Welfare Queen Alert: AZ Senate plans to funnel money through the state’s DMV to support Tea Party

[gatorboy]

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_25375b64-12a1-5105-a6d8-ff4e37317fe9.html


PHOENIX - The budget is not balanced. The governor wants to eliminate health care for 250,000 people. Nearly one out of 10 Arizonans who want jobs can't find one. And there are plans to slash funding for higher education.

But that didn't keep the state Senate from taking the time Thursday to debate and approve a resolution supporting the Republican governor of Wisconsin in his fight with labor unions.

Senators also voted to create yet another special license plate. But unlike some others aimed at raising money for causes like spaying pets, service to veterans and organ donation, the proceeds from this license plate would benefit tea party
groups around the state.

<snip>

What's behind the plates is money: Of every $25 additional annual fee paid to the state, $17 goes to the benefiting organization for its own programs. In this case, a committee of five people, all of whom would have links to tea parties, would divide up the proceeds.

But Senate President Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, denied anything about it is political.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. Is the "Tea Party"

really a political party?

[gatorboy]

2. More like a slush fund.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

3. I don't see how this is/could be legal?

They're certainly not a non-profit charitable organization that's for damned sure. :eyes:

[Lex1775]

4. The last thing we need in AZ...

Is another "specialty" plate. We've already got eleventy-bazillion of them as it is.

(And if it's any consolation, even the local right wing talk radio stations were making fun of all this today)

[happyslug]

5. Az only has 50 different plates. PA has 259

List of Arizona Plates (and this includes REGULAR license plates, one for cars, one for Motorcycles):
http://www.azdot.gov/mvd/vehicle/mvdplate.asp

List of the 259 Special plates you can get in Pennsylvania (and this is in ADDITION to Regular license plates):
http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/license_plates/plate-special_org.shtml

And Pennsylvania has four "Special Fund plates" in addition to the above 259 AND regular plates:
http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/license_plates/special_fund.shtml

Thus Pennsylvania has at least 265 plates (259 Specialty plates, four Special Fund plates, in addition to regular plates and Motorcycle plates) to compare to Arizona's 50.