What ever happened to the focus on serving the people? You know, it's difficult not to get extremely frustrated watching the AZ State Legislature "work" on the budget. The governor releases a budget that the ultra-conservative Republicans don't like. What happens? Do the Republican leaders point out where it will hurt the state? No. Do they articulate a coherent rebuttal based on economic data, etc? No. What do they do? They complain that the governor's budget isn't Republican enough. That the governor is not supposed to raise taxes because that's not Republican. That she's not supposed to protect social programs like aid to the disabled because that's not Republican. Not Republican? Not REPUBLICAN? Aren't our officials supposed to be working for the good of all Arizonans? Shouldn't reality take precedence over ideology?
If Governor Brewer's budget is bad, then I expect the State Legislature to spell out why it's bad in sound economic terms. If their budget is better, I expect them to be able to compare and contrast without resorting to ideological name calling. Is that too much to ask?
No I admit that I don't know the specifics on either budget, but I do know that when Governor Brewer's budget came out, nobody was asking "Is that even legal?" The State Legislature's budget didn't fare so well in that department.
Now if we could just get everybody together and look at how these budget proposals will affect us - not just this year, but 5, 10, or 15 years down the road. Look at the short and long term effects, debate the best course of action and pass a budget that will help Arizona. I'm tired of the partisan bickering.
Comments