State Capitol News

Phoenix, AZ – It was less than a month ago the former Republican governor said
he was interested in getting his old job back. He said incumbent
Jan Brewer, was making -- quote -- very poor decisions. But on
Thursday Symington endorsed John Munger. He said that had nothing
to do with a poll last month that showed he would be beaten
handily in a head-to-head race with presumed Democratic nominee
Terry Goddard, citing instead a more recent survey which showed
him just 7 points back.

Phoenix, AZ – The state's Medicaid program, known as the Arizona Health Care
Cost Containment System, already provides free care to anyone
below the federal poverty level. That computes out to about
$18,300 a year for a family of three. One out of every six
residents already is enrolled. But Brewer said about 200,000
Arizonans who are eligible have not signed up. The governor said
the reason is that they are young and, for the moment, healthy.

Phoenix, AZ – A new study by the Arizona Farm Bureau Federation finds that, on
average, the cost of food is 20 percent less now than it was a
year ago. The organization's Peggy Jo Goodfellow said that
historically prices have gone up when the cost of raw commodities
and fuel go up.

(So naturally when things start coming down we're seeing a
decrease in fuel pricing. Commodity prices have gone down. We all
know that right now in the grocery store we can buy eggs, milk
and cheese for a lot less than we were paying one year go.)

Phoenix, AZ – The governor said the latest official prediction of $1.5 billion
in red ink is no surprise. She said that's why she directed state
agencies last month to detail what they would eliminate if their
budgets got slashed by 15 percent. But Brewer said that, unlike
prior spending reductions, the next cuts are unlikey to be across
the board.

(It will be horizontal cuts. It will not be vertical cuts any
longer. There will be probably a lot of programs that will have
to be done away with.)

Phoenix, AZ – David Jones of the Arizona Contractors Association said the
problem with the current system is that when a governor quits,
dies or is forced out of office, the job goes to the secretary of
state. But that person is elected independent of the governor and
may not share the same philosophy.

Phoenix, AZ – John Munger said he believes he can do a better job in managing
the state than the incumbent, who also happens to be a
Republican.

(Jan Brewer's done the very best she can. I think it's now time
for someone who wants to run for governor, who brings real
leadership to this state. This campaign is not about Jan Brewer.
It's about the opportunity to bring real leadership and a real
specific plan to bring Arizona out of this recession.)

Phoenix, AZ – The president issued an executive order this week following a
conference in Washington on the issue of distracted driving. The
president said he wants to -- quote -- demonstrate federal
leadership in improving safety on our roads and highways.
Gubernatorial press aide Paul Senseman said Brewer and Alberto
Gutier, head of her office of highway safety, are looking at the
issue.