🧒 PEEPS Program Under Fire: Early Childhood Education Funding Called "Highly Questionable" | WAKE UP LIVE
Critics Call Library District Funding a Shell Game to Hide County Expenses
This is based on Wake Up Live with Chris DeSimone, a MAGA-conservative podcast in Southern Arizona, which was broadcast by Live The Dream Media on 5/12/25.
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
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🎙️ A podcast called "Wake Up Live" in Tucson had people talking about different problems in our city. 🏙️ They discussed homeless people 🏚️ and thought they should be arrested 🚓 if they don't go to shelters, even though there aren't enough shelter beds for everyone. 🛏️ They also talked about taxes 💸 for affordable housing 🏘️ and complained it was too expensive 😟, even though many families can't afford homes in Tucson now. 🏠 They were happy 😊 about some political things President Trump 🇺🇸 did with trade with China 🇨🇳. The people on the show seemed to prefer simple, strict solutions ❌ to complicated problems instead of helping people who are struggling. 🙁
🗝️ Takeaways
🏘️ A proposed 3-cent property tax for affordable housing in Pima County would generate $249 million over 10 years, with conservative critics calling it a "compounding tax" despite Tucson's severe housing crisis
🛌 DeSimone praised San Jose's proposal to arrest homeless individuals who refuse shelter three times, ignoring that the city has 5,400 homeless people but only 2,900 available beds
💵 The Rillito Park Foundation's lease of the historic Jelks House for $2,000 monthly was characterized as a "special deal" despite its unique nature as a cultural heritage property
👶 Early childhood education funding through the library district was criticized
🌎 The podcast celebrated Trump's tariff negotiations with China without acknowledging that American consumers ultimately pay these costs through higher prices
⛪ Considerable airtime was devoted to criticizing Pope Francis's progressive policies and celebrating his replacement with "Pope Leo," revealing the connection between religious traditionalism and political conservatism
Desert Whispers: Unpacking DeSimone's "Wake Up Live" Through a Progressive Lens
In the crimson glow of another Sonoran Desert morning, while many Tucsonans were brewing their first cup of coffee, the airwaves were already percolating with conservative talking points courtesy of Chris DeSimone's "Wake Up Live" podcast. As your dedicated desert correspondent who willingly wades through the murky waters of right-wing radio so you don't have to, I've returned with field notes from my latest expedition into the conservative echo chamber.
The Cast of Characters: Meet This Week's Conservative Chorus
Monday's episode featured two primary guests: Dr. Joann DeFilippo, a self-described fiscal watchdog with particular interest in Pima County governance and horse racing industry matters, and "Brother Joe" from Blue Chip Planning, DeSimone's financial advisor companion who offers market commentary with a hefty side of right-wing philosophy and Catholic Church politics.
Between these two guests and host DeSimone, you've got the conservative trifecta: fiscal fear-mongering, market worship, and religious traditionalism. It's like a MAGA variety show without the variety.
Dr. DeFilippo's Deep Dive: Pima County Under Her Microscope
The Jelks House Saga: Historic Preservation or "Special Deal"?
DeFilippo dedicated significant airtime to expressing indignation over the Pima County Board of Supervisors' recent approval of the fourth amendment to an operating agreement for the historic Jelks House property at 1090 East River Road. According to DeFilippo, the property—a historic house with an adobe barn featuring unique murals—has been leased to the Rillito Park Foundation since 2014, with foundation president Jay Wells allegedly using it as a private residence.
"Who in the world gets these kinds of terms this time?" DeFilippo demanded, pointing out that the $2,000 monthly rent seemed suspiciously below market rate. DeSimone eagerly joined the chorus: "This looks like if I was just going to describe the way it looks, it looks like the board of Supes coddling a rich white lawyer. Am I wrong?"
The pair expressed particular outrage that Supervisor Steve Christy put forward the motion to approve the lease, with DeFilippo telling listeners she had sent Christy an email demanding an explanation.
According to DeFilippo, the historic property was originally intended to host community events rather than serve as private housing. She claimed that design changes in the agreement had effectively converted it to personal use by removing vacant land from the lease:
"What they basically did is they took away the entire intent of the property to be used for a residence with a courtyard with the historic barn with that vacant parcel of land, which is all included within the boundaries."
For context, the Jelks House represents an important piece of Tucson's equestrian history, connected to Rillito Racetrack. While legitimate questions about public asset management deserve attention, the hyperbolic treatment suggested less concern for historic preservation and more interest in manufacturing outrage.
The Affordable Housing Tax: Mathematical Misdirection
DeFilippo then set her sights on Supervisor Matt Heinz's proposed 3-cent property tax increase to fund affordable housing initiatives. She described this as a "compounding tax" that would grow over time, pulling from a county memo to illustrate her point:
"You'll see in the first year, it might be like $7 million that it would bring. But by the time it gets to the 10th year before it sunsets, it's $39 million," DeFilippo explained, citing the cumulative revenue projection of $249 million over ten years.
DeSimone, ever ready to amplify fiscal alarm, showed listeners a chart showing the tax starting at 3 cents and growing to 30 cents over a decade.
What this Chicken Little approach to taxation conveniently ignores is the catastrophic housing affordability crisis gripping Tucson. While they hyperventilate over a modest tax increase that would cost the average homeowner roughly the price of a monthly streaming service subscription, thousands of Tucsonans are facing double-digit rent increases year after year. The proposed tax represents an investment in community stability that would pay dividends far beyond its modest cost.
Their analysis also failed to acknowledge that property values—and thus property tax revenues—naturally increase over time, making the "compounding" description misleading at best. In a region where housing costs have far outpaced wage growth, investment in affordable housing represents sound fiscal and social policy.
The PEEPS Panic: Early Education Under Attack
The final target in DeFilippo's trilogy of county critiques was the Pima Early Education Program (PEEPS), an early childhood education initiative. She expressed dismay that, after ARPA pandemic recovery funding ended, the program was shifted to library district funding rather than being terminated:
"What better way to move an expense that's highly questionable, except for those people using it, okay, benefiting from it," DeFilippo remarked, suggesting the funding shift was deceptive.
"What the city is saying is, wait a minute, being that it's coming from a library tax district now. We shouldn't have to pay the $750,000. Because the city taxpayers are trying to claim that they're paying twice if the city continues contributing $750,000," she explained, referencing ongoing funding debates.
Criminalizing Homelessness: The San Jose "Solution"
In a segment that perfectly captured the punitive approach favored by contemporary conservatism, DeSimone enthusiastically highlighted San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan's proposal to arrest homeless individuals who refuse shelter offers three times in a year.
"In the end, Air Condition Tent City outside of the city is the way to go," DeSimone declared, portraying Mayor Mahan as a bold innovator. "I'm telling you. And have all these NGOs that are making money go work on these good people."
Ironically, even the news report they played undermined their own argument. The report clearly stated that San Jose has about 5,400 homeless people but only 2,900 beds available, creating a mathematical impossibility for their "solution." David Lowe, senior director of public policy at Destination Home, was quoted saying: "It's a really disturbing trend because we simply cannot arrest our way out of our homelessness crisis."
This willful blindness to the fundamental mismatch between need and resources exemplifies the conservative approach to homelessness—criminalize those with nowhere to go while steadfastly refusing to address the underlying causes or provide adequate alternatives. Housing first approaches, widely proven effective, are dismissed in favor of punitive measures that perpetuate cycles of poverty and criminalization.
The segment also featured dehumanizing language about people experiencing homelessness, with DeSimone referring to "Fenty heads" (people who use fentanyl) and describing a fire at an encampment as "Tucson in a nutshell," using the suffering of marginalized people as fodder for mockery.
When compassion is characterized as "Looney Tunes" and criminalization as "common sense," we glimpse the moral bankruptcy at the heart of this ideology. People don't choose homelessness—they're pushed into it by skyrocketing housing costs, inadequate mental health services, addiction without treatment options, and wages that haven't kept pace with basic survival costs.
Brother Joe's Market Mantra: Tariffs, Trump, and Tradwife Catholicism
The podcast's second hour brought in "Brother Joe" from Blue Chip Planning. He spent considerable time celebrating Donald Trump's tariff negotiations with China and the recent market gains he attributed to these developments.
"Woke up today. I think I'm gonna take today off. Made so much money today by doing nothing. Thanks to Scott," Brother Joe declared, praising Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (whom he described as looking like "Dr. Evil").
He framed the tariff situation as a victory for free trade principles: "Well, it's about, you know, it's about free trade. We want to compete. And the way was set up. The last four years were the last time there was no competition. It was structured one way and one way only. And we were not part of it."
The cognitive dissonance required to frame punitive tariffs as "free trade" is truly something to behold. This is the double-speak that characterizes so much of conservative economic rhetoric—government intervention in markets is socialist tyranny when Democrats do it, but bold American leadership when Republicans impose the same policies.
The discussion also touched on fentanyl trafficking, with both men expressing hope that Chinese officials would help curb the flow of precursor chemicals to Mexico. Brother Joe's comment on this matter was particularly telling: "Chris, if it was bullets that were killing all our people, it'd be a worse war than Vietnam, Korea, with body bags all over."
This rare moment of clarity about the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic was unfortunately not accompanied by any discussion of harm reduction approaches, improved addiction treatment access, or the pharmaceutical industry's role in creating the crisis. The focus remained squarely on border enforcement rather than comprehensive public health solutions.
From Market Movements to Catholic Conservatism
In a jarring transition that nonetheless revealed the intertwined nature of religious and political conservatism, Brother Joe pivoted to expressing relief that Pope Francis has been replaced by Pope Leo:
"We're cautiously optimistic. It feels like we have a normalcy. Yeah, like a certain normalcy back into the Catholic Church, and I'm happy to see that," Brother Joe stated.
The conversation included extensive criticism of Pope Francis's more progressive stances, particularly his openness to blessing same-sex couples and his restrictions on the traditional Latin Mass. Brother Joe lamented what he perceived as Francis's attack on church tradition:
"Francis wanted to stop church history from 1962. Right. Vatican II is an ecumenical council of the church. It wasn't a doctrinal council. They said it was a pastoral council but an ecumenical council."
The duo spent considerable time criticizing what they viewed as Francis's departure from tradition, with Brother Joe expressing hope that Pope Leo would bring "stability" to the Church and reverse Francis's progressive initiatives.
This extended theological discussion offers a window into the conservative mindset that transcends politics—a yearning for hierarchy, tradition, and clear authority structures. The same impulse that rejects social programs in favor of punitive measures against the poor also recoils from a religious leader who emphasizes mercy over judgment and inclusion over tradition.
The Conservative Consciousness: Patterns and Priorities
Throughout the three-hour program, several consistent themes emerged that characterize the contemporary conservative worldview:
Selective fiscal concern – Intense scrutiny of modest public expenditures while ignoring massive corporate subsidies and tax breaks
Punitive approaches to social problems – Preference for criminalization and enforcement over investment in prevention and services
Nostalgia for hierarchical authority – Yearning for traditional power structures in both society and religious institutions
Dehumanization of vulnerable populations – Using dismissive language and a mocking tone when discussing homelessness and poverty
Personality-driven politics – Focusing on individual leaders (Trump, Basentar, Pope Leo) rather than systemic issues
This constellation of values provides a coherent, if disturbing, picture of a worldview that prioritizes order over justice, tradition over inclusion, and punishment over prevention.
What's perhaps most striking is not what was discussed, but what was absent: no mention of climate change despite Tucson's increasing heat emergencies; no discussion of gun violence despite its devastating impact on our community; no acknowledgment of the ongoing attacks on democratic institutions; and certainly no recognition of the systemic racism that continues to shape outcomes in housing, education, employment, and criminal justice.
Beneath the Desert Sun: A Different Vision for Tucson
Despite the bleak picture painted on "Wake Up Live," Tucson has a rich history of community-centered solutions that offer real hope for addressing our shared challenges. From the pioneering work of grassroots organizations like Casa Maria and No More Deaths to innovative public programs like the Community Wireless Program bridging the digital divide, Tucsonans are demonstrating daily that collaborative, compassionate approaches yield better results than punitive policies.
The vision of Tucson as nothing more than "homeless camp Drexel Heights fire" with "a stolen shopping cart" (as DeSimone characterized it) not only insults our community but deliberately obscures the vibrant, resilient desert city we know and love. Yes, we face significant challenges—from housing affordability to climate adaptation—but our community is responding with creativity and commitment that deserves recognition.
Our path forward isn't found in criminalizing poverty, attacking public education, or retreating into nostalgic visions of authoritarian leadership. Instead, it lies in expanding democratic participation, investing in sustainable infrastructure, and building systems of care that recognize our shared humanity and interdependence.
Questions to Consider
What might Tucson's approach to homelessness look like if we invested the resources currently spent on enforcement and emergency services into prevention, housing, and comprehensive support?
How do selective attacks on public spending for education and housing serve larger political agendas about the role of government in ensuring basic human needs?
What connections do you see between the religious conservatism expressed in discussions about the Catholic Church and the political positions taken on issues of economic and social policy?
How can we move beyond the false choice between fiscal responsibility and meeting community needs to create sustainable systems that serve everyone?
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Join the Conversation
What solutions do you think would actually address Tucson's affordable housing and homelessness challenges? How are you experiencing the disconnect between conservative media narratives and the reality of life in Southern Arizona? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Quotes:
"In the end, Air Condition Tent City outside of the city is the way to go." - Chris DeSimone, suggesting homeless encampments should be established outside city limits instead of providing housing solutions
"This looks like if I was just going to describe the way it looks, it looks like the board of soups coddling a rich white lawyer." - Chris DeSimone, characterizing the Jelks House lease agreement to the Rillito Park Foundation
"Who in the world gets these kinds of terms this time... You've taken it off the general fund. You've moved, you've disguised it, and moved it over to the library district." - Dr. Joann DeFilippo, criticizing the funding mechanism for the PEEPS early childhood education program
"You wonder why does he even bother? Why isn't he out playing golf?" - Brother Joe, questioning why retired Bishop Kicanas would be involved in Bishop Strickland's removal
"Woke up today. I think I'm gonna take today off. Made so much money today by doing nothing. Thanks to Scott." - Brother Joe, celebrating market gains attributed to Treasury Secretary Scott Basentar's negotiations with China
"It's a really disturbing trend because we simply cannot arrest our way out of our homelessness crisis." - David Lowe, senior director of public policy at Destination Home, providing a counter-perspective in a news clip played during the show
"We were addicted to socialism for the last four years." - Brother Joe, characterizing the Biden administration's economic policies
People Mentioned
Chris DeSimone - Host of "Wake Up Live" podcast who advocated for "air conditioned tent cities" for homeless people outside Tucson and criticized Tucson Mayor Regina Romero
Dr. Joann DeFilippo - Guest who focused on Pima County governance issues, including the Jelks House lease, affordable housing tax, and PEEPS program funding; also involved in horse racing industry
"Brother Joe" - Financial advisor from Blue Chip Planning who praised Trump's tariff negotiations with China and criticized Pope Francis's progressive Catholic Church policies
Matt Mahan - San Jose Mayor whose proposal to arrest homeless people who refuse shelter three times was praised by DeSimone: "Kudos to this guy."
Jay Wells - President of the Rillito Park Foundation, criticized for allegedly using the historic Jelks House as a private residence at below-market rent
Steve Christy - Pima County Supervisor who put forward the motion to approve the Jelks House lease agreement; DeFilippo sent him an email questioning his decision
Matt Heinz - Pima County Supervisor who proposed a 3-cent property tax for affordable housing, characterized as a "compounding tax" by critics
Pope Francis - Former Pope criticized for progressive policies like blessing same-sex couples and restricting the traditional Latin Mass; Brother Joe claimed Francis "was like a dictator. He was a liberal dictator."
Pope Leo - Current Pope praised by Brother Joe for bringing "normalcy" back to the Catholic Church after Francis
Scott Bessent - Treasury Secretary under Trump described as looking like "Dr. Evil" but praised for his negotiations with China
Regina Romero - Tucson Mayor criticized for her approach to homelessness with DeSimone stating her policies are "bullcrap"
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