For Arizonans

Last night I had a good discussion about nurturing the rising generation while visiting teaching. Considering the amount of time I spend every week teaching families how to nurture their own children, I could not narrowly focus on my responsibility to only nurture my child(ren).

A mother and father teaching, living, and modeling the gospel is a family's best defense against the ills of the world. But I can not ignore the sad realities of children all around me in my community. Or be ignorant to the fact that what they are being taught, or not being taught, will effect my family. I don't follow a belief system that encourages you to only protect your own. I feel a sense of responsibility to all of the rising generation- not just to those who call me Mom.

Have you seen this video?

"Investing" as the video calls it can have many faces- parenting, teaching, babysitting, volunteering, etc. But we (Arizonans) have an opportunity staring us in the face to continue to serve the littlest among us. We will decide if we want to repeal our 2006 decision to use a tax on tobacco to fund early childhood programs. Lawmakers seek to attain this money to help remedy the state's budget shortfall.

I admit most of my political convictions are emotion based BUT a lot of thought on this proposition has taught me that this isn't (just) an emotional issue. This is about a government's ability to bully voters, and repeal decisions that they make. In 2006 voters, thru their vote, said, "Early childhood is important to us." And now our legislator is asking us to put the funds that we set aside for early childhood into the black hole that is the state budget. (Mark, not being one for emotion based politics, also has thoughts on if the money isn't going to be used for the original intent- then it should be returned to those who spent it... in this case the smoking tax payers. But my simple mindedness has not quite wrapped my head around what he means. Mark's got A LOT of opinions on taxes -which are constitutional, which are not, what they should or shouldn't be used for, etc, etc, etc,- most of which I dont understand.)

Because of my passion for serving children and families it is also about a government's willingness to sacrifice the future generation. Since Feb 2009 2.1 billion dollars have been cut from the state budget, 1.6 billion of that has been to health, human services, and education.

Now I've spoken my peace for the day.

For more information on Proposition 302 go here: http://www.no302.com/