Unable to attract significant community support, the AHS vigorously pursues handouts from the Arizona legislature to survive. Their political hijacking of the top rated mineral museum is an example of the unethical tactics they are willing to employ in pursuit of taxpayers money.
The AHS obviously wanted the building for their centennial museum fiasco. Why, however, did they want the mineral collection and mining artifacts? Except for a few token specimens, their centennial museum plan did not include them. Apparently, what they really wanted was the budget. Only by grabbing the entire mineral museum, and not just the building, could they get all of the money.
A series of bills and budget transfers actually transferred more than the mineral museum budget to the AHS. They also got a chunk of the Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources budget, causing it to eventually fail and be eliminated.
Finally, in April 2011 and eight months after they acquired the mineral museum, they snatched the last scrap of funds. SB 1615 included the transfer of $32,200 from the Mines and Minerals Fund (MMF) to the Arizona Historical Society Revolving Fund.
Vultures on the tax payer’s carcass, willing to scrap Arizona history and self-supporting science education programs for a few extra dollars.
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