Issues

1. Education
2. Economy & Jobs
3. Environment

Education

I am committed to fully funding Arizona’s schools and universities.

Arizona’s recent cuts to education have devastated the teaching profession and put students at a disadvantage in the global economy. Arizona spends less per student than any other state in the nation. Arizona teachers try hard to educate their students and prepare them to get good jobs, but state legislators have made that almost impossible.

Schools have been forced to lay off teachers, increase class sizes, and skip facility upkeep. If the legislature continues down this path, the people of Arizona will suffer grave economic consequences for many years to come.

Economy & Jobs

1. Lobby the federal government for an additional stimulus package
2. Give businesses incentives to hire local workers and to invest in the clean energy sector. Arizona is well-positioned to lead in the fast-growing clean energy economy. I believe that Arizona can do for clean energy what Silicon Valley did for high-tech: attract the best talent and become a cluster for major employers in this emerging industry.
3. Adjust the property and income tax rates to 1990 levels. Children’s Action Alliance published a report (Digging the Hole Deeper) that shows how tax cuts over the past 20 years have resulted in a structural budget deficit that approaches $3 billion. We must increase state revenue if we are going to provide the services that the people of Arizona expect in public safety, health care, and education.
   The first thing I would do is stop laying off teachers and health care workers and stop sending police and firefighters home on furlough days. If we follow my plan for energizing the economy and putting Arizona’s 10% unemployed back to work, Arizona will benefit from the multiplier effect. Newly employed workers will spend their paychecks on products and services, and businesses will need to hire more workers to keep up with increased demand for their goods and services. Putting people back to work will also increase our State tax revenue base and help close the budget deficit.

Environment

In its haste to plug the budget deficit with temporary solutions, the legislature swept (stole) $71 million from our State Park System. One of the key attractions for tourism and businesses to move to Arizona is our pristine environment. Bad policies are chipping away at our natural resources and wildlife habitats. If I’m elected to the legislature I will fight against efforts to steal money earmarked for environmental preservation and I’ll stand up against wasteful water practices.