AZ Reps. pitch funding striking teachers by legalizing pot

Arizona Democrat Mark Cardenas (LD 19) and his House of Representatives Republican buddy Todd Glatfelter (LD 10) have joined in a novel bipartisan effort to fund teachers who are demanding a 20 percent pay increase. The teacher’s scheduled strike takes place this Thursday, leaving the students they claim to care about stranded and missing crucial class time.

Sending a terrific message to the impressionable school children, State Reps. Cardenas and Glatfelter are renewing their previous efforts to legalize pot in Arizona. This time the pretext is to help pay for teacher raises.

Read their bill, HCR 2037, titled “marijuana, regulation and taxation,” that includes a provision for 40 percent of the net revenues be directed to a public education grant program that would be administrated by a task force appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, which would solicit, receive, review and evaluate applications and award grants.

No kidding!

The Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting projects 20 percent teacher raises will cost state taxpayers about $650 million.

In 2016, Arizona voters rejected Prop 205, which would have legalized recreational use of the drug. This was SRAZ’s exposé regarding the facts behind the deceptive legislation.

Keep in mind teachers are represented by far-left unions. The $ millions teachers pay in dues fund liberal politicians and their causes.

Teachers unions have steadily amped up their political involvement: From 2004 to 2016, their donations grew from $4.3 million to more than $32 million — an all-time high. Even more than most labor unions, they have little use for Republicans, giving Democrats at least 94 percent of the funds they contributed to candidates and parties since as far back as 1990 when Center for Responsive Politics initially began collecting data.

Passage of ballot propositions — 301 in 2000 increasing the state sales tax and 123 in 2016 a grab from the state land trust — guaranteed more money for education, which apparently is never enough. Teachers protest and school districts hold budget overrides and bond elections to “get more money into the classroom” —- eduspeak for bolstering teacher’s salaries. A major premise of passing the Arizona Lottery in 1980 was that money from ticket purchases would make its way to schools.

State Reps. Mark Cardenas and Todd Glatfelter are shameless lightweights who both need to be primaried in their respective districts. Not only do their constituents deserve better, but so do the rest of us who would have to function under their deceptive legislation. Arizona’s students have become the undeserving pawns in their reckless escapade.

Read 10 Facts You May Not Know About Education in Arizona. It’s news you need and aren’t getting. Armed with the facts, it’s time for informed parents to march. The only roadblock is they have jobs where their presence is required. And unlike teachers, they don’t have the luxury of frequent half days, lengthy holiday vacations or the entire summer off.