Editor:
As the school year wound down and thousands of college seniors prepared their celebrations, Republican legislators in Arizona instigated a cruel prank. They proposed an $800 million cut to the 2027 Arizona budget. That cut included more than 5% reductions to the budgets of all three state universities.
This cut follows a similar cut last year and leaders at NAU, UA, and ASU began scrambling to adjust. House speaker Steve Montenegro promises the drastic budget cut will not compromise the core services Arizonans rely on. Words like these mean nothing in his mouth.
Arizona Republicans have been cutting university budgets every year for more than 20 years. They brag they are putting money into the pockets of Arizonans, but don’t mention where it is coming from. It’s coming from the pockets of our students and their families.
The people who will run our businesses, protect our streets, manage our money, care for our health and teach our children are paying for their job training with student loans, side jobs and their parents’ savings if they are lucky. It’s highly likely the doctor who cares for Steve Montenegro in his dotage will still be paying the student loans Montenegro loaded her with this year.
Imagine the manager of any business, who disdains the service he provides. He considers his customers stupid and he finds his employees lazy. That is how Republicans are managing Arizona. Let’s run Arizona like a business and find better managers.
Charlie Silver
