Republicans Ignored Alternatives to Inhumane Budget they Approved

Arizona State Sen. Paula Aboud felt it necessary to apologize for being unable to successfully argue an alternative to the budget passed last Thursday. The more humane alternative was a bi-partisan effort to keep needed services to the poor, disabled and children.

The governor's budget was not the only option for Arizona's citizens. A clandestine group of moderate Republicans and Democrats created an alternative budget proposal that resolved our deficit more humanely. But that budget, while it could have served as a negotiating piece, was ridiculed by the conservatives, discounted as nonsense and trashed.

Now many of these services are gone. Disadvantaged Children will be forced now to go to the ER (without the ability to pay) instead of seeing their regular doctor. 

What is nonsense is that the conservatives and the governor are dismantling funding to schools and social-service programs that are vital to our state. Cutting 45,000 children's health care wasn't enough; they eliminated the KidsCare program forever, costing the state $54 million in federal matching funds. Throwing 300,000 people off the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System will now send them and 45,000 children into the emergency rooms for their uncompensated health-care needs.

Hospitals will have no choice but to pass on those costs to you and me through skyrocketing insurance premiums. That's a hidden health-care tax forced upon us by this budget.

Gutting AHCCCS and KidsCare cuts the payment to hospitals, adding huge stressors to the one economic sector that is providing new jobs to Arizona's badly hurting economy.

Instead of bringing jobs to our State, the Republicans have decided to insure job losses. It's disgusting, their blatant disregard to the citizens of Arizona. Read the post and then join the fight to get these selfish people out of office in November. If we don't fix this, many of us will have no alternative but to leave.

State Sen. Paula Aboud is the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. 

She represents District 28 in Tucson.