Does Arkansas GOP Plan To Cut Pre-K?
The 2012 election already seems like a distant memory, happily recalled by some, wished to be forgotten by others.
Even though the election is over, it appears that Republican robo-polling continues and one issue they're testing gives an interesting, and disturbing, insight into potential Arkansas Republican plans.
I'm told by reliable sources that a robo-poll went out this week that tested various issues. The poll tested the favorability of the Tea Party on a scale of 1-100, the favorabilty of 4 potential 2014 gubernatorial candidates (McDaniel, Burkhalter, Halter & Hutchinson) and also asked about the voters' party identification preference and who they voted for in the Presidential race.
Fairly standard poll questions, and the polling structure was along the same lines of Republican polling done during the 2012 elections.
The automated poll also tested support of various tax cuts, income tax vs. the grocery tax.
Here's where it gets interesting, the poll mentioned that the Arkansas Pre-K program costs $100 million dollars a year and then asked the voter if they supported the program.
This leads to a logical question: Do Arkansas Republicans plan to put Pre-K on the chopping block to pay for their planned tax cuts?
Who else would be gauging support for potentially cutting Pre-K? Certainly not Democrats since they fought hard for it over the objections of some far right-wingers who honestly believe Pre-K is a government plan to brainwash kids and destroy the family structure.
Governor Beebe has already proposed further reducing the sales tax on groceries, but Republicans have signaled they want deeper tax cuts, such as capital gains tax cuts and lowering income taxes. Cutting taxes usually means you'll have to cut spending and one has to wonder if Arkansas Republicans may be toying with the idea of cutting Pre-K since they seem to be polling the issue.
How will it go over with Arkansans if they learn that one of the most successful Pre-K programs in the country may be cut to pay for a capital gains tax cut that helps the wealthiest Arkansans?
What say you Arkansas Republicans? Is Pre-K on the chopping block? And if not, what cuts do you propose to pay for income and capital gains tax cuts?