Gov. Brewer vetoed the $250 million property tax repeal along with certain cuts to education and social services using line-item vetoes. She signed the rest of the remaining bills that were sent to her late last month.
The property tax repeal was THE major bill for Republicans this session. It was also a key sticking point in negotiations with the Democrats who wanted the full tax to come back. The Governor made it clear she wanted to opportunity to ask voters for more revenue in exchange for giving up the property tax revenue so it's no big surprise that she vetoed that portion.
I would assume the plan is to offer the carrot for renewed talks on a sales tax election in exchange for repealing the property tax.
Brewer made it clear that her intention is to focus on running the state. Taking $250 million off the table with no other revenue in sight doesn't accomplish that goal so we will have to sit back and see what happens now.
UPDATE: Statement by Governor
Good afternoon.
Today I have approved a number of budget bills that will allow state government to continue important operations -- and I have vetoed legislation that needs additional work and compromise.
Just as I said last March – I will NOT give up on the future of our State. I will NOT give up on education, I will NOT give up on the fight for our most vulnerable citizens -- and I will NOT allow the state we all love to fall into the abyss of bankruptcy.
The voters of Arizona don’t want me to give up, and I WILL NOT give up on them.
Right now, Arizona faces a roughly $4 billion deficit. We are spending roughly $11 billion, and we are bringing in roughly $7 billion.
So what can we all do – in addition to my actions today -- to solve this historic problem?
This fall and in the next regular session of the Legislature, legislative leaders and I must work to break the stranglehold that a handful of Republican and Democratic EXTREMISTS have on the Arizona legislature.
We cannot cut our way out of this problem. We cannot tax our way out of this problem. BOTH solutions will be necessary to resolve this crisis, and doing both will take incredible political courage and compromise.
This is a NOT a political game. It is gravely serious. It is a time to set aside political agendas, or personal campaign agendas, and -- for once -- place our State ahead of the tired and uncivil politics of the most extreme in both Parties.
46 Republicans, all but an extreme few, have now courageously trusted the voters on the issue of a temporary one-cent sales tax.
I have always trusted the voters during my 27 years as an elected official, and 46 Republicans have demonstrated – SO DO THEY!
Whether it is now -- or whether it is in the next several weeks -- the handful of extremists on the fringes of the Legislature will see the deeper and more painful cuts that will be necessary because of their delays on resolving the state deficit. Every month that goes by only makes the deficit and the pain more severe.
My actions today -- and the clean-up bill I have proposed -- will allow our State to weather the storm at least until the next regular session of the Legislature.
Until then, the voters of this State can be confident that we will continue to prioritize education, public safety, and protect our state’s most vulnerable.
Let me reiterate once more: I am NOT giving up, I am NOT surrendering, I am NOT abandoning what the people of Arizona want me to do. I am doing what is right, and I believe they know that.
I would be happy to answer a few questions…
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4 comments:
I wonder how many days will have to pass before Brewer's office will start putting out press releases where >50% of the words are IN CAPITAL LETTERS.
If prior actions weren't enough reason, this memo should be enough motivation for all advocates of the Arizona taxpayer to abandon all support for Jan Brewer.
Labelling half (plus of minus a few percent) of the elected legislature as "EXTREMEISTS" [even though she says the label only applies to a few] is certainly not going to make those so labelled any more amenable to Brewer's demands.
OUTSTANDING GOVERNOR BREWER, WE ARE WITH YOU ALL THE WAY.
BOB HARAN,
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
It looks like one Brewer supporter decided to go straight to the 100% capital letters.
Why do things by half measures?
70 percent of voters ... 88 percent of Republicans ... 78 percent of independents ... and EVEN 48 percent of Democrats believe government should provide LESS SERVICES and levy LOWER TAXES.
And today, Governor Brewer with a few swipes of her mighty pen acts to INCREASE GOVERNMENT SPENDING and effectively enacts the largest PROPERTY TAX INCREASE in state history. Then, she has the audacity to blame "extremists" in both parties for her failure to pass the additional $3 billion tax increase on Arizona's working families that are already struggling to survive in a recession?
I'd like to know which taxpayers Governor Brewer wants to pay more. Is it the single mom struggling to feed her kids and keep a roof over their heads?
Is it the small businessperson whose already let go a couple of employees, is trying to hold on to what he has and keep the business afloat?
Is it the senior citizen struggling to get by on a fixed income after their retirement savings have been decimated by the recession?
Well, she wants to raise all their taxes. Thank God we've had a handful of legislators -- Senators Gorman, Gould and Waring and Representatives Crump and Biggs who have had the courage to stand up to this Governor and say "NO!" to more excessive spending and say "NO!" to Governor Brewer's risky $3 billion tax increase scheme.
Those folks aren't the extremists. They are right in the mainstream of the real people. Governor Brewer, in her effort to kiss up to the teachers union (who will never support her), finds herself to the left of 48 percent of Democrats. Governor Brewer is the extremist.
It's time for her to go.
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