GOP budget negotiations end in impasse

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Arizona Senate President Bob "Bluto" Burns imploded the "double super secret" GOP budget negotiations with our Accidental Governor on Sunday evening when negotiations ended in a GOP food fight and Burns walked out in a dramatic exit. State budget talks stall as suit is threatened Well, there's the problem – too many drama queens.

The GOP food fight spilled out into the streets on Monday with dueling press conferences between the Accidental Governor threatening to sue the bastards, and the GOP insane clown possee suggesting the Gov is acting a bit hysterical. Budget impasse intensifies

With Burns walking away from the negotiating table Sunday evening, Brewer accused him of being "no longer willing to negotiate." She suggested the impasse, along with Burns' refusal to transmit the budget bills, represents a threat to state government and all Arizonans who depend upon its services.

"It puts the state of Arizona and the people of Arizona at extreme risk," Brewer said. "I believe it is a disaster if (lawmakers) can't get a budget up to me (that) I can approve."

Brewer was explicit in her directions to the Legislature: "Send me the bills. Send me the bills."

House Speaker Kirk Adams (R-Mesa) suggested Brewer was working to "raise the specter of a government shutdown." He called the governor's actions in threatening legal action "perplexing" and "extremely premature."

The GOP insane clown possee has passed what even they referred to as their "practice " budget, expecting their budget to be vetoed by the Governor. But they have refused to transmit their "practice" budget to the Governor for her veto.

The GOP insane clown possee leadership apparently believes that by placing a hold on their "practice" budget until June 30, the Accidental Governor may feel compelled to sign their "practice" budget to prevent state government from starting to shut down everything but essential services beginning on July 1.

For her part, the Accidental Governor is expected to file a special action before noon Tuesday with the Arizona Supreme Court, asking the justices to compel the Legislature to release the budget bills. Budget impasse intensifies Yeah, that's a plan.

First, there is no time limit to transmit legislation to the Governor in the Arizona Constitution or in statutory law. It has always been just assumed that the Legislature would act like mature responsible adults and transmit the budget to the Governor for her review just as soon as the bills have been engrossed as having passed both legislative chambers. Mature responsible adults can no longer be assumed with the childish clowns we have in the legislative leadership today.

Second, this dispute is a "political question" involving the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches. The judiciary traditionally refrains from deciding political questions. Even if it were inclined to order the legislature to transmit the budget to the Governor, the only result would be that the Governor would use her veto stamp.

So this brilliant (sic) plan only wastes valuable time and financial resources the state does not have on unnecessary litigation which is likely to take 10 to 14 days at a minimum anyway, which will take us up to July 1 with no resolution of the budget in sight. It is an unnecessary distraction from what should be ongoing budget negotiations.

I normally would not give advice to Jan Brewer (not that she would take it anyway), but here's an idea for you, Gov: send a staff member over to the Legislature for engrossed copies of the bills that make up the budget and then take out your veto stamp. Send a "preemptive" veto message back to the Legislature. You can take away the GOP insane clown possee's indefinite hold strategy and put the leadership in the position of having to sue you in court to argue that your veto is premature and not effective because the Legislature never transmitted any budget to the Governor's office; or this preemptive strike will force everyone to put an end to their silly childish gamesmanship and bring everyone back to the negotiation table for good faith serious negotiations. (I'll bill you for my time.)

Bob "Bluto" Burns was quoted as saying “If we send the bills and the bills are vetoed, then where are we?” “We’re back at step one and in a position that we were in three months ago.”

The Accidental Governor in turn accused Burns of holding "the entire state hostage." She also said that if an agreement isn't reached, she is preparing for a government shutdown.

To borrow a phrase from Bill Maher, "New Rule": None of these incompetent fools should ever be allowed to be in charge of anything, ever again. Let's just throw the bums out!