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LAURA KNAPEREK
State of the State Address: Same Old Tune; Different Name and Verse
Last year in the governor's first State of the
State Address, she called for a kinder, more unified Arizona while
advocating for no cuts in any education budget -- and more
spending. It was an exciting time for Democrats as Janet Napolitano
was the first elected Democrat governor since Bruce Babbit in the
early 1980s. Conservatives, however, were not quite over the shock of
losing the highest ranking seat in the state to a political carpet
bagger of another party by less votes than the population of Show
Low. They were polite and even anxious to begin the session knowing
that the billion dollar deficit would halt any new spending even if
her promise to save cuts from education were made good.
This year, however, the governor's State of the
State Address was met with what appeared to be outright disdain.
Wrestling with the gov proved an unhealthy exercise when going up against
her ego and ruthlessness. I am sure that the Republican leadership
would much rather visit a practologist than go another round with the
Arizona Republic and their gal. \
If legislators were not licking their wounds, then they were bored to tears. Why, even her own party seemed half asleep. Declaring that her vision for our state will bring about a "New Arizona" must have made Republicans shiver and Democrats nod. After all, "new" in legislative speak means more programs, more spending and bigger government. Democrats have been singing that song for years. So what new vision did she bring to the table?
None. She was more like a bride on her wedding
day wearing something old, something borrowed and something blew. In
fact, it was so predictable that anyone who knows a tittle about the
liberal left could have written it for her.
There was no creativity and little reality given to the problems that face our great state. Instead of tackling the structural budget deficit problem head on, Gov. Napolitano punted as she did last year by calling for no cuts in education (the largest part of the budget), and asking for increases in Healthy Families and state employees pay ... something old. If that wasn't bad enough, she called for, "every child to enter school safe and healthy." This translates to new and expanded government programs that Hillary Clinton called for in the early 1990s ... something borrowed. The most disappointing portion of the speech was the K-12 plan that Napolitano calls "school readiness," another borrowed phrase. It goes like this: new government child care standards, increases in child care worker training and pay, child care subsidies, full-day state-paid kindergarten, free books to first graders, retraining of middle school teachers, and subsidies for accreditation of master teachers ... something blew, as in she blew it. Families be aware. According to the governor, you are not to be trusted with your own children. Boy, am I glad my kids are grown. Today, there are well over 400 charter schools that are doing it differently and in most cases better. Vouchers will not only give parents, kids and teachers more choices, they do not cost more money. Let the private sector come up with solutions. Instead of treating the problem, Doctor Napolitano treats the symptoms. Private sector solutions usually work and do not break the bank or the spirit. It is time for a new song with new words. The broken record of government solutions to every perceived problem from cradle to grave must be broken. Let us hope our conservative friends can carry a tune.
Laura Knaperek, of Tempe, is a former
member of the Arizona House of Representatives. Home |News |State Briefs |Editorials|Letters |Key Legislation |Privacy Policy |Contact Us
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