Even Senator Russell Pearce thinks that the voters should be able to vote on a sales tax. Of course, he is going to campaign heavily against it, but that is beside the point.
If the legislators are so confident that the public is with them on a tax increase, why not let it go and watch the fireworks? Why not wait for it to fail and say “I told you so!” while they cut Arizona’s budget back to the stone age? If they are so confident in their convictions that they are representing the true will of the people, why not put their money where their mouth is?
Is it because they think the voters might actually want to vote for it? Polling seems to indicate that there might, in fact, be support for a tax. It also says that people blame the legislature for this mess. What’s the connection? People don’t see the legislature as representing their needs. Does this guy look like he is working for you?
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
These guys have one real job (to make a budget) and they can’t get it done without dragging it out to the last day and pulling an all nighter. Even then, they failed in their task because like it or not, the Governor wields the veto stamp (is it really a stamp? If so, cool!) The fact that they refuse to give a voice to the people and let them vote only further shows that they really don’t represent the people.
As they watch the fireworks this weekend, gladhanding their constituents and making overtures about freedom and whatnot, I hope they look into the faces of the people and realize that they should be able to have a voice.
FIX ARIZONA NOW! 
July 16, 2009 at 11:15 am |
Why not let the voters decide…? Because the legislators who vote for that measure will be going against their “No Tax Pledge.” AEN has a great article listing the people who signed it, and also how it conflicts with the AZ Constitution.
http://www.arizonaeducationnetwork.com/2009/07/public-education-the-az-constitution-the-no-tax-pledge/
July 16, 2009 at 11:46 am |
Then they aren’t doing their job. No one should sign a statement that stands in the way of their ability to govern. By painting themselves into a corner, they don’t have any other way to fix this problem.
July 16, 2009 at 1:01 pm |
I agree wholeheartedly. I also think that we should vote the people who sign these types of pledges out of office. No one wants to pay higher taxes, but what they’ve done is circumvent themselves from fulfilling their constitutional duties. Bah! Vote them out!