Citizen Staff Writer
For ed funding, state’s 1st (in ascending order)
I have purposely let a few days pass so I could be level-headed in my response to the butchering of the state education budget.
I, for one, am sick and tired of a Republican Party that devalues the idea of a well- educated citizenry and refuses to see the long-term benefits of investment in education.
I am equally tired of listening to legislators (Russell Pearce, Kirk Adams, Rich Crandall, Michele Reagan, Barbara Leff, John Huppenthal, etc.) hollowly speak of their support for education while watching them cast votes that harm our ability to deliver a quality education for our students.
I have watched the Republicans dance the “Education Two-Step” for too long.
Republicans argue that there was no other alternative.
That leads me to the conclusion that they are either ignorant or intentionally being untruthful. Steps to increase revenue were never entertained.
In the end, every Democrat legislator voted against this budget. All but two Republicans (Carolyn Allen and Jay Tibshraeny) voted for these cuts.
It has never been clearer which party values public education and which party only talks about valuing education.
We no longer have to worry about being 49th (nationally) in per-pupil expenditure. Those were the good ol’ days. We are now 55th, behind several American territories.
Way to go Republicans! We have won the race to the bottom.
Michael Conway
Mesa
Ramrodding budget is parse for the course
The failed recipe of budget cutting has failed to revive economies in the past, and the draconian cuts our new governor and the Republican legislature have planned will only makes things worse.
During the worst economic downturn in decades is no time to be making such cuts – most of which will hurt the increasing number of those in need as a result of this recession.
Furthermore, with as much as $1 billion potentially coming in the form of aid to the state from the federal stimulus package, jumping the gun to enact these cuts also is impulsive and irresponsible.
Yes, cuts do need to be made in the face of enormous deficits this and next fiscal year.
But our governor and the Legislature need to allow time to carefully parse what can be cut and not ramrod through the process.
For one thing, education needs to be protected if this state is ever to climb from its sorry 49th place in education spending.
Perhaps the legislature’s position is that cutting K-12 and higher education to the tune of up to $1 billion will improve our position, placing us dead last at number 50?
Simply put, Arizona will not be able to compete with better-educated workers from other states, and our universities will lose their talented pool of professors and incoming students to schools in other states.
Is that what we want?
Then there’s the cuts in health care and welfare programs at a time when the need for them is growing rapidly.
Again Arizona will end up being the loser.
Greg and Dorothea
Winston
Oro Valley
Liberal columnist left conservatives fuming
Re Billie Stanton’s Feb. 4 column, “Back on the chain gang”:
Billie Stanton is one of the primary reasons that the Tucson Citizen is going out of business.
Her liberal stuff is more than most of we normal local residents can swallow.
She should go to California where she can write articles for Nancy Pelosi and all of her left-wing liberals.
John Riley
Fee to fight ticket puts brakes on due process
Re the Feb. 4 story, “Coconino County to charge $20 to challenge speeding tickets”:
This is so wrong on many levels. First it is blackmail: shut up or pay up.
Second, whatever happened to the right to face your accusers, and a free and speedy trial?
Think again.
Marty Hart
Gov. from windy city blows too much hot air
As the Illinois senate trial of Gov. Rod Blagojevich began in Springfield, he was in New York conducting a media circus on the “Today” show, “The View” and other programs in an effort to muster support for himself.
To say he fell short would be an understatement.
This guy is such a weasel it was almost nauseating to watch as he consistently refused to acknowledge making the comments that have been offered on government tape recordings of his telephone conversations.
He bobbed and weaved his way while leaving virtually everyone watching in awe at his lack of candor.
It was evident that even seasoned news personalities such as Barbara Walters were frustrated by his unwillingness to directly answer specific questions.
This man is clearly an embarrassment to the state of Illinois. Sad but true.
Gary H. Boyd
Scottsdale