Printable VersionWhen Arizonans go to the polls Nov. 4, they will have the chance to legally define marriage in the state with Proposition 102, a piece of legislation that Arizona Republican State Senator Ron Gould has brought forward.
Arizona currently does not have any legislation on the books that would allow same-sex marriages. Gould saw what has happened in other states, including California, and believed now was the time to act in order to preserve the traditional definition of marriage.
Gould pointed toward Sweden where 75 percent of children are born out of wedlock. He said one major reason for this is Sweden’s lax definition of marriage.
“It has devalued marriage to the extent where the youth don’t believe in it,” Gould said.
The proposition would make it harder to find a hidden right written within the current legislation for gays to be married. He also noted with the current statute in California, gays could go to the state, get married and possibly come back and sue in Arizona for their right to be legally declared as married.
Gould is a conservative, a family man, and businessman and has been in the legislature since 2004.
The focus of the bill is family. Gould said he is not trying to police the bedroom. People should be free to live how they would like. Legal protection for gays is already in place. Gould is focusing on keeping the societal traditions of marriage in place.
Gould is running for his third term as a state senator for Legislature District 3. His experience in the legislature allowed him to bring the proposition forward, something he noted would likely not be possible if he is not re-elected, as new senators often have trouble bring a piece of legislation forward.
Gould is a staunch conservative who comes from the private sector, where he still owns and operates a business as a heat and air conditioning contractor.
Gould came to the legislature after being a member of the Lake Havasu City Council because he saw poor decisions being made on the local and state level.
If re-elected, Gould said it is time for the legislature to take a sharp look at the state budget. He said too much debt has been accrued on state and local levels, and it is now time to go through the budget line-by-line to see how spending can be cut and what projects can be eliminated or placed on hold.
“It seems like what the country has been about the past 15 years is going into debt, using your house as a bank account and living beyond their means,” Gould said.
What is the solution? Gould said the government is setting a bad example, in terms of being in debt. In 2004, when Gould first came to the legislature, there was a half-a-billion shortfall.
Gould said raising taxes is not the solution. He says he has stood by his original promise to not raise taxes in order to pay off debt.
“The tough thing to do is to stand firm against a tax increase and start cutting things out that are non-essential,” he said.
For the past four years, Gould has earned a positive score on the “Friend to the Taxpayer” Legislative Scorecard, sponsored by the Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP). The scorecard rates those legislators who vote against or for budget bills. Gould has been consistent with his stance against raising taxes, signing a pledge never to do so, which has helped earn him a top spot as a “Hero to the Taxpayer.”
Gould joined fellow District 3 Republican Representative Trish Groe and others to make Legislature District 3 the highest scoring district in the state, in terms of standing against increased taxes.
Gould attacked Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano’s $9.9 billion budget, stating instead of going line by line through it, the Democrats voted for an unbalanced budget, which includes a possible $300 million increase in property taxes and is more than a billion dollars over budget.
Gould’s stance on the economy goes hand-in-hand with his stance against taxes.
According to Gould, reducing taxes helps stimulate the economy, because it encourages people to invest. He attributes the current decline of the government to allowing credit card companies and banks to give loans to those who could not afford to pay them off.
As the government considers another rebate, Gould says this could only cause further inflation, which will devalue the buying power of the dollar.
Raising wages is possible, Gould says. To bring wages up, the government would need to stop manipulating the free market, he said. Creating incentives could help to bring people back to investing.
Gould says he will continue to run for Legislative District 3 office, even after this election. He said the voters know his record, and they know his conservative beliefs.
“The people know what I am going to do, because I have been doing the same thing my whole political career, standing up to try and reform the system and standing against tax increases,” Gould said. “I know the rules, and I know how to slow things down and speed things up.”
You may contact the reporter at twaggoner@havasunews.com.
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