http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-901082.mp3
Phoenix, AZ – Quite simply, it comes down to money. Reports show supporters of
Proposition 100 already have collected more than $1.6 million for
their campaign. Contributors include businesses, unions and
education groups, with the largest donation coming from the
University of Arizona Foundation which kicked in a quarter
million dollars. John Brown, the organization's spokesman, said
the decision to give was logical.
(If Prop 100 fails, the U of A would be forced to cut about
another $42 million in funding. So, to invest $250,000 with the
hopes of saving a $42 million cut is a pretty good return on
investment.)
And foes? They have pretty much next to nothing. Only a handful
of groups have lined up against hiking the state's 5.6 percent
sales tax by a penny for three years. One of these is the
National Federation of Independent Business. Farrell Quinlan is
the group's executive director.
(The folks that are against Prop 100 don't have the kind of
disposable cash that the teacher's union and the big business
supporters of Prop 100 have.)
Quinlan said his members lost business in the recession and
believe the answer for the state is to cut spending rather than
tax them more. For Arizona Public Radio this is Howard Fischer