Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Occassionally the Arizona Republic has a good editorial opinion (when Doug McEachern or Robert Robb is not the author). Today I can agree with its recommendations for legislation deserving of a veto by the governor. My list would be much longer. Call Gov. Brewer at 1-(800) 253-0883. (It's toll-free!) Or visit her Web page to leave a comment.
The Arizona Republic recommends a veto of four bills. Governor, get out your veto pen:
- Micromanaging Phoenix and Tucson city budgets. Senate Bill 1322 flies in the face of local control by requiring our biggest cities to put any service of more than $500,000 out to bid. They would be forced to go through a costly contract process whether or not it made sense. This mandate would actually block other, more creative, public-private ventures.
- Putting destructive handcuffs on the state budget. House Bill 2707 would lock Arizona into the bottom of the economic cycle by limiting state spending to the previous year's level, adjusted for inflation and population growth. We couldn't take prudent steps like setting up a "rainy-day fund" or making capital investments, including schools. Lawmakers don't have a blank check, anyway. The Arizona Constitution limits spending to 7.41 percent of state personal income.
- Imposing new statewide fees, with $1 million for Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu. If Arizonans are going to pay a $13 assessment on all civil and traffic offenses, which Senate Bill 1398 would impose, let's talk about statewide priorities for spending the money.
- Raising the private-school tuition tax credit. Brewer already vetoed a similar bill as unaffordable. Senate Bill 1186 is scaled back but would still cost the state $9 million in lost revenue.