"The constitution gives every American the inalienable right to make a damn fool of himself." - John Ciardi

Reflections from a car guy:
Our Kia Sorento has more acceleration than the Dodge Charger I had as a rental. And the Charger was a V-8. I figure that has to do with the power to weight ratio. The Charger had cup holders in a much better location but the rest of the ergonomics were disappointing. I couldn’t find a combination of seat/steering wheel positions where the top of the steering wheel didn’t cover up the upper half of the speedometer, unless I was in an unnatural and uncomfortable posture. Pressing the lock button on the Charger’s remote triggered that annoying horn beep. The Kia’s button only honks the horn if you press it twice. The Charger’s radio stays on after you turn off the ignition until you open the door. I like that feature. Bottom line: I like the Kia a lot more. Granted, it doesn’t draw the chicks but let’s face it, driving a hot car would just give me too much of an advantage. Wouldn’t be fair.

I’m a Republican and I voted for higher taxes.
OK, I’m not a registered Republican but I identify with the priorities and (most of the) values of that party. But I had no problem filling in the “yes” portion of the ballot I got in the mail yesterday for AZ Prop 100. It raises the state sales tax one cent on a dollar (I think that’s 1% but I’m really bad a math) for the next three years. All of that money goes for a very narrow range of state expenses, including schools, health care and public safety. Realistically, though, that allocation doesn’t make a lot of difference because at the bottom line it frees up that amount of funds for other state expenses.

Over our 38+ years of marriage we’ve occasionally needed extra funds for a special purchase, an unexpected expense or a loss of normal income. One year, while teaching at the college, I wanted a new cello to replace the irreparably split one I’d been playing. So I got a summer job in the produce department of a local store that lasted into September. It was miserable work but it helped pay for the cello. After leaving the college and before taking the position at Celebration Bible Church I mowed lawns and did carpentry to help pay our bills. Nothing heroic in any of that; it’s what normal, responsible people do. Which is why government so rarely takes that approach.

In a time of greatly reduced revenues govt. should reduce expenses. And if the situation remains critical it’s appropriate to increase income. At least that seems fairly obvious to me. So when AZ developed a deficit relative to its tax income - the second worst gap of all 50 states - it became time to take drastic action. Yes, the shortfall is due in part to excessive spending without adequate long term planning. But that’s done now. We’ll fix some of that with the next election cycle. In the meantime, if we believe what the Tea Party folk shout so loudly, that it’s our govt., then fixing this problem is our problem. “Not in my backyard” is a selfish attitude that easily translates into “not out of my paycheck.” We are in this together and we can & should bear the burden of this problem together.

Raising the sales tax by 1% for three years is not going to solve Arizona’s budget crisis. We need a seriously pared down budget with some good programs removed. (“The good is the enemy of the best.” - Adm. Rickover) We all need to accept the consequences of that action, too. But voting No on the sales tax increase seems selfish and shortsighted. I don’t like it, but I didn’t like chucking cantaloupes and stacking apples, either. You do what you gotta do.