I almost loved the Sunday editorial in the Arizona Republic. Even with some reservations, I liked it a whole lot. Shorter version: Ducey, we’re not in a recession anymore. Stop budgeting like we are. Fund education and other state needs at reasonable levels.
Here are a few key passages.
Take off the recession-era glasses, Gov. Doug Ducey.
Look around. Those bleak days of deep deficits are over.
Arizona deserves a vision for the future.
That means restoring budgets for K-12, universities, infrastructure and other basic state needs.
It’s time to show the dynamic leadership to begin aggressively repairing the damage done during those days when slashing the budget was a matter of survival.
It’s also time to recognize that it wasn’t just the recession that put the financial squeeze on Arizona.
Repeated tax cuts since 1993 shrunk state revenue by tens of billions of dollars.
[snip]
Now it’s time to make the state competitive when it comes to funding K-12 and higher education. Now it’s time to make the state competitive when it comes to infrastructure for the 21st Century. Now it’s time to put money into quality of life amenities – like parks, which were stripped of funding during the recession.
There is no reason to create an artificial atmosphere of recession that keeps the state on a starvation diet. Arizona currently has a healthy budget surplus and rainy day fund.
[snip]
[E]ven if voters approve taking more money from the state land trust [by voting for Proposition 123], schools will not be fully reimbursed for voter-mandated inflation funding that the Legislature illegally withheld during the recession.Passing the plan is important. It will help schools. But it doesn’t make up for recession-era losses. It doesn’t make schools whole.
Great stuff, especially coming from an MSM source like the Republic. I wish the state’s elected Democrats would speak out this forcefully.
Toward the end of the editorial, however, the paper went too easy on Ducey by telling him to “go slowly” on tax cuts. The advice should have been no tax cuts, especially for corporations and the wealthy. Instead, move in the opposite direction and make them shoulder their fair share of the tax burden by reversing some of the cuts that began in 1993. We can’t restore and improve Arizona’s education funding without adding more to the budget than can be found in the surplus and the rainy day fund.
This article appears in Feb 11-17, 2016.
“Fair share” is a myth. Please dream up something newer and less punitive. Why not get something, anything from the bottom 50% rather than giving them earned income tax credits? That is stealing tax money confiscated form the successful.
David W everyone pays sales and property taxes. Most analyses show that on average most Americans pay 20-25% of their total income on taxes of some form. Get a new talking point about the poor- they pay their share of taxes according to their ability to pay.
“Analysis of the latest Census data indicates that Arizona’s illegal immigrant population is costing the state’s taxpayers about $1.3 billion per year for education, medical care and incarceration. Even if the estimated tax contributions of illegal immi- grant workers are subtracted, net outlays still amount to more than $1 bil- lion per year. The annual fiscal burden borne by Arizonans amounts to more than $700 per household headed by a native-born resident.”
“Based on estimates of the illegal immigrant population in Arizona and documented costs of K-12 schooling, Arizonans spend approximately $810 million annually on education for illegal immigrant children and for their U.S. born siblings.”
http://www.fairus.org/site/DocServer/azcosts2.pdf
“I wish the state’s elected Democrats would speak out this forcefully.”
I wish the Democratic establishment would stop supporting Prop 123 and calling it a “first step” that will “help the schools.” First step on the road to hell, perhaps. Do they actually think this is a “first step” towards any sort of constructive support of public schooling on the part of the yahoos who run this state? If so, they should take the time to read the proposition – including its triggers – and guess again. Anyone who has bothered to read the proposition knows its intention is not to provide a stable basis for the ongoing health of the public school system in this state.
The way the so-called Democratic establishment is caving in to forces backing Prop 123 is one of the most depressing spectacles I have ever seen. Why bother calling yourself a Democrat, or a “progressive,” or a “liberal” — or a self-respecting intelligent citizen of any party or ideological camp in a state where 80-something percent of the population is educated in publicly funded schools — if you can’t say NO to something like Prop 123?
I was talking about State and Federal taxes which half the country are NOT paying. Not a talking point but a truth many fail to accept.
This is from the IRS website for 2013 returns.
The IRS urges workers, self-employed people and farmers earning $51,567 or less in 2013 to see if they qualify by using the EITC Assistant on IRS.gov. To get the credit taxpayers need to file a return and specifically claim the EITC, even if they aren’t required to file.
The EITC is a refundable tax credit. This means taxpayers may get money back, even if they have no tax withheld. Nationwide last year, over 27 million eligible individuals and families received more than $63 billion in EITC.
*The 51,000 figure is married filing jointly with 2 children. It can gift you up to $5300.
That is 70- 80% of Tucsonans. And we refer to them as poor? I don’t think so.
It is highly possible they can not afford to have an ISP, cell phone, or cable tv. But my money says they have all three.
Actually, David W, what you said was “Why not get something, anything from the bottom 50%”. When called out on your nonsense, you attempted to move the goalposts and claim you said “I was talking about State and Federal taxes which half the country are NOT paying”. Not only was this NOT what you said, it’s also untrue. Just about everyone pays Federal and state taxes, even those who qualify for the EITC- you are wrong. Anyone who works pays payroll taxes and a host of other taxes at both the state and federal level. In fact, income tax is about the only one that not everyone pays. Interesting how you tax whiners focus on that specific one though, always dishonestly conflating income tax with all taxation (because it fits your talking points slightly better).
And it’s not as if half the country isn’t paying income tax, either. That lie started as a Mitt Romney talking point, referring to a momentary surge in the unemployed at the height of the recession- the infamous 47%. What none of your tax whiners will admit though is that was a temporary spike due to the economic chaos, it wasn’t nearly that high before the recession, nor is it nearly that high now. You all cling to that outdated information because it’s convenient to bash the working poor. Most of those people do work, once you filter out the retired people who still have to file a tax return (should we tax the old folks- or are they not moochers to you?), as well as the disabled who have to file (should we tax someone’s disability payments to meet your silly notion of fair?) as well as a few other specialty categories that make up the supposed 47%.
Of the rest of that relatively small percent of people you scoff at- most of them do work, full time or as close as they can get. Do you want them to pay income tax? Fine, pay them enough to owe taxes. I love that idea- beats having me as a taxpayer subsidizing Walmart’s or Mickey D’s payroll so that someone working 40 hours a week can keep a roof over their head and feed their kids. I’m tired of supporting the deadbeat Walton family while they put mom and pop stores out of business with the current unfair playing field. Most large corporations could easily pay a living wage and still make record profits- the mom and pop stores do, that’s why they can’t compete. And if prices do go up, oh well- at least I as a consumer have a choice not to do business with them. With the status quo- my tax dollars go to Wally World whether or not I ever set foot in the place. If you want to whine about the real welfare queens- whine about corporate America- they’re collecting billions while making record profits and forcing me to choose between paying part of their payroll or watching people not be able to eat because 40 hours doesn’t cover their bills.
Sorry Pete but after reading Rogers post I was exactly right. In my first post I referenced earned income tax credits. Nice try.
ummm, NO. People who receive the EITC still pay federal and state taxes- you are still wrong. And “something, anything” is a long ways from federal taxes- wrong again. It’s also not the bottom 50%- you are wrong about that too. But hey, thanks for ignoring the part about the real welfare queens sucking up your tax dollars- I guess it’s easier to be irrationally angry at poor people than to actually think about who the real culprits are.
The IRS website says you qualify even if you paid NO taxes.
When you are on the “taking” end of those tax dollars, you really don’t have to know much about them, just keep your hand out waiting for the slop to be spooned out.
I will repost what I wrote earlier on the original article. Since I posted it a more than a week after the first article was written many of you may not have seen it.
Repost:
DR_BBZ
02/16/2016 AT 7:34 AM
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I am not from Arizona but I am strongly considering moving there. The reason to move to Arizona is its low taxes and affordability. I am looking to leave a tax and spend state in the Northeast for a much less progressive state.
Before saying lowering taxes is a bad thing please look at the states like mine who have the highest state taxes. These states have some of the highest unemployment and have seen real wages decline the most and some like mine are even seeing their populations decrease.
It is funny because another reason for choosing Arizona is the education. There are two top 20 Hofh Schools in the nation in Arizona and many many highly regarded school districts. It seems like the magnet program works well for those student who do well and whose parents care enough to get their children into those magnet schools. It is not about spending the most but about spending wisely. Spend on those who care and work hard.
Please, please do not follow the lead of having higher taxes. I look around me every day and see more and more businesses leaving a once great state. If you want higher taxes and more money to be spent on education come here to Connecticut. Come to a working class city like Waterbury. Drive down any major street and you will see many businesses that no longer exist and have left the area. Go to a fancy town like Fairfield and ask about the real reason why GE is leaving the state?
Please, Please try to attract new business and new tax paying residents. The easiest way to do that is with lower taxes. If you raise your taxes high enough it will be Texas for me and many other highly educated business owners.
Dr_bbz – if you’re looking for a less progressive place to live, a place not tax and spend, then you need to cross Tucson off your list immediately.
Tucson – the town to liberal to survive.
No growth, no jobs, no future. Just a “sustainable” commune where the economic engine is illegal aliens.
What Again,
Tucson seems liberal for Arizona but when compared to all of Connecticut Tucson is pretty conservative.
You should want more conservatives in the area and not scare us off. As time goes on more and more low tax states will get even more fiscally conservative because they will watch the liberal states go bankrupt and watch as crime rates and poverty only increases in those states as they spend and spend more.
I have done a lot of research and Tucson may be the best city in the country to live in. I do like several Texas cities but overall Tucson seems to fit my needs.
Soon the joke is going to be on Governor Ducey and followers.
All these cuts in income taxes will leave nothing for tax credits, deductions and gifting.
Come on down Dr_bbz. Well said on the liberal cities and crime. Chicago and Detroit have succumbed to it.
Maybe we could “import” some conservatives to help fix the problems here.
Another cut and paste “article” by comrade Safier.
Ducey is playing your for fools. The whole goal has been to “save” public education by selling public land to his friends to re-fund it to previous levels. You seem to want your “gibs” no matter the source, even if it is non-renewable public land – that should be for the people of Arizona and their children.
http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2016/01/21/prop-123-is-a-mirage-that-disappears-under-scrutiny-2/
Oh and for all your TRUMP IS A FASCIST RHETORIC, YOU are the one now moderating and censoring your own comment sections, just like the totalitarian communists you idolize.
How much does the president of the U of Az make again?
But it’s “all about the children” right? Not the money
http://ktar.com/story/660799/arizona-board-approves-salary-raises-for-state-university-presidents/
OP Veteran, same old name calling. “comrade Safier” “totalitarian communists you idolize” But wait, can it be I finally agree with something you said?
“Ducey is playing your for fools. The whole goal has been to “save” public education by selling public land to his friends to re-fund it to previous levels. You seem to want your “gibs” no matter the source, even if it is non-renewable public land – that should be for the people of Arizona and their children.”
The only thing Old Pueblo didn’t name was Ducey’s friends who he is beholden to for his election on their money. Who else has the resources and the use for our public lands but the Koch Brothers. Who else but the conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch who signaled recently that it is expanding its financial and organizational support for a coalition of anti-government activists and militants who are working to seize and sell America’s national forests, monuments, and other public lands.
Several Arizona legislators are playing that game, sell “non-renewable public land” go on a spending spree fixing special “friends” greed and forget about the future “for the people of Arizona and their children.” Old Pueblo Veteran you make more sense without the name calling. Is this “TRUMP IS A FASCIST” name calling necessary?
@Hakeson.
If it walks, talks and acts like a communist. It’s a communist.
Thank you for reading my comment and adding additional thoughts and facts.
Trump 2016
Yeah. You darn beatnik, hippie, commie, socialist, fascist. That about cover it Old? Seems funny FDR was called all of those. Reagan said Medicare was the end of health care in America. They said LBJs Civil Rights Act was the end of freedom. They said the end of the poll tax and literacy tests to vote would allow the insane to vote. It did. Thus the birth of the Tea Party.
They said if I liked my doctor I could keep my doctor. Their is a history of lies around many of them.
A Frances Perkins: “Yeah. You darn beatnik, hippie, commie, socialist, fascist. That about cover it Old? Seems funny FDR was called all of those. Reagan said Medicare was the end of health care in America. They said LBJs Civil Rights Act was the end of freedom. They said the end of the poll tax and literacy tests to vote would allow the insane to vote. It did. Thus the birth of the Tea Party.”
FDR’s wife was co-opted by the Communist Party, it’s so delicious that you used him as model.
Medicare expansion from military dependents in the 50’s was a mistake.
Socialist Marxism and Communism are back in full force after 50 years of subversion and indoctrination. The Tea Party was also co-opted, just like your Marxist ideals, it was also just good IN THEORY.
Even more delicious is your choice of LBJ: Lyndon Baines Johnson 1963… “These Negroes, they’re getting pretty uppity these days and that’s a problem for us since they’ve got something now they never had before, the political pull to back up their uppityness. Now we’ve got to do something about this, we’ve got to give them a little something, just enough to quiet them down, not enough to make a difference… I’ll have them niggers voting Democratic for the next two hundred years”.
Any more sophomoric jabs you want to throw Frances?