Arizona proves exception in analysis of spending

The Arizona Republic ^ | March 6, 2003 | Pat Flannery

[AzJohn]

State governments spent themselves into financial crises by routinely building budgets that outstripped inflation and population growth during the 1990s, a Cato Institute report suggests.

Had states limited new spending to a "benchmark" percentage equal to their combined inflation and population growth rates and returned any excess revenue to taxpayers, the conservative think tank said most would not be in as dire straits now.

[AzJohn]

An interesting finding in this report. Here is the Cato Institute report on which the article was based.

[AZLiberty]

But the reason the Republic is publishing this is to convince Arizonans that we aren't paying enough taxes.

[AzJohn]

But the reason the Republic is publishing this is to convince Arizonans that we aren't paying enough taxes.

That might be the motive of the Republic's editors. What caught my eye was that the figures were put together by a libertarian-oriented think tank, so I doubt that they are minimizing the amount of government spending we have.

[Diddley]

It's because they have not had a conservative governor for a long time.

Although we have had Republican governors (RINOs?).