It has been over 50 years since the United States has added any new states, with both Alaska and Hawaii joining in 1959. Today, two men and a strong supporting base in Pima County, Ariz., are hoping to add one more state: Baja Arizona.
Paul Eckerstrom, the former Democratic Party chairman for Pima County, and Peter Hormel, an attorney in Tucson, have formed a political committee called Start Our State.
According to MSNBC, the mission of Start Our State is “To establish a new state in Southern Arizona, free of the un-American, unconstitutional machinations of the Arizona Legislature, and to restore our region’s credibility as a place welcoming to others, open to commerce and friendly to its neighbors.”
This movement is a reaction to the harsh stance on illegal immigration that the Republican state legislators and Gov. Jan Brewer have taken. With anti-illegal immigration bills like the infamous Senate Bill 1070 and SB 1611, which would require school districts to verify the resident status of students, Pima County feels like its voice is not being heard.
A serious question, however, must be asked: Is an issue like illegal immigration worth Pima County separating from the rest of Arizona? The answer is no.
Arizona has been both a blue and red state in its 99-year history. It started as a Democratic state in 1912 and voted for Republicans and Democrats through former President Harry S. Truman.
Since then, it has been predominantly Republican, although Arizona did help elect former President Bill Clinton in 1996.
Arizona has also had a recent Democratic governor, current Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. Napolitano left the governorship in 2009 and allowed then-Secretary of State Jan Brewer to succeed her as governor.
The 2010 elections were huge for the GOP. Republicans won all over the nation, showing that the United States is starting to move right after heading left following the 2008 elections.
As we have seen in Arizona and in the United States as a whole, Americans move from left to right, right to left, red to blue and blue to red often.
While it is an interesting effort taking place in Pima County, the novelty is not eligibility to divide our state. Politics come and go.
We have the opportunity to speak our minds and assemble through the First Amendment. Also, the state of Arizona has a unique opportunity to propose referendums and recall elected officials. These are the mechanisms Start Our State should be looking into in order to have its voice heard.
With the upcoming 2012 elections, there will be an opportunity for the people of Pima County and the rest of the Democratic population of Arizona to change our state government and put their ideals and values to work.
Seceding from Arizona will not solve the problems at hand, but it will make matters worse.
Contact Brian at bjutting@asu.edu
