And find a place in the Poconos....
Early results are in, and I am astounded by the stupidity of most of my fellow citizens. Arizona had nearly a dozen propositions on the ballot for this election, and I'm dismayed by the early results I see:
Prop 100, which would deny bail to any illegal immigrant arrested for a felony--Currently passing with 77% favor. (Update: Passed, 78-22)
The problem with this proposition is that it's a blanket denial on one group, paving the way to deny bail legally to other groups. Today, the target is illegal immigrants. Tomorrow, the target could be sex offenders, drug dealers, pot smokers--anyone against the norm.
Prop 102, which would deny illegal immigrants the right to punitive damages from a lawsuit--Currently passing at 74% (Update: Passed 75-25)
Again, blanket disenfranchisement of a particular group, paving the way to enact similar legislation against any other group. And I could be wrong, but I don't think illegal immigrants have turned to torts as a money-making opportunity as the proponents of this proposition would have us believe.
Prop 103, which would declare English the official state language--74% in favor. (Update: Passed 75-25)
Thanks to this wonderful proposition, our state workers will no longer have to be bilingual, and government paperwork will only be in English. Currently, we keep paperwork available in over 200 languages to accommodate all people in AZ. Yeah, this won't cause any issues at all.
Prop 107, which would amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions (already illegal in AZ)--failing at 51%, which is way too close for my comfort. (Update: FAILED, 51-49. Narrow, but I'll take it as some small sign of sanity.)
The way this wonderful proposition is worded, not only would marriage be defined narrowly, but the State of Arizona would not be able to provide domestic partner benefits to state workers, their partners, or children of those unions (which the state does today). It's also poorly written, meaning that heterosexual couples who live together but are not married might not be able to get state health insurance for their children. Insane, and did I mention we already have a law on the books making same-sex marriage illegal? Redundancy at its finest (and most evil).
Prop 300, which limits education services to illegal immigrants AND their children--passing at 71% (Update: Passed, 72-28. This one proves most did not pay attention in civics class)
Children of illegal immigrants, who reside in AZ, would not be able to attend state universities on in-state tuition rates. This one is the worst in my opinion, since said child, if born in AZ, would be a US citizen but still denied in-state status. Let me repeat that--a CITIZEN of the UNITED STATES, born in this country and given citizenship under our country's CONSTITUTION would be denied in-state rates and possible educational opportunity based on the immigration status of his/her parents.
I'm most disappointed by the raging xenophobia and hatred that permeates these propositions. I'm sick that the people of Arizona bought the arguments of straw and voted in support. Trust me, I am very, very interested in real estate deals back East, especially New England. We're looking at Vermont, but maybe we should go to New Hampshire.
Live Free or Die, indeed.
EDIT: I updated this post on 11/8 with the percentages available from AZ's election results site. A few weeks ago, a astudy was released that ranked Arizona 50th in the US in terms of intelligence--that's right, I live in the dumbest state in the Union. After these election results, I believe it.
iTroll
1 day ago
3 comments:
God bless America--at least the Democrats control the House!
And this may be contradictory, but I've never been much of a fan of states' rights. About all that does is make your state look stupid to the rest of the country.
In some cases, states' rights can be a good thing. Take Vermont (I know, I talk about it a lot, but that's what happens when one is in love)--they have taken great pains to use states' rights to preserve the open land in the Green Mountains and the overall aesthetic of the state. You won't find a billboard on I-89 destroying your view of the trees, you won't find a Wal-Mart Supercenter surplanting the mom-and-pop businesses. Most importantly, Vermont takes steps to make sure that if you buy maple syrup or bacon that says it's from Vermont, it's from Vermont, not Canada. I think it's a good use of states' rights to protect the "brand" so to speak, but not infringe on the citizenry in any way or force conformity to any one person's way of thinking.
In AZ's case, the only good things we did yesterday through the propositions are make pig farms and veal farms more humane by requiring larger stalls for the animals to move, and raising the minimum wage throughout the state. The other propositions make us look like supremacist hicks.
I have a lot more to say on this, so I think I'll make another post. I will say, by the way, that Vermont came in #1 in the poll on intelligence.
interesting that the gay marriage ban failed. it passed here in wi, unfortunately (read my rant on my blog...)
but yeah, what's with all the xenophobia? ridiculous. i have to say, though, last spring showed just how organized immigrants and hispanics can be, and i don't for a minute think they've stopped.
have hope. have hope.
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