George Lucas' favorite line seems to be an accurate indicator of how people are feeling about the new budget. There are very few people standing up talking about how great it is or how its going to help Arizona's overall economic health. In fact, Napolitano said very little in signing it into law on Friday.
The overall tone is very negative and the support for the budget appears very thin as those in favor appear to not want to be connected to some of the financing schemes that were needed to keep the plan afloat. The overall view of the budget is far from upbeat.
For example:
The Tribune calls the plan a "gamble"
The Capitol Times says that the business agenda was "left out in the cold"
Robert Robb is calling it a " colossal failure of leadership"
Espresso Pundit is predicting that it will "devastate the state's finances in the long run"
Blog for Arizona even takes issue with Tim Bee not standing up against a "Democratic budget"
Even the Arizona Republic calls the budget "ugly" before lavishing praise on it
We have yet to find someone who is happy about the budget's passage or is willing to stand up and selling it on its merits. This budget seems to be a child with no parents. So who is going to get it under control as the budget worsens with gasoline going up another 10 cents and no one being able to afford to leave the house?
Monday, June 30, 2008
Smile, you're on Janet Camera
This is pretty hilarious. Don't want a $165 traffic camera fine? Senator Ron Gould has a solution.
Napolitano vetoes abortion bill
Governor Napolitano has vetoed the partial birth abortion bill for a second time. You will recall that this is the same bill that she rejected earlier in the year and gave a list of reasons for its rejection. Those issues were fixed, yet it was not enough to get the Governor's approval Here is more coverage from IC Arizona and CAP.
Here is their breakdown of all of the abortion bills that Napolitano has rejected during her term in office:
Here is their breakdown of all of the abortion bills that Napolitano has rejected during her term in office:
- Informed consent for women considering abortions (Vetoed in 2004)
- Informing a woman considering an abortion that the child may feel pain (Vetoed in 2006)
- Notarized written consent by a parent or guardian before a minor may get an abortion (Vetoed in 2006)
- Guidelines for a judge to consider when allowing a minor to get an abortion without parental consent (Vetoed in 2006)
- Amended guidelines for a judge to consider that addressed the Governor's concerns (Vetoed in 2008)
- No insurance taxpayer subsidies for abortions for government employees (Vetoed in 2006)
- Ban on the sale of human eggs (Vetoed in 2006)
- Informed consent for women donating their eggs (Vetoed in 2006)
- Ban on partial-birth abortion (Vetoed twice in 2008)
Friday, June 27, 2008
Winners and Losers
Well, Politicker's weekly winners and losers list is out. No surprise here is that Governor Napolitano is at the top of the list for getting her budget passed complete with all of the bells and whistles that she wanted. The Arizona Republic has done an interesting write up of the new funding sources that have been tapped to make this budget work.
Here are a few highlights:
-Boosting lottery sales to fund more buildings for the Universities
-$40 to $50 million more in costs shifted to the taxpayers of Maricopa County
-$120 million from the speed cams
Some of these spending fixes will have long term implications on the state. Perhaps Politicker should consider "Arizona Citizens" for the loser column next time.
Here are a few highlights:
-Boosting lottery sales to fund more buildings for the Universities
-$40 to $50 million more in costs shifted to the taxpayers of Maricopa County
-$120 million from the speed cams
Some of these spending fixes will have long term implications on the state. Perhaps Politicker should consider "Arizona Citizens" for the loser column next time.
Taking cues from a Schmuck
Frank Schmuck should be careful sharing his ideas on immigration because Governor Napolitano seems to be in the mood to try anything. As Red Arizona points out, its the same type of conflicting reason that creeps into Napolitano's best buddy Senator Barrack Obama's rhetoric.
On second thought, she would probably avoid driving school for illegal immigrants because it will mean more "Janet Cam" revenue.
On second thought, she would probably avoid driving school for illegal immigrants because it will mean more "Janet Cam" revenue.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Return of the Traffic Cameras
It looks like no good money grab is coming off the table. Just a day after expanded lottery winnings are going to fund more buildings for our Universities (while doing nothing about tuition), it looks like traffic cameras may return to the equation.
Yet another brainchild of Gov. Janet Napolitano who, if you recall, ran as a fiscal conservative in her bid for reelection in 2006. It looks like she saved most of the big spending for her second term. What is most interesting to note is this statement spelled out in the Republic article: "Neither plan calls for a tax increase."
Our 2009 budget is going to have borrowing, financing gimmicks, increased gambling, and maybe speeding tickets, but it sure doesn't have a tax increase in it. Where do they think all of this extra money is coming from - especially these $165 tickets with no points placed on the license? Its a way to squeeze more money without the problem of being called a "tax."
Yet another brainchild of Gov. Janet Napolitano who, if you recall, ran as a fiscal conservative in her bid for reelection in 2006. It looks like she saved most of the big spending for her second term. What is most interesting to note is this statement spelled out in the Republic article: "Neither plan calls for a tax increase."
Our 2009 budget is going to have borrowing, financing gimmicks, increased gambling, and maybe speeding tickets, but it sure doesn't have a tax increase in it. Where do they think all of this extra money is coming from - especially these $165 tickets with no points placed on the license? Its a way to squeeze more money without the problem of being called a "tax."
Will Napolitano condemn BAMN?
As we mentioned yesterday, Napolitano's transportation tax hike has more thank likely made it to the ballot getting over 250,000 petition signatures. Another initiative that is still on the street is the Arizona Civil Rights Initiative ballot petition. Sonoran Alliance has great coverage of how the national group By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) have come to town to try to harass people and prevent them from signing the petition.
Napolitano has shown her faith in using the initiative path to get things placed on the ballot, unveiling a transportation plan of her own that avoided the Legislature altogether. How would she have felt if people followed gatherers carrying her petitions around and harassed people into not signing? How would she have reacted if people had tried to take petitions away from gatherers? If voters have the right to vote on their own 18% sales tax hike, shouldn't they have the same right to vote on this Civil Rights initiative?
You can see the BAMN tactics for yourself:
So the question is: Will Napolitano condemn BAMN for their actions in blocking the citizen's initiative process that she has shown favor to?
Napolitano has shown her faith in using the initiative path to get things placed on the ballot, unveiling a transportation plan of her own that avoided the Legislature altogether. How would she have felt if people followed gatherers carrying her petitions around and harassed people into not signing? How would she have reacted if people had tried to take petitions away from gatherers? If voters have the right to vote on their own 18% sales tax hike, shouldn't they have the same right to vote on this Civil Rights initiative?
You can see the BAMN tactics for yourself:
So the question is: Will Napolitano condemn BAMN for their actions in blocking the citizen's initiative process that she has shown favor to?
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
2010 Watch
We're combing through the rumor mills, news stories, and blogs to give you the latest on who is planning on running for Governor in 2010.
Its more national media attention for Sheriff Joe, this time taking Shaquille O'Neal to task for his offensive language in the rap about former teammate Kobe Bryant. The story was also featured on Sportscenter. We all know that the Sheriff enjoys the media attention, but is he ramping up for his Sheriff's race against Democrat Challenger Dan Saban or is he gearing up for a run for Governor in 2010? Inevitably, he'll flirt with the idea, but will be be in for real this time? For now, we'll put him on the list.
Here is the updated short list:
Republican
Secretary of State Jan Brewer
State Treasurer Dean Martin
Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen
Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters
John Munger, Former State Chairman, RNC Committee
Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Democrat
Attorney General Terry Goddard
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon
Jim Pederson, former State Chairman, Candidate for US Senate
If you have any juicy gossip or more information, please let us know at GovRace2010@yahoo.com.
Its more national media attention for Sheriff Joe, this time taking Shaquille O'Neal to task for his offensive language in the rap about former teammate Kobe Bryant. The story was also featured on Sportscenter. We all know that the Sheriff enjoys the media attention, but is he ramping up for his Sheriff's race against Democrat Challenger Dan Saban or is he gearing up for a run for Governor in 2010? Inevitably, he'll flirt with the idea, but will be be in for real this time? For now, we'll put him on the list.
Here is the updated short list:
Republican
Secretary of State Jan Brewer
State Treasurer Dean Martin
Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen
Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters
John Munger, Former State Chairman, RNC Committee
Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Democrat
Attorney General Terry Goddard
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon
Jim Pederson, former State Chairman, Candidate for US Senate
If you have any juicy gossip or more information, please let us know at GovRace2010@yahoo.com.
On the verge of a spending spree
Its quite a day for spending in Arizona, with Governor Napolitano behind several fronts that will impact Arizona's fiscal future for many years to come. Individually, any one of these items may not that big of a deal, but combined, it could have some serious long-term impacts on the economy.
1. The budget that is being proposed includes growing the Lottery, throwing a whopping $1 billion to the universities to construct even more buildings, plus another $1 billion in borrowing. The Legislature is "ironing out" the difference according to the Arizona Republic but the fact of the matter is that one of the funding sources in the Governor's budget is gambling. As the economy slips, more people probably play the lottery in hopes of getting a big payout so that they don't lose their house, but that doesn't make it a sensible way to fix funding shortages.
2. It looks like the Governor's $42 billion dollar tax increase for transportation will be on the ballot in November. If you recall its a 1 cent increase in the statewide sales tax, which means that some places will be on the verge of having a 10% sales tax. The plan includes more light rail, high speed trains, money for non-profits, payouts to conservation groups. Plus, all of it goes outside the regular procurement process. There is a lot of spending here that may not yield a lot of results.
3. Finally, the Senate has sent the Decades Theme park project to the Governor's desk. This project could issue up to $750 million in bonds for a location that is 50 miles aaway from any major town. Will the state be on the hook if the project issues the bonds, builds the park, and then shuts down? Its not clear if the Governor will sign, but its another potential financial burden that could have lasting effects.
Any one of these things could put the state budget in a bind for many years to come. What happens if the lottery doesn't pay enough for the university construction? What happens when the contruction costs overrun on this grandiose train? Where is the maintenance and operations money coming from since all transit is subsidized? What happens if Decades is a huge failure? Who is on the hook for that?
We are faced with a $1.9 billion deificit right now, and we are facing budget cuts across the board. Is now the right time to be going on a spending spree?
1. The budget that is being proposed includes growing the Lottery, throwing a whopping $1 billion to the universities to construct even more buildings, plus another $1 billion in borrowing. The Legislature is "ironing out" the difference according to the Arizona Republic but the fact of the matter is that one of the funding sources in the Governor's budget is gambling. As the economy slips, more people probably play the lottery in hopes of getting a big payout so that they don't lose their house, but that doesn't make it a sensible way to fix funding shortages.
2. It looks like the Governor's $42 billion dollar tax increase for transportation will be on the ballot in November. If you recall its a 1 cent increase in the statewide sales tax, which means that some places will be on the verge of having a 10% sales tax. The plan includes more light rail, high speed trains, money for non-profits, payouts to conservation groups. Plus, all of it goes outside the regular procurement process. There is a lot of spending here that may not yield a lot of results.
3. Finally, the Senate has sent the Decades Theme park project to the Governor's desk. This project could issue up to $750 million in bonds for a location that is 50 miles aaway from any major town. Will the state be on the hook if the project issues the bonds, builds the park, and then shuts down? Its not clear if the Governor will sign, but its another potential financial burden that could have lasting effects.
Any one of these things could put the state budget in a bind for many years to come. What happens if the lottery doesn't pay enough for the university construction? What happens when the contruction costs overrun on this grandiose train? Where is the maintenance and operations money coming from since all transit is subsidized? What happens if Decades is a huge failure? Who is on the hook for that?
We are faced with a $1.9 billion deificit right now, and we are facing budget cuts across the board. Is now the right time to be going on a spending spree?
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