GOP civil war over the sales tax special election

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

In this corner we have the Accidental Governor, Jan Brewer, Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen, the editors of The Arizona Republic, and oddly enough, the Arizona Education Association who support passage of the temporary sales tax increase in the special election on May 18.

In the other corner we have the Grover Norquist "no tax" pledge Republicans, Tea Party conservatives, J.D. Hayworth and now Arizona's twin embarrassments, Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain, who oppose the temporary sales tax increase in the special election on May 18.

Let's get ready to rumble!

On Monday, Arizona's twin embarrassments issued a joint press release regarding the temporary sales tax on the special election ballot in May:

“We appreciate the hard work that the Governor and the Legislature have done to try to solve the state’s fiscal problems, and though we hadn’t planned to comment on what is rightly a state issue – the proposed increase in the state’s sales tax – we’ve been asked by various news media for our views.

“We support the right of Arizonans to decide the issue of a short-term sales tax increase on the local level. However, as Arizonans and Americans across our nation continue to face perilous economic times, we fundamentally oppose increasing taxes on small businesses and working families."

The First Commandment of the modern Republican Party is "no new taxes." Like they were going to support a tax increase. The senators' feigned concern for small businesses and working families was a nice touch – and totally disingenuous. What the senators really oppose are higher taxes on large corporations and the super-wealthy that would balance the state and federal budgets. Taxing the working class and poor disproportionately through a regressive sales tax that will not even balance the state budget, not so much.

And please note the lack of any concern expressed for the consequences of defeating the temporary sales tax increase on conservative ideological grounds. Education cuts are certain if proposed tax is rejected:

Arizona could owe the federal government almost as much money as a proposed sales tax increase would raise if voters reject it.

* * *

when Arizona accepted $832 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as stimulus dollars, Gov. Jan Brewer signed an agreement that Arizona would not reduce funding for education below what it was in 2006. [The proposed budget cuts] would bust that agreement – by a lot.

"It would take our state funding of education back 10 years," said gubernatorial press aide Paul Senseman, to the levels of 2001. If that happens, Senseman said, Brewer will apply for a waiver of the accord she signed last year that would absolve Arizona of having to pay back the federal stimulus aid.

Senseman said there is a "complicated formula" in the federal law for getting out of the deal. But he conceded it would not be easy.

In fact, he said U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said his agency has not approved any submitted to date.

In other words, Arizona would have to return the federal stimulus funds for education that it has already spent meaning the money would have to come out of education and other programs because the state cannot borrow the money and go into debt. This would come on top of further planned budget cuts to education. Gov. Jan Brewer at least initially, and Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain from the very beginning were ideologically opposed to federal stimulus funds to keep education afloat. Now they can reverse that common sense approach they opposed if the sales tax is defeated. Why?

Because if the sales tax is defeated in May, the GOP insane clown posse legislature has its "what-if" draconian budget ready to go that is a Grover Norquist "drown the government in the bathtub" wet dream:

A contingency plan for what would have to be cut if the 1-cent levy fails at the ballot proposes to slash nearly $428.6 million in aid to education. That would be on top of more than $380 million lawmakers are proposing to cut to balance next year's budget, no matter what, including eliminating state funding for full-day kindergarten.

And the university system, which escaped unscathed in the basic budget proposal, would take a 12 percent across-the-board cut. That translates to nearly $39.3 million for the main campus of Arizona State University, more than $32.6 million for the University of Arizona and in excess of $16 million for Northern Arizona University.

* * *

Even if the sales tax is approved, the deal between Republican legislative leaders and Brewer formally unveiled Monday paints a picture of major changes in the state. One of the most visible would be elimination of full-day kindergarten.

* * *

The legislation permits local school districts to keep their full-day programs, either using local money or charging tuition to parents. That's the system that existed prior to 2006.

So when Sens. Kyl and McCain say they are opposed to federal stimulus funds and the temporary sales tax increase, what they are really saying is that they support the wholesale destruction of public education in Arizona. Because that will be the effective result.

Brewer also proposed spending cuts throughout state government, including 5 percent pay cuts for most state employees as early as April 1, removal of 310,000 people from the state’s Medicaid program [AHCCCS] on Jan. 1, and abolishing the KidsCare health care program. State lawmakers say budget to include what-if plan

Sens. Kyl and McCain think state insured medical care for children and the poor is just a socialist plot anyway. But they love their "socialist" government run Medicare and their government run health insurance plan for Senators – you don't see them rejecting their benefits, do you?

Brewer also proposed closing most state parks and eliminating the Juvenile Corrections Department – resulting in nearly 1,000 layoffs and sending 400 offenders to county facilities. Counties due bill for youth jail Counties will be forced to pick up the $63 million cost on top of state budget cuts counties are absorbing in other areas. The proposal is for the state to take $20 million it intended to give to cities in revenue sharing and instead send it to the counties.

In other words, the state legislature is shifting its responsibilities to the counties to balance the state budget, while at the same taking money away from cities and forcing counties to raise your local property taxes to pay for the juvenile justice system.

In effect, Sens. Kyl and McCain support raising your local property taxes so that the GOP insane clown posse legislature can shirk its duties and responsibilities and claim that they did not raise state taxes.

Gov. Jan Brewer has always been a polemic conservative politician. She has always been good for a "crazy quote" in The Arizona Republic. This may be the first time ever that I actually agree with something Jan Brewer has said. McCain, Kyl find fault with Brewer's tax hike:

Brewer, in a prepared statement, suggested the two senators were putting politics above principle.

"Doing the right thing often means doing the hard thing," she said.

Still, platitudes about doing the right thing are a far cry from actually doing it. The Governor's/GOP insane clown posse's budget proposals in no way "do the right thing." It is essentially the Grover Norquist plan to "drown the government in the bathtub."

What Arizona really needs is top-to-bottom tax reform and a restructuring of taxes to create a sustainable tax base that will eliminate the structural tax deficit resulting from 20 years of Republican ideologically-driven tax cuts. The GOP insane clown posse legislature is unwilling and unable to "do the hard thing."