Letter: Watch who takes credit

Editor:

Interesting article in Sept. 11 paper regarding the millions of dollars from the federal infrastructure bill aimed at improving AZ water systems but fall far short of what is needed. Why hasn’t Arizona been able to tackle some of these water issues without federal assistance by using its own tax money?

Not mentioned in the article were the billions of dollars allocated to go to AZ for many other needed programs such as improved ports of entry, highways, transportation, bridges, Internet, wildfire management and addressing some tribal issues.

Kyrsten Sinema (after stubbornly blocking previous attempts at the bill) helped negotiate the paired down bill that the House finally approved. The “bipartisan” plan garnered support from both parties in both chambers. However, every single Arizona Republican Congressmen voted “no” on the bill.

But it will probably be like Doug Ducey, who criticized the COVID relief package but was quick and proud to take credit for some of the projects, like high-speed Internet, that the relief package funded. Just watch when the Republican representatives take credit for some of the programs that will be funded by the infrastructure bill that they all voted against. And the only reason they voted against a bill that would benefit their own constituents was to try to stop a Democratic president from succeeding.

And before anyone claims the infrastructure bill will raise your taxes and increase the national deficit, read how it is fully funded by having multi-million-dollar companies pay their fair share of taxes, which will also lower our national debt.

Karen Daniels

Clarkdale