A study in contrasts

Last night the Phoenix City Council took a first big step in solving a $241 million budget shortfall by joining virtually every other Arizona city in taxing food for home consumption. That will raise about $60 million through the end of FY2010-2011. To close the rest of the gap, the Council is expected to approve about $100 million in one-time savings and another $80 million in service cuts when they approve a final budget next month.

This marks the third straight year that the Council has dealt with declining revenues efficiently and expeditiously, making tough choices while protecting public safety services. In contrast, the State Legislature STILL hasn't passed a balanced budget for 2009-2010, and once again appears to be mired in partisan gridlock, with no leadership being exhibited by the Governor or legislators of either party.

Why does Phoenix work so well, even in tough times, while the State is so dysfunctional?