Action Alert – Brewer Budget
What is she Brewing now?
A recipe for disaster? Look no further than Arizona’s unelected Governor Brewer.
Ingredient 1: Wasted time
In the midst of a statewide multi-billion dollar budget crisis,
Governor Brewer called for a special session of the Arizona
legislature to address an illegal voucher program, let’s give her a “special” thanks by sending a letter to the editor of your local paper urging the Governor and Republicans enact a budget that protects Arizona.
This move to help her supporters in the legislature affects less than 500 Arizona students
who are choosing to be educated privately. Last week during a
prolonged special session, Republicans pushed a multi-million dollar tax
credit for large corporations along party lines even though the state
Supreme Court ruled the voucher program unconstitutional in March of
this year.
Ingredient 2: The Governor’s budget
While it took four months for Brewer’s proposal to appear you would think it would provide solutions to
the budget crisis. Instead, our Governor is stripping our state of valuable
resources and vital assets. Brewer outlines plans to borrow about $750
million by selling future revenues from the state Lottery ($450
million), conducting “sale-lease back” deals on prisons and other state
properties ($200 million), and pushing a payment for the Arizona
Health Care Cost Containment System into the next fiscal year ($104
million).
Democrats prioritize our children’s future by protecting –not cutting– school funding, Brewer plans to cut $295 million to K-12 education and another $42.9 million to the state
university system. Only with a quality education will our children be
able to compete for the best jobs in the global economy of the future
and attract businesses to our state.
“Democrats are ready and eager to negotiate a budget with the
governor,” said Assistant House Minority Leader Kyrsten Sinema.
“We are not interested in rubber-stamping bad ideas.”
Ingredient 3: Lack of bi-partisanship
While the Republicans in the Legislature fight with the Governor from their own Party, both refuse to work across the aisle for a budget solution. Today the Senate voted along party lines for the legislative GOP plan, ignoring Governor Brewer’s budget! The Democrats haven’t been wasting their time bickering with each other, instead they have drafted a budget worthy of consideration.
Democratic lawmakers’ comprehensive solution includes:
• Utilizing every federal stimulus dollar available to Arizona
• Restoring necessary funding to education and middle-class families to
make our economy thrive
• Responsibly generating revenue, while holding cities, towns and
counties harmless from loss of shared
revenue, and protecting middle-class families from a high tax increase
Send a letter to the editor urging support of the Democrats budget, which protects education, and vital state services.
Yours Democratically,
Pat Burns
President
Young Democrats of Arizona
