arizona roadmap to opportunity and freedom

ARIZONA ROADMAP TO
OPPORTUNITY AND FREEDOM
PROMOTING ECONOMIC GROWTH AND
OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL
From the desk of
The Issue:
Dear Fellow Arizonan:
Arizona’s economy has only recovered a little more
than half of the jobs it’s lost since the Great Recession.
It’s the question I get asked the most. “As governor, what will your agenda be?”
Here it is. This “Roadmap to Opportunity and Freedom” is designed to give voters a
clear explanation of what the state’s priorities are; how a Ducey administration would
approach these key issues; and what you could expect in my term as governor.
At Cold Stone Creamery I learned how to set priorities and get results. Running a
government is different than growing a business, but many of the same principles apply.
Our next governor needs to:
• Promote policies – such as lowering taxes and spending less – that spur private
sector job creation and restore economic growth to our state.
• Improve education. It’s a moral imperative. Every day that our kids spend
in under-performing schools is limiting their future. This isn’t about money
– it’s about quality choices and accountability, and I address those in detail
in this booklet.
• Help Arizona chart its own path by getting out from under the thumb
of the federal government. From Obamacare to the IRS to all the new
regulations on small businesses, the level of control that’s coming from
the Obama administration is unprecedented, and we need to push back
on it at every opportunity.
• Safeguard the lives and liberties of our citizens. We must defend against
infringements on the constitutional right to keep and bear arms; fully enforce
the rights of crime victims; and make the protection of Arizona children from
criminal abuse and neglect the first priority of our laws.
• Promote a just and compassionate society. We need to encourage across our
state a culture of life in which the most vulnerable and needy are not viewed
as a problem, but as a priority.
All these issues and more are addressed in the following pages. Please take time to read
this, and visit the campaign website at www.dougducey.com
And if this is the path you’d like Arizona to follow, I hope I can count on your vote
in the Republican primary on August 26!
Sincerely,
/dougducey
@dougducey
/ducey2014
POLICY SOLUTIONS:
Reform the tax code. Arizona’s tax code needs to be simpler and taxes need to be lower. There are too many rates, too many exceptions, and over the years there’s been too much tinkering with the tax code. The tax climate is a primary consideration when companies choose where to locate. We will have an environment that creates more jobs – both from local businesses that grow and new businesses that come here – if we reform the tax code. I will submit legislation to reduce taxes every year, with the goal of pushing income tax rates as close to zero as possible.
Recruit from California and Illinois. The 8th-largest economy in the world is
right next door in California, and it’s busy taxing and regulating employers and small businesses to death. Illinois is so bad that we’re practically already Chicago’s favorite suburb! Given my background growing Cold Stone Creamery, I can help persuade employers they should be expanding and creating jobs here instead of enduring the headaches of high-tax states such as these.
Stop lawsuit abuses. I will send to our legislature a civil-justice reform bill
designed to end frivolous litigation, harassment, and excessive fee collection by trial lawyers.
Change laws that are anti-Arizona. For example, the requirements we impose on banks that do business with the state favor “Too-Big-To-Fail” banks, none of which are located here in Arizona. We have many fine local banks that would be capable of managing large state accounts. Let’s give them the chance to compete and grow in Arizona!
Eliminate unnecessary regulation. Ask small businesspeople what makes their lives difficult, and – after taxes – they inevitably say it’s the cost and uncertainty of complying with so many regulations. Regulatory compliance almost always requires hiring a lawyer or some other specialist, and it costs money and takes time. We need a government-wide review of regulations, including strengthening and better publicizing the regulatory review mechanism that quantifies the costs of new rules on Arizona employers. By executive action I will eliminate bureaucratic regulations that are unreasonable and unfair to business owners and employees.
GOVERNMENT WASTE
AND SPENDING
PROMOTING CHOICE AND EXCELLENCE
FOR ARIZONA SCHOOLCHILDREN
The Issue:
The Issue:
We’re spending way too much. Our state’s general
fund budget is marching past $9 billion, and that’s
bigger than Arizona needs or can afford for what
we’re getting in return.
POLICY SOLUTIONS:
Agency audits. Our state government needs a top-down review. There are over 80 separate agency budgets that all report directly to the governor. We need a task force that conducts internal reviews, researches other states’ best practices, and then delivers a report on proposed cuts and efficiencies. This would include a review of state assets, including vehicles, aircraft, and repair shops. Real savings can be achieved and passed on to taxpayers.
Reduce duplication and overlap. It’s not intentional – state employees don’t look for ways to waste money. But here’s one example: Arizona has at least five agencies that issue debt without any coordination between them. They each hire their own bond counsel and financial advisor instead of consolidating that function in one place. Past efforts to streamline this have gone nowhere because no agency wants to give up control. There are many examples like this where costs can be cut and taxpayers will benefit.
Look for technology-driven savings. Some parts of Arizona’s state government are modernized – for instance, our safety net programs that distribute tax dollars – but far too many offices and programs are stuck in the 20th century. Over the long haul, technology can save substantial
amounts of money for the state.
Private sector solutions. Wherever possible, government services should be outsourced to give local Arizona businesses the chance to provide the service
more efficiently. Government can pay for things, but it shouldn’t attempt to do everything when the private sector can do it cheaper and better.
Restore spending discipline. We must hold state spending increases below the rates of inflation and population growth except in real emergencies. I will sign into law – without new taxes – a balanced budget every year that I serve as governor, and veto any bill that violates either of these commitments.
Shrink government. By the end of the next governor’s first term 27 percent of the state’s workforce will be eligible to retire. We can reduce the size and cost of government through technology and disciplined justification of any new hires. A small savings today yields large savings tomorrow.
Too many Arizona schoolchildren are graduating
without skills they need. For their sake and ours,
Arizona’s schools need to do better.
POLICY SOLUTIONS:
More choices for parents. Parents need to make the choices that are best for their children, and should have the option to get their kids out of failing schools with consistently-poor track records. Arizona leads the nation in charter school excellence and they can be a great alternative. Unfortunately, many of them also have daunting waiting lists. As governor, I will submit legislation to eliminate waiting lists for excelling schools, while advancing broad and bipartisan reforms to apply the best practices of high-performing charter and district schools.
Money needs to be spent in the classroom. Each year since 2004, school districts have decreased the percentage of their resources they allocate to our
classrooms. With almost 250 school districts and over 40 percent of the employment in district schools not being a teacher or a teacher’s aide, the amount of money being spent on ‘overhead’ is much too high. Money should go where it will do the most good – rewarding superior teachers, and to providing
materials, supplies, and technology that will enhance learning for all students.
More accountability at all levels. Principals need to be allowed to run their schools and teachers need to be able to control their classrooms. Give them the authority they need and the results will be astounding. And if they
don’t measure up, then someone else should take their place. Schools should be graded and parents should be informed about the quality of the schools their children are attending. It’s basic accountability, and it works.
Higher standards and higher expectations. Arizona has many great teachers and some of the highest-performing schools in the country. We need to take their successes and replicate them across the state. We also need to include more rigorous civics education standards. Arizona kids should graduate knowing the basics regarding American history and what it means to be a U.S. citizen. State control, not federal. I will resist overreach from the federal government, including Common Core, and protect our schools from federal intrusion into the state and local responsibility of public education.
It’s not about the money. Between federal, state, and local money, Arizona spends more than $9 billion educating more than one million children. That’s around $8,700 per child. We need to make real reforms and get better results from the money we already spend, rather than simply throwing money into a system that’s under-performing.
BORDER SECURITY
AND IMMIGRATION
DEFENDING LIBERTY
AND SECURITY
The Issue:
The Issue:
The federal government doesn’t get it. Arizonans
live with the consequences of a porous border
every day. It has to stop.
POLICY SOLUTIONS:
Arizona must protect the liberty and safety
of its citizens.
POLICY SOLUTIONS:
Child Protective Services. We need to commit ourselves to being the safest state in the country for children. We need to help and protect those who
can’t protect themselves, and as governor I will ensure we have the tools and the resources to do the job right.
It all starts with securing the border. Any progress on illegal immigration starts with controlling our border and stopping the flow of illegal immigrants here. It is government’s most basic responsibility, and yet it’s one the federal government has completely botched.
I will protect Arizona’s citizens. I will use every authority granted to the governor to hold the federal government accountable for its consistent failure to meet this urgent law-enforcement obligation. I will also commit significant new state resources to the prevention and prosecution of violent crimes by persons here illegally. Leadership is all about setting priorities, and ensuring
our safety is at the top of the list.
Defend the most fundamental right of any person – the right to life. We need to encourage across our state a culture of life in which the most
vulnerable and needy are not viewed as a problem, but as a priority.
Emphasis on mental health. Arizona has solid protections for gun owners, hunters, and sportsmen. And yet whenever a violent act occurs, the knee-jerk reaction is to call for more controls on guns.
Our immigration system is badly broken. The federal government must begin to do its job and get its priorities straight. Legal and thoughtful immigration is good for our country and part of what makes us different and exceptional. We are a nation of immigrants and we need this fixed.
The tragedies that have recently occurred – Tucson, Aurora, Newtown – would not have been averted with stricter gun laws. The common thread
in these tragedies is that many warning signs were overlooked or ignored. Ensuring better cooperation between mental health agencies and law enforcement is the right approach.
Protecting our fundamental freedoms and keeping our communities and
children safe. I will defend the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. I will also fully protect the rights of crime victims, make the protection of Arizona children from criminal abuse and neglect the first priority of our laws, and work with the federal government to ensure Arizona’s veterans and military heroes receive top-level care and services as thanks from a grateful nation.
Appropriate punishment for criminals who commit crimes with guns. The connection needs to be crystal clear: If you commit a violent act with a weapon, then you’re going to be severely punished for it.
Conservative judges who respect individual rights. In our legal system, the men and women with the gavel matter. Ensuring Arizona’s courts are populated with people who understand the impact their decisions have on our every-day lives and freedoms is essential.
GOVERNMENT REFORM
HEALTH CARE
The Issue:
The Issue:
Government hasn’t kept pace with the private
sector, and there are many things government
can do to better serve taxpayers.
POLICY SOLUTIONS:
End the reliance on special districts. The Arizona Republic did a study last year and found that Maricopa County alone has almost 1,500 special taxing districts. As a result, people in the same neighborhood can pay hundreds of dollars more in taxes depending on how many special districts their house is in. Government needs to be transparent and accountable to citizens, and the current system is neither. Reforming the proliferation of special taxing districts would be a good first step.
Review existing practices. Here’s an example: At the Treasurer’s office we found the formula for distributing money from the Permanent Land Endowment was flawed. Some years schools received money, and some years they received nothing. We worked with the legislature, got voter approval, and changed the formula to ensure a steadier, more reliable stream of funding for education. There are many common-sense reforms that can be implemented, but they require conscious effort and a more business-like approach.
Changing government hours and making government more accessible
via the Internet. Government generally works 9-5, Monday through Friday. That may have worked years ago, but with many Arizona families working more than one job, they may not have the ability to get to a government office in those hours. Flexible hours, as well as making more information and services available over the Internet, are both ways we can be more responsive to taxpayers and better fit their needs.
Repeal old, unnecessary laws. Arizona just turned 100 years old. Our statutes
have 49 titles and 10,500 pages of laws. The governor and legislature should review how each title of our legal code could be simplified. Being in government shouldn’t be just about adding new laws; it should be about repealing old and outdated ones as well.
Obamacare is a monumental failure and has made
a royal mess of health care.
POLICY SOLUTIONS:
State Control. There’s no reason we need to be stuck with the policy options the feds want to impose on us. States such as Arkansas and Rhode Island have sought and received waivers to do things differently.
In Indiana, then-Gov. Mitch Daniels enacted innovations like Health Savings Accounts into Healthy Indiana, the state’s Medicaid program, in a way that has not only promoted personal responsibility but also kept costs down – while having a 96% satisfaction rating among participants. It will be a top priority of the Ducey administration to learn from the best practices of other states and to get out from under the federal government’s thumb. I will lead the effort to negotiate a Medicaid waiver for Arizona and to protect our state from Obamacare, one of the worst laws ever signed by any American president.
Controlling the cost of Medicaid expansion. The expansion of Medicaid as part of Obamacare receives significant federal money… for the first three years. After that the rules will change, and Arizona taxpayers may need to pay considerably more. As governor I will prepare for all scenarios, and I will not allow a massive new entitlement to grow into a huge financial burden for future generations of Arizonans. We will keep a lid on healthcare costs, period.
Helping those who truly need it. We want to care for our most vulnerable and needy citizens, and we want our healthcare options in Arizona to be the best in the nation. Medicaid is a program originally designed to take care of the destitute and disabled, but it’s now being expanded as a middle class entitlement. We need to focus our efforts on people who genuinely need the help and can’t do without it.
WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT
DOUG DUCEY’S AGENDA
FORMER SENATOR JON KYL
SYNDICATED RADIO HOST HUGH HEWITT
“Doug Ducey’s leadership style is to first ground himself in the substance of the
critical issues facing our state. I respect that. His skills, his knowledge of business
management, his conservative credentials, and his proven record as State Treasurer
are precisely what are needed for Arizona.”
“I have endorsed State Treasurer Doug Ducey. He is a conservative, a successful
businessman, and has run and won state-wide in 2010, and led the state’s anti-tax
hike forces two years later in the defeat of a state wide initiative pushing a billion-dollar tax hike.”
CONGRESSMAN TRENT FRANKS
HEATHER JOHNSON OF ARIZONA RIGHT TO LIFE PAC
“I’m considered pretty much the most conservative Member of Congress, and I’m
endorsing him because I know that he is committed to the conservative foundations
of this party and the Constitution. I’ve concluded in my heart that Doug Ducey personifies everything that the Republican Party should be, not only on issues and
the constitutional foundations, but the man has a great love for humanity.”
“Arizona Right to Life has endorsed Doug Ducey’s candidacy because we believe
he shares our values and will be a strong pro-life governor.”
PHOENIX CITY COUNCILMAN SAL DICICCIO
“Doug Ducey is a strong leader who has proven through both his business experience
and time spent as State Treasurer that he holds the interest of Arizona citizens to the
highest regard. His push to reduce government overreach and create jobs is exactly
what our economy needs. He has earned my vote for governor.”
FORMER COLD STONE CREAMERY FRANCHISEE MARTHA MARISCAL
“As a franchisee of Cold Stone Creamery, I felt the support not only from Doug but
his entire team. I believe that someone with the entrepreneur’s spirit understands
small businesses and understands that small businesses are a big part of the state’s
economy, and I think that Doug Ducey has been very supportive of small business
people like myself to be able to be successful.”
FORMER GOVERNOR FIFE SYMINGTON
“I’ve gotten to know Doug well over the past several years. Here’s what impresses
me: Doug has a clear vision about where he wants to lead the state. His focus is the
economy and making Arizona a magnet for job creation and economic opportunity.
That has to be the number one priority for our next governor, and Doug has the right
background, skills, and ideas to actually make a difference.”
BILL MONTGOMERY
“Doug stands with me in the fight against crime and the fight for the rights of
crime victims. I am proud to support him.”
LEA MARQUEZ-PETERSON
“If we are going to increase job opportunities for the people of our state and give everyone the opportunity for a better life, we will need lower taxes and fewer
regulatory burdens on businesses. Doug will work hard to make this happen.”
ARIZONA FREE ENTERPRISE CLUB PAC
“Ducey is a committed free market fiscal conservative who won’t shy away from
making tough decisions or taking on big challenges… His leadership is what we
need to craft free market, pro-growth oriented policies that make Arizona a great
place to work and live.”
Paid for by Ducey 2014-Primary
PO BOX 12558
TEMPE, AZ 85284-0043
DUCEY 2014
/dougducey
@dougducey
/ducey2014