Economy & Jobs

Arizona needs bold leadership to legislate policies that stimulate new, healthier and more sustainable industry that will provide new jobs with a living wage and opportunity for advancement. Kent believes that business would be made more competitive by implementing a single payer health care plan in Arizona. Arizonans need a legislature that uses the budgetary process to benefit the average citizen, not special interests whose main concerns are profits, stockholders and personal agendas. We need a legislature that understands budgetary and economic principles and that isn’t afraid to make hard decisions during both good times and bad. 

And lastly, we need a legislature that doesn’t meddle in the local affairs of our counties, cities and towns.

Here’s one example of how the Legislature could advance these goals. Arizona has been called the Saudi Arabia of solar power in that we are blessed with this wonderful, clean, and untapped source of energy just waiting to be used to supply our energy and ease the global warming crisis. Putting together our abundant free resource with our State's first class technology business and University System, Arizona could soon be a national leader in this vital area. Extending tax credits and infusing more state money into research and development at our universities would result in more “homegrown” energy, decreased cost, a cleaner environment and thousands of new good paying jobs for Arizonans. Energy produced locally, used locally would result in jobs that can never be exported to third world countries -- building a strong steady economic future for us and our children. Arizona should a have a sunny future!

Overdependence on continued growth, tourism and military installations makes our economy vulnerable during these hard times. This is not to say that I am against tourism and growth. But the need for a new modern economic infrastructure that can withstand fluctuating economies and exist symbiotically with our precious resources of air, water and land is both an economic and moral imperative.

We must put an end to our irresponsible state budgeting practices. This became painfully evident this year when the Republican-led legislature couldn’t put together a balanced budget and the Democrats, led by one of my opponents Phil Lopes, devised a method of balancing the budget through economic skullduggery and regressive taxation. Arizona State law requires that the budget be balanced and this forces a certain amount of fiscal responsibility. The state budgeting process is the opposite of the Federal Government that routinely passes budgets heavily laden with wasteful spending deficits that add to our national debt; a debt that has now reached over nine trillion dollars This is money wasted that belongs to our children and grand children.

The current legislature passed a state budget that was balanced by deferring payments that should have already been paid, thus increasing our interest liabilities. They also passed the buck to other government agencies, i.e. universities, schools, counties, cities and local police departments to take up the slack with money that they don’t have. Another foolish budgeting choice was to increase spending to advertise the Lottery so that they can sell more tickets to the poor and working class who are struggling to survive. Trying to solve our economic problems this way would be funny if it wasn’t so SAD! We should not be selling more lottery tickets to the have-nots so we don’t have to tax the haves.

Under the right circumstances requiring a balanced State budget can make it possible for the State government to promote three key values that benefit the people of Arizona: living within our means and not shifting debt to future generations, helping to balance the normal ups and downs that accompany a market based economy, and providing consistent much needed programs and services even during times of economic downturn.

When the process works right our tax dollars are spent wisely and the future economy is not threatened by huge unsustainable debt. During times of economic downturn State government spending can help prop up a slowing economy and during those inevitable downturns citizens can rely on consistent government programs and services which are particularly needed during those slower times. This fulfills one of the major reasons for government, the protection of it citizens.

Arizona State Legislature can do this, and still have balanced budgets, by a number of actions:

• In good years, capital projects can be funded out of pocket, bonds can sometimes be paid off early and large amounts can be added to a Rainy Day fund. This fund can be wisely invested to provide a reasonable amount of additional income for the State.
• In down years selling bonds can fund capital projects if projects are well planned and coordinated over a period of years. Certain less essential projects can be put on hold and the State government can dip into a robust “Rainy Day Fund” for pressing needs.

Unfortunately, our State Legislators have a history of not spending wisely and have done a poor job of planning future programs and projects. They have not adequately funded the so-called Rainy Day Fund. During economic downturns such as we’re experiencing now, they have cut State spending for essential services just when they are most needed by citizens and could slow the economic decline. In recent years when the State had large surpluses the Legislature took the extra money and gave it away in the form of special tax breaks, often to the most well off individuals and corporations, thus squandering a great opportunity to build up the Rainy Day Fund. From the perspective of fiscal year 2009, these actions of just several years ago look quite foolish today!

The voters of the state of Arizona need to elect members of the next State Legislature who will have the courage make a commitment to:

• Always cutting wasteful and unimportant spending
• Give priority in the next State Budget to essential programs for education, human resources, and health.
• Do a better job of planning and budgeting from year to year.
• Resist the temptation, fueled by special interests and political demagoguery, to cut taxes as soon as the state finances move back into surplus.
• When this economic downturn reverses, begin to build a more robust Rainy Day Fund. This fund should be the equivalent of 1/3 to 1/2 of the State Budget.

The State legislature should stop meddling in the local affairs of our Cities and Counties. A great example of this happened a year or so ago when the Legislature extended the taxing authority of the Rio Nuevo project in Tucson. The citizens of Tucson as a local decision had originally voted for the project. The project and its taxing authority were due to expire when the Legislature extended the project for another 12 years. Most feel this project has been extremely wasteful and non-productive and it is likely that it would never have been re-authorized by the voters of Tucson. But Tucson voters never got that opportunity!

This action should be repealed and the voters of Tucson given the opportunity to make their own decision. As a resident of Tucson I would encourage city planners to do more small locally oriented projects along the lines we described in the Mayor's race last year and not the big mega projects that force Tucson to compete with bigger more dominate cities like Phoenix and San Diego. We really can’t compete successfully with the big boy cities. The goal should be sustainable small-scale local development and not the enormous projects that are generally corporate welfare for developers and corporations.

We need to build new businesses and industry that provide jobs with a livable wage rather than the customary tourism jobs with low wages. And it would be great to see something get built in our lifetimes!!!