Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
A young girl named Elizabeth was given a little baby duck as a gift in her Easter basket. Elizabeth was overjoyed with the little baby duck. The two were soon inseparable, and the little baby duck bonded with the young girl as if she were its mother.
Elizabeth loved her baby duck and wanted her duck to stay little forever. But Elizabeth noticed that the duck seemed to be getting just a little bit larger every day. Elizabeth thought to herself, "what if I give my duck a little squeeze every day to keep my duck little? Then my duck will always stay the same."
So every day Elizabeth gave her duck a little squeeze in an attempt to keep her duck little. But every day, the duck continued to grow just a little bit larger. Elizabeth thought to herself, "I need to squeeze my duck just a little bit harder for good measure. That should do it."
Then one day, Elizabeth squeezed her little baby duck just a little too hard. "I killed it!" Elizabeth exclaimed in horror as she burst into tears. Elizabeth was inconsolable in her grief in coming to realize too late that she could not keep her little baby duck little forever.
(Adapted from a story told by John Boy Walton in a scene from The Homecoming: A Christmas Story. Kudos to Earl Hamner.)
This story serves as a parable for what has been occurring in Arizona over the past 20 years.
Arizona is the little baby duck. And Republican Legislatures for the past 20 years have been squeezing the little duck a little bit harder every day in a vain attempt to keep the duck little forever.
During this period of time the population of Arizona has doubled in size. And this has meant more demand for public services like roads and schools. This requires tax revenues.
But Republicans eliminated the state property tax. Republicans have reduced income tax rates numerous times, and reduced income taxes even further with special interest tax credits. Republicans reduced the state sales tax base with numerous special interest tax exemptions. The gasoline tax has not been raised in years.
Republicans have been squeezing state revenues a little bit harder every day in a vain attempt to keep state government from growing in proportion to the growing demands of a rapidly growing population.
Some Republicans, like the young girl in our story, in their child-like innocence meant no harm to the state. They simply did not understand that their simple-minded belief in squeezing the state of tax revenues could eventually kill the state.
But there are other Republicans who are aware and understand the consequences of their actions. They have taken Grover Norquist's "no taxes" pledge in a sadistic and malicious attempt to squeeze the little baby duck "Arizona" to death.
Will Arizonans come to this realization before Republicans can squeeze the little baby duck "Arizona" to death? Or will Arizonans be inconsolable in their grief for having come to this realization after it is too late?
A note to our Democratic Legislators: Go to your local toy store and purchase some rubber ducks, the kind they sell for children's bath toys. Set the rubber duck on your desk at the Legislature as a form of passive protest over the Republicans squeezing the little baby duck "Arizona" to death. Sometimes symbolic protests can speak louder than words and can lead to a movement (e.g., the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine). And this is the kind of thing that the media just loves to report.
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Francine; my statement was posed as a question to Mr. Meanie to dig into the facts for you to see.
I have lived in Arizona since 1945 and P.A. since 1927 to 1945.
When I moved to Tucson in 1945 from P.A. I did not need any statistics to see what was going on in Tucson and its job and wage surpression at the hands of Illeagl Mexican Nationals who were working under the Farm bill , one of which was the family of Raul Grijalva!
Today Obama addressed Education Reform by talking to The Mexican Chamber Of Commerce?
It seems Obama knows what Francine and most on this blog do not!
I’ll also comment on sheapenny’s claims. I’ve read though the book “Let them in : the case for open borders” by Jason L. Riley and that book makes the case that illegal aliens use government services less on average than legal residents do (which makes a certain out of hand sense). Being a Ron Paul admirer (and as his position currently doesn’t seem to be open border) I don’t accept any stat or book out of hand but I did read the whole book and I find it really hard to believe that an average illegal Mexican (or other type of immigrant) is any much different for legal Hispanic resident when it comes to government services.
In any case the problem is government services and welfare, not immigration that is the root problem.
http://www.amazon.com/Let-Them-Case-Open-Borders/dp/B001IDZJQ8
The book can be obtained for as low as $5.99 plus shipping and covers the big six issues that enforce immigration advocates make, if those same advocates can point me to a source that debunks the case made by the book I am willing to read up and see if indeed closed borders is a preferable position to hold.
Blah. Boring. A little silly. Dems already have a legacy of being soft and fluffy. No need to re-enforce that image, no matter how low-concept the idea–like this one. Next!
Sheapenny, as a retired statistician, I am interested in your statements. I would like very much to see the data you have to support this problem. I just love data/numbers and if you can give me solid data sites, I’ll be happy to prepare the necessary tables to support your position.
Another paranoid racist rant blaming a politically powerless group for the sins of those who are politically powerful and truly at fault – Wall Street bankers and the Chamber of Commerce businesses who exploit undocumented migrant labor with a design to suppress wages and reduce benefits to American workers. This is also the reason for “outsourcing” American jobs overseas to third world countries where it is easier for businesses to exploit labor. Your hatred is entirely misplaced.
It is a telling sign that your hatred is focused only on Mexicans, when there are actually a large number of undocumented aliens living in this country from a wide variety of countries. Why not Asians, or Russians, or Irish? It sounds as if you have enough hatred for everyone.
Take it elsewhere!
AZBlueMeanie:
With your vast knowledge and access to data and information please tell the bloggers on this site “THE REST OF THE STORY:”
How many Illegal Mexican Nationals using ALL the State and County and Cities of Arizona as a personal credit card for Hospitals; Schools; and Job and Wage surpresssion did it cost the taxpayers of Arizona?
Just as California’s huge billions of dollars of debt can be traced directly to the Illegal Mexican National living in that State to the penny ; with-out the 3 million Illegal Mexican Nationals living in California and using the taxpayers to fund everything they need from operations to schooling; Californis would HAVE NO DEBT SIR MEANIE!