Comments on: Stupid Ideas and the Money Behind Them

By: Frank Coz

Frank Coz — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:30:55 +0000

Donna,

This is an obvious point, I know, but you and I just approach political issues differently.

You contend that the state’s failure to collect more revenue has us on the road to third world status.

I would contend that our state’s inability to restrict spending to a reasonable level has us on the road to ruin. The Legislature’s inability to cut voter-approved spending even in the case of emergency makes our budget woes even worse.

However, if the state needs and wants more tax revenue, they can refer a tax measure to the ballot.

Ex-AZ,

Leg. council provides the analyses for measures appearing on the ballot; I’m not sure what else I could give you. If the courts want to interpret the act once passed, they could look at legislative intent, in which case, again, it would only apply to statewide initiatives.

By: Bridget

Bridget — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:57:02 +0000

The legislators in this fine state have made it difficult to remove the voters–even dead ones–from the voter lists, most likely with this latest proposal in mind. In the past few years legislation has passed that requires all sorts of hoops to be jumped through now. Ask any county recorder and they will tell you what used to be an easy task of keeping voter rolls up-to-date is now an administrative nightmare that costs the state lots of money.

My number one reason for disliking Republicans is that they never fight fair.

By: Ex-AZ

Ex-AZ — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:12:58 +0000

Frank,

Again, having read the text of the initiative, it would apply to initiatives that obligate spending for a “PRIVATE PERSON, LABOR ORGANIZATION, OTHER PRIVATE LEGAL ENTITY OR THIS STATE.” That means it would apply, essentially, to every possible initiative, including raising the minimum wage, requiring employer sanctions for immigration violations, requiring insurance companies to cover birth control if they also cover viagra. However one feels about these things, it is simply UNFAIR to allow dead voters who are still on the voter roles or people too lazy to go to the polls to have as much say on these issues as someone who does their research and takes the time to go vote.

And you cite “Leg Council”? Really? Do you know who hires the people that work at Leg Council? The majority of the legislature, that’s who. Yes, the majority, which hates the initiative process. You might want to find a different source to cite.

The initiative does not say “a statewide initiative measure,” it says “an initiative measure.” Period.

By: Donna

Donna — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:07:19 +0000

Then the bar should be higher than it currently is to cut them, Frank. It takes a simple majority in the Lege to take revenue away from the state and a 2/3 majority to put it back. That’s pretty lopsided as it is and now we’re going to have a situation where the citizens will be effectively enjoined from using the initiative process to get things we badly need in the state. Do conservatives ever think these things through, or is having Arizona hurtling to 3rd world status at an even more accelerated speed what they want?

By: SonoranSam

SonoranSam — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:45:47 +0000

Actually, Bridget, here’s the NEXT chapter in Republican voter fraud, via the “Michigan Messenger (>
>The chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County Michigan, a key
>swing county in a key swing state, is planning to use a list of
>foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election
>as part of the state GOP’s effort to challenge some voters on Election Day.
>
>”We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people
>aren’t voting from those addresses,” party chairman James Carabelli
>told Michigan Messenger in a telephone interview earlier this week. He
>said the local party wanted to make sure that proper electoral
>procedures were followed.
>