Arizona: Jack Harper

Arizona's budget deficit is now estimated at $3.4 billion.  During the worst budget crisis in state history, many of our Republican state legislators are attending an ALEC convention in Atlanta, Georgia listening to the likes of Zell Miller suggest that Rahm Emanuel put "Gorilla Glue" on President Obama's chair to prevent him from "gallivanting around" the globe.

The Arizona Education Network reports:

The list of our "representatives" who are reportedly bailed out of Arizona for a little Georgia hob-nobbing this week:  Representatives Cecil Ash, Ray Barnes, Nancy Barto, Sam Crump, John Kavanagh, Debbie Lesko, John McComish, Nancy McLain and Steve Yarbrough.

In addition to Senate President Robert Burns, Senators Pamela Gorman, Jack Harper, Barbara Leff, Al Melvin and Russell Pearce also on the list of ALEC conference attendees.

A tenuous budget deal between Gov. Jan Brewer and GOP legislative leaders took a step backward this morning, with the Senate Appropriations Committee rejecting a key portion of the plan.
The feed bill, Senate Bill 1470, failed in the committee on a 4-4 vote (a majority vote is necessary for passage). Republican Sens. Ron Gould, Jack Harper and Steve Pierce joined with Democratic Sen. Paula Aboud to oppose the measure, the first in a series of bills that make up the budget package for fiscal 2010.
Following the vote, Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, immediately recessed the committee. Moments later, the committee reconvened to ...

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Bob Burns, the Republican State Senate President, has announced that he is hesitant to put any proposal for a tax increase to fund public services to the ballot because he is worried that the voters might approve it.

From a Howard Fischer story in the EV Tribune -
The top Senate Republican is shying away from putting two measures on a special ballot this spring, at least in part because he fears voters will not decide the issues the way he wants.

Senate President Bob Burns, R-Peoria, said Monday he has a “gut feeling” that a proposal for a temporary tax hike would turn into a one-sided campaign, with his personal position against the increase on the losing side.

I’ve got a few small items that I neglected to address last week. Now, I can say “After the jump…” like all the classy blogs do.

In a move borrowed from Southern Republican Senators, Basha’s Supermarkets blamed the UFCW for layoffs last week. Bear in mind that Basha’s only unionized employees are in a handful of stores that they purchased from other chains. It can’t be the overall economy that’s the problem, it’s all that power that Big Labor has here in Arizona.

The Arizona Guardian reported last week that Jack Harper is going to start going after field offices for various state agencies. He thinks that money is being wasted on leases and furniture for offices in far flung areas of the state that he has doesn’t care to visit.