Goldwater Institute

One of the most important of all governing decisions is how much of a polity's resources to absorb through government taxation and spending. This paper compares Gov. Janet Napolitano's first term to that of previous Arizona governors going back to Bruce Babbitt, the last Democrat to be elected governor in Arizona prior to Napolitano, on one subcomponent of that decision state general fund spending.

An official from India, explaining his country's long embrace of socialism but more recent move toward free-market capitalism, provided a rather frank explanation for the change of heart: The fact is that one of the lessons you learn from history is that history sometimes teaches you the wrong lessons.

Since 2000, the Arizona state budget has grown 94 percent. Over the same time, the state's population has increased just 24 percent. At the current annual growth rate of 9.9 percent, Arizona state government will be spending an estimated $50.5 billion dollars a year by 2014. This study examines the causes of Arizona's budget growth and the potential impact on the state economy.

Two major reform strategies dominate the education reform debate in Arizona: first, the expansion of public school early childhood education, and second, the expansion of parental choice in education. Preschool enthusiasts say that preschool results in higher student achievement. In her second State of the State address, Arizona governor Janet Napolitano asserted:

The State of Arizona is lobbying itself. Whether it is for all-day kindergarten, expansive redevelopment powers, or a host of other issues, government entities are exploring and acting on their lobbying options. The consequence: Government interests become pitted against taxpayers’ interests. From 2000 to 2005, three counties—Maricopa, Pima, and Mohave—spent more than $3 million to lobby. During the same period, the Department of Transportation, State Parks, and the Governor’s Office spent more than $1.8 million to lobby. Likewise, the cities of Tucson, Mesa, and Phoenix exhausted more than $2 million of taxpayer funds for lobbying purposes.