It’s true. The state of Arizona is leading the nation. Just not in a good way.
For example, we have one of the nation’s worst economies. Our schools, home prices, and poverty rank among the nation’s worst. Our gun shows lead the nation in exporting weapons to the Mexican drug cartels. And, based on the actions of our state legislature, we must have more non-institutionalized lunatics than any other state in the union. (Of course, if said legislators have their way, we may not be part of the union much longer.)
To elaborate, just consider the bills currently pending in a legislature that is overwhelmingly dominated by Republicans:
SB1433 would set up a committee of 12 lawmakers (of course, they would be mostly Republican) to review federal laws and regulations to determine which are “outside the scope of the powers delegated by the people to the federal government in the U.S. Constitution.” If passed, the legislation would directly challenge federal supremacy as written in Article 1, Sections 8 & 10 of said Constitution.
SB1308 and HB2562 would limit federal authority setting up interstate compacts to honor each others’ birth certificates segregating children who are considered U.S. citizens from those who are not.
SB1309 and HB2561 would redefine Arizona citizenship in defiance of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
SB1328 would make it legal for Arizonans to defy any federal law or rule if federal employees or members of Congress do not have to comply.
SB1391 would create an interstate firearms freedoms act guaranteeing the right of citizens to bear arms free of federal regulation.
SB1393 declares that the state has the exclusive right to regulate carbon dioxide emissions within the state boundaries while SB1394 protects the right to emit carbon dioxide from human-caused activity.
SB 1545 would allow the production of nuclear fuel in Arizona free from federal regulation. (It’s unknown if that also includes the production of nuclear weapons.)
SCR1016 would require the approval of the legislatures of half the states in order for Congress to increase the federal debt.
HB2077 requires any federal agency coming into an AZ county to first register with the county sheriff before conducting official business.
HB2471 would bar the appropriation of any state funds to comply with a federal mandate unless the federal government provides a report to show the mandate is constitutional.
HB2472 would allow the state to acquire federal property by eminent domain unless the federal government first receives permission of the state legislature.
HB2537 permits the AZ house speaker and senate president to defend last year’s SB1070 immigration law by lawsuit if necessary.
HB2544 requires U.S. presidential candidates to provide certain proof of citizenship before they can appear on the ballot in Arizona.
HCR2015 calls for a constitutional convention to adopt an amendment to require the consent of three-fourths of the states to increase federal debt.
HCR2022 proposes a constitutional convention to require a balanced federal budget.
On top of all this, the state attorney general has just announced that he is suing the federal government for not defending the border against illegal immigrants and drug smugglers. (I guess more than 10 border agents per mile doesn’t qualify as a defense.) Amazingly, it seems that Arizona Republicans are more interested in attacking the U.S. government than dealing with the very real problems in our own state! Can’t you just picture Nero fiddling while Rome is burning?