Although this is a local issue here in Arizona, I think people nationally need to know about what a great job our Governor is doing... Cough (bulls***) cough. Being that she has been mentioned one a few short lists for VP.

Two years ago the state of Arizona had a 1 billion dollar surplus. Actual money on hand, not a surplus like the bogus one President Clinton claimed at the end of his term that was on paper and based on no changes ever happening regarding his future plans, which was stupid for anyone to ever consider that the economy was going to stay exactly as it was, along with spending, natural and national disaster and a war. But people bought his story anyway, while here in Arizona we had no story, we had a billion dollars.

At the time I wrote that this money should be returned to tax payers with a percentage being held for a reserve just in case we needed it later. Well some was held in reserve, but not a dime was returned to the tax payers except a fraction as in 110 of it. But with 140 state agencies covering just 6 million people, introduced more social spending than any governor in the history of this fine state. Why on earth do we need so many different programs, many of which overlap each other and actually cause inter-agency friction and inter-agency waste?

Las Angeles and some surrounding areas has 1 school district for 710,000 students as of 2005. Phoenix has at least 15 that I counted here. http://www.ade.az.gov/schools/schools/districts.asp That's just Phoenix, not counting any of the cities in the greater Phoenix area, which when they get thrown into the loop, you got dozens more. I certainly am not suggesting that we do what LA did and pour them all into one, but give me a break, this is a funding issue and having 15 or more administrators, who knows how many duplications of job duties we have down the line, all doing their own thing smacks of wasteful spending.

We do not need to have the overhead that we have in a state so small, population wise, that we have today. But her majesty and others downtown are going to have to look at the big picture for once, not just their next election hopes for real answers. The time has come for very serious talks at the highest levels of state government, much like the talks called for by GOP state leaders some 3 months ago when the crisis really first cam to light. At that time Janet was reluctant to commit to any ideas, although since that time she as asked for 10-20% reduction proposals from her various agency heads. Nice reaction time, JANET.

But here's the best part, this just sits right where Janet Napalitano wants it to sit,"States can best protect their economies -- as well as their most vulnerable residents -- by targeting tax increases to the upper end of theincome scale and avoiding cuts to programs that low-income people rely on,"said Lav. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-18-2007/0004724966&EDATE=

You watch as this is her fix to it all. Although most states are still in line of under their percentages from 2001 budgets, Arizona isn't. We have spent to high heaven on every little pet project she wanted from pre-school to all day day care.

fiscal responsibility does not have to come from the upper income earners, it needs to come from government, it needs to come from leadership. It needs to come from Janet Napalitano.