Mr.Wonderful Talks AZ Politics

MW Talks Results AZ Nov.2000 Ballot Props
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Easy Find Proposition Table

Prop.200 | Prop.202 | Prop.203 | Prop.204

Prop.300 | Prop.301 | Prop.302

Summary: How To Vote !

Proposition 100:

NO
Failed

"Growing Smarter"

This proposition claims to conserve 3% of State Lands held in trust for education. What it actually accomplishes is to allow greedy and unscrupulous developers an opportunity for huge land grab of prime, priceless and scenic parcels held in the State Trust.

Vote: NO

Proposition 101:

YES
Passed

"Re-word AZ Constitution for Handicapped"

This proposition, due to some ambiguous and undefined wording, could actually enable our legislators, rather than the Arizona Constitution, to define who could become a member of the State's civilian volunteer militia.

Vote: NO

Proposition 102:

NO
Failed

"State Wildlife Management"

This proposition would require that the state manage wildlife (not including the streets of Tempe) in the public interest and require that, basically, any initiatives that would permit, prohibit or limit the murdering of innocent animals would have to pass by an unheard of 2/3rds of those voting on that proposition.

Vote: YES

Proposition 103:

YES
Passed

"Corporation Commission Membership & Terms"

Proponents of this proposition believe that by increasing the number of members on the Arizona Corporation Commission that things would be better. Their proposal to change the term of service from six to four years would, because of the 'incumbancy factor', actually result in commission members serving one eight year term.

Vote: NO

Proposition 104:

YES
Passed

"Residential Property Tax Relief for those 65 & Over"

I am opposed to tax relief for any segment of the population. Why should those aged 65 or greater receive relief? Because they're 'old' and no longer depend on a forty or fifty hour work week to pay their bills? Why not cut property taxes to all residential taxpayers, why not make property taxes equitable for all residents of this state?

Vote: NO

Proposition 105:

YES
Passed

"Eliminate Grave Tax"

Why should the business of cemeteries escape taxation? Do you honestly believe that these morbid bastards would lower the price to our survivors on a $5,600 coffin that cost them $1,800 if they were exempt from paying property taxes? I am against any business receiving special tax exemptions and burying our dead is a business.

Vote: NO

Proposition 106:

YES
Passed

"Create Citizens' Independent Redistricting Commission"

It's so appropriate that this proposition was assigned the number ending in six. Because the proposition sets aside $6 million to create this worthless bag of dung commission. What adult actually believes that a 5-member 'citizen commission' would or could map legislative or congressional districts any fairer than legislators? Aren't the members of our legislature elected from the citizens of this state?

Cost = $3,000,000
Source = General Fund Vote: NO

Proposition 108: NO
Failed "Phone Deregulation"

Let's see, a proposition that removes the oversight and rate setting powers of the Arizona Corporation Commission where there are two or more telecommunication providers to chose from. Good or Bad? Very bad! Look at how we're squirming at being squeezed by the gasoline industry, that has what, six suppliers? No, as much as I distrust government I distrust 'The Phone Companies' even more. To those of us old enough to remember when there was only that bitch 'Ma Bell' to obtain phone service from, we have witnessed how tyrannical and ill behaved a monopolistic enterprise becomes.

Vote: NO

Proposition 200:

YES
Passed

"Tobacco Settlement Money to Provide Health Care, etc."

This proposition would create a law demanding that the $3.2 billion Arizona could receive from the Tobacco Settlement by 2025 be spent on health care, hospice care, and behavioral health care among other feel good tripe. What the proposition does, for a period covering twenty five years, is take out of the hands of our legislators how best to spend this money. Why enrich health insurance companies and psychiatrists with money that could be used in the general budget? That money will probably be needed to fund the Alt-Fuel fiasco!

Cost = $228,000,000 to $244,000,000
Source = $92 to $109 million Tobacco Litigation
Source = $108 million Arizona Tobacco Taxes
Source = $28 million General Revenues
Vote: NO

Proposition 202: NO
Failed "Land Growth Management Plan for Arizona"

Oh gawd, oh gawd, oh gawd! This twenty plus pages of constitutional rewrites is an abomination that only the lawyers of Goldberg and Osborn could love. This proposition would mandate that any municipality larger than Happy Jack, Arizona set growth management boundaries for the next ten years. Any exception to these boundaries would require a 4/5th's vote by the legislature to override and if the exception involved more than twenty acres (about the size of a corner shopping complex) it would have to be submitted to a vote of the people. Under 11-1608 Enforcement we read: "Any person ... may file a civil action in Superior Court alleging violation ... seeking appropriate relief." And look at this provision under Section 9-461.13 Section G) "The legislature shall not require the ... zoning body of a municipality to obtain the consent of the landowner prior to rezoning land." I'll have to join with Jeff Flake, Sam Steiger, McCain, Stump, Hayworth, Shadegg, Kyl, Kolbe, Salmon, Hull, Caroline Warner, and the Mayors of Queen Creek, Peoria and Mesa on this one.

Vote: NO

Proposition 203:

YES
Passed

"English Language Education in Public Schools"

It's time we stop educating the thousands of children of illiterate parents (who are here illegally) in the language of their homeland. These illiterate undocumented-alien parents cannot teach their own children Spanish because they do not speak codified (written) Spanish themselves. The least we can insist on is that these children, who are, unfortunately, legal citizens, become fluent in English so as they attain their majority they can vote into office the same class of Norte Americano criminals their parents escaped from. While this prop is a little vague, I'm for it.

Cost = Saves $20,300,000 ! Vote: YES

Proposition 204: YES
Passed "Funds 'Healthy Arizona' Initiative Passed in 1996"

Once again we have another proposal to mandate exactly how and where the Tobacco Settlement funds Arizona is scheduled to receive be expended. You know this proposition is a slimy snafu when Grant Woods and Mr. Wonderful agree it is a very bad idea. As Grant said, "Think about this. What if both Proposition 200 and 204 pass?"

Cost = $17,000,000
Source = General Fund Vote: NO

Proposition 300: NO
Failed "State Legislators' Salaries"

Increase our state legislators' salary by 20% to $30,000 for a work year of around 100 Monday through Thursday days. You know a proposed salary of $37.50 per hour plus a possible per diem of $60 a day, well that ain't bad! I say, lets keep them at their current $30 per hour rate and $60 per diem.

Vote: NO

Proposition 301:

YES
Passed

"Education Funding Via .6% Sales Tax Increase"

Money will not solve our education problems. My two brothers and I grew up and were educated in Phoenix. One of my brothers has two BA's and the other has one BA and I'm just a plain old dolt. (I can't tell you how distressed I become when I drive by the new Creighton Grade School and see the marquee is worded in Spanish!) The money has to get to the right places. There is more than enough money in the public school system. Just visit a private school and see what they do without, like a football field or a fleet of busses.

Cost = $1,400,000,000 over 20 years
Source = .6% increase in State 'Sales & Use' Taxes Vote: NO

Proposition 302: As of 11/15/00: PASSED
"Tourism & Sports Authority"

I found it very strange that this proposition, projected to consume hundreds of millions of dollars over a period of thirty years, through surcharges on car rentals, taxes on hotels, "in addition to other existing taxes", somehow did not find its way into the comprehensive "Ballot Propositions & Judicial Performance Review" pamphlet. I am forced to rely on the skimpy "Sample Ballot" that you and I received. Lately you've heard and seen ads proclaiming this proposition to be "for the children." Let's confront that claim with facts!
How are the monies collected over 30 years projected to be spent?

31% to subsidize Pro Baseball Players who earn a minimum of $232,000 per year.
29% for "Tourism" (so we can rape 'em with taxes as high as twenty five percent!)
27% to subsidize Pro Football Players who earn a minimum of $155,000 per year.
8% for Capital and Stadium Expenses
5% for Amateur and Youth facilities
Should the construction of either the new baseball or football stadiums have overruns where do you imagine the money would come to fund these overruns? Could you imagine they might be taken from the "Amateur and Youth facilities" budget? Nah, never!

Cost = $1,800,000,000 over 30 years
Source = Surcharge on car rentals
Source = New local tax on hotels and existing taxes

Vote: NO

Summary: " H o w t o V o t e "
Vote: YES	Propositions 102 and 203
Vote: NO	On All Other Propositions