We can't cut our way out of this budget mess - The Arizona Republic

Thousands of felons released early from prison. The Highway Patrol reduced to 1999 levels, leaving more drunken and dangerous drivers on the road. Fewer security guards at schools. Soaring university tuition. More than 46,000 kids left without health insurance. The university system has already taken disproportionate hits, because other major categories of spending, including much of K-12 education, are legally protected. State funding is 21 percent lower than in fiscal 2008, while enrollment keeps rising. Another 15 percent reduction would be greater than all of the state funding for Northern Arizona University. Most seriously of all, Arizona risks losing a huge chunk of federal stimulus money if it slashes university spending any further.