Gov. Jan Brewer's fellow Republicans are hammering away at her this week.
Yesterday, Paradise Valley Mayor Vernon Parker filed the paperwork for a political committee to oppose a sales-tax hike. (Kudos to Howie for noting the Clean Elections wrinkle that Parker's committee raises.)
Parker's move here strikes us as a bit of a stunt, since Brewer hasn't even been able to persuade lawmakers to put the question of a temporary sales-tax hike on the ballot. But it does nicely illustrate the political dynamics that will emerge if voters are asked to approve such an increase at the ballot in November. Every candidate will have to be for it or against it and it will cast a heavy shadow over many of the races.
It's little wonder that Brewer wanted a special election well before November 2010. Of course, it would help to have some revenue to pay the bills, too.
Today, Attorney John Munger blasted Brewer because she didn't speak out against the payday-loan sharks who have now hired some of her best friends to come up with a plan to keep the industry alive in Arizona.
Munger's statement:
Last year, Arizona voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot initiative that would have allowed the so-called payday loan industry to continue operating in our state after 2010 — and for good reason. These mostly out-of-state companies prey on our most vulnerable citizens with tempting offers of fast cash barbed with crippling triple-digit interest rates.Apparently, these legalized loan sharks didn’t get the message. This is not a partisan issue. It’s a moral issue. I call on the Governor to show real leadership and reject this underhanded attempt to subvert the will of the people from last election and to stand up against government-condoned loan sharking in Arizona.
BTW: Should it worry us that Munger's team misspelled "Tucson" in the press release?
PAID FOR BY MUNGER FOR GOVERNOR
333 N. Wilmot Road, Suite 340
Tuscon, AZ 85711
