Rhonda Bodfield and Andrea Kelly Arizona Daily Star Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Thursday, February 24, 2011 12:00 am
Pima County the 51st state?
A political committee made up of attorneys, including the former chairman of the Pima County Democratic Party, has been formed to try to get Southern Arizona to secede from the rest of the state.
Start Our State, which is asking other like-minded counties to join the effort, hopes to put the question before Pima County voters in 2012.
The concept of a Southern Arizona state - Baja Arizona - has been around for ages as a way to differentiate the region from its more conservative brethren to the north. The notion of secession has been bandied about, but there was never a serious effort in that direction - until now.
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And Pima County Republican Chairman Brian Miller joked that his position would make him the leader of the new state's GOP. "I'm all for a promotion," he quipped.
But Paul Eckerstrom, co-chair of Save Our State, said it's not a ploy and not merely a political statement. He said the state Legislature has gone too far to the right.
In particular, a round of legislative measures challenging federal supremacy "really does border on them saying they don't want to be part of the Union any longer," he said.
"Well, I want to be part of the United States," Eckerstrom said. At a minimum, he said, the drive will send a message that Pima County doesn't want to go along with the priorities being outlined in Phoenix.
"It's no longer a laughing matter to me," Eckerstrom said, adding that his kids' futures are at stake. "I'm tired of hoping and praying that rationality will come to Phoenix."
The group's treasurer, Libertarian and public defender David Euchner, comes from a different political mind-set.
Euchner said Republicans were swept into office nationwide on a promise of helping to fix the economic and spending problems. "Meanwhile, every bill we've heard about here is either anti-abortion laws or anti-Mexican laws. These are not laws that are geared toward solving the real problems that we have."
Organizers concede that there are daunting hurdles. They must first get on the ballot, then get approval from the Legislature or from state voters to allow the exodus. A new state constitution would have to be approved, plus they'd have to get the OK from Congress and the president.
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http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_c2787d7e-fbcb-501f-af4b-c85d4da7ac62.htmlMore and poll at link
I don't know if 'Baja AZ' has any critical oil or such. IF they do not I say give it to the lefties and FENCE IT OFF! Let them deal with the Mexicans.