SB1070 Update: Brewer, Pearce scare people away from coming to Arizona

by David Safier

Why do the Accidental Guv and the Persistent Racist hate Arizona?

Jan Brewer and Russell Pearce claim to be furious at people who have urged a boycott of Arizona because of the passage of SB1070. How dare you hurt our state's economy? they cry.

Yet the two of them are spreading the blatant lie that Arizona is a dangerous place to visit to conduct business, a hotbed of crime spread by lawless illegal immigrants.

Nothing could be further from the truth, as AZ Blue Meanie explained a few days ago and as has been written about, though not nearly enough, in the MSM.

If you don't believe me or The Meanie about the bogus crime stats or how they are hurting business in Arizona, maybe you'll believe the Phoenix Business Journal.

Gov. Jan Brewer, State Sen. Russell Pearce, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and others supporting the state’s new immigration law say it is needed to stem waves of crime. However, new reports show crime is on the decline.

[snip]

That rhetoric worries economic developers, tourism officials and others who want to attract high-wage jobs to the state. They say it sends a negative message that could dissuade visitors, skilled workers and companies from coming to the state.

“Any kind of negative publicity hurts Arizona as it competes for new business locates and the jobs and tax revenues they represent, especially in the economic climate we live in today,” said Rock Rickert, chairman of the Arizona Association for Economic Development. “Indirectly, these same things – jobs and taxes – are adversely affected when tourism is negatively impacted because Arizona is portrayed as a dangerous, inhospitable, or backward place to visit.”

[snip]

Crime in the Valley and Arizona is on the decrease, according to recent statistics.

The city of Phoenix reported 131,052 crimes in 2004. That number fell to 109,784 in 2008 and 90,024 in 2009, according to the Phoenix Police Department. Phoenix had 9,679 drug crimes last year compared to 10,741 in 2004.

Statewide, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said there were 255,133 serious crimes in Arizona in 2009. That is down 12 percent from 2008. DPS reported 341,101 serious crimes in 2002 and 291,380 in 2001.

The article admits that kidnappings have increased, but it's not people snatched from the streets or their homes and held for ransom. It's the human smugglers holding the people they transport for ransom, trying to squeeze a few more dollars out of their human cargo.

Message to Brewer, Pearce, and the rest of the "racism wins elections" crowd: Stop running down Arizona and scaring people away. Your lies are hurting all of us.