The State of the State

UPDATE Jan. 12: Joe Mullins dug down deep and found the anger and scorn the 2010 Arizona State of the State address really commands. Do yourself a favor and read his piece. /UPDATE

I’ve been somewhat impressed with the way Governor Brewer has been handling Arizona’s fiscal crisis. Not impressed as in thinking she’s doing a great job, but impressed as in she’s been holding back the worst excesses of the kookocracy. So I was hoping against hope for some sanity from her State of the State address.

Alas, it was not to be.

According to Brewer, Arizona’s problems mostly stem from: Too much healthcare for the poor, the federal government, and immigrants. Not as one might think from massive overbuilding fueled by a corrupt banking system which when the bubble burst left the state gasping for revenue.

It’s the poor, the Mexicans, and the feds that are dragging us down. Dang them.

So how is Arizona going to dig itself out of the $5 billion hole? We will “un-shackle our job creators.” Committees will do this. Somehow.

To give Brewer credit, she does bring up education as an important factor in Arizona’s future. And how do we provide a solid education for Arizona’s children? School choice and loosening teacher standards!

This idea that instead of bringing all schools up to par, we should reward the children whose parents are engaged in the process and punish the children who are born into dysfunctional families is sickening.

Guess they should have picked better parents.

As an extra flourish, Brewer brings out the wingnut trope that “No government ever created a dollar of wealth or a dime of capital.” And then disagrees with herself when she says, “Every one of Arizona’s military bases is critical to our national defense—and to our state and local economies.”

I suppose the military is not government-run.

To be fair, Brewer does hint at supporting tax hikes to help cover the budget deficit. Or at least I think that’s what she meant: “Over the long run I support a responsible pro-growth tax reform package that includes tax cuts. However—we must ensure a revenue base that supports vital functions through this downturn.”

Now I’m depressed.

The full text of the address can be found here (PDF).