Republican lawmakers hate Tempe (and ... you)

If you live in the lovely community of Tempe, the Republicans who control the Arizona Legislature hate you. All of you. More or less.

Not long ago, an overwhelming majority of the voters in Tempe passed an ordinance that says, simply, if your non-profit spends over $1,000 to influence the outcome of an election, you have to say who put up the money.

The good people of Tempe aren’t saying a person or group can’t donate to a campaign. They just want you to be open about it. To own it. So they tried to shine a little light on the dark money.

Politicians who won’t demand transparency and instead protect these hidden “investors” only makes it look even more like they’re bought and paid for.

It makes it look like the politicians love the secretive big-money donors and hate ... you.

If you live in Tempe.

Or Phoenix, which is contemplating an ordinance similar to Tempe’s.

Instead of going along with Tempe voters, the Republicans who control the Legislature passed House Bill 2153, which prohibits local entities like Tempe from requiring non-profits trying to influence elections from having to identify Mr. or Ms. Moneybags.

Democratic Sen. Martin Quezada pointed out that more than 90 percent of Tempe voters approved the measure, meaning it had broad support from both Democrats and Republicans. Still, the Republicans in the Legislature sided with the silent power brokers.

Quezada said, “They (voters) are the ones who are supposed to be our bosses, not the people who are spending millions of dollars in our campaigns.”

Exactly.

Perhaps the most ludicrous argument in favor of the bill came from Republican Sylvia Allen, which shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Allen has suggested that airplane condensation trails are “chemtrails” through which the government is trying to control the weather, and maybe our minds. She argued against environmental laws by suggesting the Earth is only 6,000 years old. (Um, 4.5 billion years, actually.) And while not espousing mandatory science education in schools, she preached for imposing mandatory church attendance.

This time, Allen said that power

brokers should be able to remain anonymous because “the left will use this information and they harass businesses.” The left?

The ordinance would apply to everyone who supplies money. Left. Right. Middle.

And apparently, according to Allen, to disagree means to “harass.”

Still, the Republicans who control the Legislature pushed through the bill and now it is up to Gov. Doug Ducey.

Which begs the question: Whom does Ducey love more, anonymous fat cats or ... you?