http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/RobertRobb/44787

“As Republicans in the Legislature flinch at some of the budget cuts under consideration, House Democrats came out with their own proposal to get through this fiscal year.

It’s a serious document.”

Arizona spends, what? $6,000 a year per student?

From today’s Republic:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/01/28/20090128jailfees0129.html

So, housing and caring for an inmate for the same time a kid would be in school (8 months, 20 days a month, let’s say) @ $71.66: $11465.60.

Per inmate, that’s almost double. DUI offenders, small time pot or club drug busts, prostitution, etc. How much money could we save if we didn’t have to spend time pretending we’re doing something about it by locking people up?

And I never said it was a be-all and end all. But look the city of Mesa to see the wonders of cutting taxes and reliance on the power of the free market to fund society.

I’m going to call you out on “we spend far more on incarceration than on education in this state.”

I have the 2008 budget as spending 750 million on the entire Department of Corrections. You could eleiminate the ENTIRE deprtment and you are still not halfway to eliminating the state budget deficit.

Education spending k-12 is 44% of the entire state budget, btw. it far dwarfs prison spending.

But you probably knew that.

As Atlas shrugs off the once Golden State, Arizona can attract their fleeing businesses with a sound tax policy and a sane budget.

Money does not equal good education. It usually indicates a bloated, indulgent administrative class.

Democrats are in the minority, have no solution and recognize raising taxes would be DOA.

The mainstream media, sympathetic to the Democrats, is obsessed with figuring out how to keep their doors open.

Arizonans have already made plenty of sacrifices whether by choice or necessity and realize any “pain” is and should be “equal opportunity” across the board.

Republican lawmakers and the Governor have no excuse NOT to act fiscally responsible and cut across the board.

Everyone should realize this is a matter of economic survival. Cutting the budget is the only option.

Well, what we’re doing now isn’t helping anything. We flush billions of dollars down a toilet to fight something that is equal to or less than a legal substance (alcohol). Ask any cop if they’d rather deal with a drunk or a stoner, and see the response we’ll get.

And Jon, I’m fine with the Republican strategy of “Let’s go after kids and teachers”. Should do wonders for us Democrats in 2010.

At a time when our idiot Sheriff thinks taking the light rail to save $72,000 a year is a good idea ($72,000 that he was flushing down the toilet because he was too obstinate to pick up the damn phone to realize he had free parking), I think it’s a capital idea.

And it’s not a straw man – we spend far more on incarceration than on education in this state, if we’re going to balance the budget, I don’t see why we’re so eager to not look at law enforcement.

“There are a large portion, however, where house arrest, and/or probation is a good solution.”

I’d be fine with that too. It would save a ton of money.

Enough with the daily education protests… let a thousand weeds bloom!

Save it. Your “solution” is two jingling pennies in a chasm of debt, and is a straw man as well. How many people do you know who are serving hardcore time for “personal amounts of marijuana?”

And yes, sometimes non-violent offenders NEED to go to jail. That is the point of jail to punish people who did wrong. There are a large portion, however, where house arrest, and/or probation is a good solution. Maybe you should have a talk with Pima County Prosecutor Barbara Lawall on that. I seem to remember the Republican Brad Roach running closer to your ideals.

But it’s makes everyone feel morally superior to lock people up, and it’s much easier to cut education because it seems a lot more nebulous and besides, it’s only our children’s future we’re talking about. Pfff.