Power of the ballot

Editorial

• Prop. 100 Trust Land Conservation. NO: It would conserve only 3 percent of state lands. It does not give local authorities the necessary tools to control urban sprawl. Most Arizona conservation and environmental groups oppose it.
  
  
• Prop. 202 Urban Growth Restriction. YES: It would effectively control urban sprawl; allow voters, not elected officials, to determine how their cities would grow; encourage revitalization of existing neighborhoods.
  
  
• Prop. 106 Redistricting. YES. It would put responsibility for legislative and congressional boundaries in the hands of a multi-partisan citizens' commission rather than the Arizona Legislature. Enough said.
  
  
• Prop. 200 Public Health Care. YES: It would be a fiscally responsible use of tobacco settlement money and a guaranteed way to provide health coverage, in addition to other benefits, to the working poor.
  
  
• Prop. 204 Health Care for Poor. NO: Competing with Prop. 200, its health-care funding depends upon a federal waiver Gov. Jane Hull, among others, has said will not be granted to Arizona. In the absence of federal funding, it will dip into budgeted programs to compensate.
  
  
• Prop. 203 Bilingual Education Repeal. NO: Studies show bilingual education is effective, preserves native language and culture and enables students to compete in a job market where speaking more than one language is a plus.
  
  
• Prop. 301 School Program and Tax Increase. YES: Arizona's public schools are mediocre at best. A tax increase from 5 percent to 5.6 percent is a small price to pay to help prepare our students for a highly competitive job market.