Brewer is selling Arizona waterfront property again — this time for schools

by David Safier

Trust me! Brewer says. If you don't pass that silly Prop. 204, she'll definitely help you get more funds for education. Or at least she'll be willing to talk about it.

[I]f Proposition 204 were defeated, [Brewer] would be willing to talk about more funding.

"I will work with everybody," Brewer said. "And I believe that those people that are behind 204, we need to come together, all of us, to come back to the table, sit down and get another proposition or another plan put together that is accountable."

Not surprisingly, Ann-Eve Pederson who is leading the drive for Prop. 204, is not impressed. Somewhat surprisingly, neither is Howie Fischer who wrote the article. He lays out the facts that make Brewer look like a liar a less-than-trustworthy source of facts — or funding for our children's educations.

For instance, Brewer says she objects to the Prop. 204 because it doesn't guarantee where the money for education will go. But Brewer had the option of signing on to another initiative that would have put more stipulations on the money. She didn't. The people working in league with Brewer to craft what they called "a thoughtful education plan that could build on the real reforms" quit trying because their fellow Republicans wouldn't back it.

Brewer says we shouldn't pass another tax hike until the current one expires. She knows, of course, the renewed tax will only kick in when the current one ends. And Gubernatorial press aide Matthew Benson said even after the current tax expires, she probably wouldn't back another tax.

But even then, Benson said, the governor will not commit to discussing future taxes.

"Governor Brewer is focused on making the best possible use of the education dollars we already have at the state's disposal," he said.

No more money, says Brewer. We've just got to do more with what we have. Of course, what we have is less per student than any other state, even before we cut a larger percentage of our ed funding over the past five years than anyone else.

Fischer gives details of the legislature's educational stinginess, which I won't go into here. Suffice it to say, Brewer made a fool of herself again, and Fischer gave enough supporting details to make it abundantly clear.

EAST VALLEY TRIB HEADLINE UPDATE: The East Valley Trib captures the jist of the Howie Fischer article perfectly with its headline: Brewer: Kill tax initiative first, then work on education funding. Makes it sound like Brewer is playing a General during the Vietnam War saying, "We had to destroy Arizona education in order to save it."