The pattern is getting predictable.
Another week where MAGA Republicans at the Arizona State Legislature and across the country work to return the nation to the Gilded Age where Robber Barons dictated policy, the wealth gap between the top and the everyone else was prolific, public schools were not as popularized, reproductive freedom and voting rights for non white males were dreams, equal rights was a fantasy, religious fundamentalism trumped reliance on science, and national parks were non existent.
However, there is a flip side to the story. One that is inspiring rather than depressing. One that looks to the optimism of tomorrow’s possibilities rather than the nostalgia for reactionary times past.
While Arizona MAGA Republicans at the State Legislature were blocking efforts to reform their welfare for the wealthy Empowerment Scholarship Account Program, offering legislation that would reduce taxes for the wealthy again, screwing supplemental funding for children with disabilities, endeavoring to make voting harder, favoring corporate interests in reference to water security, and looking to get around the recently approved Proposition 139 that restored reproductive freedom to the state, Democrats have been in full force working to advance the needs for tomorrow, opposing these back to the Gilded Age moves and offering solutions of their own.
Look at Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs who this week offered a revised proposal to increase funding for public schools through the renewal of Proposition 123. She commented:
“We must address the impending expiration of Prop 123, and do it this year. If we fail to act, we are throwing away an opportunity to fund teacher pay raises and give Arizona’s children the opportunity they deserve – all without raising taxes on a single Arizonan. I’m proud my plan delivers $216 million for teacher pay while making funding permanent so no public school needs to worry about paying their teachers with an impending fiscal cliff. I urge members of the Legislature to act swiftly to put a bipartisan Prop 123 extension plan on the ballot for this November. They have already missed one deadline to act on this critical issue, Arizona’s children cannot afford for them to miss another.”
She also seemed to draw a line in the sand toward MAGA Republicans on the new budget and their aversion to reforming the ESA private school vouchers and not adequately funding programs that fund assistance for children with disabilities. The Governor commented:
“The legislative majority continues to use Arizonans with disabilities as their political pawns, even as they refuse to put commonsense guardrails on their favorite entitlement program. While they fight to protect the right of the 1% to spend taxpayer dollars on luxury car driving lessons, ski resort passes, and grand pianos, they’re refusing to fund life-saving programs that support the health and independence of the more that 50,000 Arizonans who rely on the Division of Developmental Disabilities. Their negligence is inhumane and fiscally irresponsible.”
The Governor also, through the Greater Arizona Development Authority (GADA) allocated $700,000 for “local infrastructure projects in rural and Tribal communities that will help revitalize communities and advance critical infrastructure like libraries, roads, and water systems.”
In this announcement, the Governor said:
“This funding will bring the Arizona Promise to life for communities across the state. Investing in local infrastructure projects means strong communities, a healthy economy, and opportunity for people throughout Arizona who have too often been ignored and left behind.”
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, while doing her job in protecting Arizona consumers (her office just concluded a settlement protecting online shoppers,) has been busy working, with other Democratic Attorney Generals across the country on thwarting the Musk/Trump/Vance Contract Against America and Return to the Gilded Age, achieving court victories stopping the Administration from enacting Birthright Citizenship and freezing funding and recently hosting a town hall in Phoenix with three other States Attorney Generals, hearing the people voice their concerns about MAGA policies and telling the attendees how they are fighting back against the MAGA scam on the American People.
On the townhall, the Attorney General posted afterward:
On getting an injunction to stop the Musk/Trump/Vance Central Committee from freezing funds, the Attorney General wrote:
“This was an illegal and reckless attempt to withhold critical funding that states rely on to serve their communities. This ruling is a victory for Arizonans and millions of Americans who depend on these essential federal funds. I won’t stand by while the Trump administration puts itself above Congress and withholds resources that families, public safety, and healthcare providers depend on.”
Finally, while MAGA Republicans were advancing their back to the Gilded Age agenda attacking the homeless, disabled children, and reproductive freedom, Legislative Democrats were, in bipartisan fashion, advancing elements of their affordability agenda, and speaking out on the unconstitutionality of MAGA attempting to restrict access to the abortion pill.
In her remarks at an event celebrating the constitutionality of Proposition 139, Democratic Senate Leader Priya Sundareshan remarked on Republicans attempt to create a Handmaids Tale-It Can Happen Here society:
“As the mother of two children, other under five, the impact of the bills that this legislature has considered hit home and in particular, the access to reproductive freedom has been incredibly important to me…Over 2 million. Arizonans said that they wanted the government to get out of our business. The fight to control our bodies and our future is just as much a fight for privacy as it is for Reproductive freedom.”
“Arizona Democrats know this because we know that Republicans have never learned to respect the will of the voters.”
“When voters said no to Universal vouchers, the legislature passed them anyway. When voters delivered a divided state government, the legislature has, rather than find compromise, the Republican majority has forced through a number of radical unworkable ballot measures just to bypass the governor’s veto. And when nearly eight out of ten Arizona voters said that they wanted to see the 1864 total abortion ban, repealed Republicans obstructed for decades until they finally saw it as politically advantageous to do.”
“But we all know that our privacy, our civil rights and our futures are at risk, especially now under this second Trump Administration.”
“Despite the victories, Arizonans secured to protect reproductive freedom for all last year, Republicans nationally and here right here in this state legislature remain hellbent on dictating every aspect of your life that doesn’t meet their approval.”
This should come to no shock at anyone who knows how the Republican majority operates here. They don’t see the wishes of the voters as a guide but rather opposition to their larger goal which is power. Even if that power, gives them nothing more than the opportunity to decide who receives Healthcare that they need and who doesn’t.
“Following through on our commitment to government getting government out of your bedrooms and out of your private lives. Democrats in Arizona have introduced three separate pieces of legislation: The Right to Contraception Act, the Right to IVF, and the Right to Privacy Act. But Republicans have blocked each and every one of them by simply refusing to place them onto a committee agenda. The fight to ensure that we are all afforded at the privacy and the autonomy that so many generations have fought and died for will not end here and Democrats will not shy away from this moment. Yes, abortion has passed at the ballot but the work is really just beginning.“
House Democratic Leader Oscar De Los Santos followed Sundareshan and echoed many of her points, offering:
“There’s a lot to celebrate. But I’m here today because I’m angry. I’m angry at the Republican politicians in those buildings. And I have a very simple message for them. Keep the government out of our private lives.”
“Just Months ago, the people spoke. We voted and we enshrined the fundamental right to abortion into our state’s Constitution. Voters supported prop 139 in every single county. Every single legislative district… Prop 139 received more votes than any single candidate in this entire state. It was a victory for the people. A victory for healthcare and a victory for our right to make decisions about our own bodies.”
“But now, Republican politicians who think they know better than you are hellbent on undoing that Victory and they are hell-bent on dictating every single aspect of your life.”
“Let me give you just a few examples.”
“Extremist Republicans Rachel Keshel introduced house concurrent resolution, 2058 a new ballot that would permit, the government to deny restrict and interfere with your right to abortion care. This is a direct attack on Prop 139.”
“Extremist Republican Lupe Diaz introduced House Bill 2547, which jeopardizes Arizona’s hospitals and healthcare institutions by preventing any facility that accepts public funding such as Medicaid from performing or even referring patients for abortion care.”
“I have a message for those colleagues. Hell no!”
“Democrats will not allow these extremists and out of touch Republicans to turn back the clock on progress. Together, House Democrats, Senate, Democrats and the Advocates behind me will make sure that your freedom is protected and that the voters choices are respected. The people have spoken and we will make sure you are never silenced.”
Discover more from Blog for Arizona
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.