Friday, April 10th, 2009...10:56 am
If We Call It Something Else, It Ain’t As Bad
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Anyone remember Republican reaction to Janet Napolitano’s budgets? In those, she borrowed money against future revenue. This led to all sorts of allegations from the dexter side of the legislature. According to them, her budgets were irresponsible and full of gimmicks.
So, Tlatoani Kirk Adams and Marszałek Senatu Bob Burns suggested at a meeting of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council a budget free of gimmicks and borrowing. They suggested securitization. This may look and sound like a euphamism for borrowing against future revenue, but I am sure that it isn’t because they’d never do anything that they called out Napolitano for.
NB- I have uploaded the Power Point of their GPEC presentation.
3 Comments
April 12th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Janet’s budgets WERE gimmicky and also often contained Faustian bargains with the GOP on tax cuts and school vouchers. She triangulated between the GOP and her party’s caucus and many Democrats in the Legislature and the public called her on that, but in vain. One argument for her position was that she did the best she could in a divided government to preserve her own priorities. The other argument is that she could have gambled more of her own political capital, especially after her landslide re-election, and TRULY taken on the GOP in this state.
I wish she had done the latter, but doing so would have carried too much risk for a cautious and ambitious leader like Janet. She did a great job of serving as a bulwark against the excesses of the GOP, but she will be remembered mostly for what she stood against, not what she was for. Moreover, it is hard for me to consider the current budgetary debacle in this state and not see her face. I remain angry that she left before her job was done to take another job that could have been done by dozens of other qualified people.
The GOP in this state is hypocritical, ignorant and dismissive of true needs when it comes to the budget. No one should be surprised by that. However, as Democrats, can we not be a little more honest about what Janet contributed to the current mess? Not only can she be criticized for leaving the foxes in charge of the henhouse, but she never asked when she was here that the tough calls be made when it came to taxes. The recommendations of the revenue commission she appointed at the beginning of her term were ignored by her because she knew that implementing them would put her own political future at risk. Couple that choice with the tax cuts and other deals she made and we have to acknowledge that she preferred to govern in a way that avoided tough battles where she might be damaged.
April 12th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Well said, Rex!
April 13th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
The gimmicky nature of Gov. Napolitano’s budgets were prudent, done with compromise and she handled the necessary evil of engaging the two or three Republicans in the Legislature who were open to some bi-patisanship. That is the definition of tremendous leadership.
I really I find it tough to criticize the 1 budget she fixed (2003) and the 6 that she wrote…..the doom sayers yelled and screamed and cried about how the State was bankrupt. It only became an issue after the draconian budget session back in January, after OUR Governor left.
The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, called her up and said: “I need you” and you want her to say No? Your disappointment in the Governor is understandle but misplaced. Her budget was never the problem. Let us concentrate on going back Burns and Adams and trying to make a deal to save some jobs.