Thursday, June 5th, 2008...10:19 am
Hey, At Least We Aren’t Paying Them a Per Diem…
The legislature is again off today because Republican leaders still haven’t come to an agreement on what budget they would like to present. For yet another Thursday, they are in closed door meetings to hammer out a plan that they will present to the rest of the members of their party, Democrats and the Governor. Well, all of them will be there except for Senate President Tim Bee, who will be hobknobbing in Washington for his congressional race.
I heard an actuality from Tom Boone on our local NPR affiliate yesterday. Boone characterized the budget disagreements as between Republicans, who want to cut spending and taxes, and Democrats and the Governor, who want to borrow money and put off cuts. His implication was that it was these partisan arguments that have delayed a budget deal. This is more distorted than an A minor played by Munky. The trouble with this assertion is that the discussions haven’t even included Democrats, and many members of the Republican caucus are in the dark about them too. How is the Republican leadership’s ability to get their act together the fault of the Democrats? Even Boone’s contention that Democrats aren’t willing to make cuts is contradicted by statements that Democratic members have made to the press. Of course, if you don’t include them in the discussions, you might not know that.
5 Comments
June 5th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Ehhh the more he does to distance himself from the mess he created in our state the better for him. Why on earth would Tim Bee, who was on watch during a calamity of financial mismanagement, want to be associated with it when he is running for Congress?
June 5th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Kral: uh, maybe because it’s HIS JOB!!!!
The guy is Senate Presdent. He took the salary. He accepts the plush office, and the SUV with an armed DPS officer acting as chauffer. He needs to do the job.
Tedksi is right. The Republicans who control the Legislature are not doing the job. They’re refusing to talk to Democrats, but they are listing to their sh’ite wing, led by Russell Pearce and Bob Burns, who want a slash-and-burn approach to the state budget. No school construction. Massive cuts to state services. Let abused kids wallow in abuse. Let the roads go uncleaned or unpaved.
It’s time to fumigate the House. It’s time to change the leadership down there by giving control to the Democrats.
June 5th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Tim Bee is practicing hard to be a good Republican Congressman: Use delay tactics, smoke, mirrors, and slight-of-hand to avoid dealing with important legislation, and prepare to blame the other party for not cooperating.
June 6th, 2008 at 6:32 am
Sam is right on the mark. It’s ironic that Bee touts his ability to work across the aisle and forge compromise as one of the reasons he should be in Congress. Indeed, he has a record of doing so in the past. However, now he has to contrast himself with Democrats and also placate the far right in his party.
Every word Bee has uttered as Senate President since he said he would take on Rep. Giffords has been dictated by the demands of his congressional campaign. The state has not been well served by this situation. Bee should step down if he can’t focus on the job he now has while also posturing and positioning himself for the other job he so desperately wants.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Don’t miss my point, SonoranSam…I agree with you 100%…what I am saying is that I can see his logic completely. People need to be reminded over and over in this campaign what he did to our state as leader of the Senate. What he is trying to do right now is to “stay away” let the radicals in his party keep fumbling the budget, and argue that he made the compromise with Janet to save the budget last year. We have to call him out on it over and over and over again…that he led the party that destroyed our state with lower and lower taxes while infrastructure crumbles.