Republicans in the Arizona state Senate pissed away their time and your tax dollars last week when they passed a resolution backing Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in his budget battle with labor unions and his efforts to put restrictions on collective bargaining for public employees.
Say what you will about what's going on in Wisconsin, we've got our own problems here in Arizona -- all of which were briefly ignored as Senate GOPers wasted time by officially lending the governor of another state a symbolic pat on the back.
"What a way to treat the state's students! These teachers are desperate to hold on to their gold-plated benefit plans, even if it means their students are the victims. Those in the private sector have dealt with pay cuts, benefit reductions, and in many cases, job loss. Now when Wisconsin union workers are asked to step up and give a modest concession, you see their reaction," brown-bashing, neo-Nazi-hugging Senate President Russell Pearce says in a statement.
Meanwhile, here in Arizona, there's a projected 2012 budget deficit of $1.15 billion.
The resolution passed in the Senate, with senators voting along party lines to jam it through the Republican-dominated body.
It should also be noted that Arizona Democrats recently organized a protest in support of Wisconsin's labor unions -- but at least they did it on their own time.
The bill now heads to the House, where elected officials will waste even more time discussing the problems of a state they don't represent and know nothing about.
