AFP: Millions of dollars for sex workshops... What kind of stimulus is this?

The more Americans learn about the pork-barrel deficit spending bill passed by the majority in the US House of Representatives, the less they like it. By this point, you have probably heard that the bill would give $335 million to the CDC to fund such things as sex workshops. And you’ve probably heard that the bill would give $4.19 billion to the left-wing political activist group ACORN.

The rest of the $819 billion package may not be as sensational, but it’s just as bad. Any short-term stimulus that comes from this federal spending spree will soon result in higher taxes, price inflation, slower economic growth, and worse long-term fiscal distress.

Please go to www.nostimulus.com and encourage Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain to do everything they can to stop the onward march of spendthrift insanity in Washington.

And since you’ve been drawn in by the word “sex” in the subject line, I want to report some good news from the Arizona Legislature. Your legislators are putting in long hours in a Special Session to balance the FY 2009 budget, which was a billion out of balance when Captain Napolitano and her allies passed it back in June, and which is now at least $1.6 billion in the red.

Congratulations are in order for the majority on Rep. John Kavanagh’s House Appropriations Committee, which voted earlier this evening to zero out the Arizona 21^st Century Fund, a corporate-welfare slush fund that costs Arizona taxpayers $25 million a year. At a time when the Legislature must reduce spending for K-12 education, there is no excuse for corporate handouts.

The vote was an amendment to the main budget bill, which seeks to reduce state general fund spending by over $500 million. Rep. Rick Murphy (R-Peoria) moved the amendment. (You may remember Rick—he was the chairman of the Arizona Federation of Taxpayers in 2004, before he was elected to the Legislature.)

Originally, the House was planning to cut only $7.5 million from the 21^st Century Fund, but some conservative stalwarts engaged in some behind-the-scenes wrangling to get the fund zeroed out. Among those deserving some special thanks from taxpayers:

Rep. Frank Antenori (R-Green Valley, SE Tucson)

Rep. Judy Burges (R-Surprise/Sun City)

Rep. Sam Crump (R-Anthem)

Rep. Doris Goodale (R-Mohave County)

Rep. David Gowan (R-Green Valley, SE Tucson)

Rep. Laurin Hendrix (R-Gilbert)

Rep. Nancy McLain (R-Mohave County)

Rep. Steve Montenegro (R-Goodyear/Avondale)

Rep. Frank Pratt (R-Pinal County)

Rep. Carl Seel (R-Anthem)

Rep. David Stevens (R-Cochise County)

Rep. Jerry Weiers (R-Goodyear/Avondale)

The Legislature may pass a revised FY 2009 budget tomorrow. Let’s hope they do it soon. The longer they wait, the more money is spent by agencies and departments.

More updates available at http://www.americansforprosperity.org/arizona/blog.

Tom Jenney
Arizona Director
Americans for Prosperity
(Arizona Federation of Taxpayers)
www.aztaxpayers.org
tjenney@afphq.org
(602) 478-0146