Lame duck flapping her wings

In the wake of granting of "meet and confer" powers to labor authorities, the new incoming GOP leadership has asked Governor Napolitano not to issue any more executive orders. Two Mesa Legislators have had a lot to say about Napolitano's efforts.

Newly Elected Speaker Kirk Adams said, "It would be unprecedented for an outgoing governor to issue last-minute executive orders that tie the hands of the incoming administration. Unless it involves a state emergency, the governor should not be creating new policies that will not be her responsibility to oversee."

Newly Elected Senator Russell Pearce said in another article, "This is simply outrageous, and it’s a payback for the unions, and that’s very clear that’s what it is. If she was serious about this and thought that was a good idea…why wouldn’t she have done this six years ago? She does it while she’s got a bus ticket out of town?"

Its hard not to see this as payback to the unions for all of their years of support. Unlike most, I am neither shocked nor appalled by the notion that - gasp - a politician is loyal to those who are loyal to him or her. However, I do have concerns over Napolitano's decision and I think that the unions should have concerns as well.

First, my concerns. I don't think that putting salary negotiations and unionizing the state workforce is in the best interest of the taxpayers right now. Napolitano has already done her part to create this giant deficit and now she is leaving us with another gift while her bags are packed and she has one foot out the door. I have noticed a lot lately that people hold to the fact that she is a "popular" governor and she was elected twice. However, I would question that if people asked right now what they thought of her, her popularity would be down significantly. From the Janet Cams to the mounting debt, I think her supporters are covering their ears to the bad news to they can remember her fondly.

Secondly, the concerns I see for the unions. Obviously, its not going to be popular for a new Governor to come in and strip off something that another Governor did, but it is certainly doable. If it were something that had been done years ago, I would assume that it would have a better chance of surviving. Which brings up Pearce's point - why didn't Napolitano do this earlier? This endorsement of meet and confer by Napolitano is tepid, at best, which should not be a great comfort to the unions, especially after I assume they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting her for the past 6 years.