Apparently, the GOP isn't as business-friendly as it wants people to think

At least, it's not friendly to small businesses...

From AZCentral.com -

Arizona health regulators have proposed dramatic increases in licensing fees for more than 2,000 child care facilities to help make up for state funding cuts.

The annual three-year licensing fees are now a flat $150, but the Department of Health Services' planned rule change would set rates for new and renewed licenses ranging from $581 to $13,442, depending on the number of children.

"The amounts are too much, too soon, at the worst possible time," said Bruce Liggett, the executive director of the Arizona Child Care Association. "We as private businesses are reeling."

The complete list of fees is on page 7 of this .pdf.

While most child care facilities won't have to worry about the $13,442 fee (that's for facilities with more than 150 children), they're still looking at license fee hikes of 400% to 4900%.

The vast majority of these "facilities" are small businesses employing just a few people and helping to care for the children of folks who have limited choices. Most of those businesses will have to pass on the increased cost to their customers.

And if the cost of their childcare provider goes up too much, it could force many of the parents, particularly single working mothers, to find that working just isn't economically feasible.

I'm sure that within a day or so, one of the "leading intellectual lights" of the AZGOP (you know, Russell Pearce, Jack Harper, or one of their ilk) will find the nearest microphone and pontificate on the "need for shared sacrifice in these trying fiscal times" or somesuch BS.

I'm just as sure that if AZ Game and Fish tries to promulgate similar fee hikes for hunting and fishing licenses, the same "leading intellectual lights" will scream for heads to roll at AZGFD.

After all, the GOP probably figures that gun nuts "outdoor firearms enthusiasts" are more likely to vote for (and give money to) Republicans than childcare providers (who tend to be rather too poor and, well, too *nice* to support Republicans.

Later...