[Source: Mary Jo Pitzl, Arizona Republic] – Arizona’s budget deficits were like a house on fire, lawmakers say, and they responded in kind, dousing the fiscal flames without time to weigh the possible impact.
The aftermath of cuts stretching over four budget years is a smaller state government that affects Arizonans from all walks of life – there are higher university-tuition bills, fewer social services and larger classroom sizes.
But those consequences weren’t most important to lawmakers, according to interviews with nearly a dozen Republican legislators involved in budget talks. Instead, legislators focused on cutting spending to match dwindling state tax collections [to read full article click here].