🏙️ Artificial Downtowns and Real Consequences: Marana Mayor's Cobblestone Dream | Buckmaster Show
25-acre development aims to create instant history with breweries and shops while natural desert disappears
Based on the Buckmaster Show for 3/25/25, a daily radio show in Tucson, AZ, interviewing local newsmakers.
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
🔥☀️ During a super hot March day, people on a 📻 show talked about important things happening in Arizona. A 🏙️ mayor wants to build lots of new houses and stores in Marana, even though 🚱 water is getting scarce in the desert. An 📈 economic expert warned that putting extra taxes on things we buy from other countries might hurt 💼 jobs and 🏢 businesses. A 🩺 health expert explained that some diseases like 🤒 measles are coming back because fewer kids are getting 💉 vaccinated, and researchers can't study new ways to treat 💔 cancer because the government won't pay for it. The radio show helps us understand how decisions made by 🎩 politicians affect our everyday lives.
🗝️ Takeaways
🏗️ Marana Mayor Jon Post unapologetically champions unlimited growth toward Phoenix without addressing water sustainability or climate change impacts
📉 Economic expert Shelly Fishman warns that tariffs "have never worked" and could trigger a recession as consumer confidence plummets to historic lows
🤖 New manufacturing plants would create few jobs due to automation: "How many employees are going to be working in those plants? Very few," notes Fishman
🦠 Measles outbreaks are spreading due to declining vaccination rates caused by misinformation and reduced access to vaccination services
🧬 NIH researchers have been told not to include mRNA technology in grant applications, pausing promising cancer treatment research for four years
📱 Medicare telehealth services end April 1st, forcing vulnerable patients back to in-person doctor visits despite proven efficiency of remote care
Buckmaster Breakdown: Desert Heat Meets Political Hot Air While Economic Storm Clouds Gather
In the sweltering embrace of a record-breaking March heat wave that threatens to shatter century-old temperature records, Bill Buckmaster's March 25th show delivered a sizzling mix of local politics, economic warnings, and public health insights that deserve to be unpacked through a lens more focused on people than profit.
Marana's Growth Machine: When "Development" Becomes a Four-Letter Word
The show opened with Marana Mayor Jon Post, who has stepped into the role following the passing of longtime Mayor Ed Honea. A farmer-turned-politician with 17 years on the town council, Post wasted no time articulating Marana's unabashed growth-at-all-costs philosophy—a position that reads like a developer's wish list in an era of climate crisis and water uncertainty.
"We're very open to growing, to inviting businesses and development to our community. We want to grow. That's one of our goals is to grow," Post proclaimed without a hint of irony or apparent concern for environmental implications.
Because nothing says "visionary leadership" like blindly pursuing the same sprawl-based development model that's worked out so wonderfully for Phoenix's water supply and heat island effect.
Post's grand vision includes a manufactured downtown for Marana—25 acres of cobblestone streets, breweries, and shops creating an instant history where none organically developed. While describing this Disneyesque creation, Post referenced the Fort Worth Stock Show as inspiration—because nothing screams "authentic Southern Arizona" quite like mimicking a Texas cattle exhibition.
"We actually used to have a downtown. I never saw it because I-10 went right through it," Post explained, unintentionally highlighting how past infrastructure decisions prioritized high-speed travel over community preservation—a lesson apparently lost in the rush to create a new simulacrum of urban life.
Most revealing was the Mayor's enthusiasm about having "plenty of room" to grow toward Eloy and Phoenix—as though unfettered urban expansion into pristine desert is an unquestionable societal good rather than a continuation of land-grabbing traditions that have defined the post-colonial Southwest.
"We have plenty of room without moving into state land. We have plenty of private land that's available for us to grow," Post emphasized, the words "available for us to grow" hanging in the air like the promise of subdivisions yet to be born into our water-starved landscape.
Fishman's Economic Reality Check: When Tariffs Meet Reality
Shelly Fishman delivered a blistering economic assessment that systematically dismantled the Trump administration's economic fairytales, highlighting how campaign promises of "fixing the economy" have transformed into policies that economists across the political spectrum view with alarm.
"Most economists will tell you that tariffs don't work. They have never worked. They have not just not a positive effect on the economy, but a negative effect on where we're going as a nation," Fishman stated bluntly, labeling the White House's belief that tariffs will magically revitalize American manufacturing as "magical thinking."
Shocking that an administration built on reality TV theatrics might embrace economic policies with the same relationship to reality as "The Apprentice" had to actual business practices.
Fishman identified two destructive policy directions emerging from the White House: privatizing government functions (including long-standing Republican designs on Social Security) and forcing a return to a manufacturing-based economy. Both approaches, he argued, ignore fundamental economic realities and historical lessons.
Particularly incisive was his breakdown of how privatization inevitably increases costs: "What that does is it adds a 12% cost increment to all of that because if the private businesses start running this stuff, they've got to make a profit on those investments."
Wait, you mean corporations don't offer to take over government services out of charitable goodwill? Who could have possibly imagined that profit motives might not align with public interest?
His commentary on manufacturing's potential return was equally sharp: any new factories would be roboticized temples to automation rather than job creators. "How many employees are going to be working in those plants? Very few," Fishman noted, cutting through nostalgic rhetoric about restoring America's industrial might with the cold reality of modern manufacturing economics.
Most damning was Fishman's historical parallel to Japan's failed economic isolation: "The Japanese tried that about 40 years ago and they've been laggards ever since. The Japanese economy, which was scheduled to overtake the world, has been quiescent, let's call it, for almost 30 years."
This perspective highlights how protectionist policies threaten to reverse America's post-war innovation leadership in service and design sectors. As Fishman pointed out, "If you take a look at what manufacturing does for us, today, less than 10% of our exports to the world are manufacturing. Most of our exports are actually in software and software services."
The immediate economic indicators aren't encouraging either. Consumer confidence indexes have plummeted to levels that historically precede recessions, with Fishman noting, "These are some of the lowest readings we've seen in decades."
Humble on Health: Science vs. Politics in Post-Pandemic America
Will Humble, former Arizona Health Department Director, offered a five-year retrospective on COVID-19 while sounding alarms about measles outbreaks enabled by growing vaccine hesitancy and systemic barriers to healthcare access.
On the long-term impacts of COVID-19, Humble provided nuanced context: "There's a fair number of, say, 20 to 30% of people who had a serious infection report having some of the symptoms of long COVID for weeks or even months. Brain fog is probably the most common thing people say they have, followed by difficulty with exertion and tiredness."
Transitioning to the recent measles outbreaks, Humble highlighted the virus's extraordinary contagiousness: "If you've got somebody with symptoms of measles and they're in an office building or something and they go into an elevator and take the elevator up to the third floor, there's still going to be some virus that can still infect an unvaccinated person who's susceptible two hours later."
Nothing says "fun day at the office" quite like knowing elevator particles might give you a potentially deadly illness because your coworker's cousin read a Facebook post about vaccines.
His insights about declining vaccination rates pointed to a perfect storm of misinformation, bureaucratic obstacles, and healthcare access issues: "It's not all anti-vax people, part of it is people who just have questions... and those questions don't get answered satisfactorily."
Humble also identified a structural issue that has received far less attention: "It's been getting more and more difficult for families to get their kids vaccinated in Arizona because so many doctors have quit what's called the Vaccines for Children program because of over-regulation by the state health department."
Remember when making it harder for families to protect their children from deadly diseases wasn't considered a win for "small government"?
Most disturbing were his revelations about the current administration's apparent hostility toward medical innovation. NIH researchers were told not to include mRNA technology in grant applications, effectively freezing promising cancer treatment research. "We're going to have a four-year hiatus on messenger RNA research," Humble explained, a devastating setback for patients facing deadly cancers.
The telehealth discussion highlighted how congressional inaction will force Medicare patients back to in-person visits starting April 1st—a burden that will fall hardest on rural, elderly, and mobility-limited populations. "I think eventually they'll fix it, but that's the problem. It's ending April 1st," Humble noted, highlighting how political gridlock creates real-world hardships for vulnerable populations.
The Desert Heat: Climate Crisis as Backdrop
While climate change wasn't explicitly discussed, the unprecedented March heat wave framing the show—flirting with 100°F in Phoenix and mid-90s in Tucson—served as an unspoken backdrop to conversations about unrestrained growth and economic policies that prioritize short-term gains over environmental sustainability.
Buckmaster's opening reference to this being potentially "the hottest day in March since records began... in 1895" stood as a silent testament to the climate emergency that contextualizes all other political and economic discussions in the desert Southwest.
Nothing quite says "perfect time to plan unlimited urban expansion" like shattering all-time heat records before spring has officially begun.
Paths Forward: Hope Amid the Heat
Despite the challenging topics covered, there remains hope in the clarity that emerges when experts speak truth about our economic, health, and environmental realities. The very fact that voices like Fishman's and Humble's can still articulate evidence-based counternarratives to politically motivated economic and health policies suggests that facts haven't completely surrendered to ideology.
For concerned citizens, the path forward involves engagement at multiple levels—attending town council meetings when growth policies are discussed, contacting congressional representatives about telehealth extension and research funding priorities, and perhaps most importantly, having informed conversations with friends and neighbors about the real-world implications of policies that sound appealing in campaign slogans but fall apart under expert scrutiny.
Organizations like the Arizona Public Health Association (where Humble serves as executive director) offer resources for those concerned about health policy. At the same time, local environmental groups continue to advocate for sustainable development approaches that respect our desert's natural limitations.
The desert has always taught us that survival requires adaptation, not denial. And perhaps the most hopeful sign is that these voices of adaptation continue to be heard, even as the thermometer climbs ever higher.
What do you think about Marana's growth plans in the context of our changing climate? Have you or someone you know been affected by telehealth coverage changes or vaccine access issues? Share your experiences in the comments below.
Notable Quotes:
"We want to be, we're very open to growing, to inviting businesses and development to our community. We want to grow. That's one of our goals is to grow." — Mayor Jon Post, revealing Marana's growth-focused vision without addressing environmental concerns
"Most economists will tell you that tariffs don't work. They have never worked. They have not just not a positive effect on the economy, but a negative effect on where we're going as a nation." — Shelly Fishman, critiquing the Trump administration's economic policies
"That's what they call in the psychology community, magical thinking." — Shelly Fishman, describing the belief that tariffs will bring manufacturing back to the US
"How many employees are going to be working in those plants? Very few." — Shelly Fishman, explaining that new manufacturing plants would be highly automated
"The National Institutes of Health have told researchers not to include messenger RNA research in any of their grant." — Will Humble, revealing the administration's efforts to stop mRNA research
"We're going to have a four-year hiatus on messenger RNA research." — Will Humble, on the potential pause in developing promising cancer treatments
People Mentioned:
Bill Buckmaster — Host of the Buckmaster Show
"It's hot already outside. It's the end of March and we're in line here for the hottest day in March since records began, I think it was 1895, something like that."
Jon Post — Mayor of Marana
"We want to grow. That's one of our goals is to grow."
"We have plenty of room without moving into state land. We have plenty of private land that's available for us to grow."
Ed Honea — Late Mayor of Marana
Referenced as "Mayor Honea, who, you know, is all those things, you know, the longest serving elected official and all that. But to me, he was just my friend."
Shelly Fishman — Financial advisor and economic commentator
"Most economists will tell you that tariffs don't work. They have never worked." "That's what they call in the psychology community, magical thinking."
Will Humble — Former Arizona Health Department Director, current Executive Director of the Arizona Public Health Association
"We're going to have a four-year hiatus on messenger RNA research."
"It's not all anti-vax people, part of it is people who just have questions..."
Donald Trump — Current US President (referenced but not directly quoted)
Referenced in Fishman's critique of tariff policies and "fixing the economy"
Dr. Cullen — Referenced as having appeared on the Friday focus interview discussing measles
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