What do Tucson Residents Think of Gov. Brewer's Budget Cuts? (Phoenix: lease, attorneys)

[rbohm]

the biggest problem in this state is the lack of jobs. what the government should be doing is enticing business to the state to increase the tax base, then tax increases would not be necessary. government spending also needs to be cut. you are not going to entice business to set up shop in arizona if you raise taxes and generally make the business environment bad for business. look at what is going on in california, new york and new jersy right now. raising taxes in those states have forced businesses to leave, and have forced the rich to leave and go to florida or nevada for a better business environment. when that happens jobs are lost, tax revenue goes down, and rather than try to bring those businesses back or improve the business environment, taxes get raised again, and teh whole cycle starts over. that madness has to stop.

as for education funding, right now there are a number of schools in the tucson area that have fewer than 1000 students for the entire school, a few have less than 500 students. the problem is that when tusd wanted to close down those schools and consolidate them, the parents complained bitterly, but when tusd wanted to raise money to fund the schools, the parents complained again, quite bitterly.

in the end according to state law the state must have a balanced budget every year. in order to so this the government needs to have enough money coming in to cover expenses, and they need to cut spending in down times, but they need to be fiscally responsible during the good times. we cant pay for everything for everybody there just isnt enough money in the state to do that. and while i believe that a safety net does need to be in place for those who are truly not able to pay for what they need, the fraud and waste in the system needs to be eliminated.

under napolitano there were many expensive social programs instituted that now cannot be paid for, and thus governor brewer gets blamed for trying to balance the budget the best way possible.

[AZM]

Originally Posted by biglex

The amazing thing about this Tucson site is how sensitive responders can be and how no one likes to be challenged. I am not blithely making insults nor uneducated comments ---- That is the definition of being narrow minded - the inability to see the forest through the trees. AND like i said in an earlier post .... you take things so personal. try to stay away from the personal attacks and characterizations of the individual poster and keep to the facts. your thoughts would be more credible if you did so

Someone needs a nape

[Marcy1210]

The thing I don't like is when people who have very limited knowledge of Tucson post as if they know this city, its' people and their ideology. I really wish people who proclaim to know Tucson would visit, live here if even for a week or so, and check out our TV stations and newspapers online to understand who we are and where we're coming from before they post thinking they know it all. Ignorance is not bliss.

[plantlove]

Hmmm, you bring up an interesting topic, Marcy1210... are people really different... or similar, for that matter - as a result of/despite where they may come from geographically?

[rbohm]

Originally Posted by plantlove

Hmmm, you bring up an interesting topic, Marcy1210... are people really different... or similar, for that matter - as a result of/despite where they may come from geographically?

actually yes in regards to their attitudes on life. for instance here in tucson up until the mid 80's we had a small town attitude in a fairly large city. we treated people like we wanted to be treated. if you go to small towns around the country, ones that i am quite familiar with like jackson, wy, luray, va, shenandoah, va, elkton, va among others, you will find a similar attitude to what tucson was like. when you go to the big cities with the big city attitude, you dont get the feeling that people look out for each other.

this is pretty much cultural, small towns tend to be farming communities, where as large cities tend to be industrial and financial centers. farmers tend to band together where as financiers tend to compete for everything.

[szupergipsy]

When you move to a Republican State you should know that Education, Arts, and Social programs are getting cut first and the deepest.

[rbohm]

Originally Posted by szupergipsy

When you move to a Republican State you should know that Education, Arts, and Social programs are getting cut first and the deepest.

and when you move to a democrat state you get high taxes and bloated government. witness california, new york, and michigan.

[plantlove]

Originally Posted by rbohm

and when you move to a democrat state you get high taxes and bloated government. witness california, new york, and michigan.

After living in CA a few times, and other "dem" states like WA, HI, VT - I can say that I don't mind the taxes... you get a lot in return: Good roads, free or low-cost healthcare, lots of parks and recreation, rest areas, great libraries, generally clean cities. I would much rather pay more in taxes, to get a better quality of life. It makes me feel that humanity is valued, which creates a sense of community and brother/sisterhood.

But I understand that not everybody feels that way, and some value independence above all of that. For me, I just feel more independent and free when the regulatory structures are more secure and socially-centered.

Really most states are in a downturn, republican, democrat, or otherwise - with huge deficits and debt. Does anyone know of any that are not in the red? I'd like to see America actually making stuff again, instead of importing most things from foreign countries... being producers and not just consumers will help improve the economy, social services, and life in general whether it's in AZ or elsewhere.

[rbohm]

Originally Posted by plantlove

After living in CA a few times, and other "dem" states like WA, HI, VT - I can say that I don't mind the taxes... you get a lot in return: Good roads, free or low-cost healthcare, lots of parks and recreation, rest areas, great libraries, generally clean cities. I would much rather pay more in taxes, to get a better quality of life. It makes me feel that humanity is valued, which creates a sense of community and brother/sisterhood.

But I understand that not everybody feels that way, and some value independence above all of that. For me, I just feel more independent and free when the regulatory structures are more secure and socially-centered.

Really most states are in a downturn, republican, democrat, or otherwise - with huge deficits and debt. Does anyone know of any that are not in the red? I'd like to see America actually making stuff again, instead of importing most things from foreign countries... being producers and not just consumers will help improve the economy, social services, and life in general whether it's in AZ or elsewhere.

you do make some good points, and there is a happy medium. but right now people, and businesses, are leaving the high tax states for those with a better business environment.

[actinic]

One of the best threads I've read about Tucson and AZ in general for some time with exception to the few who get overly sensitive.

It's nice to see greater acceptance that arguably better weather doesn't blindly trump other realities when it comes to quality of living.