Living Debt Free: Restoring Arizona’s Commitment to its Constitutional Debt Limit

The State of Arizona is facing an unprecedented amount of debt—some $37 billion. That works out to roughly $6,000 of debt for every man, woman, and child in the state. The heap of debt is leading to calls for reform to keep Arizona solvent. Although various reforms, limits, and oversight may have merit, there is a simpler alternative: follow the state constitution’s debt limit.

The framers of Arizona’s constitution knew firsthand the dangers of government debt. In the mid- to late 1800s, man...