortion pill online and they're still pregnant. What are they giving them? Are they getting placebos?"
One woman was 24 weeks pregnant by the time she came to Hands of Hope, having taken a pill in January that didn't work. "She is keeping her baby and we're coming alongside her," Hammond said.
Impact and Growth
Hammond estimates Hands of Hope has saved approximately 1,500 babies in the past year while serving over 9,000 clients with various services. The organization has experienced significant growth and continues to expand its outreach efforts.
Founded 45 years ago, Hands of Hope was the fifth pregnancy center established after Roe v. Wade in the 1970s. The founding director later helped establish 400 more pregnancy centers across the country.
Hammond herself has been with the organization for nearly 30 years, starting as a volunteer counselor in 1994 before joining the board and eventually becoming CEO about five years ago.
Upcoming Denim and Diamonds Gala
Hands of Hope will host a Denim and Diamonds Gala, featuring Anthony Levatino, a former abortion doctor, as keynote speaker. Levatino experienced a personal tragedy when his daughter was killed in a car accident, which eventually led him to stop performing abortions. He has since been a pro-life advocate for over 30 years.
Hammond encourages interested attendees to register early at handsofhopetucson.com as the event is expected to sell out.
Arizona Utility Companies Seek 14% Rate Hikes Amid Record Profits
TEP and APS Request Identical Rate Increases
Both Tucson Electric Power (TEP) and Arizona Public Service (APS) have filed applications with the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) requesting 14% rate increases on customers. For TEP customers, this would add approximately $16 to monthly bills, while APS customers would see around $20 added.
Dave Jenkins, president of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, points out that this follows a 10% rate hike for TEP in late 2023. "In the span of a little over two years, we're talking about the possibility of a 24% increase," Jenkins explained.
The timing is particularly concerning as "TEP's residential rates have risen faster in the past four years than they did in the previous two decades," according to Jenkins.
Record Profits During Rate Increases
Jenkins highlighted a troubling pattern: "Following that 2023 hike, TEP's profits surged 33%. Their profits have increased every year since 2020, going from $191 million in 2020 to $289 million in 2024."
This raises an important question: "Why is TEP asking for and getting big rate hikes on its customers at the same time as profits are going up? Customers are not simply paying for the service they're getting, they're also being forced to pad the utility profits and dividends to their shareholders."
Arizona Corporation Commission: "Rate Hikes Are Us"
Jenkins places much of the blame on the Arizona Corporation Commission, which must approve any rate increases. Unlike many states where utility commissions are appointed, Arizona's ACC members are elected.
"For all practical purposes, they seem to be just doing the bidding of the utilities and forgetting all about the ratepayers," Jenkins said. He suggested the ACC should be renamed "Rate Hikes Are Us" given their consistent approval of increases.
The issue is particularly frustrating because current ACC Chairman Thompson and Commissioner Myers ran on promises to lower energy costs. "The only thing they've done since getting elected is rubber stamp rate hikes and extra fees on Arizona utility customers," Jenkins noted, calling it a "bait and switch."
Monopoly Utilities vs. Free Market Competition
Jenkins emphasized that Arizona's monopoly utility system leaves customers with no alternatives. "If you're a TEP customer, you can't say, 'Oh, well, I'm going to go to APS or Salt River Project.' You're stuck with TEP," he explained.
As a conservative organization, Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship advocates for free market competition in the utility sector, which they believe would help keep prices down. Jenkins expressed frustration with politicians who claim to be conservative while opposing competition in the energy sector.
"In 2022, there was a bill, HB2101, that actually eliminated future competition in the state's electricity generation market," Jenkins noted. "They're basically saying we're voting against free market competition and for monopolies."
Arizona's Energy Advantages Going to Waste
What makes the situation particularly frustrating, according to Jenkins, is that Arizona has natural advantages that should make electricity affordable:
"Arizona has everything to benefit it. Over 300 days of sun a year, so solar should be great. There's low natural gas prices. You got Palo Verde Nuclear, which is the lowest price nuclear in the country. Everything should work in favor to make electricity prices in Arizona probably the lowest in the nation. But instead, they're up around the top in the nation."
Taking Action Against Rate Increases
When asked what consumers can do to fight the rate increases, Jenkins suggested focusing pressure on the ACC. His organization tried direct lobbying with limited success, so they shifted to public education campaigns, including billboards in the Phoenix area highlighting the ACC's responsibility for rate hikes.
Public hearings on the proposed increases will likely occur in August or September. Though past public meetings have seen strong opposition from consumers, Jenkins noted that these objections often fall on "deaf ears."
The most effective way to create change may be through the ballot box. Jenkins pointed out that the previous ACC, also led by Republicans, regularly protected ratepayers by rejecting utility proposals they deemed unfair.
Freedom in One Lesson: Understanding Liberty's Core Principles
Leonard Read: The Forgotten Libertarian Pioneer
Leonard Read was a central figure in the expansion of libertarian thinking and the growth of liberty-focused institutions since World War II. As founder of the Foundation for Economic Education in 1946, Read established what would become the template for all future libertarian organizations at federal, state, local, and international levels.
Gary Galles, economics professor at Pepperdine University, has compiled Read's most enduring writings in "Freedom in One Lesson: The Best of Leonard Read." The book aims to reintroduce Read's principles to modern audiences, as his work has been largely overlooked in the digital age.
"His last book out of about 30 was published in 1982, and he died not long afterwards," Galles explained. "When he died was about the time where everything was still on paper and everything was converted to being accessible online, so he basically got squeezed out."
The Essence of Liberty: Freedom for All
The core of Read's philosophy, as presented in Galles's book, is that every person should be free to:
Pursue their ambitions to the full extent of their abilities
Associate with whom they please for any reason
Worship God in their own way
Choose their own trade, apply for any job, and quit if they wish
Go into business for themselves
Use their honestly acquired property or savings as they see fit
Offer services or products for sale on their own terms
Buy or not buy any service or product offered
Disagree with any other person, even when in the minority
Study and learn whatever strikes their fancy
Most crucially, Read emphasized that "every person should be free to do as he pleases in general, as long as he doesn't infringe the equal right and opportunity of every other person to do as he pleases."
As Galles notes, nearly all Americans would want these freedoms for themselves. "The problem is, will we grant that right to others?"
Government Spending and Economic Freedom
Galles argues that government spending is at the heart of many economic problems. "When you have a dollar, you spend it on yourself. You know yourself pretty well, and you care about yourself, so you're likely to spend that dollar pretty well from your perspective," he explained.
When the government takes and spends that dollar, Galles questions whether they know you better than you know yourself or care as much about your well-being. "They know less and they care less. What's the likelihood you're really going to be made better off by that spending?"
He highlights the concept of the "welfare cost of taxation," explaining that "the cost of a dollar of government spending is way more than a dollar" due to the distortions created by taxation. "It might be that a dollar of government spending actually costs a dollar sixty to society. I don't think almost anything the government does with a dollar is worth a dollar. I sure don't think it's worth a dollar sixty."
Political Power and Policy Flip-Flops
Galles observes that political positions often shift based on who holds power rather than consistent principles. "When [Democrats] are in charge, they say it's all about democracy. When they're not in charge, it's everything but democracy."
This pattern extends to federalism as well: "If your side is winning, you want to nationalize things because you can win more. If you're losing, you say 'I'm a federalist.' It's really about who has power and being able to take more with that power."
The result is a political environment focused more on harming the opposition than on improving the country. "We have been doing that to the detriment of this country," Galles noted. "It's like divorcing couples, and who gets hurt are the kids. The country is the kids, and we've got these warring factions."