Thursday, March 5, 2009

Brewer and Building a Better Arizona

Governor Brewer rolled out her 5 part plan yesterday for fixing Arizona Budget crisis. The plan is being called "Building a Better Arizona."

If you think it sounds familiar, its because it is, Mesa Mayor Scott Smith's plan is called "Building a Better Mesa," a phrase that is starting to become common in the Mesa lexicon. If its working for Mesa, why not try it for the whole state?

Similar to Smith's approach, it appears that Brewer's plan is a mixture of cutting, reform, and finding new revenue. Taxes are going to be heart of the issue, but as we have mentioned before, following Mesa's lead in economic recovery would be a good thing for Arizona, even the entire United States.

When times are tight for a family, you have to cut your budget. That's true. But the part that some people forget is that when times are really tough, you may have to go out and find another part-time job. Growing up, I can remember families who had trouble making ends meet taking paper routes or wrangling shopping carts after hours. I knew a single mom who worked graveyard at Taco Bell for a second job to help pay the bills.

It might be time for Arizona to consider taking another part-time job for awhile. Its a sacrifice for sure, but how long can we cut before we start to hurt our state's potential?

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