SignalsAZ.com Prescott News Podcast - Don't Cali My Arizona: Innovation and Arizona's Future

Episode Date: March 21, 2025

Send us a text and chime in!This 12 minute deep dive covers the editorial from SignalsAZ.com exploring the influx of new residents to Arizona, particularly Baby Boomers drawn by lower costs and transferred wealth, and the challenges this growth presents, such as housing shortages and water concerns. The author, Guy Roginson, contrasts a scarcity mindset, which fosters resistance to change, with an abundance mindset that embraces innovation and collaboration to solve these issues. By examining historical periods of innovation and recent economic reforms in Argentina, the piece advocates for local solutions in areas like water technology and energy, urging Arizona to welcome growth with an optimistic and problem-solving approach reminiscent of its pioneering past. The editorial ultimately encourages a forward-thinking perspective focused on community collaboration and embracing opportunities.You can read the entire editorial "Don't CALI my Arizona" here: https://www.signalsaz.com/articles/dont-cali-my-arizona/Check out the CAST11.com Website at: https://CAST11.com Follow the CAST11 Podcast Network on Facebook at: https://Facebook.com/CAST11AZFollow Cast11 Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/cast11_podcast_network

Ever get that feeling? You know, like you look around the place you live and things are just different, changing somehow. New faces popping up, the cost of living going up, up, up, makes you stop and think what it all means for the people who already call that place home, right? Yeah, that sense of shifting ground, definitely. That's exactly what we're doing into today. A fascinating local perspective on this whole idea of change. We're going deep, deep into Arizona, specifically the Prescott Valley area. Thanks to this editorial, Don't Callie My Arizona. It's from Signals AZ. Just came out March 20. 20th, 2025. Interesting choice. And the author here, Guy Rogensen, he's not just some outsider looking in. Oh, absolutely not. No, no, he's been part of the Prescott Valley community for over 20 years.

Connections to Arizona going way back, even his childhood, spent some time there. I did catch that, yeah. And get this, he's also with the feign signature group. They've been a major force in the region for, like, forever. So he's got this inside view, you know, on how things have evolved. Yeah, a real front row seat to all the changes. So we're not just dealing with abstract trends here. We're getting granular. the local perspective. And to add to that, we're layering in some wider context, you know, migration pattern, economic shifts, even a bit of history. And one thing that just jumps out right off the bat is this influx of new folks moving into Arizona, especially baby boomers. Right. That's a huge demographic.

Yeah, many of them coming from those pricey West Coast spots, think Los Angeles, looking for that retirement heathen. And you see the impact playing out in so many ways, especially housing costs. Milter.com says the median home price in Prescott just hit a whopping $753,900, and that was January 2025. I mean, for someone earning the average income in Prescott Valley, that's just, that's a whole other world. Yeah, home ownership at that price, definitely tough climb without some serious savings or help. It could really shake things up for the local workforce in the long run. It's a big question mark hanging over everything. And as we go deeper here, we'll unpack the reasons behind the negotiation, the pressure it puts on resources, housing, water, the big one in the southwest.

And then this idea that really caught my eye, the editorial calls it abundance mindset versus scarcity mindset. Like how your outlook shapes the future of a whole state. Wild, right? Yeah, that's the million dollar question. And we'll even touch out some historical parallels, you know, times when America really innovated its way out of tough spots. Love those history lessons. See what patterns we can spot. All right, so first things first. Let's break down this migration. The editorial talks about a great transfer of wealth. What's that all about?

Think of it like this. A massive generational wealth handoff. You've got firms like Surruli associates estimating something like $84 trillion. Trillion with a T passing down from older folks, mostly landing in the hands of Gen X and millennials. Wow. That's a staggering number. And it's not just about individual inherences, right? It's a complete reshuffling of the deck, economically speaking. Impacts everything where people can. afford to live, how they invest. And the editorial suggests this newfound financial freedom could be letting some folks, families even, move earlier in life than they ever thought possible. So it's not just about retirement anymore, makes sense. But what is it about Arizona specifically that's drawing people in? Well, warmer weather, that's a biggie, especially for retirees.

And the editorial also talks about the power of memory, you know, those sunny vacations, the images we see in movies, that whole romantic vision of the Old West, Cowboys, Freedom, all that, It gets ingrained. Even the author, he talks about his own childhood trips to Arizona. Good times. Stuck with him. Like a subconscious pull. Exactly. And there's actual data backing up this whole Arizona migration thing. The 2024 Uho Growth Report came out January this year. Put Arizona as the sixth most popular moving destination in 2024. It had been eighth year before, so climbing the charts. The top 10, just for context, was South Carolina, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Arizona, our star of the show, Washington, Indiana, Utah, and Idaho. Wow, Arizona's right up there. So U-Haul, they're basically tracking those one-way truck rentals incoming versus outgoing to get a sense of where everyone's headed. Makes sense. Yeah, pretty clever, actually. It's not just vibes. People are voting with their moving vans.

Literally. Now, the editorial also dives into this major economic force in Arizona, the semiconductor boom, fill us in on that. Okay, so picture this, Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing company. We all know them as TSMC. They dropped this bombshell announcement back in December 2023. They're pouring another $100 billion into Airways. Arizona ship manufacturing. A hundred billion, it's almost hard to grasp. That's a whole lot of zeros. And this isn't some small upgrade. We're talking thousands of high-paying jobs potentially created. But this is where the editorial gets really sharp.

It asks this question. Is Arizona ready to embrace this change fully? Like the good, the bad, the whole shebang. Because it's not all sunshine and rainbows, right? That kind of rapid growth comes with consequences. And that brings us to those challenges we mentioned earlier, the editorial lays them out. Housing shortages, water worries, energy needs, and an aging workforce. A lot to juggle. It's a whole interconnected web, isn't it? More people? Well, they need places to live. They need water, especially in a place like Arizona. Then you've got this energy hungry industry, those chip factories, and who's going to do all the work with the workforce getting older. It's a puzzle with a lot of pieces.

Yeah, like one of those tricky brain teasers. And that's where the editorial introduces this scarcity mindset versus abundance mindset idea. I got to admit that really hooked me. What's the gist of those two perspectives? It's a fascinating way to frame things. So imagine those challenges, like water shortage, right? Scarcity mindset says, okay, we've got a limited pie. How do we slice it up? Who gets what?

How do we conserve every drop? It's all about restrictions, regulations, playing it safe. Makes sense in a way, right? Protect what you've got. Yeah. But the flip side, the abundance mindset, it sees those same challenges as opportunities. Like instead of just rationing water, why not invest in desalination? turn that salt water into something we can use.

Or get fancy with wastewater recycling, make the most of what we have. So it's about creating more, not just dividing what's already there. Exactly. It's that can-do spirit, the American ingenuity thing. The editorial actually references a Mike Rowe podcast with Edward Ring, who really lays out this distinction. And I think it applies to way more than just water. I bet. It's like a whole philosophy. And then the editorial goes on to link the rise of social media, smartphones, all that, to some of these societal. issues, you know, like, are we less collaborative now? More divided.

Right, that's a bold claim. Think about it, though. The first internet-enabled smartphone, 2001, then around 2010, boom, social media takes over everything. And the editorial points out that same period, we see this rise in reported depression, people feeling isolated, polarization going through the roof. Yeah, like everyone's retreating into their own little echo chambers. Exactly. So the question is, is this how we communicate now online all the time? Is it actually making it harder to solve problems together. Hmm, food for thought. Big time. And it even touches on the increase in the U.S. suicide rate, you know, from 2000 to

2022. The CDC reported a 37% increase, which is, well, pretty alarming. It might point to something deeper going on, maybe linked all these technological and social shifts. It's complex, but definitely worth considering. It is. It's like the whole fabric of society is being stretched thin. And then the editorial gets all historical on us, bringing up these periods of massive innovation in America. I love this part. It's a great contrast, right? We're facing all these challenges now, but look back at the great westward expansion, the Gilden Age, the greatest generation. I mean, those folks had it rough, really rough. But somehow, they managed to create all this incredible stuff. Yeah, it's like those pressure cooker situations sometimes spark the

best ideas. Totally. And the editorial list about it's amazing. The camera, refrigeration, the telephone, the lightbulb, I mean, game changers. Then you've got automobiles, electric streetcars, pave roads. Think about those, the impact they had on how we live. And it doesn't stop there. Airplanes, helicopters, radio, television, jet engines, the Hoover Dam. I'm already overwhelmed and the list goes on. Right. Nylon, radar, the nuclear reactor, even the early digital computer. All that happened between 1839 and 1944. It's mind-blowing. It makes you wonder what was in the water back then, metaphorically speaking, of course. Right. It's like a totally different mindset. And then the editorial turns its attention to the government, regulation, all that. It points out this possible trend.

at the federal level, towards, you know, tightening the belt, being more efficient. Yeah, doing more with less. And it asks, should that thinking trickle down, you know, to the state and local levels in Arizona? They're going to throw some numbers at us, budget stuff. Prescott Valley, Prescott, Yabapai County, all their budgets went up way up from 2010, 2011 to 2023, 2024. Prescott Valley's practically tripled. Tripled. That's huge. Yeah, Prescott's wasn't far behind. And Yavipai County, their total spending, same story. It makes you stop and think, are we getting the most bang for our buck here. Right. Efficiency matters, especially when resources are tight. And the editorial makes this super stark comparison, the profit per employee

in the U.S. government, which is actually a loss, versus the top 25 public companies, big profit there. It's like different worlds. Different approaches, for sure. And then at a left field, it brings up Argentina. I remember that total curveball. But it makes sense in a way they're talking about President Javier Millet, his economic reforms. Argentina was in a rough spot, hyperinflation, poverty everywhere, recession. So Malay comes in, slashes regulations, cuts government jobs, trim subsidies, the whole nine yards. And the editorial says, hey, early results. Inflations down. They even have a budget surplus.

It's not all rosy, though. They still have economic issues. It's a bold example of trying something different, shaking things up. A radical shift, for sure. And speaking of shaking things up, the editorial then pivots to what Arizona could be doing, specifically with that abundance mindset we talked about. Yeah, boots on the ground, practical solutions. It starts with water. They say, look, we've got to get serious about desalination, turning that salt water into something usable. And gray water systems, you know, recycling wastewater, making the most of what we have. It's not just about conserving anymore. It's about creating new sources.

Smart, especially with Arizona's climate. Totally. And then there's housing. They make this point, we need more options, especially for young families. Yavapai County, the median age is almost 60. It's a lot of retirees, not a lot of room for the next generation to put down roots. A demographic time bomb almost. Yeah, ticking away. And energy, that's the other big one. We're talking AI, data centers, all this technology that just eats electricity. And if we're going to do things like desalination on a big scale, we need power. And lots of it. They even mentioned France, how they rely so heavily on nuclear power.

Interesting comparison. So it's like a whole interconnected ecosystem, all these challenges feeding into each other. Exactly. Solve one, you get a leg up on the others. And the editorial ends with this really powerful call to action. It says, Arizona's, they need to. to collaborate, stay curious, and embrace that abundance mindset if they want to face these challenges head on. A call to arms almost.

Yeah, and they tie it back to the early settlers, that spirit of welcome, that ingenuity. Like we did it before, we could do it again. It's a powerful image. And so as we wrap up this whole deep dive, it brings us full circle, doesn't it? How does a place like Prescott Valley? How does Arizona as a whole handle all this growth, all this change, without losing what makes it special? Yeah, that's the tightrope walk, isn't it? And this whole idea of scarcity versus abundance, I think that's at the heart of it.

How you look at the problem determines how you try to solve it. Exactly. And we've seen it in Arizona. Even in Argentina, it's a global thing, whether it's population growth, water, the economy, your mindset. It sets the space for everything that follows. Absolutely. And as we sign off here, I want to leave you with this thought. It comes from that image at the end of the editorial, you know, that boy looking up at the stars. When you face something tough, something that seems impossible, do you dwell on the limitations? or do you look for the possibilities? What changes if we all choose to see the opportunity to work together, to find those solutions?

It's something to think about as we navigate this crazy world we live in. Wise words to end on. Thanks for joining us on this deep dive. My pleasure. Always happy to explore these big ideas.