I was born and raised in Arizona. I grew up in Tucson which is, probably to the surprise of many that are suddenly putting our state under a microscope with such a critical eye, quite the liberal bastion, a spot where Hispanic families were fully integrated into the culture.
The recent legislation was as much an abomination to many of us that call Arizona home as it is to the outside observers from all over the world but let's all take some responsibility for this travesty.
Arizona and other Sunbelt states become a dumping ground for senior citizens from all over the country who view our climate and low cost of living as a boon to retirement. Many of the people that helped put in power the very cretins that penned this legislation are the grandparents, aunts and uncles of the very people from elsewhere that are screaming in outrage over its implications.
Folks, if you're going to dump your elderly in the retirement communities of other states with their fundamentalist religious viewpoints and ultra-conservative politics, just maybe you might want to cut those states a bit of slack, stop pointing fingers, and help out a bit here. How about a call to the old folks now and then with some of that great East Coast liberal propaganda to compete with the talk radio crap they are glued to when they're not out on the golf course or the shuffleboard courts.
We have our own share of homegrown wackos. I'll grant that, but my guess is the proportions are similar to all other states. However, even if the native population outnumbers the retirement community bloc, we have a very hard time competing with their political and economic power. First, they have lots of time on their hands. They are heavily involved in political volunteer work since they don't have to dole out time for raising kids and going to work. They are easily manipulated by the conservative media because often they are shut in. Their health care costs are taken care of by Medicare. Their own kids are long out of schools. They also have one other important trait. They're often scared to death, weakened by age, finances fixed, health deteriorating. They are easily preyed upon by the authoritarian types that run rampant in Republican circles.
So for those of you that live outside of Arizona and are painting with a wide brush, please check your family roster. If that uncle you always get into arguments with during family reunions is living in Sun City, you bear some responsibility to the woes of our state if you just said "good riddance" and don't include each year in your Christmas letter that your child's classrooms are overcrowded, you have been fighting a health care financial crisis, and all the local jobs have been shipped to Sri Lanka.
Overall, Arizona is a purple state as evidenced by the Democrat governors we've elected. Jan Brewer wasn't one of those. In many ways we have Janet Napolitano to thank for Brewer's ascendency. We've been hit here by a perfect storm. We need your lifeboats more than we need the finger-pointing.
Update: First let me say that I've written some well-researched and moderately toned diaries in the past that have had nothing but a tiny trickle of interest. Spent all day on them. This one was done quickly and with great emotion and it quickly caught fire. Hmmm.
Secondly, this was not an attack on the elderly. I'm 56 years old and know more than my fair share of bright, compassionate, elderly folks, many politically active here but, (and this is important) within this demographic they are a clear minority. It is a natural thing for people to turn more conservative as they age or simply accumulate wealth and possessions. So many things push us that way.
This was intended as an appeal for people to direct their outrage not at the state as a whole but towards the individuals that actually are supporting this crap. If some of them are in your own family you have an inside edge. We can't get to them.