Arizona Considers Selling Capitol Buildings

Things are so bad in Arizona that legislators are considering selling the House and Senate buildings where they've met and worked for more than 50 years. Dozens of other state properties may also be sold. The plan is to sell the properties and then lease them back over several years before assuming ownership again. "We've mortgaged the legislative halls," said an exasperated state Rep. Steve Yarbrough, a Chandler Republican. "That just tells you how extraordinary the times are. To me, it's something we're going to have to do no matter how much we find it undesirable." I bet they could get a great price on the Grand Canyon.

Comments

Legalize and tax it!

[Ozlanthos]

Does it seem odd to anyone else that these people would consider selling off parts of the state government infrastructure BEFORE they would consider legalizing and taxing marijuana? Notice they don't bother to mention what happens if someone buys the debt from the holding company? What if the state brings in lower than expected tax funds for the year? If it works the way normal mortgages go, they get forclosed and kicked out!!! What then??? Arizona's state government has to find a room mate at a flat in the section-8 housing? Putting people in jail, feeding and clothing them, possibly re-training them, re-educating them, costs a LOT OF MONEY every year. Maintaining a virtually military-grade aresenal, and performing break-in exercises cost a LOT OF MONEY. Add to that cost the little contract kick-backs and icing and such and you are talking about a whole LOT OF MONEY!!! When you think about it, that money could most likely have been spent in many more productive ways than busting stoners. Add to the savings of not investigating, arresting, processing, trying, convicting and imprisoning people, the untold millions that could be made in Income tax, excise tax, leisure tax and sales tax, and we could probably afford to go back to a free public university system within 4 years. And best of all, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO CONSIDER SELLING OF "STATE" ASSETS TO DO IT!

-Oz .

Seems like they aren't collecting enough fines

[GoldMace]

As much as I hate tickets, I think they and all these other states with budget problems need to tell their cops to step it up a notch and give a lot more speeding tickets and such...

I know an ex-cop who claims there's no such thing as quotas...in these tough times, there need to be, and they need to be way, way up there...

Re:Dude, the bill doubled in a decade.

[cayenne8]

"Gov't spending is up 8% annually. Where the hell is the money going? "

A great deal of it is going to funding and subsidizing illegal aliens.