In a Snit

After reading this week's Currents section, I am in a snit. Why, you ask? Well ...

• Jim Nintzel's piece about Prop 400 (To the Core), which will ask city voters to raise the sales tax another half-cent per dollar, is just downright depressing. Our choices: Pay a 9.6 percent sales tax—up from 8.6 percent at the start of the year—or face draconian cuts to city services that have already been sliced and diced. Not good.

• Then there's Nintzel's coverage of the Rio Nuevo/Rialto mess in The Skinny. The quick summary: The Rio Nuevo board claims the Rialto Theatre Foundation owes a whole lot of money in back rent; the Rialto claims that money went to a sound system, and that the investment should count toward their payments to Rio Nuevo. The Rio Nuevo folks disagree—and if the Rialto folks and the Rio Nuevo folks can't work something out, then the Rialto folks may have to file for bankruptcy protection. Seeing as the Rialto is one of the few things downtown that actually works, this hubbub is alarming.

• The other stories have to do with the federal government continuing to fight No More Deaths in their efforts to leave 1-gallon water jugs for thirsty migrants on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (Seeking Refuge); and the approval by Pima County of a corporation's plans to build a questionable private prison on the southeast side (Prison Problems).

The lone bright spot in the Currents section, at least to me, is the fact that state Sen. Paula Aboud referred to one of her two "independent" opponents, Ted Downing, as "crazy." (Party Crasher) That's kinda funny.

All of this news, while far from cheery, is important stuff to know. I recommend reading it and then quickly heading to the City Week, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Books, Cinema, Chow and Music sections, where there's all sorts of cool, uplifting coverage.

Enjoy.