Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Arizona

I am leaving Amado, Arizona today for Palm Springs, California.  It is a nice area that is picturesque except for the thousand foot high piles of mine tailings from pit mines.  My friend Lee said they had considered living in the area but that after seeing the wind blowing huge amounts of tailings into the atmosphere, with attendant chemicals, they decided otherwise.

The number of snowbirds in southern Arizona is truly amazing.  The albedo of the surface area has been changed by all of the white RVs parked in temporary mini-cities.  As I pass through Yuma today I am told it will be even more astonishing.

My friends told me that one thing everyone in the area avoids as a topic for conversation is the immigration issue.  It is apparently too volatile down here to speak much of it.  After arising early this morning I see where our Governor Martinez is being led around by the nose by people in the right wing.  The Journal website says the GOP is sponsoring robo calls against democrats because they wont adopt anti immigrant legislation that our right wing governor is sponsoring.  Hooray for the Dems, but frankly as this stuff gets into the national press it will make us look as bad as Arizona.

2 comments:

Abq Dude said...

I disagree! If you are here illegally, you shouldn't be entitled to a driver's license. If you are then okay.

Anonymous said...

"...entitled to a driver's license."

Neither should they be entitled to stay in our jails and prisons. Those are for us real Americans.

I think the rationale was that they didn't want people driving who couldn't pass an eye test or didn't know that you're supposed to stop on red and go on green. Or is it the other way around?

In any event, a "license" is actually a restriction on your right to drive, or do business, or marry. It's a regulatory device.

It reminds me of those tea baggers who held up signs telling the government to "Keep your hands off my Medicare." Confused, confused.

At least we have Governor Martinez looking out for our interests. The Santa Fe paper reports that she doesn't want money going to Hollywood and "shortchanging" our prisons.

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Film-tax--compromise--stalls

I could be mistaken, but I think I heard her say, "The more people we can get into prison, the closer our budget gets to being balanced."